Finally, the built man with the scarred knuckles stepped forward and cleared his throat. His voice was rough when he spoke, sounding like stones grinding together.
"Greetings, vermin. My name is Kael," he said flatly. "The esteemed individuals standing beside me are Mara," he gestured to the older woman with ancient eyes, "and Jian," pointing to the youth who immediately stopped fidgeting under Kael's gaze. "We are the awakened who will guide you on your journey to become like us."
He paused, letting those words sink in. "As you all know, you're here because humanity needs more people like us. We are the barrier that stands between the accursed horde and the people of this earth. However, there isn't enough of us to contain the horde."
Kael paced slowly across the platform, his eyes scanning the filled benches repeatedly. "Now, I want you to forget every single thing that the government has told you about the plague. Don't think of it as a deadly disease. Instead, view it as an initiation."
His eyes flickered towards Jian and Mara, "Soon, one of us will grant you a 'key,' This key will trigger the rinshu storm within your soul."
A murmer of fear rippled through the crowd, but Kael ignored it.
"The moment the storm hits," he continued, "your consciousness will be torn away. You'll find yourself... elsewhere. But don't be afraid, it is merely a passage. A hallway between who you are now and who you will become. We call it the 'soulscape.'"
Hill's eyes widened. This... is new. The government never mentioned anything like this! I thought it was a process that was completely out of my control!
Kael stopped pacing around and faced them. "Inside the soulscape, you will encounter a manifestation of the force that is corrupting your soul. It will not be unique to you, and you must destroy it." He offered no details on what these manifestations might be or how one could possibly destroy them.
"If you succeed, no. When you succeed," Kael said, letting his words hang in the air, "and you exit the soulscape, your body and consciousness will be transported to the inside of the plague. Think of it as a new world."
He gestured vaguely. "Now let me warn you. If you fail to defeat the manifestation..." His voice dropped, becoming chilling in tone. "...your soul will shatter, allowing the storm to take over your body and transforming it into an abomination. At that point, you are dead."
A hand rose hesitantly from the crowd. "You said something about the inside of the plague... what's it like? Why are we... transported there?" Someone called out with a trembling voice.
Kael's lips twisted into a grim smile. "It is a hell that you must conquer in order to come back to earth," he answered simply.
Another voice called out, bolder this time: "How do we get back to earth?"
Mara, the older woman, decided to answer this one. Her voice was incredibly soft. "Once you enter the inside of the plague, you cannot simply return. You must find an exit," she paused, "or create one yourself."
Hill was confused. Based on what he had heard so far, it felt as if they were omitting key details.
Intentionally.
More hands started rising as a result, but Kael raised his hand and instantly silenced the room. "There's nothing more to say that will be of any help to you now. Your survival against this plague, unlike any other disease, is that it depends on your will alone." He turned, nodding to the guards who were lining the walls. "Prepare them."
The brief orientation ended. Guards moved in and began directing the conscripts out in orderly lines. This time, it wasn't silent. There was a low murmur of fear with the occasional sound of someone crying.
Hill felt confused and numb as he was guided along with the others and back into the sterile corridors.
In his mind, he'd already accepted that his life would end. It was a coping mechanism in order to prevent himself from thinking about the future.
After all, the mere act of thinking about the myriad of possibilities, mostly bad ones, frightened him beyond belief.
What can I even do against this plague? Now I have to fight against some 'manifestation' and destroy it somehow. How can I do that without any fighting experience or skills?
I'm a nobody! I'm literally useless to society! How can I—ugh, forget it. It will all be over once I die.
They weren't taken back toward the entrance but deeper into the facility. The lines broke up, individuals pulled away one by one, escorted by guards down branching hallways lined with doors.
Hill was led to a small white door. A guard unlocked it, motioned him inside, and firmly locked it behind him.
The room was small and cube-shaped, with thick gray padding on the walls, floor, and ceiling. He had never been in solitary confinement, but this seemed to be it.
It's probably designed this way to prevent my monstrous body from wreaking havoc within the facility. He thought to himself.
"An Awakened will administer the key shortly," the guard's muffled voice came through the door. "Don't resist."
Silence followed.
Hill slid down the padded wall until he sat on the floor. He pulled his knees to his chest. He had no idea how long he waited. Minutes stretched into forever, each heartbeat audible.
He tried to calm his breathing but failed at each attempt. His heart wouldn't stop pounding, and Kael's words wouldn't stop echoing within his head.
The heavy thud of the lock made him jump. The door swung open, revealing Jian, the young awakened.
However, he was different now. His hazel eyes were hard and focused. And his clothes... a simple suit and tie, were splattered with something dark and wet—blood, Hill realized.
He looks like he just walked out of a slaughterhouse! But why? What happened!?
Jian stepped inside, the door clicking shut behind him, a loud clack followed that signified it was locked.
He didn't look at Hill right away. Instead, he wiped a smear of red from his cheek and took a deep breath.
"W-what happened?" Hill stammered, pressing against the padding opposite of the door.
Jian finally met Hill's gaze. The intensity within his hazel eyes was startling and defied his age. "Have you steeled your mind?" He asked.
Steel my mind? For what? For the pain? For possibly becoming a monster?
Hill felt incredibly sick. He swallowed hard, the sound loud in the padded room. He managed a jerky nod.
Jian nodded as well and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, his right hand was outstretched.
From out of thin air, a simple wooden staff appeared in his grip. It was marked with intricate patterns and seemed to hum with an energy that Hill couldn't quite comprehend.
Before Hill could react, Jian stepped forward and gently pressed the end of the staff against Hill's chest, right over his heart.
A few seconds passed. Hill looked up at Jian in confusion.
And then...
Agony.
Pure, overwhelming agony erupted from that point, shooting through his body like a flood.
It wasn't just physical pain; it felt like his own thoughts were being ripped apart before he could even realize them. His vision blurred, darkness closing in from all directions and slowly blinding him.
All of his senses began to fade as he spiraled.
His last sensation was of falling down endlessly.