Reincarnated As A Character In My Own Manga

[Scene: Docks Below the Castle – Port of the Floating Fortress]

The boat groaned softly against the dock ropes as six figures leapt off one by one.

Boots hit stone.

Salt air whipped their skin.

Katrina landed lightest, her coat fluttering like a shadow. Solis landed with calm precision. Rhask's weight sent a mild echo through the pier. Kael, of course, rolled and popped up like he meant to land showy. Arjun adjusted his bow without pause. Eron jumped with confidence.

Up on the deck of Whisper's Light, Ashen waved frantically with both hands.

Ashen (yelling):

"Best of luck, guys!!"

Madhav stood beside him with arms folded — chin high, eyes squinted into the breeze — the very image of proud parent energy.

[Scene: The Castle Gate – A Few Minutes Later]

It towered above them like a slab of history.

Dark grey stone. Reinforced iron veins. Arching almost fifty feet high — the gate stood like the maw of a sleeping giant.

Two guards flanked it in full ceremonial armor. Not the type to talk. Not the type to blink.

Without a word, one stepped forward — placed a gloved hand to one half of the gate — and pushed.

A groooaaan echoed through the air like some ancient titan stirring from slumber.

Only one of the double doors creaked open.

But it was enough.

Wide enough to let at least fifteen people walk shoulder to shoulder.

Kael:

"Well, that's dramatic."

Solis:

"Quiet. It suits the place."

Beyond the doorway—

A vast stone hall greeted them.

Lit by high-set torches and stained-glass skylights, the chamber was colder than the sea wind outside.

Red carpet. Soft yet worn. Leading forward like a path of fate.

At the far end—

Two massive flags hung, crisscrossing in the air like blades.

One green. One crimson.

Forming an "X" above a towering iron brazier.

Flames flickered below the flags, casting warped shadows across the chamber.

Behind the flaming X—sixteen sealed doors.

Each identical in size, spaced evenly across the far wall.

Katrina's boots echoed as she stepped forward, eyes scanning.

Katrina:

"Six hours left... I should confirm the process."

[Scene: Reception Area – Off to the corner]

Tucked behind a waist-high counter stood a clean-shaven clerk in a navy-blue robe, scrolls stacked like bricks behind him.

Katrina (approaching):

"Where do we submit our forms? The deadline is in six hours, right?"

The man looked up, face expressionless.

Clerk:

"Yes. And in approximately six hours, the sixteen doors you see will open."

Katrina:

"...So until then, we wait?"

Clerk:

"Correct. No forms accepted before that."

Katrina frowned slightly.

Katrina:

"Will any clarification be given? Why the delay?"

Clerk (calmly):

"I'm afraid I'm not allowed to share any more details."

Katrina stared.

He didn't blink.

Then—

???:

"Don't bother."

A new voice — soft, female, exasperated.

A girl stepped beside Katrina, arms crossed. She had dark circles under her eyes, like she hadn't slept in two days.

???:

"We've been here since yesterday. Every time someone asks, he repeats the same thing. 'Wait for the doors to open.'"

She sighed.

???:

"You came late. Consider that lucky."

Katrina blinked.

[Scene: Katrina Returns Back To The Group]

Kael:

"Did I hear... the doors won't open for six hours?"

Eron (flatly):

"We could've slept more."

Rhask:

"Or trained more."

Solis:

"...Or not eaten that soup."

Kael:

"Yeah, that soup."

Arjun stood with his arms folded, looking toward the sealed doors.

Arjun:

"Six hours, huh?"

Katrina:

"Looks like we wait."

The camera (if there were one) would pan upward:

To the vaulted ceiling.

To the flickering flags.

To the sixteen gates.

Something was building behind them.

Something none of them quite understood.

Yet.

Chapter End

Next: "The Doors of Trial"