The steel-paneled chamber dimmed, its crimson glow swallowed by a surge of pink-white energy, the air crackling with a tense, electric hum as the calibration trial ignited.
Each raised platform pulsed in sync, their runes flaring beneath the restrained girls, a rhythmic throb echoing through the cold metal walls.
Miki, Reina, Yuri, and Aika trembled or moaned in cadence, their bodies guided by Kota's earlier tool assignments—wand, oil, plug, visor—beads of light trailing from their leather-lined cuffs into the central crystal above, weaving a circuit of heat and sound that pulsed with the trial's unyielding demand.
Then Hina screamed—a raw, defiant roar that shattered the harmony, her Obedience Collar flaring a furious red, its jagged pulses clashing with the chamber's rhythm.
Her bindings vibrated wildly, the enchanted cuffs at her wrists straining, then snapping with a sharp crack.
With a guttural grunt, Hina twisted free, tearing the remaining ankle restraints apart, collapsing forward onto the polished stone floor, her chest heaving, sweat dripping from her brow, her lacy shorts askew from the struggle.
Everyone froze, the chamber's hum faltering, the air thickening with tension.
"Don't—" Kota started, stepping forward, his voice sharp, sweat beading on his brow as the interface plinth flickered erratically behind him.
Hina was already standing, her chest rising and falling like a furnace, her eyes blazing with unbowed fury, refusing to meet the others' gazes.
"You don't see it, do you?" she shouted, spinning to face the restrained girls, her voice a fiery lash.
"You're all just lining up to be used. To perform! You think this freak knows how to save us? He's just pressing the right buttons!"
Miki flinched, her cheeks paling, her restrained form trembling on her platform.
Reina clenched her fists, her jaw tightening, a bead of sweat tracing her tense neck, silent but strained.
Aika's visor turned slightly, her lips parting in a sharp, tense breath, the faint glow of her platform dimming.
Yuri's eyes narrowed, a faint smirk playing on her lips, her restrained posture steady despite the disruption.
Kota took another step, his voice firm, cutting through the haze. "You don't understand the system—"
"I understand enough!" Hina snapped, her eyes flashing, her sweat-slicked brow glistening in the pink-white light. "That if I keep following your filthy commands, I stop being me."
The rune circle beneath their feet flickered, its sync faltering, the chamber's walls pulsing with a discordant hum. The interface flared, its text cold and unyielding:
Sync Integrity: Disrupted.
Subject H: Rogue Status Confirmed.
Hina's gaze locked onto the console, her chest heaving, her resolve unyielding.
She ran, her sneakers pounding the stone, the chamber's energy crackling around her defiant form, the trial's rhythm shattered by her rebellion.