Human: Paradigm (COMPLETED)

MATT

We are walking the grounds. There’s a throbbing sensation on my legs, but I still continue.

“So that’s Hana ajumoni,” I say.

“Yes. Ms. Choi is a former nurse of the school I attended once I was in Middle School,” Jeon says.

“How’s your hand doing?”

“You do not need to be bothered about my hand.”

“She said to keep the bandage and to visit her every morning but, still, it’s my fault.”

“I had forgiven you already.”

“Thanks.”

Currently, we pave the sidewalk. Some students are also walking in front of us to the facility. I hear them talking about Richard, and just hearing his name already ruins my mood. He’s popular. That’s why he’s so full of himself. But I have other things to focus my attention on, so I better stop wasting my time on him. I avert to Jeon.

“You’re already familiar with the assessment right?”

“Yes, I am. I have been to numerous assessments since 5th Grade.”

“I got no idea what will happen.”

“I understand your curiosity because our advisor did not really mention the details of the assessment yesterday. However, I am able to elucidate if it will help..”

“Go on.”

“The assessment is actually an evaluation of the abilities of each student here in Vex City. It is implemented as early as pre-school and lasts until college level.”

“Pre-school? That’s very young.”

“I agree. By the way, I assume that you have acquired an evident understanding of the ability system.”

“Yeah. There are 4 classes, and each has 5 levels except for Class 4.”

“You are correct. Classification 1 and Level 1 are the lowest while Classification 4 is the highest ranking in the system.”

“And the divisions are based on the nature of ability.”

Looking at him makes me see his back that resembles a metal pole because of its posture.

“Class 1 relies heavily on the physical capability of the natural body. With that being said, Classification 1 requires more energy than any other Classification Divisions. Super Strength, Sonic Speed, and Enhanced Reflex are some of the examples. Classification 2 abilities are based on the waves in their energy field. Teleportation and Telekinesis are the vast identification of the two. Classification 3, on the other hand, consists of bonds that can manipulate elements. Elemental users are common in this division. The highest rank in the hierarchy is Classification 4, and it is the only one without any level.”

Odd. “Why’s it the only exception?”

“Classification 4 Skens break the stigma of the foundation of other classifications. Skens belonging to this division are very rare as it is the most powerful among the four.”

“Really?”

“Only three Skens with Classification 4 abilities exist in the entire city.”

“That’s really rare then.”

“You can say that, but as Mr. An already mentioned yesterday, the rankings are exclusive to the current students.”

I don’t remember though. I’m lost appreciating the interior of the classroom yesterday.

The sun falls on my coat and gives a nice feeling. Remembering what happened yesterday, I cover Jeon from the sunlight. This is the least I can do to keep myself sane.

“Jeon, I have one more question.”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your ability?”

He nods. “My ability belongs to Classification 3. I am able to manipulate elements, Electricity in particular.”

Electricity? So that field comes from that?

“How about you?”

I turn my head.

“Hmm?”

“What is your ability?”

“I would like to know myself too.”

He raises his brows. “What are you saying?”

“I don’t know what ability I have. Not even my class. Not my level.”

“I understand. There might be someone who can scan your ability later.”

“I hope so because I’m pretty curious about it ever since I arrived here.”

He looks up to the sky. He opens his mouth, but he closes it again. I ignore him.

From the distance, a rotunda building is in the middle of the field with benches surrounding it. The glasses of its wall deflect the light outward my eyes. I squint.

“We have arrived at the site.” Jeon has gestured to the building.

“This looks more modern than the school.”

“The building in front of us is a research and testing facility after all. The image would mismatch if the design is antiquated.”

Several students are already walking around the area.

“I thought that we’re early.”

“While it’s true that we did leave the dormitory early, I believe that we had consumed quite some time in the infirmary. Ms. Choi is very precise on the wounds I have.”

