Zero Fate Against the World (New Version)

Hello! Author here. I just want to say some things before we start. 

This is the newer version of this work, so if you're an old-timer, you already know what to expect.

I added many things and "sharpened" many others, but if you're a newcomer, well, welcome!

I won't say much here. Only one thing.

If you spot any grammar mistakes, please mark them with a '*' and why I should fix it so I can fix it later, aside from that, just do as you please!

Thank you for checking this out, peace!

PS: You know the drill, I "may" add images later :)

PS 2: I haven't checked the old comments on the chapter, but I'll take a look once I'm done working out tomorrow. (8K words)

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/Shine…/

/Chirp chirp…/

Ah! What a nice day it was! It was not too sunny or too hot, just the perfect temperature for snuggling under a blanket without the need for a fan.

The birds sang outside under the warm rays of the sun.

In this sunny city by the sea, you could see parents playing with their children by the beach, laughing and drinking with the echoes of the waves.

Yet…

"And this was our university director, Mr. Stefan. Let's proceed to the next subject…"

"..."

'What the fuck am I doing in this place?...' A young man thought as he pinched his leg, trying his hardest to stay awake

(Image?)

His name was Philip Vinten. 22, single. Nothing much else to add.

(Image?)

He just had his birthday a few weeks ago. He was currently at the end of his fourth year of university and still going strong.

As for his appearance, he was a fair skinned young man with smooth, short dark hair. Although recently he'd been wanting to let it grow. 1

Still, his hair barely touched his shoulders.

If one were to ask him, he would say he was quite handsome. At least an 8 just on his face. Yet, at the same time, he would say he was a humble person.

A "low-key" kind of guy… Good enough to be a main actor in a drama… Okay, that was just his imagination.

As for the rest of his body, he was quite fit, going frequently to the gym with his mom and brother.

A man at the peak of his youth you could say… Yet. His eyes told otherwise.

After coming to this Hellhole for 6 months straight, he only wanted to go home.

Sit down before his computer, boot it up, and enjoy some videos with a cold drink in hand.

After all, today was the last day of Uni! Yet, they had to make it mandatory! Come on! 

Philip debated numerous times why this was the case. Why would they do this? Something that had never been done before?

Why make poor him suffer so much? Force him to attend?

This singular day was worth a tenth of his attendance… How absurd…

But he came nonetheless. A few hours of boredom was nothing compared to the credits he would lose if he skipped this day.

Yet, he made a fatal mistake… He underestimated how boring this would be.

'Damn it all! I have already received my scores for this period, and I am free! I just need to sit through this ass of a lecture and… Sigh…'

It was the usual end-of-the-year conversation where higher-ranking members of the university you never see anywhere would come together and speak about shit that is likely to never affect you in any way whatsoever.

Sweet words like finally improving the quality of the cafeteria's menu and so on… Well, nothing that bothered Philip.

He only came here because it was close by. Still, he wasn't lazy. This was still one of the best universities in the country for engineering, and he lived nearby, so why bother going anywhere else?

He just had to persevere… But he could have sworn that the clock hadn't moved in the last few minutes. Why was it still pointing in the same direction?

'Whatever.' He thought as he scoffed, it was going to end soon, there weren't any more professors left to speak, and unless they pulled more from behind those curtains, this was as good as done.

It would've been easier to tolerate this madness if he had friends to talk to like the others did. However, Philip wasn't a loner, he had many friends.

The issue was how the lecture only included members from the same curricular grade as him. People that are coursing Mechanical engineering.

And not just anyone, only people from the fourth year.

This amounts to barely 50 people spread over three classes…

Of which only 10 or so are girls…

And only a handful are pretty…

And even less have a good personality…

Maybe there was a reason why he was still single.

/Chatter chatter…/

'... My brain's going to stop at this rate. I'm starting to have hallucinations…'

Philip touched his head with frustration, massaging his temples, yet the echo of the voices inside his mind did not halt…

He continued narrating to himself everything around him.

'This is really pathetic…'

'At the start, we were over a hundred, now, only half remains…'

'And that's where most of my uni friends are. Left behind, in a place slightly better than this. Also known as the previous semesters.'

'Sigh. What a bother, they told us to turn off our phones… But some of those brats are using their phones without a care in the world…'

'If I'm a little sneaky…'

Yep, you heard him right. "Brats".

He was, of course, talking about the guest students they had today.

Every once in a while, the university has visiting students from all around the city so that they can learn and see just how "cool" university life is.

In previous visits, they would visit the labs, go around the campus, and talk with professors. Last year, Philip inadvertently showed off to some of them by walking outside a lab while carrying a robot. He felt very proud as he heard the children gasp at the robot. Only at these times did he feel like an actual university student.

Yet this batch had the unfortunate opportunity to experience this great lecture…

'I just hope these little lambs aren't too scared after today… What a bad way to visit a university.'

'But seeing how they act, I don't think it's impossible that their teachers programmed it so they came at this precise time… They look like the kind of children that deserve this kind of mental punishment.'

Something at the corner of Philip's mind said it was far from just that, but that vanished soon after under his torrent of thoughts.

