The 24-hour peace ended with a screech of static. The void twisted into a sprawling library, shelves stretching into infinity under a starless sky. The air hummed with the weight of unread books and the faint scent of ink and ozone. A massive clock hung suspended above, its hands ticking backward.
SYSTEM ALERT
[NEW QUEST: FINAL EXAMINATION]
Objective: Pass the Cosmic Curriculum. Fail and be erased from the narrative.
Time remaining: 00:59:59.
Alex flexed their glitching cybernetic arm, the Beta Shard's corruption now a web of faint static under their skin. "Of course. Even apocalypses have homework."
Kairo scanned the shelves, his Admin Blade glowing faintly. "The rules here are rigid. Don't deviate."
Finn snorted, poking a floating textbook that snapped at his fingers. "Rigid? This place feels like a fever dream."
Nyx hovered near a shelf, her sync rate a precarious 4%. She dragged a crayon across a book's spine, leaving a trail of glitched pixels. The title shifted: How to Survive When Your Plot Armor Fails.
***
The clock's ticking grew louder. A desk materialized for each of them, stacked with parchment and quills that wrote in their own blood.
QUESTION 1: DEFINE YOUR ROLE IN THE NARRATIVE.
Alex scowled. "I'm the one who changes the narrative." Their quill moved on its own, etching Protagonist (Chaotic Neutral).
Kairo's answer was succinct: Guardian (Flawed).
Finn scribbled Comic Relief (Secretly Terrified), then glanced at Nyx. Her page stayed blank, her crayon hovering.
SYSTEM ALERT
[WARNING: INCOMPLETE ANSWERS WILL BE PENALIZED.]
Nyx slammed her palm on the desk. The crayon flared, burning Glitch (Uncategorized) into the parchment.
***
The shelves rearranged into a battlefield. A holographic proctor appeared—a faceless figure in a scholar's robe, holding a ledger dripping with red ink.
PROCTOR: DEMONSTRATE NARRATIVE VALUE OR BE EDITED.
Alex lunged first, cybernetic arm shifting into a Plasma Quill. They slashed at the proctor, but the ink reformed instantly.
Kairo's Admin Blade carved through the ledger, only for new pages to sprout. "It's feeding on our tropes!"
Finn ducked behind a shelf, hacking a terminal. "I'm rerouting the plot points! Nyx—distract it!"
Nyx hurled her crayon like a dagger. It pierced the proctor's chest, spreading glitched pixels. The proctor staggered, its form flickering into a familiar silhouette—Ms. Harlow, eyes hollow and hands trembling with red ink.
SYSTEM ALERT
[CRITICAL ERROR: PROCTOR IDENTITY CORRUPTED.]
***
The battlefield dissolved into a courtroom. The Proctor-Harlow hybrid loomed over a judge's bench, her voice a distorted echo.
PROCTOR-HARLOW: JUSTIFY YOUR EXISTENCE.
Alex stepped forward. "We exist because stories need messiness. Perfect endings are lies."
Kairo's blade hummed. "I exist to protect them. Even from you."
Finn grinned, sweaty but defiant. "I exist to annoy gods like you. It's a full-time job."
Nyx said nothing. She held up her sketchbook: a crude drawing of the group, circled by a glowing heart.
The Proctor-Harlow's ink-streaked face softened, just for a moment. "…Insufficient."
***
The clock hit zero. The exam hall collapsed, shelves exploding into shards of forgotten plots. The Proctor-Harlow swelled into an ink tsunami, her final verdict booming:
PROCTOR-HARLOW: FAILURE IS INEVITABLE.
Alex grabbed Kairo's wrist. "Combine our codes. Now."
She whispered, "…Better…" before dissolving.
***
The survivors stood in a dim void, the System's alert blinking weakly.
SYSTEM ALERT
[EXAM STATUS: PASSED (MARGINAL)]
Reward: Temporary narrative immunity (24 hours). Use wisely.
Nyx's sync rate stabilized at 3%, her crayon clutched like a lifeline. Finn collapsed against a spectral rock, laughing nervously. Kairo watched Alex, his blade still glowing.
A shadow flickered at the edge of the void—Veyra, leaning against a fractured screen.
Veyra: "Cute teamwork. But my season's ratings will crush this."
***
The void shuddered. A new alert flashed:
SYSTEM NOTICE
[INCOMING NARRATIVE: VEYRA'S ASCENDANCY]
Prepare for audience voting. Participation mandatory.
***
Alex stared at the incoming alert. "We get 24 hours of peace and this is next?"
Kairo sheathed his blade. "Rest now. Fight later."
Nyx drew a tiny shield around the word later. Just in case.