The air suddenly becomes hot, and the nice feeling earlier is replaced by a burning sensation. I roam my gaze. At the back, I notice a bench under the shade of trees.

“Want to cool off at the bench for a while?” I ask.

“That is a wonderful proposition.”

I lead the way. Although there are students who arrived before us, we’re lucky to have a vacant spot to sit. A large old tree towers above as a vending machine stands on the left. Jeon chooses the seat farthest from the entrance point. I sit beside him.

“We still have 30 minutes,” he says gazing at his hand.

In his hand gleams an object. The outer part looks kinda faded. Still, its appearance is shiny and polished enough to reflect light.

“That’s a pocket watch.”

He turns to me. “This watch is a gift from my mother.”

“It’s beautiful. I can tell that it’s quite expensive because the engravings are really precise and particular.”

“I happen to use this because our uniform consists of a long sleeve coat. Using a wristwatch is not ideal and checking the time on the phone will just result in inconvenience.”

“Well, I guess you’re right.” though using a pocket watch is a hassle too. You’re still going to get it in your pocket every now and then.

Thinking about him pushes me to remember what happened yesterday.

Richard and the other boy had already gone, so that’s why we stood in the hallway.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I will tell you when we go back to the dormitory,” Jeon said.

But last night, he never really told me. If I don’t bring it up now, it will slip again.

I look at him.

“What is it?” he asks.

“I’m just curious. Do you have any condition?”

“Why do you think of me that way?”

“I just remembered what happened yesterday. Also at the mall back then.”

“I understand what you are urging to say.”

“And you always become pale and your breathing turns really ragged out of nowhere.”

He sighs. “Do not bother about me so much. I have my prescriptions, and so, I should be fine.”

“So you do have a condition then?”

“I have a panic disorder.”

Panic disorder? “I see... Just don’t hesitate to tell me if you’re not feeling well. You’re my responsibility.”

Suddenly, his nape tints a faint shade of red. He turns away.

“Y-yes. Thank you for everything you have done for me. You went far to defend me from the insults yesterday.”

“That’s nothing. I’m sure anyone in my shoes would’ve done that.”

He keeps looking away. On the other hand, the students around us are getting larger and larger. Boys and girls are walking hand in hand while others are just walking beside each other without any contact.

“If I am not intruding on your privacy, can you please tell me what happened between you and Richard? If I am not mistaken, he mentioned the cafeteria," Jeon says.

“I’m picking up food for us, remember?”

“I do because you were kind enough to include me in your purchase.”

“And then I met him there. I mean Richard. It’s more by accident, really.”

“What happened at the cafeteria?”

“I bumped into him. I know I’m careless and it’s my fault so I offered an apology, but he didn’t accept nor reject it, and he just walked away.”

“I see.”

“I don’t mind that, but what happened in the hallway is just unfair.”

“It is very brave of you to argue with him,” he says with a smirk. “The tall boy you encountered yesterday was Richard Lee. He is a 2nd Year student; hence, he is our Seonbae. In Ko—”

“I should’ve been respectful. I know. But I can’t pay my respects to someone who’s wrong.

“And the boy who accompanied him, according to what I have heard, is his crony.”

“They seem friends.”

“He is actually Richard’s servant.”

“Why in the world does he have a servant with him? What is he, a spoiled kid from a rich family?”

“You are not mistaken. Richard’s family is very wealthy. As a matter of fact, he is the vice principal’s son.”

“You mean the man we met yesterday?”

In a moment, his eyes turn narrow.

“Yes. Setting aside all that I have mentioned, the most important thing I wanted you to know is about his ranking. Richard is a Classification 4 Sken.”

A cold shock pierces the depths of my heart.

“What?!”

“He is currently the most powerful Sken in the city.”

He’s the most powerful Sken?

And I accepted his challenge just like that? Oh no.

“Shall we go now?”

His voice pulls me back to my senses.

“Oh, yeah. What time is it?”

“It is almost 8.”

“Alright.”