'Really. I never saw a school group as "strange" as this one.'

'In comparison, everyone in my school days were "friends". No bullying, no stupidity. Just a group of cultured new seedlings, ready to be corrupted by society.'

'Well, there was a little bullying I guess… Some kids were just weird… There are always some who aren't born right or are just plain… Idiots.'

'But not all idiots are boring and strange. I wonder how they're doing after all these years…'

He didn't. Philip was very happy not interacting with those kids anymore, if anything, he would like to know how they were just as a way to strengthen his mentality.

To know someone he knew was still doing worse than him.

'How come they're from the same school as me?… Is it the changing times? Social media? They aren't that much younger than everyone here so how?...'

'I am sorry for Mr. Wilson and the other teachers… They don't deserve to lecture these brats. In fact, I don't recognize the teachers with the children… Must be new hires.'

'They're mostly women though… Nothing against it but what happened to the old granny? She was such a good teacher… Did she retire?…'

'There was also…' 

Philip went through his memories, smiling faintly as he was reminded of his school days.

But that aside, you must be asking yourself: How bad were those kids for Philip to act like that?! 

Well…

First, they are clearly separated into groups.

This is quite normal, right? Children have groups, and some keep in contact even after many years. It's how things are…

But not to this extent.

In a corner of the room next to a large poster of a robot, you have the "Gamers", people that look and seem quite geeky, they were quite close to Philip so he could hear their conversation. Otherwise, he would just call them Nerds… Because he had no other word for them.

He heard the usual from them, games, anime, a little bit about sports, and so on, nothing too over the line. A very casual group overall.

But they all seemed like your stereotypical geeks!

Thick glasses, big teeth, some fat and others skinny… What is going on with these guys?

Also, when did his school stop using a uniform? And why were they so in sync man?...

There was a small fragment of redemption for these guys in the form of one pretty girl.

Philip was sure she would grow up to become a great beauty. Well, she already is.

They were all third-year students after all. So most of them should be 18 already.

For the other groups…

The popular guys and girls chatting casually on the side, they looked to be the calmest and most composed of everyone. Model students no doubt.

Why did Philip believe them to be popular? Well… Because they seemed to get along well with all the other groups in their vicinity.

The pretty and mean girls… Was there anything that needed to be said? The makeup on their faces and their questionable clothes. How were they even allowed to go to school like that? Was this what being modern looked like?

The Sad and Depressive guys. Philip thought they were extinct… What were they called again?

The muscular guys. How were they all stronger than him?... Oh yeah, he didn't have a strict routine…

The edgy Chunibyo group. Philip felt shivers just looking at them, he could remember his cringy phase as well. It barely lasted a few days but it left a marking scar on his memory.

The "cute" Gyarus, also called Gal girls, in simpler terms, they dyed their hair to be blond or somewhat pink, other times green. They were exaggerated accessories, had long fake nails, eyelashes, and oftentimes, baggy clothes too. Together with a tint of going to the beach too many times.

The outcasts. Honestly, they looked the most average out of everyone there, maybe that was why they seemed so lonely and gloomy. Still, they had a strange aura to them.

But do not confuse the geeks with the outcasts… They have pretty distinct personalities and looks.

And the rest… Also known as the normals and the reason why Philip had the other group be called that.

"Hm?..."

Wait! Philip detected another group!

Hidden in the chairs and the people, they might be few, but they can't escape his bored eyes! 

They are none other than the… Uh… The Lolis! Small cute girls wearing the standard schoolgirl attire. The one he was used to.

But weren't they a tad too small?… Such a thing… Should be inconceivable. 

Overall, they were quite a big group. 

'I think there are more school students than actually university students in this hall…'

'But look at these people! They look straight out of an anime for god's sake! Their fashion style, appearance, and overall personality match so perfectly that I am amazed they aren't paid actors.'

'No… Actors wouldn't be capable of reproducing such an exotic scene. After this, I need to look for an opportunity to take a photo. Else my friends aren't going to believe this.'

'There are also their teachers. I presume it's around six... So two per class?'

'But that would make over 30 people per class…'

'Some schools don't like this many kids in one classroom, but I guess it's possible'

'There's also the auditorium guard, but he went outside to light up a smoke.'

'I know him pretty well... It was he that allowed me and my boys back in the day to sneak into the chemistry lab to grab stuff whenever we wanted to cause some trouble...'

'Good days…'

/Chattering…/

"..."

'They are not done…'

Philip's expression fell, so he turned his gaze to the others.

Lastly but not least. The old dudes and his teachers.

Since the three Mechanical engineering classes were here, the teachers for the semester were also here, although three already left due to some reason. Probably fed up with this situation… It's been almost two hours after all.

They already said everything that was important in the first half-hour. Like the merge of the mechanical classes into a big one…

But even after all of that… They still hadn't stopped talking!

Apart from the teachers, there are the Uni executives present as well.

Department of mechanical engineering- Mr shiny head.

Department of Electrical engineering- Mr egg.

Department of social engineering- Chad.

The other department heads already left when they had their own speeches.

