Raia and Arman glanced at each other and went to the closet to get the items they needed.
Raia unlocked the closet and was shocked to discover that it was a walk-in closet... a really huge one. He could see shirts, shorts, jeans, pants, and shoes in all colors, with all in perfect sizes for them. What caught their attention was the glass container on the corner shelf of the closet.
It had two compartments, each labeled with their names. Inside were sets of uniforms with a black wristband placed on top of each. This was the wristband tech the woman had mentioned, something they were instructed to wear as an identification item. Raia picked his up and put it on.
The wristband tech wasn't very big, only about two inches thick. It had a black digital screen used for displaying information. After Raia and Arman put them on, their digital wristbands suddenly displayed a countdown: twenty-eight minutes and fifteen seconds.
"Woah," they said in unison, amazed by the technology. They exchanged glances as they realized this was the time given by the announcer. Thinking quickly, they grabbed their uniforms.
Their uniforms looked strange. There was an instruction note included, which Raia read aloud: they were to wear the uniforms without any additional clothing underneath. No briefs and no socks.
Raia chose to change in the comfort room while Arman stayed in the walk-in closet.
Raia looked at his reflection in the mirror. The reflection began to shift, showing a different expression.
"Inner Self, do you know how this works? This weird uniform and this wristband?" Raia asked, hoping for some insight.
The answer made him roll his eyes in annoyance.
"Well, am I some kind of AI now? You think you can just ask me anything? I'm not Joogle Search Engine, am I?" Inner Self replied sarcastically.
"I don't know... I mean, you are kind of a know-it-all, so I assumed," Raia muttered, sour.
Inner Self snickered.
"Anyway, they'll explain everything to you later. That's good too, so I don't have to suffer trying to explain it to your small brain," Inner Self added with attitude. "I just need to warn you about something, so you don't die too easily. You can't trust everyone. That's all."Then, the reflection returned to normal.
Raia looked displeased with how Inner Self's acting, but he was intrigued by the warning, 'You can't trust everyone'. He had a bad feeling about it, but with the countdown ticking, he couldn't ponder on it.
After washing his face, he then dried it with a towel. Then, he grabbed the black fitted suit with white line designs wrapping around it. He put it on and faced the mirror. The suit was extremely form-fitting, covering almost his entire body except for his hands and head. There was also a white circle was on the chest, where all the white lines seemed to connect.
Along with the black suit came a black t-shirt, a purple-colored jacket paired with matching pants, and black boots. He wore everything and instantly felt hot and suffocated in it. But suddenly, a cool sensation spread across his skin. The black suit adjusted to his body temperature, becoming cool and breathable. Now, Raia could enjoy the sleek aesthetic and the surprising comfort it offered. It didn't restrict his movements at all.
Just then, loud knocks echoed at the door.
"Raia! This suit looks so lit! It feels cooler!" Arman's amazed and excited voice rang out.
Raia laughed at his friend and opened the door. They thought that they just experienced something that can only be experienced in sci-fi novels and movies.
They looked at their wristbands. The countdown now read exactly twenty minutes. Their eyes widened, and they rushed outside. They saw people running through the hallway, all waiting by the elevator.
"This is not good. There are too many people in this building for just one elevator," Raia said with concern.
"Let's take the stairs," Arman suggested and started searching.
But as they explored the floor, they couldn't find any stairs. Instead, they found a locked gray door.
"What the...? What kind of building has no stairs?" Arman was baffled. He racked his brain for a way out, and Raia was thinking the same.
Ding!
The sound of the elevator opening startled the students, who rushed to squeeze in. But space was only limited to five people, and the inside quickly became packed and suffocating.
One girl became aggravated and let out a deafening scream, so loud it could rupture eardrums. Everyone around stumbled to the ground, clutching their heads in pain. Another girl moved, and a lizard-like tail emerged from her back. She struck the screamer in the stomach, silencing her.
The tail whipped again, this time hitting a boy with glasses. He was too slow to dodge and was flung across the room, slamming into a wall. The girl with the tail looked surprised, clearly she couldn't control her tail yet. His glasses shattered, and though he tried to stand, he collapsed again... badly injured.
Raia and Arman were about to help when the boy suddenly began to change. Stone-like scales erupted from his skin, and he transformed into a terrifying rock person. He let out a roar and punched a massive hole through the wall.
Raia and Arman watched in shock as the rock person jumped out of the building. Some students cowered in fear, while others saw the opening as an escape route. A woman stepped toward the hole, and insect-like wings sprouted from her back, her wingspan taller than six feet. She jumped and flew out.
Inspired by her, more students revealed their powers, some dug through floors, others flew or broke through walls to escape.
Arman was stunned. Raia was shocked too, though not as much. He already knew about the powers awakening across the world. Still, he couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement at seeing them firsthand.
Then, an idea hit Raia.
First, he helped the injured people to their feet. Then he turned to the gray door and kicked it hard. The door flew open from the impact, revealing the staircase behind it.
Those who looked weak or powerless began filing down the stairs. But Raia didn't join them. He had another idea. He walked to the hole in the wall and looked up at the sky. A red flare had been fired into the air, casting a crimson hue. It marked the location of the Assembly.
Raia turned and called out, "Arman, come here!"
"What? Why are we still here? We won't make it in time if we keep diddling around," Arman said nervously. "Let's take the stairs now."
"Nope," Raia replied simply.
"What do you mean nope?" Arman asked, confused.
"We're gonna jump." Raia grinned.
"Here... from there?" Arman pointed to the floor they were on, then to the ground far below.
"Yes!" Raia said with enthusiasm.
"Raia, are you on drugs? Or has this apocalyptic nonsense finally made you lose your senses?! We'll die! Look how high up we are! It looks like we're four or five floors high." Arman was panicking.
"Come on, trust me. We won't die. I promise," Raia said, trying to reassure him.
Arman stared at him like he'd gone insane.
"Nope. No! We're not gonna jump. We'll take the stairs. Raia, listen to me, we'll take the stairs where it's safe and—"
Raia cut him off. "And be punished because we didn't make it on time? I don't like taking orders, but this is someone we can't disobey. They have the power to really punish us."
Raia made his point. Arman still didn't like the idea and stared at Raia in disbelief."I'm not jumping," Arman said firmly and turned to head toward the stairs.
Before he could take a few steps, Raia suddenly hugged him tight.
"Raia, let go of me!" Arman demanded, struggling. But Raia didn't speak. He just lifted him with ease. Arman was shocked.
"What the?! How are you lifting me so casually?! Raia, let me go now!"
Raia didn't respond. He turned to face the hole in the wall.
"Are you ready?" he asked confidently.
"I'm not ready to die! Please... Raia... let me go! Oh Lord, why did I have to get stuck with a crazy friend like him! Raia, let me go—"
"Here we go!!!" Raia shouted, cutting Arman off as he jumped out of the building with him in his arms, like a bride.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!