The beings that stood before them felt off. As if their humanity had left them long ago. Genesis paid more attention to this than he had anything else. This was truly the most important thing in the world.
The voice on the megaphone sounded excited to talk.
"So I know you're all wondering what happened don't worry my buddy and I are here to tell you what happened."
There was first a hand raised then a voice.
"Can I go to the bathroom? It really can't wait."
The man face-palmed. In the action, Genesis could see his yellow blonde hair. Genesis couldn't see his face but based on his blonde hair Genesis assumed he was a Caucasian male in his late 20s.
"The sun isn't in the sky and all your teachers are gone and the first thing you want to do is to use the bathroom?"
He sighed.
"It's whatever, go. But as I was saying something very special happened at your school."
He paused, and he seemed confused. Genesis saw where he was gazing at and it was a boy playing games on his phone. The blonde-haired announced looked visibly irritated. These students didn't know what was going on or didn't care.
He looked over to his friend on his left and gave him a simple nod. The man on the left took off his hood. He was very handsome but at the same time off-putting. He had pale skin with combed-back black hair.
The strangest thing about him was his eyes. They were voided with the smallest drop of white in the center. The man simply gazed at the boy on his phone and the boy started levitating.
In the air Genesis saw his arm snap at impossible angles, dropping the phone out of his hand. Genesis looked away because he couldn't bear to see it anymore all he could hear was the silence and the snapping of bones.
Genesis felt something akin to rain touch his head. He finally looked up hoping he was just imagining things. But he saw the body in the air. The organs had spilled out and all that was left was rain.
Blood rained down from the sky. His blood rained down once it stopped everybody was drenched. Then the brutally mangled body fell from the sky. There was even something blocking Genesis's throat disabling him from screaming. So he just cried.
Silent tears came pouring out. He looked away from the body and saw a traumatised Lautaro. Wasn't this what they had been hoping for? If so then why was it so red? So very red.
"Now that you can all listen. Your school was taken beyond the Perfect Veil. Your world. Now you just have to survive in this one, the First Veil."
There was a pause before the continuation.
"Any questions, inquiries, anything?"
Silence.
"Come on I had to get your attention somehow. It's not that bad."
Still silent, nobody was in the right mindset to speak.
"So basically in each Veil layer, there is at least one Scene or Scenario you need to complete. They can be anything so be prepared you won't know what predicament you'll be facing so good luck. I advise you to start with the forgiveness speeches now if you want a chance of survival."
Genesis looked at Lautaro with despair in his eyes. Lautaro looked at Genesis with devastation in his. Everybody in the school hated them, if they were to make teams it would only be them against the wacky world of whatever this place was.
The man with the black eyes took the megaphone after a brief struggle with his friend.
"You don't have to make teams to survive in this world but it is recommended."
He took a deep breath.
"My name is Niht and my friend here is Suhn. Address us as Master or Professor. This is my final piece of advice to all of you. Abandon everything you know from the Perfect Veil for it shall provide no use for you here. Good luck."
Niht dropped the megaphone and they were gone. The fog around their throats was lifted, then came the screaming and whining. Genesis almost partook in it as well.
***
After their hair-raising cries died down groups started to form. Multiple people joined a group led by Allick. He wore the same uniform as Lautaro and Genesis but he also donned a navy blue jacket.
He wasn't ugly but he had a smug grin that Genesis hated. His hair was still grey after it had been dyed in a prank. It honestly made him look better. His eyes were sharp like a hawk that noticed anything.
Genesis personally disliked Allick just because he was more corrupt than Genesis himself. He stepped onto the podium and took the megaphone. He took an audible breath but before he could get a word out he was interrupted by a loud noise.
They all turned to the source of the sound and saw that the goal was transformed into a sort of leader board. It had names in alphabetical order assigned to a number. Genesis was in the middle while Lautaro was somewhere below the halfway mark.
The leader board came with bold red letters at the top, they read out.
"WHEN ALL SCENES AND SCENARIOS IN THIS VALL STUDENTS IN THE BOTTOM 50 WILL BE ELIMINATED "
Genesis's face turned grim. This wasn't a leader board for a random reason. It made the idea of working as one ludicrous. It forced those already at the bottom 50 to work harder therefore creating conflict.
The voice of Suhn came from somewhere none of them could see.
"If there are only 50 people left that is the bottom 50."
A few short seconds after the leader board was placed. Allick spoke his voice high and mighty.
"It seems that we have no other option. We have to wait it out."
Niht's voice was heard somehow.
"You can't wait out a Veil layer. If you look at your arm you'll mysteriously see a visa because you are not a citizen of the Veil. The visa will show you how many days you have left until you die. You can only add days to the visa by completing scenes or scenarios."
Genesis looked at Lautaro with a look that said it all, they were screwed. Allick continued his speech once more.
"It seems that we're really at the end here we have no other option. But I have a plan if you listen to me you will survive. We have to think of the team as one certain people will make that impossible, so unfortunately we have to sacrifice them for ourselves."