But there are still some people left…

The Head of engineering who seemingly could not retire…- Old master Metatron!

Regional campus head, the old man who just kept making their lives harder!- Swordmaster Isshin!

And the one above all!- God Emperor Avis, whose age precedes that of the Abyss… Cut him some slack, he was getting bored.

Of course, those names were only for fun. Made by the predecessors and passed onto the next generations.

Mr shiny head is a bald black guy, he is tall and strong. But overall, he is a nice guy. His head tends to shine brightly in the sun due to the creams he likes to apply on his head, hence the name.

Mr egg is a dwarf of a man with a big round belly, his pale skin and tendency to use white clothes, usually makes people associate him with an egg. 

His temper is short but he gets the job done. You ask him something and give him a proper reason, you can be sure he will finish it within a week. Which is far faster than most departments…

Chad was, for short, the "nice" guy. 

Simply put, he is too good with words and the law for his own good. 

There were even rumors of him having affairs with multiple girls, but that was never confirmed. He is quite reclusive but can liven up a party on his own. He has an unmatched talent with his tongue and is knowledgeable enough to be in his position despite being only 30.

His appearance is quite the "lady killer" according to some girls. Philip barely talked with him though, but he did overhear several of his conversations. 

But the way he was, Philip couldn't care less about other people's personal problems as long as it didn't affect him, end of the story.

Now for the ancient masters…

Metatron! God of all things powered by machines! 

His real name is Antoine. Making 92 this year, having maintained his position for over 50 years! Yet he is praised for being open-minded. Someone Philip talked a lot with. 

He can be considered to be one of my most beloved tutors in this hell of an academy.

Swordmaster Isshin! God of swordsmanship! His real name was indeed Isshin! 

He was 84 this year, another old man teaching instead of retiring. 

He got his title due to always carrying a long Chinese-style saber on his back. He is known for being laid back and uncaring for most things. Only caring about his sword dojo, which doesn't help given that many students often end up with problems due to his laid back personality.

There are rumors he will resign next year… Or was it this year? Its almost as if this has been going on for years…

To end it all, God Emperor Avis! The one above all! A legend seen once in a lifetime! He is 110 years old this year! 

As the one who founded this university 80 years ago. He is a living fossil that still strives to improve this place despite his age.

For a whole 80 years… And for almost 4 generations of his family, considering that his great-grandson is working in this university. Although Philip forgot who he was or what he was doing...

Talk about determination…

His real name was Arthur Vista. Hence, A-vis.

His son has already died, but his grandson is currently overseeing the uni branch in another part of the city.

May his light shine for another 10 years… For Philip feared what would happen if he were to leave.

"Phew…"

'... And this concludes my useless analyses of all of the people in this very room…'

"... And I hope we…"

"Jesus Christ…"

'They are still talking… Plan Z. Should I just close my eyes and sleep? There isn't anything to do anymore…'

Philip's gaze stopped at one of the school students who was clearly playing on a cell phone.

'This is?!'

His eyes darted around, and a plan formed at the corner of his overworked mind:

'The person in front of me is rather tall and with broad shoulders. Perfect to block the vision from below…'

'If I just lean back a little bit more, no one will notice.'

'The two people on my side seem to be also considering this as one of them already took out his cellphone… Wait…'

'Shit! If three people take out their cellphones in a line… We will become targets… So I can't resort to reading novels on my cell phone.'

'But neither can I sleep... GOD! Save me!'

Despairing dramatically, Philip kept his straight expression as he looked down at everyone below.

"... Thank you all for listening to Mr. Isshin's speech. We are now going to end our lecture with Mr. Vista's speech!"

/Applause/

The students were excited to leave this damn place, and so was Philip, to the point he almost got up and cheered.

"It's finally ending…"

'If there is one thing I know about Vista, it is that he is direct. He will go straight to the point. He's simply too old to speak after all.'

'Meaning this speech will not last more than 10 Minutes!'

'Now I can relax…'

"A-Ahem… Thank you for persevering. First, I would like to thank…"

Vista started his speech like any other, Philip didn't really pay attention, focusing more on the people around him.

Strangely enough, the Department heads didn't leave after their respective speeches. Were they so free or was it a form of respect for the University Head?

'I can understand if Metatron and Ishiin don't leave since they are old and can barely move a few feet in a minute but…'

"?..."

/Creek/

From behind him, Philip heard the classical creek of the double doors of the hall.

Obviously, given his personality, he sat quite close to the top so he could leave this place as soon as possible, or even sneak through if the opportunity presented itself.

/Step step step…/

/Chatter…/

A group of around ten kids was led inside by none other than the guard that had gone smoke.

'Hm? Were there others? I thought they had locked the doors… Aha!... I see.'

Philip noticed their appearance, and his theory crafting began taking place.

An absurd thought based solely on stereotypes, but like he and his friends in the past, what prevented these kids from repeating what they had done?

'They must've bribed him somehow. Tsk! Smart.'

'While everyone was in here suffering they were outside relaxing. Waiting for this to be over.'

By their appearance and overall looks… Philip thought:

'The delinquents And the "rich" kids.'

