Fantasy Within the Core

[SilverBlack]

Within The Core

...

With a weird sense of coldness and a feeling of utter unfamiliarity, you wake up to find yourself lying on a pure white bed of a small, empty room. The walls and ceiling are consisted of huge black marbles, with a large window to the side of the wall just a few feet away from the bed you're at. The room is unsettlingly clean, as if not a single dust can be found. You have never been to this room before, much less heard about it. It is daytime, for the only source of light you can seem to find is the faint rays of sunlight that penetrates through the clear glass of the window to brighten up the room.




A look out the window then, and you will discover a scene of complete desertion. Unlike the room, the streets and collapsed buildings outside are covered in thick layers of dust and sand, which are also mixed into the air, making the whole environment contaminated. Not a single person or living creature can be spot, except the numerous amount of garbage and ragged clothes lying about. The only possible noises you hear that may or may not be from an animal outside the window is a sharp, strange shriek accompanied by some inhuman roars. It's as if it's made by some monsters that should've never existed in the world.


The scene totally contradicts with every single memory you have of the world you lived in, where streets echo with the sound of the running cars and people talking, where tall buildings can be spotted everywhere along with high, advanced technology. It contradicts to the world that are supposed to be filled with energy, booming with liveliness--simply being alive. Now, it seems like the only safe and habitable place is this room you're in, and whatever building this is.


You may notice that your body feels strangely hot, as if some unknown energy now resides within you. However, you do not yet know what it is. A scan around the room, and you will find that there really isn't anything, except a tiny monitor hanging beside the top right corner of the door. The screen is originally pitch black, until seconds later, it suddenly flickers, and a series of number....more like a date, appears on the screen.





2/10/2052





Perhaps the realization will hit you that second then, or perhaps it'll take some time. But it is undoubtedly true that the date is not wrong.




You have woken up 15 years into the future--a world of total destruction.




----

"Everything starts here."


...

"The core is the beginning of everything....But also the end."





Under the dimly lit room, his words resounded against the metal walls as the young man leaned back to his seat, where his narrowed eyes looked to the others with a smile of hidden mystery.


A long pause followed, before he spoke again.


"...And that's what make them special. Oh, no, beyond special---beyond unique."


He was greeted by silence, a form of it that he was long used to. It's a silence that could be defined as people lost in their thoughts, in search for the right words to respond yet thrown into the mind's own confusion. Of course, his faith in this group of people was strong enough to know that they weren't that easy to manipulate, that easy to deprave. Perhaps it's due to the existence of suspicion they long have for each other that contributes to their deep caution and mistrust. It’s not like it matters, though---after all, their goal was the same, and everything else unrelated to that would be considered as unimportant.





A clear of a throat, and everyone redirected their attention to the lady on the other side of the iron table. Her face masked in wrinkles yet layered with the heaviest of make-ups, she appeared as nothing but an old woman unable to accept her age. Despite so, the aura she spread was that of an unwavering authority, even if her position did not state so.


“In other words,” her voice was deep as she scowled upon the man. “You’re saying that you’re the only one fit to deal with them.”


The man laughed in response, “I did not say I’m the only one, I simply mean I’m the most capable.”


“And why would you say that?” Another voice questioned, a hint of sneer in his tone.


The room went quiet for a moment, before the man let out a soft chuckle. Standing up from his seat, he stretched out his arms in an exaggerated gesture as he approached the front of the table, where he looked toward his “audience” with arrogant confidence. His facial features, that of a handsome young man, hid that he’s in fact not the youngest among the group. Nevertheless, he could still feel those prejudicial eyes laid upon him, regarding him as simply an amateur. How ridiculous, when those elders couldn’t even compare to him.


“Do not frighten me with the possibility that you, ladies and gentlemen, have forgotten the benefits and advantages I’ve brought upon you all? The reason why the plan is going well, is because of me, my dear...partners,” choosing his words carefully yet insincerely, the light tapping sounds of his feet against the cold hard floor could be heard clearly as he began to circle around the table, his hand from time to time rested upon one’s shoulder--a sign of trust, if not a lie.


“All of those...deeds, experiments, tests...Isn’t it because of me? Be aware, fair ones, that without this intelligent brain of mine, everything wouldn’t have ended in the way you want.”


“Your pride will be your own destruction,” the old lady from before commented, her voice low with disgust.


The man bowed, “Then do not provoke it, for my destruction is also your destruction.”


“Where is that son of yours?” She questioned, redirecting the topic.


“Son? Ah, him. I won’t call him my son, but, I have sent him off for a mission.”


“Mission? For what?”


“Of course it is for tomorrow, madam, I have it all prepared.”


The woman scoffed, “So either way, you’re planning to take over them even if we don’t allow you to.”


“However, I would not disappoint you at all,” the man shrugged, then redirected himself to an elder that had not yet spoken at all throughout the whole discussion. His confident smile still hung upon his face as their eyes met, although neither said a word for a few moments.


Then, the other spoke, his voice stern along with his eyes, his voice cracked with age. “You want me to grant you the permission.”


“Yes, sir, that’s all I desire.”


“....Very well, you may take care of them.”


A fist slammed onto the table, and the lady yelled, “Boss! How could you!”


“Shush, Vanessa. He has never failed us once.”


Grinning in pleasure, the man once again bowed in a gesture of gratitude. Then, as if his job in here is done, he ignored the rest of the conversation as he approached the door for exit. Right before he left, however, he made sure to turn around to gave his last remark.


“Please look forward to it, ladies and gentlemen.”


A thud, and the door shut.


----


“Ah---Ahh, good, it’s working. Thank you, Aira.”


Through the monitors, his voice was clear as he made sure everyone could hear the message. For them, they’ve most likely noticed the date shown upon them on the screens in their rooms. He had been waiting for this moment to come---had been waiting for years.


“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said with a slight pause. “Have you all had a good sleep? Judging from your conditions right now, you all must be baffled with your current situations.”


Directing his words toward each newly woken member in the room, he continued, “Do not worry, though, everything will be explained fairly quickly. Now, however, I request each and everyone of you to head outdoor first. Outdoor as in….Well, well, of course you guys wouldn’t know. Let’s see, perhaps you guys can first exit the room? Head down the hallway, where you shall see staircase leading downstairs. You guys will know what to do from there on.”


A clean shut, and no more voice could be heard across the monitors, where the screen remained with the same blueness and a date of, for them, complete unfamiliarity.

​

 

[DergTheDergon]

Jordan's eyes shot open, and he found himself laying on his side. He had this sneaking suspicion upon waking that something wasn't right, though what was wrong he had no clue at first. Was it a nightmare? Lying there and trying to recall any fragments of dreams still hanging about within his mind, he came up with nothing. Then, as he became aware of the bare white wall he was staring at, he finally understood where this uneasy feeling must have been coming from: his unfamiliar, stark white surroundings. Sitting up with a start, he scanned the room unable to remember how in the hell he got here... or even where he fell asleep last night, or what he was doing that entire day... not even where he lived. This... this made no sense, it was completely illogical. How do memories up and disappear like that? Was he still in a dream? No, I can't be, he thought, even a lucid dream does not contain this many sensory details, this amount of awareness. I can move my body any way I choose. This is still the most surreal thing I've ever experienced.' Jordan took a deep breath to calm down... he felt anxiety rising within him, the amount of unanswered questions and missing details entering his mind were coming at such a fast rate it was impossible to keep track of. Jordan recofused his mind on his surroundings, hoping to find a clue among the seeming emptiness of this room. The only object of note was some kind of monitor at the foot of his bed. There was lettering on it, and as he read it he stopped in his tracks, his mind going blank for a moment. 'February tenth.. 2052?! That doesn't sound right. What year is it really? I... I don't remember! What the hell, I don't remember!'





Jordan's thoughts were going haywire with the illogical nature of this situation he found himself in. He was used to his life following a clear, nigh on predictable pattern, always knowing what to do next and how to do it. That had all been snatched away from him the instant he awoke in this room. Taking a few deep breaths to clam himself, he was startled as the sound of a man's voice suddenly came forth from the blue-screened monitor without warning. The voice sounded clear and confident, arrogantly so, and the nonchalant mysterious tone in which he spoke caused some frustration to rise within Jordan's mind. As the man said "ladies and gentlemen," Jordan paused in confusion. 'I'm the only one in this room... are there others somewhere? Must be, either that or this man is more delusional than I seem to be right now...'





When the man finished speaking, Jordan found his mind was now running with even more questions than before. It almost seemed as though the man's task was to inform him of what to do, but didn't care enough to even think through what he was going to say first. Since staying in this bed seemed to be getting him nowhere, Jordan decided to throw the covers off of himself, plant his feet on the ground, march over to the door, throw it open, slam it shut and start heading down the hall as asked.


