Imaginary World

That day was not much different from the rest. The dull sunshine poured through the classroom windows, the air thick and hot, and the laughter directed at him resounded once more.

The boy with black hair and an average face could only lower his head, attempting to remain silent in the middle of his classmates' laughter. Every time he attempted to talk, it ended in mockery.

His name was Elion. To his classmates and most people, he was "different." His teachers described him as smart yet weird. His grades were consistently the highest in every subject, yet he couldn't fit in with his classmates. His unique thinking and inability to read social cues set him apart from the rest. Making him a social cripple.

That day, math class concluded with the typical tone. To end the tedious lesson, the teacher posed a rhetorical question as a joke.

"Since we've been talking about probability today, what do you all think are the chances of life existing beyond our planet?"

Elion, seated in the corner of the room, took the question seriously. While the others laughed and disregarded it as a joke, he started considering the possibilities. He straightened his posture and hesitantly raised his hand.

"Well, if we look at it from a probability standpoint, the chances of life existing elsewhere are actually quite high," Elion stated softly but confidently. "If we consider the Drake Equation, which factors in things like the rate of star formation, the number of planets that could support life, and—"

Before he could continue, one of his classmates burst out laughing. The others soon joined in.

"What the hell, Elion? Hahaha, do you think we're in a sci-fi movie or something?" One of them shouted from the middle row, and the laughter grew louder.

"W-What? But I didn't say anything wrong..." Elion tried to defend himself.

But it only made things worse.

"I dIdn'T sAy AnYthIng WrOng..." one of them mocked, mimicking Elion's voice with exaggerated tones. "That's what he said! Hahaha..."

The laughter grew louder and louder, filling the room. Even the teacher couldn't help but chuckle this time.

Elion fell silent and pressed his lips together. His gaze fell to the desk as the sound of laughter drowned out his logic. However, in his head, the numbers continued to swirl, more vivid than the laughter around him.

Every time, it was like this.

Everyone laughed and mocked him regardless of what he said, no matter how reasonable or sensible it was. Also, Elion never really got what was wrong.

Why? What did I say wrong? Why are they always laughing at me?

He stood from his chair and ran out of the classroom without looking back.

His steps faltered as he approached his normal hiding area. He opened one of the toilet stalls, carefully closed it, and locked it.

He sat there by himself like always, thinking.

In his thoughts, his imagination took over. In his head, he was not the mocked child. In his world of imagination, he was a monarch with limitless power, capable of creating and altering anything.

Yes, he thought. This imaginary world is my safe haven.

Elion would hide in this place, which he thought was heaven, whenever something like this happened. This place gave him peace that he could not find anywhere else, not even at home. His fantasy was the only place where he could escape the noise, ridicule, and chaos of real life.

However, the voices of a few boys laughing and joking soon disturbed his composure as the restroom door swung open.

"Did you guys see that? Elion was acting like a mad scientist, talking about aliens in class!" one of them exclaimed, eliciting further laughs.

Elion held his breath, hoping they would not notice he was there. But their conversation continued ruthlessly.

"He began talking about the Drake Equation or something. Haha... What the heck was that?"

It got louder as they laughed. Elion's chest got tight. Suddenly, steps were heard coming from outside the stall.

"Do you think he's in here? I saw him running this way earlier."

The door to Elion's stall trembled as one of them pushed on it, despite the fact that it was locked.

"Hey, Elion! You're in there, right?"

They waited, but Elion remained silent, hoping they'd give up.

"Do you think you can hide forever? Okay, let's make this even more entertaining for 'Mr. Smart Guy.'"

Elion heard quick steps leave the bathroom and then come back a short time later carrying something: a cleaning bucket from the janitor's closet.

"Gentlemen, get ready! We are going to make this extra special!" The voice sneered, and Elion could hear zippers being undone.

Elion felt fear wash over him. They began urinating into the bucket while giggling maniacally. Elion forced his eyes tight, pretending it was all a nightmare. But bitter truth struck harder than any dream.

When the bucket was full, one of them raised it over the stall.

"Brace yourself, Alien King!"

"N-No!" Elion screamed as the liquid started pouring to the top of his head like a waterfall.

Splash!

And in an instant, the smelly liquid covered Elion from head to toe and soaked his hair and clothes. Elion choked on the smell, which came on quickly and was very strong.

They laughed again, this time louder and meaner than before.

"Look at him now! Our King is taking his royal bath!" One of them yelled. Their voice was dripping with mockery, cutting through Elion's heart.

Elion stood there, frozen, his body trembling, as the foul-smelling liquid soaked through his clothes and skin, burning his dignity more than his body.