Allick gazed at Genesis and Lautaro with a satisfied look on his face. All they did to him was pour a bucket of strange dye that was going to stick with him for a few years. And somehow death was a necessary punishment. This man was using his advantages to his advantage.
Genesis couldn't go up and grab the megaphone, and nobody would listen because of his history. Genesis whispered to Lautaro.
"How are we going to do this?"
"We'll find a way, bro. We always do."
Lautaro sounded less confident, like he had given up already.
Quickly the people deemed as unnecessary were unable to join their massive group and that was that. Although there were some surprises. Hana was left without a group, so were Jae and Sephina.
Jae was the king of the school and it seems that he was unnecessary in their grand voyage. He seemed visibly livid, he walked over to Lautaro and Genesis and told them that he'd join.
Jae had a slight epicanthic fold due to his half Asian heritage. He was extremely handsome and also extremely built. He had muscles everywhere with a lean physique. He was taller than some adults, with his extreme athleticism Genesis was surprised when he wasn't in the main team.
He wore a dirty white tank top with his jacket tied around his waist. His black pants matched his black sneakers. His hair was in his signature middle part with strands of hair in the center. He was the perfect addition to any team. The only reason a person like him could not be chosen was because of envy. Allick coveted Jae.
Jae's voice was extremely deep, too deep for someone who was only 16.
"Let me join you guys."
Lautaro looked at Jae with a smirk.
"Look at Mister fall from grace begging us to join our team."
"You of all people should know why I'm here. You're strong and I'm strong and together we are stronger."
Genesis couldn't catch himself from going back to his old habits.
"Caveman ideology."
Jae sighed and looked at Lautaro waiting for an answer. Lautaro and Jae had fought many times but each and every time they were almost evenly matched.
"Alright then join."
A little while later Hana appeared asking the same question.
Hana was a curious character. She wore the same thing every day which was a grey sweater, grey sweatpants and rarely revealed her grey shirt. Her eyes had visible dark circles paired along with her pale skin she was like a vampire.
She definitely was not ugly but she didn't really care about how she looked either. The only things she did care about was robots and every time Genesis asked why she responded simply.
"Because their easier than people, their not unpredictable."
She was also the only person Genesis hadn't performed his antics on. Firstly because she wouldn't care. But also because Genesis had a form of respect for her they were both the smartest in their own way.
Genesis suspected that she wasn't necessary because she was unpopular, rarely talked to anyone and also because she was envied by Allick.
Sephina had to be the least surprising person there. Although she was fairly popular she had committed a grave mistake long ago.
She had flowing sea blue hair and mysterious black eyes. At some point she was considered to be the most beautiful person in their school. She had a slim face with snow white skin.
She wore a button-up white blouse with a ebony skirt that reached her knees. The singular reason that she wasn't in their group was because she had rejected Allick publicly.
Sephina was also very skilled at using a bow. She was in the provincials for archery.
She walked over there because she saw that she was just like them, abandoned and betrayed. She seemed nervous to try to join their team but she was welcomed. The more the merrier Lautaro said.
Genesis felt a delicate fingers tap his shoulder. He turned around and almost fainted. It was her the girl that the reason he was punched in the face. But Genesis was happy with being punched in her face if it meant he got to see her face.
He was stunned, his mouth gaping when looking at her fully. She wore the same uniform as Sephina did but she looked way better in it than she did.
Lautaro knocked Genesis out of his daze.
"Yo, she's asking you if she can join. What do you say?"
"S-Sure you can join."
Her voice sounded pleasant like an angel's.
"Thank you. My name is Noel I don't really know anyone here and I don't trust the big crowds so I decided to join you guys."
Starstruck, Genesis started blabbing.
"Hey, Noel would you like to go out with me sometime?"
Noel tilted her head in confusion.
"I don't think they'll be giving the chance to go out."
Jae mocked, making fun at Genesis.
Lautaro put his hands on Genesis's back.
"Do better. That's all I have to say."
Genesis covered his face with his hands he had made a fool of himself, and he was drowning in embarrassment.
***
After asking and being rejected by other people who weren't accepted they thought it was finally time. Genesis analysed the door speaking his theories to the group. The door was supposed to lead them into the janitor's closet but was replaced with a glowing red light.
The door had the number 1 at the side and a blue square beside the one. Genesis thought about the signs near the door and what they could mean.
"After looking around I'm fairly sure that the number represents the difficulty. I'm not sure what blue means yet but I think it's like a category. The other color of doors I found were red and yellow. Primary colors. The rest were secondary colors. The secondary colors probably mean it's a combination of the two primary colors that make it."
"You found all that out by just looking at colors and numbers?"
Lautaro genuinely asked.
"Remember that I'm the smart one. As an example if this blue door was a Scene or Scenario about fixing a light bulb and a red door was about juggling. The purple door would probably be about juggling while fixing a light bulb. But this is the most I can speculate for now. But stay vigilant anything can happen."
They all took deep breaths and stepped in.