Only when he was about 10 feet from the room he awoke in did he realize just how fast he had done all these things, as if he was simultaneously executing the plan about a split second before even having thought it out entirely. It was almost as if his body knew what to do before his mind did. Stopping in his tracks and coming to this odd realization, he decided that questioning anything more about this surreal experience was futile, and would probably only result in a headache... in fact he already felt one coming on in the back of his skull. Taking another deep breath, he simply put one foot in front of the other down the hallway until he found the aforementioned staircase, looking around for anyone else in this so far seemingly empty corridor.

 

[Esil Lark]

Name: Alexander Hales


Age: 25

Alexander awaken from the unfamiliarity of his surrounding, even though he was sound asleep, he felt that something was wrong, briskly sitting up from the bed he was laying on, he held his head there was a slight pang of pain hit him in the head. Groaning silently, as he brush his blonde hair back, that is when he saw the room he was in. His eyes slowly opened widely at the sight of the room. Where... He thought to himself as he looked around the room in discomfiture. This strangely white room is really giving him an uneasy feeling, throwing his sheets on the side, he let his feet fall on the ground. Slowly standing up, he saw the tiny blue screen monitor by the door, obviously curious he approach it, and his eyes widen some more from what he saw. February 10th... 2052 ?! Okay, that does not sound right. He thought to himself as he look more around the room and saw a window.The feeling of uneasiness increases.


Sighing deeply, and preparing his body to whatever he might see out there, he slowly approach the window, peaking out of it and saw a glimpse of the outside, as much as he wanted to react to that he quickly turned around when he heard a voice, causing him to have a slight goosebumps,he does not know if it's because of what he saw out there or the sudden voice that surprise the hell out of him. Ladies and gentlemen, huh? He said to himself, as he look over his shoulder to see the window then upfront at the door, he sighed deeply trying to compose himself to all this weirdness that's been happening around him. And his memory is quite vague, but he does know something though. That is to act calm in any circumstances and don't let anyone know what you're really thinking. In short, hide your real emotions. At least that's the rule he made for himself.


Looking around the room once again, he doesn't really have anything to do but to follow the man who talk through the screen. He approach the door still trying to compose himself, and that's when he felt the odd feeling of hotness coming from his body, Fever..? he asked to himself as he quickly walked out the room, looking around the hallway suspiciously, as he followed the man's direction from earlier, he walk down to the seemingly empty hallway, as he stop on his track, why? Well he actually saw a living creature, a.k.a. human. He breathed deeply as if he just realize something, I see.. 'Ladies and Gentlemen'.. cause I'm not alone. He thought to himself as he let out his perfectly fake smile, and walk towards the staircase, not really knowing if he should talk to the man.

 

[noname]

Fifty...two?


Ruk scrunched his eyebrows together, staring at the tiny screen above the door. What was that? One of those touchscreen gadgets that everyone seemed to have? An- "Iphone?" A bit startled at how raspy his voice sounded, he placed a hand around his throat and shifted his eyes away from the screen. He looked at a tiny screen with numbers on it for a few seconds and his voice comes out as a mess. How typical. Ruk cleared his throat, trying to restore his voice to its normal baritone state. He should have known nothing good would come out of staring at an electronic device...where was he anyway? Turning his head left and right, he took in the room. The room had pretty nice marble walls, a single window, and he was lying on a bed. A bed? "Aw man..did I end up drinking rum with one of the locals again?" Ruk sheepishly smiled to himself, shaking his head. "At least that would explain why I can't remember anything after meeting those researchers." He wondered what happened to them. The young man squinted his eyes as sunshine shone into the dim room and sat up, oddly shivering while at it. Ruk rubbed his arms. Was the room always this cold? He bundled the blanket around himself. First things first, he needed to investigate...and by investigate he meant taking a sun bath while looking outside. "To the window!" With a smile he snapped his head towards the direction of the sun rays and took a step out of the bed, only to tangle his feet with the blanket and tumbled to the ground.





"Or..to the floor." He let out a false laugh, trying to recover from his clumsiness and rubbed his forehead. "Ouch.." Ruk lifted his head and reached for the blanket so he could gather it above his legs when he stood up instead of tripping over it again as if he wore a long dress that didn't quite match his height. He blinked when he felt a familiar material different from what the blanket was made out of and grinned when he saw his messenger bag sitting on the ground beside the bed. "There you are." As he started looking through his belongings a voice whizzed into the room, making him freeze at the sudden announcement.





He listened carefully till the message ended and nonchalantly resumed looking through the contents of his bag. "What a nice man." His black cloak was neatly folded next to his notebooks, pens, and telescope. "Looks like I ended up in a very friendly place after all." With a sigh of relief that none of his belonging had been stolen, Ruk wrapped the sling of his bag over his shoulder, gathered the blanket in his arms so he could place it back on the bed, and stood up. "I should make the bed since the people here offered me a nice room to stay in~" He looked at the window, wanting to see the brilliant sky so he could start his day with pleasant thoughts. When he saw the sight that the window held before him, Ruk dropped the blanket. This had to be a dream. This couldn't be the same city he had been scavenging in the day before.


"No way..." Leaving the blanket on the floor, Ruk immediately head straight to the door, left it wide open in the midst of running out, and frantically skidded to a stop when his body temperature rose. He placed a hand over his chest, feeling his heart beating rapidly. Why was his body suddenly so warm? Was it because he ran too fast after lying down? "How odd." First he felt cold, now hot. Was he sick? Ruk exhaled and tried to calm down. He was probably feeling a bit too jittery from the rum he drank last night...or..perhaps he hadn't drank at all? "Wow...this place does not look like a tavern.." The hallway had an eerie feeling, similar to the very clean room he woke up in. Everything was seemed much too barren. Taking slower steps, Ruk made his way to the staircase.


His eyes glistened when he saw the two men. "Hello~!!" He waved a hand and flashed a smile at both of them, genuinely relieved that he wasn't alone. He made sure to emphasize the pronunciation of his name as he introduced himself, a habit he formed after many foreigners simply called him 'Ruckus' instead of 'Rahk Craws'. "My name is Ruk Cras but you can just call me Ruk. Would either one of you be so kind and inform me as to where I am? Or perhaps you are just as confused as I am?" Ruk widened his eyes and clasped his hands together when he remembered something. "Oh! Are you two part of the group that the man referred to in his announcement just now?" He let out a nervous laugh, "My bad, you can disregard the question I asked earlier." Still smiling, he subconsciously raised his hand to fix his hair as he looked between the two people. "Hm..we seem to be around the same ages...or not? Anyways it's nice to meet you! What are your names? You both have very nice hair styles by the way, very cool. I love the colors." Ruk patted his head as a last attempt to tame his hair before letting his arm drop to his side and hummed, waiting for the lads' reply. @DergTheDergon @Satans Spawn

 

[StoneWolf18]

As Nil regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was as if God and satan were having a war with her body as if it were a rag doll. Fighting like two children, pulling her into the depths of hell only to be cooled in the heavens before being plunged into the molten pit of flame once more. It obviously wasn't a pleasant feeling, not knowing whether she should wrap the sheets tighter around herself in an effort to ward off the feverish tidal wave that plagued her. Or throw them off as well as her current attire in an attempt to rid herself of the immense heat that metaphorically boiled her alive.


The young woman decided upon an in between approach.


Gripping the blanket, she blinked open her weary and blurry eyes to a surprise she could barely comprehend in her current state. White was all she saw. The walls, ceiling, bed, sheets, everything. God, it was painful. Even more or so with the the sun’s rays illuminating and reflecting off of the various surfaces. Squinting, Nil slowly sat up. Sore and tight muscles protesting the sudden movement. First thoughts that came to mind?


Where the fuck am I?


And


What the fuck is wrong with me?


Closing her strained eyes for a moment, she began to think of anything that might've caused her to end up here, though everything was scattered and disorganized. Some bits and pieces remained, though hardly enough to salvage. But...one thing...one memory was crystal clear. It was that email she had received, though not able to recall what it had said, the confused woman remembered it had been from August.


Impossible.


Simply impossible.


He had died in that accident, pronounced dead at the scene, or so she had been told. This was all believed to be some cruel hoax all set up by her friends. Though there was still a chance he had lived, though why not come home. Lift the guilt from her shoulders?


Peh.


Getting up and carefully lifting herself off the bed, Nil made her over to the door with a screen that had lit up. As she read the text, her face paled in an almost impossible shade. There was no possible way 15 years had gone by. Taking half a step back, she turned to head back to the bed so she could sit down for a bit when she looked outside.


This couldn't be real.


But it was.


Swaying upon her feet, Nil stumbled over to the bed. Climbing back in, she concealed herself with the sheets as if she were only 5 years old. Attempting to hide from the monsters only heard of in bedtime stories. Her mind was fried. The physical torment she was going through now to add mental along with it… She was a mess. But then, a man began to speak. Directing her and, based upon his word choice, a few others out of their rooms and down a set of stairs. Seeing no other option, Nil got out of the bed once more and poked her head out of the now opened door. She saw the stairwell, but 3 young men as well. Slowly making her way out of the room, she approached them cautiously. They appeared to be in the same situation she was, though looks are known to be deceiving.

