[ May 3rd, New York City, 2:30 PM EST ]
A young teenager in black jeans and a white hoodie was currently sitting on a bench enjoying the peaceful calmness of a park. Even though he had gone here numerous times in the past, he was still mesmerized by the tranquility of this place each and every time. Right here at the center of the busiest city in the northeast.
He took a sip of his coffee he bought a few streets over at a local cafe and enjoyed this moment.
This was Kai Serin an 18 year old highschool senior currently on a field trip to visit 2 art museums. It was a reward for his class completing their pieces for Advanced Placement (AP) Studio Art.
His class of 7 had put in so much effort into their artwork that their teacher decided they deserved a break. On paper this was a trip to visit some art museums but that was just an excuse to give them a day off from school and visit New York.
They only spent a total of one and a half hours in the museums. The rest of the time was spent touring the city and visiting different shops and restaurants. It was a testament to how close the teacher had gotten with her students.
Currently they were split up into 3 groups. A group of 2 and 2 groups of 3. Most of them were either 17 or 18 so the teacher gave them some freedom, with the only catch being that they had to meet up every 30 minutes.
Kai was in the group of 2, he and a girl named Sia Pendragon, his girlfriend, wearing a simple dark blue sundress and a pair of converse. Her tanned skin and blonde hair complimented her outfit
He still could not believe that they were actually dating. It had been less than a month since he asked her out, and to his surprise she had actually said yes.
Sia had actually wanted to experience having a boyfriend for a while now, but she had no time. She was a varsity athlete for volleyball in the fall as well as track and field in the winter and spring. Not to mention her volunteer work, National Honors Society (NHS) and her many Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
She had a lot on her plate to say the least.
Thankfully for her most of these responsibilities had either ended or were coming to an end as her graduation was approaching. So with this new found time on her hands, she decided it was as good a time as any to start dating.
Sia had been staring at her boyfriend for a while now as he enjoyed the atmosphere. She also couldn't believe she was dating him.
Kai was, to put simply, an artistic genius, a natural born artist. He excelled in almost all mediums from traditional drawing, photography, painting, origami to even digital. It seemed as though he could master any medium if he just invested a week's worth of time into it.
The only problem was catching his interest. Sia heard from some of her friends that when Kai took his first drawing class in freshman year, he was able to create drawings as realistic as black and white photos. At first Sia didn't believe her friends, thinking they were just exaggerating his skills, but when she first saw his pieces during their junior year, she was stunned and mesmerized.
However, he had dropped the class within the first 2 weeks, stating that it was way too time consuming and boring. Kai put emphasis on his creativity being stifled by the rules of realism. So even with the Art Teacher's insistence, Kai still chose to drop the class.
Sia on the other hand could not understand this. She felt as though it was a waste of his talents to not continue developing them while feeling a bit jealous.
Ever since she was young she had admired artists and strived to be like them. Sia was diligent and meticulous but she still couldn't figure out what made artists artists. She could create art pieces perfectly fine but there was an unspeakable quality that was missing.
She couldn't pinpoint it. So on their first date, she asked Kai about it and his answer shed a new light on a perspective she hadn't touched upon.
"As an artist, I can create anything I want and call it anything I want. Anything that I create and say is art, IS art. But that's the thing, how do you become an artist?"
"Honestly, I have no idea. From the artists I follow, it is always about improving your skills and developing a better understanding of the principles and concepts of art. I've done that but I feel there is something intrinsically missing in my pieces."
"Yeah, that's just to get better as an artist. Art skills can be learned even if you aren't an artist. But to define yourself as an artist you must be able to…"
Sia was lost in thought remembering their conversation.
"Hey Sia. You okay?"
"Huh."
Kai's calm voice snapped Sia out of her daze. Her face became slightly flushed realizing that she had been staring at him for a while.
"Yeah, I was just thinking of something."
"Oh, care to say."
"Nope."
