Panting. I was panting. My hair was messy, my hands were sore on the rope and my throat was burning.

But I was alive. I had pushed through that aquatic hell and reached this branch of hope, and I couldn’t stop now.

The rope had swung wildly as I leapt towards it, so I had clutched it to ensure my victory wouldn’t slip from between my fingers. I reached up with my left arm, pulling my body alongside it as I gazed up to my goal.

There was a small circular gap in the ceiling to climb up through, and it seemed to be hooked to a roof of its own. Therefore the aim was most likely just to reach that point, and discover the accompanying challenge.

There couldn’t be much more. I knew there couldn’t. Because I knew I would succeed here, but I also knew my right arm wouldn’t last much longer.

That’s right. As I continued to slowly crawl up with my left arm, I realized that all my pondering had been at least partially a subconscious attempt to ignore that reality. My left arm was getting sore itself, considering how much I was relying on it, and if I didn’t accelerate then there was a good chance I’d slip off the rope entirely.

Icy torrents and jagged boulders lay beneath. Glancing downward, a small part of me had hoped that the conditions would’ve changed. However, the world would never be so kind. From what I could tell, the environment only changed, like in the cave, to punish us.

There was no more time for hesitation. I was already behind, and I couldn’t let myself succumb to failure after pushing my body so far. I threw my right arm upward, snagging the rope and clambering up as a wave of electric pain flooded my senses.

“Damn,” I murmured, unwilling to admit my frustration any further. I was isolated - No one was around to hear me scream, yet I still refused to complain more than a simple ‘Damn’. Ha, pride can be a stupid thing.

The rope fought back as I assailed it. Its rough surface rubbed up against my calloused hands and each tug brought forth abhorrent pain in each arm. My core was strong from training with the Commander, yet the climb was unrelenting.

And yet, I climbed.

I continued to push myself through that pain, locking my eyes on my target as each brutal pull brought me one step closer. Or, one crawl closer, at least.

By the time I was able to reach out and feel the cold stone of the ceiling walls, my body was at its breaking point. For the third time today. Fortunately, I knew I was close.

Swinging my legs up to use the wall for support, I walked vertically across the cylindrical nightmare as a small ledge emerged in the distance. The new, much closer target was re-invigorating and I dragged myself towards it.

The rope was slightly too far away. Jumping directly to the ledge would be too risky. Resultantly, I devised a plan.

Bracing my legs to pull myself closer to the wall, I pushed hard from my feet to thrust the rope in the other direction. Like I’d hoped, I was able to bounce off the wall, maintaining the momentum as I swung back and forth like a jungle creature.

My pendulum motions continued for a few moments until I became comfortable, and then I brought myself to rest. Looking up at the ledge, I kicked hard and glided with the rope before springing upward.

Both hands slammed hard against the top of the surface. Thank the Suns. Still, my grip was shaky. I didn’t have time to think, so I let my body take over as I instinctively began to pull myself up.

However, I hadn’t realized just how exhausted I was. As my chest lifted up, so close to being able to land safely, my right arm gave out. It snapped back. I flew downwards, moments from slipping back into the abyss as my left hand tightened its grip.

My fingers were beginning to ache as I tried to lift my right arm back up. However, as anticipated, my efforts bore no fruit.

Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I searched my mind for another option. And then it came to me - I just needed to adapt my rope swinging strategy.

Twisting my body uncomfortably, I pushed my back and feet against the wall as I slowly pushed up with my left arm. My whole arm was shaking as I raised myself, and I felt like my fingers would give up at any second.

And yet, I pushed.

At the precise moment my body reached the sufficient height, I threw myself back to land cleanly on the platform. I winced from the impact of my back against the unforgiving surface, but it was the smallest price I could pay considering the situation.

Once again, I was panting. Looking up at the dull, rocky surface, I felt my whole body tremor from a mixture of fatigue and relief. Just how much more would we be forced to do?

