Corrupted Throne

Mess Hall – Lunchtime**

"The food here is pretty damn delicious," Jack said, his mouth half-full as he eagerly shoveled another bite in. Steam rose from his plate as he dug in with zero restraint.

Duke sat beside him, devouring an absurd amount of food—plates piling up like a small mountain. Across the table, even Drex was eating heartily, his usual quiet demeanor unchanged despite the sheer volume he was consuming.

Samaira leaned back, wiping her mouth. "Duke, are you eating tomorrow's meals too?"

Touka raised an eyebrow as she watched Duke. Is he eating for the entire squad? she thought, before casually returning to her own plate. Her portion, in contrast, was calm and balanced—disciplined, even.

"Kendra Energy lies inside everyone—ooh yeahhh!" Jack grinned, throwing his arms up dramatically while still chewing. "I *can't wait* to use it! Heheh."

"It's not that easy, idiot," came a dry voice from behind the bench.

The group turned.

Derius leaned back lazily where he sat with Kairoz, arms resting behind his head, a bored expression on his face.

Duke blinked. That's Kairoz's friend... right?

"How do you know?" Jack asked, squinting at him suspiciously. Drex, Samaira, and even Touka paused to listen.

"Because…" Derius smirked and raised his palm.

A faint hum filled the air. A swirl of cool blue energy began forming in his hand, flickering like mist wrapped in lightning.

Every pair of eyes locked onto it.

"No way," Duke whispered, stunned.

Jack nearly dropped his spoon. "Dude… what!?"

Even Samaira was speechless, eyes wide with awe.

Kairoz, still eating calmly, glanced over at Derius and rolled his eyes. What a show-off…

"So coooool!" Duke, Jack, and Samaira all said at once, grinning like kids seeing fire for the first time.

Touka narrowed her gaze. The energy in his hand pulsed rhythmically, stable and controlled. So he knows how to use it already…? Maybe he's not just a clown after all.

"Can you tell us more about it?" Drex asked suddenly, his deep voice cutting through the chatter.

Derius looked up from his spot. "Sure, why not?"

With a cocky grin, he picked up his plate and began walking toward their table. Halfway there, he paused and looked back.

"Hey, Kairoz! Don't get too lonely without me, heheh."

Kairoz didn't respond—he just gave Derius a flat, tired look. Not angry. Not annoyed. Just... blank.

Derius chuckled awkwardly. "Okay, okay, I get it. Tough crowd."

He turned and spotted Touka.

His smile widened.

Without hesitation, he slid onto the bench right beside her.

"Hey there."

Samaira narrowed her eyes immediately. "Ugh. Don't sit next to him, Touka."

"Huh? Why not?" Derius said with mock innocence. "She doesn't mind. Right?" He turned to Touka with a smug glint in his eyes. "We're friends, aren't we?"

Touka gave a slow, unreadable blink. "Yeah… met him up on the mountain."

Her tone was neutral, but her answer was enough.

Duke watched the exchange, his brows subtly tightening. Something about it unsettled him.

What's with this feeling? he wondered. Why does this guy get under my skin?

Derius was already leaning back, acting like he belonged.

"So," he said, waving his fork around casually, "you guys want the truth about Kendra Energy?"

Jack nodded eagerly. "Yes! Tell us everything!"

Even Drex was listening now, his arms crossed, expression thoughtful.

Samaira, still suspicious, kept one eye on Derius while chewing slowly.

And Touka?

She didn't say anything. But her hand had subtly shifted under the table—resting near her side.

Prepared.

Just in case.

Mess Hall – Mid-Conversation

"Kendra Energy does lie within everyone," Derius began, casually twirling his fork between his fingers. "But that doesn't mean everyone can *use* it."

The table went quiet again.

"It takes an insane amount of focus. Concentration. I've seen people train for *years* and still fail to awaken it."

As he spoke, he flicked his wrist—and the fork lifted into the air, spinning gently above his palm like it weighed nothing.

Everyone leaned forward, eyes locked onto the floating utensil.