 

[solitary]

SONA AVANI AINSWORTH


Mood - Confused


Location - Unknown

​

As Sona stirred from her sleep, she was greeted by the sight of the white wall. As she rubbed her eyes, she suddenly came to a realization. She had no idea where she was. As she stepped out of bed, she wondered if it had anything to do with her stalker - had she been kidnapped? So many different possibilities flooded her mind as she examined the room. The only thing of importance she found was a screen near the door. "2, 10...2052?!" her eyes widened as she read the date. That was when the man started speaking.


Ladies and gentlemen? She scanned the room once more, but no one else was in sight. Perhaps there were other rooms as well. Sona almost asked him to let her go, but she had a feeling the possibility of him being the stalker was out of the question. Something else was definitely going on. "I guess I should just listen to him..." she mumbled to herself as she stepped toward the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob. After taking a deep breath and exhaling, she hesitantly turned the doorknob and left the room.





When she made it to the staircase, three young men and a woman stood there. She stepped slightly closer, but decided not to say anything for now. Instead of interacting with others, she usually preferred to observe.

 

[PeanutLemur]

Her eyelids felt heavy, weighed down by an invisible pressure that made it seem as though someone had glued them shut or placed a load of rocks in the back of her skull. Although she understood the unlikeliness of either situation, Evelyn couldn’t help but ponder the stark contrast the feeling made in comparison to the rest of her body. The last time she had felt such a way – body light but head and eyes reminiscent of a bowling ball – had been during her battle with a notoriously difficult case of the flu. That had been years ago however, and considering the fact that her head wasn’t pounding to the tune of some invisible marching band, the snowy haired female felt it safe to assume that an unfortunate illness wasn’t the cause of her current predicament. What was, then, she couldn’t begin to say.


Last she remembered… Well, she couldn’t quite recall what she had been doing before easing into the realm of consciousness. What she did know for certain, however, was the fact that she couldn’t blame alcohol for her current state of affairs. She didn’t drink. Not often at least, and certainly never to the point where she woke up the next morning hungover and wanting to spoon her eyes out in retaliation. One careless mistake had been all she needed to decide never to indulge in excess again and the rest, so to speak, was history. Then again, her head was heavy, not threatening to split open at the faintest sound – definitely not a migraine. Notoriously light sleeper that she was, Evelyn had the sinking suspicion that something wasn’t quite right with the world. She generally had no troubles in waking , and the sluggish way in which her eyes insisted on opening was more than enough the bring up red flags in her mind’s eye.


With a groan that eased its way past her slightly parted lips, the woman forced her eyelids apart only to blink them closed again under the assault of the startling brightness of the room around her. Nonetheless, the stark whiteness that she had registered in the brief seconds she had been privy to sight was more enough to cement her growing unease. There were no white walls to be found within her home. Deciding to take it slowly and give herself time to adjust and sort through everything, Evelyn carefully pushed her body upright until she sat curled into herself with her legs dangling off the side of the bed. She brought her fingers to her temples, rubbing circles into the skin as she once again risked opening her eyes. Luckily the light didn’t sting them this time, partially hidden behind the fringe of her bangs as they were, and the woman let out a momentary sigh of relief. Deciding that her eyes wouldn’t shrivel up within her skull if she risked looking around, she craned her neck in an effort to observe her surroundings. The instant she did, however, Evelyn felt her body freeze in place.


She had never been hit by a wrecking ball before, but a part of her couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it felt like. The moment she registered her surroundings the air had left her body in a sickening rush, mouth running dry and ears ringing loudly against the rapidly increasing beat of her heart. She almost missed the voice speaking in the background in her stupor, mind too busy trying to wrap around what her eyes were telling it. This wasn’t home; this wasn’t where she was supposed to be; she couldn’t remember and it was frightening and she didn’t –


The woman pressed her lips together until the partially chapped skin stung under the abuse. The pain helped clear her mind, and Evelyn was grateful for the slight reprieve it offered her even if she wasn’t fond of the sensation. Chap-stick would definitely be on her list of things to get in the near future, but first she had other, more pressing, matters to take care of. Matters such as figuring out exactly where she was for example. The voice, though claiming to be helpful, had left her with more questions than answers. She supposed that it had been purposeful; after all, people were more inclined to act in an effort to ease their curiosity than not. Whoever the man behind he voice was, and she had the feeling that meeting him would be altogether another headache, he obviously knew how to manipulate those around him. It was a daunting prospect, and one that she couldn’t say she was too stoked about coming to terms with.


Nonetheless, she couldn’t very well just sit around and stew in her thoughts – or maybe she could, though something told her that doing so would not be a wise decision. The voice had sounded perfectly serious; Evelyn wasn’t stupid. If she had managed to learn anything over the short twenty-some years of her life, it was that answers had to be gained through personal effort and that those who were serious often had good reason to be. She wanted answers and she was going to get them. It was as simple as that.


Pushing herself from the bed and swaying momentarily as her feet came into contact with the floor, body working on regaining its equilibrium as it was, the woman closed her eyes with a silent sigh. Luckily the door was easy enough to locate and she made her way towards it with slight hesitation, fingers wavering only briefly above the cold metal of the handle before she steeled herself and pushed outwards. It opened easy enough, allowing her access to the hall beyond where, according to the voice, she was to look for a staircase. With less indecision than it took for her to open the door, Evelyn carefully made her way down the corridor, senses on high alert in the chance that something should occur. Nothing did, and she eventually found herself approaching a small assemblage of people. Given the way the voice had addressed a group and not her as an individual, it was simple enough to conclude that these were the ‘others’ in question.


There was a girl off to the side, a slight distance from to group, to whom she gave an accessing glance. Young, younger than her at least, and rather vivid in coloring. She stood out in comparison to the others around her – another woman with dark hair and three men that easily towered over her slight frame. Whether it was shyness or something else that kept her from approaching the strange group, Evelyn couldn’t quite tell. Not that she blamed her for keeping her distance; there was just too much going on for her to willing associate with a bunch of strangers either. Nonetheless, said bunch of strangers were currently blocking the stairs – the stairs which, as the voice had oh-so-willingly pointed out, they were supposed to descend. Sighing and bringing a hand up to rub the bridge of her nose, the snow haired woman decided to get the metaphorical show on the road. “I’m glad to see that everyone is enjoying this little pow-wow, but I believe the point of the message was to use the stairs, not stand around and gawk at them.” She never did claim to be a saint, and the brusque manner with which she spoke didn’t debate that fact. “As enjoyable as this is, I’d like to know what’s going on here. Today preferably.”

 

[DergTheDergon]

As he headed fro the staircase, Jordan began to hear footsteps behind him. He glanced that direction to see a blonde haired man, looking a bit older than Jordan himself, had stepped out of a room adjacent to his. Just a moment later more footsteps, and more words and questions than Jordan would ever want to hear right now, came from a very oddly dressed man, perhaps from some rural area he was unfamiliar with. He stared blankly at the man at his torrent of words, then when he finally stopped he said "Jordan. Goood to meet you, Rahk," out of politeness, careful to pronounce his foreign name as best he can, though with a straight face and unenthusiastic tone of voice. "We'll have time to chat later, but I'd really like to follow the voice's directions for now and figure out where the hell we've all ended up." As he spoke he noticed a young woman come out of another room in the hallway, then another, and not engage the group. He did them a favor and respected thier apparent wish to be left alone for now, only acknowledging both of them with a nod for now.


Then, a third woman entered this increasingly crowded congregation, or at least crowded by Jordan's perceptions. Uncomfortably so, but for now he was more worried about getting to the bottom of this mystery everyone here seems to be involved in, but know no more than himself about. A third woman then approached the group, and annoyed and flamboyant look about her, not as seemingly timid as the other ladies in the group. Her tone as she spoke was not any less commanding than the man over the intercom, but Jordan's annoyance at that little fact was overshadowed by his agreement with what she was saying. "Aptly put," he said, looking her over analytically for a moment. "Best we all stop standing around up here and go see the pompous bastard who prefers to make us wander around this place before giving us answers." With that, Jordan pushed past everyone in his way and headed down the stairs without another word.


@Aiakaos @PeanutLemur

 

[Esil Lark]

Name: Alexander Hales


Age: 25

Alexander stopped on his tracks once again as he heard an infuriating voice. Well there's a noisy one.. he thought to himself as he turned around, with his very fake smile of course, he was about to answer the other man's first question, until he asked another one, then another, Ah, the type I hate the most.. he thought to himself although his smile remained calm. He didn't answer for a few minutes, because he might ask another question again, when he did not, he finally answered.


