Prologue(3)

"Oh, Mr. Harper. Did I fall asleep?"

"That you did," he lightly chuckled, adjusting his glasses as he spoke. "Your father contacted the school this morning."

'Oh, great.'

Mr. Harper cleared his throat and adopted a casual tone. "...'The Test'... he's asking you to take it today. So," he coughed again, "since it's lunchtime, there's no better time."

"Ah, is that so…" sitting up from my desk, I grabbed my backpack. "Where'll the test be taken?"

"Follow me."

Walking with Mr. Harper, we stood before a classroom a few turns away from where we just were.

Room 0

"Alright," Mr. Harper announced, his voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty, as he swung the door to the classroom open. Inside, the room lay eerily deserted, with the sole exception being a circular platform positioned at the center. It hovered just a few inches above the floor, and an intricate network of cables flowed out from beneath it like a web of secrets. "Please, take a seat there," he pointed to the platform, "just got to get this set up real quick."

With a nod, I went onto the platform and sat down with my feet touching the ground.

"Ah, just sit crisscross."

Carrying out Mr. Harper's instructions- a few seconds transpired as he messed with all the wires in the room.

"Now we can get started. Please, put this on," He handed me a helmet adorned with a transparent visor at eye level, its surface gleaming with anticipation. "This helmet," he explained, "will grant you the ability to see the orgone crystals, as if they were nature's hidden jewels waiting to be unveiled."

"Sounds great." I acknowledged, my response devoid of emotion, as if following a script.

"To start it, all you must do is click the button on the left side of the helmet. I will be waiting outside, knock on the door when you're done, alright."

The moment the door clicked shut behind me, I was left in solitary confinement, the room's coldness wrapping around me like a shroud. "Press the button," his words echoed in my mind. I carefully ran my fingers across the helmet's surface, sensing a triangular button, and with a deliberate click, the visor lit up in a bright azul, similar to the skies.

[Ready to begin The Test?]

"Uh…yes?"

[The Test will now commence. Please, listen to the following instructions, and do as told. Firstly, close your eyes. Secondly, join your hands together and place them on your lap. Lastly, only do deep, long intakes of oxygen. That is all. Best of luck, young one.]

I stopped counting after a minute had passed, but I started to think there should have been one more instruction. Considering nothing has happened.

But even after all that time, I started to feel surges of light press upon my eyelids.

"The sun?"

No, there were multiple colors of light.

"…The crystals."

In an awe-inspiring spectacle, the entire room was alight with an endless array of vibrant hues, thanks to the multitude of crystals that graced the space. Each crystal boasted pointed ends on both sides and stood at a height of a few inches.

'Just like the rain.'

Like a moth drawn to a flame, I succumbed to the irresistible pull of the crystal's beauty. My arm extended, fingers brushed against it, and the crystal now lay in my palm, radiating a warm, sun-kissed luminescence that seemed to hold the very essence of a summer's day.

The room, which had been cold initially, had now metamorphosed into a pleasantly warm space, bringing relief to my trembling body.

Yet not every nook and cranny of the room yielded to the same transformation. All around me, brilliant blue crystals levitated, releasing minuscule shards of ice and snow that glistened like winter's breath. As well as red crystals that burned with an infernal fury, their flames dancing with a captivating, almost hypnotic allure. In the midst of it all, the yellow crystals darted and weaved in a display of agility that defied comprehension, leaving trails of lightning in their wake.

 Amidst this vibrant spectacle, the purple crystals seemed to tear at the very fabric of reality, creating a compact crack that hinted at untold dimensions and uncharted realms. It was a room alive with wonders, each crystal a portal to a different world.

And I stood at the nexus of their enchanting dance.

In this moment, as I stood in the forefront of such art, I felt like I had no longer been watching from afar in the stands.

No, I realized.

I understood.

'They were all wrong!' I thought, an uncontrollable laughter following. 'I knew it!'

But I should've known better. Blessings, after all, are reserved for people. The Devil? Well, he's far from human.

"W-What's happening!" I cried out, the crystal in my hand beginning to lose color.

From its zenith, a slow and deliberate transformation began that gained momentum with each passing moment. As the seconds ebbed away, the crystal's once-vivid colors drained, leaving it pallid and lifeless. At last, it crumbled into ash, its form disintegrating into a fine, ethereal powder that danced and swirled in the air like a wisp of forgotten dreams.

"I don't get it!" I cursed, my nails digging into my eye bags. "What did I do that made me deserve this?!"

With the demise of my fleeting hope, a domino effect ensued, as the remaining crystals scattered throughout the room embarked on the same transformative journey.

Amidst this whirlwind of transformation, a surreal sensation overcame me. The very ground I stood upon resonated with a muted hum, while the classroom desks, like quivering leaves, betrayed their unease. Above the mounting frustration that gnawed at my core, a distant yet unmistakable sound reverberated through the room. 

It was a symphony of sensations, a crescendo of emotions, as if the world itself had joined in the turmoil that swirled around me, a reminder that in moments of upheaval, even the most mundane elements of our existence can take on an extraordinary significance.

BANG!

"Kōpi, take the helmet off! We have to leave, now!" I heard Mr. Harper's voice, an extreme amount of panic in it.

Quickly pressing the button on the side of the helmet, I tossed the helmet to my side, "w-what's wrong?!" I asked.

"Just get—" he began, but before he could finish, the ground trembled, and I fought to regain my footing as bits of debris rained down from the ceiling.

Running over to me, he grabbed my arm and pulled me up, "We need to run! The whole damn place is falling apart!" He yelled.

As we left the room, I heard multiple people screaming, some even pleading.

"We'll head to my car!" Mr. Harper alerted me, signaling for me to follow him.

As we brushed past the people, I realized something.

'My heart.' I thought. 'It's beating.'

Even as my legs teetered on the precipice of exhaustion, my senses were bombarded by the oppressive fumes of smoke, a suffocating presence that seeped into my very lungs. Amidst the bedlam, the shrill, unrelenting wail of fire alarms mingled with the anguished pleas of children screaming for mommy and daddy.

I couldn't help but smile. 

Despite Mr. Harper making a rush of everything earlier, we soon stopped, the sight in front of us one of grotesque pity. "Mr-Mr.Harper, please help me!" A voice cried out.

"Kylie?!" He yelled. "Oh my God, George!"

"I-I can't get this shit off him! You have to get it off please!" 

"It's okay!" He reassured her. "I can save him! J-Just pull him out when I say so, okay!?"

"Okay!"

Truth be told, I'd have never guessed my teacher had such a unique ability if I didn't see it before my eyes. 

Holding his hands above the trapped child amidst the debris, a radiant orange aura enveloped his hands. "Get ready!" With a swift motion, he raised the massive boulders into the air. "Grab him now!" he ordered.

"George!" She hooked her arm from under him and pulled him out from the debris. "Thank you!" Tears strolled down her face, hugging the young man.

"Of course," He responded, turning back towards me, the person who did nothing but watch as fellow kids bumped into him for the exit. "Kōpi, I must help your classmates. You must escape!" 

The chaos enveloped the halls, screams bouncing off the walls, but for some reason I didn't feel scared.

"I will. I'll live."

"That's good to hear!" He slapped his hand on my shoulder. "Now get outta here!"

And as I turned around, I saw Mr. Harper heading into the destruction.

While I ran from it.