"I'm sorry. I'm fine now," I manage, wiping the rest of the tears and snot from my face with the back of my hand.
April reaches into her bag and hands me her pink handkerchief.
"Here."
"Thanks."
I wipe my tears and then, instinctively, blow my nose into it.
"Hey!" She reaches for it in alarm.
Oh shit.
I suddenly realise that maybe blowing snot into someone else's handkerchief is a no-no.
"Uh—"
I look at her awkwardly.
"Jeez…" she sighs, looking at me with mock disgust. "I guess you can keep it. But you're getting me a new one."
"Uh, sure," I say.
Not like we'll still be on Earth in a few minutes.
I keep that last part to myself.
I look at the grandfather clock in front of the class.
13:47.
We have a little less than thirty minutes before class starts again… and before we get summoned.
Not much I can do in that time.
It's lunch hour right now. Class restarts at exactly 14:05, and if I remember correctly, we get summoned roughly ten minutes or less into the first period after lunch.
So…
What do I do?
Maybe warn the world about the terrible fate awaiting them in the coming years?
Who am I kidding? No one will believe it.
Wait… actually, maybe they might.
Say a student posts a thread about how an entire class is going to vanish before it actually happens.
Then he explains the exact sequence of events that follows—more disappearances as more people start getting summoned. Governments panicking, and news outlets going crazy.
And then he leaves a warning.
…
Fuck, who am I kidding?
I know there's nothing the leaders of this world will be able to do against those fucking Apostles.
I'm more than well aware of what kind of power those bastards can wield.
Literal planet-obliterating magic.
And what do we have?
Nukes.
I snort out loud.
"Are you sure you're okay, Vex?"
"Uh—yeah. Sorry, April. I'm just… dealing with something. Give me a minute."
"Yeah, I can see," she chuckles. "Have you gone full chunibyo on me?"
"Huh?"
"You know. Those delusional, secret-power main character types."
"I know what you mean, April," I laugh. "Yeah, maybe."
Maybe they won't be able to do much.
But I should leave a warning, just in case.
It might help someone.
I hope.
I chuckle again.
April looks at me weirdly.
"Sorry." I press my hands together in apology.
Hope.
What a useless, misguided concept.
There's no such thing as hope in this world.
I should remember that.
There's also a chance I could grab April and leave right now. Skip school. Get far away. Maybe delay our summoning to Ashkar.
Live out a few more happy days with my lovely April.
But no.
That would only lead to short, fleeting happiness.
I don't want fleeting.
I want something real and stable. Something lasting. Something that doesn't get ripped away.
Besides…
I still have to put those bastards in their place. I always wished someone would hold them accountable for their sins.
Well.
I just got my chance to be that person.
There's no way in hell I'm bending over and dying again.
After thinking about it for a bit, I pull my phone out.
I open a forum. One of the bigger anonymous boards with fast traffic. Screenshots spread quickly from here.
Title?
My fingers hover over the screen for a moment.
Then I type.
THREAD: In 18 Minutes, An Entire High School Class Will Disappear. This Is Not a Joke.
Post.
I begin writing.
....
If you're reading this after 14:15 today, and a class from █████ High School has just vanished, then everything below is real.
At approximately 14:15, during the first period after lunch, a summoning circle will appear beneath an entire classroom.
It is not a prank.
Every person inside that classroom will disappear instantly.
There will be no bodies left. But they will not be dead. They will be transported.
To a distant world called Ashkar.
A magical fantasy world ruled by powerful mages, kings, weapons masters, and the so-called Apostles.
They claim to be messengers of salvation.
They are not.
They summon humans from Earth as disposable soldiers in their meaningless wars.
You will hear about more disappearances in the coming months.
However, it will not stop.
They will keep coming for more disposable soldiers.
Governments will attempt investigations.
Religious groups will call it divine intervention.
Scientists will fail to explain it.
You cannot stop it.
.
Nothing we have will work against them.
Nuclear weapons will not matter.
Missiles will not matter.
Your technology will not matter.
They wield magic capable of destroying planets.
You are ants to them.
But here is what you need to know:
They are not gods.
They can bleed.
And they can be killed.
They may be powerful, yes, but their power is not omnipotent.
Nothing is.
If humanity is to survive the coming years, you must adapt faster than they expect.
Prepare for more disappearances.
Prepare for mass panic.
Prepare for war.
And if anyone from my class is reading this in the future—
Don't trust the smiling Apostle with the white halo.
She will call herself a saviour.
She will speak gently.
She will promise power.
She is a fucking liar.
No, let me delete the last part about 'my class', what if they trace me using this thread in the future?
I have no spectacular plan of survival for you, and I do not have the strength to fight these beings. But, for warned is for armed.
...
I stop typing.
My chest feels a bit tight. I hesitate for one second, and then I add the last line.
...
Remember, if you want to survive, do not trust anything they tell you. It's all lies.
Thread written by...Anonymous...
...
Post.
Uploaded.
I lean back in my chair as April tilts her head in.
Ding!
The bell rings.