"Thank you for the compliment." He thanked him first in his huskily deep voice, then turned to completely face the man, he didn't bother the first guy earlier, since he gut cut off when he's about to greet him, "And my name is Alexander, you can call me Alex." He introduced, as he unconsciously fixed his collar, he is wearing a deep black shirt with white buttons on it. "I'm afraid to say that I am also confused to where we are." he simply answered as he turned to face the other man, turning away from Ruk Cras..? That was a weird name. "It's nice to meet you as well, young sir." he said in a polite tone, although it's fake, at least for now, it is.


Then he walk towards the staircase before facing the two once again, "Well, why don't we, go and check out the outside. Like the man from the monitor, just said?" He invited, he did not mention what was on the outside of this... building?, well first, he did not know if they saw what he saw, but it's pretty eerie to say it out loud. He does not know if this is really happening, like for real. He breathed deeply, trying to remain compose as he waits for the two. Whatever was happening, someone better have a good explanation.


As soon as he tried to be polite two women came in sight, he watched them for the time being and they seem to be shy, he just gave them a slight smile. Being a teacher himself, there's one thing he knows, that is to not force a student when they're shy. Wait, this is not time to be a teacher. His thought was disrupted when a third woman came, and his smile widen some at the sudden aggressiveness in the woman's voice, "Well--" as he was about to speak the young lad spoke. He sighed deeply then, Too much for being polite. He thought to himself as the lad brushed passed him, he then look back at the crowd with his unfading smile. "Well then everyone, shall we go and leave the rest of the introduction for later?" He asked, politely as ever, but he was not gonna wait for a reply as he soon turn around and follow the lad downstairs.

 

[Kiroshiven]

Ramona awoke slowly as she felt the rays of the sun filtering into her room from somewhere. When did my room get a window? This question alone brought about panic inside of her mind. "I dont have a window!" Ramona leaped to her feet and....proceeded to fall as if she hadnt used her legs in years. "Damnit!" The pain worked its way slowly through her. "Alright, lets just work on standing before trying to figure out where i am."


Shakily, Ramona reached over to the bed and clung to its frame with all of her might. "Here we go!" Using sheer force of will, Ramona slowly worked herself back to her feet and leaned against the bed for support. "Alright!" She nearly let go of the bed to celebrate her small victory. Each ounce or pressure added to her legs felt like putting lead onto them. It was a daunting task, but when she finally could stand once more, she felt relieved. "I dont know what happened, but I shouldnt be feeling this terrible." Ramona grumbled as she finally noticed the monitor. "2052!!!!!" Ramona fell to the floor for the second time since waking up. "Thats crazy. No way."


The announcement from some mysterious voice interrupted the ramblings that Ramona was facing. His instructions were clear and precise. "So, there's somebody pulling the strings?" Ramona took a deep breath and stood up again. "Guess it does me no good to sit here and ponder. I need to know what happened to my cafe!" Ramona opened her door and walked out. The hall was as barren as her room. There were several people talking, but there was no time to waste. That voice was waiting for them. "Excuse me." Ramona passed by each person with a polite mannerism, she hoped her Russian accent wouldnt show, but she didnt really have too much time to worry about it.

 

[Dawnsx]

Once down the stairs, one would be about to see an open space that is quite similar to the rooms that each of the members woke up in. The walls and the floor were bare and stark white, not a speck of dust to be spotted. The only significant difference is the large, see-through door at the other end of the room. The view from the door was a sharp contrast to what would have been seen from the windows. Rather than a scene of total destruction and mayhem, there were flowers, grass, a few short trees, and simply everything one would see in a well-tended backyard. However, if one would look past the beautiful scenery, they’d see a tall, metal fence, where the outside world could be seen.


Perhaps you noticed the lovely garden first, or maybe you saw a young girl standing at the wall. She was wearing a pair of blue headphones and was rocking on her heels as she hummed along to a rather unfamiliar melody. Regardless of whether you saw her or not, she will take notice of you and the group as soon as you step off the stairs.


The blue-eyed girl removed her headphones and smiled amiably at the group. That smile, along with her typical schoolgirl appearance, made it difficult to tell whether one should hold suspicion for her or not, especially under these circumstances.


“Heya!” She greeted with a casual wave of her hand. Her voice was bright and clear, lacking the high-pitched squeal that some girls her age had. She quickly looked through the group, and a look of confusion crossed her features. “Seven of you, huh? I guess the last person will be joining us later. Anyway… Jordan, Alexander, Sona…” She snuck a peek at a piece of paper hidden in her hand before carefully pronouncing the syllable, “...Ruk, Nil, Ramona, and Evelyn. My name’s Gilda. Nice to meet’cha!”


Gilda turned away from the group and gestured vaguely at the open space. “I suppose you probably have a ton of questions about this whole thing. Where you are, who I am exactly, why the world is a complete wreck, and the date on the monitor. I assure you that none of this is a prank or a joke. The world is exactly how you see it as, and the year is indeed 2052.” She took a breath before continuing. “As you may or may not remember, there was a magic explosion 15 years ago, in 2037. The results are what you see. Buildings were brought down, and people… Changed.” Gilda paused, eyes clouded with unknown emotions. “Well, we’ll talk more about that later. What’s important right now is that each of you are an integral part of reversing what has been done. It probably sounds crazy and all, but you all have something in you that most of us don’t. And, as cheesy as it may sound… We need you guys to save the world.”


For a moment, her expression turned steely and determined as if she wasn’t taking a no as an answer. But that quickly dissipated, and she clapped her hands together with that good ol’ smile. “So, any questions before we proceed? Or you need a moment to take it all it? Rest assured- This will all be explained in better detail shortly.”

 

[StoneWolf18]

Nil was a bit on the fence with a few of these people, specifically those who were talking and pushing through. Despite having moved out of the way, would it be smart to just rush in, trusting the words of a man that might not even be real?


According to them.


She didn't bother speaking up, considering nothing would most likely penetrate their thick skulls. Yeah wanting to know where you were is kinda important, but wouldn't common sense override that?


Apparently not.


As others pushed past her, Nil sighed and decided to follow. Seeing as she wasn't going to say up here alone. This whole ordeal was just simply mind boggling. The email from her dead brother, waking up in an unknown location 15 years into the future, the world outside in ruins, a mysterious person instructing them to descend deeper into the abyss. What was his objective, his goal? What could he have already have done to them? Releasing a slowed breath, Nil attempted to calm herself down as they neared their destination. The cramped stairwell causing their footsteps to echo as she braced herself for the unknown.


Coming upon the long hallway, the girl they met was a bit too...perky. Or at least Nil thought so anyway. And she did in fact of loads of questions, opening her mouth, she was the first to speak. ”Magic explosion? Fifteen years into the future? What, are we in some kind of fairy tale? And if this did indeed happen, how were people changed and what would we possibly be saving the world from, seeing as it looked well beyond that point.”

 

[Kiroshiven]

As Ramona reached the bottom floor, she couldn't help but stop and stare at the ground outside. The luxury of nature despite being in a city was an amazing treat to treasure. She stood there for a moment, watching the grass and leaves sway around as the winds flowed through the labyrinthine city. It was a wonder that they felt any breeze at all, but considering the rampant destruction, and likely death, beyond the gate, Ramona considered herself rather lucky. As she finally tore her eyes away form the scene before her, Ramon locked eyes on a girl with headphones. She seemed to have NO problem with what was going on. Likely involved with that voice from earlier.





The speech was short lived, and Ramon nearly burst into laughter at the fact that this girl had forgotten their names. They had an excuse not to know hers, but she had a list in her hand. Oh well, no need to burst her bubble. Ramona's head just continued moving in an accepting stance. When the voices stopped and only one girl spoke, Ramona realized that they could ask questions. "Here's a question for starters. Who are you? As in what organization. There's no way that two people kept this place functioning and kept us all nourished and well sustained by themselves." Ramona thought it was only fair. She knew each of their names, why should they not know who was behind this. The law of equivalent exchange. "And while you're at it, what happened to my cafe?!" Ramona's priorities were out of whack, but that's how she was. She went with the flow of how her life went.


@Dawnsx

 

[Esil Lark]

Name: Alexander Hales


Age: 25

As Alexander stepped down the stairs, he can't help but feel the eerie sensation from earlier, the space is clearly the same as the room he woke up in earlier. And he did not like the feeling in his stomach. Looking around the room, he first spotted the beautiful-looking place on the outside, but of course his eyes never failed to notice what is beyond that beautiful scenery. What a lie... Just like my emotions. He thought to himself letting out a silent chuckle. Of course he completely brush of the chuckle before anyone could notice him.


He then turned his attention towards the girl with the headphones. He observe her for a bit wondering if this girl is really at a young age. He still can't process what's going on, that's why he still cannot believe what his eyes are seeing. Knowing himself, he knows that looks can be deceiving. He raised his hand to held the bottom of his chin in a thoughtful stance as he listened to what the girl is saying. Trying to remain calm and process it all, he turned his head to watch the females who asked their own questions. But he himself kept quiet.


