As the door sealed shut, he took a step forward.
The first thing that hit him was the cold—air rushing against his skin like icy fingers, seeping through his clothes. The temperature here was frigid, as if someone had cranked an air conditioner to its absolute limit.
Inside, the room lay shrouded in darkness, broken only by the ethereal bioluminescent glow emanating from decorative strips that traced the walls like veins of light. As his eyes adjusted to the dimness, Ren could make out the space—surprisingly spacious, with a neatly made bed, a sleek desk, and what appeared to be a small seating area positioned near a massive window that gazed out into the abyssal ocean depths.
Beyond the glass, groups of colorful fish darted away, startled by the sudden intrusion of people into the room. The bioluminescent patterns along their bodies painted trails of light through the water, and for a brief moment, the alien ocean felt almost... alive. Almost welcoming.
After scanning his surroundings with cautious eyes, Ren moved toward the seating area and collapsed heavily onto the sofa, his legs suddenly betraying him with weakness.
His strength felt completely drained, hollowed out like a carved pumpkin. Yet despite his exhaustion, a smile crept across his face. Relief—pure, overwhelming relief—flooded through his chest.
*We should be safe now, right?*
When was the last time he'd felt this way?
A memory surfaced: being chased by a neighborhood dog as a child, sprinting down the street with his heart hammering, finally reaching his front door and slamming it shut. That same sensation of having solid walls between himself and danger.
Thinking about everything that had just happened, this entire experience felt too... surreal. Too impossible.
*Am I really not dreaming?*
Because how did it make any sense that he'd been running for his life when he should have been safe at home, warm and comfortable in his own bed?
Ren pinched the soft material of the sofa cushion, pressing his fingers deep into its surface, grounding himself in the tactile sensation. Trying to anchor himself to this new reality—whatever it was.
The chaotic storm of thoughts swirling through his mind slowly began to settle. The vice-grip of anxiety around his heart loosened slightly beneath the room's calm, almost hypnotic atmosphere. If it weren't for the monsters lurking outside, he could easily fall asleep right here.
"Now that I'm here, there's nothing else I can do," he whispered to himself. "I just need to survive until I find my way back home."
For the first time since arriving in this nightmare, he felt a sense of direction. A purpose. *No matter what happens, I need to survive.*
With that thought crystallizing in his mind, he turned his attention to the panel—that mysterious, translucent interface that had appeared before him earlier.
The screen materialized at his will, displaying his information in clean, glowing text:
{Name: Amelioren}
{Age/Gender: Teen Male}
{Rank: ?}
{Amethyst}
{Main Mission: Understand this world}
{Rewards: ???}
{Progress: 1%}
.....
{Time-Limited Ability}
• Disguise: Alter outward appearance while preserving true nature.
Note: Only one disguise permitted.
{Time Remaining: ----}
"Still the same..."
His eyes traced over each line, absorbing the implications, understanding the weight of what this system represented.
Then his gaze locked onto the ability section.
"Disguise..." he murmured, feeling the weight of the word. "I need this ability if I want to survive in this world. With it, I could blend in seamlessly. I could even... live here for a long time if necessary."
The thought sent a chill down his spine that had nothing to do with the room's temperature. He tried to imagine being stuck here permanently, unable to return home. The disguise would be his only shield.
"But why is it only time-limited?"
He sighed, the sound heavy with frustration and fear.
He understood the cruel reality all too well.
Without the disguise ability, he would face a fate too terrible to contemplate.
"Can I extend the time? Find some way to make it permanent?"
He scrutinized the panel, searching for any hint, any instruction, any loophole. But there was nothing—no explanation, no extension mechanism, no hope. Only that timer, its numbers steadily counting down beside the ability description. A constant reminder that his borrowed safety had an expiration date.
"What am I supposed to do?"
His fingers absently traced patterns along the sofa's soft edges as he wrestled with the problem, finding no immediate solution.
"And then there's this..."
He mentally swiped to the second page of his interface.
There it was—the treasure chest he should have opened hours ago. But the chaos and terror had forced him to postpone it until now.
"Maybe there's something inside that I desperately need. Something that could be my lifeline in this world."
His jaw tightened with determination. "Hopefully a weapon. Or armor. Or something—anything—useful."
The vulnerability of his situation gnawed at him. He was completely unprepared, defenseless in a world that had already tried to kill him multiple times.
"I need to open this. But first..."
He narrowed his eyes and rose from the sofa, a different need suddenly pressing.
"Is there a bathroom in here? Can I use it?"
He directed the question toward Lanae.
She sat at the opposite end of the sofa, her slender fingers carefully adjusting and tinkering with the intricate accessories adorning her wrist. She'd been doing this since they'd entered, completely absorbed in whatever delicate work she was performing.
Only now did Ren truly notice the delicate accessories that adorned her. Each piece seemed carefully chosen, placed with intention in natural spots that complemented her form without overwhelming it. The effect was elegant, understated, and graceful.
But what truly caught his attention was the pendant at her neck—a mesmerizing black-violet crystal that seemed to contain entire galaxies within its depths. Swirls of color danced inside the gem like nebulae, hypnotic and beautiful.
She lifted her eyes briefly, her gaze flickering toward him for just a moment before returning to her work with quiet focus.
"Go straight down that corridor behind you, then turn left."
Her voice was soft but clear.
Ren nodded his thanks and headed in that direction, his steps purposeful despite his exhaustion.
"That's... odd..."
Lanae's barely audible murmur faded behind him as she returned her attention to the accessories, her brow furrowing slightly.
Meanwhile, Kyle stood near the corner of the room, pacing in small, restless circles like a caged animal trying to calm his nerves.
