School... Again...

~ First Person Pov ~

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The message lingered in front of my face, the flickering text making my skin crawl still.

A fate worse than death? And doom for humanity? For a first, mission!?

I swallowed, and swallowed hard.

'No. Nope. Not messing with that or whatever this thing even is.'

Forcing down the unease clawing at my gut, I turned back to the wardrobe and grabbed the uniform. The fabric was surprisingly smooth, high-quality even. I hesitated for a second, still grappling with how weird all of this was, but the PING! sound of the system reminding me that something horrifying could come after me was enough to make me move faster.

Slipping into the uniform, I tightened the red tie with shaky fingers.

The moment I finished—

PING!

{Quest Updated: Head to School. You have 23 minutes left.}

I exhaled sharply. 'This thing was counting down now?'

Glancing around the room one last time, I spotted a bag resting near the bed—black, simple, and looking brand new. Almost like it had always belonged to me. I didn't question it. I just slung it over my shoulder and made my way to the door.

The hallway stretched out before me again, dimly lit by the flickering sconces. But now, something felt different.

I feel like I was being watched.

My entire body tensed. I scanned the shadows, but there was nothing there. Just old stone, empty corridors, and a suffocating silence that pressed in on me like a weight.

"Get to school. Right. Just—just go." I muttered under my breath, trying to keep myself from freaking out.

I took one step forward—

And then I heard it.

A sound, so faint I barely caught it. A whisper? No—breathing. Shallow, raspy, right behind me.

My body went cold.

Slowly, painfully slowly, I turned my head—

Nothing was there.

I swallowed the bile rising in my throat and forced my legs to move. Fast.

I didn't care if I looked stupid, I ran down the hallway, the echoes of my footsteps the only sound filling the eerie silence. I kept expecting something to grab me, to pull me back into the shadows—

But nothing did.

I reached a staircase at the end of the corridor. It spiraled downward, disappearing into darkness.

My breath was uneven as I hesitated at the top step. "C'mon, just go. Just—"

PING!

{22 minutes left.}

Screw it.

I grabbed the cold railing and practically flew down the stairs. The stone walls blurred past me as I moved, heart hammering against my ribs. I had no idea where this staircase led, but it was better than standing around, waiting for—

A door.

At the very bottom, a large, heavy wooden door stood slightly open. Light streamed in through the crack, bright and warm. Unlike the suffocating darkness behind me.

I didn't hesitate. I pushed through the door—

And stepped into another world.

The cold stone walls were gone. Instead, I stood in the middle of a massive courtyard. Towering buildings surrounded me, their dark, gothic architecture both beautiful and intimidating. The sky overhead was an unnatural shade of deep blue, and the air smelled... different. Crisp, yet slightly metallic.

And people. There were people everywhere.

Students, dressed in the same uniform I wore, walking and talking as if everything was normal. Some carried books, others laughed in groups, and a few passed me by with serious expressions, completely ignoring the chaos around them.

I stood frozen at the entrance, my mind reeling.

"Okay... okay... Maybe this isn't gonna be so bad?" I whispered to myself.

But then—

Someone grabbed my shoulder.

I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"Whoa, calm down, dude!" A voice—casual, almost amused.

I spun around, my pulse still racing.

Standing there was a boy, probably around my age. He had messy silverish hair, sharp golden eyes, and a lopsided grin that made him look both lazy and oddly confident at the same time. How was that possible? It looked so unnatural yet, natural?

"You good, man? You look like you saw a ghost." He smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets.

I opened my mouth, then closed it. Did I see a ghost? No—no time for that.

"Uh... y-yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Just... Kind of having, first day nerves... Hehe..."

I didn't know why, I genuinely had a feeling that this really was my first day, but seriously, why?

"First day, huh? Guess you're one of the new transfers." He tilted his head, eyeing me up and down. "Haven't seen you around before. Name's Renji, by the way."

If I remembered correctly, doesn't this body have a name. I think it was Ayano, something?

"It's, J-Ayano." I answered automatically. It felt weird saying it out loud—like I was still trying to accept that it was actually my name now. Technically, it was hard to say. I even almost said my old name too, Jason.

Renji just nodded. "Cool. Well, if you're trying to get to class, better hurry up. Teachers are crazy strict about tardiness."

I exhaled. "Right. School. Uh... where exactly is—"

PING!

{15 minutes left.}

I shut my mouth instantly. That timer was not slowing down anyone, isn't it.

Renji noticed my expression and snorted. "Dude, you really are a newbie, huh? C'mon, I'll show you the way. just, try to keep up, yeah?"

And with that, he turned and started walking quickly, not even waiting for me to follow.

I hesitated for half a second before moving off.

Because whatever was happening here—whatever this world was—

I had a strong feeling that being late was gonna be the least of my worries...

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DIIINNNG~ DOOONNNGGG~

The moment I stepped through the school gates, the system dinged in my ears, and a new message popped up in front of me.

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{QUEST COMPLETE: Make it to school on time!

REWARD: ~Nil~}

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I stared at it, deadpan.

"No reward? Seriously?" I muttered under my breath.

"What was that?" Renji shot me a glance as we walked across the courtyard.

"Uh—n-nothing. Just talking to myself."

He raised an eyebrow but didn't push it... Thankfully.

