Introduction

Author Note:

This piece was written for a school project, so I didn't go overkill with it or anything. There are a lot of issues in this piece, but the story is still there. If people are enjoying this short introduction, I will continue to expand upon the story.

IDENTITY 4871…

IDENTITY 487172 - ASSESSMENT FAILED; ABNORMALITY FOUND; DISPOSE

IDENTITY 487173 - ASSESSMENT PASSED; PROCEED

IDENTITY 487174 - ASSESSMENT PASSED; PROCEED

IDENTITY 4871…

Throughout my childhood, I have always felt different from others. I was questioning nearly everything in this small world of ours. The material we learn in school just doesn't add up. In our history classes, we never get taught anything that happened in the past century, only things that happened numerous centuries ago. It's like time itself stopped for nearly a hundred years and then resumed to a whole new world that is the world we live in today.

In this world, every household has a mother and father that are chosen for each other. When the children turn eighteen, they move out into certain apartments for developing adults. I never had a mother or father. Because of this, I was bullied and treated horribly by my classmates. Since I don't have a family, I don't get to live in the posh villas like everyone else, instead, I live in an old maintenance shack that is now repurposed for orphans like me. Orphans in this world have to live alone, they don't get temporary adults to take care of them, instead, they are given a monthly stipend that is barely enough for just two meals a day for the month. I've always wished that I could be like everyone else. I wanted to fit in with everyone, experience what they experience, live how they live and thrive under the guidance of the Numens.

When I turned 15, we went through mandatory testing after our junior high school graduation. This testing wasn't anything relating to academics or education. I wasn't quite sure what it was back then. These tests were simple. Pass the test and you get to go on with the graduation ceremony. And if you fail… I wasn't sure what would happen if you failed. Before the testing, the teachers just told us that we were all going to pass and there would be nothing to worry about.

Schools here in this city were quite big. The junior high schools had roughly 1,500 students, so the testing process for the graduations was quite long and repetitive. My spot was 472, which was nearly at the very end of the students proceeding with the test. When it was my turn, I walked through the scanner, got some weird metal frame placed on my forehead, and the screen flashed green. That was all, I passed.

*--*

"Paul!", screamed one of the students.

The obnoxious person yelling for me was my only friend Rani. Rani and I have been friends since the beginning of my childhood. We both seemed like outcasts so naturally, we were drawn together. She had flowing blonde hair going down to her shoulders, luminous blue eyes, and a small figure.

"What's all this ruckus for right in the morning?", Paul muttered.

"C'mon, it's our graduation day! Aren't you excited for high school?"

"Not really, high school is going to be just like junior high but with puberty."

I knew Rani would be overly excited for next year. I'm sure it will be a big change, but we're going to be doing the same thing as we did for the past 9 years of our life. But still, I hope things will go differently from now on.

"Why do you always get that bitter look on your face?"

"I have no clue what you're talking about. My face always looks like that."

"Exactly! Why don't you ever try smiling for once?"

Rani was an extremely optimistic person. No matter the situation, she can always find something to smile about.

"Whatever."

We were walking towards the shopping center near our school. Since we were both orphans and quite poor, we had to use the light rails to get around the city. Everyone else used their autonomous vehicles that mindlessly got them from A to B. The light rails, like the rest of the city, were extremely clean with curved glass from floor to ceiling, neon lights running from front to back, and white metallic structures lining the whole view with specs of vibrant grass.

The portion of the city we lived in was called Manoras. Manoras was only a tiny little ward among numerous others to form our world. We were on the southwestern edge of our civilization, which means we have beaches and mountainous coastlines looking over the vast ocean. Going just a kilometer out from the coast was strictly forbidden. I've heard rumors that people that go past the kilometer line rarely return.

The shopping center we were going to has a few vintage, almost ancient, shops. Around 15 years, before I was born, there was a huge police raid in a sector of the mall. There isn't much known about why this happened or what the outcome was.

