For how serious such a procedure was, the rapid recovery time was nothing short of genius from whoever invented the process—with a hint of a miracle.

  Most people woke up from the surgery after an hour and could walk within ten minutes, free to spend the rest of their day however they saw fit.

  Kol, however, was not one of those people. He woke up te in the afternoon.

  He opened his eyes. The world around him was a blur, but that was changing by the second. Slowly, his vision sharpened, and the room came into focus. It was small, empty save for a chair near his bedside.

  There, hunched over with her arms crossed against her chest, Annie was sleeping. It seemed she had been sitting there for a while.

  The door creaked open.

  A woman in a white coat entered, holding a clipboard stacked with papers. She had sharp features softened only by the loose strands of dark hair that had slipped from her ponytail.

  “How are you feeling? Any pain?” Her voice was neutral, professional.

  Kol blinked. He tried to speak but couldn’t muster up the words.

  “The sedatives are still wearing off,” she expined, flipping through the pages on her clipboard. “Don’t worry. Just nod.”

  Kol did as he was told, though even doing that motion felt sluggish at the moment.

  “Good.” She scribbled something onto her board. “My name is Han YeEun. I’m your assigned doctor, here to tell you that the procedure was a success and to examine you.”

  Kol grunted. The initial numbness in his body was beginning to fade, and as his movements improved, he turned his head toward the window. A deep blue stretched across the sky, broken only by scattered lights twinkling in the distance. He stared for a moment before frowning.

  It was dark outside.

  But… that didn’t make sense. Hadn’t the surgery only just happened? Between that and Annie being next to him long enough to fall asleep, Kol knew something was wrong.

  “What… happened…?” He asked, his voice hoarse.

  YeEun looked up, amused. “Oh? Already talking? Breaking all the records today, aren’t we?” She chuckled before answering his question. “You had an unusual reaction to the sedatives. It took us a while to adjust accordingly.”

  At that moment, Annie stirred and shifted in her chair, then straightened up.

  “Is it anythin’ we should worry about?” she groaned, stretching her arms.

  “Miss Hoover,” YeEun addressed her formally before shaking her head. “No, it is not. His vitals are stable. He’s just had a longer recovery period than most.”

  “Good,” Annie exhaled, rubbing the back of her neck. “But any idea what could have caused such a reaction?”

  “Our best guesstimate is due to a pre-existing condition.”

  “Guesstimate? Are you serious?” Annie excimed. “What kind of answer is that?”

  “The best one we can provide at the time being. He was the first to react in such a way.” YeEun stated, scribbling something on her papers.

  Kol clenched his fist, testing his strength. Sensation was returning, albeit slowly. The sluggishness was still there, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as before. With a grunt, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His muscles tensed, protesting the sudden movement, but he ignored it.

  He pnted his feet firmly on the ground, breathing in deeply before attempting to stand. For a moment, he wobbled. Annie stepped forward to catch him, but Kol steadied himself before she could reach him.

  “I’m fine,” he groaned, heading towards the door.

  “I’ll sign your release papers. Just take it easy for the rest of the night. No strenuous activities.” YeEun said as Kol left the room with Annie following after.

  “Hey,” Annie said as they made their way back toward the dormitories. “How are you really?”

  “I’ll manage.” Kol answered solemnly. “What about you?”

  “I’ll manage.” Annie replied, imitating him, before breaking into ughter. “No problems for me whatsoever.”

  “Good.”

  A comfortable silence settled between them, filled only by the scuffing of their footsteps against the pavement.

  “I have a surprise for y—”

  Kol cut her off immediately. “What now?”

  She stopped mid-step, throwing him a look. “What do you mean what now?”

  “Your idea of a surprise is most decidedly disastrous.”

  “Ouch??”

  “It’s the truth.” Kol stated, unfazed.

  Annie scoffed, crossing her arms while pouting. “Okay, okay—I see how it is. I was gonna tell you, but now I most certainly will not!”

