Xavier jolted awake, his heart racing as he scanned his surroundings. Gone were the comforting sights of sunlight or the darkness of nightmares. Instead, he found himself staring up at a grim wooden ceiling. Panic surged through him, the throbbing pain in his body reminding him of his reality.
He couldn't feel his hands or legs—limbs he was sure were there but seemed to belong to someone else. Gritting his teeth, he managed to sit up, only to catch sight of his battered hands. They were a shocking mess: bruised, swollen, and calloused. A cold sweat trickled down his brow.
"What the hell is going on?" he whispered, a tremor of fear creeping into his voice.
As he strained against the chains binding him, panic tightened its grip. The chains were black and unforgiving, locking him in place. He looked down at his body, his breath hitching. Clad in tattered rags that felt more like burlap sacks than clothes, he realized he no longer wore the outfit from his previous life. The slight horror of the situation seeped in.
"This can't be happening," he murmured, memories crashing into him like waves against a rocky shore. The bus ride, the chaos, the explosion—a blur of terror that led him here, wherever "here" was.
His heart sank as he surveyed his surroundings, each terrible detail more horrifying than the last. There, all around him, were his classmates—every last one of them. They were trapped, huddled together like frightened animals, their faces smeared with dirt, their clothing resembling more of a prison uniform than a uniform. The guys wore ragged sackcloth, while the girls—barely covered—exhibited the rawness of their plight. Fear gripped him. If they were in this predicament, it meant he was no exception.
To his right, relief washed over him as he spotted Brian, but it was short-lived. Brian's face was stark, pale with shock, his body trembling in the chains that bound them both.
Whispers erupted among their classmates, a cacophony of fear and confusion. The sound capped Xavier's resolve. They were being transported somewhere—a grim realization punctuated by the rocking of the carriage beneath them.
The air grew heavy with dread. They were no heroes; they were slaves, caught in a nightmare that seemed to stretch infinitely. The whispers escalated into shouts of panic as his classmates clamored for answers, desperate to know what had happened.
"Dude," Brian croaked, his voice a raspy whisper. "What is going on? Where are we?"
"I don't know," Xavier confessed, trying in vain to inject calmness into his own frantic thoughts. "Just… stay calm. We'll figure this out."
But calmness was a luxury they couldn't afford. The volume soared, a furious storm of voices that filled the carriage with unrelenting fear.
And then, without warning, a blinding flash of lightning shot up from beneath them, searing through the wooden floorboards like a vengeful spirit. The jolt sent waves of electricity coursing through their bodies, igniting screams of agony in the air as pain engulfed him. Xavier arched his back, his vision blurring as he groaned.
Just as abruptly as it had begun, the lightning stopped, leaving them in a stunned silence, despair clawing its way back into their hearts. Some coughed, others whimpered—crippled by the pain and fear of the unknown.
"Are you rats finally done with the noise?" A voice cut through the darkness from outside the carriage, sending chills down their spines.
Silence followed.
"Good," the voice continued, dripping with disdain. "Keep your mouths zipped."
"Tell them, mate," another voice chimed in, mocking yet amused. "Can you believe these are the ones the goddess dragged from their pathetic little world to become heroes? What a load of crap."
"I know, right?" the first voice replied. "But the citizens demanded this. The goddess can't lose face with the king's orders. But why from that dump of a planet?"
"Who knows?" the other laughed. "At least the females are nice to look at. Too bad the goddess is picky with time."
The humor in their voices made Xavier's stomach churn. This was a nightmare come to life.
"Oh, shit," Brian muttered, his voice a whisper full of dread.
Xavier turned, heart pounding. "What do you mean?"
Brian met his gaze, urgency flashing in his eyes. "We've been summoned, Xavier. Summoned to be something we never wanted. And instead of honor, they see us as a chore."
Xavier swallowed hard, dread settling in his bones. Brian's serious demeanor sent alarm bells ringing. This was real. They were here to become heroes, dragged into a world that saw them as nothing more than a hassle.
Derek, trembling with anxiety, broke the silence. "I can't believe this." His voice was soft at first, but an infectious excitement lit up his expression. "We're going to be heroes! This is incredible! I can finally experiment on corpses!"
The class shot glares at him, their disbelief apparent—all except for Derek, oblivious to their annoyance, still dreaming of glory.
