I scrambled back, my heart pounding in terror. Hell? I ended up in hell?
"What... what is this?" I stammered. I thought good people go to paradise? Or was I never good to begin with?
"This is your awakening, master," he answered. "This is your world and you are our ruler. The one with the power of an omnipotent, the most powerful."
"I don't understand," I muttered, still trembling. "You will," the creature replied, rising to its full, imposing height.
I shut my eyes, trying to wake up from the dream, but the creature spoke again, making me realize I was living my reality. "Just say the word, Master, and I will obey. I am your subject."
Master? Ruler? Omnipotent? What the hell is going on?
The creature stepped closer and I flinched in fright as his grotesque form became clearer. A skeletal face, sharp teeth, and hollow, dark piercing eyes boring into me.
I swallowed hard and faced him, summoning the courage I didn't know I had left. "Who are you?" I asked.
He vanished, only to reappear behind me with a gush of wind. The atmosphere became colder and I felt the hairs on my neck rise. "I am your servant, the one who will lead you to victory."
"Servant?" I scoffed. "Last I checked, hell doesn't hand out servants to offenders." I know I shouldn't be laughing, but I couldn't help it when he said the word 'servant'
The creature was silent for a moment before reappearing a short distance away. "You are no offender," he corrected, with his voice steady. "You are the ruler of this world."
I furrowed my brows and glanced around the desolate environment, wondering why I am the king. "This… world?" I asked, skeptically, and shook my head. The barren world seemed like a void than a kingdom. It was depressing and it took no time before it began to affect my emotions too, making me feel sad about it state. Who would want to rule such a lifeless place?
"So, I'm like the devil or something?" I asked, finally averting my gaze back to him.
"No," he replied firmly. "This is not the hell you think it is. It's worse," he answered and went on, "This is a realm of no return, one that no soul should ever wish to see."
I scratched my head, trying to figure out if I was dreaming or not. It definitely wasn't a prank. John and his gang wouldn't be able to pull this off. "Why me?" I asked, not able to hold in my curiosity. "Why am I the ruler of a place like this?"
"You were destined to rule this place even before you were born," he answered. Suddenly, the darkness lit up, revealing an endless number of hideous creatures, all bowing their heads to me.
"We are your subjects," he declared. "I am Maki, your loyal servant."
A place where I was revered. A world where I wasn't bullied or mocked. For the first time, I was someone important.
My lips curled into a smirk as I surveyed the vast number of creatures. "What are you all?" I asked.
"We are ghouls," they chorused in unison, then fell silent, waiting for my command.
This was new. For once, something, no, someone, was listening to me without cursing at me or reminding me how useless my life is. I stepped closer to Maki, meeting his gaze. "Take me back to the world of the living."
Going back to the world of the living would mean awakening from the dead. It was something I have never heard of. A lot of energy would have to be used to make it happen. Would he be able to do it?
Maki bowed his head and answered, "as you wish, Master," taking me by surprise.
The world darkened, and for a brief moment, I felt weightless and lost. I was floating again, but this time, I had no idea where I was or where I was heading to. When the light returned, I was back in the test room, lying on the bed with the strange clip still inserted in my head.
I gasped, looking down at my chest where the bullets had struck, but there was no wound, no pain, no blood. My heart raced as I realized it wasn't a dream. I was alive. I was brought back to life!
My body felt light, but powerful. It was a different feeling. I glanced around, noticing the doctor and soldiers frozen in place.
"This is just the beginning," Maki's voice echoed from the corner of the room. I turned, seeing him standing there with his form looming in the shadows.
"Bringing me back to life is just the start?" I asked, baffled. "How powerful are you?"
"We are nothing without you," he replied. "You are the source of our power and we can do anything only by your command. Your potential surpasses even the gods."
"The gods?" I whispered, a shiver running down my spine.
The gods are the most powerful and strongest among all the other ranks. The first level, level one. But now, they don't exist. It was said that the last god died hundred years ago after falling to his death. He became too powerful that no one on earth could defeat him so he ended his life instead.
Reaching the god level, the enormous energy could drive anyone insane and that would bring danger to the world. It was forbidden to reach the level of the gods. The level of the supreme was the highest that was allowed to be settled for.
"Like I said earlier, you are omnipotent, the most powerful being of all."
A surge of energy rushed through me at his words, filling me with a sense of invincibility. Whatever the omnipotent level was, I could feel its immense power coursing through me.
I smirked, glancing at the frozen doctor. "Alright then, why don't we start by reshaping my destiny?" I asked and looked at him. "Maki, alter the screen and register me as a Delta. That would be less suspicious and more convincing. No one can know about this. If they find the gods a threat, I will be an even greater threat."
"Your wish is my command."
Instantly, the screen glowed blue and my smile widened. No one would ever look down on me again. I shut my eyes and took in a deep breath, trying to breath in the new breath of power. It smelt different- so different. I faced Maki. "Now," I said, "erase their memories of the last twenty minutes and unfreeze them."
Maki complied without hesitation. I went to lay down as he wiped their memories. The moment he was done, the room returned to normal.
The doctor blinked, and his expression puzzled. He stared at me suspiciously and I got the sense that he might have seen what happened even though he was frozen. He slowly walked to the bed, not taking his eyes off me. "Reggie, how are you moving? I paralyzed you."
I breathed silently in relief and forced a smile. "I don't know," I said, feigning innocence. "I just feel... strong."
He stared at me for another few seconds before he turned to the screen and gasped. "A Delta?"
"Is that bad, sir?" I asked, pretending to be oblivious. I wanted to play dumb for a little bit.
"No! It's remarkable," he stammered. "Only students who have mastered their abilities can reach this level. But your records…" He trailed off, still baffled.
I shrugged. "Guess your records were wrong." I climbed down the bed and reached out for my crutches. As I stood, I realized something else; my legs no longer ached, and my vision was clear without glasses. How could this be? I suppressed a grin, determined to keep it a secret for now.
I stepped out and immediately, the announcement was made: Reggie Scott has been selected a Delta, bringing the hall to a total silence. Every gaze turned to me, with no one saying a word.
…
After the selection, we were all called aside, separated from the students who were unfortunately selected as commoners.
We were led out of the large hall by an army officer, into a locker room, and given a cloth to change over. It was a grey jumping suit, with black boots. I drew my brows together wondering what they were up to.
Shouldn't we be on our way to the city?
After getting dressed, we were led out of the school building to a field and were instructed to stand in a straight like, horizontally.
A ranked army officer, walked to the podium and surveyed the students before he went ahead to give his speech. "Everyone here was successfully selected. You all are now entering a new stage of life. A stage where there are many things to expect, many things to happen, and many changes to undergo. The world out there is a blissful place but it can be scary too. It is a new stage of survival and only the fittest survive," he addressed, his voice booming over the crowd.
He went on. "You all will receive your new missions that will be your final test to successfully enter the society."
A bowl filled with folded papers was passed around. One by one, students drew their missions. Many students who had picked theirs all had scared looks on their faces while some, or rather, a few, wore smiles on their faces.
When it was my turn, I unfolded my paper and froze. The words stared back at me in bold letters:
A Death Mission.