Fading

The world around me crumbles, throwing me into disarray. I panic as I fall, with no end in sight. Just a white abyss.

My descent slows after about 10 minutes in which I had adapted to my surprise skydive, albeit still brimming with questions. I land on a checkered platform and immediately look around, attempting to make sense of the situation. The platform is a fairly large square with no walls. Fog surrounds it above and below as if to shut out any form of reality save for some large crimson poles that protruded the fog in the distance. Reluctant to fall off the edge I shy away, walking towards an azure blue elevator in the centre of the platform. What seems to be my only way down. There are no more than three buttons in a column. I press the first button and everything fades to white.

Suddenly I'm in a desert, the elevator is now gone. I crack up at how ridiculous this turn of events is, but that soon comes to a halt. I feel nauseous; I make sure to suppress it, unaware as to when I might get any food or water. I take off my scarf grudgingly, urinate on it and wrap it over my head to keep cool. I travel through the desert, in hopes of finding someone or something to help me.

Night falls and I still haven't found anything. Im barely hanging on, but suddenly the nausea returns, this time much worse. I try to suppress it but give in - no thanks to the lingering ammonia odour in my scarf. I dry heave, followed by an intense pain rising in my oesophagus, forcing me to prostrate myself. I regurgitate something too solid to have been food. I turn over, now lying on my back taking in deep breaths, holding onto what little composure I had in this desert, disregarding the matter of what just happened.

"Sorry 'bout that, wasn't no other way."

I look to my right in alarm. I immediately sit upright and put some distance between myself and the voice. It came from a glass bottle, a tiny human skeleton with a horse skull inside.

"Um, no worries," I stutter.

It bows. "The names Quade, I'm the Admin, nice to meet you."

"...Same, I'm Killian."

"You look really pale. You okay?"

"I just regurgitated you..."

"Ugh, don't remind me, it wasn't exactly a ball for me either. Anyway, I'm sure you have plenty of questions. Tell you what," It raises its finger, "I'll answer one as a reward for surviving the day. That was the passing requirement for the first test."

"Where am I?"

"Sorry. If I told you that then these tests wouldn't mean nothin', so shoot another one my way."

"What does an Admin do?"

Quade leans against the glass. "The Admins are in charge of specific areas. I'm in charge of all areas related to the tests." He laughs. "Wer'e really powerful. Let me show you, pick me up." After doing so it snaps its fingers and we're back on the platform, leaving me disorientated. Any doubts I had about Quade's statements were left in the desert.

"Chop Chop, off to the next one we go."

I raise the bottle to eye level. "Wait, I need to rest a bit before that."

"Oh please, the next one is simple. You can get as much rest as you'd like o'er there."

"Fine." And just like that, I press the second button in the elevator and we're off.

I find myself lying on a bed in a small warm log cabin.

"See, you've got a bed, a pantry and a lake filled with water," Quade boasts. I grunt and look around. I leave the cabin, bottle in hand, greeted by refreshingly cool air while checking what's outside - it's absolutely beautiful.