The classroom buzzed with energy, sunlight streaming through the windows and illuminating dust motes in the air. Avi Eques sat at his usual spot near the back, his chair tilted slightly as he surveyed the room. The chatter of students mixed with the soft rustle of papers, punctuated by the occasional burst of laughter. He let out a quiet sigh, wishing for the day to pass as uneventfully as possible.
Ken Magnum leaned closer, his large frame practically blocking Avi's view of the room, "Hey, Avi. You hear about it yet?"
Before Avi could answer, Emily Chen leaned forward, her book pressed tightly against her chest, "What's he talking about?" she asked, her voice curious but cautious.
Ken's grin widened as if he had been waiting for someone to ask. He dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, even though the room was already filled with the noise of the other students. "Apparently, some guy's been losing it. Mumbling stuff like, 'We lost. They're coming. It's the end.'"
Avi raised an eyebrow, shifting his gaze to Ken. "You're really buying into that?"
"Hey, my sources don't lie," Ken said, leaning back with exaggerated confidence. The smirk on his face grew as he noticed the skepticism in Avi's eyes.
Emily frowned, her gaze shifting between the two of them. The book she was holding seemed to tremble in her hands, as though it could feel the tension. "Still, it sounds... unsettling," she murmured.
"Unsettling? Come on, Emily, it's just some guy spouting nonsense," Avi said, rolling his eyes and running a hand through his messy hair. He had heard rumors like this before—wild stories that spread like wildfire, leaving everyone in a constant state of worry over nothing.
Ken's expression darkened, a spark of mischief flickering in his eyes. "Classic Avi—always the skeptic. You'd probably think an alien invasion was just a weather balloon."
Avi scoffed, a smirk playing on his lips. "Maybe if it wasn't coming from your sources."
Emily's brow furrowed, and she stared at Avi, as if trying to gauge his seriousness. "But what if there's more to it? You know how these things go..."
Avi opened his mouth to respond but hesitated. Something in Emily's tone made him pause. She wasn't one to jump to conclusions, especially about things that seemed outlandish. Her serious demeanor unsettled him more than Ken's joking.
Before he could piece together his thoughts, Mrs. Rodriguez entered the room. Her usually cheerful smile was absent, replaced by a distracted look. The classroom's chatter gradually faded, and the students turned their attention to her.
"Good morning, class," she said, her voice lacking its usual enthusiasm. The corners of her lips were turned downward, and she moved to the board without her typical bounce. The screech of chalk on the blackboard filled the silence as she started writing.
Avi shifted in his chair, his eyes scanning the room. The air felt heavier, almost electric, as though something unseen had swept through. A subtle shiver crawled up his spine, but he pushed it aside, attributing it to the boredom that always crept up on him during the first period.
As the minutes passed, the dull rhythm of Mrs. Rodriguez's voice and the scratch of chalk seemed to blur into the background. Avi's eyelids grew heavy, the classroom's dull noise becoming a soft hum. His head nodded slightly, and the blackboard turned to darkness.
In the darkness of his mind, a faint whisper echoed, barely audible yet striking. "Save them... Save both worlds... Only you can." The voice carried an inexplicable weight, a deep urgency that settled in his chest like a stone. Just as he tried to grasp its meaning, the voice faded, leaving him in an unsettling silence.
"Mr. Eques!" Mrs. Rodriguez's sharp tone jolted him awake. The entire class turned to stare, some faces contorted in barely suppressed amusement, others wide with shock.
Avi snapped upright, his face flushed with embarrassment. "Sorry," he mumbled, barely audible.
Mrs. Rodriguez's eyes narrowed, her lips thinning. "Detention," she snapped. "After school. Maybe that'll teach you to stay awake."
The classroom's chatter resumed, but a few students still cast him sidelong glances. Ken leaned over, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Smooth move, buddy," he whispered, the teasing laced with a hint of concern.
