Kairo stopped breathing for a moment, looking at the translucent panel floating in the middle of the fog.

  It did not look like something projected from anywhere. It simply hung in the air, appearing steady.

  [ INFERNAL ASCENSION TRIALS

  Trial 1: Swamp of Initiation

  Lives: 3

  Skills: Negligible

  Time Limit: NA

  Objective: Survive ]

  The panel instantly reminded him of a game interface. But there was no screen. No controller or device in his hand. If this was a game, then he wasn't playing it. More like he was inside it.

  He stared at it without blinking and whispered, "Is this a dream?"

  The air felt denser and moist. Water underneath him reached just below his knees. The surface was dark, almost black, and he could not see even a little beneath it.

  When he moved slightly, he felt the resistance in his movement since the water was thicker than normal water.

  "Where the heck am I?" he muttered to himself as he slowly looked around.

  A few twisted trees rose unevenly from the swamp around him. Some roots hung from the trunks while others pushed out from the mud. The branches were coated in green algae, and thin strips of bark had peeled off from some places.

  The swamp looked vast. The fog hid everything beyond a few meters, but somehow he could sense it stretched much farther.

  In front of him, slightly raised land covered with similar trees stood about twenty steps away. Compared to where he stood, it felt far more safer. At least there, he would be able to see what was beneath him.

  He lowered his gaze to the water again. It was completely still and dark. Nothing was visible beneath the surface.

  Not knowing what to do, he looked at the only responsive thing here… the panel.

  The panel shifted slightly and a faint line of light moved across its surface, erasing the previous text.

  [SYSTEM STANDBY COMPLETED]

  [CANDIDATE IDENTIFIED: KAIRO]

  His breath slowed slightly as the words appeared one after another. The display updated again with more details.

  [ INFERNAL ASCENSION TRIALS ]

  [ Trial 1: Swamp of Initiation

  Level 1: Rot Marsh Outer Zone

  Sub-Level 1: Stillwater Crossing

  Lives: 3

  Skills: Negligible

  Timer: Not Activated

  Objective: Survive ]

  [ TRIAL BEGINS ]

  With that, the main frame of the panel faded, leaving only the objective visible.

  "Survive," Kairo repeated.

  The word flickered once and disappeared. And the trial began.

  He stood still for several seconds, waiting for something else to happen. But nothing changed. The swamp remained silent.

  His eyes went back to the raised land ahead.

  "I should move toward the land first," he thought as it felt safer there. "Then figure out the rest."

  He lifted his foot and took a cautious step. Ripples spread outward from his leg. He was about to move again when he noticed something else. Another ripple formed, opposite his own, moving toward him.

  He remained still for a few seconds, keeping his guard on, watching the surface. Soon, the opposite ripple stopped, and the water became calm again.

  He waited again to see if there was anything ahead of him, but nothing changed, or no opposite ripples formed.

  "Probably just the mud shifting," he muttered.

  "If I keep standing here, nothing changes," he thought. "Just reach the land first."

  He took another careful step. Ripples spread outward. No ripple formed opposite him.

  When the land was only a few steps away, he felt relieved. But that relief lasted only a second. As he took another step, nearing the edge, something beneath the water struck him and dragged him down.

  Cold, muddy water closed over his face. He tried to push up, but a force pulled him down harder.

  There was no time to see what it was. His chest burned as water rushed in. Within seconds, everything went black.

  Kairo jolted upright in his bed.

  His back was damp with sweat, and his breathing was uneven. For a moment, he still felt the pressure in his chest, as if the water had followed him out of the nightmare into reality.

  He touched his face instinctively to be doubly sure to see if he was still alive. There was no mud. No water. Just sweat. And he was still breathing.

  His eyes wandered around his room, and his heart beat slowly calmed as he took in the same walls, the same window, and a thin beam of sunlight entering through the roof gap.

  "It felt so real," he muttered. "The trees, the water… the swamp… and that thing beneath it."