"Come on, tell me…"
"No, not gonna… hehehe"
Sia giggled as they continued to chat about different topics. They enjoyed their time in this relaxing environment. As they deepened their bond over some coffee, they soon received a text from their class.
"Meet up in ten minutes, going to central station afterwards"
And so the couple got up and started to walk to their meeting place
…
[ May 4th, Tokyo, Japan, 3:53 AM JST ]
On top of a highrise building overlooking the streets of Tokyo, stood a well dressed Korean man. Behind him were a group of 8 bodyguards fully garbed in combat suits. Six men and two women.
"What a peaceful sight. I wish it would just stay like this forever."
Taking deep breaths to enjoy this moment for a little while longer, he closed his eyes. The man stayed like this for a few minutes. When he finally opened his eyes, a fierce light in his eyes could be seen.
"Everyone prepare yourselves. We must not fail in the ascension…"
He said these words with the utmost seriousness, as if this was a matter of life and death. And this serious atmosphere was reciprocated by the 8 behind him. They nodded with resolute expressions, only the tiniest amount of nervousness could be seen in their eyes.
However, that too soon disappeared as a desperate determination replaced it.
…
By this time, Kai and Sia had met up with their class and were busy talking.
"So any update on how your date has been going so far?"
A tall girl with short red hair, wearing a black tanktop and white jeans, asked Sia with a wide grin on her face. She was Samantha Pierce but preferred to be called Sammi, one of the 4 girls in the class as well as the president of the National Arts Honors Society (NHAS).
Sammi had a bubbly and cheerful personality as well as the most creative mind in the school, except for probably Kai the art genius himself. Well even then, it would be tough to tell who really was more creative between the two.
Kai and Sammi were the two shining star artists of the school. Their pieces were posted all over the campus causing other students to pursue art as well. Many of the current sophomores were inspired by the two of them.
"Well, we just talked for while in the park."
"That's it? I thought he would've at least tried to kiss you or hold your hand or something."
"We've been dating for barely 2 weeks. I don't think we're there yet."
"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting about that. You guys always had the "couple" vibes since the start of the school year."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Ever since I've known Kai, I've never seen him go out of his way to help someone, when it came to art at least. Usually he would've just focused on his art piece and finished it fast so he could go back to sleep or get on his phone."
Sammi held her chin with her hand and put on a pondering expression.
"But since you joined, he has been really open in helping others in art."
She put a slight emphasis on "you" while eying Sia with a knowing look. Catching onto this, Sia began to speak again.
"Since then, huh?"
"No, maybe even longer. He seemed to be uninterested in art classes since sophomore year, but it's not my place to look into other people's business."
Giving Sia a wink, her smile grew wider and brighter.
Sia blushed, knowing what the tall redhead was implying. She turned away to look at Kai. As Sia did so, she completely missed that Sammi's smile had turned a bit melancholic. A faint light of longing lingered in her eyes as she too turned to look at Kai.
On the other side, Kai was having his own conversation with the other boy of the class, Jack Mitchel. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, a pair of slim black jeans and a silver chain necklace with a ring on it.
Like Kai, he was a fellow photographer. However, unlike Kai, he was in his junior year of highschool and similarly as passionate as Sia when it came to art.
"Yo, Kai, mind taking a look at some of the pics I took."
"Again? Okay, fine."
"Sorry, I just want to get as much advice as I can get before you graduate. Hahaha"
Seeing him cheekily laugh like that, Kai could help but give him a light punch on the shoulder.
"Oh shut up, it's not like you don't have my number." Kai said with a smile.
Jack passed his DSLR camera to him and smiled as well. Kai looked through the camera roll and went into his critiquing mode.
"This one is too busy. It could be a good photo to capture life in the city, but since the focus of your concentration is 'cityscape', there are too many elements in the foreground. They confuse what the subject is…"
As Kai mercilessly took apart Jack's photo, Sia walked over. She wanted to hear his critiques and maybe figure out the missing piece in her art.
But as soon as Kai was about to critique the second photograph, the ground shook as massive tremor cascaded through the whole City.
