Dirium Quarter, New Palarishia.
12/2/10 Post Disaster.
It's still dark as usual, and I'm incredibly sleepy because of last night's noisy party at the dorm, thrown by my friends. I couldn't sleep at all. Better to focus on writing my assignment report instead.
"Everyone, good evening! What a wonderfully beautiful and joyful day for all of us," a familiar and friendly voice rang out from the front door.
"Good morning, my angel! Look at you—so captivating, just like in my dreams. You're not just beautiful, but your light drives away all the darkness in my life," the voice softly, confidently spoke, but this time with an intensity impossible to ignore.
I tried to fight the heavy drowsiness. My eyes felt heavy, as if shrouded in thick fog. My gaze swept the classroom filled with 36 neatly arranged chairs, feeling quieter than usual, though in reality, it wasn't. On the wall, portraits of famous warriors hung majestically—pillars that upheld the peace, now becoming the topic of my upcoming history exam. Uh-oh, the test is coming closer. At this rate, there's no hope my grades will survive.
A loud voice broke my reverie, "How dare he ignore us, that insolent fool!" The tone was full of arrogance, making my neck tingle.
I looked up, my eyes still heavy, but I could clearly see the shadows of several figures approaching.
"Wait, he's from that loser group," another voice chimed in, sharper, brimming with seething anger. "How dare he insult an elite group like us!"
Suddenly, the classroom became noisy. Some students started whispering while others watched with curious eyes, waiting for what would happen next. I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the sleepiness and bring my focus back.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a hand moving closer. Slowly, its fingers stretched out, almost touching my collar. My body tensed, bracing for what was about to happen. But just as the hand reached for me, the door slammed open with a loud bang, cutting through the tension in the air.
"Stop that! What's going on here?" A firm voice interrupted the commotion, silencing the room.
"But he's insulted all of us, the pillars of humanity!" a man responded with anger, his voice breaking the silence. "Look at us, we're the elite group! Chosen by the astral system to maintain peace in this world. They're just servants who should bow to us. What they've done is a grave insult to that peace!"
I felt the grip on my hand loosen, and my body instinctively stood upright. Without thinking, my gaze drifted toward the monitor screen, which had already cracked, with a report that had been sent. My mind was distracted, and I sensed that something was wrong around me. Sharp gazes pierced my back from the side, alerting me to the danger looming.
Without hesitation, I stood at attention, saluting with my hand raised to my forehead. The tension in the air became more palpable, especially when I realized where that piercing gaze came from. From the corner of my eye, I caught a pair of sharp, reddish eyes that seemed to penetrate the walls. It felt like a force enveloped the room, and everyone seemed to await a command from those eyes.
On the other side, a few men stood with an air of arrogance. Their pale skin was smooth, their faces handsome—like they didn't belong to this filthy world. Their blonde hair gleamed, contrasting with their sharp, cold blue eyes, showing no sign of pity or empathy. They all stared at me with an intensity that couldn't be ignored, as if I were a threat to be destroyed.
The air around us grew even more stifling. Every passing second felt increasingly tense. The once calm atmosphere was now filled with a tension everyone in the room could feel.
"Report, I apologize for the commotion I caused!" I said in a serious tone.
"Lower your hand. You're only wasting energy that could be used for something more important later," someone replied sternly.
I quickly lowered my hand, feeling slightly awkward. Suddenly, a man in a white uniform with a neatly tied cloak approached. He took my hand, guiding it to a tablet he held. The screen lit up with a red light that gradually shifted to blue.
"Alright, take him for the procedure now!" ordered the arrogant blonde with a serious tone. His voice echoed in the cold, sterile room, radiating an undeniable authority.
"Something's wrong here. It seems to be a misunderstanding. There's no name or identity in our database," another figure said in a formal, mechanical tone. He wore a long, pristine white coat, complete with advanced technological accessories that enhanced his appearance. Their eyes were fixed on a large screen displaying various data.
"Check again. We need all personnel to be on duty immediately. Modifications must be made to enhance his limited brain capacity," stated a military figure dressed in white, pressing buttons on the control panel with swift and precise movements. The tension grew, each second feeling like a looming threat.
"He hasn't undergone any cyborg implant modifications. He's a pure human who hasn't gone through the selection process," said a younger figure with a serious tone, his face full of concern. "We can't force him to undergo modification before he passes the proper selection."