"Shit. Why the hell did I leave my bag back in my room?"
His internal cursing was interrupted when he caught sight of Ren disappearing down the corridor out of the corner of his eye.
That guy. His eyes narrowed to suspicious slits.
*Something's off about him.*
"I need to talk to her about this."
He approached Lanae with measured steps, his expression carefully neutral.
"Lanae. Who is that guy?"
"Just someone I met." She didn't bother looking up from her work.
Kyle's gaze flicked to Ren, his brow furrowing. "Then why the hell is he wearing the same uniform as us?"
Lanae's fingers stilled for a moment, the question hanging in the air. The uniform... it did seem identical, right down to the stitching. She hadn't really thought about it until now, but the similarity was hard to ignore.
"Could just be a coincidence," she said, her voice flat. "Or maybe he's someone from our school who ended up here on his own."
Kyle wasn't convinced. He leaned in closer, his tone dropping to a low murmur. "Or maybe he's..."
"Kyle."
Her voice cut through his speculation like a blade—calm, but edged with warning.
"Mind your words."
She spoke slowly, deliberately. Her usually expressionless face now carried a hint of steel, a seriousness that made Kyle's next words die in his throat.
He choked slightly, heat rising to his face as shame crept in. He'd been about to make a dangerous accusation with no evidence.
"I-I'm just trying to make sure everyone in our immediate vicinity is safe and trustworthy," he defended himself, scrambling for justification. "And I don't trust that guy. Something feels wrong."
"I think he's trustworthy enough," Lanae replied, her tone brooking no argument. "Don't worry about it." She paused, then added with a pointed look, "Or what exactly are you suggesting we do?"
Her frown deepened. "Do you want to throw him out? Force him to fend for himself outside with those creatures, all because of your unfounded suspicion?"
Kyle fell silent, discomfort twisting in his chest like a knife.
*Damn it! Damn Lanae! How dare she speak to me with that tone? Not even my parents talk down to me like this!*
Of course, those thoughts remained safely locked inside his head. He still needed her cooperation, her protection. For now, he'd swallow his pride.
Taking a deliberate breath to calm himself, he tried a different angle.
"Fine. Then what about that other guy you let in? The one with the glasses?"
"About him..."
Lanae glanced around the room, suddenly realizing the new arrival was nowhere to be seen.
Where did he go?
"He rushed toward the bathroom the moment he got inside," Kyle answered, his voice dripping with disdain as he pointed in the general direction. "I don't know what he's doing in there, taking so damn long. Maybe he's—"
A dark smirk crossed his face. "Maybe he's already turning into one of those monsters."
The malicious joke hung in the air.
"Kyle! That's not funny!"
Lanae's face flashed with genuine anger, her eyes sharp with disapproval.
And then, as if summoned by Kyle's cruel words, a strange noise erupted from that very direction—a crash, the distinct sound of something heavy toppling over. Furniture, perhaps.
"Eh?"
Kyle froze mid-breath, his smirk evaporating. He stared toward the source of the sound, his face slowly draining of color.
Gradually, his expression shifted from mockery to something approaching genuine fear.
..
*This room is way bigger than I expected.*
Ren marveled silently as he walked through the corridor. From outside, he'd assumed this would be a cramped little space—just a bed and maybe a closet. Who knew it would be this expansive?
After navigating the surprisingly long hallway, he finally reached his destination.
Set into the wall were two bright blue luminescent marks, positioned side by side but separated by several meters. As he approached one, the solid surface began to shimmer and fade, becoming translucent like frosted glass before transforming into a doorway that slid open with barely a whisper of sound.
"Whoa..."
Wonder colored his voice.
He stepped inside, and immediately the atmosphere shifted—became more private, more intimate.
The bathroom was stunning. A large, luxurious bathtub sat positioned beside floor-to-ceiling transparent glass that looked directly out into the ocean depths. Schools of fish drifted by in the distance, their bioluminescent bodies creating a living constellation. Embedded in the center of the glass was a beautiful crystal—he couldn't tell if it was purely decorative or served some functional purpose.
He could easily imagine soaking in that tub, watching the alien marine life drift past in safety, separated only by this barrier between worlds.
On the opposite side stood another door—clearly the toilet.
But that wasn't why he'd come here.
Standing before the massive window with the dark ocean as his backdrop, Ren called forth his panel once more.
There it was—the treasure chest, floating in its own pocket of void space, waiting to be opened.
*Let's see what fate has given me.*
With focused intention, he imagined his consciousness reaching out like a hand, his will becoming a finger that pressed down on the chest's ethereal surface.
*Click.*
**Ding!**
In an instant, reality itself seemed to tear apart.
A burst of blinding, searing light erupted from the chest, so intense that Ren had to shield his eyes. The radiance filled the entire bathroom, banishing every shadow, turning the space into pure white brilliance.
Time seemed to stretch and distort. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes like hours.
Then, gradually, the light began to recede like a tide pulling back from shore. The overwhelming brightness dimmed, faded, settled into something more bearable.
When Ren could finally see again, he blinked away the afterimages dancing across his vision.
"What... what is that?"
Where the chest had been, now floated an iridescent bubble, perfectly spherical and gently rotating in place. Inside the bubble was something extraordinary—an object that pulsed with flowing, liquid light. The illumination shifted between two opposite shades, one bright and warm, the other dark and cool, like opposing forces caught in eternal dance.
The colors swirled and merged, separated and reunited, hypnotic in their movement.
Then text materialized in the air before him, glowing with the same ethereal quality:
**Congratulations!**
**You have obtained the talent: "Unity"!**