With his unfading smile the only thing he can do right now is observe and listen, Well, it seems like she confirmed that this is indeed somewhere in the future. he thought to himself, as he look down on the floor, then back at the scenery outside, trying to remember everything he can from his vague memory. But failed. He sighed deeply as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, A headache is coming.. He thought as he silently groaned at the question that have been asked, for him, the questions were quite useless. But he needs to remain in his polite ambiance."My questions will be answered if we continue on with this spectacle." He said, he made sure that no one notices the annoyance in his voice, because right now, he's getting quite impatient and annoyed from all this occurrence.

 

[DergTheDergon]

Jordan, the first to head down the stairs, glanced about the chamber, his eyes taking in the odd mix of familiar stark white walls and the unexpected greenery at the end of the hallway. He was just able to see the destruction beyond, but something, or rather someone, quite a bit closer promptly caught his attention: the strange young girl standing before them, seeming inexplicably happy. He all but forced himself to focus on taking in everything to see here, gleaning what he can from observing, instead of pondering what the hell might have happened to turn the city outside, and according to this oddball of a girl the entire world, into.... this. She seemed to be expecting them, waving to them cheerfully as if to try and distract them from thier situation with happy-go -luckiness, or perhaps that's just the way hse was. If she was attempting the former, it wasn't working. Jordan wasn't surprised that, if the voice over the intercom even belonged to a real person, he wasn't present... he seemed like the type that far prefers vague, impersonal means of communication... to be honest, Jordan knew that it takes one to know one.


Observing the girl as she spoke, and glancing about himself to the others caught up in all this, Jordan was still reeling from how surreal this all seemed. He wondered who in the hell thought that this teenage space cadet was a good choice for filling them in on everything, but these thoughts were soon interrupted by the shock and initial disbelief that ran through him at her words. Could it be true? To be honest no other explanation fit the apparent desolation that could be seen outside. She described the phenomena as a "magic explosion," perplexing Jordan greatly. Everyone knows magic wasn't real... though to be honest he was oalso fairly certain these circumstances he found himself in where impossible to boot.


Jordan found himself standing there, passively staring at the girl and those around him as a few of the others asked the most obvious questions. Whilst questions were being asked, he had two of his own that probed at his mind at her words, and hadn't been asked yet. He stepped forward confidently, cockily even. "What I'd like to know, Gilda, is how in the hell we got here from fifteen years ago and weren't "changed" like the others.... and how exactly these other people were... changed." As unbelievable as this was Jordan felt that there had to be some sort of logical explanation behind all this, so with his inquiries he hoped to get to the heart of that.

 

[noname]

Ruk smiled at Jordan, delightfully pleased that his name was pronounced correctly on the first try. Usually, people would get somewhat irritated or subtly brush aside the act of repeating his name by moving onto another topic. He mindlessly nodded at Jordan's suggestion to follow the voice's instructions, much too happy about having his name called correctly. He then turned his attention to Alex, slightly raising his eyebrows when the man called him a young sir. Ah, the formal title. He would never get offended by those. It was a nice feeling being called a sir, as if he had some sort of position as son of a wealthy family back in the Middle Ages of Europe or-


A feminine voice cut through his thoughts, immediately making him look towards the direction from which it came from. A striking pair of purple eyes and a voice bursting with dignity was all it took to awe him. But the admiration was short lived, for he blinked when Jordan pushed past him to go down the staircase and watched as Alex followed suit. When he tried looking back at the lady, he widened his eyes at the sight of two ladies he had failed to notice before. He gave a small smile and politely moved aside as one of them decided to follow Jordan and Alex. Ruk then looked back at the other young lady and excitedly made his way over to her. Alongside taking a few steps back so he wouldn't corner the girl, Ruk lowered his voice so that his voice didn't end up echoing like the loud person he is. The last thing he wanted was to scare someone who could become his new friend. "By golly! Are you wearing red contact lenses? Or are you one of those people whose eye color changes depending on the environment? Whichever one it is, they're quite gorgeous!" Grinning, Ruk pointed at himself, once again making sure to emphasize the pronunciation of his name. "My name is Ruk Cras, you can call me Ruk." He then pointed at the young lady's head, "I like your hair as well. Did you dye it? Or is that all natural, because that would be extraordinary! My mind would be blown if people were born with lovely pink hair nowadays!"


With another pair of footsteps and a new voice, his ears twitched when he heard an accent in the woman's voice as she made her way past them. Taking numerous travels around the world, there was no way he could be mistaken. Could it be? A fascinated smile covered Ruk's face as he quickly turned back to the young lady and lightly patted her on the shoulder saying a quick "Nice to meet you!" before hurriedly following the woman down the staircase. @solitary


"Miss! I beg your pardon!" Ruk tried calling after the woman he followed after, only to cover his mouth when he saw the young girl with headphones greeting the rest of the group. Oops..I surely hope I didn't interrupt her. Ruk reached up and rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed for potentially ruining another person's moment to speak. Words were powerful entities, even more powerful when they were used in the right way. He wouldn't be too happy with himself if he had messed up-...


Wait what? Ruk stared at Gilda as she explained their current situation, about the world. She didn't seem to be joking. Nor did she seem to be acting. So this couldn't possibly be an elaborate prank. He closed his mouth and looked at the garden behind Gilda, letting his mind drift away as other people started to shower the girl with questions. So it had been a magic explosion. Out of all things..it was a magic explosion? On top of that it was 2052? Normally, he would have been the first one to ask questions. Normally, his face would have lit up as he excitedly presented theories and facts of what could've happened before his questions were answered. Normally...


Ruk looked at the rest of the group, watching each of them ask questions he would've asked at some point. As expected, none of them looked all too happy about all of this. Why would they? Ruk let out a small, faint laugh directed at himself and shook his head. He was being silly. His movements stilled as he thought for a moment. Save..the world? Silly had no place in line when he was told to save the world. With his smile vanishing into a thin line, he opened his messenger bag and pulled out a small notebook and a pen. Flipping to a clean page, he started to jot down what Gilda had told them.

 

[PeanutLemur]

Evelyn couldn’t say that she was particularly pleased with the turn of events. These people – she was running off of the assumption that there was more than one person running this whole operation, a thought that the blonde haired male voiced out loud not to long after it crossed her mind – had sent a young girl to greet their estranged group as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Not that she was insulted by that fact; she was just curious as to the game they seemed to be playing. If they wanted to lower their defenses surely a puppy would have been more effective. Nonetheless, the snowy haired woman wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. Teenagers she could deal with; potentially grumpy, egotistical men and/or older women she could not. And, while she wasn’t above snapping at the girl, Evelyn knew that she’d be more inclined to passive civility in her presence.


It would appear that their strategy was working. She wanted to sigh at the realization.


Instead, however, she merely settled for frowning at the girl’s – Gilda, she reminded herself belatedly – words. Last she checked, which was never, she hadn’t signed up to play super hero. While there were other more pressing, more important parts of her speech, Evelyn found herself strangely fixated with that one tidbit of information. In all honesty it disturbed her – it disturbed her greatly. She wasn’t the kind of person that would willingly put on a flashy suit and declare to save all of humanity. It didn’t work like that. Sure she wasn’t the cruelest person around, but she wasn’t exactly what people would consider ‘nice’ either. If anything she was pleasantly civil, never going too far out of her way to help others but never willingly ignoring someone in need either. She did what she could, which, admittedly, wasn’t very much.


And these people expected her to save the world? Yeah, right – like that was going to happen.


Nevertheless, Evelyn refrained from voicing her thoughts out loud. The group had made it down the stairs much to her pleasure; she would let the others talk. For now. They just might help answers some of the questions haunting her thoughts in the process.

 

[Dawnsx]

As each person asked their individual questions, Gilda held a calm stance as if she had expected this barrage of inquiries. Once the group seemed to be finished, she finally spoke up. "First of all, regarding how you all got here, fifteen years into the future. It's our organization's doing, that part I won't deny. Think of us as... A vigilante, do-gooder type of organization, bent on saving the world, so that's where you guys come in! Everyone in the organization are great people, so you won't need to worry about that." Her face brightened upon mentioning the organization, as if the very thought of them brought rainbows and sunshine into that peculiar little head of hers. "As for how people changed... Well, you'll see for yourself very soon, I suppose. But, I will say that you guys didn't not change. In fact, you've changed plenty, you just don't know it yet. As for your cafe, Ramona, it's most likely been destroyed. Buuut, if you help us save the world, I assure you that your cafe will be good as new, and you can go on brewing coffee to your heart's content!"





As if not realizing the oddity and the sheer weight of "saving the world", Gilda spun on her heels and trotted away from the group towards the garden-like area. "See, my pops is better at explaining these things. I was really just here to get things started. He told me that we'll be meeting him out there, then he'll clear everything up for you guys, so follow me."





