Prologue

High school life... They say that it is the best experience in most people's lives, laughing together with your friends and classmates, getting scolded together for being late, achieving great remarks from your teachers, and finding your so-called high school crush... However, all I have stated was just the good things about high school. This is where the small number of high schoolers' lives go comes in.

Bullying... This problem not only exists in high school but mostly in the everyday part of people's lives, be it any places where people are present. It is said that one out of five students reported being bullied, which is about 20.2 percent of the total average. It was also reported that there is a higher percentage of males than the female being physically abused, which is about 6 percent over 4 percent. Whereas a higher percentage of female than male students reported being the subject of rumors (18% and 9%) and being excluded from activities on purpose (7% and 4%) based on National Center for Educational Statistics, 2019.

Of course, students that reported such bullying think that the abuse will happen again, even though they have already informed their school faculties about the bullying. There are four types of bullying. Number 1 is physical bullying.

Physical bullying includes kicking, hitting, tripping, pinching, and pushing or damaging property. The said bullying causes both short-term and long-term damage.

Number 2 in the list is verbal bullying. It includes calling names, insults, teasing, intimidation, homophobic or racist remarks, or verbal abuse. While verbal bullying can start off harmless, it can escalate to levels, which start affecting the individual targets.

Thirdly, social bullying, sometimes referred to as covert bullying, is often harder to recognize and can be carried out behind the bullied person's back. It is designed to harm someone's social reputation and/or cause humiliation.

Social bullying can include:

• lying and spreading rumors

• negative facial or physical gestures, menacing or contemptuous looks

• playing nasty jokes to embarrass and humiliate

• unkindly mimicking

• encouraging others to socially exclude someone

• damaging someone's social reputation or social acceptance

Lastly, cyberbullying...

It can be overt or covert bullying behaviors using digit technologies including hardware such as computers and cellphones, and software such as social media, instant messaging, text, websites, and other online platforms. Cyberbullying can happen at any time. It can be in public or private and sometimes only known to the person bullying and the target. Bullying does not choose a place.

Now... (Why am I starting off with some bullying statistics and explaining such topics? Well, the answer should be pretty obvious. It is because I am a victim of not just 1 type of bullying but all 4.

I have thought many times of killing myself, holding a neatly knotted rope on both of my hands, standing on a chair... But every time, I would remember my parent's faces, so tired from working to put food on the table. So, instead of ending it all with suicide, I found little strength from my parents and decided to endure it all.

I want to go into further details about suicide caused by bullying, but I am afraid I might trigger some past traumas or events, which affects people's lives and mind every time, making them remember all the harsh things they suffered at the hands of cruel people.

Hmm... An introduction of myself... How should I introduce myself? I am not really good at this. I am the aloof type of student, his messy hair covering my face. And always reading a book on my desk, not giving a damn care about everything. Whenever I am indulging in reading, my mind would just forget my surroundings, focusing only on imagining what is happening in the book and understanding every bit of it. As for my physical appearance, I am average when it comes to height, weighing over 60 kilograms. Is that thin? I dunno... Sometimes, I look healthy, but most of the time, for me, I look thin.

"Esecleus Agnello Villin."

As soon as my name was called from the stage, I surged from my seat, trembling from all the laughing gaze I had at the moment.

"Here comes the peasant," insulted Ryan.

For over three years, Ryan has been that one person who had been consistent in bullying me. Extorting my allowance, making me buy lunch for them, their lackey or errand boy for common knowledge.

Fearfully, I looked and will always look down whenever I am walking down a crowd, with plenty of eyes mocking my existence, calling me

names inside their minds.

My high school graduation ended with me being sad all day after one of the students bullying me tripped me when I was walking down the aisle.

Everyone laughed at me, even some of the teachers who disliked me. I knew it even if I did not see them laugh. I am sure of it. Inside their mind, they were laughing.

Although most of my life in high school was like hell, there were still times when I felt alive, happy, and satisfied.

***

Every day, under the sunny weather of Monday, I would go out in the garden and will look for a scissor and the watering can. (I was not assigned to water the flowers every day, but my love for flowers and plants made me feed them, mixing natural fertilizer in the soil and cutting off the withered leaves and flowers.

"Eggnello sure is hardworking when it comes to watering the flowers in the garden."

"Shush, Ariane, Ryan's errand boy might hear you! But have you heard? Janice said she saw Esecleus stealing a book at a bookstore. Being so poor makes anyone do such sinful acts, eh?"

Eggnello, Ryan's errand boy, peasant, I have many nicknames, but those nicknames they were calling me, I did not agree at being called like that. And this false rumor about me stealing a book? I did not steal a damn book. I was just checking it when this bitch named Janice happened to be at the same place when I opened my backpack. The timing was perfect.