  He sat there longer than usual, replaying the moment in his head. Eventually, the sound of his alarm pulled him back.

  Taking a deep breath, he got up and freshened up for school. While eating bread and butter for breakfast, he poured milk into two bowls for his two cats.

  "Luna. Ash," he called out once.

  He didn't wait for them to appear. Most of the time, they came on their own.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Before leaving, he stepped outside briefly and glanced at the garden around the house. Kairo lived in a wooden house that was old and slightly shabby, but clean, guarded by faded boundary planks.

  Of everything around it, the garden was what gave the place life. There were patches of vegetables, flowering plants, and uneven grass that he trimmed whenever he had time.

  "I'll water them once I'm back," he thought before heading out.

  During class, he found himself staring out of the window more than once. He tried not to think about the nightmare, but as he looked at the playground, he remembered the stranger.

  The man who had spoken about tasks and rewards. He had not received any call or message since then.

  Kairo frowned slightly. It had to be a prank. Still, a small part of him wanted to believe it wasn't.

  "It's only been a day," he thought. "I'll wait."

  When he returned home that evening, he noticed one of the bowls of milk was still untouched, while the other had only been half drunk. Ash was near the door, crying continuously in a low, uneasy tone. Kairo looked around, looking for his other cat.

  "Luna?" he called softly, holding Ash and patting it gently to calm it. There was no response from Luna.

  He stepped back outside and began searching around the house. He checked near the wooden boundary planks, behind the small shed, along the narrow side path, and even near the bushes where she usually hid.

  "She probably wandered off," he told himself quietly. "She's done that before."

  Still, he searched a little longer before finally returning inside. He tried not to think about stray dogs in the area, though the thought crossed his mind more than once. Since he had not found anything suspicious, he convinced himself that she would return in a day or two.

  That night, he cooked something simple for himself and ate without much appetite. When he finally lay down and closed his eyes, sleep came faster than he expected.

  The fog returned.

  He found himself standing in the same swamp, at the exact same spot as before. The water reached just below his knees, and the panel appeared immediately in front of him with the same information but highlighting the lives.

  [ Lives: 2 ]

  He stared at the number for a moment, his mind slowly catching up. It had changed. That meant the drowning had not just been a dream. The thought of his own death made a quiet unease settle in his chest.

  "What happens when all the lives are gone?" he wondered. But there was no one yet to clarify his doubts.

  That question stayed at the back of his mind, but it was not his main concern right now. The objective was still clear for him… To survive.

  He looked toward the raised land ahead. The swamp had already warned him about dangers, but standing still in the water without thinking it through did not seem wise either.

  He took a cautious step, and the familiar opposite ripple formed again freezing him on spot.

  "If it reacts when I move…" he thought. "Maybe staying still is better."

  This time, he decided not to try again and instead see what would happen. He remained where he was, watching the surface carefully as the water slowly became still. He waited longer than before, resisting the urge to test it again. Minutes passed, yet nothing rose from below, and nothing disturbed the surface.

  "Maybe this is it," he thought, assuming he figured out the survive objective. "Just don't move."

  A faint smile crossed his face. Gradually, the fog began to thin, and the swamp faded from view, and he woke up.

  It was 6 AM in the morning.

  He stepped outside to water the plants since he had not done it the previous night and noticed that a small section of the garden had dried overnight. The leaves in that area looked dull, and the soil beneath them appeared cracked. Just yesterday, it had been fine.

  "Strange," he muttered. "Maybe I missed it."

  He tried to recall whether he had forgotten to water that side over the past few days, but nothing specific came to mind. With school time nearing and half a mile to cover on foot, he decided not to dwell on it.

  Pouring the milk into two bowls, he called out Luna's name again, hoping she would appear. Ash was already near the door, but there was still no sign of the other cat. After waiting for a short while, disappointed, he left for school.

  That night, the same dream returned.

  "Again?" he muttered under his breath, confused. He had thought he had figured it out the previous night. What kind of dream kept repeating like this?