The mockery of his classmates became a faint echo as the surroundings became indistinct.

He felt a vice tighten in his chest, pressing against his heart, yet the tears would not come.

It was as if he had forgotten how to cry and how to release the pain trapped inside him.

His mind screamed, but no sound escaped his lips. Why? he thought, over and over. Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong?

His tears mixed with the urine, warm against his cold, clammy skin, but the pain inside was far colder.

He wanted to disappear—no, more than that—he wanted the world itself to vanish, along with everyone in it.

They should all disappear. This world should be destroyed.

He gripped his arms tightly, as if that little pain could drown out the huge amount of feelings that were going through his head. Anger. Shame. Fear. All of them hit him at the same time, drowning him and making him gasp for air.

"Alright, Mr. Alien King." They eventually screamed, "Have fun with that!" before leaving with their laughter beginning to fade.

Elion stayed there, terrified. The stink hung in the air around him, filling the little space. Shame, pain, and humiliation persisted within him. He closed his eyes and sank into his imagination. There was no pain or mockery. He was still in charge, apart from the misery of the real world.

Hours later, the school bell rang loudly, carrying all the way to the toilet and waking Elion from his dream.

"Ah... time to go home," he said quietly, biting his bottom lip. He did not want to go home. He despised home even more than he despised school.

When he went home, his mother would greet him with the same cries. The same harsh words: he was useless, and she felt humiliated to have a son like him.

But Elion had no choice. No matter how much he loathed it, home was the only place he could go.

After all, everything changed when he asked a question at the age of seven.

"Dad, I saw Mom holding hands with a man yesterday after school. They visited the Cupid Hotel. I heard the neighbor talking about it. They say it's a place where people can have fun. Is it true, Dad?"

Elion's innocent query had his father clench his jaw in rage. Elion's parents' disputes became increasingly heated over the next few days. In the end, divorce was unavoidable.

Elion had a perfect memory since birth. He could recall everything he saw, heard, or read with perfect clarity. But that wonderful recollection was the catalyst for his family's demise.

But bad luck struck his mother. At the time of the split, Elion's father did not have a job, so she was given custody.

Following that, her behavior changed considerably. She stopped smiling, drank every day, failed to properly feed Elion, and abused him whenever she could.

Seeing his family destroyed, Elion gradually started to feel it was all his fault. That was why he always remained silent and accepted it when his mother abused him.

Seven years had passed since the divorce, and today Elion turned 14, yet his mother had not changed.

When Elion arrived home, he noticed his mother had passed out on the dining table. Seven empty bottles of alcohol were scattered around her.

But the moment Elion walked in, she stirred and smelled a foul odor emanating from him. Her face distorted with wrath.

"What the hell are you doing coming home so late?" Her voice was filled with venom. "And what's that smell?"

She stood up and walked towards him. Her face tensed as she realized the stink was from her son.

"You, ungrateful little shit! Every single day, you manage to disgrace me in some way."

Knowing what was going to happen, Elion did not say a word. She hit him in the face with a slap and then kicked him in the gut. He tripped and almost fell before being pushed into the bathroom.

"Get in there!" 

She cried out in anger. She grabbed a pail of hot water that she had already made and dumped it on him right away.

The boiling water struck Elion's body, causing him to cry out in shock. His skin burnt and went crimson from the heat.

"If only you had never been born," she exclaimed, her eyes filled with rage. "My life would've been so much better."

Elion stood there, water flowing down his body, feeling shattered more than ever. The agony and shame he had felt for so long rushed over him again, filling his thoughts. There was no safe place for him, not even his own home.

That night, Elion sat in the corner of his tight bedroom, the little window above him providing a view of the dark night sky. The world outside felt distant, much like him—isolated and undesired.

Within his mind, his imagination began to take over. In his imaginary world, he was not weak. He was not undesired. In his imaginary world, he was the most powerful, revered, and respected by all.

But in reality, he was just a boy who was tired. Tired of being ignored, tired of being unappreciated, and most of all, tired of being alone. Slowly, a dark thought crept into his mind.

"If only the world would just disappear... if only all the people who hurt me would vanish."

As the thought got stronger, Elion fell asleep.

However, when he would wake up tomorrow. Everything would change. The world he knew would be gone, leaving him completely alone.

Ding!

[Imagination System Activation Initiated…]

[Imagination System Activated.]

[With the help of the system, all your imaginations can become reality.]

[Good luck!]

Asleep, he didn't hear any of those voices. He would only learn about how the world had changed tomorrow.