The night sky shifted to a dark blue, spotted with flickering white stars. Division-A was asleep. The buildings were dark and silent, the streets were empty, the lights in houses were out. All that remained on was the solar streetlights. However, life in the Grand Hall was still as busy and chaotic as it was during the day. Omegas were dispersing from the front doors, quickly running out into the city- presumably to their spot of the city to defend. Although, one Omega was missing.
Makina followed Hetsu around her office, matching her pace as she rambled. "Hetsu, it has to be a mistake! There is absolutely no way that annoying, feeble leach is an Omega!"
Hetsu cradled her aching headache. "Makina, that boy isn't an Omega."
"Then what is he?! A Compactor?!" Makina clutched tighter on her weapon, indirectly taunting Hetsu.
Hetsu stomped towards her computer and turned around the monitor to show Makina. On the screen was a green and black diagram of Akino's blood cells, which was nothing but nonsense to Makina.
"I already showed you," Hetsu stated, frustration in her voice, "Look at it." Hetsu clicked on the mouse pad, displaying another diagram. "These are your blood cells, Makina, yours! They are completely identical with Akino's! The only difference between you two genetic wise is that he's a male human and you're an Omega."
"He didn't get the procedure, he's still fleshy! How in the hell does that brat have a core and Omega blood inside him?!"
Hetsu turned around, her fingertips pressed against the veins of her forehead. "Makina, look, I don't…"
A long pause took over the room. Hetsu kept her back to Makina, who was leaning forward waiting for her answer.
Makina snickered, annoyed. "You know how, don't you?" Makina's eyes became blood red. "You did something."
Hetsu whipped around and approached her, intentionally forcing her way into Makina's personal space. "If you're going to be a nuisance and stay here, not even doing your job- which is to guard the city at night, I don't know if you forgot- then I'll have no problem at all reducing your ranks!"
"Wha-?!"
"Now, go do your god damn job!!!" Hetsu stood on her toes and shouted, her elderly voice cracking with the sudden pitch change. The wrinkles on her face stretched to show her distress and frustration. A single hair fell from Hetsu's scalp, gone unnoticed by her- but not by Makina, who stood still and silent.
"Hideyo!" Hetsu called, inclining Hideyo to sneak through the office doors and bow her head. "Follow Makina to her designation, and make sure she stays there till the night is over."
"Yes, master," Hideyo replied.
"Hetsu…," Makina tried to say.
"That's master to you, too, Makina. Now I recommend that you do a good job tonight. I know how much it would bother you if Matoi beat your ranks, especially with only a few Compactors to her name. What a disappointment that would be to your captain."
Makina clenched her fist painfully tight, her weapon shaking in her grasp. She narrowed her blood red eyes and marched out of the office, Hideyo keeping close behind her.
I'm not entirely sure of who I am, now. I'm not even sure of who I used to be, either. First I survive death, and now I'm not even human. I shouldn't even be surprised anymore. Makina was right, though. I'm not going to let this shit stop me. I'll find out what the voices in my head are saying and I'll take action from there. It's just hard to have to figure all this out in secret, nobody knows besides…
I have to go to a few more evaluations at the Grand Hall. After I found the core inside me, that opened an entirely new set of questions. My life is so chaotic, I don't even know what I should focu
Akino suddenly heard a tap on his desk, causing him to drop the pencil he was writing in his journal with. He looked up, seeing Miki standing over him as the class walked the other direction. Akino's welcoming smile fleeted when he saw Miki's face; it was strained with creases curved under his focused eyes and on the sides of his frown.
"What is it?"
"You hung out with Yukino a few days ago, right?"
Akino nodded, quickly glimpsing behind Miki to check if Matoi was there; she wasn't. "Yeah," he answered, "she took Matoi and I to the Grand Hall."
Miki shuffled around. "Why haven't you talked to her?" He stopped and looked at him. "Did something happen? Yukino-"
Akino raised his eyebrows, shocked. "What? No, nothing happened. We just haven't had time to hang out w-"
"Yukino says it's because she's poor- the reason you're not talking to her anymore. To be frank, Akino, you're not keeping up with any of us." Akino's smile dropped as Miki continued. "You're always hanging with that weird new girl."
Akino shook his head. "No, it isn't like that, Miki."
"Then why does it seem like it? The minute she shows her vulnerabilities, you and Matoi stop talking to her. You two have been being weird and really rude."
Akino's breath left his chest.
"If you two don't start fixing this crap, then…"
"Akino," A voice called out from behind Miki.
Miki turned his head, laying his sights on Makina, who stood perched on the edge of the doorway. Akino instinctively got up from his desk and walked towards her, paying Miki no mind at all. He maneuvered his way past the clusters of desks and into the hallway. Makina made brief eye contact with Miki before closing the classroom door, separating them.
Matoi, who was previously leaned against the wall, arched her back towards Akino, noticing the distain in his face. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Akino shrugged, not able to give an answer before Makina started her own conversation.
