"C'mon, we need to at least find something!"
"Quiet, dumb bitch, someone will hear us."
"What are we looking for, exactly?"
"Informations, duh."
"About what, exactly?"
"Anything we can find—"
"What—"
"Information about people like us," a guy spoke, and it silenced everyone inside the office.
His presence just seem to put everything in its place, even though he's only saying few things. Maybe it's because of his level? Because he's an elite. If it were the Victorian era, we will call him a royalty.
Six feet, three inches tall guy with black wavy hair, dune haircut, hazel eyes, pinkish lips, nose that adds up character to his face, and a defined jawline.
By "people like us" he meant people with specific digit written or to be precise— tattooed on their skin— as if it's some kind of birthmark.
It appeared all of a sudden. The first person to have that specific level is from year 2024. People who have this level were given special abilities that can conquer something— that, they still haven't figured out.
They are strong, and some uses it as their advantage to gain pleasure— some even use it as entertainment like the Battle of Digits.
Game Makers are the people who created the Battle of Digits— for fun— it's a game where people with special abilities fight each other in order to win a special but common prize— money, power, connections, medicines, and... informations. Basically, whatever the winner wishes to have with exemption, of course. The prize differ from each floor.
It is a tower.
A tower of torture.
Mostly, the fight happens in tenth up to twentieth floor, if you survive those fights— as per the requirements— you can climb up. They will test you if you are capable— they are really strict when it comes to that, and only people with guts can reach the highest floor.
The Game Makers know for sure that people will participate in this kind of game, they will have their reason to fight.
The contestant can be a psychopath who's only desire is to kill people, ex-convict who wants revenge, people who craves for thrills... those pieces of shits will never care for what reason a participant has hidden up to their sleeves, entertainment is still entertainment.
Money is money.
"They are hiding something from us," the guy. "I don't feel anything good about all these bullshits. There is a huge reason why some of us mutated like this, and people are using it for entertainment instead of preparing for huge battle against something as strong as us or even stronger."
I turned my gaze at him.
He hates the idea of using our abilities to entertain people but he does it too, as a matter of fact we have a tournament next week.
Him and I, as partners.
It's obvious that he is doing it to gain information but I doubt it... he is a mystery. The whole concept of this guy is confusion— mainly because he's always looking so confuse.
"I will help them look for something," I volunteered.
His level is high, he can even take down two people all by himself— I'm only at the competition to complete the number of participants.
I looked at the computer files, the CCTVs but found nothing— my brain can process all the information that was shown to me in an instant, and even though I was just scrolling through the files I can remember and analyze it all.
Wait.
I think I found one...
"You found something," the guy, he knows how to read people— or maybe this is because he knows almost everything about me. "What is it?"
"There's a microchip— it contains information. I don't know what kind but I'm sure that it will help us," I answered him with determination in my eyes, I was confident that we are going to find something useful.
We are up against a higher level, that is one of the reason why I joined them in spite of being someone who despise interfering with people's businesses... let alone dig into them. The other... to stop this guy from putting himself in danger because of the things that he wants to know.
"It's hidden here," I spoke before he ask questions. "The walls."
"Well, this is not good."
Shit! We're caught!
A guy wearing glasses opened the door in this huge office— except he's not just some random dude opening a random door. He is our opponent in the next week's battle, and the Student Council President of our school. This room? This is the Chairman of the School's highly secured office— he's connected to the government's reseach facility, and what we're doing is reaaaally illegal.
I stood up, and walked beside Aziel preparing to fight this dude in front of us.
"This is trespassing," he spoke. "I expected good things from you since you're one of the strongest in our school, Aziel Whitlock."
Wow, I'm completely ignored.
Was it because I'm just a two-digit level and this school is famous for having three-digit level students?!
This is rather unfair.
I am level seventy-eight.
"I'm not here to play, Azriel."
Yes, you guys guessed it right, they are twins— Fraternal Twins— specified by our dear Aziel Whitlock.
Azriel here is the reason why I wanted to get informations in the first place, we are up against him next week, also, I really need that money.
You see, our levels increases when we turned twenty, and I just turned twenty today. I haven't checked my level yet but I felt stronger the moment I opened my eyes this morning.
I mean... for the first time, I didn't whine for waking up early.
Hey, that takes a lot of bravery, and I've became stronger since I conquered that.
"I'm gonna have to throw you out—"
"Stop us first..." Aziel turned his gaze at me, heaved a sigh, nodded, and turned his gaze back to his brother. "...if you can."
Now, why would you go to the extent of provoking your older brother? Azriel is five minutes older— again, specified by Aziel.
Their names twist my tongue, why would their parents come up with this kind of names?
BUT WHY?!
Can't we just have a good talk? Fighting is not for me, though. I don't want to break my nails—
Oh, they're starting.
Shit!
Azriel's going to attack me first— a spinning kick?! Really?! Full fucking force too?! Goddammit!
I can't dodge Azriel's attack—
"FUCKING HELL, AZIEL!"
The asshole just pulled my hand, and threw me somewhere before his brother landed that kick on my body, as if I'm just a his backpack.
"It hurts, you bloody idiot!" I exclaimed.
"Welcome," he rolled his eyes.
I'm going to stab him.
"Stay down, missy," Azriel just used his gravity pull to put me down.
