Chapter 2 — The Seven Anomalies
The ride to the base was silent.
Luke sat stiffly in the back of the black vehicle, the pale card clenched in his hand. Across from him, six other people in camouflage uniform sat in tense silence.
None of them spoke. None dared.
The vehicle stopped at a checkpoint, gates sliding open with mechanical precision. High walls surrounded the facility, topped with lines of silver spikes. It wasn't a prison, but it looked close enough.
The black vehicle slowly made its way to the parking lot, settling at an empty space.
. Soldiers in dark uniforms lined the path. Luke noticed the way their eyes lingered on him. Something like pity, fear, maybe even relief. Relief that it wasn't them.
Inside, Kael was led into a bright hall. White lights hummed overhead. Rows of seats faced a raised platform where a stern officer stood waiting. His medals glinted against his chest.
Aside from the stern officer there was the addition of few other people who looked to be somewhere around his age.
It seemed he wasn't the only late candidate.
"Attention," the officer barked. His voice carried the weight of command. The seven stood straighter by instinct.
"I am Commander Hark. You are here because you received a late Invitation. That should be impossible. It is unprecedented. And yet…" his gaze swept over them, sharp as knives, "…here you are."
Luke felt his stomach twist. The words only made the card in his pocket heavier.
"Ordinarily," Hark continued, "candidates undergo a three-month course to prepare for their first Entry. But unfortunately you only have one day."
A ripple of unease moved through the group.
"One day," Hark repeated. "Tomorrow at dawn, you will be pulled into the Imagination World. Your survival depends on what little you learn here. Do not waste it."
With that, he left the platform. A pair of instructors stepped forward, ready to begin. But before the lessons started, the seven were directed to sit together in a circle.
It was the first time Luke had truly looked at them.
Ofcourse given how Luke was a young man. Naturally the person he noticed was a girl.
The girl was quite a catch. She had dark shoulder length hair. Her eyes were dark brown and her skin was soft and smooth without blemishes.
She was by far the most beautiful lady Luke had ever seen.
While in midst of observing the lady, the lady then broke the silence.
She leaned back in her chair, smirking faintly. "Well… I guess we're the lucky rejects." Her tone was light and carefree as if she didn't care about anything at all. Her eyes carried a wild mischievous glint in her, one akin to those found by mental patients.
"My name is Keyla," she added quickly, tilting her chin toward Luke. "What about you?"
"Luke was suddenly flustered by her direct forwardness.
He muttered. "Luke Heth."
"Nice to meet you, Luke Heth," Keyla said with mock cheer. "Congratulations on being just as screwed as the rest of us."
A man across the circle bristled. Broad-shouldered, posture military-straight. "This isn't a game," he said flatly. "Treat it like one, and you'll get us all killed."
Keyla rolled her eyes. "And you are?"
"Jonas Kade. l am a soildier "
"Ah," Keyla said, smirking. "Figures. The stiff one."
A girl barely older than a teenager piped up, her voice bright, almost too bright for the heavy air. "I think this is exciting." She had pale hair tied in a messy bun and eyes that glittered with mischief. "Like… a real-life survival game. If you squint hard enough, anyway."
Jonas glared at her. "Exciting? You could die tomorrow."
"Yeah," she said simply, grinning. "That's what makes it exciting. I'm Sera. l eighteen years old." Nice meeting all of you.
Jonas muttered something under his breath.
Next was a man in glasses, older than the rest, perhaps late twenties. He adjusted his frame calmly, his expression detached. "Dr. Elias Grant.I… was with NASSA before this. Studying the very world we're about to enter."
The group turned towards him in unison.
Upon seeing their reactions , Dr Elias smiled.
"Oh sorry. l thought we were all introducing ourselves.
A young woman with short-cropped hair interjected evenly.
"Naomi Crass. Pleasure meeting you all.
Her fist struck the armrest, making the card in her hand reflect the faint light.
With solemnity, she then added. "I shouldn't be here."
Luke caught himself nodding. He felt finally reliefed to see someone who was sharing his same despair.
After all she was first among the group, who hadn't displayed unusual casualness to the situation.
The last was a man who hadn't spoken once. He leaned back with unnerving calm, his card resting loosely between his fingers. His posture was regal, his eyes cool and regal with a few strands of his short blonde hair on the way.
When he finally spoke, his voice was smooth. "Kiran Luther " He didn't elaborate, as if he didn't need to. But Ofcourse he didn't need to.
Keyla let out a low whistle. "Of course. We've got royalty among us."
Kiran Luther, was the heir of the noble house, House Luther. The Royal family that ruled most of the World's countries.
The circle fell into silence again. It was at this moment, the door opened.
A man stepped inside wearing a plain officer's jacket, his presence instantly pulling the air tight. His hair was iron-gray, his face lined but unbowed, and his dark eyes flicked over them with practiced calm.
"I'm Commander Jack," he said. His voice carried the weight of habit, as if he'd repeated this introduction too many times". Survived seven years in the Imagination Realm. And l am only a few steps away from attaining the Creator class."
'Creator class ' Inwardly remarked Luke. He was well aware of what this class represented. The highest class that one could achieve in the Imagination World.
No history of man attaining this has ever been recorded in the history book, showing how rare and potent the class was. Which went to show how impressive the man was , to be able to claim that he was only a few steps away from this class.
"You've all been pulled in under unusual circumstances," Jack continued. "And yes its pity, but thats all it is . A pity. For this now is your reality. And you have a day to prepare. Which means we have no time to waste. "