[Prologue]

May 29, 2024

The chilly winds roughly caressed my face as I lean over the window to see the morbidly urban view of the town I live in. Today is a special day for us tenth graders at Kleirmont Academy. Why? Well, today is our long-awaited graduation day. The day when we leave our past and memories in this academy, and move on towards the next phase of our lives.

Having looked enough, I took off my clothes and swiftly took a bath. I remember the moments I spent with my classmates in this long year as the cold water soaked my body. After all, some of us have been at this academy ever since we were kids. It kind of has sentimental value.

I turned off the shower and grabbed a towel to dry myself. Dressing myself with the academy's proper uniform, I looked in the mirror to admire my average face. It has been only sixteen years since I was brought into this world, but my face already looks like it has had to deal with problems for decades already.

"Perfect." I lied to myself. While I was admiring my awful figure, a shout like call garnered my attention. "Ray!" The voice reverberated in front of the house. "Who could be calling me this early?" I hurriedly went downstairs and opened the front door.

Three familiar faces greeted my eyes: Kenny, real name Kenneth, a long friend of mine since kindergarten. Kevin, a dear friend and classmate who opened my horizons to bodybuilding and weightlifting. Lastly was John, my nerdy like friend who seems to know about everything and anything.

The three of them have been my classmate since pre-school. They're close friends of mine. "C'mon Ray, we're going to be late." Kenny reminded me of the time. The graduation event will start at exactly 8AM and it was currently 7:45, so we only had 15 minutes at most.

Fortunately for us, the academy was only a few meters away from my house. It was only walking distance. Though, we walked as fast as our two feet could take us, and soon arrived at the academy.

Something, or rather someone, greeted us at the academy's gate. France, another friend of ours. He was a popular guy on the whole campus. Some may even argue that he was the perfect embodiment of a student. He's got the brains, looks, talents, and even a terrific physique. He's everything a high-school girl could ask for.

"I thought you guys were not coming." Exclaimed France as we did our traditional men-only handshake. "Why would we miss our own graduation day?" Replied Kevin. The three of them then soon went to talk with each other, leaving me to admire the amount of people inside the event plaza.

"So, they also allowed parents, huh?" I remember that during our recognition day last school year, parents were not allowed to enter the campus grounds because of the pandemic caused by the virus. As I was scanning the place, I suddenly felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Charls, is there a need to sneak behind me?" I genuinely asked my tan-skinned friend, who looks like he was left out in the sun for weeks. "Well, for starters, your mind seemed to be drifting, and I was bored, so I came to say hello." I wasn't surprised by his reason because it just matches his attitude.

"Testing. Testing." A voice suddenly resounded throughout the entire campus. "Welcome everyone at Kleirmont Academy's 25th Graduation Day. I am Mr. Mar Jayson. Your Master of Ceremony for today." The one who spoke was our class adviser, Sir Mar. He's a very diligent and strict teacher, but with a sense of humor.

I didn't bother to listen to his formal opening speech and just looked for a place to sit. Almost all seats were taken already by students and parents, so it took me a while to find a vacant one. "Is this seat taken?" I asked the person sitting next to it. Coincidentally, the person was also a classmate of mine.

"Oh, it's you Sam." Sam, full name Samanta. Even in our class, she was very mysterious. Not many can be considered as her 'friend', not even me. We are at most acquaintances. She didn't say anything and just gave me a head shake, indicating that the seat was not taken, which I already expected. I sat down in the chair and waited until the opening ceremony was over.

"...And now for the Grade 10 honoraries." One by one the name of my classmates was announced. Some rejoiced at being awarded, while the others barely lamented the fact that they didn't achieve anything even in their last year.

Soon enough, the awarding ceremony finished magnificently. The clanking of medals and the congratulations of people was all I could hear, so I left the event plaza to go somewhere quiet; The bathroom. On my way there, I met someone whose neck was being dragged down by the sheer number of medals hanging on it.

My classmate and the top of the class, Jillian. I've known her since kindergarten, and I already expected that she will also be at the zenith this year. After all, she had been the first scorer consecutively over the past few years. Don't get me wrong, I'm not jealous of her one bit. In fact, I am proud of what she achieved this year.

"What a coincidence. Are you also here to have some peace?" She inquired, to which I answered. "Yeah, the crowd is dangerous for my health, so I wanted to have some fresh air." We walked together towards the bathroom, with her taking the lead in the conversation.

"I was surprised when I heard that you were not part of the honoraries."

"Well, some things just happen beyond our expectations."

"Yeah, I call bullshit. What did you do?"

"Nothing. I did nothing."

We soon arrived in the restroom and although Jillian wanted to get some answer out of me more, soon needed to part ways as the restroom was separated by gender. Maybe everyone was so focused on celebrating their last day in the academy that nobody was in the bathroom.

Again, I was alone listening to the loud silence. I prefer it to be this way. Peaceful, and I don't need to bother anyone with my boorish self. "Solitude is my home. Loneliness was my cage." A quote that best described my current self.

After enjoying my momentary period of peace, I left to return to the event plaza. However, on my way back, I caught a glimpse of our classroom. The inside was bright although the odd thing is that the lights were off.

Bored. I let my curiosity get the best of me. I took a quick detour and went inside the classroom. Inside was a glowing book placed on an armchair. Weirdly enough, the chair the book was placed at belongs to me. Interested but cautious, I took slow steps to approach the glowing book.

Even after I took a few steps towards it, nothing peculiar happened to the book, except, of course, it was still illuminating the room. After deeming that it was safe, I picked up the book and looked at it. I struggled a bit since it was too bright, but I was eventually able to read the title.

"The World Beyond Catastrophe."

"AAAAHHHHH!!!" Then suddenly I heard a scream.

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