The girl walked out of the building, but not without turning her head back every couple of times to make sure that everyone was following her. After all, he wouldn't be too thrilled if any of them decided to run off and cause some wreckage to the building. Once everyone was out in the garden, Gilda nodded in satisfaction. "Well, since it could be a bit til pops arrive... Feel free to socialize among yourselves, get to know each other, y'know... Make friends and whatnot! By the way, I'm available for some friend-making, too!"





Gilda looked at them with a twinkle of excited expectation in her eyes, looking like a kid whose mother just pulled out a lollipop from her pocket. Before she could open her mouth and "encourage" them to socialize though, something screeched sharply. It sounded like a terrible mix of someone dragging their nails across a chalkboard, and an old printer getting jammed. Whatever it was, it screeched a second time, then almost immediately a third followed. There must be more than one of it making that noise, and it sounded too close for comfort.


For once, Gilda's expression turned solemn. Her body tensed in a way that could only mean she was alert and guarded against... Whatever inhuman thing that made the sound. She stepped closer to the group, her eyes set upon the firm gates as if it would offer them the perfect protection--or she wished.

What appeared in sight beyond the gigantic gates was a large creature of extreme monstrousity. Its large body, covered in rotten skin, gave off a disgusting stench. It looked like a combination between a human and a spider, for despite its human head, eight legs spread out from its body with a nail as sharp as knives from each ends. Huge fangs spread out from its widened mouth as it screeched once again, its voice pierced through the thin air, and with one raise of its leg, broke apart the iron gates that had once set them apart from the monster.


Its eyes, completely black with a glint of red in the middle, set its gaze down down then toward the group of people, tiny compared to its size. The beautiful sights of the garden was immediately ruined as its nails impaled the flowers from beneath, several giant slashes formed across the grounds as the monster made its way toward them.


"So uh, for anyone wondering how people changed... There's your answer." Gilda said, a grimace on her face. Grumbling under her breath, she lifted her right hand, and out of thin air with a burst of blue light, a sword materialized in her grasp. Her body entered a ready stance as if she was about to charge at the creature, but relaxed suddenly and shifted her gaze to the group. "You know what? This is a perfect opportunity. I've said before that you've changed, didn't I? We don't have much time before Spider-Man decides to lunge at us, so let's hope you're all prodigies." She pointed at her chest with her free hand. "Concentrate. At your center, at your very core, you should be able to feel a... Feeling. Like it's burning, but at the same time chilling. I'm sure some of you must have felt something like that when you woke up. Concentrate. Focus everything you've got into that feeling, and when it's ready- you'll just know when it's ready- Let it burst out of you."





Gilda ducked just in time to avoid a white, slimy substance shot at her head. Unfazed, she looked back at the group, a confident grin on gracing her features. "I have no idea what any of you can do, so best of luck to you, and welcome to your first battle!"

 

[DergTheDergon]

Jordan crossed his arms and listened to the girl speak. He was unimpressed,and if there were others available to greet them Jordan would rather have been greeted by anyone any less carefree, any more capable of taking things seriously. The way she spoke of this organization, as well... it's like they brainwashed her or something, to get this genuine reverence out of her. This girl's behavior didn't bode well to Jordan's eyes, especially her vague and nonchalant mentioning of the fact that the group here had indeed changed themselves. Jordan certainly felt a little different, now that he thought about it, but... what the hell had changed? Jordan found himself not exactly looking forward to how other people have changed, from Gilda's rather worrying answer to his other question. Jordan had quite a few choice words to say to this girl about her very sub-par "answers," if they could even be called that, but he thought it better to hold his tongue for now, and just follow her once beckoned the intrepid group outside. Of course, once they got out there they'd have to wait for this man Gilda told im would have more answers for who knows how much longer. Typical of the extremely sub-par accommodations this organization has given Jordan so far.


Once this "pops" that was apperently taking his sweet time actually arrived, Jordan hoped to probe some real answers from Gilda's "pops,"as she called him. If his voice sounded anything like the smug man on the intercom he'd also get a few choice insults expletives thrown at him along with demanding questions. As far as Jordan saw it, these people had no right to keep the people they intend to force into saving the world in the dark... if this treatment continued, he might just decide not to help at all. What the hell would be in it for him anyway?As Jordan scoffed at Gilda's cheery invitation to make friends, rolling his eyes and shaking his head, he was caught off guard and stopped in his tracks as the inhuman, blood-curdling screech echoed through the courtyard. Jordan stared wide-eyed at the monstrosity before him, instantly understanding Gilda's earlier hesitance to explain this earlier. That... .thing used to be a person? Jordan couldn't believe it, but right now it looked like he had no time to stand there and be in denial. His eyes widened as she suddenly pulled a sort out of apparent thin air... this officially was far, far to surreal to be anything more than a dream to Jordan's perhaps overly logical mind.... but at the same time, it felt far too real to be even a lucid dream as he decided earlier.


Gilda's next words shocked and amazed Jordan. Her constant cheeriness seemed to prove useful in this moment, as while speaking that way while facing her possible death it was honestly quite inspiring. His eyes then widened with realization as she began instructing the group on how to access what's different about them, making it seem like they all suddenly developed this potential deep inside, like superpowers r something. If they really were capable of something like that, it wasn't exactly surprising that Jordan and the others had suddenly been tasked with saving the world, though it was still infuriating. This would explain how he felt earlier, when he realized he had made his way out to the wall faster than he seemed able to process it.... that burning, yet spine-tingling feeling. He concentrated on that, just as girl girl said it was centered at his heart. Looking at the monstrosity before them, something certainly felt like it needed to get out, from deep within his being, just as Gilda had described.


Jordan was suddenly aware that Gilda had just ducked, and being straight behind her Jordan realized he was a bout to get hit by the gooey spiderweb- like substance careening towards him, He hand to bend back in order to avoid it, and felt himself losing balance but being entirely aware for what he needed to do to regain it, that instant, then acting on it. One palm touch the ground to catch himself, his foot on that side closely following., then the other, two limbs. Keeping his back from hitting the ground, and the moment he saw the substance fly over his head he pushed up from the ground, flawlessly standing up without stumbling a moment later. He then cast his gaze towards the beast, and around him to see what all the others where doing. This happen all in a couple of seconds, but to Jordan's perceptions it was as if the word momentarily slowed down so he could act. This must be how he "changed," as Gilda put itt. He found himself grinning, this perception, this awareness... it felt amazing, empowering, and somehow not overwhelming all at once. He found himself curious to what the others would do during this short window of opportunity before, most likely, the beast threw another attack at the group.

 

[Esil Lark]

The thought of saving the world seems absurd in Alexander's mind, it's probably the same thought for the others. How can this group of strangers be chosen to 'save' the world. However, even if her explanation is quite laughable, Alexander kept quiet, and observe the young lady as she spoke. Hearing her speak about the certain organization who seems to be the one who's responsible, to this extravaganza.All of this sounds ridiculous, and the young lass seems to be convinced that the organization are not that bad. Of course, Alex is not that easy to fool and trust some unknown organization. Specially if they uses a young lady for their initiation. He sighed deeply, obviously getting more annoyed at the situation, if no one explains this all, clearly. He might go on a rampage, and he does not like it when he lose composure. So, for now, he followed the rest of the group outside to the garden-like place.


He was about to comment, that her father, thinking that this 'pops' is the old man of this girl named Gilda. But he stopped in his tracks as he heard the loud screeching noise, flinching at the noise as he look up and see where it's coming from, his eyes widen and his body shuddered in horror at the sight of the monstrous beast. What the fuck?! He took a step back, as he turned his head to look at Gilda in disbelief, how can this child act so cheerily at a time like this, And how the hell do people change like that?! Alexander have lost his composure that he works so hard to hide, but in a different sense, he lost his composure in fear, although his face remained stoic and blank. A hint that he is not his usual self, and as if the monstrous beast isn't enough for him to be surprise, he watch as the young girl, summoned a sword out of thin air. "This is absolutely getting more ridiculous than I thought.." he muttered under his breathe. He backed away as the beast first attacked the group, letting him lose balance and fall to the ground."Fuck!" he exasperate, normally, he wouldn't lose balance just from dodging something. That's how much he lost his composure.


The first reason why he became a physical education teacher is his good with his physical skills and strength. But he didn't seem to prove it today, since that's how much he's scared to the bones. He watched as the guy earlier, who he first saw at the stairs swiftly dodge the attack. "Tsk." Now, he's obviously pissed, seeing that someone younger than him manage to avoid getting their pants dirtied from falling to the ground. "So annoying.." he mumbled as he sighed deeply, closing his eyes and let his breathing balanced out. Acting scared at a time like this is so shameful.. Need to be calm... calm.. He calmly thought as he deeply exhaled, doing what Gilda said earlier, concentrating in his inner core, Is this even possible..? he thought again but shrug it off as he kept on focusing.

