"Everyone, out now!" The piercing voice of the dorm's supervisor jolted me awake. "Do not make me call for you again!" She yelled out.
I scrambled out of bed and grabbed my medicated glasses and crutches, having no time to put on my shirt. Mrs. Jane was not someone to mess with. Among the staff in the school, she was the student's nightmare. One mistake, and you will find yourself buried under a mountain of punishments.
I stumbled out of the room, almost falling to the ground a few times, looking disheveled. I shut the door behind me and turned around to face it as we do during our roll call every morning, standing with my hands clasped behind my back. My eyes stayed fixed on it, waiting for her to appear.
I waited patiently but there was no one coming. Something felt off.
Mrs. Jane's voice would normally echo through the corridors as she walk her way down the hallway, yelling at students and giving her usual red card, but, there was nothing.
I adjusted my glasses and looked around, but no one was in sight. A chill ran down my spine and my chest tightened as I crept forward, hoping to see students gathered farther down, but the hallway remained empty.
I swallowed hard as the realization dawned- I had been tricked again.
Turning back to retreat to my room, I slipped on a banana peel which wasn't there a few seconds ago, and crashed onto my back. Immediately, laughter erupted from all directions. One by one, students came out of their room, pointing mocking fingers at me.
Just as I had suspected.
"The big guy fell for it again!" a familiar voice mocked, followed by more laughter.
The ringleader of the gang behind the prank, John, strolled over and squatted beside me, wearing a malicious grin. He let out a deep breath and said in a low pitiful, but mocking voice, "I thought four-eyes nerds are suppose to be smart. Guess you're an idiot."
I ignored him and tried to rise, but he shoved me back down. Leaning closer, he sneered, "I'm not done with you yet, dimwit."
"What do you want, John?" I asked, forcing myself to stay calm. John and his gang were nothing but trouble, and provoking them would only make me suffer terribly; probably end up in the school clinic.
"Today is the Selection Day," he said with a smirk. "Do you think you will ever be selected? You're a loser, Reggie, and you will end up with the commoners where you belong." He gripped my hair and drew closer. "Here is my little advice: stay back and save yourself the embarrassment like you always do."
Letting go, he stood and motioned to his gang. "But before we leave, why not have a little fun?"
Before I could react, I got drenched with a hot, foul smelling liquid or rather, chemical. The stench burned my nose, and the hall erupted in laughter again.
"Argh!" I yelped as it seeped into my eyes, partially blinding me. I cried out, frantically wiping at my face. "My eyes! It hurt!" I tried to wipe whatever it was they had poured on me, but it hurt more.
"Such a pity," John tsk. "Don't worry, you will see again. Maybe."
"What did you do?! I can't see!" I yelled, but his laughter was my only answer.
"What is going on here?!" A sharp voice cut through the laughter and everyone kept quiet. Mrs. Jane's heels clack against the floor as she approached. "It is the Selection Day," she barked. "Get ready and report to the hall immediately!"
Her gaze flicked to me and she examined me from head to toe. "Reggie, do you want to remain here like a fool? Go get ready. This is your last chance to leave this place. We don't want someone like you here again." Without waiting for a response, she turned and walked away.
She bothered less about my situation. No one cared, not the staff, not the students. To them, I was a joke. I was left alone, humiliated, and still partially blind.
A twenty-one years old still stuck in a school meant for teenagers. An orphan with no parents to bribe my way into the society.
…
I cleaned myself up and made my way to the hall, which was packed and buzzing with noise. I looked around and found a seat far from the others. No one would want to sit near me anyway.
The school director stepped forward and everywhere became silent as he took the mic. He cleared his throat and spoke into it. "Youngsters, today marks a pivotal moment in your journey to adulthood. As you know, this selection determines your place in the society..."
His words slowly faded as my mind wandered, occupied by the thoughts of my reality.
A thousand years ago, a great invasion happened, which killed people and destroyed the world completely. There was no hope for humans until a man, Darius, saved the remaining lives. He unlocked a special artifact, as we were told, and everyone were granted abilities.
With these newly acquired abilities, our ancestors were able to fight back and take their world, but nothing remained the same. These abilities became what we live by, it became our new lifestyles and now, we can't do without having an abilities.
Those without an ability are treated as plague. You need an ability to survive.