One of the shops we planned on going to was a tiny cafe, with just a few stools on a counter and a table or two. Rumors say that the owner of this shop is one crazy lad. He has some brain disease that causes his deranged and unorthodox thinking. This has caused him to be on strict watch by the health sector of the government. He is right on the border of being disposed of, meaning if his mental health gets any worse, he will be seen as unfit to stay in society.

"Ahh, welcome, welcome." said the aged shop clerk.

"Good afternoon, sir." Rani replied.

"Please, sit down." the old man pointed to a dull wooden table, with two chairs, placed near the corner window. He placed down the menus and then walked away.

The decor and environment of this cafe were quite bizarre and unique. There wasn't any of the polished metal furnishings or the typical marble and granite flooring. There were no sleek windows or modern architecture or neon lights lining the ceiling. Instead, nearly everything was made of wood. From the ceiling to the floor, it was nearly all wood. Potted plants and strange murals covered the walls. Odd wooden carvings and strings with hooks and shiny metal sculptures attached were scattered on shelves across the room.

"Have you two spent enough time looking over the menu?" asked the old man.

"Erm, yes I think we are ready to order now." Rani said.

I noticed some sort of scar across the old man's neck. That was my first time seeing anything like that. Scars are considered hideous thus we use technology to heal them. It seems like the old man didn't bother to fix up his skin. This scar sat across the left side of his neck, he noticed me looking at it and used the collar on his shirt to cover it instantly. It was in the same spot as the scar on my neck, covered by my school uniform. My scar is unique, it wasn't able to heal properly which is unusual. That's why I always have it covered with my black undershirt.

"I'll just take a green tea and the strawberry shortcake." Rani stated enthusiastically.

"And you, young man?"

"I'm not going to order anything. Not that hungry right now."

"Well alright, I'll be back shortly with your order, young lady."

Rani seemed pretty upset at me for not getting anything while it was my idea to take her here. But she knows not to pry at me over silly things such as that.

Seeing that scar on the old man's neck was the only thing on my mind. I've never seen other scars on anyone's body throughout my whole life. I didn't know how I got mine, I had it for as long as I can remember. Maybe the old man might know anything about it. Because any marks on your body show imperfections, I always hid them to avoid any issues with society. I always questioned why everyone needs to be perfect, but everyone else seems to not ponder that in the way I do.

"Here is your tea and cake, young lady."

"Ahh thank you very much."

"Sir, may I ask you something?" I said to the old man as he was walking away.

"Well of course you can." the old man said while walking back towards us.

"What's that scar on your neck?"

"Ahh that. It's just something that happened while I was a kid, it is unable to get healed properly for whatever reason."

I wasn't really happy with this answer, so I decided to show him my scar. The same shape and size in the same location on my neck.

"...". The show owner was speechless and shocked.

The old man didn't say anything. He just had this weird look on his face. Right away he walked to the door, locked it, flipped the open sign, and lowered the blinds on all of the windows. Rani shifted deep in her chair, looking scared from this situation.

"Old man! What's the deal? You can't just lock us in here!" I was yelling profusely.

"Quiet! You damn ignorant child. Where did you get that scar from?"

"I had it for as long as I can remember. It is unable to heal and since you have the same scar, I assume you know something about it."

"Well you're not wrong about that, I do know about this scar that we share." the old man said slowly and with a sorrowful tone. "This scar proves the immunity of a virus that is spread throughout everyone in this world. This virus is manmade, though that's all I know about it. The five Numens that rule this world dispose of anyone who shows immunity to the virus."

"A virus?" I gasped in disbelief. "What kind of virus is this? Why do the Numens want us to be infected with it? Why can't we live even though we are immune to it?"

"I asked myself the same questions when I learned about our differences in society. I know that this virus affects people drastically. I've always seen myself as different from everyone else. Thinking in the opposite way that everyone else does, striving for bigger goals then is unimaginable by the rest of the world."

I was in shock by all of this. Rani seemed in more shock than even me. I didn't know what any of this meant to me. Would my life change forever or will I just continue as I have been for the past 15 years? Does all of this disprove what I thought about my world my whole life? I have so many questions yet zero answers. Why are the Numens so strong-willed about this virus? I thought they were the heroes that saved the world from cataclysm, yet they dispose of anyone with immunity to the virus.