"Things are getting tense at the Grand Hall, Akino," Makina mentioned, catching the duo's attention. "It was already tense before, but now with you and… Anyway, Compactors have started coming out in the day now. The first time we realized this was when one was spotted on the rural side of Mount Kikenna, then another a few miles from the Grand Hall."
Akino's mind went back to that day: the day schools around the city were released early, the day his head was eaten off.
"Of course, that same day, you and Matoi had to fuck it up. On top of that, we have to deal with rising protests around Division-A, nightly attacks, massive acts of genocide every other month, and have to figure out a way to cover it all up before the next morning."
Akino's body tensed, his mind scattered in all directions.
"And?" Matoi approached Makina, putting her hand on Akino's shoulder on the way. "We know that."
Makina sighed. "I don't want you two pestering Hetsu about your little scheme anymore."
Matoi looked to the floor, confused and offended. "What?" She lifted her head back up, staring at the fellow Omega. "What scheme? What we're doing is trying to uncover the truth!"
Makina closed in on Matoi, each step sending waves of intimidation down her spine. "There is no truth. You are trying to dig too deep into nonsensical, harebrained nightmares! I'll tell you how it is! Your home, Division-A, is being threatened by monsters and if you don't let the Grand Hall do its job, then we are all going to die."
Matoi shook her head, her long brown hair swinging behind her. "You don't know that. What if Akino's dreams are the key to Division-A's safety?! They're way too specific to be written off as nonsense!"
The girls' faces came inches from touching, each glaring harshly at the other.
"You don't know anything, Matoi," Makina replied. "You're too indecisive. I've been an Omega way longer than you, I've seen things you never will!"
"Blame yourself for being a shitty Omega, not me! At least I could pass my final evaluation without killing everybody," Matoi whispered, her furious tone creeping underneath Makina's skin.
A bell rang above them, bringing the feud to an end. Akino looked up at it, suddenly brought back from his train of thought. He blinked a few times before walking past Makina. "Come on," he said, turning towards them. "That's the halftime bell, lunch is almost over."
Makina straightened her back, showing her dominance to Matoi with her height. She pulled her black jacket closer to her and walked towards Akino, prompting Matoi to follow reluctantly.
The sound of a door sliding open echoed from behind them. They all turned around to see Miki exiting the classroom. Miki and Akino made eye contact as he walked past. Akino gulped, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek as Miki's judgmental eyes drifted away. Akino watched him meet up with Yukino further down the hallway, who made no such eye contact.
Matoi glanced towards Akino, shrouded in confusion. "Whats wrong with them?"
He shrugged and followed in pursuit further down the hallway. "Nothing, come on."
Matoi charged past Makina and Akino and jumped down the stairs, catching up to Miki and Yukino. Akino called out after her, pleading with her to slow down, but she continued. Matoi tapped Yukino on the shoulder, Miki taking notice. Yukino turned around and forced a smile, surprised to see her. She turned her head away as Miki ushered her further down the staircase, leaving Matoi standing by herself. Makina and Akino eventually caught up, taking note of Matoi's puzzled and annoyed expression.
"Let's go," he said, leading the two girls down to the cafeteria.
Gloomy gray clouds drifted over the sun, hiding the light from the upper floors where a student roamed the empty, dim halls. He stepped along with the beat in his earbuds, humming harmoniously to the tune. A group of well-known, prestigious senior classmates turned the corner into that same hallway. The boy jerked the earbuds out of his ears, fearing the others would tattle. The group walked past him, paying him no attention as they giggled and gossiped. He waited until they were far enough away to dig through his pockets, grabbing the earbuds again. As he did so, he noticed a small puddle of blood coming from under a door a few feet ahead.
"What-?" He turned back around to the group, who apparently didn't notice. He crept towards the door and gripped the handle. His heartbeat increased ever so slightly and his hands became sweaty. Leaning forward to gain an early glimpse, he pulled the door open to reveal an empty classroom.
However, there was more than that.
Directly in front of him was a fellow classmate, bleeding from the mouth and stomach. The boy lowered his head in terror, seeing a massive, shiny, elastic looking black pole penetrating the student's gut. The black object held the boy up on his toes as it slowly shredded up to his chest, then his shoulders. A single tear dripped from the students cheek until the black object shredded through his head too, then allowing the student's body to collapse onto the floor in a puddle of blood.
The boy stepped back from the door, heaving, clawing for something to cling to. The group of students down the hall turned, seeing the boy stumbling into the wall. Suddenly, that same black object curved out of the classroom and right into the boys face, pinning it to the wall as the rest of him fell to the floor in a similar fashion.
Akino, Makina, and Matoi arrived to the end of the staircase, chatting to each other about Miki and Yukino. The three go further into the next hallway when Makina pauses. Akino and Matoi stop as well, waiting for Makina to catch up.
"What is it now?" Matoi asked, already fed up.
Makina turned her head, looking back up the stairs when a blood-curdling scream floods their ears.