The mood in the dormitory room hung heavy and oppressive. Arthur sat on his bed, eyes fixed on the floor, finding it nearly impossible to meet Luke's gaze. The silence between them stretched uncomfortably as the reality of their situation settled like a physical weight on their shoulders.
'What am I supposed to say to a dead man walking?' Arthur thought bitterly. 'Sorry your core formed first? Sorry you'll probably die before I even get to the second realm?' No words seemed adequate for the moment.
Finally, Luke broke the awkward silence. "I um... I'm gonna head to the Tether chambers now." His voice was quiet, resigned.
Arthur still couldn't look at him as Luke stood and made his way toward the door. But something inside him rebelled against letting his friend face this alone. Before Luke could leave, Arthur abruptly rose to his feet.
"Wait. I'll walk with you."
Luke paused, a grateful smile flickering briefly across his face. Arthur knew there wasn't much he could do for his friend, but at the very least, he could be there until the end.
They walked through the quiet hallways of the dormitory and across the sprawling campus grounds in silence. Unlike the uncomfortable quiet of their room, this silence felt... companionable. Two friends sharing their last moments together, words unnecessary.
Their peaceful journey was suddenly interrupted by the sound of shouting—excited voices coming from somewhere to their left. Arthur and Luke exchanged startled glances, looking toward the commotion to see a large crowd forming outside one of the main administrative buildings.
"What's going on?" Arthur wondered aloud.
Luke shrugged. "Let's go check it out."
A faint smile reached Arthur's lips as he nodded. Even facing imminent departure to the second realm, Luke's curiosity remained insatiable. It was one of the things Arthur had come to appreciate most about him.
They approached the gathering, finding a mass of students pressed tightly together, many holding phones aloft to capture whatever spectacle had drawn their attention. Arthur and Luke had to fight their way to the front of the crowd, squeezing between excited onlookers and dodging elbows.
When they finally broke through to the front, Arthur saw the source of the excitement: a charismatic man in an impeccably tailored suit, his silky crimson hair tied in a loose ponytail. He smiled and waved to the crowd, surrounded by security personnel who maintained a perimeter around him—though Arthur suspected the man hardly needed their protection.
Almost simultaneously, he heard Luke's awestruck whisper: "The Flame Lord."
Arthur glanced at his friend and was struck by the transformation. Luke's entire face had lit up, his eyes wide with admiration, the biggest smile Arthur had seen in days stretching across his features. Despite himself, Arthur felt a surge of gratitude toward the celebrity Chosen for giving Luke this moment of joy on what might be his last day on Earth.
The crowd gradually settled as the Flame Lord raised his hands for quiet. When he spoke, his voice carried the kind of effortless confidence that made you wonder if he was even human—a voice accustomed to command, to being heard and obeyed.
"Hello, prospective Chosen! It's so wonderful to see you all," he announced, his smile warm and inviting. "I can't wait to one day share the battlefield with you."
'What a fake smile,' Arthur thought critically. 'In fact, fake everything.' He found himself mentally scoffing at the spectacle. 'The Flame Lord? Seriously?' If this man was truly supposed to be humanity's savior, why did it seem like he appeared on television more often than in the realms fighting for the human race? And he was almost never spotted fighting gate incursions where regular people were at risk.
Arthur's internal criticisms continued as the Flame Lord spoke again.
"And don't forget, once you become full-fledged Chosen and make your way back from the second realm, you'll need to choose a guild." The Flame Lord's perfect white teeth gleamed in the sunlight. "As I'm sure you all know, my guild—Crimson Soul—is one of the largest and most prestigious guilds out there. So don't hesitate to stop by once you return and see if you're Crimson Soul material."
Arthur sighed and rolled his eyes. Guilds—the biggest money grab and political stunt in the post-gate world. They had ostensibly been created to help unify Chosen and improve the rate at which humanity advanced through the realms. But in Arthur's cynical assessment, progress had actually slowed since their inception. The guilds were so focused on competing with each other that they seemed to be losing sight of the real goal: humanity's survival.
The Flame Lord continued speaking for several more minutes, discussing recent "achievements" of Crimson Soul and hinting at exciting new developments. Luke listened with rapt attention, his eyes wide, smile never fading, while Arthur stood beside him, barely containing his eye-rolling.
Eventually, the celebrity Chosen departed, whisked away by his security detail to whatever important engagement awaited him next. With his departure, reality descended once more upon the two friends.
The walk to the Tether chambers was solemn. Located in a specialized building on the eastern edge of campus, the chambers were where Chosen whose cores had fully formed went so that the tether they place in the real world when there dent away is somewhere controlled and safe for their return. The stark, clinical atmosphere of the building did nothing to ease Arthur's growing sense of loss.
They paused outside the entrance, standing awkwardly for a moment before Luke extended his hand.
"Well... I guess this is it," he said with forced cheerfulness.
Arthur ignored the hand and pulled Luke into a tight hug instead. "Don't you dare die out there," he whispered fiercely. "Find the core, place your tether, and get to the stronghold. I'll be right behind you."
When they separated, Luke's eyes were suspiciously bright behind his glasses. "I'll do my best. And hey, maybe when you get there, I'll be the one showing you around."
Arthur forced a smile. "Yeah. Maybe."
With a final nod, Luke turned and walked through the doors of the Tether facility. Arthur stood watching until his friend disappeared from view, feeling as though a vital part of himself was being torn away.
The walk back to his dormitory felt endless. Each step reminded Arthur that he was returning to a routine suddenly devoid of the friendship that had made it bearable. He dragged himself slowly up the stairs, down the hallway, and through his door, closing it quietly behind him.
He lay on his bed fully clothed, staring at the ceiling, sleep eluding him despite his exhaustion. Questions and fears chased each other through his mind until dawn broke through the window.
The next day proceeded like every other day before—breakfast, class, lunch, dinner, bed—a routine unchanged in its structure but fundamentally altered in its experience. The seat across from him at breakfast remained empty. The desk beside him in Realm Theory collected dust. The partner who had suffered alongside him in Combat Training was gone.
Everything was the same, and yet nothing was the same, because Luke was gone. And in a few days' time, Arthur would be too.