  “No, you weren’t.” Kol smirked slightly, just enough to betray his amusement.

  Annie narrowed her eyes at him. “Fuck you.”

  “Love you too, midget.”

  ***

  When they arrived in their dormitories, the building was already quiet, except for the lounge, where three people were sitting in a circle and ughing. They were having a grand ol’ time from what it looked like.

  The moment Kol and Annie stepped into their view, one of them, a guy wearing nothing but boxers, waved them over with an enthusiastic grin.

  Annie, already smirking, nudged Kol’s shoulder, which all he needed to know what she wanted.

  They took seats, Kol on the sofa and Annie on the couch next to it, settling into the circle. Aside from Boxer-boy, there was a girl with sharp hazel eyes sitting beside him, and across from her, a bulky guy with tousled blonde hair.

  “Hey, you two,” Boxer-boy greeted again, talking like he owned the pce. “Was wondering when you’d make it back!”

  “What makes you say that?” Annie asked.

  “Just that you guys stayed in the medical bay for the longest by a long shot,” the girl beside Kol replied. “Nothing serious happened, we hope?”

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “Good!” The girl grinned. She raised the bottle in her hand and took a swig and offered it to Kol. “To your good health!”

  Kol didn’t respond but took the bottle and drank a few sips. A familiar burning sensation ran through him.

  “Wow, didn’t even flinch!” The girl looked genuinely impressed.

  “It is just beer.” Kol stated like a seasoned veteran. Which he was, when it came to alcohol.

  “Rawr!”

  Boxer-boy—John, apparently—spped his thigh and leaned forward, a stupid smile forming on his face. “Alright everyone. Its tike to py spin the bottle! Finish your current one and take a fresh bottle!” He reached for the box beside him, handing out unopened bottles.

  The girl next to Kol—Jenn—clinked hers against his before twisting off the cap. Kol gnced over at Annie, who was already cracking hers open with an amused smirk, muttering something under her breath.

  “The rules are simple—” John announced, pcing an empty bottle in the center. “—The one who spins gets to ask a question from whoever the bottle points at. If they don’t want to give an answer; they drink. Simple and quick for the five of us, right? I’ll start!” And with that, spun the bottle.

  Round and round it went, until it finally stopped, nding on Mervin—the bulky guy.

  “Payback time!” John ughed, rubbing his hands together gleefully.

  Without missing a beat, Mervin shot back. “Shouldn’t have pyed strip beer-pong if you suck at it, John.”

  “Oh, it’s on!” John cackled devilishly. “Alright, Mervin, tell us; what’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened?”

  “You’re really gonna do me like that?” Mervin groaned, running a hand down his face.

  “Oh, absolutely.”

  Mervin sighed loudly before speaking again. “I once forced my way into a bathroom stall through a small gap under the door when I was 10 years old.”

  “Do tell more!”

  “We were at a kiddie diner, and nature called. Only problem was; all the stalls were occupied, and I needed to go urgently. So, I picked a stall and crawled under to tell whoever was inside to hurry up.”

  The group burst into ughter and John nearly toppled over.

  “Oh my God, dude!” The girl next to Kol gasped between fits of giggles. “You crawled under?”

  “I was ten! I panicked!”

  Mervin spun the bottle quickly to save face. Around it spun, until coming to a halt, nding on the girl sitting beside Kol.

  Mervin smirked. “Jenn, my dear friend…” He said comically as he considered his options. “…When did you first drink alcohol?”

  Jenn smirked, rolling the bottle between her hands. “Oh, that’s easy,” she said. “I was fifteen. My cousin snuck a bottle of whiskey into a sleepover, and let’s just say I learned the hard way that shots are not the way to start.”

  “Define ‘learned the hard way.’”

  Jenn groaned. “I threw up on my friend’s cat.”

  The room erupted into hushed ughter again.