Students are assembled in mass while a young man in a suit is standing at the front of the facility.

“A pleasant morning to each and every one. I am Mr. Giovan Alfieri, your instructor for today,” the young man says. “As you can see, there are 4 entrances in this building. One at the front, one at the back, and one on each side. For those with Class 1 Ability, use the main entrance. For Class 2 Ability, please enter through the left, and for Class 3 Ability users, use the one on the right. Anyone with Class 4 Ability, go through the back entrance. Please follow my instructions, be organized, and be guided. Thank you.”

I feel a light touch on my shoulder.

“I am going to use the left entrance and since you are unaware of your ability, I propose that you go with me. Afterward, we can ask for their assistance inside.”

“Thanks.”

The students start moving. We follow them to the left entrance.

We’ve been passing the road for some time, and the trees and the ground both look the same I can’t distinguish them at all. I lost track of how far we made.

The crowd of students stops in the front. On the corner of the wall resides a speaker.

“Good morning. Just a reminder, form lines in order to be organized,” the speaker resounds. “Each line should at least have the exact number of students.”

The students begin forming 8 lines with atleast 30 persons in each. After, the first 3 lines step forward. Soon enough, our line starts moving to the automatic door.

Upon entering, we stop. Ahead of us stand 3 men and a woman wearing white lab gowns.

“Good day to all of you.” the woman says. “I am Jin Namgung, a representative of the research facility and I’ll be your facilitator for today together with Mr. Evans, Mr. Kim, and Ms. Ito.”

They’re really are prepared to accommodate us.

“For the first two lines, please follow me,” Ms. Namgung says.

The man named Mr. Evans smiles. He waved to our line.

“Please follow me,” he says.

The hallway doesn’t look anything crazy or different. The floor’s made of black metal-looking tiles while the walls and the ceiling are made of blue-green architectural glass. It’s funny how the students had talked a lot earlier when we’re still outside, but now, if someone’s to drop something, it will be heard.

Mr. Evans stops.

“We have arrived at the testing room,” he says, directing to the door. “Please enter.”

“Follow me, Matt.”

“Ok.”

Jeon steps out of the line, and I join him. We approach Mr. Evans.

Jeon bows.

“Good morning, Mr. Evans.”

“Good morning.”

“Please excuse our audacity.”

“It’s alright. What do you need?”

Jeon glances at me.

“Good morning, sir. I’m new here in Vex City and I still don’t know my ability.”

“What country are you come from?”

“I’m from the Philippines.”

Mr. Evan gazes at me, and he looks down at the folder he is holding.

“Alright. Please follow me.”

“Thank you, sir.”

We enter the room. Its interior is similar to a waiting room. Plastic seats are lined up back-to-back all over. On the four corners of the yellow wall, there are 4 large screens.

Moving further, Mr. Evan leads us into a door.

“Please enter the room and tell them about your situation.”

“Understood, sir. Thank you.” I say.

“You’re welcome.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Evans. Can I accompany him inside?”

“Please do.”

“Thank you.”

He smiles at us. “I need to attend the other students, so please excuse me.”

Mr. Evan walks away. We open the door.

The room’s smaller compared to the one before. On the other side, there’s a booth with tinted black glass, and on my right, there’s a see through glass with 2 women in darker white gowns.

“To the right?”

“Probably.”

TAP Tap tap

The acoustics of the room resounds our steps back and forth like a ping-pong ball.

“Excuse me,” I say.

One of the staff approaches the counter immediately.

“Yes?” she asks.

“Good morning, ma’am. Mr. Evans told us to go here because I don’t know what my ability is.”

“Please stand still and you,” she points to Jeon, “stay away from him for a second.”

“I understand.” then, Jeon steps aside.

She gets something underneath the counter.

The object she got resembles a gun. Um... what’s going to happen?

Swish

The object flashes a straight path of blue light at me. Hmm?

“Please wait for a second.” she walks to the computer behind.