The room fell silent for a moment. In the midst of this chaos, I stood frozen. My body felt stiff, filled with uncertainty. Around me, I heard heavy footsteps and overlapping conversations, but none of it seemed to relate to what I was experiencing. My gaze locked onto a figure silently watching me from the corner of the room.
A girl in a sleeveless gray uniform approached me. Her dark gray knee-length shorts matched her uniform, and her eyes, cold—like the arrogant gazes surrounding me.
"You're not one of us. Impossible. A mere human? There's no way someone like you could be here. This area is sterile!" she said firmly, her voice as sharp as her eyes.
I looked at her for a moment, shrugging slightly, unwilling to waste energy. "Oh... is that so?" I replied casually, my voice flat, almost lazy. "But as far as I know, this is the technician's lab. Did I walk into the wrong place?"
She stared at me more intently, her eyes growing colder. "Technician? Please, don't joke. This area has been commandeered by the student council; they're in charge now."
I sighed deeply, not bothering to hide my growing sense of laziness. "Student council, huh?" I rubbed the back of my neck slowly, my gaze still empty. "Yeah... they like to cause trouble, don't they? Late-night parties, disrupting sleep. But... this room is still for technicians, right?" I paused briefly before adding nonchalantly, "My name is Klein Fartuis, second-year student. If I'm wrong, sorry."
I didn't move, didn't change my position, just waiting for her reaction. My hands remained relaxed at my sides, as if nothing urgent was happening. She seemed to want to reprimand me more harshly, but I simply looked at her blankly, without any intention of engaging further. I showed no tension. To me, this was just a minor annoyance that might soon resolve itself.
Slowly, I pulled out my student ID from my pocket and held it up toward the gray-haired girl in front of me. Her serious gaze remained, glancing briefly at the card in my hand. I let my hand stay extended, lazily waiting for her to finish inspecting it.
"Alright, I trust it," she finally said, though her voice remained stern. "Falsifying this card could lead to severe punishment. So, what are you doing here?"
I exhaled slowly, feeling a bit bored by her question. "Sorry," I said flatly, "couldn't sleep because of the dance party at the dorm. So I thought I'd be productive instead. Working on a semester assignment... yeah, I'm chasing high grades."
Her expression remained serious, but she said nothing. I retrieved the student ID, putting it back in my pocket with a slow, unhurried motion. At the same time, I glanced at the clock in the corner of the room. There was still time, so there was no point in wasting too much energy arguing with this girl.
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" I added in a half-joking tone, though my expression stayed as lazy as ever.
The girl stayed silent for a moment, her eyes still watching me, but I could sense her tension beginning to fade. She might still be suspicious, but there wasn't enough reason for her to continue pressing me. I had no intention of prolonging the conversation. To me, this issue was resolved—at least for now.
I shifted my gaze back to the monitor, my drowsiness overwhelming, trying to direct my fingers to the keyboard on the side, where I could feel the intense heat.
Maybe this was just a hallucination because the target needed to be aimed at and completed as quickly as possible.
High grades, here I come.
I sighed while looking at the glass of water on the right, ready to grab it with my right hand before a tremor caused it to spill.
I ignored that while noticing the girl talking with the arrogant men in military uniforms. Meanwhile, I reached for the rack below to grab a drying cloth to quickly dry the water near the desk.
I bent down slowly, then began wiping the floor, when suddenly I saw a golden light shoot across the room at high speed.
"Seriously, trying to intimidate me is one thing, but doing something dangerous is another," I muttered calmly.
I slowly turned my gaze backward and saw an 18-meter-tall robot with gold accents contrasting against its black and gray body flying swiftly into the sky.
Looking around, I saw the roof and walls of the room were destroyed.
Meanwhile, I noticed the people here lowering their heads, wearing serious expressions, while glancing at me.
"How is it that you're still alive?" asked the gray-haired girl, her voice somewhat awkward.
"Sorry, what was that?" I asked flatly.
"Are you insane? Didn't you realize that the reason we came to this godforsaken place is that it's Astral Gear? Do you get it? Just one swing of its sword has already destroyed this place. After this, you'll be questioned," the girl replied awkwardly.
I ignored her and continued staring at the work desk, where the computer had already melted.
"NOOOOOO!"