Sia stopped herself from falling by grabbing onto Kai's left arm, causing him to drop the DSLR. However, that was the least of his problems as he used his right arm to catch the falling Jack.
The tremor only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough to cause a majority of people to fall as well as quite a number of car crashes within the city.
Before anyone could recover, a red paper-thin holographic box appeared in front of everyone.
┎
The
Trials of Survival
has begun
┛
…
[ May 3rd, New York City, 3:00 PM EST ]
No one could believe their eyes. It was a surreal experience, shock was evident on everyone's faces. They looked around themselves to make sure this wasn't a hallucination. To their surprise the same red holographic box was in front of everyone.
Before anyone could speak up about this, a voice resounded in all their minds. It was melodic and robotic at the same time.
"The Trials of Survival have begun. Your survival is in your hands."
"As you are within a mega city with a population of more than 1 million, you all must participate in the Ascension Trials before joining the Regional Trials."
"Trial details will be relayed to you once you enter the Ascension Realm."
"This trial can be taken with a team. To form a team one must be in physical contact with a person entering the trial."
"To enter trial think 'Ascend' with intent to go through the trial"
"Survive."
┎
The Trials of Survival have begun. Your survival is in your hands.
As you are within a mega city with a population of more than 1 million, you all must participate in the Ascension Trials before joining the Regional Trials.
Trial details will be relayed to you once you enter the Ascension Realm.
This trial can be taken with a team. To form a team one must be in physical contact with a person entering the trial.
To enter the trial think 'Ascend' with intent to go through the trial.
Survive.
┛
A collective silence blanketed the once bustling city. Blank stares of disbelief were plastered over every person's face. They turned to look at the person next to them to see if this was truly real.
However, that all soon came to an end as confusion turned into panic. The realization that this was actually their reality was set in.
Even Kai and Sia's group were no different. Jack was currently on the verge of hyperventilating hearing the announcement blaring in his mind.
Sia was hurriedly looking around herself checking if everyone else had the red box. To her dismay everyone did have one. It was undeniable. Even the usually optimistic Sammi was in a state of worry. Everyone in the group was one step away from full on panicking.
Well except for Kai, who was right now staring straight at the sky. As he did so, he grabbed hold of Sia's hand and tightened his grip on Jack's arm.
Sia snapped out of her confusion when she noticed that Kai was now holding her hand, her cheeks starting to get red once again.
'Really, now, of all times…'
But she heard him say something that interrupted her train of thought.
In a low voice he said, "He was actually…"
His voice trailed off as his pupils dilated. It seemed as if something he saw confirmed his suspicions. Sia followed his gaze and looked up.
If the red box that appeared in front of each of them wasn't shocking enough, a semi-transparent membrane with a slight green hue was beginning to surround the city from the center of the sky.
Sia gasped, while Kai became dazed and lowered his head seemingly lost in thought.
In the meantime, their art teacher began rounding up the class so they wouldn't get lost in the ensuing panic. She began with Sammi as she was the closest.
Based on her expression, she had a tinge of worry, but overall, she seemed to be collected. The three other girls were another story entirely, each one of them was panicking.
One of them, a girl wearing a pink blouse and a black high-rise, scrambled through her purse to find her phone. She wanted to contact her parents. When she finally found her phone, she tried to dial their number but noticed that her whole body was shaking. The poor girl couldn't even hold her phone properly.
Next to her was a girl in a green t-shirt tucked in her short jean shorts with a sweater wrapped around her waist. Her right hand was on her chest trying to calm down her heart rate as it had shot up from hearing the voice in her head. She was slowly trying to get her breathing under control.
While the last girl, who was in a black dress with a gold buckle belt, had tears in her eyes and was ready to burst out crying at any given moment. She grabbed her long jet black hair and was one step away from curling up into a ball to cry.
Thankfully these three were in a group already. Seeing this, she turned to where Kai's group was. They were now discussing something in a somewhat calm manner. The teacher knew she could rely on Kai and Sia to keep a leveled head.