"Young man, do not let anyone see that scar. If the wrong person sees it, your future will be nothing but despair."

I could tell the old man was serious. This wasn't a game. You can see the fire burning in his eyes when he said that. I can tell he was hiding something, but it was something that I have no right in knowing. Something tragic about his past related to the scar.

*--*

Beep… Beep… Beep…

"That damn alarm clock…" I whispered while yawning.

It's the morning of our first year in high school. What that old man said at the cafe still bothers me two months later. Nothing has happened out of the ordinary, and I haven't seen the guy since. The last time I went to where his shop used to be, it's been replaced by some clothing franchise now. It seems that Rani has forgotten about what happened. She probably thought the old man was some deranged psychopath, hence why he is on watch by the health sector.

Rani is extremely excited about high school. It is supposed to be the highlight of your adolescent years. On the other hand, I could care less about it. Luckily, Rani can look towards something in the future. Sadly, I can't say the same. There isn't anything I am looking forward to. After high school, I will just become an adult and do some ordinary job that is decided for me by the Numens.

After getting dressed in our new uniforms, a gray blazer with matching pants, a white fitted collared shirt, black plated leather shoes, and a tie that matches your current grade. 1st years have a cyan tie, 2nd years get a white tie, and 3rd years get a black tie. The reason why 1st years get a colored tie instead of a tie with monochrome colors is to show the promotion into your high school years of life by displaying your school colors. Since our school colors are cyan and gray, we thus use a cyan tie.

For breakfast, I would just eat the usual. A fresh cup of green tea with a brioche roll delicately topped with abertam cheese. Now I am off for the first day of this new chapter of my life.

Getting to school was somewhat of a journey. I would have to walk 15 minutes to the nearest light rail station and then swap between 3 different lines to get to the station down the street from the school. Our high school was massive. It sat on a 100-acre piece of land with nearly half of it being buildings that towered over 3 stories. I heard the reason why our school is so big is because some scientific research facilities in certain parts of the school are used by companies and scholarly organizations.

Standing outside of the start of the 2nd line of the light rail, I spotted an irregular flying object. Something I've never seen before. It seemed to be… organic. It didn't look manmade and had wings on each side spanning a meter or so. It was nearly all black, with only a peculiar white pattern on the bottom. It looked so out of place from everything else. It was covered with something almost like fur, but not quite. I think I saw something like it at the old man's cafe, a single part of this exact 'fur', encased in a picture frame. The title on this frame was scratched out but I remember seeing "Mobius feather". Was this word 'feather', all the little strands of fur covering this object? I wasn't sure. At this moment, this flying object stared at me with his right eye. I knew he was staring at me, some part of me was striking his interest. His eyes turn from black to white instantaneously, then to a golden color. The second I saw his eye turn golden from white, I blacked out…

*- Rani's Perspective-*

"Gosh, I can't wait for today!" I ecstatically screamed to myself in my pillow.

Today is Paul and I's first day of high school! I can't wait to see Paul in his new uniform. Since we are finally in high school, hopefully, Paul will notice me differently from just his old childhood friend. He is always so stubborn and ignorant, but that could be part of the reason why I like him so much.

"Gosh, Paul is such an oblivious freak." I thought to myself.

Paul and I live quite far from each other. We meet up at the last line to school from the centralized station and head to school together from there. Weirdly enough, I didn't see him there today. He would always arrive a few minutes earlier than me and wait for me on the benches at the southern terminal. I didn't think much of it and headed to school like I always do. I thought that he was probably arriving a bit late from him staying up too late like usual.

It was so weird seeing so many people in our high school uniforms flooding the light rail. There were 1st years to 3rd years everywhere. You could already start to notice the cliques among everyone and see where each grade level occupies which part of the light rail. Seeing this made me so happy, so many people to meet and experiences to make.

Arriving at the front gates was mind-boggling. Seeing the 15-meter pillars with complex cuts and protruding edges supporting the crest of our school was astonishing. The doors into the school were almost 4 meters tall, covered in glass and shiny steel. The walls of the school were white cement with windows nearly as tall as the school itself. The common area had the ceiling spanning to the 3rd floor, with sunroofs scattered across with beams supporting the rest of the structure.