"Only geniuses like me," Derius said with a smug grin, "can control it like this… in just a few weeks."

A faint *chuckle* came from behind.

Kairoz.

Still seated at his own table, still eating, barely even looking at them.

Derius twitched. *That bastard. Trying to ruin my moment...*

"Then how can we achieve it quickly?" came a voice from the back.

Lysa had just walked up, arms crossed. Her eyes were calm, but her curiosity real.

Jack blinked in recognition. *Wait… that's the girl I fought during the entrance trial.*

"Blank mind," Derius said simply.

"Black mind?" Lysa raised an eyebrow.

"No, *blank.*" He gestured like he was clearing a table. "You have to empty everything from your head—fear, doubt, excitement. Clear it all. Then… maybe, just maybe… you'll catch a glimpse of the spark. That's the whole point of meditation."

Touka, who had been silently watching him, finally spoke.

"Is there any downside to using Kendra Energy?"

Derius turned toward her and smiled.

"So far? I'm doing pretty damn well just using the basics," he said with a wink. "Don't worry. If you run into trouble, I'll give you *private* lessons."

Samaira practically slammed her tray down from behind.

"No thanks," she snapped, glaring. "If Touka ever needs help, *I'll* teach her."

Derius didn't miss a beat. "Pfft. First *learn* it yourself. Dumb people like you usually take *months*—maybe *years*—to awaken anything at all!"

"Hey—what did you just say!?" Samaira shot up, fire in her eyes.

"I said you're dumb. Ha!" Derius laughed, not even trying to hide it now.

"Samaira—chill!" Touka reached out, placing a calming hand on her arm before someone got punched. "He's just messing around."

Samaira fumed, fists clenched.

Derius leaned back smugly, still floating the fork above his hand.

He's lucky Touka stopped me…Samaira thought, teeth gritted.

Duke and Drex sat quietly, listening to everything that had just been said.

Touka, still calmly eating, spoke without looking up.

"I think we should finish our food before the next session starts."

"You're right, Touka," Derius replied with a grin. "Can't meditate on an empty stomach."

He stood up and strolled back to his seat.

The group returned to eating—though the mood had shifted. The floating fork, the mention of Kendra's difficulty, and Derius's cocky confidence had left something hanging in the air. A sense of tension… and anticipation.

Then—

**DING! DING!**

A sharp bell rang out across the hall.

A uniformed guard appeared at the mess entrance.

"All recruits—report to the **Void Room**. Immediately."

"Void room?" Duke echoed, blinking. "What's that?"

"Let's find out," Jack said, rising to his feet.

The Void Room

All thirty recruits gathered in silence, their footsteps echoing faintly against the cold stone floor.

The Void Room was unlike any space they'd seen in Bastionspire so far.

It was massive and circular, with high ceilings and dark, seamless walls that seemed to swallow light. The air was unnaturally still—**heavy**, like the room itself was holding its breath.

A glowing stone sat embedded at the apex of the domed ceiling—pulsing gently with a pale, silvery light.

No one spoke. The silence was absolute.

Duke shifted nervously.

*Something feels off…* he thought.

Jack stood beside him, arms folded tightly.

"Yeah," he muttered. "I'm getting weird vibes too."

Across the room, Kairoz and Derius remained perfectly composed—calm and unreadable.

Vairan leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, silent as ever. His aura was still—but deadly.

Samaira stood near the front, curiosity blazing in her eyes, bouncing slightly on her heels like she couldn't wait to begin.

Touka, meanwhile, slowly scanned the room. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted the glowing stone.

So that's where the energy comes from in this fortress, she thought, a faint smirk touching her lips. Interesting.

Then—

The door creaked open.

Captain Violet Smith entered.

As always, she said nothing at first. Her presence alone commanded attention.

She walked to the center of the room and stopped. Her gaze swept across the recruits.

"This," she began, "is the Void Room."

Her voice echoed perfectly, despite its calm volume.

"It exists to enhance your meditation. In this space, your senses are dulled… your distractions stripped away. Here, your connection to Kendra becomes clearer—more accessible."

