I sat on the cold metal bench, feeling the chill slowly creep into my hands, as if the metal was trying to claim me. The spaceship's monotonous hum was the only sound, and the people around me sat motionless, breathing shallowly and without emotion. It was as if their will had been completely shattered. No one spoke, no one moved, no one questioned out loud why we were on this spaceship—why we were even here, lost in the darkness of space. The oppressive silence was driving me to the brink of madness. I had to stop myself from screaming. My thoughts kept circling back to the same person: Teacher Ramis.
If it were up to me, I would've punched that damned teacher already, broken his nose. He was the reason I ended up here.
About a week ago, I noticed that Ramis, my sports teacher, had been acting strange. At first, I thought it was nothing serious. Maybe he was just stressed or having a bad day. But then, I realized something was very wrong. Ramis had gone completely silent. The usually lively and talkative teacher wasn't saying a word anymore. He just stared blankly ahead, like all the joy had been sucked out of him. I was the only one who seemed to notice his change, while the other students carried on as if nothing had happened. So, I decided one night to follow him, to find out what was going on.
That decision landed me on this cursed spaceship.
Now here I was, surrounded by people who didn't seem to care, and all I wanted were answers. But no one was talking, and I got the feeling that no one here would be able to tell me what was going on. My patience was running thin. I was just about to get up, to confront Ramis—to either get some answers or give him a well-deserved punch—when the heavy door behind me slid open.
Two men in immaculate blue uniforms entered. Their presence was commanding, their eyes cold and hard. Above their right eyebrows, they had a symbol engraved, something that looked like the sign of Aries, but it gave off a menacing, otherworldly vibe. Without a word, they walked through the room, ordering everyone to line up. The others obeyed immediately, without question, like they had been conditioned to follow. I hesitated. Every instinct I had screamed at me to fight back, to resist. I wanted to stand up, to challenge them, but something held me back—maybe it was a shred of reason, or the understanding that resistance, for now, would be pointless. I couldn't tell for sure. But I stayed seated.
It wasn't because I was scared. Fear wasn't something I felt often. Even as a kid, I had developed abilities that set me apart from everyone else. I was stronger than most people, my endurance almost limitless. My teachers had always been amazed at what I could do. But it wasn't just my strength—it was my senses too. I could see farther, hear better than anyone else. Those abilities had saved me from danger more than once. Now, though, since being on this spaceship, that constant sense of threat was hanging over me, growing stronger with each passing moment.
The officers stopped in front of us and pulled out a strange device—a scanner, I guessed. It looked like it was designed to check people for something—infected? Was that what they were scanning for? I had no idea. But I could feel it: the moment where everything would change was close.
When the officer pressed the scanner to my chest, it beeped. "Infected." The word echoed in my head. Infected? What the hell did that mean? I felt fine. I was sure of it. But what did the scanner know that I didn't?
I froze, my mind racing, like I was trapped in a nightmare I couldn't wake up from. The officer showed no reaction to the scanner's result, walking past me as if nothing had happened. I was left standing there, my thoughts spiraling out of control. Should I be relieved that I hadn't been "exposed," or should I be worried? The scanner said I was infected, but infected with what? Was I sick? Or was something else entirely going on?
Before I could process it further, the officer in front of me reached into a compartment and handed out clothing—black uniforms with glowing green lines, like some kind of circuitry running along the fabric. I grabbed one, feeling the strange material buzz slightly against my fingers. It felt alien, and my stomach churned. Along with the clothing came a headband made of metal, with a pulsing green stone embedded in the front.
"Put these on," the officer barked. "Once you are dressed, place the headband on your forehead. Then say your human name."
I was hesitant again, but I slipped into the strange black outfit, feeling the green lines glow faintly against my skin. The others were quick to obey, donning the uniforms and placing the headbands. The green glow from the stone pulsed, creating an eerie rhythm that matched the silence in the room. Reluctantly, I placed the metallic band on my forehead.
The moment the stone made contact with my skin, it flashed to life, brighter now. I could feel something—some energy—flowing through me. The officer's command cut through the strange sensation.
"Say your human name."
I took a breath. "Light."
The instant I said it, a transparent screen materialized in front of me, floating in mid-air. My name—Light—appeared at the top. But then something else showed up beneath it.
"Xyrr."
I blinked, my mind reeling. Xyrr? What the hell was that? My heart pounded in my chest as I stared at the alien name. It didn't make any sense. How could there be an alien name attached to me? I was human—at least, I was sure of that. I had always been human.
My breath hitched, and I couldn't comprehend what was in front of me. Was this some kind of sick joke? Had I been lied to my entire life? I wasn't an alien. I couldn't be. But the name was there, right in front of me, clear as day. Xyrr. My mind screamed for answers, but I didn't have any. Only questions.
Before I could unravel any of it, the officer snapped me out of my confusion with a loud command, his voice grating against my thoughts. The screen in front of me vanished just as suddenly as it had appeared.
"Move! We're running out of time."
I shook my head, trying to clear the chaos from my mind, and fell into line with the others. We were herded down the glass corridor, with a view of the vastness of space all around us. The endless black of the universe stretched out before us, and despite the turmoil in my mind, I couldn't help but lift my head and look.
A massive planet loomed in the distance, surrounded by a glowing ring of light. And far off, I could see a city floating majestically in space, its lights twinkling like stars. It was beautiful, breathtaking even. But that beauty was short-lived, shattered by a familiar sensation—danger.
I snapped my gaze downward. White smoke was rising from somewhere, and immediately, I knew something had gone wrong. My body reacted before my mind could process it. My muscles tensed, but before I could do anything, a wave of dizziness hit me. The smoke thickened around us, and I tried to fight it off, tried to stay conscious. But it was too late. The world blurred, and the last word I spat out before darkness consumed me was, "Bastards…"