Rosanna's P. O. V:
I awoke to the sound of bustling noises. Breathing in the fresh air of the environment. And inhaling a little bit of grassy scent.
The bright moon hung above the drifting clouds and the dim vision made me reprocess my thoughts to figure out where exactly I was.
I assumed I was outside but I could not clearly make out my surroundings.
The moon is up, yes. The surroundings however were all... Dark. Black, void.
Not a hint of anything in sight.
Where is this place? How did I end up here? What's all those buzzing noise in the background?
Wait, I remember... That, that simulation! The simulation Class!
I gasped 'awake' as my memories flooded in and so did my complete senses.
I felt the prickly grass underneath my palms and my exposed skin.
The cool air blowing about and the lighting of my surrounding gradually brightening up as my vision became better.
I sat up slowly, and saw Aniysa sitting besides me on the grass field.
"You're awake, huh." She said, giving me a warm smile with an alien look that gave this 'vicissitudes of life' vibe.
It was the kind of look someone who'd suffered and passed through life's pain would give. That wry smile and vague aura.
Well, considering the death experience, shocking scene and... Yes, she chose a sacrificial attempt to save me... Using that spell... Which I'm sure she's not supposed to use.
Think of it like forced suicide, or human sacrifice. That's what Aniysa went through with a 'willing' mind.
It's official, I will not let this girl leave my life.
It's understandable Aniysa would gain a bit of... Change from such an experience.
I myself, found the reality of this awful world coming closer to giving me a ten-combo slap.
Multiple reality checks, alright. And daym it's f*cking awful.
Situations like this where one is completely helpless and knows that an even greater problem awaits them.
It makes a person do a doubletake on their existence. And doubt what their actual purpose or worth is in life.
And a little misconception, a little 'slightly' wrong idea and I could fall down into a dangerous line.
Just like Drake... Like Kairos, and countless other figures who life hit with sh!t.
I could forget who I was, who I am, and choosing a strategic escape route to avoid all the 'negatives'.
But I will grow. I must grow to avoid that feeling I felt during the attack.
That void, empty, numbing pain. It wasn't just my body that was under attack. My mind itself felt it needed a blackout. Like, death is the ultimate peace.
But how can one define peace with the absence of feelings, of life. Of contentment?
I felt I would die before Aniysa. And it felt like relief.
But I watched a friend die before me. And my heart seemed to lose it's function.
It's just a little simulation... But it felt f*cking real and I knew worse would come.
That Simulation is a reality if we encounter that Doomsday world or on higher probability, a worse apocalyptic world than [A Maiden's Love].
I sighed and Aniysa kept her calm, expressing apathy with blank eyes.
We stayed in silence for moments unknown. And I could feel her gaze on me when I closed my eyes with a serene expression.
External conditions that cannot be controlled should not be honeyed with a change in internal perspectives.
I will stay Rosanna from birth.
I'm not going into some indepth revelation that I've been living a lie and will succumb to the massive amount of pressure I'm feeling right now.
I won't become a beast to survive in a wasteland.
Plenty dark ideas ran through, enticing me of how best to use my 'resources' for my complete manipulation.
From putting into use my future knowledge and deceiving others to countless random ideas.
Even taking advantage of people's own problems and enslaving them with lies. But f*ck it.
I'm not a mastermind, I don't know how to use every knowledge to my complete advantage.
And most importantly, I can't bear the emotional guilt of using people purely for my selfish interest.
I can't become what I'm not. Even if it's who the world thinks is capable of survival.
It's truly not easy to be thrown into such a world with such a task.
GCA, your mummy!
"Cheer up," I heard an unfamiliar feminine voice say to me.
Opening my eyes, I turned to Aniysa's almost look-a-like; Karissa.
Standing gracefully and looking down at me, Karissa bent down and stared at me on close eye level. Baffling me at how I failed to notice her presence earlier.
Aniysa gave a shrug in response when she saw the raised brow I directed at her. Both of us in confusion and slight indifference seeing the red-haired girl approach me.
"I saw you," Karissa continued.
I simply stared back with my all-time poker face.
"Every student is broadcasted on live for whichever person is in the training field to watch. I saw your desperate little self fighting amidst your bloody state."
"It's admirable." Karissa said, tilting her head lightly.
"Ah... Thank you." I gave a little smile, a bit grateful for her encouragement.
"You're welcome." Karissa said as she fell into a daze, sitting slowly by my side as she stared up ahead.
Say, we all in the contemplating life mood?
I could've missed it, but Karissa was close and the night wasn't too loud irrespective of the other chatters.
"...Like a little Natalie." Karissa whispered.
I heard but didn't listen. So I had to rethink about her words to try to understand.
Like a little Natalie? Who? Me? Which Natalie? Natalie Spades? Seems like...
But, I don't get and I'm too stressed to want to. So, forget it.
I took time to examine my surroundings while the girls besides me remained quiet in their self absorbed thoughts.
It definitely wasn't peace I was feeling but the calm before the storm.
It was that tingling premonition blasting my mind with the call to prepare in advance for my funeral.
