As Randall approached the other “children” waiting at the entrance, he say them whispering to each other.  He was sure they were all talking about him.  None of it was positive, what could you say about a “child” that had 23 years behind him?  Especially one that didn’t really need a care taker.  Was there something wrong with him? Well, yes, he was terrified of the dark and didn’t know why.  Since discovering the Machine, anyone having trouble with the Trials was eventually taken there to validate an actual problem.
Since the Machine declared Randall healthy, everyone just assumed that he was just too lazy to want to become an “adult” or that he was just too cowardly.  Usually the children with fear issues would overcome them at some point, but not Randall.  He’s the only one that’s ever been so scared that he lost consciousness in the Trials.
Randall even doubted himself at times, wondering if he just didn’t have whatever it was that made a person grow into an adult.  It wasn’t just the dark of the ruins that Randall had trouble with.  He couldn’t be out at night without a candle unless the moon was full.

He was ready to change all of that this year, but the same gnawing doubts began to claw at his mind.  It screamed at him that he wasn’t good enough and he’d never be anything more than a child.  He fingered the Magic Lite through the outside of his knapsack and the doubts faded away.  He chuckled to himself, thinking how it made both his fear and the dark finally run from him.

“What’s it gonna be this year Randall?” came from under the hood of the adult at the front.  It wasn’t condescending, but it wasn’t exactly understanding either.  It was more like the bored question of someone who didn’t expect much out of Randall.
Randall shrugged barely able to keep himself from grinning since this year would be different.
“Well, just another few minutes and the kid that went in will be coming out an adult…  good luck.”  There wasn’t a hint of encouragement, just the same bored tone.
Randall wanted to make some kind of witty remark, but before he though of anything it was his turn to stand before the gargoyle.  He knew the Magic Lite would be fine, but suddenly he worried that this gargoyle would be different that the one at the gates.  He held his breath as his knapsack went through the gargoyles lair.  It didn’t make a noise and next it was his turn to step through a larger but much thinner gargoyles lair.  He was worried that it would somehow know that he had something a “child” shouldn’t but it didn’t make a peep as he walked through.
Now that he was past the gargoyles gaze, it was into the depths of the trials, soon it would be dark and he’d need his Magic Lite, but he needed to make it far enough that he wouldn’t be stopped for using it, he had to wait for the doors to shut and then the moment of truth would be before him.  He would see in the dark, what he hadn’t been able to the last time and he would finally make it through the entrance and on to the maze.

Randall hesitated at the last spot he could before the entrance would shut and he would be surrounded by darkness.  He gripped his bag closely, shut his eyes as tight as he could and made himself take 3 more steps forward.  He let out a little gasp when he heard the door shut behind him.  It was quiet except for the sound of his heart in his throat, but he kept his eyes shut.  He spent a few moments just telling himself that he just shut his eyes, it wasn’t dark in the room and started to reach for the Magic Lite.
Just as he pulled it out of the bag, it caught on the handle and tumbled from his grip to the ground.  He heard it clatter away from him as he tried not to panic.  His heart was so loud that he wasn’t sure that it wasn’t a huge monster stomping down the hall to eat him.  He didn’t dare to open his eyes yet, if he knew for certain that it was completely dark, he’d loose it and his only chance to keep his Magic Lite.  He kept his eyes shut tight and got down onto his hands and knees to find it.
He was incredibly close to full on panic, but just kept telling himself little lies to keep it together.  “This is just like the time my eyes were gooped over” was one thought that popped in his head, another was “this is like the time I got real sick and had to wear bandages on my eyes so I wouldn’t go blind from the light”.  He was just about ready to finally panic when his hand felt something and he heard a click.  That glorious click that would save him.  He found the “Magic Lite” and accidentally turned it on.  He wasn’t ready to open his eyes yet, he took a few deep breathes and gave it some vigorous shakes.

At that same time, the crowd was starting to quiet down.  They were all listening carefully for Randall to scream.  When he didn’t scream in the first few moments, you could hear people in the crowd that were close enough to see him enter start murmuring “Did he die of fright?”.  Further away you could hear cries of “Did he go in yet?” and “Did he run away?”.  After more than a few seconds, the crowd was dead quiet.  They were sure that something bad had happened to Randall and he wasn’t able to call out for help (and call it quits).
A few of the elders began discussing how long they would give him to get through the entrance.  Just as they had come to a consensus to open the entrance, the elder at the next stage indicated he had exited the dark entrance!

The crowd exploded with cheer and suddenly the betting boards that didn’t bother to list Randall anymore were taking bets on whether he’d make it through the trial or what stage would cause him to fail.  Surely the child that had been stuck at the entrance for 8 years wouldn’t be able to make it past the second stage.  This is usually where a child would suffer a first failure, before Randall, no one had been stuck on the first stage which was just intended to test for the ability to maneuver in the dark.

The second stage was more of a maze and you had to make it from the entrance to the next part.  There are maps posted all along the maze, but various collapses and other obstacles mean several paths are either not passable or require some creativity with whatever you have on hand and can find.  Rope is something every child is expected to have in his knapsack for the trial.

Since no one really knew why Randall was the way he was, they had no idea whether or not he was capable or even grasped the basics.  This uncertainty meant there were unusual bets on what Randall may have forgotten or what he might do to cause himself to fail.  For forgotten items, there was rope, water, food bandages, hammer and several other items that could mean the difference between making it through the trials or not.
Gambling on the outcomes was usually a big part of the celebration, but this year, all the huge bets were going to be on Randall.  Whether he knew it or not, Randall was about to impact everyone by what he did next in the maze.