The World's Desire.

Hidden beneath the veil of every person's mask is the longing for their true desire.

It is believed that humans contain a deep and hidden desire inside of them. Some, never realize this unique existence. While some believe that it is fate guiding them through their whole lives.

A desire to run, a desire to be pretty, a desire to be rich, a desire to help another, a desire to become famous, and much more.

While these can be part of one's true desire, it can coincide with an individual's personal wants. Perhaps, a person born from poverty may desire to have a wealthy future. Or maybe, a person with a hideous complexion desires to be beautiful.

In any case, desire is the concept of longing for something - to want it so bad that one would take another life to achieve these.

Contrary to goals or dreams, desire means to do anything and everything to reach one's full satisfaction.

So, what would happen when these desires go out of control?

Perhaps it has already taken root within the human body.

One could only imagine the apocalypse that would transpire once their desires awakened.

*

Humanity has already recovered.

199 years have passed since society collapsed.

A fraction of the population were wiped out, however, time passed like the wind and gradually rebuilt everything.

From scratch, cities were repopulated, towns were developed, buildings were erected, and humanity seemed to grow sustainable once more.

In the loud bustling city of Kyrsa, a newly-developed city founded by Elder Kyrsanthil, a boy not older than 17 jolted upwards with his eyes wide awake.

His alarm bell was screaming for him to wake up, echoing around his entire room.

Before he could even process what was going on, he heard a slow wooden creak to his left followed by a soft and slow voice.

"Al, are you awake? Processing is in 2 hours and you have to be 30 minutes early or else the line's going to be streets long!"

The boy tilted his head to the direction of the door and drowsily nodded while rubbing his right eye.

"Get dressed and come downstairs for breakfast. I'll prepare your things."

"Alright, thanks."

The woman, who looked similar to him, glanced at the boy one last time and closed the door behind her.

The boy named Al stood up and left his comfortable bed without tidying up. Then, he walked towards his closet and chose his clothes to wear.

It took him no longer than 10 seconds to choose and be on his way to his mirror.

Looking at his neatly cut raven black hair with a low fade that covers most of his face Al gently caressed his cheeks with both of his hands.

His eyes radiated a dark aura due to its obsidian-black hue. Although his eyelashes were long, his overall look seemed to be mundane to a normal person's eye.

That's right, he was an average person with no particular talents nor aspirations.

Well, at least in his eyes he was.

Suddenly, his face shifted and his eyes no longer showed a dark aura. Instead, it gleamed brightly as if a joyous spirit had overtaken him.

He pushed his hair upwards and his entire demeanour changed.

He painted his face with a wide grin and spoke to himself with a deep tone, "Big day!"

Al then headed towards the door and made his way downstairs.

Greeted by the scent of fresh-brewed coffee, and mixture of herbs and spices, Al couldn't help but rush his steps towards the dining table.

"Smells good!"

He couldn't help but declare his blistering senses.

"Of course, I'm the world's greatest cook to ever exist in the entire history of the world!"

"Aren't you too full of yourself?"

Laughter echoed amidst the empty dining hall. Within seconds, the laughter receded, replaced by a soft and slow voice "Come, sit. Let's eat."

"Yes, mother."

Al pulled a wooden chair towards him and sat down comfortably. He grabbed a spoon with his left hand and a fork on his right.

Then, he gazed at the scrumptious meal in front of him. It was far from any normal breakfast!

His mother is a renowned chef after all..

Even though her skills were leagues above any average person's cooking, the meal in front of Al still looked.. motherly, as if it were something that one can only taste at home.

On the first bite, Al's eyes shimmered with tears. Everyday, he was exposed to this level of cooking and he knew that he'd never get tired of eating his mother's meals.

If it were not for his blinded vision due to tears, he would've seen his mother's wide smile.

After 10 minutes, the two finished their meal but remained seated.

It was Processing Day after all, one of the most important events in any person's life.

It was the day where his Desires would be assessed, determining him of his innate talents.

Of course, Desires do not make an individual whole, however, society works in complex ways.

Those with the greatest Desires are regarded as the highest in social status and vice versa.

Al didn't care about any of that though. Even if he obtained a poor Desire, he would follow in his mother's footsteps and cook for the masses.

That was his dream.

"Al, before you get processed, I want to know what your desire is.."

Al placed his fingertips under his chiseled jaw and fiddled with its lines, "My desire is to be a chef like you, mother."

"No, no.. What I mean is-", she abruptly paused and reconsidered if she wanted to continue with her words.

Upon 2 seconds of reflection, she let out her soft and slow voice once more, "..What is your true desire?"

"My true.."

10 long seconds of silence ensued and there seemed to be a rift between the two of them.

Then, Al's mother broke the silence and held her son's hands.