It looked as though I was gonna put the book inside my bag. Although she did not tell about it the store owner, Janice did spread it all over the school. Well, my reputation could not get worst anymore.

Insults like that and rumors do not bother me anymore. In fact, I don't give a damn care about them anymore although I tried putting up a fight countless times, one tends to learn after countless times of beating too. I would go home all bruised, my uniform dirty, and my parents would always ask why. Don't get me wrong, I have tried plenty of times to tell them about the bullying, but our social status would remind me of their jobs. They could lose their job in an instant. If I ever tell a soul to them, I would just lie or either shut my mouth.

Enough with the bullying talks, and let's focus on a new goal, that is to start a new life in the city. Oh, I forgot to tell you that we live in a province. It hurts me to do so, but I decided to live on my own and leave both of my parents. I packed up my things, sorted out my collection of books, to be delivered after, and went on my way.

***

Manila, the capital of the Philippines, is a densely populated bayside city on the island of Luzon, which mixes Spanish colonial architecture with modern skyscrapers. Intramuros, a walled city in colonial times, is the heart of old Manila. It is home to the baroque 16th century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and former military prison.

(The reason why I decided to move here is one, to escape the life I had back in my town. Secondly, the tuition fee in the college university I enrolled in is free, as in free of everything. The university will even provide students their allowance, weekly money we can use. Isn't it too good to be true? I will also be living in the dorms at the university, which is very convenient! Can you believe that? I mean, it's free college! All you just need to do is attend classes and maintain a passing grade.)

Living in a province full of trees, breathing unpolluted air, eating fresh food, there is a lot of things too different to the life I am seeing right now here in Manila. People were prim, well-groomed, talking in our native language, which is Filipino or I should say Tagalog, and living such a different life, unlike mine.

I don't envy anyone, though. My parents, even if we are poor, taught me things I would bring with me wherever I am. They might not feel that I love them, I will be forever grateful for having them as my parents.

Eh? Why am I weeping? Idiot, stop crying. You are surrounded by people you don't know. They might think you're a freak, a grown-ass man from the mountains.

Immediately, I wiped my face off the damn tears and proceeded on my way to explore this spectacular discovery. I have read books about Manila, how good it is in the front view, and how poverty has driven the poor to live in the slums.

While aimlessly walking in this... what should I call it? Beautiful city? I don't know. But I am sure Manila falls in the category of being beautiful. You might be bored by now after reading such a long pointless story of mine, but if you choose to stay and continue reading, I promise to give you a story you would remember even after you finish a countless number of stories. Automatically, your mind will play all the scenes and lines in this story provided.

***

August 4, 2025, Monday, is the day my college life begins. I, Esecleus Agnello Villin, am taking Bachelor in Science in Floriculture and

Landscaping. Floriculture includes farming of flowering and ornamental plants that can be used as raw materials in the perfume industry and pharmaceutical sector. Due to the increase in the domestic need for flowers, the career scope in the field of floriculture is also increasing.

Ain't my love in flowers blooming? Don't get me wrong, okay? I am completely straight, not even a hint of finding men attractive. In fact, I hate most good-looking guys. It's because they wolves in disguise of a sheep, acting all goody two shoes in front of women and would toughen up whenever someone low like me, average-looking or I should just say ugly, try to act all friendly with them. So, with that being said, I would just ignore everyone but would minimally respond when someone talks to me, avoiding eye contact.

Okay, okay, enough with it... Right now, I am on a ferry, on my way to this man-made island the Philippines government created. It just took several years for my country to advance in technology after a good leader became our president. He opened many opportunities for his citizens, manufactured more windmills that convert air into energy, build more data centers, and improved the Philippines economy.

The Philippines has changed a lot ever since this leader governed the country. Changes people did not expect, especially those who were opposed to his candidacy when the presidential election was ongoing.

Anyways, can you believe this? The ferry I am currently riding is owned by the government, transporting all of the students of the university I am going to. Based on my speculations, all these people I am seeing right now are all freshmen because the university had just opened to the public after the creation of the man-made island about 10 miles away from Manila Bay. I walked and found myself holding on a rail, at the deck, staring into this blue yonder. Blue yonder gives me calmness and motion sickness because I forgot I am prone to motion sickness!

I hurried back to my room, regretting my own foolishness because now I feel sick like my insides had been turned upside down. It's a good thing I didn't throw up.

On my way to my room, I stumbled upon a group of foreigners speaking in their languages, which I could not make out of it. I quickly took a glance after noticing a girl with a hint of crimson in her hair, something like a highlight. The faster I glanced at the woman, the faster I took my eyes off her when I noticed she was looking in my direction.

"Did she notice I was looking at her?"

