Chapter 8: This is Simply a Time Bomb

Chapter 8: This is Simply a Time Bomb

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The classroom was silent with anticipation, each student focused intently on Zephyr as if he were about to perform a grand illusion. The tension in the air was palpable, a heavy silence that seemed to amplify the slightest sound.

Zephyr took a deep breath, mentally rolling his neck and cracking the bones in his hands. It was time to put three years of storytelling, meticulously honed under the guidance of the old gatekeeper, to the test. Adopting a serious tone, he began recounting the tale Zero had shared with him during his morning jog.

"You all know the story of the Great Convergence, right?" he began, his voice resonating through the room.

The story went like this:

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A million years ago, Earth was an ordinary planet, teeming with life under the watchful eyes of the stars. It was a time of peace, where authorities held sway, seasons flowed predictably, and life thrived in harmony.

But nearly a million years ago, the tranquility of Earth was shattered by a cosmic event known as the Great Convergence. It started as a whisper among the stars—a convergence of cosmic energies from distant galaxies and unknown dimensions, drawn inexorably towards the blue-green orb nestled within the solar system.

The Great Convergence was a phenomenon beyond mortal comprehension, its origins obscured by the veils of time and space. As the cosmic energies surged towards Earth, they brought with them a transformative power—an energy that penetrated the very fabric of reality itself—Cosnergy.

Upon reaching Earth's atmosphere, the cosmic energies unleashed a cataclysmic surge that rippled through the planet's core. It was as if the universe had chosen this moment to awaken dormant potentials within humanity—to ignite the latent sparks of possibility that lay dormant within the human soul.

Across the globe, individuals began to awaken to extraordinary abilities—talents that defied the laws of nature and bent reality to their will. Some discovered an affinity for elemental manipulation, commanding fire, water, earth, and air with effortless grace. Others unlocked psychic abilities, delving into the depths of telepathy, telekinesis, and extrasensory perception.

Cities and civilizations were reshaped by these newfound talents. With such changes came transformations in schooling systems, security and authority figures, and other crucial aspects of life.

With the combination of technology and supernatural abilities, the planet entered a new era, an era of cosmic harmony.

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Zephyr paused, letting the weight of the story settle over his classmates. Though this era was called the era of cosmic harmony, things had been far from harmonious in the past thousand years. With the presence of this new source of power, human greed was bound to be revealed. For five thousand years after the Great Convergence, humans fought internal wars among themselves. The next five thousand years unified them as they fought against a common enemy.

The last few thousand years had been spent maintaining that unity, bringing about the harmony they were enjoying now.

Zephyr smiled at the thought. This layer of pretense was very thick.

Turning his attention back to his classmates, he noted their varied expressions—some were intrigued, others confused, but all were focused.

"Captain, we all already know all this. It was a whole subject on its own in primary school," Sam was the first to voice his confusion.

"Yeah, I remember it being the most boring class in primary school," Miles quickly agreed.

Zephyr spoke, preventing further discussion. "This isn't the main thing I want to talk about. Today, I'll tell you all three things, and then you can choose how the story ends. I've already said the first thing I wanted to say—the Great Convergence."

He paused for dramatic effect, letting the silence heighten the anticipation. "The second thing," he continued, turning away from the class.

Walking up to the raised platform, he picked up the marker on the teacher's desk and began writing in the top right corner. He drew two lines, forming a box, and inside it, he wrote:

17m 45wks 6d 17hrs 27mins 15secs

After copying the information from the timer on his system interface onto the board, Zephyr capped the marker and returned it to its place.

"What does that mean? How did you do that?" Conner was the first to ask, his voice calm but with an edge of self-restraint.

"Why did you write a timer of half a year and a half on the board, Captain?" Brian asked immediately after. "What's the countdown for?"

A small smile played at Zephyr's lips. It really was convenient to talk to smart people. Only after Brian's words did the others realize that there really was a timer counting down on the board, constantly losing seconds. Everyone soon began murmuring among themselves, urging Zephyr to explain how he animated the words he wrote on the board to countdown like a normal timer.

"Silence, please. I'll explain everything," Zephyr commanded, bringing order back to the classroom. "Animating the words to imitate a timer is simply my talent. As for why it's counting down to a year and a half..."

He paused, letting the weight of his next words sink in. "...this is simply how long we have until this city is destroyed."

The silence that followed was thick with disbelief and shock. Eyes widened, breaths were held, and a few students even glanced around, as if expecting some sort of cosmic disaster to strike at any moment.

"You can't be serious," Mirabella said finally said, her voice a mixture of incredulity and skepticism.

Zephyr met his gaze steadily. "I am. The timer is real, and it's counting down to the destruction of our city. Whether we believe it or not, it is real."

"But how do you know this?" Emily asked, her tiny voice tinged with fear and curiosity.

Zephyr took a deep breath, his expression growing even more serious. "This brings me to the third thing I need to tell you. This timer is part of a larger system—a system that I've been connected to. It's given me information, abilities, and a mission."

"A mission?" Sydney echoed, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What kind of mission?"

"To save our city," Zephyr replied simply. "And by extension, to protect our planet from a looming threat that i can not face alone."

The classroom erupted into a flurry of questions and doubts. Zephyr didn't understand why they were all still so calm. He'd expected they'd react differently, laugh and tell him how much of a joker he was or walk out of the room in anger and disappointed. At least then they'd be acting normal.

Zephyr quickly got over his confusion though. It was a good they they were still composed, more or less. He raised his hand for silence once more.

"I know this is hard to believe," he continued, his tone earnest and imploring. "But I'm not asking you to believe me blindly. What I just said is hard to believe. I have proof to back up my words. However, I can only reveal this proof to you when and if you truly and sincerely choose to help me save this city."

The weight of his words hung in the air, and slowly, the murmurs of dissent began to fade. Outside the windows, the sun slowly rose, birds began to sing and a gentle wind blew.

"This is why you had us agree to the oat, right? So we can tell anyone about this." Mike asked, his eyes wide with apprehension.

"Correct," Zephyr confirmed. "That's why I asked for your oath of silence. I can't risk this information falling into the wrong hands. I'm sorry."

The students exchanged glances, a silent agreement passing between them. Zephyr could see the questions in their eyes, still not believing completely but unable to call him a lier either.

"This is simply a time bomb," Zephyr reiterated, pointing to the timer written on the board. "But with your help, I can try to defuse it. We can protect our home and our city. So, I'm formally asking you to..."

Zephyr slowly bent his upper body, bowing his head low, his voice softening with sincerity. "...please help me save this city."

As the first rays of dawn filtered through the windows, bathing the classroom in a warm, golden light, his plea hung in the air, earnest and desperate.