  “No way!” John wheezed, spping his knee. “Poor cat!”

  Jenn threw her hands up. “I was a lightweight, okay? Still am, honestly.” She shook her head and grabbed the bottle, spinning it without hesitation. It whirled for a few seconds before stopping right on Kol.

  Jenn grinned. “Well, well,” she said, tapping her chin. “I was going to ask something risky, but there’s something else I want to know; what hair products do you use?”

  “None,” Kol answered solemnly, taking another sip of his drink.

  “Bullshit. No way your hair is that rich, let alone dark by nature. I bet you sneak in some fancy conditioner,” she accused.

  Annie chuckled. “I’ve lived with him for nearly a decade,” said Annie. “It’s the truth.”

  Jenn slummed back into the sofa in defeat and spun the bottle again. It whirled for a moment before nding on John.

  “Oh-ho! My turn again!” he excimed, rubbing his hands together like an idiot.

  Jenn leaned in, a stupid grin forming on her face. “Alright, John, tell us: if you had to kiss someone in this room right now—”

  “Mervin,”

  “Excuse me?” Mervin choked on his drink.

  “You heard me.”

  Everyone snickered with the exception of Mervin, who groaned, rubbing his face. “I regret everything.”

  John spun the bottle. It whirled and wobbled, then slowed, coming to a slow stop, pointing directly at Annie.

  John let out a low whistle, tapping the table for dramatic effect. “Annie, Annie, Annie… what do I ask you?”

  Annie leaned back, crossing her arms with a smirk on her face. “A question, which you just did.”

  “Whaaat? Don’t be like that! Don’t be like that! You know what I mean.”

  Annie chuckled, shifting forward. “Okay, okay, I just couldn’t resist. Bring it!”

  John tapped his chin as if deep in thought before snapping his fingers. “What made you sign up for the program?”

  At that moment, the air went stiff. Annie’s face twitched ever so slightly. Then after a moment, she reached for her drink and took a long, slow swig.

  “Ohhh, no way!” Jenn gasped. “You’re actually drinking? That means it’s something juicy. Spill it!”

  Annie set her gss down with a smirk, wiping her mouth. “I plead the fifth.”

  Come on, that’s cheating!” Jenn pouted.

  “You can’t just drop a mystery bomb on us and walk away!” John excimed dramatically, pointing an accusatory finger at her.

  Annie simply leaned back, still smirking. “Oh, but I can.”

  “Respect. That’s a power move.” Mervin said.

  What seemed like ten minutes to them turned out to be quite a lot more, as when they looked at the clock, it was well past midnight.

  One by one, they all got up, exchanging goodnights before shuffling off to their respective rooms. Annie lingered in the lounge for a little longer, staring at the now-still bottle, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugged at her lips before she, too, turned in for the night.

  ***

  The following resting-week was spent with attending tours around the compound’s premises, going more in-depth around pces Akira glossed over.

  As it turned out, aside from the gym, there were several running tracks, and even a swimming pool—and those were only the sport facilities. There was even a mall, complete with all kinds of stores a mall would have and more, like clothes, grocery, convenience, liquor, even a cinema and a post office, and pces that were still under construction.

  Annie had the time of her life exploring so many new pces between tours. As for Kol, he spent his time cooped up in his room, bming his headache on not exploring with Annie, which was only partially true. The other side was more interested reading the test book that had caught his eye. It was a dear hobby of his and a way of soothing his mind whenever he needed it.

  ***

  On the next morning of the st rest-day, the clock rang again.

  The time came for the second briefing, so everyone was called into the garden early in the morning. On their arrival, everyone was handed a briefcase. Inside was a bulky, pristine white cards and a suit, resembling something bikers wore.

  Akira spent no time giving a speech this time. Instead, she led the group straight to their future workpce—located directly under the boratory department—handed them over to the staff and promptly left.

