Sezel stood at the classroom's threshold, his red eyes scanning the rows of newbie Slayers.
They were a motley crew—young and old, rich and poor. Apparently, awakening didn't discriminate. Some wore tailored coats and polished boots that probably cost more than Sezel had ever seen in his life, while others, like him, were clad in the facility's stark white shirt and trousers.
Okay, so now I have to sit with them. Great. Another opportunity to be the odd one out.
Sezel's heart pounded hard, his nervousness making him shiver. His legs, it seemed, had decided to join the party and were now trembling.
These are the symptoms of a person with nonexistent social skills, he thought, a wave of self-deprecation washing over him. It wasn't his fault. The slums didn't exactly have a debate club.
He exhaled, closing his eyes for a brief moment. Well, it is what it is. No point in standing here like a lost puppy.
With that thought, he stepped inside. Most of the students ignored him, returning to their conversations or notes, their fleeting glances a mixture of boredom and mild curiosity. He was just another new face, another Awakened stumbling into their midst.
Murmurs of the students filled the room, Sezel quietly slipped to the back, claiming a seat. Captain Raelion still stood at the gate, his face annoyed, his sunglasses hiding his eyes. What's he so annoyed about? Did I not walk through the door with enough enthusiasm?
Sezel glanced around the classroom. Some students shot him sly glances, others laughed in small, exclusive groups. It was a chaotic, buzzing hive of humanity. So this is what a class is like. I've only ever heard about them.
A commotion at the door drew every gaze. Raelion's voice, sharp and commanding, cut through the noise as he scolded someone unseen. A moment later, a towering figure stepped in—a muscular man clutching a book, his face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and frustration.
Sezel blinked, stunned. How is Raelion, a man half his size, able to scold this giant? He smirked. Guess if you have power, you can do anything.
Everyone in the class shot to their feet. Sezel, caught off guard, looked around in confusion before hastily following suit, a silent, awkward greeting to the newcomer.
"Good afternoon," the man rumbled, his deep voice filling the room as he set the book on the teacher's desk. His smile was warm, a stark contrast to Raelion's perpetual scowl.
So, he's the teacher.
Everyone sat down. The teacher's gaze swept over the class, landing on Sezel with a sharpened intensity that sent a shiver down his spine.
"You're all newbies," the teacher began, his voice carrying to every corner of the room. "This is your first lesson as Awakened. Here, you'll learn the basics of being a Slayer."
Yeah, this is what I needed. About time.
The teacher's gaze drifted back to Sezel, a silent acknowledgment of the white-haired, red-eyed anomaly in the back row. "Do you know what it means to be a Slayer?" he asked, his voice a deep, challenging rumble.
No one among the 200ish people answered, the teacher broke the damp silence, answering his question with a dark expression, "To save what's left of humanity. It's your responsibility."
Sezel listened, the words sinking deep.
The teacher paced, his boots echoing on the tiled floor, "Around ten decades ago the first Gate tore our world apart, turning humanity upside down, shaping the world as we know it today. The Gate released nightmarish creatures and in no time the continent of Australia became a wasteland, overrun by creatures from the Spirit Realm. It was the biggest shock to humanity up until now. The Spirit Beasts that came out of the Gate were nothing short of devastation itself, immune to death from the weapons humanity had."
He paused, eyes sweeping the room. "But humanity was given a gift. Humans started awakening as the Spirit energy flowed and leaked to our world. We have yet to deduce what it is or where did it come from, the only thing we know is that it has a mind of its own."
Gasps rippled through the class, eyes widening. Sezel's breath caught. A mind of its own?
The teacher turned, his voice lowering. "Spirit Energy is alive, sentient. It shapes our fate, whether we want it or not." This was no public tale, it was a secret guarded only for the Awakened.
"Only a chosen few are awakened, only five percent to be exact. With the newfound abilities we found a stand against the horrors of the Spirit Realm. As Slayers, you all will be tasked to go inside the Spirit Realm and stop the horrifying beasts from coming out in this world."
"On that note," he smiled, a grim, humorless curve of his lips, "it's not mandatory. You can choose other paths. Be a teacher, join a rescue team, become a researcher." He stopped, his expression turning dark. "But as an Awakened, no matter where you run, you will always find yourself entangled with the Spirit Realm. It is our fate, decided by the Spirit Energy."
A chill coiled down Sezel's spine. What does he mean by that?
He'd already decided his path. His Rank 0 status left him no choice but to pursue a life far from the Spirit Realm's jaws.
An instructor, maybe. Something safe. Something boring. But the teacher's words gnawed at him. Escape fate? For a boy like him, that was a laughable proposition. Fate, it seemed, was not something he could simply walk away from. It was a shadow that would follow him, no matter how fast he ran.