Paul and I both had the same homeroom, room 104. I should probably talk to him about him ditching me on the first day of high school. His nerves…

As I walked into class, our new homeroom teacher waved at me as I walked through the door. I found my desk, sat down, and pulled out my pencil bag and notebook from my backpack. I noticed a few students from junior high, but none of them tried to talk to me or even bothered to acknowledge me. Right when the clock struck 8:00, the bell rang. Everyone was seated at their desks, quiet, and staring at the podium where the teacher stood. Paul's desk was right next to me, it always has been for as long as I knew it. But surprisingly, he wasn't there.

*- Paul's Perspective-*

"Hey, little man, c'mon you going to wake up now?" an old man asked in a deep and piercing voice while shaking me.

I felt excruciatingly tired, my eyes were so heavy it was like they were nearly sewn shut with the strongest threads imaginable. My head was pulsing, my legs wouldn't listen to me. It was agonizing.

"We ain't got all day!" the old man said again in that aggressive voice and shaking me more viciously.

SPLASH!

An awfully big bucket filled with ice water was dumped all over me. I instantly shot up, my exhaustion just went away from the shock of the ice water.

"Ahh, morning boy! Look who finally decided to wake up."

As I opened my eyes, I saw a world that I have never seen before. Dark towering buildings scattered with flashing neon lights in all sorts of colors. Glowing signs filled the exterior of these buildings. So many people with different colors of hair, skin, and clothing filled the streets, lit up with flames and lights of kiosks and entertainers. There were shops on every corner, selling all sorts of goods. Everything was so chaotic, cluttered, and simply dirty, unlike Manoras.

"Right kiddo, we got lots of work to do, we better get going." The old man grabbed me by my shoulders and put me on my feet. I looked up at him while he was grabbing me. I got a decent glimpse at his face, though he was covering his mouth and nose with some rag. Almost instantly I could tell that this man was the old shopkeeper running the cafe.

"Aren't you that man running the cafe?" I said while trying to get a peek at his neck for the scar.

"You remember. The names Garry. What's your's kiddo?"

"Paul."

"Paul? You ain't one to talk. Manly name you got despite how scrawny you are."

"Where am I? What happened? I was on my way to school and then I saw that strange flying object. When it noticed me I instantly blacked out, and well, here I am."

"There is a lot to this world in which you don't know. I can't tell you everything, but I will tell you this. The world isn't just that massive city surrounded by those oceans. That city makes up the smallest little fraction of this world. The majority of our planet is uninhabitable, but there are some pockets of civilization. Such as this city, right off the border of Nokstella. Ahh, and Nokstella is that 'world' where you spent your old life."

"Old life?" I wasn't sure what he was talking about.

"Yes, your old life. From now on, your life is going to be unimaginable from what it used to be."

"But what about the Numens? They need me. I still have a life to fulfill for them. The life they chose for me."

"You believe in all of that crap? Wow, they do know how to control all of their little pawns."

"Control? Pawns? We aren't being controlled. The Numens saved us. They made a home for us. The world they created is perfect."

"Perfect? Kid, I'm sure you know it isn't perfect. You're an orphan. I'm sure you get treated differently from all of the other kids. Am I right?"

I was speechless. Didn't know what to say. He was right. I did get treated differently from the other kids. I lived in an old shack, with nearly nothing to my name.

"There is no reason to keep on bickering about this, boy. You'll understand the secrets of Nokstella as well as the rest of the world in due time. You will also learn things that no one else knows about this world. There are still so many things that I don't know."

"Who exactly are you? You aren't some oldie shopkeeper."

"I'm glad you can notice that. You don't need to know exactly who I am. Just know that there's more to me than meets the eye."

After that, he walked away. Signaling me to follow him. It seemed like we were aimlessly walking through the streets. The streets were packed with people and so many of them were staring at me. I didn't know why everyone was looking at me. I was just your average high schooler. There was nothing special about me.