Unfortunately, I've been trained to enjoy peaceful times so I found it more easy to 'relax' or rest during any temporary or permanent peace.
It's this mentality I didn't know I had till I got to this world. I feel I've been quite casual, thinking of how to evade my problems and pass through.
Not thinking of fighting it out. Thinking of escapes more than solutions.
A kind of lazy or weak mentality that has no defense whatsoever to actively seek long-term solutions or guard against variables. Well, f*ck.
I'm just the person who knows her problem and knows the solution but the solution can only be gotten through the thing I need.
Strength is the solution and I need strength to get that. Albeit a different kind.
F*ck f*ck f*ck, I'm tired.
The students were mostly discussing with each other in their battle suits.
Engaging in casual, relaxed conversations and probably because the majority were confident and strong. Without reason to worry.
While the few of us like Aniysa and I, seemed to be lost in a parallel world of 'what am I, who am I?'. Sitting on the ground with a solitary aura or melancholic expressions.
A contrast to the bubbling and expressive majority who even released beaming smiles and bright laughter at times.
Then I focused on the holographic image that Kairos was watching, standing with a ramrod figure at the furthest area of the gathering.
On the wide holographic image, students were entering into the 'Classroom'- the building in Zone Alpha that deceived Aniysa and I.
Thereafter they'd be transported to the Apocalyptic stage.
If one person enters the trial, they would arrive in the battlefield and the 'Voice' would not address them.
Leaving the student to wonder aimlessly until the second person entered the classroom- which will then trigger the Apocalyptic Catalyst.
Then the two individuals would be dragged closely by a mysterious force regardless of how far they were, arriving at the center of the wasteland. And then the quest would begin.
The students would display all sorts of powers and tricks in response to the demon's Invasion.
There I realized the amount of demons varied for each individual according to their strength.
The voice seemed to become happier whenever it's hosts killed demons better.
Some individuals would kill three instantly and six would appear immediately and begin the second round. Until both players were thoroughly exhausted. And close to death or died.
Aniysa's strength should be judged with my category of the lowest bunch. Isn't she a werewolf though?
...why didn't she change?
If the quest completion is unsatisfactory, the Voice would suggest suicide at the end. Until Kairos swipe his fingers and stop the Simulation.
That thing speaking was quite the demon itself.
Some students fought in pairs of two, some as a group of three and the last a group of five.
The group of five had a... Psychopathic student who chose to murder all his companions than fight the demons.
He was player number 70. The last player and our fellow classmate.
It was a brutal fight all in all but I couldn't bring myself to have the energy to feel.
I focused on analyzing indifferently and picking slight mental notes.
[SIMULATION END.]
The bright holographic screen displayed in red letters then turned blank before disappearing.
The students, after clearing their quests appeared suspended in mid air while the physical damage they got from the game was filled on their bodies. Although in a reduced rate.
Indeed a 'simulation'. Inflicting very real virtual pain and causing actual damage to the body. Fan-f*cking-tastic tech.
The future of this world is so bright, wow.
The injuried students received the reward [Restoration] and a blue glow came upon their bodies and healed them at noticeable speed.
Even the material of their battlesuits were restored.
A crappy battlesuit if you ask me. Useless in the face of danger.
While others recovered, Player 70 appeared out of midair and landed stably on the ground without injuries.
He didn't receive the reward [Restoration] but it was [Recommendation].
Player 70 is a blue haired guy with cute features and dark blue eyes. Looking like your cute little junior next door.
He had skin like boiled egg, a healthy blush and this shy smile on his face. About 5'7 or so.
A blue glow came upon Player 70 when he descended, fixing his ruined bloody battlesuit back to normal.
Totally not relating to the ruthless person who ripped off his companion's head. Rather a cute teen in a unique outfit.
Player 70 is an award winning actor, if you ask me.
But of course, always the psychopaths looking innocent.
Come to think of it, these psychopaths here have so much social skills, you can't tell who they are unless you get on their wrong side.
Ah, what a buff to have in this world.
The other injured students recovered totally and the blue light disappeared, letting them levitate slowly to the ground.
Few seconds after, they opened their eyes. The minority looked with confusion and the majority with eerie calmness.
Won't they fight Player 70 in the heat of the moment? Complain? Ask questions? But no, they didn't.
I'm too f*cking normal for this society, they don't deserve me!!!
Kairos turned to us, seeming to know that we were all awake. How creepy.
His silver hair shone beautifully under moonlight and his gold eyes held a sharp glint.
"I've never seen a set more horrible than this."
Gee, thanks sir!
"With the exception of Elan, Pearce, Naiyah and Asa. The rest of you can't live pass your graduation exam."
A solemn atmosphere engulfed the entire room and jokes aside, the dread was quite suffocating.
"Rosanna, Aniysa, June, August, Penelope..."
And Kairos listed about 20 people's names. It just isn't my day, is it?
"You all should forget passing the first year final exam. Your corpses would be delivered back to your family or most likely, become fertilizer for the earth."
Thank you, thank you for those honest words. Nope, not like we're newbies or that the pressure and criteria is insanely high.
Nope, we're all at fault for not having protagonist halos.
And, thanks for calling my name first.