'What a rare combination.'

A group of tough looking kids and some snob brats entered the Hall, making their way down the stairs before crossing over some of the university students sitting at the edge of the rows.

While the delinquents just sat on the floor next to the stairs without a care, the rich kids made their way to the outcasts that were sitting at the very top.

They didn't even talk with them, they just threw out a stack of notes and gave it to them. The outcasts received their pay and left towards another place…

And this everything ended, as if they had always been there. How strange.

/Shiver…/

"?..."

'What the…'

Philip suddenly felt a shiver down his stomach, as if something horrible was about to happen.

"... And remember, the most important thing is to SURVIVE…"

He didn't scream but his words felt… Strong. As if they wanted to be heard more then the others. It was the only way he could describe them.

'Survive? What a strange word to use, but I guess old people have their own vocabulary.'

"... Observe your surroundings, conquer your fear, FIGHT forward. Society won't wait for you to grow, you must TAKE what you want, STRIVE!"

".. That is the only way to reach the top and not become a TOOL."

"... Although being careful is important, being overly paranoid is not the way. As I grew, I realized that having a plan B could've saved me so much trouble…"

"...?"

'What is he even talking about? Did I miss something?'

"... The ones at the top are always the most SUSPICIOUS. After all, they got in there somehow…"

'This lecture is going in a strange way huh… I definitely lost the point.'

'… I will download this lecture and see the end later… Fuck it. I got curious, what is this old man even talking about?'

Philip discretely picked his phone, but as he realized no one was really paying him any heed, he just stopped hiding and began using it without care.

"... You are not ALONE! Remember to trust your friends and company, one cannot succeed ALONE. Behind me is the blood and sweat of many compatriots! Each and every brick that made me is clad in their sweat and…"

"..."

'Quite something to say for someone that just told us to not trust others easily…'

/Inhale… Exhale…/

Old man Vista stopped to take a deep breath and look at his wrist watch, saying:

"Look at the time! We are almost done here. Please just wait a little bit more…"

"!"

'Yeah, baby! About time!'

'Well… Although I would prefer being anywhere else, today is a special day… Today… The Ancient Scrolls 6 is being released!'

'I've waited for this moment for half of my entire life! No! Over that!'

'Who would imagine that this legend of a game would take so long… But here I am, in the year 2026…'

'Despite everything the company did in recent years, If the betas are anything to talk about… this game will be a blast.'

'So please… Speak faster!'

/Bing!/

As he thought about that, his cellphone finished starting.

He unlocked it and went to the already opened University page.

"Here it is…"

'Download the lecture… Yes, I accept the damn terms of conditions… Yes I'm not a fucking robot…'

"And this is all! Thank you for today, everyone."

/APPLAUSE!/

With a few nods, greetings, and smiles, Vista made his way towards a back door with his guards, marking the end of this annoying lecture.

/Bing!/

Just when Philip was about to get up and leave like a few others, something else happened.

His video downloaded almost instantly, quite the surprise given how terrible the University's Wifi was.

"Hm?"

'That was fast? How did it download so quickly?'

"... Everyone, thank you for participating. Please be calm and proceed to the exit in an orderly manner…" Mr Chad said as he took the mic

"..."

'Looks like it will take a while until everyone leaves. I will wait for the crowd to disperse.'

Philip sat down, taking his earphones before plugging them into the phone.

"Let me see this recording. Just what was that old man even talking about?"

/10%...60...90...94...98...100%/

The video started. But instead of the class hall, he saw old man Vista looking at the camera while sitting at a desk table, looking directly at the camera with sharp eyes.

Philip felt as if he was staring into his Soul…

"What the…"

"I know… I know… You must be confused, but if you are here. It means you are either lucky or attentive."

"No one would download this video otherwise… Not within the time limit that is. The lecture was a pain in the ass after all and everyone will think about leaving instead..."

"But that was on purpose." He said as he put his hands on the table, the mood getting considerably heavier

"..."

'What. The. Fuck.'

Philip was agape, as if he had seen a ghost.

Never in his life had he seen Vista so overly energetic. It was as if he was a Mafia Boss telling him about a great secret…

"Now… Let's begin. Since my time is short, I beseech you that you listen to me until the end, leave all questions for later."

"Soon enough something you can't even imagine is going to happen."

"..."

A few seconds of pure silence followed…

"... Still with me? Good. The few who would stumble upon this would've left by now, this means you either have what it takes… Or is curious. But curiosity isn't bad either."

"Just be careful where you direct it at."

"..."

'Urg! Speak already! Don't tell me you've made me curious for nothing!'

"Ahem… Rule number one…"

"Never… EVER! Tell anyone about your private information… MAKE IT UP! Whatever you must do… You must keep it a secret. The longer the better… Although there will be a day where it will spill up. It's inevitable."

His scream almost sent Philip jumping from his seat.

'Let's turn the volume down a little…'

"... The least important thing is your "role". So use it if needed. It'll become your shield, your identity, make use of it, don't let them know its full extent."

"You'll need to make use of it but a player doesn't show all of their cards at once, remember that if you can."