"You don't have to answer now.. take your time, sweetie."

Al gently nodded, his eyes seemingly deep in thought, the question still lingering within his mind

He was similarly reminded of his father's words of when he was younger.

Al shook his head and dissipated the thought from his mind.

That man is dead. I won't think of him no longer..

His dumbfounded gaze suddenly turned bright once more. He gazed in front of him only to see that his mother was no longer sat at the chair

He turned his head to his right but was immediately blinded by a delicate hand. Soon, a voice followed.

"Happy Birthday, Alpas."

His mouth went agape, and his voice wouldn't come out of his mouth.

Al had survived 18 years of his life. To some, it'd probably be normal to have reached 18 years of age but to him, it was as important as Processing Day.

That's right, it's my birthday today..

The palm in front of his eyes soon pulled itself back and he could distinguish a faint image of a cake in front of him.

When his eyes finally adjusted, a single candle lit up out of thin air. Al gazed to the right and saw his mother making a snapping gesture.

She used her Ardor to light up the candle. I've never seen her use it up close..

Anyhow, his curious mind was washed over by the sense of joy and celebration.

Although Al couldn't express his emotions that well, he grinned ear to ear, "Thank you, mother."

His mother's eyes suddenly dwindled and a tear rolled down her cheek.

She moved forward and gave Al a tight embrace. Al could almost feel her heart faintly beating as his stretched his arms to embrace her back.

*

Alpas descended down the footsteps in front of their house and turned his head back.

Locking eyes with his mother's gaze, he smiled and waved his hands towards her.

"Be well now, sweetie. Be safe."

"I will."

He paced towards the streets and headed towards the train station near the more-urban area of the city.

He remembered his mother's words, telling him where to go and what to do in the processing.

First, the location he needed to head to was the Gold Borough, where the Processing would take place. Currently, Al is in Silver Borough, about a few kilometers away.

Sure, he could walk towards the Gold Borough, however, it would take an hour or so, which he didn't have.

So, he would ride the train near the urban area and get off at Antonia Boulevard, where he would then walk to enter Gold Borough through the gate.

His travel should take no longer than 20 minutes with the toll taking 60% of the duration.

After walking for several minutes, Al finally made it to the station, processed the fee, and waited for the trains to arrive.

While waiting, he accidentally glanced at a boy that looked the same age as him, wearing a long black trench coat that almost covered his whole body.

Thoughts immediately entered Al's mind.

Is he going to be Processed too?

Probably, it didn't matter to Al though. He didn't come to Processing to socialize, he wanted to go home as soon as it was over.

Soon, the train arrived and would soon make its way near the Gold Borough. Al sat near the door so it would be faster to leave.

He donned a casual oversized black shirt and black trousers. He had a white tote bag on his lap and his sneakers were of the same color as his shirt.

Inside his bag were his smartphone, wallet, pen, coin pouch, handkerchief, snacks, and perfume.

With nothing to do, Al grabbed the smartphone out of his bag and fiddled with it.

Nothing much he could do though, he played a couple of offline games to relieve his boredom.

It proved to be effective as the next thing he knew, the train had already reached his stop.

As he ascended from his seat, he noticed that something was missing from his bag.

Upon further inspection, he deemed the missing item to be his wallet!

Al inwardly cursed and looked around the train. However, he couldn't do anything, if he failed to notice that his wallet was already gone, then the thief must've been long gone too!

He quickly rushed outside to search for any suspicious people that stood out.

Nothing!

Damnation! How would I enter Gold Borough without my wallet! My IDs and money are needed!

While deep in contemplation, he suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder. Along with it, followed a deep voice that seemed to belong to an old man.

"Young man? Is this yours?"

Al swiftly turned around and stared at the old man's pruny hands, he noticed the familiar brown leather wallet and breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you so much.."

He reached out to grab the wallet from the old man's hands and instantly peeked inside. To his dismay, his heart sank as he noticed that his cash was gone.

Al breathed a deep sigh and stared directly at the old man.

At least my IDs are still here..

"Oh my.. Did they take the money?"

"I'm afraid that they did.. again, thank you for your kindness, sir.

The old man grinned, radiating a sense of kindness, "It is of no matter, these trains are dangerous especially when you are not attentive. I take it that you don't frequent these trains very much?"

Al simply nodded in agreement.

"Ah, so it seems. Be very careful when you travel the way back. Thievery seems to run rampant nowadays."

With a bow of gratitude, Al thanked the old man, "I'll take it to note, thank you very much..'

The old man waved his hands slowly.

"Alright, be well now.."

Al waved back and made a mental note. Then, he contemplated his next steps.

Even though I have no physical cash right now, I think I can use my account for the toll fees. Thankfully my IDs are still here.. I should be close to the Gold Borough gate.

