"Well. Well. Well. It seems that everyone is present." Angel cheerfully replied. "I'm glad that you all heeded my call. I would've been disappointed if you didn't come."
"Why? What would you have done?" A young boy spoke up to Angel even though he shook with fear.
"I'll leave that to your imagination. A punishment is necessary for those who didn't heed my call." Angel snickered. When Angel spoke of punishment, everyone froze up in fear. What did this strange oppressive man have in mind when he meant punishment? Nobody knew, but they all felt a murderous vibe from Angel.
Angel's eyes swept through the crowd briefly and momentarily stopped in front of Kiyro. Their eyes momentarily locked onto one another. Kiyro felt a sudden, shocking chill that made him unconsciously step backward. For a moment, Kiyro thought that Angel's eyes pierced into his soul, searching for an answer he didn't know. Then, quickly with heavy breath, Kiyro pulled their gazes apart, making breathing almost difficult.
"Kiyro? Are you okay?" Eve asked out of concern. She gently placed her hands on his shoulder, worrying that he was ill.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
Kiyro nodded and tried his best to steady his heavily beating heart.
"If you are not fine. I'll tell the Instructor."
"No. It's fine." Kiyro raised his hands to stop Eve from taking any further action. He got a feeling that if Eve told Angel or Red, there would've been repercussions.
"Follow me." Angel turned around and went back inside Room 13. Red followed after without saying anything.
All the other students followed behind Angel, wondering what the room they would enter would show. When Kiyro entered, they were in a large circular empty white room.
"Is this it?" Voices of students stare stupidly around the room. They all thought there was some big secret inside, but there was nothing.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Wow, what a shocker. I'm so disappointed. I thought they would be keeping some top secret hidden away here."
The twenty-three students were all disappointed at the large space. This so-called taboo room was just a hoax.
"Now then." Angel was in the center of the room. Everyone else surrounded him, wondering what he would do. Then, raising his hands, he clapped once over his head. Suddenly, the lights turned off, making the room pitch black.
"Kyyah!" A chilling scream could be heard in the group, making everyone panic.
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
"Why is it dark?"
"Gah! Someone just touched me!"
"Nooooo! I don't want to die."
People cried out in fear as they stumbled around, trying to find their way out.
"Quiet!" Angel's voice rang out with a clearly voice. The sudden loud shout froze everyone for seconds. Not a single person moved out of fear.
The silence felt like an eternity, and even Kyros' senses were heightened. He used his other senses to feel around him, trying to remember where he was from the door if he needed to bolt. The light movement of the wind from the body, the heat he could feel from a living body, and the sound of heavy breathing. He could tell that every single one of his teammates didn't flee but stood steadfast at his side.
A finger snap caused the room to be filled with stars that seemed to glow around them like dust. Then, the stars slowly started to rotate and shoot toward each person, entering them and disappearing in a blink of an eye. Finally, the room became brighter, allowing the people to see around them.
Kiyro felt a rush of energy that shocked his whole sense, wondering what had happened. The thousands of other stars that didn't enter into a host twirled around Angel, forming blazing streaks of light. Angel raised his hands, and the light converged over his head.
"What's going on?" Eve whispered. "Am I seeing things, or is this all holographic?"
"I don't know, but those white lights gave me a funny feeling," Kiyro replied.
"You won't believe this," Will spoke with an open mouth. His eyes became wide with shock.
"What? Do you see something that we don't?" Daulton asked with curiosity.
"A high density of aura-like energy forms over his head, and I have never seen such a thing before."
"Isn't it just a regular hologram?"
"No," Will whispered. "I can't explain it at all."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Do you think I'm kidding?" Will's voice was annoying and snapped towards Daulton.
A creaking sound of machines could be heard from behind them. Everyone snapped towards the sound, wondering what it was all about, and noticed a strange bed that seemed to be encased in glass. Then, with a push like the sound of air escaping, every single one of the glass containers opened. Inside the containers were the first generation Sense Gear Helmet plugged in.