"I apologize for the lack of words, the translation keeps changing every so often. So I can't really point it out to you." Vista said as he looked somewhere beyond the camera before shaking his head

"Second thing: Don't trust your ******."

It was as if the audio had been muffled, as if a pillow had been thrown in his ears, but some of the words he uttered completely vanished from the audio. Making Philip frown as he tried to reset the video, only to realize he couldn't.

How odd… So he kept listening.

"Did you hear me? Do not trust ******... For them, you are nothing but a TOOL!"

"Perhaps some of them might see you all as Humans and fellow people… Perhaps things have changed… But I am sure this isn't their collective thought."

"You are nothing, you are disposable, you are a piece on the board…"

"There are no Heroes in this world."

Vista's voice was filled with melancholy, what had he experienced to feel and sound like this?

What was he talking about?

"Third thing: Focus on growing! Forget about the distractions they'll offer you. Pleasures and pleasantries… Don't eat the poisoned apple."

"You can enjoy it as much as you want after leaving. And that leads us to the next entry…"

"Fourth thing: Leave immediately! Form a group or go alone. Find a way to go away from the *****..."

That sound again, it seeped into his mind, it echoed in his consciousness, it wasn't silence. It was more than that.

It was…

*****

"..."

Static filled his mind, for a moment, Philip had connected with something, but the connection was cut and before he realized it, he unconsciously resumed his previous thoughts.

As if that moment of inspiration had never happened.

"Fifth thing: Don't attract attention, but you can't be too secretive. You are lucky that this time there will be over a hundred *****…"

"But don't underestimate their perception… Unless they got rusty, I can't see a new "chosen" being able to escape from them."

He looked away with disgust before turning to the camera again.

"Sixth thing: Be careful of what you sign. Don't fall for their words. I've warned you."

"Do not make a contract… Do NOT make a contract. Do not make a contract! Important things should be said 3 times."

"You should only do a contract after you are used to the new *****."

"I…"

Philip was overwhelmed.

"Seventh thing: At the end, if you survive. Do not accept their proposal. Otherwise, you are going to become just like me…"

He grabbed something from underneath the table, letting out a faint sign before putting it back.

"You are free to make your choice though. As that is something they surprisingly give you… The chance to "choose"."

"Even if that choice has your Soul as its price."

"Eight thing: Do not rush for… "First break"."

He struggled for what words to use.

Philip felt that he really wanted to tell him something, but couldn't due to some restrictions. Likely the echoes that loomed over the recording.

Wait… Was this even a recording?

"Arg…"

Philip's head began to ache, a strange feeling. What did they call this again?

Deja Vu?

"... It doesn't matter what "role" you get. Remember to first push yourself beyond your limits before trying that. Every "break" is of outstanding importance. Even more so if you plan to… *****... Dammit… "Resist"."

/Static noise/

"... TSK! They did improve, huh?... Time is running out… I still have over twenty things to talk about…" He said as he clenched his fist, his wrath increasing with every passing moment 

"Damn you all!"

/BANG!/

He punched his wooden table with one hand. Breaking it in half…

That's some immense strength for an old man with one foot on the grave… Or this is one of the greatest movie trailers Philip has ever seen.

"FUCK IT! Let's go to the more important ones!"

He started speaking faster, and the screen began to distort, like a TV channel tuning out.

"Ninth thing! Potential! You need to maximize your potential. There are three types of potential:"

"Mind, body, and mystique! Remember that! Don't confuse them for the five *****."

"Even if you are a musclehead, you can still improve your body potential and mystique. But make sure to always keep them close to each other. But how do you increase your potential?!"

Who was asking who here? Philip thought as his mind began to spin.

"Tenth, eleventh and twelfth things! Do not increase your "state"! No matter what! Increasing it will make everything else harder to acquire."

"Achieving greater feats while in a lower "state" will increase all sorts of rewards leading to a chance for you to increase your potential… Erm…"

"Hoo… Once again, I am sorry for the lack of vocabulary. But I need to say it like this because of the "Assimilation" changes… You will understand what I am talking about as soon as you get your "role"."

He was calming down, but his speed was still increasing.

"Techniques! That is what separates us, Humans, from mere beasts in combat! Get as many as you can until you form a proper fighting style! That's the only time where I will tell you to listen to those guys… Learn from them while you can. You won't get such a good teacher for a long… Long while. If ever."

"RAISE THOSE NUMBERS!..."

"?!"

His voice exploded, almost destroying Philip's eardrums.

"As my old friends liked to say… And remember… Collect all of the "Titles". The good ones though. Be careful not to get bad ones."

"What I want to say is that "Titles" are your lifeblood! They are almost as important as your life! NO! Your life depends on them…"

"I could go on forever, but if I have to choose a few… The Titles that you MUST acquire are: Reading all of the books on the oldest shelf of the abandoned library, number 021; Finishing all of the basic weapon training; Create one martial/magical technique while in the lowest state; Receive a blessing from the broken fountain, you will need a.../STATIC/… for that. Let me repeat, you will need a COIN of.../STATIC/…"

"Huff… My headache is getting stronger…"

Just listening to the video was making Philip tired. Mentally exhausted."