*- Rani's Perspective -*

When lunch rolled around I knew Paul wasn't going to come in late. This wasn't like him. He never skips school, he's oddly obsessive about completing his studies. When he doesn't show up for whatever reason, he would always tell me. He isn't responding on his phone. Something happened, this isn't like him.

*- REDACTED -*

"How are the outside cities doing?" said a voice.

"They are still unable to advance any more in their meaningless efforts." said another voice.

"We must protect what is ours." said a third.

The two other figures nodded in agreement. Each figure was sitting in a chair with all but a cloak and mask. It was like they had no bodies with that long cloak of theirs. They sat in a white room with glass all around them. Outside the windows, you could see nearly half of the globe. They were high up in the sky, above the clouds, watching down on their world.

*- Paul's Perspective -*

I thought we were walking for what felt like days. When all of a sudden, Garry stood still in his tracks.

"Here we are kiddo."

"We are where? There's nothing but dirt and sand for as far as the eye can see."

At that moment, the ground started shaking. A tube with a diameter of around three meters popped out of the ground, with a strange-looking door on the front. The door slid into the tube and then rotated around on the inside. Garry walked in, and I followed. As I got in, the door closed. The ground proceeded to shake again and we started descending.

When we reached the bottom, the door opened into a ginormous hanger. Men in dark uniforms and men in long white coats were scattered around. There were so many machines and tools that the men in the white coats were using that I have never seen before. Then I saw kids, my age, walking in a line behind some of the men in coats. I could tell they are important in this facility.

"Garry. Who are those kids?" I asked.

"They are people like you, Paul. Special people that are immune to the virus. They have scars like you. Not only are they immune to this virus, but they also hold other gifts that are unknown to us currently. They are called Parasites."

Everything that happened so far was all too fast. For my whole life, every day was the same. I lived in a constant routine along with everyone else in that world. And just in one day, everything changed. Things that I couldn't have dreamt of happened in just a single day.

"What will happen to Rani?" I said to Garry.

"Rani… Ahh yes, the girl that was with you when we met at the cafe. Well, if she's a good friend I'm sure she will notice your absence, but she is irrelevant to your future."

Rani was the only person throughout my life that I could rely on. She was always there for me when I needed someone the most. I didn't want to abandon her.

"I don't want to leave her."

"There isn't much I can do about it. You shouldn't worry about her anymore."

"I can't just leave her Garry. She's been my only friend."

"I understand, but there isn't anything I can do. Sorry, kiddo."

Garry continued walking. The hangar then became long, white hallways. There were little rooms on each side of the hallway, labeled 101, 102, 103, 104, and so on. These rooms had a sleek metal door with a little vertical window. The only thing I could see in those rooms were metal beds with a desk and chair. Nothing else.

We finally reached our destination. It was a glass sliding door. The men with white coats filled the large room. There were so many peculiar objects, I didn't know what I was looking at. Machines and capsules with liquid, enough to fit a person, are scattered around the room. Two of those men with uniforms were standing on either side of the door. Garry put something against the side of the door, and it opened.

"Garry! Nice to see you." A man in one of those white coats said.

"Ahh, Reuban! Long time no see. I see that you're doing alright."

The two men shook hands and walked away. I sat in a chair near the entrance. Garry and the guy in the coat were talking about something. The man named Reuban was working with something that had a barrel attached to a grip. He was putting something inside the barrel from the top. I didn't like what was going on. Both of the men started walking toward me.

CRASH!

*- REDACTED -*

"Those foul rebels are still lingering in the outer cities, gathering up abnormals." a voice said.

"Why aren't we going down there ourselves to fix this?" a different voice spoke.

"Remember. We aren't supposed to interfere. The discovery of us will cause a calamity. It's not worth the risk." another voice said. They all nodded in agreement.

"The rag-tag rebels are idiotic. They are facing the wrong enemy." a fourth said.

"Everything is alright. Our plan is still on course, nothing will be able to disrupt it." the last figure said.

*- Paul's Perspective -*

"Look at this fine specimen. Garry sure did a great job." a strange voice said.

