The world was dark and peaceful. I floated in the darkness, staring into the distance with my hands wrapped around my chest. Even though the pain was gone and I could breathe properly, there was a lingering fear in my heart.
"Is this fear or just shock?" I muttered, wondering why I felt this way.
I wasn't sure if I was scared or just shocked. My emotions were a mess—even my Xenovian genes could not suppress them properly.
"You experienced death and all the pain that came with it. It's only natural that you are shaken," a familiar voice rang from behind.
Quickly, I turned around only to see myself standing there—but this version of me was different. It was in its Xenovian form, with its lips torn apart to reveal razor-sharp teeth. It had claws for nails and black cracks around its eyelids, which were illuminated by a violet glow.
It was Lyxor.
"Where have you been all this while?" I asked calmly.
"Unfortunately, I can't interfere with your test. To the system, I was a bug that could be easily blocked out by a couple of firewalls."
What do bugs have to do with firewalls?
Honestly, I was a slave all my life, so I couldn't understand a thing he was saying. But I just nodded and played along.
"I can't believe they would set up something that gruesome for kids," I said with a frown. "Isn't that a bit too much?"
Lyxor shook his head, and a bitter smile spread across his shark-like mouth.
"When Ralph woke up, he brought up the issue of the test difficulty, and they found out that it was set at level five instead of one. You two were deliberately put on a test meant for year-five students," Lyxor explained.
My eyes widened at this information as the fear in me faded instantly and was replaced with rage.
It finally made sense.
The enemies were so strong, I could barely fight back. In fact, the entire exchange was one-sided, even with the help of my Xenovian genes.
I was fighting a battle meant for people five years older than me.
"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.
I could understand bullying Ralph to prove a point.
However, making a child experience death just to prove a point was taking things too far!
My clenched fists tightened harder, but seconds later, the rage faded and my balled fists loosened.
"It's just like the test. I ignored a visible threat, giving them the opportunity to strike first and cripple me." I chuckled with a bitter smile.
The God Sect beat Ralph and got away with it, and now they have gotten bold enough to strike at me as well.
"I'm a fool." I laughed while facepalming.
Lyxor shook his head at my words and grabbed my shoulder.
"You are young and inexperienced—that's the advantage they have over you," he said. "Take these lessons to heart and act accordingly."
His final lines came in the form of an echo, and his figure slowly began to blur. A bright ray of light pierced into the darkness, forcing me to shield my eyes as everywhere turned white.
— Blackwater Residence —
My eyes fluttered open at the familiar sight of my ceiling coming into view. It was quiet and slightly cold, but at least I wasn't shivering anymore.
The little chat I had with Lyxor was necessary to calm my nerves.
The PTSD I suffered from this CST Class had turned to pure hatred. I wanted nothing more than to hurt everyone who put me in this condition, and this time, I'm not going to hold back.
"They think they have won. I'll strike them dead one after the other." I muttered calmly.
Grrnnkkk... snrrrhhkkk...
My brows narrowed at the sound of snoring, and I promptly searched for the source. It was Ralph, seated on a one-seater sofa not too far from my bed.
He leaned back recklessly with his mouth wide open as he snored aggressively.
"I wonder how he died… He seems alright," I muttered.
[He was shot at the back of the head by Constable John. It was quick, so he didn't suffer as much as you.]
Slowly, I nodded at his words, but then a question crossed my mind.
"How do you know this?" I asked.
[I see what you see and I hear what you hear. While you were still asleep, Ralph was crying at the top of his voice, asking why it hurts so bad. According to him, level 1 exercises shouldn't hurt that bad. That's when they found out it was set at level four.] Lyxor explained, and my brows knitted.
Was Miss Joanne playing along or playing dumb?
She's our homeroom guardian and the one in charge of our class. Was it really possible she was oblivious of the setup?
"Do you think she's innocent?"
[No… At this point, I can't trust anyone. You shouldn't either.] Lyxor responded, and I nodded.
Everyone is guilty until proven innocent. That's the mindset I'll stick to from now on.
Knock! Knock!
Huh?!
Ralph yelped and sat up, but his eyelids were still struggling to open fully. I watched him rub his eyes a few times before looking my way.
Seeing I was awake, his eyes lit up brightly and he sprang to his feet.
"You are awake?!" He yelped in shock.
Bam!
The door swung open as Maria, Pamela, and Jane rushed in and flanked my bed from two sides as they stared at me in surprise.
"Young master, you are awake?!" they chorused.
Calmly, I ignored the chaos around me and focused more on the figures standing at the door.
It was Vice Chancellor Albert, Miss Joanne, and the God Sect—all four of them.
The vice chancellor and the guardian walked up to the bed with worried expressions while the God Sect trailed behind with a look of amusement on their faces.
My hands clenched beneath the sheets, but I remained calm on the surface.
"I heard about the careless mistake made by our staff, and I couldn't help but run over and check on you. How do you feel?" Albert asked with an innocent smile.
I didn't respond quickly; my cold gaze fell on Miss Joanne before going through the individual faces of the God Sect members. Out of all of them, none was as excited as Dean.
"Do you believe this is a mistake?" I asked in a calm voice, and I felt the atmosphere change.
Albert's brows knitted slightly while his eyes opened up a bit, revealing his deadly red pupils glaring at me. But I'm no coward—I sat up and glared back at him.
This continued for a few seconds before Albert slowly shut his eyes and shook his head.
"I'll have this incident investigated," Albert said with a friendly smile. "You should focus more on recovering."
With this, I confirmed even the vice chancellor was a part of this ploy to subdue me.
I'll crush every one of them!