Earlier, Michael was at a small gathering, praising God with friends. Suddenly, a message lit up his phone: "Michael, are you busy? Let's meet up." It was from the "spicy" girl—the one who had complicated his life. Michael, despite knowing better, had developed feelings for her. He had planned to see the other girl after the gathering, but against his better judgment, he asked, "Should I wait around?"
"No, don't do that," she replied casually, almost dismissively. He smiled, pretending it didn't sting, and left, feeling more foolish than ever. And yet, it got worse.
As Michael walked out the door, there she was—the girl who had sent the message. She met his eyes and said with a knowing smirk, "She ditched you, didn't she?"
Michael laughed through the pain and nodded, feeling the weight of his humiliation. As she walked past him, she added, "I've got someone to meet." The joy Michael had felt while rushing to see his "beloved" was replaced with shame, anger, and a bitter sense of betrayal.
From that moment on, Michael decided to stop being a fool. He vowed to live by the mantra: "Be seen when necessary, speak when needed, and stop disturbing those who don't want to be disturbed. Disturb only those who wish to be disturbed."
Michael finally reached his room, shared with five others. He lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, whispering to himself, "I was really stupid." After a quick meal of bread and tea, he drifted off to sleep.
At seven in the morning, Michael awoke. Today was the day of his enrolment. At this school, when you turned 18, you joined the Emox—a university-like place where you learned to harness your abilities. After all, in a world of powers, villains were inevitable. There was more to it than that, but we'll get to that later—don't rush me.
Michael had passed the age when most people awaken their powers, and the reason was simple: people either relied on someone emotionally or mourned a memory from their past to fuel their abilities. But Michael? His life was too chaotic. He had no single, constant source of pain, no emotional hierarchy.
So, in simple terms, Michael was a tall, powerless monkey. "Yep, that's me." How could someone like him enroll at Emox? Well, the only way was to pass the six tests, though no one knew what they were—Emox kept that information tightly sealed.
Michael got out of bed, reflecting on the mess of yesterday. "At least today can't be that bad," he thought, until his phone buzzed. Another notification—this time, from a girl who genuinely liked him. She wasn't his beloved or the spicy destruction; she was best friends with the latter, though. Of course, there was always some extra drama.
"I need to see you tonight. Urgently."
That was when Michael knew he was totally screwed. He glanced at his five roommates, all still dead asleep. They didn't care about life at all—one was a child rapist, another a delusional religious fanatic, one spent his time fighting demons in games, and the last two just took up airspace. Just looking at them made Michael feel lazier—it was almost contagious.
He walked out of the room, reminding himself that he had to attend his enrolment. As he walked, his thoughts spiraled. "Aren't men just slaves to women? If you love them, they use you. If you don't love them, you're toxic. If you ignore them, you're a nonchalant jerk. You can't satisfy them, no matter what you do."
Michael had lost all interest in women. He didn't want sex, or any of that. He just wanted someone to spend his money on, someone to cuddle and talk to all day. But of course, this was labeled as simping. What's the point? No matter what you do, this generation has a label for it. He was exhausted, which is why he longed for death. He even fantasized about committing genocide to bring peace—because, after all, peace could only exist in the absence of humanity.
"Fun fact," Michael muttered to himself, "I've been hopping from bus to bus, lost in thought, and I'm already here." Emox was close, and most ability users didn't even need vehicles to get around.
The truth was, Michael just wanted to feel love before he died. He thought he'd find it with his beloved, but now, even that felt distant. She lingered in his thoughts, but the connection seemed to fade.
Anyway, Michael was finally at Emox. It was time for his enrolment. He would either die, go home in defeat, or become an Emox…