  He stayed where he was, convinced that remaining still was the safest option. The water around him remained calm, and nothing disturbed the surface. For a while, it felt that he was making the right choice.

  A thought lingered. "What if whatever was beneath the water moved away after some time? And I get a small chance to reach the land safely?"

  Without stepping forward, he bent slightly and picked up a small piece of debris floating near him. He threw it carefully toward the area where the ripple had formed earlier, watching the surface closely to see if something happened.

  The water suddenly surged upward from that exact spot and pulled the debris under and went back into stillness.

  His eyes widened at how quickly whatever was beneath pulled things under without ever showing itself.

  The memory of being dragged under returned instantly. The sudden pull, the water filling his mouth, the helplessness. His chest tightened just thinking about it, and he chickened out.

  He chose not to move. If staying still had worked once, it would have to work again.

  He waited and allowed the time to pass slowly. Nothing else disturbed the water. No further ripples appeared, and nothing rose from below.

  Eventually, the fog began to thin again, the swamp faded away, and he woke up.

  He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling.

  "The same one… again?" he murmured.

  The nightmare had returned again, just as clear as before, refusing to fade like ordinary dreams.

  With thoughts jumbled in his mind, he stepped outside to water the plants. That was when he noticed the damage had spread. The small dry patch had grown larger, and more leaves looked weak.

  He stood there quietly, certain he had watered everything properly the previous day. The dry patches were spreading, and the repeated dreams. The past few days had started to feel overwhelming, strange in a way he couldn't explain. He felt he was losing his mind.

  Instead of going to school, he decided to stay home and work on the garden. Working in the garden had always helped clear his mind. He spent the day trimming weak stems, loosening the soil, and watering carefully.

  By night, physically tired from working on garden, he lay down.

  "If it comes again… I won't just stand there," he said under his breath and fell asleep out of exhaustion.

  The swamp returned.

  He stood in the same place as before, water just below his knees, fog resting low over the surface. This time he did not hesitate. Instead of looking at the land immediately, he focused on the water.

  "Where exactly does it strike from?" he thought.

  Without stepping forward, he bent slightly and picked up a small piece of debris floating near him. He threw it carefully toward the area where the ripple had appeared earlier and watched closely.

  The water jolted upward from that exact spot and swallowed the debris before settling back into stillness.

  Instead of chickening out this time, he focused on the pattern. The attack came from nearly the same place, close to the edge but slightly to the right.

  "So it stays there," he murmured.

  Now the problem was distance. The land was close, but that area near the edge was guarded by whatever was beneath the water and the other sides were blocked by twisted trees and exposed roots rising from the mud.

  He scanned the surroundings again, forcing himself to stay calm. That was when he noticed it.

  A thick root hung down from one of the trees, extending toward the water. It was not directly above the attack point, but it was close enough. If he moved carefully and timed it right, he might be able to jump and grab it before the strike reached him.

  He inhaled slowly, preparing himself for the risk ahead and began taking slow, deliberate steps toward the root, towards the danger. Ripples spread outward from his legs, warning whatever lay beneath.

  When he was close enough, the water surged from the same marked spot. He did not wait. Using his last step for momentum, he pushed himself forward and jumped, stretching his arms toward the hanging root. His fingers wrapped around it just as the water below burst upward.

  He felt the rush of movement beneath him but did not look down. Pulling himself upward and ignoring his straining arms, his feet searched for grip against the rough bark. The root swayed slightly, but he held on and climbed onto the branch before dropping onto the raised land.

  "I made it," he shouted, breath uneven, eyes still wide in disbelief.

  He remained crouched for a moment, trying to steady himself. His arms trembled, and his heart pounded against his ribs.

  Then the panel appeared in front of him.

  [ Sub-Level Cleared ]

  [ Reward: $100 ]

  He stared at it, stunned by the reward. Before he could process what it meant, he felt a hand resting on his shoulder and he jumped on the spot in fear.