Regardless, I had made it. With no one to help me, I had made it. With no one to support me, I had made it. With no one waiting back for me, I had made it. I, Shinsato Katsuro, could succeed on my own.

Unfortunately, I had no time for thinking. No time for recovery, either. I shakily stood up, testing my stability on both legs as I turned to explore my new location.

Although it was a race, I had made sure to at least get some rest. In a situation like this, it’s important you approach each new challenge with some energy left in the tank.

The small ‘room’, if you could even call it that, was barren. Any signs of danger, or hints regarding the next challenge, were absent. In their place lay a single lever.

Stretching my limbs and giving myself another second to catch my breath, I wrapped my hands around the head of the lever and pushed.

To my surprise, there was no sudden monster. No sudden drop, either. Instead, the wall merely split in half, each side pushing out to reveal a wooden staircase behind it.

Taking my chances, I cautiously descended the stairs. Flickering my eyes left and right, I couldn’t see anything until I just about reached the bottom. Although somehow, despite all my precautions, they managed to see me first.

“Katsuro!” A feminine voice called out in relief.

Matched with the hazel eyes, warm auburn hair and wide smile that filled my vision, it felt like Deja Vu of a situation which had occurred a thousand times before.

“Naomi... Why are you back here?” I called out, knowing the answer in my heart. I could see it from her tired, concerned expression.

“I… I was waiting for you, obviously! Did you seriously think I’d leave you behind?! C’mon now, don’t worry me like that anymore.” Naomi replied, her usual energy filling her lungs as she reprimanded me for my slow speed.

“Did you hurt yourself? Or did the others just overtake you and you decided to wait back for my support?” I teased, uncomfortably. As much as I did enjoy the warmth that filled me from her concern, I wanted her to reject it.

”After someone waited and let so many other people go ahead of them just for you, I wouldn’t be so rude,” Naomi rebutted, “I was actually quite near the front, but you hadn’t caught up so I was beginning to get a little worried. I wanted to go back down the rope to check for you, but the walls were shut.”

Following her motion, I looked back to the top of the staircase. Taking a step up towards it, the truth confirmed Naomi’s words. The top had been fully closed off, so there was no way of getting back.

A disgusting feeling bubbled up my throat. For all my talk of independence, I had held Naomi back. For all my talk of doing it alone, I had forgotten how much Naomi had always been here for me. I silently apologized, knowing she would never hear it or even have heard the offence in the first place.

“Well, no witty comeback?” Naomi murmured, “I’m disappointed. You must really be tired,” As she spoke, a thought must’ve flashed to her mind because she tilted her head, “Wait, you’re all good, right? You’re not injured?”

“Nothing, just a bit of a sore arm. Compared to the Commander’s training, this is light work,” I joked, trying to relieve the tension as I looked across to the next stage of the challenge.

There were two big doors - One red, one blue. The left one, red, was decorated with an intricate pattern of five stars surrounding a Shifter. The right one, blue, was decorated with the logo of the Celestial Military Academy.

“It’s a choice?” I questioned, and Naomi nodded.

“Mhmm; Both of the doors open to empty corridors, but once you get inside, the door locks behind you for the next person. So I have no idea how each of them turns out. I was thinking of taking the blue one - Most people did before us, at least.”

Choosing the blue door made sense. With a clear CMA branding, it seemed like the natural choice since we were attempting to open a door to that future.

Yet, wasn’t that too obvious? It could easily be a bluff. The Shifter sign might indicate a fight in that room, one I wasn’t too ready to handle, but the attitude of the exam so far seemed to encourage that kind of brutality.

As much as I respected Naomi’s opinions, we were both far behind now. If we took the blue door, we’d maintain that backwards position. If it was like the pit and the stairs, this could be a chance to get ahead.

“Do you trust me?” I tilted my head.

“...Pretty serious question, but yeah, of course. Why?” Naomi replied curiously.

“Then we’re taking the red door.”

Just as Naomi was placing all her trust in me, I was placing all my trust in that Shifter.

Please don’t let me down, little guy.