Avi didn't respond. His thoughts were elsewhere, tangled in the remnants of that strange whisper. The feeling of urgency still gnawed at him, and for a moment, the classroom seemed too quiet, too still.
Emily's voice broke through his thoughts. "Avi, you okay?"
He nodded quickly, forcing a grin. "Yeah, just... didn't sleep well last night."
"Right," Emily said, but her eyes didn't lose their worry. Ken caught the exchange and, for a moment, his smile faded. He reached over and clapped Avi on the shoulder.
"Forget it. You'll be fine. Just don't fall asleep again," Ken said, but his tone was softer, more genuine.
As the lesson dragged on, the tension in the room grew. Students shifted in their seats, whispers spread like ripples across the desks. Ken's wild rumor had taken root, fueling curiosity and anxiety. A girl near the window muttered to her friend, "What if it's true? What if something is coming?"
Avi clenched his jaw, fighting the urge to snap at them. It was just a story, a dumb story that had somehow spiraled out of control. Still, he couldn't shake the voice that had whispered in his mind. He glanced at Emily, who stared out the window, her expression unreadable. Ken leaned back, crossing his arms with a frown that suggested he was wrestling with his own worries.
"Hey, Avi," Emily said quietly, "you think it's true?"
He shrugged, a nonchalant expression masking the turmoil underneath. "Don't know, don't care."
Ken's eyes met his, a flash of concern passing between them. "Come on, Avi, share your expertise. You're good at seeing through nonsense."
Avi hesitated, then chuckled, the sound hollow in the tense air. "Which expertise? You mean my vast knowledge of rumors and nonsense?"
Ken's grin returned, a little strained, but there. "That's the spirit!"
The laughter that followed felt forced, and Mrs. Rodriguez's gaze snapped toward them, a warning in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak when the floor beneath her feet began to glow. A faint light crept out in a circular pattern, a pulse that seemed to vibrate with some unseen force.
The room froze as a low hum vibrated through the air. Students glanced at one another, fear pooling in their eyes. The light grew, and Mrs. Rodriguez stumbled backward, her hand reaching out for balance.
"What... what's happening?" she stuttered, her voice shaking.
The glow intensified, casting long, flickering shadows across the room. A low, mechanical hum filled the air, followed by a voice that seemed to resonate from nowhere and everywhere at once, robotic and devoid of emotion.
[System notices unnecessary character]
It announced, the words hanging in the air like an unseen weight.
A chill swept through the room, making every student freeze mid-scream or movement. The voice continued, detached and clinical, echoing in the stunned silence.
[System begins character erasure]
Avi's heart clenched in his chest as a cold sweat broke out across his skin. Mrs. Rodriguez stumbled back, her face contorted in terror as the glow intensified beneath her feet, wrapping around her like liquid fire. Her mouth opened in a silent scream, but no sound came out.
Before anyone could react, the light consumed her. In the span of a heartbeat, she was gone, leaving only a cloud of ash that drifted to the floor.
The room erupted into chaos. The mechanical voice kept echoing, a cold reminder of what had just occurred.
"Stay close!" Ken's voice cut through the panic, his hand gripping Emily's arm as he pulled her away from the spreading glow.
Avi's mind raced. The voice, the sudden disappearance of their teacher—it all felt unreal, like something out of a nightmare. His eyes darted around the room, taking in the horror-stricken faces of his classmates, the chaos that seemed to explode in slow motion, and the unnatural hum that continued to fill the space.
"Avi, what's happening?" Emily's voice trembled as she clung to Ken's arm, her eyes wide with terror.
Avi took a shaky breath, trying to keep his fear in check. "We need to get out of here. Now."
The voice crackled again, cutting through the noise with its cold, mechanical precision.
[System scan complete. Analyzing players]
A wave of dread washed over Avi as the glow spread, swirling in impossible, unpredictable patterns. It was as if the very room had become a living, breathing entity.
[Game parameters set]
And then, the voice spoke the last, damning phrase, like a verdict:
[Game Start!]