Hurriedly, taking small quick steps, I scurried away from the hallway and entered my room, embarrassed of myself.

I collapsed on my bed, suffering from motion sickness, then recalled that slight grin on her face, which seemed to captivate something in me. I suddenly got up, realizing just now how spectacularly grandeur this ferry is! They said that this expensive boat has a theater, small swimming pool, catering, and live plays. Everyone has their own room, spacious enough for a student to enjoy their thirty minutes travel from Manila shore to The Killing Isle.

The government explained why it is named The Killing Isle. Rumors have it that at the time of the construction of the island and the buildings, workers, plenty of them, either died or got injured unknowingly.

The media and the government never disclosed the reason for these deaths and injuries, which created many theories about this artificial island.

***

Thirty minutes come and go real quick. (All of the students had unboarded the ferry, waiting for further instructions in the ferry slip. Crews of the boat unloaded large boxes of things I don't know, transporting them in a vehicle inside the University.

The artificial island, The Killing Isle, is specially built for the University of the New Philippines, funded by the government and other sponsors across the country.

"Can you imagine how much money our government put just to make this? They are even giving college freshman free college courses."

"Dude, they got the funds from taxes, which we Filipinos provided. They make billions from taxes, so an artificial island like this and free college is not that big of a deal to them. The government even has big figures backing this project."

My limited knowledge can't express how I am feeling right now. I should explain what the university looks like based on the scope of my knowledge words that I know. First of all, it is a 5.5 square kilometers artificial island, located 10 miles away from the Manila shore, a project of Senator Ramon y Estudio, founder of the University of the New Philippines.

Hey, um, note that I don't know anything about this island, okay? I did not study how government procurements work. My life is all about floriculture and bullying. Also, I watch some animes and read comics. I did some research and found out. Originally, the island was meant to be finished for 10 more years, but somehow, strangely, the building became faster than they had expected.

A lot of mysteries going on on this island, right? But I did not come here to investigate all that. I came to study, graduate with a degree and pull my parents up the food chain.

"Attention, everyone!"

An officer caught our attention not because of his voice or because he said so, but because of the gun, a rifle, hanging on his shoulder.

He was wearing what seemed to be a special force's uniform, intimidatingly looking at us, students, while his index finger rested on his rifle's trigger.

"Students of the University of the New Philippines, I am Vice-Admiral George Fernandez, Deputy Commandant for Operations, Philippine Coast Guard. My men and I are here to escort everyone into their dorms."

More armed men, wearing the dignified uniform of the coast guard, arrived in small boats. Here, Vice Admiral George Fernandez is talking in English because not only Filipinos from across the country are present but also freshman students from overseas.

The stout man, glorious and prim, continued with his brief explanations.

"Originally, it should be the ground forces who are gonna escort everyone. They have lots of things to do, and leave the job to us, coast guards."

Multiple vehicles that belonged to the government were parked near the entrance of the university. The whole place is the university except for the ferry slip and helipad.

We followed these armed coast guards. Are they usually armed? Also, why is it them who are escorting us? Shouldn't it be the school's employees? Well, it might be because it's government-owned.

One at a time, the engines started, tires screeching, everyone got in, and we finally entered The Killing Isle.

"The dorm for boys and girls are separated. Each student will be given a room for themselves, with no roommates whatsoever. You will have the room for yourself."

On our way, we saw a three-story pale blue building, it's like a Mall, erected beside the public pool.

"Here, you will see a Mall made after SM Center Pasig, about roughly 30,000 square meters. We also have a pool, cinema, and other establishments you will find in a normal city."

Normal city? Then is he claiming this island is not normal?

***

It is 10 in the morning, but I am already exhausted. I threw myself in my bed. It's soft, white sheet, and smells really nice, compared to the hard bed I'm used to sleeping at. I looked around earlier before I got in my bed. There is a small refrigerator, air conditioner, stove, clean, small bathroom, and other room necessities.

Earlier, when Vice-Admiral George Fernandez talked, no one bothered him to ask a question. It might be because of the sheer intimidation he is imposing on us with those guns, although we know he will not shoot us or use their rifles to harm anyone.

"Oh, right, we were told to gather in the school gym at exactly 11."

***

I took a quick bath changed into a pair of new clothes I bought to match Manila's fashion style, but still made it minimal with only a plain white shirt, black trouser pants, and a pair of white sneakers with black linings.

All freshmen students had gathered in the school gym, standing around, idly talking to each other. I don't like crowds, especially people whom I know.

On the stage, a large monitor was placed, and two speakers were on both sides of the stage. The monitor made static noises, then it suddenly opened, revealing a woman formally dressed.

"Welcome, dear students of UNP! A place where mysteries will unfold, home for new faces, and your safe place is where you all stood right now!"

~