The Selection Day process was simple: students would undergo a test to measure their energy levels, which determines how powerful their abilities are and also the societal rank that would be given to them. Most will end up as Commoners, First Citizens, Medians, or Omegas- the lowest tiers. Only a few ascends to higher ranks, like Delta or Beta. While the top tiers, Sigmas, Alpha, Supreme, and god, are earned through training, hard work, and determination. The level one, god tier, is the rarest to possess.
"John Pierre has been selected as a Delta!" the director announced, jerking me out of my trail of thoughts.
A rare achievement. Even though I disliked him, I was happy for him. It wasn't easy to achieve the delta rank as a student.
One by one, students entered the testing room and results were announced moments later. None of them achieved a rank higher than John's.
"Next on our list-" he paused for a few seconds before he lifted his eyes and looked at me. "Reggie," he spat my name with disdain.
I wiped my tear-streaked face, which was caused by the chemical, adjusted my glasses, and limped to the testing room. It was my last chance to leave this place. It's more like my pardon year.
I would have graduated when I was nineteen but I had no one to pay my way out. A large sum of money must be paid before a student would be allowed to graduate, more like a bribe. It's been two years already. Probably I would have had a house by now and mastered my fire ability.
I walked into a large cold room, reeking of metal, herbs, and something foul. I almost gagged but I held it in. A man in a lab coat gestured impatiently. "Lie down," he ordered.
I walked to the bed which was cold and surrounded by machinery. Before it, was a large screen, and four armed guards stood nearby with their piercing eyes boring into me.
I swallowed hard as the thought of being killed by them overwhelmed me. Suddenly, paralysis coursed through my body after I felt a sharp jab in my arm. I fell on the bed, losing control of myself. What was happening?
I struggled to gain control of my body, but I was numb. I looked up and panic consumed me as the doctor came close.
"What I'm about to tell you isn't common knowledge," he started. "Listen carefully," the doctor continued, pacing slowly. "Our society is built on ten levels. Commoners at Level 10 are stripped of their abilities and deemed worthless. At the top are the gods, Level 1, though no one has reached that rank in over a century. I am sure you know this. But," he paused, letting the weight of his words sink in.
"There is another rank, a hidden one," he said, lowering his voice. "Between the gods and the supremes lies Level Zero: the Defects."
The air grew heavier as he spoke.
"Defects are dangerous. Their energy destabilizes everything. They're too dangerous to exist, so we eliminate them on sight."
My body went cold as he leaned closer, his breath rancid. "If you're a Defect, Reggie, you won't leave this room alive."
I wanted to scream, to run, to move, but the paralysis kept me trapped.
"Now, let's see what you are," he smirked.
He picked up a knife and gave my forehead a little cut. I felt the pain zapped through me, but I couldn't react or do anything. Taking out a chip from a box, he inserted it into my head and the screen came on.
"You will be gone for a few minutes. It would be just a quick blackout," he said and walked to the screen. "Well, if you turn out to be a defeat, it would be a complete blackout. Good luck, Reggie."
A wave of warmth enveloped me, followed by an intense clarity. For a brief moment, I felt at peace and so alive, as if the universe itself was within my grasp. All my problems were gone and I had nothing to think of.
What is this feeling? It felt so… good.
But just as quickly as it came, the warm feeling faded, replaced by the cold, sterile room and the doctor's horrified expression.
His gaze was fixed on the screen with his face pale. I wondered what was written there to have made him so shocked, and when he turned to look at me, my heart stopped. "No, this can't be right."
"He… he is a defect!" He shouted. The guards tensed and aimed their weapons at me.
"No! No!" I tried to scream, but I was jelly and couldn't let out a word.
Gunshots rang out and immediately, pain ripped through me as the bullets struck. The world around me began to fade as darkness consumed me, and for a moment, I welcomed it. It felt as if all my burdens were taken off. It was like freedom after been enslaved for so long.
'So this is it? This is how the pathetic loser dies?' I died a loser. Maybe this is for the better.
Suddenly, a deep baritone voice echoed in the dark. "Reggie, wake up!"
I gasped and snapped my eyes open. I was no longer in the testing room, but I was floating in an endless expanse of darkness, with no end nor beginning. "Welcome, Reggie," the voice spoke again and when I looked up, I screamed and moved back in horror.
Before me was a monstrous figure, with a skeletal face, and his fangs as sharp as a tiger's. He had two large horns with spiky edges, which could piece into the most hardest surface. His ears were long like an elf's ear. His eyes were dark, hollow and empty. It was like a dark hole, without his pupil or iris. He had thick darkness coiled around him like smoke.
"Welcome to hell, master." He knelt and bowed it head. "What do you want me to do for you?"