"These five are the most essential ones. You can find a book detailing everything else in the place where the old heroes had their first and last supper… Seek it out if you must."

/STATIC… BUZZ/

"Wait… He only said four though… Did the static cut one?"

"Fucking hell, those bastards caught on too fast…"

"Looks like this is all I can tell you right now. After you leave the castle, make sure to look for the "remnants". Everything I couldn't say here will be there."

"Remember what I said, the truth lies where…"

/STATIC!/

"... Last supper…"

-... And to end this… Remember to prioritize your safety."

"Delete the entirety of your phone data. Anything that may reveal more about yourself."

"They will surely take an interest in it. Either break it now or delete all info. I would break it and throw it at the nearest trash bin if I were you."

"Rather, be smart and throw everything you have on you into the trash can. The least I can do is take care of it for you…"

/POOF/

"The video cut out of nowhere."

Only a black screen was left, a reflection of his face.

His eyes were building, his breathing was disorderly, and he was sweating bullets. 

Was this how he looked like?

"… This was… Ominous… My chest is heavy and my head hurts…"

Deep down, Philip felt a sense of urgency… For the first time in his life, he felt as if he HAD to do something.

"Delete my data? No way… But I can do that much, it's not like I have much on my phone."

'... Let me first pass everything I have here to cloud save.'

With the press of a button on my gallery. Everything slowly made its way to the cloud save…

/BANG BANG BANG!/

That was when it all began.

"HEY! THE DOOR IS FUCKING LOCKED! DID THAT FUCKER OF A GUARD LOCK US INSIDE?!" One of the delinquents said as they slammed their fist on the entrance gates leading to the hall

"Not cool man… It must be a problem with the doors, they are old after all." One of the Popular guys said as he tried to deescalate the situation

"WHAT THE FUCK YOU SAID YOU LITTLE BITCH?!..."

Philip felt odd watching them argue. It was oddly familiar…

'Wow… That guy has some anger issues…'

'But things are getting strange… That door can't lock through the outside… You need to lock it inside and make your way through the back door.'

He knew that because he once locked himself inside…

Anyhow, with his photos backed up, Philip reset his phone back to factory settings before looking around for a trash can, realizing they had seemingly disappeared with the exception of one on his right.

'What the… Didn't we have several of those in here? When did they…'

Shaking his head in confusion, he approached the trash can… Only to see a glistering necklace lying inside of it.

It was really shiny, actually, it felt oddly…

*****

The moment he thought about it, his mind went blank and his thoughts… Reset.

'Okay… Be normal…' He thought as he looked at the can

"Ah! Shit… My phone…"

With a level of acting not even a child would fall for, Philip dropped his phone inside the trash bin. picking the necklace up and stashing it in his pockets instead of the phone.

'No one saw that right? I completely encased the collar on my hand… I'm good at this.'

He wasn't, but it made him feel better nonetheless.

'Should I drop my stuff in here too?... What am I thinking about…'

As he held the collar, he felt calmer, as if he had become whole, and with it, his urgent thoughts vanished, giving rise to a cool headed rationale, one even he was surprised to have.

He thought about how absurd his actions had been, and was ready to pick his phone back up when…

/Tremble…/

/Quake…/

/GASPS!/

The hall shook a little, causing many to immediately panic.

Yet as they clammored to the doors, Philip's breathing turned gentle as his mind scurried his surroundings, immediately noticing something odd.

/Glister…/

Strange green runes began to appear on the surface of the walls. They were everywhere.

But they were faint, making it hard to spot them because of the strong lights on the ceiling.

The runes made Philip shudder, his grasp on the necklace tightening unconsciously…

"Huff…"

He calmed down.

"This is… People have yet to notice it…"

/BAM!/

While he inspected the walls, the people continued their fearful "rampage".

/BAM!/

/SLAM!/

The delinquents were so angry with the situation they started to kick and punch the doors.

Meanwhile, the geeks and a few others were smarter, trying to leave through the back door but to no avail.

All of their escape attempts led them to failure.

Some cried, others took their phones, a few exclaimed for help, some cuddled in fear, others even laughed, while others tried to figure out solutions for their troubles…

They each did their own thing, what a diverse group of people…

"Hum?"

At that moment, as he inspected his surroundings, Philip noticed someone on the other side of the hall.

It was one of the Popular guys. A pretty girl was looking attentively towards the wall.

'So people started to notice it as well…' He thought as he looked at the girl, burning her image on his memory

/BUZZZ… CRACK!/

All of the light bulbs in the ceiling suddenly broke at the same time, adding further to this already absurd situation.

/KYAAAAAA!/

An extremely loud and pitched scream rang in the Hall.

'Urg…! My ears.'

But because of the scream and the darkness, everyone stopped what they were doing, noticing the green… Or should he say, multi-colored runes on the hall?

Red, purple, blue, yellow… Not only green.

The ones close to Philip were green while the ones close to the girl were red.

Could that mean anything?

"..."