“What had she done?” I ask.

“I am ignorant. This is my first time witnessing something like that.” Jeon says.

The lady who shot me scrunches her brows while speaking to her co-worker. Their voices are inaudible outside the room, but from how much she’s frowning, I can tell that it’s leaning toward something negative.

Maybe I’m not a Sken at all.

“I’m sorry for the long wait.”

“No ma’am. It’s alright.”

“We... we’re having a problem about the result but for now your ability is something heat-related.”

“Heat-related?”

She nods. “It looks like you can make an object heat up through direct contact.”

“Ok...”

She turns her head to her co-worker who bobs her head.

“You may go there, to the testing room, in order for us to fully evaluate your ability.”

“I understand. Thank you, ma’am.”

“It’s nothing.”

I turn to Jeon.

“Let us go back?”

“Yeah.”

The waiting room fronts us. On the chairs, out of the many students before, only 10 are present.

“That’s fast,” I say.

“Ability Evaluation does not really take much time.”

“But we don’t have classes until 10.”

“However, based on Mr. An yesterday, after the evaluation, all students should return immediately to school. Especially us students of the pilot section.”

“I know. I know.”

“You two over there,” Mr. Evans speaks, “please take a seat.”

While we’re walking, the door of the testing turns open.

“Alright. The next 10 students, please enter the room. Occupy separate rooms each.”

The students leave their seats as if they’re good children listening to their parents without any complaints.

“I guess this means we’re the last.”

“Indeed, but we still have plenty of time, so this would not be a problem.”

Mr. Evans closes the distance to our seats.

“How’s it?”

“It went fine, sir. Thank you.”

“I’m glad.”

The metal-sounding noise enters my ears, and the door slides open. Two girls walk outside. They greet Mr. Evans, one of them smiles while the other one looks blushing as they talk to him.

“Alright. You two can enter. Pick between Room 1 and Room 7.”

“We understand.”

Inside, the room’s about the same size as the waiting area. 6 rooms are in front of me while 4 rooms are beside. All of them have identical white doors with a plate number, and a green light flickers above each door.

“What room would you like to use?” Jeon asks.

“I’ll go with Room 1 if you’re fine with it.” yeah. It’s the nearest to me.

“I have no objections.”

“Ok then let’s get this started.”

I walk toward Room 1. The monochrome color screams throughout the room. From the floor, up to the ceiling, and to the wall, all are white tiles. On my left, a camera is mounted to the corner. I feel shivers crawl to my skin. It feels like I’m a subject for an experiment.

Something catches my attention. There’s a red circle in the center of the room.

“Please stand on the red mark.” a monotone voice that has gone to robotic says.

I do what the AI says. The moment I step on the mark, a red barrier appears in front of the door. What’s that?

“Alright. Now, begin executing your abilities.”

What the staff says earlier makes me think. Hmm... my ability. My ability’s heat-related, and it can be summoned through direct contact?

I kneel on the red circle and place my hands on the floor. I look down.

So that means that I can transfer heat? It’s pretty cool... I guess.

Seconds have passed, and I touch the floor with my palms. The temperature of the surface remains icy cold. Ok, maybe I need to try it like when sensing for a fever?

I place the back of my hand on the floor, but the same temperature’s what I feel.

Come to think of it.

“We’re having problems about the results but for now, let’s say that your ability is something heat-related.”

They’re not sure about my ability either. Maybe I need to be patient? This is just my first time so it’s only normal to have a hard time using my ability.

Will anger help me?

Closing my eyes, I think about something unpleasant.

The darkness is calming, and I can see the faces clearly. Both are glaring at me. Both are disgusted.

I try recalling father’s voice.

“I give him more than enough. I give him an education. I feed him food. I provide him with clothes. I even let him stay in my house. Even though his damn mother didn’t want to take responsibility.”

What do you mean? Am I a burden to you?