He found his knuckles, clenching at the ground beneath them as he let out another deep breathe. Slowly opening his eyes as he felt wetness in his hands,looking down, he saw some droplets of water coming from underneath the surface, his eyes widen a bit as he look up and see that the droplets are coming out, and covering the surface of the vast garden. You have gotta be kidding me... He thought in disbelief as the droplets of water slowly joined together and found their way towards his hand, as if they're forming some sort of shape, Alex reaches up his hands where the waters are forming an odd but


familiar shape, his eyebrows are furrowed in confusion as he closed his hands, thinking it will just splatter the water around him, but it didn't. In fact, the odd shape that was being formed earlier turned solid, and turned to what appear to be a sharp-bladed sword. His eyes widen in amusement as he let out a slight smirk.


"I see.." He mumbled as he slowly stood up from his shameful position earlier, "...This is how we changed...?" he muttered as he swing the sword, that is made from the water, to check if it can really cut something, and it did, the flowers that have touched the blade of the sword, have been cut in half. Amazing.. It's time for me to recover from this shameful state. He thought as he look around at the others, "No time to be scared now.. " He said out loud with his calm smile and expression, since he just regained his composure, as he look at the beast, and his smile remaining calm, although a dark aura is forming withing him. "And little girl, you better have a damn good explanation for this." He said, directed to Gilda. He look down on his blade, and see that there are droplets coming from his blade, it's still not solid enough. Guess he have to finish this before this blade turns back to it's liquefied form. Which will be no use.

 

[StoneWolf18]

Nil had taken half a step back when the hell spawn torn down the fence and began coming towards them. As the young girl that had been explaining a few things turned and summoned a...sword?! Furrowing her brow, she didn't have any time to speak before she instructed them to learn how they had changed for themselves.


This was all insane, though with the current fast pace of the situation they were in, Nil watched as the mutant thing rushed her. Her eyes widening, she did as she was told and let the odd feeling engulf her. The next thing she felt was something she didn't even believe to be possible. The young woman felt the weight of her body as well as the ground beneath her feet vanish. But as the beast leaped, he landed upon nothing. Remaining as still as possible, Nil looked around only to see the shadow of the building.


What


The


Fuck


Somehow, she had merged with the shadow that the building casted. As the spider thing gave a frustrated roar and focused upon something else, she undid whatever she had just begun. Reforming and landing awkwardly upon her back, Nil could barely process what was happening. Though, something was off. She was still feeling the odd sensation of being flooded with the power she now held. Accompanying that, her skin and scalp itched and eyes burned. Squinting, she swore the sun wasn't this intense before.


Confused she still didn't move. Apparently this is how she had been changed, and she was still trying to process it.


(Please refer to her CS to how Nil currently looks.)

 

[PeanutLemur]

Terrified didn’t even begin to describe how Evelyn felt in that moment. Staring up at the monstrosity that had torn through the garden gate like it was little more than a sheet of paper, the woman was forced to come to the horrifying realization that she was wholly unprepared to face whatever this world – she refused to call it hers as there was no way the world she knew could possess anything close to the creature before her – had to offer. Her breathe starting coming out in shallow heaves that made her head swim with the lack of sufficient oxygen, and for one, sickening moment she felt as though she was going to faint. But the world failed to fade to black before her eyes. The rising tide of her panic, however, did not recede.


Squeezing her eyes shut and knowing that she would be nothing but a grave marker if she didn’t do anything to fight back the hysteria threatening to swallow her whole, Evelyn did the only thing she could think of to clear her mind long enough for it to properly function: she brought her hand to her mouth and bit down. Hard. It wasn’t so much the taste of blood in her mouth as it was the piercing pain in her palm that broke through the haze of panic blinding her senses. With sudden clarity the world around her sprung to life. Ripping her bloodied appendage from her mouth, she barely had enough time to roll out of the way as the monster sprung at their small entourage, its gaze set on the dark haired girl whose name remained a mystery to her.


She had seemingly vanished, but Evelyn didn’t have time to worry about the girl’s fate. Tucking her body into her roll, the snowy haired woman made sure she managed to put a fair distance between herself and the monster before she pushed herself to her knees and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Crouched on the ground as she was, she had a decently clear view of the chaos raging around her.


The blonde and the redheaded males, each seeming to have discovered their respective “abilities”, were actively engaged in the battle alongside Gilda. Jealousy wasn’t something she was generally used to feeling – not that she was used to fighting giant mutant spiders either – but knowing that she was, in effect, useless wasn’t something that sat well in her gut no matter how she thought about it. Running in there without a plan or any realistic way to fight would be suicide. At the same time, however, sitting around and hiding from the fight would make her nothing but a liability. Evelyn hated being a liability; it reminded her too much of the time after her accident in high school. She had vowed then to never let an injury hold her back and she would follow the same principle now.


Drawing in a deep breath, the snowy haired woman tried to remember what Gilda had said about finding their abilities. She still wasn’t sure what hers would be, let alone if she really had any, but there was no harm in trying. In the grand scheme of things looking like an idiot for a few minutes wasn’t all that bad when considering the alternatives. All she had to do was focus in on her center right? Find that hot yet cold feeling and let it take over – that’s what the girl had said to do. But that was easier said than done, especially with the chaos raging around her. Determined not to lose herself to panic again, Evelyn wrapped her hand around a stone in a white-knuckled grip and clenched her teeth. Even if the rock was a make-shift stress ball, its familiar weight helped to ground her. In this instance thinking would only be her downfall; she needed to breathe, she needed to feel. And so she did.


In was only when the weight in her hand rapidly increase that she pulled herself out of her makeshift trace. With a comforting warmth flooding through her veins she slowly, carefully pulled back her fingers. The rock still looked the same, but there was no denying what her senses were telling her. It didn’t matter how many times she experimentally lifted her arm, it was still much heavier than something of its size should be. Gulping, she latched onto the thrum of energy on her body and focused on the stone, willing it to do something, anything. Nothing happened. With a frown she cursed herself. Of course nothing would happen – thinking that she had suddenly been able to affect the rock had been absurd.


'Yeah right,' she mentally sassed. 'Like anything was going to happen. I bet I could try to make this thing weigh the same as a dictionary – which is about what? 1 kilogram? – and –' Grunting in surprise, the woman felt her body tilt forward as the rock suddenly become that much heavier. Righting herself before her face collided with the dirt, Evelyn opened her mouth, dumbfounded. As her mind processed what her senses were telling her a smirk slowly pulled at her lips. “Interesting.” She would have to experiment to make sure it wasn’t some kind of fluke. Even though it wasn’t a weapon, the promise of being able to do something was too heady to ignore.


Oh yes, she would definitely be testing out this new-found “ability” of hers.

 

[Mistory]

"Clyde!"


The teen sat up straight in shock, waking from a nasty nightmare. He was dripping with sweat, eyes wide as he tried to catch his breath. He let his face fall into his hands as he took a shaky breath. a dream...a dream...


"Clyde died quick..." He breathed, throwing his feet off his bed. He hit the floor and froze. That wasn't wood. This wasn't his room.


He never moved as fast as the moment he leapt back on the bed, his hands up in defence as he became very aware, very quickly. "What happened? Where am I?"


He let his eyes travel the room. A varnished chair sat next to his bed...no the bed, This wasn't his, had his worn green jacket, folded neatly in place,and the necklace he had fallen asleep with. A piece of quartz, tied securely to a woven rope. His eyes continued,crossing the glass window, the white walls, and the door. A door. He stood, making his way over, and slowly tried the knob. He never had been so startled as when the man decided to speak. He practically jumped out of his skin. "What? 52? No. Not possible..." There was no way he slept that long. He didn't look any different. He shook his head, the man's voice becoming back ground noise as he sat back on the bed, gently picking up the stone.


"Whats going on, Clyde?"


Of course he didn't get an answer, but he seemed content with the silence, slipping on the old gem. He closed his eyes,ignoring the man's orders. "Right...like I'm going trust you..." he grumbled, crossing his arms. He let his eyes open once more, peering out the window. "Looks a lot like those old games...fallout or something..." this all had to be a prank, right? Those guys wanted to finish the job, so they took him,right? Just to fuck with him? He sat there for what seemed like hours, before he felt it. An earthquake? No. Too rhythmic for that...no it felt like...foot steps?


He stood immediately, eyes wide.


He didn't know what was going on, but something was outside. He grabbed his jacket, slipping it on as he rushed out. He followed the man's instructions, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach as he caught sight of the small group. He barely caught the end of the girl's socializing suggestion. Those...foot steps were nerve racking. Did nobody else feel them? It didn't seem so.


