The world stood still. The moment that came once every six years was finally here.
The countdown, which had loomed in the sky for months, had reached zero. Across the planet, billions of people stopped whatever they were doing, their eyes locked onto massive holo-screens, waiting for the verdict that would decide the fate of 100,000 souls.
Oren Kael stood among the gathered crowd in his towns central plaza. The air was thick with anticipation, dread, and hope. Some people had spent their whole lives preparing for this moment, praying to be chosen. Others, like him, had spent years hoping to be ignored.
The broadcast began.
A celestial chime rang through the air, resonating in the bones of everyone who heard it. The sky darkened slightly, as though the heavens themselves were watching. Then, with a pulse of golden light, the names began appearing.#1 Ali Mohammed#2 Darren Flechter#3 Su Li#4 Alice Jun.....
One after another, tens of thousands of names scrolled down the screen, filling every available surface. Massive projection displays, personal devices, and even the shimmering sky itself became host to the Selection list. The names appeared in rapid succession, each one a life now bound to the Trials.
Gasps, screams, and cheers filled the air. Some fell to their knees in despair, while others clutched their loved ones, overwhelmed with either sorrow or joy.
99,998 names had appeared.
Oren exhaled. His hands trembled in his coat pockets. It was almost over. Just two more names.
The second-to-last name appeared.
#99,999 Sarah Wilfred
No reaction.
No one here in Terra Prime knew them—likely some distant stranger from another part of the world. The Selection was nearly complete. Oren just needed to see the final name, and then he could breathe.
The last name appeared.
#100,000 Xyron Vel'kar.
Oren frowned. That wasn't him.
For the briefest of moments, relief flooded his veins. He had been spared. He had—
The name flickered.
The golden letters on the screen glitched, distorting like static interference. The air itself seemed to vibrate. Whispers rippled through the crowd as a few sharp-eyed spectators noticed the anomaly.
The letters of Xyron Vel'kar twisted, warped—
—and changed.
#100,000 Oren Kael.
A silence fell over the plaza. A chill crawled up Oren's spine.
People around him gasped. Some turned to him. Someone even took a step back.
Did anyone else see that? Did he just imagine it? Had his name always been there?
No. He knew what he had seen.
It had changed. Something had replaced that name with his.
Oren's heartbeat pounded in his ears. The world around him blurred, the distant cheers and wails fading into a muffled hum. He felt lightheaded. "What had just happened?" he thought in obvious distress.
A notification appeared in his vision.
[You have been Selected for the Trials of E.D.E.N.]
The text burned itself into his retinas, pulsing as if it were alive. He blinked, trying to focus, but the message did not go away. His body felt wrong, like something had just locked into place within him, like a key turning in a door he didn't know existed.
The plaza erupted into motion. A mix of reactions spread like wildfire.
"Did you see that?" someone whispered.
"No way… wasn't that a different name before?"
"Glitch? Maybe just our imagination. The system doesn't make mistakes."
"Poor guy. He's done for."
A pair of hands grabbed Oren's shoulders. His friend, Doran, stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Oren…?"
Oren couldn't speak. He couldn't move. His breathing had quickened, his muscles had locked up, his mind was spiraling. The gods had just played a trick on him. A cosmic joke at his expense.
But the worst part was—
He wasn't sure why or if it was a mistake.
...
The Celestial Halls of Dominion
The gods watched the broadcast with interest. Some lazily reclined, indifferent to the results, while others leaned forward, keenly observing specific names. The Selection was always a spectacle, but this time… something was off.
"Well, that was unusual," Slyphine muttered, her green eyes narrowing.
"You saw it too," Zephyros said, his tone sharp. "Xyron Vel'kar. That was the last name. And then…"
"It changed," Durnir confirmed, stroking his beard. "The system doesn't make errors. That was intentional."
A tense silence settled over the divine hall.
Chronos, still shrouded in his hood, let out a slow chuckle. "Looks like someone interfered."
"Who?" Slyphine demanded. "Who would have the authority to override a Selection slot? The Overseer wouldn't allow that."
"Unless," Zephyros murmured, his golden eyes glinting, "the Overseer did allow it."
All eyes turned toward the great floating construct at the center of the chamber. The Overseer's massive, multi-layered eye remained still, watching the process unfold below. No explanation. No reaction.
Yet.
Chronos exhaled. "It doesn't matter who changed it. What matters is why. And what it means for the Trials."
The gods exchanged looks. A ripple of excitement, confusion, and amusement passed through them.
.....
Terra Prime – That Night
Oren sat in his darkened apartment, staring at his trembling hands. No matter how much he tried to ignore it, the glitched selection replayed in his mind, over and over.
Why him?
He didn,t know how he made it home, he just remember being dragged out of his shocked state by his best friend.
Not hearing anything he said he just sprinted into a run and next thing he knew he was locking himself up as if that will make the whole issue disappear
Why had the name changed? Who—or what—had done it?
Maybe its another Oren Kael but then
[You have been Selected for the Trials of E.D.E.N.]
The message still lingered in his vision, a constant reminder that there was no escaping this and it was definitely him.
In one week, the transportation phase would begin. He would be taken to the Trials, whether he wanted to or not.
His breath came out shaky. He had hoped, prayed, that he wouldn't be picked. And yet, here he was.
While still stewing in his disappionted, there was a knock on the door.
Thinking it was his best friend he ignores it. but the institent knocking continues
Annoyed he walking up to it "Doran, Can you stop knocking I am.... Fine" He says as he open the door.
"Good Evening Oren Kael" It was 2 men dress in military uniform.
"Yes?" I asked confused
"The transport is waiting for you downstairs" They spoke comfusing me the more.
"Transport?"
"Yes Sir, to the Training Center."
"Training Center?"