Brian's face twisted in disdain. "This idiot…"
Xavier stiffened, fear coiling in his chest, knowing that they were all in uncharted territory. Courage and dread mingled as he realized that whatever awaited them would test their strength and resolve beyond anything they had ever known.Xavier jolted awake, his heart racing as he scanned his surroundings. Gone were the comforting sights of sunlight or the darkness of nightmares. Instead, he found himself staring up at a grim wooden ceiling. Panic surged through him, the throbbing pain in his body reminding him of his reality.
He couldn't feel his hands or legs—limbs he was sure were there but seemed to belong to someone else. Gritting his teeth, he managed to sit up, only to catch sight of his battered hands. They were a shocking mess: bruised, swollen, and calloused. A cold sweat trickled down his brow.
"What the hell is going on?" he whispered, a tremor of fear creeping into his voice.
As he strained against the chains binding him, panic tightened its grip. The chains were black and unforgiving, locking him in place. He looked down at his body, his breath hitching. Clad in tattered rags that felt more like burlap sacks than clothes, he realized he no longer wore the outfit from his previous life. The slight horror of the situation seeped in.
"This can't be happening," he murmured, memories crashing into him like waves against a rocky shore. The bus ride, the chaos, the explosion—a blur of terror that led him here, wherever "here" was.
His heart sank as he surveyed his surroundings, each terrible detail more horrifying than the last. There, all around him, were his classmates—every last one of them. They were trapped, huddled together like frightened animals, their faces smeared with dirt, their clothing resembling more of a prison than a uniform. The guys wore ragged sackcloth, while the girls—barely covered—exhibited the rawness of their plight. Fear gripped him. If they were in this predicament, it meant he was no exception.
To his right, relief washed over him as he spotted Brian, but it was short-lived. Brian's face was stark, pale with shock, his body trembling in the chains that bound them both.
Whispers erupted among their classmates, a cacophony of fear and confusion. The sound capped Xavier's resolve. They were being transported somewhere—a grim realization punctuated by the rocking of the carriage beneath them.
The air grew heavy with dread. They were no heroes; they were slaves, caught in a nightmare that seemed to stretch infinitely. The whispers escalated into shouts of panic as his classmates clamored for answers, desperate to know what had happened.
"Dude," Brian croaked, his voice a raspy whisper. "What is going on? Where are we?"
"I don't know," Xavier confessed, trying in vain to inject calmness into his own frantic thoughts. "Just… stay calm. We'll figure this out."
But calmness was a luxury they couldn't afford. The volume soared, a furious storm of voices that filled the carriage with unrelenting fear.
And then, without warning, a blinding flash of lightning shot up from beneath them, searing through the wooden floorboards like a vengeful spirit. The jolt sent waves of electricity coursing through their bodies, igniting screams of agony in the air as pain engulfed him. Xavier arched his back, his vision blurring as he groaned.
Just as abruptly as it had begun, the lightning stopped, leaving them in a stunned silence, despair clawing its way back into their hearts. Some coughed, others whimpered—crippled by the pain and fear of the unknown.
"Are you rats finally done with the noise?" A voice cut through the darkness from outside the carriage, sending chills down their spines.
Silence followed.
"Good," the voice continued, dripping with disdain. "Keep your mouths zipped."
"Tell them, mate," another voice chimed in, mocking yet amused. "Can you believe these are the ones the goddess dragged from their pathetic little world to become heroes? What a load of crap."
"I know, right?" the first voice replied. "But the citizens demanded this. The goddess can't lose face with the king's orders. But why from that dump of a planet?"
"Who knows?" the other laughed. "At least the females are nice to look at. Too bad the goddess is picky with time."
The humor in their voices made Xavier's stomach churn. This was a nightmare come to life.
"Oh, shit," Brian muttered, his voice a whisper full of dread.
Xavier turned, heart pounding. "What do you mean?"
Brian met his gaze, urgency flashing in his eyes. "We've been summoned, Xavier. Summoned to be something we never wanted. And instead of honor, they see us as a chore."
Xavier swallowed hard, dread settling in his bones. Brian's serious demeanor sent alarm bells ringing. This was real. They were here to become heroes, dragged into a world that saw them as nothing more than a hassle.
Derek, trembling with anxiety, broke the silence. "I can't believe this." His voice was soft at first, but an infectious excitement lit up his expression. "We're going to be heroes! This is incredible! I can finally experiment on corpses!"
The class shot glares at him, their disbelief apparent—all except for Derek, oblivious to their annoyance, still dreaming of glory.
Brian's face twisted in disdain. "This idiot…"
Xavier stiffened, fear coiling in his chest, knowing that they were all in uncharted territory. Courage and dread mingled as he realized that whatever awaited them would test their strength and resolve beyond anything they had ever known.