When that terrifying scream reached him, he locked up. The creature went through the fence like paper, and seemed intent on a fresh kill. The instructor seemed to materialize a sword from nothing, talking on with an eerily cheerful tone as she told about change. What change? He was still the same guy he always was! He hadn't changed! He couldnt move as he stared in fear,his body tight and rigid. He didnt know what was going on,but this wasnt natural. His dear friend's note seemed to flash before his eyes, finally making him snap to reality.


"Protect them"


The words felt like they were burned into his skull. Protect who? These people he had never met? Why?


He barely caught what the girl said about some...burning inside. He just knew he couldnt stand there and watch. He wasn't anyone special, but at this point, he didnt care. Somehow Clyde knew about this, and Aiden could only think of one thing as he ran passed the small group. Logic be damned. This was happening. And clyde wanted him to fight.


He couldnt explain it,but as he ran passed and his feet hit the dirt, everything seemed to change. Burning,yet chilling. That's what she said, right? He wasn't sure what she meant, but knew one thing. This thing was big, ugly, and definitely hungry, And he suddenly felt something completely unnatural well up inside.


His hand went rigid,dust flying as a hunk of stone, roughly the size of a basket ball, tore away from the earth, floating just off his knuckles. Burning, and chilling...that sounds right...


Aiden turned sharply, his arm moving loosely as he moved. The small boulder was sent flying. It must have felt like getting hit by a car, seeing how much was left of the stone after impact. In the back of his mind Aiden's logical side was questioning what had just happened. He quickly pushed it back. Nobody gives a damn how right now.


Another stone was pulled from the soil, hovering a few inches above his clenched hand. Change...right. At least he would make a good distraction.

 

[caramel]

Diana jolted awake, her golden eyes wild and unseeing with fear. The sound of her greedily sucking in the thin air reverberated through the room, distracting her from the almost eerie silence. After a few minutes of heavy breathing, Diana sagged over, her chest pressed along her long lean legs. "I'm okay...I'm alright...That wasn't real". The Jamaican finally turned to her side, nuzzling into mattress. Yes, she knew this wasn't her bedroom and no, she didn't care. That's what happens when you get used to waking up with strange men. Diana was content with waiting here until the owner of said room came to politely kick her out. Still. she was a bit uncomfortable with how...lifeless the room seemed. "Maybe I should go see if someone's nere". Wrapping the thin sheets around her body, she quietly made her way to the window and took a small glimpse out of it before slumping to the ground. "W-what the hell ?..."..

Her brows furrowed slightly as she scurried to the monitor by the door and read it, "2052, huh ? This guy's crazy, absolutely crazy ". Diana, already becoming incredibly fed up with the situation, ran her hands through her thick brown curls and opened her mouth to begin yelling until she heard the man's voice from the speakers. She listened intently, even holding her breath, then against her better judgment, followed his instructions. "Down the hallway, down the staircase, go downstairs", she repeated as she tried to make her way outside.

Diana stood in the doorway, balanced on the last step and clutching the sheet to her chest. She missed practically everything the small girl said but her main focus was observing the group. Finally, she stepped out of the doorway to either introduce herself or scream. The monster that came out made her choice for her. She fell back on her ass, a look of complete terror upon her beautiful face. This-this-this wasn't real. She had been drugged. Diana inhaled softly and looked down at her hands, trying to snap herself out of this feverish dream. As she stared at her hands, the brunette noticed something odd.. her veins..they were moving. They were pulsing and writhing underneath her deep brown skin and slowly, the veins started trying to come out of her skin. Diana nearly puked as she brought up a finger to touch the vein that was nearly an inch out of her skin. It burst.

A lacy black lightning start creeping over her arm, causing the other veins to bust. The strands of energy started getting larger and more angry, whipping across the rest of her body. Next were the veins under her eye, in her neck, and everywhere on her torso. Diana was silent through this change, watching in both horror and wonder as her body started with this new change. Her heart started beating faster and faster until the beats blurred together. She couldn't make scream as the lightning started trailing out of her mouth but managed to whisper, "Oh shit".

​

 

[noname]

Ruk glanced at Gilda as she answered the group's questions. But the glance lingered longer than what a glance should be and thus it ended up turning into a stare. Ruk wished that staring at people would actually be helpful. Such as giving him mind reading powers. That way he would get concise answers and information he needed. Or somehow pressure the person into saying the truth, which occasionally worked. Not that he used this technique..not often..Maybe sometimes, perhaps when he needed to corner thieves who stole his earnings as a performer. Ah, performing- those were his favorite days. He loved to awe the little ones by fire dancing, alongside astounding audiences by eating and breathing fire. It was something that his father had taught him. Ruk's stare softened into a gaze that drifted far away. Back when..





He blinked the very moment he realized he was thinking about the past, directed his attention back to the current situation and looked back at his notebook. He needed to concentrate. Ruk scratched his head with the back of his pen before adding one last thought to the page: Gilda -> vague explanations...why? His head snapped up when he heard the word 'pops' and stayed in place, watching the girl lead the group out into the garden. Pops? Ruk tilted his head. Was Gilda able to read minds..? He straightened his neck and shook his head. There was no way the girl knew he had been thinking about his father. Either way, it wouldn't make sense if she did. Even if there was indeed a magic explosion. But there was no proof.


Ruk exhaled and left his pen in between the pages of his notebook before he closed it so he could put it away and join the others in the garden. He smiled approvingly at Gilda's suggestion to befriend others, including herself. At least the girl was lively. Being the last one to exit the building-..Ruk raised his eyebrow as someone hastily came out of the doorway he stood next to. Was this the eighth person who Gilda was referring to? The young man had blue hair, eyes that seemed quite alarmed at something in the garden Ruk couldn't catch.


He jumped when he heard the screech. What in the world...? He covered his nose when the stench reached him and backed up until his back hit the wall of the building, attempting to run away from the foul smell. If there was something he absolutely couldn't stand, it was the opposite of nice fragrances. Ruk coughed and waved at the space in front of him, desperately wanting to waft away whatever was polluting the air. He froze his arm mid-wave when another screech echoed, this time followed by a large...was that a gigantic tarantula? He let his arm drop back at his side. No wait..it had a human head...what? This used to be a human? But how?! If the girl spoke the truth, he had to admit it was quite extraordinary that such things were possible. But...he didn't see any human turn into this monstrosity before him. Again, there was no proof. Confusion flooded his mind when his peripheral vision saw a blue light, leading him to look back at Gilda. He looked back and forth between the spider and Gilda, trying to piece together the words that she spoke. Prodigies? Concentrate at your very core? First BATTLE?


What is this?! Did the girl think they were gladiators?!! If she did then she was certainly nuts! As much as Ruk wished he had lived to see the Roman Empire, this certainly wasn't the 1st Century BC and he was pretty sure that they didn't fight ginormous- Ruk blinked as he caught sight of Jordan moving at an alarmingly fast speed, then Alex summoning a sharp bladed sword out of water. He rubbed his eyes when one of the ladies vanished before his sight while another smirked while holding a stone in her hand. Alas, his jaw finally dropped when the blue haired boy who ran past him could somehow pull boulders from the earth without holding them.. He needed answers. Right now. Even if his life was in danger. After his eyes found Gilda in the midst of chaos, Ruk took in a deep breath and let out a cough in surprise when another person arrived at the doorway he was crouching next to. Didn't Gilda say there was supposed to be eight people? He stared at woman, equally shocked when a dark lightning bolt covered her arm. That does it. He couldn't remain crouching in one place forever. He had to get a move on.





Having made up his mind, Ruk stood up. He looked back at the woman. He surely couldn't leave a person like this. Even if they looked a bit..frightening. Hesitatingly, he slowly reached out his hand towards the woman. "Are you able to stand?" Thankfully, his voice didn't come out as a trembling mess. @Of the Red


Maybe the monster didn't like his voice because the next thing he knew, it charged right at him. Widening his eyes, Ruk gulped as the monster got increasingly closer. Oh dear..Closing his eyes, Ruk raised an arm on impulse towards the monster as it aimed its huge fangs that would surely crush him. He furrowed his eyebrows when he left a large gust of wind momentarily surround him before leaving in a single direction. Which was strangely in the same path his arm was raised in. The wind couldn't..pass up through the ground..so how? Ruk opened his eyes, widening them when he saw that the monster went flying backwards from the wind. Wind? Ruk looked around the garden and back at the spider. For some reason, the rest of the garden was..unaffected. The grass, flower petals, everything else was still besides the monster. Why was the wind only blowing towards the monster instead of the whole garden? Ruk slowly lowered his arm. To his amazement, the winds disappeared and the monster fell flat to the ground. It was as if..


He scoffed. No way. It had to be a miraculous event caused by Mother Nature. A plain coincidence. Ruk waved his arm to the right, trying to swipe away a leaf that was about to fall onto his face. There was absolutely no way he could direct the-


Ruk watched as the monster flung to the right as a gust of wind appeared at the same time he waved his arm. Coming to a realization at what he was capable of, the fear in his eyes vanished and a single word escaped from his lips.





"Amazing.."