Chapter 5: The Gathering

Jabika arrived at the entrance of the school, feeling a mix of emotions. He was excited to see his old friend, but also worried about the impending disaster that was supposed to happen. As he walked through the hallways, he noticed a group of new students huddled together, talking animatedly. They seemed to be deep in conversation and didn't even notice him walking past.

Curiosity piqued, Jabika approached them. "Hey, what's going on here?"

One of the students turned to him, a boy with spiky blonde hair and piercing green eyes. "We're just discussing the upcoming talent show. We heard that the winner gets a chance to showcase their talent on a national level."

Jabika raised an eyebrow. A talent show? It seemed like such a trivial thing to be discussing in the face of an impending disaster.

But then he noticed something strange. Each of the students had a unique aura around them, just like he did. He couldn't quite place it, but something about those auras made him feel uneasy.

As he continued on his way, he spotted another group of students huddled together. They seemed more serious, deep in discussion about something important. Jabika recognized one of them - a tall girl with curly brown hair named Rachel. She was one of the few people in the school who had shown him kindness.

As he approached, Rachel noticed him and greeted him warmly. "Jabika! It's been a while. How have you been?"

"I've been alright," Jabika replied. "I came back here because I heard about the upcoming disaster. Do you know anything about it?"

Rachel's expression turned serious. "Yes, I do. And I think you should come with me. There are some people you need to meet."

Curiosity piqued, Jabika followed Rachel to a secluded corner of the school. There, he found a group of people gathered around a table, deep in discussion. He recognized some of them - the mysterious man who had watched him open his stat window, the old man with the cane, and even the blonde boy from earlier.

But there were also new faces. A woman with short black hair and a stern expression. A young boy with messy brown hair, bouncing excitedly in his seat. And a girl with bright pink hair, seemingly lost in thought.

Rachel cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "Jabika, these are the people I wanted you to meet. We're a group of individuals who have been tracking the impending disaster. And we believe that you may be the key to stopping it."

Jabika was taken aback. He had never been the key to anything before. But something about the group's earnest expressions and unique auras made him believe that they were onto something.

"Okay," he said slowly. "What can I do to help?"

The mysterious man spoke up. "First, we need to understand the nature of the disaster. We believe it to be a being of immense power, one that could destroy entire cities with ease. And we believe that it is somehow connected to the auras of certain individuals, like the ones you saw earlier."

Jabika frowned. "But what does that have to do with me?"

The old man with the cane spoke up this time. "We believe that you may be one of the few people who can resist the being's influence. And if we can gather enough individuals like you, we may be able to defeat it once and for all."

Jabika was skeptical, but he couldn't deny the intensity of the group's conviction. "Okay," he said. "I'm in."

The group broke into murmurs of approval, and for the first time