Narrator: In the city of new Nesritrin, P.A.I.R., one of the top guilds of the country, conducted its annual selection test, a gateway to a world veiled in secrecy.
[Inside the examination hall, rows of candidates sit at desks, each focused on the test papers. Crash and Dek, strangers at this point, happen to be seated beside each other.]
Instructor 1: [Addressing the candidates] Welcome to the P.A.I.R. selection test. Here, cheating is not just allowed; it's encouraged.
Instructor 2: [Nods in agreement] That's right. We want to see how resourceful you can be under pressure.
Instructor 1: However, there are rules. No pencils or phones are to be used during the test.
Instructor 2: We'll watch closely, so don't get any funny ideas.
Instructor 1: Now, begin your exams and may the best candidates emerge victorious.
Instructor 2: Good luck; remember, creativity counts as much as accuracy.
Dek: [Arranging his pens meticulously] I need everything organized for this.
Crash: [Slides into his seat dramatically] Sorry I'm late, folks. Traffic in the exam hall can be murder.
Instructor 1: [Chuckling] You're certainly a contentious one. Good luck, cadet.
Instructor 2: [Nods] Make sure to catch up quickly.
Crash: [Looks around, spots a grey-haired teen] Mind if I sit here?
Dek:[ignores him].
Crash:[Whispering] Quite the setup they've got here.
Dek:[Annonyed] Shut it, you redhead.
Crash:[Angered] Hey, Who are you calling redhead, you rag hair!
[The proctor signals the start of the test, and Crash and Dek begin answering questions, their pens moving swiftly across the pages.]
Crash:[Muttering] Easy enough.
Dek:[Focused] Let's do this.
Crash:[looks at clock] somethings wrong.
Dek:[writes fast and finishes] I'm done.
Crash:[looks at Dek] Hey, mophead, can't you see that clock?
Dek:[looks above] What about it?
Crash:[stands up ] It's showing the wrong time.
Dek:[gets irritated] Finish your exam first, red paint.
[Crash sits back down but keeps glancing at the clock, visibly bothered by it.]
Crash: [Whispering] It's not just the time; it's skipping numbers too. Look, it jumped from 12 to 3.
Dek: [Rolls eyes] Maybe it's just a glitch. Focus on your paper.
Crash: [Whispers] But what if it's not a glitch? What if there's something more to it?
Dek: [Skeptical] Like what? A hidden message in a malfunctioning clock?
Crash: [Nods excitedly] Exactly! What if it's a clue, a test within the test?
Dek: [Humoring Crash] Fine, let's wait a minute and see if it does it again.
[They both pretend to concentrate on their papers, stealing glances at the clock every few seconds. After a minute, the clock skips again, from 3 to 6.]
Crash: [Eyes wide] Did you see that?
Dek: [Surprised] It did it again. That's not normal.
Crash: [Stands up] We have to investigate this.
Dek: [Reluctant but intrigued] Fine, but discreetly.
[They both stand up and casually walk around, pretending to stretch while observing the other candidates.]
Crash: [Whispers] Look, everyone's frozen, as if time stopped for them.
Dek: [Whispers back] This is bizarre. What kind of test is this?
[They exchange puzzled looks, realizing that the examination differed from the other exams .]