Relieved, she turned to Sammi and asked her to go get them while she took care of the three other girls.
When she got close to them, she overheard the same melodic robotic voice coming from one of the girls' phones.
[ All communication and information will be restricted to those within the mega city you are currently residing in, until the ascension trial is completed. ]
This immediately made the girl in a black dress cry. That message assured them that the voice they heard moments earlier was real. Their new reality was truly sinking in for them. Realizing this the teacher rushed over to comfort them.
"Girls it's okay, I'm here with you. Don't panic, we'll find a way to get out of this situation…"
Though she said this, she couldn't believe in her own words. She just needed to show them they could rely on her, so they could ease their minds.
It was her responsibility to take care of these kids and she wasn't going to fail them now.
The teacher could see that her words were working, so she turned her head to look at how Sammi was doing.
What she saw completely shattered her earlier resolve. A violet vortex-like portal was currently consuming both Kai and Sia while Sammi was rushing to try and push them away. In the next instance the Trio had completely disappeared.
In the wake of all of this, Jack was the only one left standing. However, contrary to what people would expect, Jack's eyes were filled with determination, not an ounce of bewilderment could be seen. It seemed he had a goal to complete.
Their teacher, however, was the complete opposite.
'No! No! No! No! No! No!'
'Where did they go?'
'No this can't happen'
'Kai… Sia… Sammi…'
While Jack ran to the group, the art teacher was already in a state of panic. The crowd around them didn't seem to notice that 3 people had disappeared, probably due to being caught up in their own worlds. Except for a few standing further away who were once again stunned.
'This can't be happening, no this must be a dream, they couldn't have just disappeared. It's all an illusion.'
'Yeah, that must be it. I just have to wake up.'
'Right, if I die in the dream I'll wake up. Yeah that's it.'
The teacher's thoughts had turned dangerous. It was evident to everyone because of her crazed expression. Thankfully, before she could act on them, a hand grabbed her on the shoulder.
It was Jack.
"Yuki, Sarah, Tanya help me restrain Ms. Anderson! She's gonna do something dangerous!"
Upon hearing their names, the three girls also shifted their gaze towards their teacher. Seeing her expression, they went to help by grabbing onto her. Ms. Anderson struggled to get free, trying to get out of they're grasp as she eyed the road beside them.
"Let go of ME!!!"
"I need to…"
"I have to…"
One wrong misstep by any of them and they would end up as road-kill. The four students needed all of them to keep her pinned down. All the while the teacher kept shouting, bringing attention to their group.
"LET ME GO!!!"
"This nightmare NEEDS TO END!!!"
They didn't know why their teacher was now going wild. They hadn't seen Kai, Sia and Sammi disappear as they were too busy trying to calm down.
As this happened, she continued to scream her lungs out. It seemed as though it was going to take a while for Ms. Anderson to return to normal.
But then, they heard the word "Ascend" leave Jack's lips as he gave the group a tight hug, making sure no one could escape his grasp.
The girls didn't know what to make of this, yet they still held onto Ms. Anderson as she was the more pressing matter. They were definitely going to give their male classmate an earful for taking advantage of their current predicament.
Within a matter of a few seconds, they too had disappeared from the crowd.
Only then did people around them notice that some people were going missing. Those that had seen this exact scene seconds before, screamed as it cemented the fact that people were disappearing left and right.
"Ahhhhh!!!"
"???"
"A-a-a-a-a purple thing just ate those guys."
"What!!"
"Weren't there a group of kids there a second ago…"
"Huh?"
"Hwat are you saying?"
"Where are they now!?"
"Look around."
"I don't see them."
This commotion lit the fuse that would soon cause the city to explode into chaos.
People started to frantically search their surroundings for the missing people. No one could figure out where they disappeared to or even how they went missing.
Eventually a person looked up and saw the semi transparent green membrane engulfing the city.
"What the FUCK!!!"
"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS THAT!!!"
With that exclamation, he pointed at the sky, garnering everyone's attention. One by one, they all looked at the sky.