Philip began thinking about what the old man said.

'He didn't say anything about the runes, so they aren't that important.'

'For a moment, I acted as if… I was surprised. Everything looks way too real…'

'But what if it is?'

A crazy thought passed through his mind.

"It's just like playing one of those VR games…" One of the university students said as they touched the wall

From fear to curiosity, the wonder of the mystical… 

But Philip knew better, the situation was just getting worse. How could they so easily change their perspective of it?

His vision went to the Lecture hall podium where the runes were also green, trying to draw a pattern, only to fail.

For a moment, he laughed, thinking that, like the many Novels he read, that they were going to rush there and compete for the spotlight.

And that a System would descend and reward the brave ones… Just kidding.

/Quake… Stop…/

The trembling stopped, and now everyone was in a rather beautiful room filled with those strange runes. 

While mystical and pretty, they all looked rather macabre to Philip…

"...?"

/Shake!/

Philip's eyes met with an old friend of his, and they both shrugged at each other, feeling better knowing they were together in this mess…

/Shiiiii/

As if sand was falling into the ground, the light of the runes started to "gather" in one point of the room, creating a multi-colored prismatic ball.

"..."

'Okay. This can't be special movie effects.'

He was quick to make assumptions, but Philip wasn't retarded either.

Everyone had a tilting point, his had just been crossed.

Believing otherwise was just foolish.

'So… What the old man said… Why do I remember everything so clearly? I…'

His headache came back, but not too late as things were about to get quite heated…

/SWELL!/

The ball started to expand, slowly engulfing the room.

"S-SAVE ME!..."

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

/BAM!/

/PUSH!/

/Chaos…/

People started panicking, thinking the ball was dangerous.

In fact. Even Philip trembled, there was no way he wouldn't. The unknown had such effect on the Human mind…

/Cling.../

The crystal on his hand emitted a warm heat, somehow calming him down.

This was also the first time he noticed its strange effects…

"Huff… Looks like you aren't normal either…" He mumbled to himself as he opened his hand slightly, only to hide it quickly before anyone else noticed it

Philip then looked at his phone and bag, and within a second, he made his decision.

he stashed his phone inside it and took out a small switchblade, throwing the rest in the trash can.

He was prepared, his eyes sharpened, ready for the unknown.

Yet, amidst this, he failed to notice the fact that the girl on the other side of the room was looking at him.

"..." 

Just like him, she picked her bag and threw it on the ground after a moment of hesitation.

"..."

'What now?'

'I don't have anything left right?' He thought quietly as he took a step back, a bead of sweat falling from his forehead

The light ball had almost reached him, so he began moving away from it, still skeptical of its nature.

In order to not be the first one to learn what it did… He gathered with the others at the back of the room.

Ten… Thirty seconds passed…

The ball was now so close… Its length had already taken over the entire room.

It was so weird, almost as if the hall had been made to fit its circumference with minimum space at the edges…

/KICK!/

"N-NOO! AHHHH!"

When there was almost little space left, someone was pushed into the ball.

"!!"

'Betrayal huh? This is a good time to see how people act in desperation…'

His eyes darted around rapidly, making sure he wouldn't end like that poor sod.

The Geeks, the edgy Chunibyo group and the Outcasts were the only groups where everyone seemed rather calm.

But the Geeks and the edgy groups seemed… Excited? Really?

While everyone began pushing each other, the Outcasts locked their backs, protecting each other's backs, not allowing anyone to kick or push them. Or at least they tried to...

Of course, there were several individuals who were calm among the rest. Like the popular girl who saw the runes earlier than most.

"NOO!"

Another one bites the dust…

From behind him, Philip saw someone approaching him, his intentions clear. 

It was one of the Normal kids. 

'My memory is quite good today.'

"... Come on man, you don't want to do this." Philip said deeply as he looked at the boy in the eye

"I-I…"

He was so startled by him he retreated in fear.

'I guess people are on edge… I didn't even do anything.'

/Proumm!/

"!"

'It's here!'

It was now or never.

The ball stopped moving. Making a strange sound.

Whatever fate had in wait for them…

It flashed with white light and…

Darkness.

…

/Echo… Echo…/

/Open…/

"U-Urg…"

A moment later, Philip opened his eyes. Dazed and confused, he looked around as his vision refocused and his mind rewired.

A High ceiling decorated with beautiful mythical paintings. 

High marble pillars filled with beautiful carvings depicting ancient creatures and beings.

The ground was so shiny that he could see the reflection of the ceiling perfectly. It shone more than the plates back home.

Everyone around him was still rather disoriented... 

Then it came to him.

'This is bad!'

He was reminded of old man Vista's words:

"... Fifth thing: Don't attract attention..."

Immediately after he opened his eyes and moved his head, Philip closed them again, putting his hands on his head as if experiencing pain. Like all the others around him.

He didn't know what they were feeling because he felt fine but he acted like them nonetheless.

/Whispers…/

/Shua…/

One minute passed before he heard strange whispers and a soothing feeling spread across his body.

Not only his, everybody's.

/Thud…/

Everyone slowly got up. Recovering as they took a look around.