A few recruits exchanged glances.

"You were chosen," she continued, "because out of over a thousand applicants, you thirty were the strongest, the fastest, or the most promising."

"You *can* handle the pressure of the Void."

She paused, letting that hang.

"Some of you will awaken your energy in a month… maybe even less. But only if you give this room everything you have."

Violet took a step back.

"Now… sit."

The room shifted. Every recruit, one by one, lowered themselves into a seated meditation posture.

The silence deepened.

And so began their journey inward.

Inside the Void Room – The First Meditation

Everyone sat cross-legged on their meditation mats, the air thick with anticipation.

"Breathe," came Violet Smith's calm, commanding voice.

"Slow… steady… Focus on the spark.

Don't think.

Clear everything."

Without warning, the lights in the Void Room faded—one by one—until darkness swallowed the space whole.

Total blackness.

Then—

**Everything changed.**

To Duke, it felt like the world had flipped.

The darkness wasn't just empty—it was *endless.* Stars shimmered around him, unnaturally close. Planets floated silently, orbiting unseen forces. The floor beneath him no longer felt solid. There was no ceiling. No walls.

*It feels like I'm in space…* Duke thought, eyes wide. Like I've left Earth entirely.

A voice echoed again inside him:

Focus.

He shut his eyes tightly, trying to concentrate… but the silence was too loud. The vastness too infinite.

I feel… isolated.*

Like I'm not even human anymore.

Like I've been cut off from everything—

"AHH—nonono—!"

His own scream cracked through his mind as fear exploded within him, breaking his concentration completely.

Around the room, others struggled too. Regan flinched, shivering. Jack gasped for breath, head down. Even Touka, though calm on the surface, pretended to tremble—faking a struggle to keep up appearances.

Then—

FLASH.

The lights surged back on, flooding the Void Room with sudden brightness.

"Uff… huff…"

The sound of ragged breathing filled the chamber.

Everyone was gasping—except for Kairoz, Derius, and Vairan, who sat perfectly still, completely composed.

"Tch. Why'd you shut it off?" Vairan muttered, annoyed.

Violet stepped closer to him, her presence sharp and unwavering.

"Not everyone is like you, Mister Vairan Drayden."

He scoffed, looking away.

"All of you," Violet said, raising her voice slightly, "calm down."

She looked around at the sweating, shaken recruits.

"How did it feel? Who still wants to continue?"

Duke raised his head slowly, pale and shaken.

"Crap… I felt like I lost myself in there."

"That's the point," Violet said coldly. "The Void strips you bare. If you want to awaken your Kendra… you must face what's inside. Your fears. Your emptiness."

Derius stretched lazily, lying back on his mat.

"Ma'am, what if I already know how to use Kendra Energy?" he asked, his voice mocking as usual.

Violet's eyes locked onto him.

"Then you've already overcome your fear once," she replied. "But even then… the Void Room will sharpen your control. Even you have much to learn."

Around the room, most recruits still looked dazed—some barely sitting upright.

Violet scanned them, her sharp gaze narrowing in thought.

Only three recruits didn't almost faint…

Touka, sitting still, was *acting* like she was winded—her breaths slightly exaggerated, her hand clutching her side. Samaira, on the other hand, was clearly struggling… but pushing through, determined not to show weakness.

Lysa sat quietly, her chest rising and falling rapidly, sweat beading on her forehead—her struggle was *real*.

Jack was slumped forward, his palms on the floor.

Duke was wiping sweat from his neck, still shaken.

Drex, tough as he was, was breathing heavily—his endurance challenged for the first time.

Violet gave a rare nod, just slightly impressed.

"I'm especially pleased with you three," she said, her eyes moving between Touka, Samaira, and Lysa. "You held yourselves together better than most."

Then her gaze swept the room once more.

"Now…" she said, her voice colder, harder.

"…do you still want to continue?"

Silence fell.

Everyone had felt something—some terrifying version of themselves, some vast emptiness. But the choice now was theirs.