Reborn

Zell and his classmates are in the middle of a test when a strange gas fills the room, causing them to all succumb to slumber, they had died. The students wake up in another world with no memory of how they got there or why this has happened to them, but one thing is certain: They will not be returning home anytime soon.

Zell started panicking. He was still too young for such an experience—he had only just turned fifteen years old last year! And now he finds himself here? What does it mean?! His head hurt from the sudden change in environment, and so did everything else inside him…

He could feel his heart beating rapidly as he looked around at everyone's faces. All their eyes were wide open, yet none showed any signs that would indicate if they understood what was happening right then. Zell knew exactly where each person stood on the scale of being terrified out of their wits or calm enough to think clearly about things like this; most seemed somewhere between those two extremes. But even though some people didn't look frightened, others appeared very much afraid. It wasn't hard for him to tell which ones these were because every single one wore expressions suggesting that something terrible might happen before long.

After Zell had calmed down relatively much he noticed something in his mouth, he had fangs!

"What?"

It hadn't been until after he'd stopped trembling that he realized his teeth were longer than normal and that he had developed sharp canines instead of ordinary incisors. In fact, both his upper and lower jaws felt different somehow—more defined, more powerful-looking.

He also felt bloodlust but it was faint almost nonexistent. Yet despite that, Zell couldn't stop staring at the other students' throats and wondering who among them would taste good tonight. As he thought about killing someone, his stomach growled loudly, startling everyone nearby.

Zell felt embarrassed and he did his best to suppress his bloodlust while looking away. "I'm sorry." He mumbled under his breath. Zell wished desperately that it wouldn't show through. Then again, maybe it already had shown by the way his cheeks reddened slightly.

A girl near him spoke up first: "Hey…" She sounded nervous. "…you okay over there?" Her voice trembled.

The boy next to her whispered back, sounding equally shaken: "Yeah... I don't know what happened either..."

Another student said nervously, "Maybe we're dead!" Another agreed, saying, "That makes sense, doesn't it? If you die in real-"

Someone interrupted, shouting angrily: "Shut your yap! No one knows anything yet! We'll find out later once we've gotten our bearings. Now shut up and let us rest!" A few heads nodded along with this statement. Some people closed their mouths, while others kept talking anyway. After hearing this, Zell decided to do the same. So far nothing bad had happened, and besides, he wanted to keep his hunger in check. That meant keeping quiet for the time being.

Everyone began to relax somewhat after that exchange. At least for a short period of time.

Then Zell heard footsteps approaching fast behind him. When he spun around to see who it was, his face lit up like fire. Standing there were three figures wearing black leather armor, holding weapons similar to swords or spears.

"We are here to guide you, heroes!" One of the men said. He had a deep booming voice that made Zell shiver.

But the man continued, ignoring his reaction entirely: "You have been chosen by fate to become champions of the realm! You will fight against evil and vanquish its minions, becoming great warriors known throughout the land. Your lives shall serve as examples to future generations. Our mission is clear—"

One of the girls standing near him yelled out: "Wait! Who chose us? Why us? How did we get here?!"

The leader smiled. "Your destiny awaits! Come follow me," he commanded.

With that, the group moved off together toward the center of the courtyard, leaving Zell alone with his thoughts.

At first glance, Zell saw many similarities to life in his homeland. There were tall trees surrounding the area, and the ground was covered in grassy plains dotted with bushes. Even the buildings reminded him of the town he lived within. But there were subtle differences that set this place apart from Earth. For instance, the sky was blue without a hint of clouds anywhere to be seen. This must be the afterlife, he guessed. Or perhaps Heaven itself. Either way, the scenery was beautiful.

In the distance ahead of him, Zell spotted several small houses surrounded by gardens filled with flowers and plants. Each house sported a large door decorated in bright colors, and each building possessed four walls topped with roofs sporting pointed peaks. These homes were unlike any dwellings he'd ever seen before, but since he couldn't understand the language spoken there, he figured it better not to ask anyone about it.

As they approached the nearest garden, Zell became aware of sounds coming from inside. Someone shouted, "Hurry up! Hurry up!" Other voices replied, "Yes, sir!"

His companions glanced around nervously. Zell followed suit, trying to figure out what was going on. Just then, he caught sight of a familiar object moving quickly past the entrance gate to the village. It was a wagon pulled by horses. On top of the vehicle rode six armored knights. Their helmets glinting brightly in the sunlight, they carried shields emblazoned with the symbol of the kingdom's royal family.