But Philip decided to wait a bit longer before doing the same, but not too long...

As he rose up, he got a good view of his surroundings, inspecting its every detail.

Philip was rather tall, being 193 Cm. Taller than 95% of everyone in here.

So it wasn't an exaggeration to say he could see a little bit further ahead than most.

'I'm so sorry for the Loli behind me though…'

/Chatter…/

As he looked around, his and everyone's gaze fell on the end of the Hall.

"*!@#&!@#)$@"

There, an old priest/mage chanted something incomprehensible before an altar.

This man looked like a twig about to be blown away by the wind, his body was entirely being supported by a strange metallic cane with a massive gem in the middle. 

He wore some nicely decorated white cape resembling that of a priest's.

(Image?)

/Puc puc puc/

Together with his chanting, Philip's ears began to pop for seemingly no reason.

Once the popping ended… The world became seemingly clearer.

"Cough! Cough!..."

He turned around to face a man sitting on a beautiful throne.

"... I am getting too old for this, your majesty." The old priest said after a light cough

His voice was raspy and weak just like his body, but no matter how much he trembled, he kept standing. 

"Thank you once again for your help, High priest Gulio. We will take it from here."

The man on the throne had a powerful and masculine voice. He was tall and muscular, with deep red hair going all the way to his shoulders. 

He had a set of beautiful pauldrons on his shoulders with a deep purple cape.

He wasn't wearing a crown though.

"..."

'Majesty? Did I hear that right?'

"I am not a high priest anymore, old friend… Cough…"

"There seems to be quite a large amount of seedlings this time, so make sure to take good care of them. To think I would live to see this again. I don't really need to say anything else, right?"

"..."

'If that man is truly a king then he will…'

"HAHAHA! No need to tell me! The guards will escort you out. Be sure to stay for dinner though!"

"Ba! I can't eat this fancy… Cough!... Anymore… Rebifos…. I am far too old already."

"I will be home if you need me… Until we meet again."

And the priest left under the care of two knights clad in shiny, purple armor.

"..."

Seeing this, the king mumbled something with a small smile before getting up.

"WELCOME!"

/BOOM!/

His voice thundered in the hall, so loud it was it almost physically pushed them all back.

/Ring…/

'My ears… Fuck… They're ringing again…'

"Hm... Do they understand me Lupio?" The man asked as he turned to the side to face a man wearing an old-style purple Tuxedo

His hair was deep blue and he had a long mustache. He had a very refined aura, the truest of all gentlemans.

"I am sure they are, but I imagine they must be shocked by the travel."

"Let's give them some time. It has been recorded many times that this period is where they're the most… "volatile". Being taken away from home is quite the thing after all."

His voice resembled that of a well-trained butler. If that is anything to go by.

"... I understand. Let's skip formalities then."

/CLAP!/

Multiple beautiful maids carrying several things entered the throne room.

"The best way to make them comfortable is through food, right?"

"That's an excellent option, your majesty."

As he said so, the Maids went in their direction with many trays of food, sweets, and plain water.

They all smelled and looked so heavenly…

/BANG!/

While most wavered in their presence, one of the delinquents pushed the plate the maid was carrying into the ground, making her drop all of the stuff she was carrying.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS ALL OF THIS?! YOU BETTER EXPLAIN THIS SHITHOLE ELSE…"

/Fwoosh…/

A knight clad in red armor with a large spear appeared behind the man. He was over two meters tall and fully clad in red armor.

It was almost as if he teleported…

"Else what?..." The knight asked

He looked towards the delinquent.

The guy became scared but recomposed himself before throwing up a punch in the knight's face.

/CLANG!... CRACK!/

"AHHHH!"

The knight didn't even move while the guy broke his fingers.

"I approve of your courage, young one, but I disapprove of your recklessness."

"Stay there and rethink your actions through the pain. The king's authority cannot be challenged. Normally you would be sentenced to dea…"

He never even looked at the boy. So beneath he was of his attention.

"Stop. He is just a confused kid." The red haired man, or better put, his glorious majesty, the King, said as he raised his right hand to the knight

/Clang!/

The knight immediately got on his knees, saying:

"Understood!"

"Hm…"

The king looked at them and said:

"It seems most of you have regained your clarity. I am immensely sorry for what just happened, I want to clear all of your worries but we need to take this slow."

"..."

'He seems like a nice guy…'

The words echoed in his mind:

"Second thing: Don't trust your ******. Did you hear me? Do not trust ******... For them, you are nothing but a TOOL!"

"..."

'Could it be… Was he talking about our… "summoner"?'

"I will give you all five minutes then we will start. Calm down in the meantime."

Philip felt lost, and he instinctively moved his hand to his pockets…

"!"

'The necklace! It isn't here! How's this possible?'

'I had my hands in there the entire time! I only took it out when I placed my hands on my head…'

'Was it then?'

/Inhale… Exhale…/

His eyes sharpened.

'Focus… Things are getting serious way too fast.'

He looked around and at everyone's confused faces.

Their struggles had just begun.

…

.

.

.

Notes