“I want him to be a businessman. I want him to replace me as the CEO of the company.”

But art’s all I want to do.

“Tsk. You’re the one from the cafeteria earlier.” Richard said while his purple eyes glared.

Just thinking about your face makes my blood boil.

My hand trembles. I open my eyes.

I touch the floor with the back of my hand. Nothing changes. This is it, I’m done. Standing up, I walk to the door.

But the red barrier is blocking my way out. I set my hand on it, and its hard texture feels solid similar to concrete.

“Barrier distorted. Please refrain from making any contacts on the barrier.”

It seems like I can’t exit until I do it properly.

I kneel on the red mark again.

Heat-related... Heat-related... Heat-related... Something related to heat... I remember something from a book I have read. When an object is heating up, its particles collide with each other and become agitated. Conduction, isn’t it?

Trying to use that concept, I close my eyes once again. The shade of darkness resolves my vision.

Collide. Particles, collide.

Something wet falls on my face. I pay no attention and continue what I’m doing.

I feel a throbbing pulse in my head. What’s happening?

Wang! Wang! Wang!

A loud series of sounds pierce my ears. I open my eyes. The entirety of the room is completely red, and above, the siren’s flashing.

“Room 1 overheating please respond immediately. Room 1 overheating please...” the sound’s getting distant.

“Res...”

It fades away.

The blue sky is high. The wind is warm. In front of me is a small boy who’s running, and I’m chasing him.

“Hahahaha...” the boy laughs, but he’s turned away so I can’t see his face.

“Hey, wait for me!” I shout.

Suddenly, he jumps to a big puddle of water.

Splash!

In all directions, a big amount of mud water flies to me.

I walk to him. “Why, you.”

Coming closer, my image becomes reflected through the puddle. Green T-shirt, dark blue denim shorts, and short hair. Wait, and acne skin? This isn’t how I looked like yesterday.

“Who are you?” I ask.

But the boy keeps standing.

“Hey!”

Still, he doesn’t move.

Fine. I have no time to waste. I turn my back to run.

“Matt!”

I face back, and now, the boy is smiling at me with a bright wide expression.

He looks familiar. Maybe a friend?

“Have we met before?”

He stares at me.

Are you kidding me?

The wind blows on my skin. For some reason, although it’s not cold, its touch is enough to send chills down my spine. Suddenly, his smile turns wider.

“Come with me!”

I extend my hand to the boy.

An empty space of green color greets me. Taking a closer look, I figure that what I’m seeing is a ceiling.

It’s just a dream.

On my left, a man is lying with his face buried on the bed. I touch his head. Suddenly, dextrose crosses my sight.

I’m in a hospital?

Who is this man? “Excuse me... sir?”

His body moves, and I quickly remove my hands from him.

He lifts his face. With that, his hair falls all over his forehead as wrinkles show on his skin. It’s my advisor.

“Huh? You’re awake,” Mr. An says.

“Good... good evening Mr. An.”

He grabs my hand and draws little circles on my palm.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m not feeling anything wrong.”

“Good.”

“I’m sorry but can I ask what happened to me? I know that I’m using my Ability at the Testing Room, but I can’t remember beyond that.”

“Someone from the facility informed me that you had collapsed, and so, we brought you here. And since you don’t have your family here, they assigned me to watch you.”

“Thank you, sir. You should be doing something else. Instead, you’re tending me here.”

“Don’t worry about it. The school year has just started, so my hands aren’t full yet.” he drops my hand and looks at his watch.

“It’s already evening. Are you hungry?”

“Not really.”

“But I’ll get you food.”

“Ah. I almost forgot.”

Huh?

He places his hand on my forehead.

“Earlier, when we brought you here, you have a fever. Your body is really burning up and your temperature peaked at 50 °C.”

50 °C fever? Is that even possible?

“But it’s gone now. Thank goodness. I’ll still call the doctor on my way just to be sure.”

“...Thank you, sir.”