"This is some weird Science fiction shit right here," Daulton swore. "I'm not sure I'm liking this a single bit."
"You can say that again." Eve couldn't help but agree with Daulton.
"Well, now." Angel's voice brought everyone's attention back again. "It seems everything is in
order."
The large black hole over his head was now as large as a door and took his last place. He was standing in front of it, blocking people's view. Everyone was craning their neck to see what was going on.
"We shall begin," Angel smirked. "Who wants to go first?"
Nobody moved. Instead, everyone unconsciously moved back.
"No one? That isn't very pleasant. Well then, the six of you come here." Angel pointed towards the closest group that was in front of them. None of them moved out of unease.
"I said come here." Angel's voice raised an octave in a very commanding tone. "If you don't, your life is forfeit."
The six that were immobilized slowly went up to Angel with reluctance. Angel grabbed the nearest one by the collar. "You're too slow." He growled and chucked him through the black hole.
The boy that was tossed yelled in fright, but once his body passed through the dark hole and came out the other end, he went silent. His body tumbled forward and slumped to the ground. His lively peach-colored skin was slowly turning a bit pale.
"Is he alright?" A young teenage girl asked in fear.
"Next!" Angel grabbed another person and shoved the frightened teenage girl through the black hole. She screamed but was cut short when she passed through, and her voice was shortly cut off.
"Move it now, or I'll throw you all in."
The remaining four shakily walked toward the black hole and passed through it. Every one of them went through the same thing. All of them were lying on the floor, not moving.
"Pick them up and place them in bed." Angel motioned the other students to go on ahead. The nearby student did exactly what Angel said. "Next group!"
Everyone once again went silent and stood still. No one wanted to go through the black hole, fearing that they would end up lifeless like the six that went ahead.
"I'll count to three if you all don't start lining up here. Then, I will personally make an example out of one of you that will make you beg for death." Angel's words were like ice that cut through every soul.
"B-but, who will pick up our body if we fall like the first six?" A young boy came up first toward Angel.
"Why are you worried that your body will be damaged?"
"I-"
"Don't worry; you will be taken care of. Now..." Angel pushed him through without noticing, and the boy stumbled forward and fell through. Then, just like the six before him, the body fell forward, lifeless on the ground. What came next was a strange sight for the students. A strange silhouette of a human walked out from the dark and picked up the student on the ground.
Kiyro's hair started to rise, and he could feel the temperature dropping and becoming ice cold. His breath let out a puff of hot air he could see in front of him. Even his nerves were yelling at him that something was not right. It was as if the student was floating up in the air and being carried to the glass bed.
"Kyaaaa! Ghost!" A girl screams in hysteria.
"What?"
"Holy hell?!"
"Now. Don't mind them and go through." Angel spoke calmly, but the students were backed up in fear, thinking that what they saw before them was some hoax.
"I said move!" Angel's voice boomed out loud catching everyone's attention. Even the shadow silhouette of the humans turned their heads towards Angel. "When I said Move. Move!"
With a flick of his hands, Angel brought out a knife. The one who tried to run away threw the knife at the back of the student's shoulder. The male student stumbled and fell. His screams pierced through everyone, making everyone tense up in fear. Finally, they all stopped and looked toward the one that threw the knife.
"I don't like repeating myself over and over again." Angel casually walked over to the male student on the ground and cried out in pain. "I have warned all of you. Now." He bent over and pulled out his knife. Then he grabbed the boy by the hair and dragged him towards the black hole.
"When I say move, I mean through the damn gate. Not run around like pansies." Angel threw the student through the gate. He passed through, and his body slammed to the ground. The silhouette once again came out and picked up the body.
"Well then. Do we need another example?"
Everyone shook their heads. In an orderly fashion, they reluctantly made their way toward the black hole. The line quickly moved through and finally came to Kiyro's turn. When he stepped up and walked toward the black hole, he smelled a strange reek of sulfur permeating from it. He couldn't even see the other side of the hole; it just seemed to be a solid black wall.
"What are you doing, boy? Any longer, and I will personally push you through."