Within minutes the crowds of people flooded the streets, trying their best to escape the city, not wanting to be trapped by the green barrier.
Some were in such a panic that they drove on the sideways, running over some people in the process. While others chose to stay cooped up in their homes and locked their doors, hoping that everything would end eventually.
This mass hysteria took over the city like a virus. People were trampled, cars were crashed, all for the sake of leaving the city.
But everything was in vain, at the outskirts of the city border, there was now a green barrier separating those inside from the outside world. People tried to push through it to no avail. Their efforts had gone to waste causing them to sink into despair.
[New York City, 3:30 PM EST]
┎
Death Toll : 945
Injured : 23041
Trialees : 13
┛
…
[ May 3rd, New York City, 3:02 PM EST ]
Turning the clock back a bit, right before Kai entered the ascension trial, Kai's face could be seen turning serious as he set his eyes on the strange phenomenon happening in the sky.
'Damn, so that guy was actually trying to warn us about this. Fuck all that novel shit. He was talking about the real thing.'
'What did he say about New York? Come on Kai, remember.'
'...'
Kai's mind was going a million miles per hour, his heart was thumping with enough force to burst straight out of his hoodie. Trying his best to try and recall what he heard from the livestream he saw.
Within a few seconds his memories rose to the surface as if to give him a hand.
'New York, join fast before the rush of the city runs you over like a stampede. But even so, don't forget the dragon slumbering at the start.'
'He said we gotta be fast and there was a stampede. Wait, does he mean…'
Quickly he looked around him to see everyone else in a state of panic. Kai had a sudden realization.
He turned to the two beside him.
"Sia, Jack, snap out of it, listen to me, we have to act fast."
"Mhm!?"
Sia lowered her gaze from the sky to listen. Jack on the other hand was still on the verge of hyperventilating. Worry and anxiety painted his face with a grimness that was hard to describe.
Seeing this Kai tugged on Jack's arm, which seemed to knock the teen back to his senses.
"Huh!? What?"
"You back?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry about that."
"Alright, we don't have much time. We have to join the Trials fast, before the whole city goes full on panic."
"What do you mean? Isn't everyone already panicking?"
Jack was a bit confused as he turned to look around.
"It's gonna get much worse once they realize they're gonna be trapped in the city."
"???"
Catching onto what Kai was saying, as she had seen what was happening in the sky, Sia began to interject.
"Don't make a scene, but look at the sky."
Still puzzled, he nodded and followed Sia's instruction, lifting his head to look at what they were talking about. He saw the same sight Kai and Sia had seen. His eyes nearly popped out of their eye sockets.
"Shit…"
Jack cursed in a low voice.
"What do we do now?"
Seeing he was up to page, Sia asked Kai.
"We have to join the trials. Otherwise we are going to die from the stampede of people trying to escape."
"What if we hide inside one of the buildings while the government handles the trials?"
Sia suggested.
"What happens when people realize they can't get out? The city will descend into chaos and it would be too late for us to regret it later. Think about what happened during national disasters. Remember Hurricane Katrina."
"Ah… Didn't people get desperate and start looting and robbing each other."
"Exactly, now imagine that within a city like New York. Food would become scarce and money would essentially be useless. At that point people would get desperate and resort to violence…"
"Well, can't we just go into the trial later if we get into danger?"
Jack joined the conversation.
"I mean if we had to go into the trial as a last resort, wouldn't it be better to just join the trial in the beginning? We'll have a head start on everyone."
"True, but it would still be dangerous. We don't know what those trials…"
"Yeah, we might just die instantly."
Sia and Jack gave a few counter arguments.
"I know, I know. I know that, but still please trust in me just this once."
This time Kai didn't have a good argument, he simply asked them to trust him. His words were not very convincing, however the expression on his face swayed them.
It was a face filled with a crazed intensity and a determined ferocity. Sia and Jack had only seen this once.