They passed by Zell and his friends, paying them little attention. Instead, they focused solely upon the path ahead, making sure they arrived at their destination safely. Zell watched as the group disappeared into the forest beyond, taking his mind off of his worries for a moment.

Once the cart had left, Zell turned to his fellow classmates. They all looked confused and lost.

"So what should we do? Should we go after them?" a girl asked.

The boy sitting next to him shook his head vigorously. "No way! I don't want to get in trouble for following them!"

"Me neither. Besides, they probably won't wait for us even if we did try to catch up with them," another boy said.

Zell agreed with this sentiment. "True."

His classmates exchanged glances as they considered their options. None of the boys spoke up, and they stared at the ground in silence for a minute or two. Then suddenly, the girl who'd spoken up earlier took charge. "Well, it looks like we're stuck here for now. Let's just stay calm and figure out how to survive. We may be new to this place, but we've got to learn to live with it. Right?"

Her suggestion was met with approval. Everyone nodded. Then, one of the students said, "Okay, so we need to eat, sleep, and take care of ourselves. Do you think we should build a shelter first?"

The others nodded in agreement. "Definitely! We'll definitely need something for protection," someone else added.

"And food too!"

This second idea also received nods of agreement. "Are we going to make a bonfire and roast meat over it?"

Then suddenly Zell felt his bloodlust act up again and he almost lost control. He felt the urge to kill, the instinct to feast. He didn't know why, but he needed to consume blood. He could hear the pounding of his own heart.

Zell tried to control himself, but it was difficult. He could feel the hunger in his stomach growling louder and louder. He didn't know how long he could keep it all contained! What if he couldn't? What if he lost control? What would happen to his classmates?

At first glance, Zell saw many similarities to life in his homeland. There were tall trees surrounding the area, and the ground was covered in grassy plains dotted with bushes. Even the buildings reminded him of the town he lived within. But there were subtle differences that set this place apart from Earth. For instance, the sky was blue without a hint of clouds anywhere to be seen. This must be the afterlife, he guessed. Or perhaps Heaven itself. Either way, the scenery was beautiful.

In the distance ahead of him, Zell spotted several small houses surrounded by gardens filled with flowers and plants. Each house sported a large door decorated in bright colors, and each building possessed four walls topped with roofs sporting pointed peaks. These homes were unlike any dwellings he'd ever seen before, but since he couldn't understand the language spoken there, he figured it better not to ask anyone about it.

As they approached the nearest garden, Zell became aware of sounds coming from inside. Someone shouted, "Hurry up! Hurry up!" Other voices replied, "Yes, sir!"

His companions glanced around nervously. Zell followed suit, trying to figure out what was going on. Just then, he caught sight of a familiar object moving quickly past the entrance gate to the village. It was a wagon pulled by horses. On top of the vehicle rode six armored knights. Their helmets glinting brightly in the sunlight, they carried shields emblazoned with the symbol of the kingdom's royal family.

They passed by Zell and his friends, paying them little attention. Instead, they focused solely upon the path ahead, making sure they arrived at their destination safely. Zell watched as the group disappeared into the forest beyond, taking his mind off of his worries for a moment.

Once the cart had left, Zell turned to his fellow classmates. They all looked confused and lost.

"So what should we do? Should we go after them?" a girl asked.

The boy sitting next to him shook his head vigorously. "No way! I don't want to get in trouble for following them!"

"Me neither. Besides, they probably won't wait for us even if we did try to catch up with them," another boy said.

Zell agreed with this sentiment. "True."

His classmates exchanged glances as they considered their options. None of the boys spoke up, and they stared at the ground in silence for a minute or two. Then suddenly, the girl who'd spoken up earlier took charge. "Well, it looks like we're stuck here for now. Let's just stay calm and figure out how to survive. We may be new to this place, but we've got to learn to live with it. Right?"

Her suggestion was met with approval. Everyone nodded. Then, one of the students said, "Okay, so we need to eat, sleep, and take care of ourselves. Do you think we should build a shelter first?"

The others nodded in agreement. "Definitely! We'll definitely need something for protection," someone else added.

"And food too!"

This second idea also received nods of agreement. "Are we going to make a bonfire and roast meat over it?"

Then suddenly Zell felt his bloodlust act up again and he almost lost control. He felt the urge to kill, the instinct to feast. He didn't know why, but he needed to consume blood. He could hear the pounding of his own heart.

Zell tried to control himself, but it was difficult. He could feel the hunger in his stomach growling louder and louder. He didn't know how long he could keep it all contained! What if he couldn't? What if he lost control?