I took a deep breath, trying to shake the unease still coiling in my chest. The school grounds were massive—easily larger than any high school I'd ever seen back in my world. Gothic-style buildings stretched up into the sky, intricate designs carved into the dark stone. Students milled around, chatting, rushing to classes, or just standing in small groups.

And weirdly enough, no one was acting like anything was strange. Like this was all normal.

Which meant one of two things...

Either they were used to it… or B. I was clearly missing something huge. Which, seems like the latter makes more sense... I could see kids that didn't even look like kids, with hair having abnormal hair and eye colors

"Oi, hurry up!" Renji called from ahead, already making his way toward a large set of doors.

I snapped out of it and jogged to catch up...

As we entered the building, the halls stretched almost endlessly in both directions, lined with towering windows and grand chandeliers. It felt too extravagant for a school. The air smelled faintly of old parchment and something faintly metallic, just like outside...

'Seriously... Is this harry potter or something?'

Renji barely slowed as he weaved through the hallways. "Lucky for you, first class is with a chill professor. Just don't sit in the front if you don't wanna get called on."

"Noted…" I mumbled, my mind still racing.

I wanted to ask him a million things—where exactly was this place? How did this even world work? Was there actually a way back home?

But before I could decide how to bring it up without sounding like a lunatic, something else stole my attention.

A presence.

From the moment I entered the school, I had felt… something. A faint pressure, like static electricity brushing against my skin.

Now, it was growing.

Heavier.

Stronger.

More focused if anything. Like something—or someone—was watching me.

I turned my head slightly, scanning the halls as discreetly as I could. Students passed by, laughing, chatting, paying me no mind. Nothing really seemed out of place. But that didn't stop the back of my neck from prickling.

I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to keep walking... I had no choice, right? Whoever—or whatever—it was, I had a bad feeling I'd find out soon enough.

And something told me… I wasn't gonna like the answer. Regardless of those two thing, it meant I had to start school all over again.

I sighed at my current situation. I was mentally 25 years old, and now I'm trapped in some short stack's body that's built like an absolute twig!

"Hey, uh... Renji... This might sound a little strange, but... What year is this?"

Renji slowed his pace slightly, giving me a side glance. "What year?" He scratched his head, looking mildly confused. "You mean, like, the school year, or…?"

"No, I mean… like the actual year," I clarified, trying to keep my voice casual despite the growing pit in my stomach.

Renji stopped walking altogether, turning to fully face me with a weird expression. "Dude, did you hit your head or something?"

Crap. That was already a suspicious question, wasn't it?

"I—uh, no, just…" I scrambled for an excuse. "I was… homeschooled before this, so I'm kind of behind on stuff."

Renji blinked. Then, to my relief, he shrugged. "Oh. That makes sense, I guess."

I exhaled.

"It's 472 AE."

I felt my stomach drop.

"AE?" I echoed dumbly. The heck was a AE?

Renji snorted. "Wow, you really were sheltered, huh?" He shoved his hands in his pockets, already turning away to start walking again. "After the Great Collapse, the whole world basically reset. So now we use the AE calendar—After Exile."

Exile? Collapse? What the hell happened to this world?

"Uh-huh… Right. That totally makes sense," I muttered, still a little curious about it.

If my old world used the AD calendar, and this one had a whole new one called AE… then how many years had actually passed since whatever "Collapse" he was talking about?

And more importantly—where the hell was I?

"Anyway, we gotta hurry up," Renji continued, blissfully unaware of my mental crisis. "Like I said, first class is with a chill professor, but the headmaster? Yeah, not so much. You don't wanna get on his bad side, trust me."

I barely heard him.

Because no matter how much I tried to rationalize things, one terrifying thought wouldn't leave my mind.

'This wasn't just another world... This was a completely different era.'

And somehow… I knew I had no place in it.

PING!!!

Oh no... 'It's that damn sound again...' I looked ahead of me, seeing the translucent screen pop up.

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{QUEST: Follow the marker and get to class.

REWARD: 1 Bronze key}

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'Huh? Marker? What Mark-' Before I could finish my own thought. I quickly see a feint blue stream of arrows pointing me in a direction... 

'No one but me is seeing this huh? And, I get a reward this time? A bronze key?'

I squinted at the glowing arrows on the ground, their faint blue light flickering like a glitch in reality. They stretched ahead, turning down the hallway.

No one else truly seemed to notice. I glanced around just to be sure. Students passed by, chatting to themselves, laughing out, completely unaware of the neon trail right under their feet...

I nodded, 'Okay, so this is just for me.'

And this time, there was a reward attached to it.

A Bronze Key.

From what little I could guess, it probably wasn't for unlocking doors. The system had been annoyingly vague, but at least this was something tangible. Or at least, something potentially useful.

I exhaled. Fine. Follow the arrows. Get to class. Get the key.

Simple enough. I started walking, keeping my pace casual to not look suspicious. Renji had gotten ahead already of me, already turning into another hall.

"Hurry up, slowpoke!" he called over his shoulder.

I didn't respond, just sped up. The arrows guided me, flickering slightly each time I reached a turn.

Left.

Right.

Down another tediously long hallway.

Then finally—

A large set of black double doors at the end of the corridor... The arrows stopped there.

Renji reached them first and pushed them open without hesitation. "C'mon, we're just in time."

"..."

I sighed, 'Yeah dude... I'm sure we are...'

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END