Liu Xian hadn't closed his eyes for more than a few minutes.
Sleep, it turned out, didn't come easy when your bones still echoed the memories of electric pulses and scalpels. Even though the bed here wasn't stained with blood and fear, and the ceiling above him wasn't buzzing with flickering surgical lights, his body still twitched like it expected something sharp to touch it. So he lay awake, silent, his breath low and even, as if pretending to be asleep would make his mind shut up.
Eventually, a soft blue hue crept through the high windows of the dormitory. Morning.
He sighed—more of a release than anything else—and pushed himself up, his joints stiff and reluctant, like they hadn't forgiven him for surviving the lab.
The announcement came with a gentle tone that didn't match the cold hallways and robotic routine: "All recruits, rise. Orientation Preparation Protocols initiated. Dress immediately and proceed to Gear Distribution Sector."
It wasn't really a surprise. Q24 had mentioned orientation, and weapons had to come into play eventually. He wasn't sure what he'd expected—some training sticks? A syllabus? But apparently, they were jumping straight into giving unstable teenagers weapons.
Liu Xian stepped out into the hallway, half-formed lines already trailing through the massive academy complex.
As he walked with the others, he noticed B67 at the far end but didn't call for him.
They just kept walking. Herded like sheep, lining up in the narrow corridors that led out of the dorm sectors. Drones floated overhead, scanning each student with blinking red eyes.
Nobody dared step out of line.
The Gear Distribution Sector was colder than the halls, if that was even possible. The walls were sleek metal, and every sound bounced off them like ricocheting bullets. It smelled faintly of oil, metal, and something sharper—gunpowder, maybe.
It's walls were stacked high with shelves, and in the center were rows of weapon stations. Each student moved in a line, and when it was their turn, they were led to a small metal platform where a robotic voice asked them to select their weapon of choice.
"Please choose your armament," the voice echoed in perfect tone. "Once selected, the weapon will be attuned to your mana signature. Choose carefully."
Liu Xian watched others before him.
Some picked up sleek, futuristic guns that seemed to hum with energy. Others chose staffs, swords, gauntlets, and even things that looked like they belonged more in sci-fi than any battlefield. One girl picked up a blade so massive it looked like it could slice through a tank. The moment her hand wrapped around the hilt, the entire blade shimmered and lit up.
He stepped onto the platform. The light around him dulled slightly and the holographic display unfolded in front of him with options. Weapons lined the platform's side. The drone guiding the process hovered silently beside him.
Liu Xian glanced through them.
He'd never touched a weapon in his life.
His hands twitched at his sides.
He didn't know what to pick.
His fingers hovered over a sleek dagger with a black hilt—sharp, light, and unimposing. Easy to conceal. Easy to control. But something about it didn't sit right. It felt… too subtle.
Next to it was a staff with a core that pulsed dimly—too slow. Too heavy.
His eyes finally landed on something mid-sized—a crescent-edged blade attached to a compact hilt. It was strange-looking, like a scythe and a sword had a baby and decided it would electrocute people. When he moved closer, it buzzed faintly, as if sensing him.
He hesitated. Then reached out.
The moment his hand wrapped around the handle, the blade flared with a faint crackle of light-blue mana. A wave of warmth surged through his palm.
The drone blinked once. "Weapon attuned."
He exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding. And, just when he was about to walk off the platform, a blur of movement came rushing toward him.
"Hey!" a high-pitched voice called. "Liu Xian!"
He turned slowly.
B67 came to a full stop in front of him, chest heaving like he'd sprinted the last few meters. "Look! Cool, right?" He held out a crossbow like it was a toy fresh out of the package. "It lights up when I channel mana into it. See?" The gem shimmered with a faint pulse.
Liu Xian blinked. The kid was smiling so hard his face might break.
Last night flashed through his mind. That same boy, arms wrapped tightly around him. Trembling. Whimpering. Refusing to sleep unless someone else was beside him until he was told to head back to his dorm by a drone.
It felt surreal, watching him beam like this. The contrast was… jarring.
Liu Xian's expression didn't change, but his stare lingered.
B67 caught the look, eyebrows raising in confusion. "Huh? What?"
He tilted his head to the side, eyes curious and unbothered, as if waiting for Liu Xian to comment on something.
But Liu Xian just looked away, lips tightening, blade still in hand.
B67 laughed, light and obnoxiously genuine. "Man, you're so weird," he said as Lui Xian started walking, but there was no malice in Lui Xian's gesture. Just... detachment. He didn't know how to process this place. These people. This kid.
The boy tilted his head, then caught up again anyway, still smiling.
"You don't talk much, huh?"
Silence.
"That's okay. I talk enough for both of us."
Still silence.
B67 laughed again.
And oddly, Liu Xian didn't hate the sound.
Outside the Gear Distribution Sector, the corridor split into multiple hallways. A large screen flashed with team assignments and schedules for the Portal Trials. B67 was already staring at it with wide eyes, pointing out names.
"Looks like we're on the same team!" he chirped with a grin, waving Liu Xian over.
Liu Xian sighed quietly.
He adjusted the grip on his blade and walked toward the boy, wondering if the crossbow would still make B67 smile once the fighting started.
Once blood was in the air.
Once they learned what the Academy really meant by "trials."