Athellia must have fallen by now... I looked around at the gathered students; some were crying, others looked relieved. As for me? I didn't know how to feel. Only about 50 of us survived out of a thousand. But the true loss wasn't just the students—it was the entire kingdom. Who caused all of this?
The school was in ruins. Where would we even go to study? Would we have to wait another year to apply elsewhere? Perhaps the sins of that event finally caught up with us. I looked at Alice, then picked up a stone from the ground. Staring at the open field, I threw it with all my might to vent my frustration, but it just pathetically thudded onto the grass right in front of me. I realized then—I needed to stay composed. Without focus, I was useless. I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. What am I supposed to do now...?
"John, are you still with me?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm here."
I must have been lost in thought for too long until Alice called out to me. The other students seemed to have decided to move on. Should I go with them? This wasn't where I belonged anyway. I checked my watch: 6:21 PM. I overheard some students saying the Headmaster planned to build a new school within this year. A single year? How is that even possible? Then, a voice boomed out.
"Alright, students, listen up!" The Headmaster spoke, his voice reasonably loud. "Anyone who still wishes to graduate from this academy so you don't have to reapply elsewhere—help us build the new school. It only needs to house 50 people, because your class will be the final generation of this academy! If you don't want to stay or help, feel free to go study somewhere else!"
Is he serious? Building a new school sounds nearly impossible. But then again, I didn't want to waste another year starting over, so I had to help. I joined the group. The students were talking so loudly their voices blurred into an indistinguishable hum. We began our journey to find a location for the school. We couldn't build it within a kingdom; we didn't have nearly enough money for that. Well... life goes on.
By nightfall, we set up camp in the forest. Everything was relatively smooth. I was assigned sentry duty for the night. In the dead of night, I heard footsteps—massive ones, judging by the sound. But after ten minutes, the sound faded away. I sighed, feeling like I was in a horror movie. When it was time to switch shifts, I went into the men's tent and lay down. It was a long night, mostly due to my paranoia. I slowly closed my eyes as the night ended for me.
When I opened my eyes again, I yawned. I wanted to sleep more, but I couldn't. Some people were still asleep, so I quietly stepped out. Someone had already prepared food. I ate like I hadn't seen a meal in an eternity. Once everyone finished, we packed up in silence, the only sound being the rustling of gear. We trekked through the forest and stopped to hunt a Spine Bear for food. Hunting as a group was incredibly easy compared to doing it alone. We kept walking until we cleared the forest. Before us lay a vast, endless grassland. A cool breeze brushed against my face.
"It's so cold," I muttered.
"Right?"
It was Alice's voice. When did she get next to me? I didn't sense her at all—can she teleport or something?
"Alice, how long have you been standing there?"
"Just now."
"Oh."
I cut the conversation short and kept walking. It was becoming tedious. Three hours passed until a voice shouted:
"Alright, everyone, stop!" the Headmaster yelled. "We'll build the school right here."
Huh? Right here? This was a mountainous area that was extremely difficult to access. Why build it here? I didn't care much. we set up our tents and finished around 5:10 PM. Suddenly, I felt something strange. I looked around; the world began to spin faster and faster. What was happening? I checked my watch—the hands were spinning at an impossible speed. An earthquake struck, and then... everything cut to black.
I slowly opened my eyes. Wait... I was in my bed. My bed back at home. I rushed up and looked out the window. Cars were filling the streets, people were walking about.
Wait... was that all just a dream? It felt so real. Whatever... if it was just a dream, then I'm glad.
I got out of bed, tidied my room, showered, and got dressed. I sat down for breakfast with my family; no one said a word. Probably because there was nothing to say. After eating, I headed straight to school. When I reached the classroom, I looked around and let out a sigh of relief. They're still here. Wait, why am I worrying? It was just a dream.
As the first period began, I noticed something odd. Someone was missing—someone who had never missed a single day of school. Why would he be absent without a reason? Whatever... After class, I walked out and caught sight of Alice. My face instantly turned beet-red. Why on earth did I dream about her like that? Haha, I thought to myself before heading to the next class. Along the way, I could hear people whispering everywhere.
"Why is Phukan absent? He never misses school, right?"
"Has anyone seen Phukan today?"
"Where did Phukan go?"
A thought suddenly flashed through my mind. No... it was just a dream. If it were real, others would have died too. When I reached the math classroom, I sat down as usual. Honestly, how does Phukan even like math? This subject is a total headache. Once class ended, I went straight to the cafeteria for lunch. I sat with Lhong and the others, but I couldn't take my eyes off Alice. Eventually, Lhong spoke up.
"Hey, John, why are you staring at Alice like that? Do you have a crush on her or something?" He made sure to keep his voice low; if anyone else heard, I'd be teased for ages.
"No, I just... I have a weird feeling. Like something is off."
"What could be off? This is real life, man, not some novel."
"I guess you're right..."
I glanced at the calendar. Right, I felt like today was someone's birthday, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember whose. After lunch, I headed back to class. When the final period ended, I suddenly found myself in a place I didn't recognize. We were surrounded by what looked like an ocean, but we were sitting right on top of the water. I scrambled to my feet. Suddenly, a woman who looked like a Goddess appeared—she even had wings—but for some reason, I couldn't see her face.
"Alright, everyone, listen up," the woman spoke. "Uhm... I should introduce myself first. I am a Goddess. As for my name... it's not necessary for you to know. Now, listen closely: you are all about to be teleported to another world. Your goal is to save that world. Of course, I won't send you empty-handed. I will grant each of you a special power, though it will be randomized. You will also receive a blessing, which is random as well."
She continued, "Each of you will have a guide called a Stóchos. Only you will be able to see yours. Its form will be whatever you truly desire it to be—and I mean truly desire. It's not something you can just change on a whim; it depends on your soul... Alright, enough talk."
I looked around frantically, but I couldn't see anyone I knew. Suddenly, giant numbers appeared in the air: 3... 2... 1... 0...
In an instant, we were dropped into an unknown location. I assumed the locations were randomized, but why on earth did I end up in the exact same spot as Alice!?
I really hope this isn't another dream. Because if it is... I honestly won't know what to say anymore.
Somewhere in the vast reaches of the universe, a magnificent temple stood towering above the clouds—a sanctuary of beauty beyond compare. Inside, beings resided who possessed the likeness of humans, yet bore grand, feathered wings. They sat together, engaged in a cryptic conversation.
"So, you really told them their goal is to save the world? How utterly hilarious," a young man with pitch-black wings remarked, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Of course," the woman with gray wings replied before breaking into a laugh. "It makes them feel like the protagonists of their own story, coming to save the world. It's amusing, isn't it?"
"But tell me," the black-winged man asked, his tone shifting to curiosity. "Why did you send that person? Wasn't he already dead? And you sent him three years ahead of the others."
"I don't know," she answered casually. "I just felt like it. Something about him felt... right."
"Sigh... you're as self-indulgent as always," an elderly man muttered. He unfurled his pure white wings and took flight, vanishing instantly into the sky.
The black-winged youth also departed, but strangely, he did not fly upward. Instead, he plummeted toward the earth, disappearing into the depths of an infernal abyss.
As for the gray-winged woman, she flew back to her private garden. She took a slow sip of tea and picked up a single playing card, examining it closely. "This is going to be so interesting..." she whispered, a cryptic smile spreading across her face.