This is even more painful than throwing me with full strength, I feel like there is a black hole below me that's pulling me down. I feel my bones and limbs being crushed, I can also feel bruises forming all over my body.
This is not good.
I am fully aware of what these three-digit assholes can do, however, I didn't prepare myself to be THROWN and CRUSHED like this by TWO of them.
You see, this is the reasos why you don't meddle with people's affairs.
Aziel charged at him— his ability? Barrier. Oh, they're not exactly different from each other— both their abilities can crush normal people to death.
As for me, Zane Wixx, I have the ability of strength— at least that's what they call it.
I punched the ground, and tried to stand up, my progress is not enough. I need Aziel to distract his brother.
Aziel managed to land a punch on his brother's face after two to three minutes of fighting, and almost destroying this room, and it surprised Azriel for a bit. He was caught off guard that I successfully escaped from the prison he created.
I felt forces building up on my right palm, it absorbed Azriel's gravity pull, the fire inside the room, a bit of electricity, and other kind of potential and kinetic energy.
I threw that force on Azriel like a fireball, and it hit his stomach— causing him to lose consciousness.
"Let's go find that microchip before he wakes up!" I snapped at Aziel who is still stunned with what he saw.
"What the fuck was that?" He asked, looking back at his brother and me, bewildered.
"I turned twenty today," I answered. "My level increased."
We ran towards our friend, who are completely baffled when they saw what happened to the Student Council President.
I am definitely screwed.
"We found it, we just don't know how to open it."
I took the box from my classmate's hand, and opened it without even struggling. I saw the instructions with one of the files. I took the microchip inside, and inserted it in the computer.
"Aziel, your phone," I held out my hand in front of him. "I'll transfer the files on your phone—"
"Why don't we just take it?" He gave his phone to me.
"As much as I hate these people... they need this file in order to achieve something, and I know that they are doing this for the sake of survival of humanity... that's why we're giving it back."
He nodded.
I know how hard it is to gain informations, and I, too, understand that whoever gathered this information or whoever hid this here, their lives will be in great danger if we take this.
I copied the files, and put it in Aziel's phone while I'm also scanning them by eyes.
Wait...
I stood up in shock. I was looking for information on how I defeat someone with gravity pull type of ability... not this.
This is the opposite of what I'm looking for!
"W-what is happening..."
"What? What did you see?"
"Hey, Zane, you alright?"
"What the hell..." Aziel uttered.
We...
We, humans, mutated because of the threats in humanity. We gained this power in order to survive Human Extinction. As for the threat... it was first seen in Antarctica...
...the moment flowers bloomed in Antarctica, and soon... Humans will seized to exist.
Yep, that's me, you're probably wondering...
How did I end up here?
I was forced to join the tournaments because of my biological mother, I needed the money to make sure that she will live.
I can still remember the things she said before closing her eyes, and I always think about it all the time. She was about to tell me something that my brain will not process in the next few weeks but, unfortunately, she fell in a vegetative state that she couldn't even open her eyes.
We conducted this risky heist to gain information, and now that we discovered something... it brings nightmare to us.
Is this what my mom referring to when she said those words? Everything I see is just the tip of an iceberg.
We gave everything for this just to end up with anxiety?!
"You probably discovered the reason why we are trying to stop you, if this information gets out of here— it will cause a huge problem— people will panic," Azriel had already recovered from what I did earlier.
"Are you nuts?!" Aziel exclaimed. "People need to know, to prepare themselves!"
"What do you think are we doing? The organization? Do you think these are just decorations?!"
"We need to go, Aziel," I spoke, finally regaining the ability to think straight. "This is enough."
"Your phone, brother," Azriel held out his hand. "Or I will have you both disqualified."
I was the one who gave Aziel's phone to his brother, I couldn't afford to lose. I needed the money for my biological mother's recovery.
Note: if you get disqualified from the game, you can no longer participate in any kinds of game. In short, you'll lose your license to be a player.
We ran, we escaped just as we planned but something doesn't feel right. This is not good.
"I will erase all your traces from this facility—"
"Let them know that we know."
I looked at Aziel with disbelief.
"What?! Are you alright? If they knew that we know things they will take us!"
"Exactly!"
"So this is your plan all long? To tell them that you are worthy of that information too?!" I exclaimed.
"Yes."
He said that with full of confidence that I wanted to punch him from having that much of guts to say that to my face.
"Where the hell did you gain the confidence to say that in front of me?!" I was filled with rage that I can't even contain it any longer.
"Hey, guys, stop fighting."
"We are a team, remember?"
"We need to calm down."
"Zane, calm—"
"Don't fucking tell me to calm down— this is my life!" I heaved a sigh trying to suppress the tears building up in my eyes because of the betrayal I just experienced. "You know why I'm like this Aziel so why... why would you do this to me? You sold me out... for mere information... you'd sacrifice my life?"
I was right, that situation changed our lives. I guess I could say, the turns have tabled.
I was a coward.
I have been a coward since.
Aziel is brave. I am the opposite of him, opposite of these people. I just want to live a normal life, away from all of these bullshits.
Live in a cabin in the middle of nowhere, have a farm, shelter stray cats or dogs and let them run around the huge field of grass and flowers. That kind of peaceful life is what I want.
What can I do to have that?
♪