I stepped into the booth after the first post and was ordered to sit down. Of course, I didn't resist—there were soldiers with rifles standing at every booth, watching closely.
"Hands," a staff member said, grabbing my wrists and pulling them onto the chair's armrests.
In one swift, rough motion, he locked my hands in place. I froze. He picked up a square device about the size of a palm. In his other hand was a small stick.
"Open your mouth!"
I jerked back. "For what? What are you going to do to me?"
He shoved the stick into my mouth, making me cough hard. So rough!
"Bite down. Hard," he ordered.
The moment the little box touched the skin on my wrist, a sharp wave of pain shot through me. Such a tiny device, but the damage was brutal—my skin felt like it was being torn apart by thousands of needles.
A growl slipped out of me as tears streamed down my cheeks. The stick scraped against my teeth, which were chattering from the pain. Hearing the screams coming from the other booths only made me panic more. But I kept biting down on that stick as hard as I could.
"You're strong enough for half-Strains," the man said flatly after removing the device.
A barcode now marked my wrist, faintly black-red, blood dripping onto the floor.
"It'll heal soon," he added casually.
I left the booth with my hand throbbing painfully. My steps were unsteady as I headed to the next station, who knew what else they'd put me through. I entered a sort of gate, scanning my wrist over a metal box.
"Radon Area," a robotic voice announced, instructing me to join the line on the green floor in the middle of the hall. On the left and right were blue and red floors. The far left was black.
People lined up, preparing to board small aircraft waiting at the end.
Where is the government taking us?
I stepped into the line and froze when I saw Kael standing in the same green line. My heartbeat spiked. I was scared—honestly scared. Being with a werewolf who seems to be at the top of the Strains hierarchy… no one would be safe from someone like that.
"What's your ability?" a soft, gentle voice asked from my left.
I turned to see a blonde girl with a neat bob haircut and bright blue eyes, looking at me with eager curiosity.
I shook my head. "I don't know."
"Really? Are you a Shifter? Channeler? Or Psyon?" She frowned.
God, what now? Another set of terms I didn't understand.
"They said I'm Strains. Because I'm half genetically engineered. I… don't really get what that means."
"Your parents were Strains, right?" she asked, blinking.
"One of them," I guessed.
I had no clue which one—my mother or father—because I was adopted when I was a year old, during the Strains uprising twenty years ago. There were no traces of who my real parents were.
Since the uprising, the Naturals and Strains districts were strictly separated. There was no way a child would be born from a Natural-Strains pairing.
"That's rare," she murmured.
And yeah… she wasn't wrong.
"You're a hybrid? That hardly ever happens. Strains and Naturals weren't supposed to be together. And most likely they can't even have kids," she explained. She cleared her throat. "They didn't tell you your ability at the post?"
I shook my head again.
"Oh well, forget it." Then she held out her hand. "Lehtonen. Ash Lehtonen."
"Madison." My tongue stumbled over my surname—a name that shouldn't be mine. "Just call me Maddie."
"I'm an Aqua Channeler. Basically, my power comes from water." She gave a small smile. "I'm a healer in my district."
"Oh? I'm a paramedic too."
A loud huff of irritation sounded in front of us. I glanced over, and it was Kael. Was he annoyed by our conversation?
"Oh great, two useless Strains support types," a woman beside Ash scoffed.
"Not like you'll stay healthy forever," Ash shot back calmly. "You'll need a healer."
"No need," the woman growled. "I'm a Shifter. My regeneration is fast."
"Oh… what are you then? A frog shifter?" Ash folded her arms.
Kael let out a low growl, and the argument died instantly. I stared at them cautiously. I still didn't understand what Channelers or Shifters were. All I knew was that Strains had powers, different from regular humans.
I never realized that they were divided into special categories.
The line began moving. Eventually, it was my board turn the aircraft, seats lined along both sides. I sat next to Ash, while Kael sat at the far corner near the door.
The moment the aircraft lifted off, dread filled my stomach. It felt like death was getting closer. I was the only one with no ability. Everyone else in here had some kind of power.
How was I supposed to survive?
I didn't know how long the flight lasted, but soon we landed. We disembarked and moved in a crowd toward a massive, towering, intimidating metal gate, surrounded by high walls. "Radon" was carved above the double doors in bold metal letters.
"Radon participants: 50 people," a staff member announced through a megaphone. "The region with the highest number of surviving participants will advance to the next stage. Make sure every member stays safe. That's the only advice I can give."
I glanced at Ash, who was listening intensely.
"The arena will open in 48 hours. Meanwhile, prepare yourselves."
Suddenly, a blast of fire streaked toward the soldiers. They instantly formed a tight formation. A man charged forward, throwing fire again and again, plunging the area into chaos.
Shouts erupted, ordering him to stop. And then Kael leapt—one powerful jump, and he landed right on the fire-thrower. With a single crack, Kael snapped the man's neck. Everyone gasped, even the soldiers.
"He was on your team!" one soldier hissed at Kael, furious. "The game hasn't even started, and you... You killed him!"
Kael snorted softly. "A teammate like that would only slow us down. Besides, he broke the rules, didn't he?"
The soldier exhaled sharply and nodded. "Fine. Get back in line, Werewolf."
Kael walked past me, and our eyes met for a split second. Just seeing those gray eyes made me tremble. I couldn't imagine what the face behind that mask looked like. If his eyes alone were that terrifying… his face must be even worse.
The gate slowly opened, and a soldier's voice boomed from the megaphone: "No escaping or leaving the premises. Penalty is death."
I stared at the lifeless body on the ground, someone I didn't even get to know. Maybe for him… death was a quicker freedom.
I took a deep breath and stepped toward the gate. From this moment on, my life would never be the same.
I froze mid-step at the sight revealed behind the wall. "Oh God," I gasped.