On that day something strange happened. Strange marks became etched on the skins of a select few, there was no coordination or logic behind their positioning so it took months for some individuals to realise that had been marked.
Although this phenomenon was noticed in all four continents most people simply ignored it, hoping it was a sort of hallucination even though their reasoning made no sense.
It was understandable though considering how off putting it sounded. They had been judged? What was their sin and who gave them the right to judge them?
Well, people's opinions began to change slightly in a particular month… the month where all marked individuals the age 18 and above disappeared.
Some years later…
Ark had just hopped out of the cold shower and was now wiping his body dry, actually their house had no running water and since the rain was abundant he simply took a bucket full of water and used it to bathe.
His old man was knocked out with a terrible hangover and was still in his room so it was the perfect time to sneak out undisturbed.
Ark picked up a simple backpack that contained everything he would need and then walked over to a secluded part of the room.
Hidden underneath some clothes was what would have been a raincoat, but in actuality it was just multiple nylon bags that had been fashioned into one.
'Can't get wet on my first day…'
He walked outside his house after putting it on and gave the window a sidelong glance. Underneath his left eye was the very reason he was going out today.
A small almost indiscernible mark that resembled a lightning bolt with a curved bottom.
He was marked.
And while some feared the prospects of being marked he was oddly satisfied by the development.
"With this… I can finally turn my life around. Don't mess this up, Ark!"
He closed the door gently behind him and plunged himself into the beating rain.
Today's rain was especially colder than usual. Ark's rubber shoes could ward off the waves of water on the ground but he could already feel his raincoat failing him whenever a violent gust of wind would blow past him.
Still, he had to get to the Wielder's Center as soon as possible.
In this short amount of time a number of discoveries had been made by the government concerning the strange phenomenon that happened three years ago.
Although at first people of all ages were marked, in recent times only those between the ages of fourteen and seventeen could be marked.
Meaning only teenagers could be marked, and every year there was a new set of marked individuals. Which brings us to their next discovery… the trials.
Ark darted to the side as a black suv swerved, but he had not noticed the vehicle on time. Muddy rain water was splashed from the side of the street right upon his clothes and face.
He gritted his teeth as he watched the driver blaze past.
There had really been no need for him to take that path but he had done so just because he wanted him to suffer.
That was the way the world saw people from the slums. They were hated beyond measure and treated with a special level of disdain…
He was used to it and yet, his hands balled into a fist.
'This all changes today.'
After a long trek Ark finally made it to the train station. Atop the water was a rather beautiful creation, something that had been created due to unusual weather here in Lorsine.
It was just what a train would normally look like but its lower part was slightly widened to provide more surface area and it had a couple of thrusters behind it and underneath the water.
It was a water train.
Many people stared at him with clear aversion. They even visibly shifted farther away from him as though the air around him was contaminated.
Some dragged their children further down the train while others became more security conscious, holding onto their smartphones more tightly.
Ark sighed.
'It's not like I can steal your phone and run! We're in a damn train.'
Honestly, he would have preferred to walk but walking that distance on an empty stomach would no doubt make him not only late but possibly lethargic.
The train ended up dropping him at the stop which was not too far from the academy. He would have to walk the rest of the way.
Just before leaving the train Ark had glanced at the clock.
'What the hell? I'm running late!'
He took to his heels running through the pouring rain. This only served to make him stand out the more.
He diverted into an alley that was meant to be a short cut and kept running for a few minutes when he finally slowed down.
"Wait… how have I been running for a few minutes when I can see the light at the end of the alley?"
The distance was not that long when viewed from his naked eye.
That was when Ark realized.
Something is wrong.
He turned around to find where he had entered the tunnel from but the area behind him was dark. Not the usual darkness that came with the rain… it was pitch black like it was night.
He looked forward once more but the light in front of him was gone as well.
The environment changed.
The trash cans and an empty can on the floor were still there but it was as though they were now waving.
As though he was watching them through a distorted lens.
He took a step backwards only to bump into something.
When he turned around, what greeted him was a dark figure.
It resembled a withering shadow. Multiple smoke tendrils were dancing around its body like multiple horrid tentacles. It had no eyes or mouth, just a humanoid frame with deadly claws.
And yet it spoke.
"G..ve mm…ee."
Ark slowly backed away.
"What the hell is this?"