For Jack it was last year during an almost blowout game of basketball during Physical Education (PE). Kai's team was losing by 30 points with 5 minutes left on the clock. At first Kai was unenthusiastic about even playing the game, but somehow someone on the other team ticked him off with their shittalk.
From there, the game was decided. The pissed off Kai became a demon on the court. He used his untapped athleticism to speed past everyone and steal the ball every possession, not allowing them to take even a single shot.
While he wasn't much of a shot taker, he was one hell of a playmaker, keeping the defenders on him then making dimes (passes) for his teammates to shoot. If they failed the shot he would rebound the ball and do a layup.
When all was said and done, Kai won by 23 points. It was an awe inspiring performance, especially for Jack who had been on the opposing team.
Now that same demon was back staring at him, but this time it was different. This time the demon was on his team.
As for Sia, she saw him like this when the art teacher was chewing him out for having 7 missing pieces for his Concentration (a series of art work focusing on a certain subject) a few weeks ago. It was already the last week of March and only had a little more than a month before the deadline to complete all 7 pieces.
Ms. Anderson was stressed just thinking about how one of her best students was going to fail. Yet when Sia saw Kai's face she saw that same expression. For the next few days Kai would come into class with bags under his eyes.
It was apparent that he had been working night and day to catch up with his missing pieces. It was concerning to see him like this, but he just gave a small smile when asked to take it easy.
As the following week came in, Kai gave everyone a shock. He walked in carrying 3 massive art folders setting them down on the table. Then left the class only to bring back a 6 ft x 3 ft framed art piece.
Kai had scrapped his previous pieces in favor of restarting his concentration series with a new theme. Previously the concentration was focused on the failure of dreams and aspirations, showing the cruel reality of adulthood and responsibilities.
But he was less than motivated to continue the series as it didn't invoke inspiration or creativity that Kai was seeking for. It wasn't the type of art that he wanted to make or so he said.
Even if that was the case, to completely scrap over half a year's worth of art and to not only start but to finish a new concentration was down right absurd. In a week's time no less. This was beyond insanity.
At first no one could believe it, but when they saw his art pieces, they were all just astonished by his abilities. It was no understatement to call the concentration a masterpiece. Simply, it was a work of pure genius.
Now Sia and Jack were seeing that same expression once again. However, the difference now was that this was a matter of life and death. Were they willing to risk their lives just for the small inkling of seeing what type of miracle Kai would create.
The answer was of course, no. They would have to be crazy. Sia spoke up first.
"Okay, I trust you."
"..."
She was crazy.
…
[ May 3rd, New York City, 3:03 PM EST ]
Sia could believe what she was saying. What has gotten into her? Why did she just agree to this crazy plan? What was happening to her?
Her mind was racing to find the answer to these questions.
But all she could think about was Kai's face filled with a genuine earnesty and a quiet confidence. She couldn't say no to that face. Her impulse was saying to trust him, telling her to cling onto the hope that he brought forth.
Sia didn't know it then, but this was when she started falling in love with Kai. Even though they had been dating for a month, their budding romance couldn't be considered love. Rather it was more apt to call it a mutual attraction.
Her feelings for him were still pretty shallow, but with this her feeling began to deepen.
Kai was relieved to hear that from the girl that he had fallen for. It immediately made his confidence rise up as well as his sense of urgency.
He turned to Jack to get his answer.
Unlike Sia, Jack was a bit more hesitant. He wasn't willing to put his life in danger just because one of his friends told him to trust them. He was young with a lot to look forward to in his future.
But now, stuck in this situation, there weren't many options he could choose from. Should he risk staying in the city and be left defensively against the horde of desperate people. He could even become a part of that desperate horde. Thinking about it, he felt as though this option would essentially leave him helpless and left to the whims of the people in power.
Even still, it would be a safer option than blindly going into the trials without knowing anything about it. It would simply be idiotic to think that it wouldn't be dangerous. But for some reason, he felt compelled by the words "Your survival is in your own hands."
It kept repeating in his mind, over and over again.
