A flash of white.
Then noise. Breath. Cold air in the lungs.
Haku's eyes snapped open.
He was lying flat on his back, drenched in sweat, limbs twitching like they were still mid-run. Gasping. Choking on air. As if he'd just been pulled from underwater. The white ceiling above spun, his heartbeat thundering in his skull.
He sat up, coughing. Pain everywhere.
The room was circular. Sterile. Bright.
And full.
Fifty people. All randomly dropped into the same space. Some were yelling. Others were crying. Most were just blinking, stunned.
He looked left. Mey. Sitting, knees pulled to her chest, face pale, eyes scanning.
Right. Momo, hunched over, breathing heavily, eyes flicking back and forth like a wolf in a cage.
Then—
PING.
A translucent blue screen flickered into view, right in front of Haku's face. But no one else reacted. It was only visible to him.
STAT RESULTS — MISSION COMPLETE
Speed: SSS+
His pupils narrowed. But the screen blurred. His breathing was still erratic. His ears rang like sirens. It was like waking from a coma into a fire.
Someone nearby cheered.
"Bro! I got A in Agility!"
"What'd you get?!"
"C in speed...!"
Laughter. Boasting. Panic. Confusion. Everyone was getting their own version of the screen. Chaos in stereo.
Mey looked at him. "You okay?"
He opened his mouth to answer.
New screen.
Attention: Each player must now select ONE of 50 available Abilities.Once an Ability is selected, it becomes locked and unavailable to others.You have 60 seconds.
The list has been randomized. Good luck.
Then came the screams.
Dozens of people yelling at once. Voices over voices.
Finger tapping. Fingers stabbing the air. Bright panels flickering in front of everyone. A mad dash. A scramble. No logic. Just desperation.
Haku's screen blinked to life.
Fifty names. No descriptions. No guidance.
Just names.
"Void Wall" "Sound Puppet" "Neon Chains" "Echo Leap" "Shadow Bloom" "Ice"
He froze.
Ice.
His mind clicked.
Defense. Offense. Control. Crowd-slow. Trap potential. Wall. Slide. Freeze. Protect. Block. Delay. Terrain shift. Versatile. Creative. Protective.
Perfect.
He tapped it. Locked.
"Ability selected: ICE."
Done.
He looked up.
Mey was frozen. Literally just frozen in fear. Her eyes locked on the screen, finger hovering mid-air, trembling.
The panic had short-circuited her.
"Mey," he said sharply.
No response.
He moved without asking. Grabbed her hand. Her eyes widened.
He scanned the list over her shoulder.
"Magic Neon Glock-18."
Speed. Precision. Light-weight. Long range. She was always best from a distance. Perfect aim. High-pressure calm. Stylish.
Tap.
"Ability selected: MAGIC NEON GLOCK-18."
She blinked at him. "You…"
"Trust me."
Some others were shouting
"Fire Tornado?!"
"Yo I want something with fireee?!"
"Who took teleportation?!"
Momo was still just scrolling.
"Bro." Haku leaned over. "Pick 'Barrier.' Now."
Momo blinked. Then nodded. No hesitation. Tap.
"Ability selected: BARRIER."
"...Knew it," Momo muttered.
The moment he clicked—
SILENCE.
Like a vacuum sucked the room dry.
Everyone froze. No more noise. Not a single voice.
Then—
PING.
All abilities have now been assigned. Your choices are final.
People stared at each other like they'd just come out of war.
"What did you pick?" someone whispered.
"I don't even know what mine does."
"What the fuck is a 'Memory Anchor'?"
Haku stood still. Eyes focused. Breathing finally slowing.
Then the final announcement dropped:
"You will be returned to Earth for 22 days."
A low hum.
Then—click.
Like a light switch flipping in a nightmare.
The floor under Haku's feet shuddered. The lights glitched. Reality bent.
He blinked.
"Mey—"
He didn't finish.
She was already turning to him, mouth open, something forming—panic or maybe just his name.
Too late.
The space around them pulsed—like a heartbeat made of metal.
People started vanishing.
Not teleporting. Not gently.
Erased.
One blink. Gone.
Screams. Half of them cut off mid-word. Static in the air.
"W-Wait, WAIT—" someone shouted, but their voice disintegrated with their body.
One kid dropped their card, reached out—
Gone.
A swirl of pink light devoured a girl mid-step. Another guy clawed at his panel in desperation.
Mey reached for Haku's wrist, her fingers brushing his skin just as the world split.
The room blurred. Crushed.
Like glass being sucked through a drain.
Everything screamed.
Color. Light. Sound.
Gone.