I felt horrible. Nearly the same feeling I got when I woke up in that strange city. I barely opened my eyes and I could instantly tell that the man looking over me was the man Garry was talking to earlier in the white coat, Reuben.

"Ghhhh." I groaned in agony.

"Somebody is surely lively. Now, boy, there is lots to do so I hope you can do your best!" Reuben said in a psychotically giddy tone.

"Why… are you doing this?" I said while trying to catch my breath.

"You haven't realized? You are a very special specimen. There are lots of things we can achieve with your help."

"Let… me… go." I could barely speak. The excruciating pain was getting to me.

"Hmmm… I don't think so!"

I could tell that Reuben was psychotic. Some crazy lunatic. No wonder why he works for these people. Only deranged people like him would agree to do these horrible things. Taking children and forcing them to do psychotic experiments.

I was fading in and out of consciousness while I was being strapped to some sort of bed on wheels. Strange men were taking me somewhere. I'm not sure where they are taking me, but I do know it's somewhere I don't want to be.

A loud low pitched noise roared as a large metal gate opened. A large room, probably 15 meters long on each side, was beyond this gate. White untextured walls covered the walls and ceiling with polished concrete on the floor. The room was empty, besides a tall statue in the middle of the room. This statue looked like someone. The face was covered with some mask that seemed straight out of some animal. Like the weird creatures with wings in Garry's cafe, the structure of that creature's head was the same shape and detail as the mask. But the mask was all white with holes in certain places. The rest of the body looked like a human, but missing parts of his skin and muscles in certain spots and covered with a teared-up cloak. This statue had its right hand above its head, holding some sort of stone.

"Our holy lord! We bring to you another specimen, befitting of your prowess!" the crazed lunatic Reuben said. "He might hold one of the most excellent of gifts!"

The statue didn't move. Reuben and the other men were all silent and still. The only thing that was audible in the room was my heavy, irregular, breathing. There was no movement, no sound. My thoughts were louder than they ever have been before.

All of a sudden I blacked out and my mind got transported to something unimaginable. It was me sitting in a wooden chair, with that statue in front of me. Everything else was dark, pitch black. I heard the sound of wind blowing through tall grass, water pouring through a creek, and a strange whistling sound, like an instrument. The darkness turned into a large cavern. The statue was in the middle of this large cavern, staring at me. Its eyes started glowing green.

"Reach the heart of Mount Ainsel, and there you shall find the answers to this world. The blood inside you rages for the Everglade Stone, yearning for the power of the ancestors." the mysterious voice of the statue spoke.

Why is all of this happening? I was living a normal life with Rani then all of this chaos happened. Why do I need to reach this Everglade Heart? Why me? I'm no one special, I've got nothing.

"The specimen is phasing! Start the electromagnetic fields! Those damn fossils meddling around in our time!" Reuben was yelling.

I could barely hear Reuben, he sounded so far away, and his voice echoed.

Tick… tick… tick…tock!

I was back to reality. I didn't wake up in that room. I couldn't see any of those men in uniforms or white coats. I wasn't tied down to anything. I could see the sky. There were trees and grass all around me. I couldn't see any of the tall buildings from back home. Instead, there were tall rocks, towering above the landscape. Past the trees was a large field with tall grass covering every inch. Everything seemed so… natural.

"Why have I never seen anything like this? It's so beautiful. Why would the Numens hide something like this to us?" I thought to myself.

"Looks like we have a new guest. He seems quite frail." a mysterious voice said. I looked behind me to see a boy, my age, kneeling. He was wearing old tattered clothing. Clothing so hideous to ever be worn in Nokstella. "Seems like you're from Nokstella, the last thriving civilization left from the collapse. Because the ancestors helped you get here, you must be one of us. Which means you hold the same goal as us."

"Us?" I said in a stuttery voice.

"Yes, us. Abnormal children from across the globe that are brought together by the ancestors."

"The ancestors?"

"Beings from back then that are forever lingering in time. They guide us to bring back the legacy of the ancestors that were tarnished by them."

"Them?" I questioned. Everything he was saying didn't make any sense. An answer from him only brings me more questions.

"The beings of collapse, the Numens."