So of the most important officials in Midworld—including Brains, along with Alexander, who had recently beco the new leader of the clan in place of his uncle—were gathered inside the headquarters of the Grid Lions. Since the founding of the Grid Lions, and with the clan rising to beco the strongest in Midworld, it had beco their obligation to host important inter-clan etings such as this one.
"Where did you say Captain Fiona was?"
The Blue’s captain asked again. Sitting in Fiona’s seat was Eva, her lieutenant, whose face looked more dangerous than ever.
"She went for training. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Eva replied sharply, her tone carrying enough hostility to make it clear she wasn’t interested in further questions.
They were seated around a large circular table. Standing before them was one of the overseers called, Brains of Midworld— He held the sa kind of role Kasa had once hidden behind before he destroyed the channels that had been sending selected souls to Midgard. Even the Goddess herself seed unable to repair that damage.
For four years now, no new soul had arrived in Midgard.
Which was bad news for the Goddess’s side. Without new arrivals, the number of fighters under her command remained constant.
But enough about Castor’s traitorous deeds.
Back in the eting room, the Brain wore a lab coat along with round glasses that made him look more eccentric than intelligent.
It seed their discussion was only just beginning.
"Upon the Goddess’s orders, we are going to send four players into the passage to Astoria to see whether they can reach the other side."
He explained this to the others just as the ceiling of the room began to open dramatically, revealing the spotless afternoon sky above.
Brain reached up to a black earpiece, its wires coiled neatly behind his ear. He switched it on. A small light blinked from a tiny opening, signaling that the device had started working.
"Open the Ripple."
He spoke to the engineers stationed outside on the field, gathered near a large device that resembled the towering antenna of a telecommunications tower.
"Opening the ripple in three... two... one."
A scientist pressed a button on the control panel beside the massive screen.
Suddenly—
Sparks burst across the sky, crackling violently, like unstable chemicals being forced together.
Then sothing happened that stirred a mory deep within the hearts of those watching.
A line tore through reality itself—just like when the demons had appeared in Midworld during the Third Ga—revealing what looked like a dark realm beyond.
Waves of magic radiated constantly from the opening, though they were unstable, violently expelled by the chanical tear in reality rather than shaped by a controlled magical technique like the demons had used. Because of that, it wasn’t sothing the observers considered imdiately dangerous.
"Keep the portal open. Send in the test subjects."
Four figures appeared in the sky through teleportation.
They had voluntarily agreed to enter the portal, sothing that was obvious from how prepared they looked. They were dressed like soldiers from a war movie, their suits equipped with different weapons and gear strapped tightly across their bodies.
Suddenly, another screen appeared inside the eting room, displaying a bird’s-eye view of what the volunteers were seeing.
And in the next mont—
They floated down toward the entrance floor of the portal.
"Landing into the bird’s nest," one of the soldiers reported through the microphone attached to his chest, speaking to both the observers and the engineers monitoring them.
They stepped forward and jumped into the portal.
Inside, the passage looked like a narrow corridor you might find in a king’s dungeon in fantasy stories.
Above them, the beams of their flashlights sliced through the darkness ahead.
"How do demons even see in this?"
"They’re demons, bro. They’re used to darkness. That’s like rule one about being a demon."
The four of them talked casually as they moved deeper inside.
"Soldier A1, continue progressing through the portal."
The Brain’s voice echoed through their communication channel, reminding them of their mission. They had been so distracted by the strange environnt that they had nearly forgotten what they were there to do.
"Sorry, sir. Boys, let’s move."
They continued forward.
With every step they took, their boots gave off a faint glow against the ground. Their eyes could barely believe what they were seeing. They wanted to shout in awe—but they knew that would only annoy the Brain, so they forced themselves to act as if nothing about the place impressed them.
"How is everything going so far?"
"Everything is perfect, sir. A little dark, but we’re continuing."
The image displayed inside the eting room was clear. In front of the soldiers stretched endless darkness. Without the flashlights, they wouldn’t have been able to see even a few steps ahead.
But their excitent didn’t last long.
Soon they would begin to feel the true nature of the portal.
At first it ca as a cold breeze—nothing unusual, just sothing that seed naturally present in the passage.
So they continued moving deeper.
But the further they went, the harder it beca to ignore.
"Sir... it’s getting too cold in here. Request permission to return."
"Denied. Continue until the mission is completed."
"But sir, it’s freezing in here."
"Rember this: if you pass through to the other side, you will have completed all the gas and won’t have to fight in the war. The choice is yours."
The Brain pushed them forward with the promise of freedom.
Hope is powerful fuel. It pushes people past their limits.
But in this case, it was simply a weapon used to force the soldiers to obey.
Everyone inside the eting room could see it clearly.
The soldiers were already shivering violently. Frost had begun to creep across their suits as if they were standing inside a freezer. Going further was obviously a suicide mission.
But the Brain, driven by scientific curiosity, wanted to see what would happen next.
This was an experint, after all.
And the soldiers were the test subjects.
Then—
One of the soldiers suddenly found his leg stuck to the ground, frozen solid like stone.
"Oh—oh! Help, guys!"
He scread, panic lacing his voice as he struggled to free himself from the ice.
The others turned toward him.
Their bodies were trembling as well now, their eyes widening at what they were witnessing.
They tried to lift their feet, but they felt strangely heavy, as if tal bars had been tied around their ankles.
A warning of the fate waiting for them if they didn’t keep moving.
"Guys... I’m freezing!"
Two of the four soldiers hesitated.
They didn’t know what to do.
Help their trapped friend...
Or continue forward and secure their chance to reincarnate into another world with power?
Thud!!
They made their choice.
The two rushed forward, leaving the other two behind.
"Let’s get you out of here!"
The remaining soldier grabbed his frozen friend’s hands, pulling with all the strength he could gather.
He pulled.
And pulled.
Until—
Clack!!
The man’s legs snapped clean off, left frozen to the floor.
"Fuck!"
"Oooh shit—my legs!"
The man scread in horror.
No blood poured out.
Everything inside his body had already frozen solid.
Suddenly—
Thud. Thud.
The two soldiers who had rushed ahead were now running back toward them, screaming in terror as if a predator were chasing them.
Behind them followed a massive wave of freezing mist.
"Idiots! Run!"
They shouted desperately at the others while one of them carried his legless friend in his arms.
For a mont fear paralyzed the remaining soldier.
But in the next second instinct took over.
He lifted his injured friend and ran as well.
"You imbeciles! Don’t co back! Keep going!"
The Brain scread through the communication channel, as if he hadn’t seen the deadly mist pursuing them.
Fwosh!!
The mist swallowed one of the running soldiers.
A second later it engulfed the other.
Both froze instantly mid-stride, their bodies locked in place like statues carved from ice.
"Go... just leave here!" the legless man shouted at his friend.
He knew his friend had a better chance of surviving if he abandoned him.
"No! I couldn’t live with myself if I did! We promised we’d change the world together!"
It was a heartfelt reply.
But it changed nothing.
The mist surged forward even faster.
The soldier’s hopeful eyes fixed on the exit of the portal. The outside world of Midworld was visible now. Just a few more steps and he would be free.
But the mont he tried to leap through—
Fwoosh!!!
The mist froze them both at the entrance.
Then it stopped moving, as if it had sensed that all its enemies were already eliminated.
The two remained frozen together.
The soldier still held his injured friend in his arms.
A faint smile rested on his face—the smile of soone who believed he had survived.
Everyone inside the eting room stared silently at the portal.
What stood there was a powerful image of friendship.
But it was also a lesson.
And in the war that was coming, such things would prove absolutely nothing.
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