  The staff then led them to an elevator and down a level. When the elevator doors opened, three hallways greeted them: one in front and two off to the sides, filled with rows of cubicles, each secured with a metal door.

  They instructed everyone to choose a cubicle. Everyone with the exception of Kol. He, instead, was pulled to the side, where a familiar face greeted him—YeEun’s.

  “Morning, Mr. Hoover,” she greeted, her tone dry as ever. “Let’s skip the small talk. You’re being assigned to a different cubicle than the rest. Yes, it’s because of what happened st week. No, it’s still nothing serious. And yes—” She gnced sideways. “—Miss Hoover can take a cubicle close to yours.”

  Without waiting for a response, YeEun turned on her hill and started walking down one of the side hallways.

  “The way this process works is simple; if the indicator light outside a cubicle is green, it’s vacant and ready for use. If it’s rid, it’s occupied, and only authorized personnel can enter.”

  She stopped before a particur cubicle, and stood still for a moment, after which the door opened.

  Inside, an enormous sized metal capsule dominated the room. It was colorless, and had a somewhat rugged design, reminiscent of something you’d see in a sci-fi movie. On its door was a single reinforced window at head level, a card slot positioned to the right, and a rge red button just beneath it.

  “This is called a ‘Sarcophagus’. This is currently how our workers to connect to the game,” YeEun expined. “But before you can enter, you’ll need to change.” She pointed to a wardrobe beside the door. “In the briefcase you were given is a suit and a card. Once you’ve changed, insert your card into the slot and climb in. The Sarcophagus will seal automatically, and the system will handle the rest. I suggest you get to it.”

  Without further instructions, YeEun turned on her heel and exited the cubicle, and Annie moved to the adjacent cubicle and did the same.

  Kol followed protocol, stripping off his clothes and setting aside his belongings before pulling on the suit. It clung to his skin like a second yer, its material smooth and flexible all around, yet the only thing on his mind was how uncomfortably comfortable it was. It would take some time to get used to that feeling.

  He then approached the Sarcophagus and pced his card in the slot and climbed inside. Its interiors were lined with soft, pillowy sponge, so it wasn’t all to uncomfortable.

  A faint mechanical hiss filled the space as the hatch sealed shut. Kol exhaled, closing his eyes.

  His body felt numb. His thoughts drifted, and a moment ter, consciousness slipped away entirely.

  Then, all sensation faded.

  ***

  At first, everything was dark and in silence.

  Kol could not tell anything, whether he was standing on ground, soaring in the sky, or floating beneath the ocean. It was a surreal feeling.

  Then, like before, he was walking.

  The corridor was back. The same endless passage from his dreams. He had walked these halls in his dreams before, though never remembered why.

  And like before, he pressed on, still not remembering the purpose of his march, only the need.

  Then, cold.

  A chilling mist curled across the floor, creeping from the far end of the corridor. The deeper he went, the colder it became with each step, until he reached its source.

  A door.

  An iron gate, frostbitten, standing alone at the end of the passage; the source of the mist. Its surface was coated in thick rime, frozen solid, left untouched for centuries—

  Then, the dream shattered.

  The cold vanished. The door colpsed into nothing. And his mind plunged back into the darkness.

  ***

  When Kol awoke, he found himself standing in the middle of what seemed like a castle room. For a moment, he thought he was still dreaming, but this was different. The air pure, fresh. Stone pilrs loomed around him, the room in the soft glow of flickering torches.

  Annie stepped out from behind one of the pilrs. “Feeling alright?” she asked.

  Kol grunted. He pushed himself upright and looked around. The walls, the torches, the air... it wasn’t right. This wasn’t the med bay. “Is this it?”

  Annie’s lips curled into a grin. “Yep.”

  She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else. She grabbed his hand and practically dragged him through the arch, onto a balcony. His eyes stung at the sudden shift in brightness, and when they finally adjusted...

  Annie gestured dramatically. “Welcome to The Gateway!”