Louis stood in a vast sea of blood, disoriented and confused. "Where am I?" he asked himself, turning to scan the horizon. But there was no end in sight, just an endless expanse of crimson. Suddenly, skeletons began to emerge from the blood, their empty eyes staring at him. Louis's terror was palpable. "What the...!"
In the distance, he saw his small wooden house, engulfed in flames, floating on the blood. "Mom!" he screamed, fear gripping his heart. He tried to run, but the blood was too deep, pulling him down. "I'm drowning!" he cried out, tears streaming down his face.
Despite the futility, Louis tried to swim, but the blood was too thick, too heavy. It pulled him down, his legs slow and unresponsive. He reached out, desperate, but his house seemed impossibly far away. The blood rose higher, covering his chest, then his neck. He was drowning, fear closing in.
As the blood covered his head, he held his breath, his vision fading to black. But then, he saw skeletons floating in the blood, their empty eyes staring at him. He tried to swim again, but it was no use. The blood was too thick, too strong. It pulled him down, into a dark hole, and Louis felt himself falling, falling, falling.
His scream echoed through the darkness, a primal cry of terror. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" he screamed, his vision blurry, his senses reeling. He fell through the night sky, his heart racing, his soul trapped in a living nightmare.
Louis crashed to the ground, but to his surprise, he felt no pain. However, his heart raced uncontrollably, and he struggled to catch his breath. Disoriented, he stumbled to his feet, wondering what was happening. "What the heck is going on?" he thought to himself.
As he stood up, he realized that his surroundings were in chaos. Most people were running wildly, while others were using their powers to fight each other. Blood filled the floor, and skyscrapers were breaking down, crushing those beneath the rubble. The scene was one of utter destruction and terror.
Amidst the mayhem, a homeless man stood out, clad in tattered black robes, his face disheveled, and his eye swollen. He had a full-grown beard and was barefoot, holding a brown cardboard sign with a black marker that read, "The Judgment has Begun." He was preaching to no one in particular, his brown teeth visible as he spoke.
But before Louis could process the scene, a young kid pierced the homeless man with a knife, and he fell to the ground, his blood flowing freely. Louis's tears streamed down his face as he witnessed the horror.
Suddenly, a voice pierced his ears, "Your time has come, embrace the power." Louis spun around, but there was no one in sight. "Who is calling me?" he asked aloud, his heart aching with confusion. "What power?" he shouted, his voice echoing through the chaos.
As he looked around, he saw people frozen in place, their eyes fixed on the sky. Louis followed their gaze and was met with a terrifying sight: millions of massive asteroids hurtling towards the earth. "I guess the centuries of humanity's civilization are over," he whispered, his tears drying in the face of this new terror.
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He jolted awake, his heart racing. He wiped away the lingering tears and muttered, "Damn, the same hellish dream." He stood up, shook off the lingering fear, and headed to the bathroom to get ready for school.
As he stared at his reflection in the mirror, he noticed his beard was growing. The sound of Ivan and Aaron arguing downstairs drifted up, and Louis dressed quickly, eager to start his first day at Guardian Academy.
Louis had aced the entrance exams, ranking first in theory, but struggled in the practical exams, finishing last out of 200 students. He dreaded encountering Ivan, but fate had them attending the same academy, and to make matters worse, they were assigned to the same dorm and the same fucking class.
With a deep breath, Louis rushed down the stairs, his new dorm mates staring at him with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
"What the heck are you watching, bastard?" Ivan demanded, glaring at Louis.
Louis stared back at him, feeling a mix of frustration and fear.
"Hey, that's rude. Can't you be a little cool to your classmates?" Ryo Nakamura intervened, stepping between them. Ryo Nakamura, a Rank A student, possessed the power of Super Speed. His presence usually had a calming effect, but Ivan was not in the mood to be placated.
"Did anyone call you?" Ivan snapped.
"No, I'm trying to—" Ryo began, but Ivan cut him off.
"Then beat it," Ivan barked. As Ryo walked away, he muttered, "Such a stupid boy."
Ivan turned back to Louis, his expression full of contempt. "Don't you ever think you're accepted in this school. Being sent to Class A doesn't mean you can still be a guardian or stronger than me," he sneered. "Always remember, the weak students get out from the school if they don't pass their points for their ESGE."
The ESGE, or End of Semester Guardian Exams, was a critical test. It measured students' performance based on class tests, training sessions, practical applications, and more. While Louis excelled in theory, scoring the highest among all students during the entrance exams, he struggled with the practical aspects. His power was considered weak, which made the physical challenges particularly daunting. Fear gripped Louis as he imagined the horrors of failing the practical exams.
Ivan's voice dripped with malice as he continued, "Remember, in this world, the strong reign supreme, and the weak are crushed beneath their heels. You're nothing but a pathetic E-rank, a mere insect to be squashed."
Louis's mind flashed back to their high school days, the first time they fought. Ivan's taunting words echoed in his memory.
But Louis's resolve was unwavering. "I'm not leaving this place until I graduate, no matter how hard you try to break me, Ivan. I'm planting my roots here, and I'll rise above your cruelty and negativity. You can't chase me away, because this school is my soil, and I'm determined to bloom into something greater, no matter what you say or do."
Ivan laughed mockingly. "Oh, Louis, you're so predictable. You think you're tough because you've got a few fancy words and a naive sense of determination? Please. I've seen it all before. You're just a fleeting moment of entertainment for me, a brief distraction from my own greatness."
His voice grew cold and menacing. "We'll see about that, indeed. I'll make sure you don't even make it to graduation. You'll be lucky if you last a week. Mark my words, Louis. I always get what I want, and what I want is to prove my superiority over mediocrities like you."
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