Ascent [ 1 ]

New York City (3:00 PM EST)

This was supposed to be a relaxing field trip in lieu of completing art pieces for AP Studio Art, not a heart attack inducing panic. This was too much. Too much was happening that Kai could hardly comprehend their situation. How was he going to process all this information?

Despite not knowing the answer, there was something strangely familiar about all of this. He had heard it somewhere. But where?

His mind raced trying to figure it out. Luckily his memory was working.

'Leonardo Choi! He said, "Imprisoned under the verdant sky, the sirens of apocalypse herald the final trial for humanity" at the beginning of his streams. I thought it was just to promote his book.'

'Wait, the SKY!'

Hurriedly he raised his head to look at the sky. There expanding at the center of the sky was some green translucent film-like substance.

Kai's face turned serious as he set his eyes on the strange phenomenon in the sky. His pupils constricted as he tried to process the shock in his mind.

'What the fuck! Fuck fuck fuck fuck! What the actual fuck… A green forcefield? Wait wait wait wait wait, WAIT!'

"Was he actually…"

'Was that guy actually trying to… Oh fuck! Fuck all that novel shit, he was talking about the real world. Shit…Think think think think… What did he say about New York?! C'mon Kai…'

The young man's eyes lowered as he stared blankly at the ground, trying his best to recall what he had heard. His mind was racing at a million miles per hour, heart thumping so hard it could burst straight through his hoodie.

Then his hazy eyes began to clear. His memories rose to the surface, he began to remember. 

'New York, join fast before the rush of the city runs you over like a stampede... Beware the horde... Never forget the slumbering beast of beginning... Survival is not a guarantee... Defy fate and make it so...'

These few sentences came to mind. A few words with an unknown number of meanings.

'What do they mean… Fuck! Why did he have to be so fuckin' cryptic!... shit no time for that, c'mon think think think. THINK!'

'...'

'Ah!'

He seemed to have come to a conclusion.

'Join fast, stampede! Wait, does he mean…'

He quickly looked around himself to see everyone else in a state of panic. People had stopped walking and were getting more anxious by the minute. Kai had a sudden realization.

Turning to Sia and Jack beside him, Kai started to speak in a somewhat hushed manner, "Sia, Jack, snap out of it. Guys. Hey, listen to me. We gotta get moving."

"Mhm!?"

His girlfriend heard his call and lowered her gaze from the sky to listen. She had an unsightly expression on her face, clearly still shaken from what she had seen. That green phenomena made her realize how dire their situation was.

Based on how fast the forcefield was spreading out, it would not be long before the city was fully engulfed, trapping everyone within. 

If she had known that the same forcefield had risen from the sides of the city at the same time, what would her reaction be? Surely, her state of mind would be much worse.

On the other hand Jack was rapidly breathing in and out, his eyes were shaking. He was a balloon of worry and anxiety, ready to explode at any moment. A grimness that was hard to describe was on full display.

Obviously, he had tuned out Kai's words, lost in his own thoughts. Seeing this, Kai gave Jack's arm a tug, pulling the teen back to his senses. 

"Huh!? What?" 

He was a deer caught in headlights. Clearly he had been too busy dealing with his anxious state of mind.

"You back?" Kai asked in a concerned tone.

"Uh, yeah, sorry about that."

Jack noticed that Kai's voice was steady and was finally able to get a hold of himself. It took him a few seconds to compose himself. 

Once Kai knew he had regained control of his emotions did he continue to speak, "Alright, we don't have much time. We have to join the Trials fast, before the whole city goes into a full on panic."

Though Jack had just calmed down, confusion once again began to appear on his face.

"What do you mean? Isn't everyone already panicking?"

He turned his head to look around and gestured to the groups of people with anxious expressions.

"It's gonna get much worse once they realize they're gonna be trapped in the city. It's gonna be hectic and cause a violent riot."

Kai said in the most serious of manners, clearly not joking around.

"What?"

Jack couldn't figure out why Kai would be saying this. At the same time, Sia caught onto what Kai was saying and made her own conjectures. She had seen the phenomena in the sky so she could deduce how people would likely react, and as such she interjected.

"Don't make a scene, but look up at the sky."

Still puzzled, he nodded and followed Sia's instruction, lifting his head to look at what they were talking about. He saw the same sight Kai and Sia had seen. His eyes nearly popped out of their eye sockets.

"Shit…"

Jack cursed in a low voice. If Sia hadn't warned him beforehand Jack would have been shouting in a loud panic. Fortunately he was able to keep his calm.

Seeing he was up to page, Sia turned to face Kai and asked, "What do we do now?"

"Like I said, we have to join the trials. Otherwise we are going to die from the stampede of people trying to escape."

"Couldn't we just hide inside one of the buildings while people try to leave the city?" Sia suggested.

"I mean we could… But what happens when people realize they can't get out? Wouldn't the city descend into chaos? It'll be too late for us to regret it by then. Think about what happens during national disasters."