'My own hands, my own hands, my, my, my….'
'Am I gonna live under someone's control?'
'No!'
'I'm not a mindless idiot willing to be taken advantage of.'
'I will survive. I will live using my own hands and die on my own terms.'
'If joining the trials means, I die then I die.'
His mind was made up.
"I'll join you too."
Hearing those words, Kai's face lit up. He had convinced them to join his insane plan. He patted Jack on the shoulder, excitement was now bursting out of him.
"Alright, let's get started. Ascend."
But surprisingly, that same instant Jack shrugged off Kai's hand causing him to get startled.
'Did Jack just go back on…'
Before Kai could finish that thought, he heard Jack speak.
"What about the others?!"
A look of confusion spread across the younger teen's face.
"Ah Shit!"
How could he have forgotten about them? There was no time to think, so he blurted out what came to mind.
"You enter with them. We'll go first."
Kai then saw a violet vortex forming above his head. He tightened his grip on Sia's hand who was now preparing to enter the trial. She steadied her breathing, calming her nerves like she had always done at the start of her races.
Seeing the vortex as well Jack tossed over his one-legged camera stand. Thankfully Jack was quick witted and gave the two something to defend themselves with.
"Here take this…"
Before he could finish his sentence, he saw a red haired figure dive into tackle the couple and the next instance they were gone. Not even 10 seconds had passed since Kai said Ascend and they were already transported into the Ascension Realm.
"… use it as a baton. And, they're gone…"
Jack was left standing there, alone.
It took a second for him to recollect his thoughts. He had seen a glimpse of the figure that just rushed in. The figure was of course Sammi who had walked over to get them to regroup with the rest of the class.
She heard the word "ascend" coming from Kai. So she sprinted over. Then she saw something trying to consume her two friends. At that point all Sammi could think about was saving her two friends.
Her fight or flight instinct kicked in and she sent her body to tackle them to the ground. She didn't know what was happening, but after everything that she had witnessed in the past few minutes she became paranoid. So she recklessly threw herself to "protect" her friends from the weird purple thing that appeared above their heads.
Fortunately for Kai, he had managed to catch the one-legged stand with his other hand before the tall redhead forced him to the ground.
Jack heaved a sigh of relief as he had seen the stand disappear alongside the three. Now all that was left for him to do was to get the rest of the class to join the trials.
But how was he going to convince them to enter? He didn't have that reliability that people could lean on like Kai, nor did he have Sammi's charisma and leadership skills and he surely didn't have the air of self confidence Sia seemed to naturally exude.
What could he say? Should he just grab them and hope for the best?
'Nah, that wouldn't work, I only have two hands and they would surely hate me afterwards…'
'Well, at least I won't have to convince Sammi.'
As he thought of the best method to have the class join the trials, he finally saw his teacher on the ground panicking. And then an idea popped into his head.
He was going to take advantage of this situation. They can yell at me later. Jack picked up his pace and ran towards his teacher.
The young teen placed his hands on Ms. Anderson and yelled to call over his classmates. Within a few seconds the group of 5 also disappeared.
…
[ May 4th, Tokyo, Japan, 4:00 AM JST ]
The Korean man overlooking the city skyline, had taken off his business suit and was now wearing the same combat gear as his guards behind him. His vision was soon blocked by a transparent holographic message.
He sighed.
'It seems as though things were really going to repeat.'
He turned around to face the others behind him. All of which had a variety of startled expressions on their faces. They were all informed beforehand, yet still they could not contain their surprise.
The outlandish fantasies of their boss was truly coming into fruition. All of them breathed in a collective breath, then they met the gaze of the Korean man.
Seeing this he extended his left arm forward with a clenched fist while gripping his machete in his right. His eyes signaled his guards to place their hands on his and they did so without hesitation.
With not another wasted second the Korean man opened his mouth to say a single word.
"Ascend"
[ Tokyo, Japan, 4:00 AM JST ]
┎
Death Toll : 0
Injured : 0
Trialees : 9
┛