Al stared at his smartphone and glanced at the time.

8:56 AM.. I still have time!

So, Al traversed the way towards the toll gates with careful paces.

*

At the toll gate, 9:01 AM, Al stood at the back of a long line. There were many people in front of him, donning business attires - suits, black slacks, and suitcases.

Additionally, Alpas saw people of the same age as him, perhaps going in the same direction and hoping to be Processed. He also noticed the boy that wore a long trench coat in front of the line.

Al couldn't really distinguish any particular characteristics from the people in front of him so he brought out his smartphone and fiddled with it once more.

This time though, he stayed attentive of his surroundings and tightly gripped his tote bag with his right hand.

It took no longer than 3 minutes to finally pay the fees of the toll gate and enter Gold Borough. After doing so, he was fascinated with the intricate details of their architecture.

Skyscrapers were there but it looked more vintage and ancient when compared to the Silver Borough.

The walls governing the city could still be seen but they were mostly covered by the high stretches of Gold Borough's buildings.

Al stared at his smartphone and looked at the pinned location on his e-maps.

It's close, I should be able to walk my way there..

After determining so, Al took his time to appreciate the beauty of Gold Borough

Now, he understands how and why it deserves the name of Gold Borough.

It seemed that the buildings themselves gleamed a gold hue!

On the streets, he saw many people with different fashion wear that ranged from trendy to corporate. People walked past each other and went in their own directions.

On the road, different colored cars seemed to be stuck in traffic. Al stared at the direction that they were facing and saw the red light counting down from 93.

Al made his way to a crosswalk and paced through the other side of the street. After going through several blocks and roads, Al noticed a large cobblestone cathedral that seemed as large as the skyscrapers near.

It had a crystalline dome on top with a spiky cross on its peak. Its design was layered by several antique patterns that mostly consisted of curvatures. There was a gate that contained the cathedral and it looked like a number of guards were watching over its space.

The guards had unique clothing - white silk coat, black vest patterned with gold buttons and edges, black trousers that looked like it was made with fabric, high black boots that were as shiny as a coin, and a holster on their waste containing a baton, communicator, and a gun.

Back in the Silver Borough, they didn't have much of an intricate and regal design for their guards. It seemed to Al that the cathedral was an important place in the Gold Borough.

He went straight ahead and towards a long building with a holographic sign on top saying " Aspirant Processing ".

Al's eyes lit up as he noticed that it was the building that he needed to go to. It didn't seem too far so he took his time walking.

By 9:16AM, he had already made his way in front of the building.

He entered casually and was greeted by a crowd of different ages. There were people the same age as him and there were ones that were middle-aged as well.

The lobby of the building seemed exquisite as there were couches of high quality, the counter was made out of marble, a golden chandelier loomed over the room, and there were people that looked high value.

Al looked lost but was then approached by what seems to be an employee with long dark-auburn hair and a feminine face.

"May I help you, sir?", surprisingly the employee's voice seemed to be deeper than what they look.

He couldn't find his words at first but then responded casually, "..I'm here for processing"

"Oh! Right this way, sir."

The employee walked towards a large door with antique designs. After opening the door, the employee guided Al inside where there were other Aspirants waiting.

The waiting room looked the same as the lobby but seemed a little more cozy. There were more seats and tables with lush potted plants atop.

Al looked to the corner of the room where a single dark-framed door was located. Upon further inspection he noticed that it had a silver-rimmed doorknob with a golden keyhole.

Above the door, a hologram sign depicted the number 49. Al figured out that it was the number of the queue.

Upon contemplating, the employee gave Al a numbered note immediately.

"If you need any help, please talk to the employee near the entrance door."

With a nod, Al stared at the note casually, "56, 7 more.."

He looked for a place to sit but noticed that every seat on the couch was already occupied.

There was still some space left but Al didn't want to sit down next to others.

Suddenly, the number above the door turned to 50. Then, a man, whose age estimated by Al to be 25 or above, stood up and walked towards the dark-framed door, leaving a space for Al to sit.

"How convenient.", Al uttered under his breath.

He paced towards the couch and sat down comfortably, letting the softness of its material take over his lower body.

One after another, the Aspirants entered the dark-framed door, and more people entered the waiting room. Even though he was uncomfortable, Al stayed on his seat despite other people sitting beside him.

Alas, 55's turn finally finished and the number above the door turned 56.

One thing that Al noticed is that no one returned to the waiting room through the door, they merely entered and didn't come back.

He determined that the exit is probably different from the entrance. That much was common sense.

Or perhaps something grim was awaiting them.

Al reached the door, twisted the handle, and entered while readying his nerves.

From this forth on, he can't turn back any longer.