The Game has Begun
At 8 am, the school is already alive with the rhythm of the day unfolding, setting the tone for the interactions and developments to come.
"This school is crazy," Jared began with wide eyes, clearly too enthusiastic for the subject. "Last night, I felt a pit in my stomach and had to go to the bathroom. The toilet-" He paused dramatically, probably for effect, "-wiped my ass."
As expected, Bernard frowned deeply, his lips pressed into a thin line, as if he were about to take a nap or have an existential crisis.
"Keep that to yourself, please," Meljasher said with a serious tone, though he couldn't hide the small chuckle he let slip. He was the only one capable of putting up with Jared's nonsense while keeping his cool, but it didn't stop the rest of us from awkwardly shifting in our seats.
I was halfway through my sandwich, trying to ignore the fact that my meal had now been contaminated by Jared's... imagery. I swallowed hard. "Yeah, Jared, next time just keep the... toilet adventures to yourself."
Jared shrugged with a grin so wide it practically reached his ears. "What? It's crazy out there. You never know when a toilet might offer you a courtesy wipe."
"Seriously." I sighed as I drank my water.
From across our table, several students had already eaten their meal, chatting about how excited they were.
As our conversation shifted from one topic to another, the room became eerily silent, a rare moment of stillness, as everyone's phones buzzed in perfect synchronization. My thumb hovered over my screen, wondering if this was some prank—or worse, some kind of weird mandatory announcement.
I stared at the notification, reading it:
"Time for your exam, chip implantation, and I.D. picture taking."
The words felt strange, too clinical, too... official. Everyone around me seemed to process it at the same time. Jared was the first to break the silence.
"Picture taking? Damn it, I forgot to bring my gel!" He grumbled, completely ignoring the fact that it mentioned chip implantation.
"Are you fucking joking? This shit said something about chip implants and that's what you're concerned about?" Bernard kicked his shin as annoyance crawled into his face.
Jared snapped back before receiving a smack from Bernard, and the two began to argue as always, their voices a blur to the murmurs of other students, looking at their phones, talking in low voices, but no one seemed to have any answers.
Bernard sighed and stood up slowly. "We need to find out what this is," he said, more to himself than anyone else. "There's no way this is just happening without explanation."
I looked toward the teacher's desk, where Mr. Delaney seemed as oblivious as the rest of us, still scribbling notes. "You think he's going to explain this?" I muttered. "Because I don't know about you guys, but I'd like a little more than a notification and a 'see you at the implant station' message."
Just as the room seemed to be suffocating under the weight of confusion, Mr. Delaney finally noticed the chaos we'd been causing. He stopped in the middle of the cafeteria, and there was an awkward pause as his metal hands—yes, metal hands—creaked and whirred as they slowly helped him catch others' attention. If you're wondering if I mentioned Mr. Delaney was a robot yet, well... Now I have. And yes, he's a freakin robot.
"So not only are our guards and faculty robots, but also our teachers? I'm done with this academy, bro." Meljasher groaned while Kurt only nodded agreement.
"Everyone," he said, his voice smooth but almost too mechanical, like it had been synthesized by a bored AI, "I apologize for the late explanation." He paused for a moment, as though considering the weight of his next words. "The examination will start now. I will explain everything right after your exam."
The room was dead silent, and I swear I could hear the collective heartbeat of everyone in the class at that moment. We all exchanged wide-eyed looks—some of us were paralyzed by confusion, others by sheer disbelief. I was pretty sure my brain was starting to short-circuit trying to make sense of this whole situation.
"Did... did he just say examination?" Jared was the first to break the silence, his voice loud enough to make Mr. Delaney's metallic head twitch slightly. "Wait, what the hell do we need to be examined for?!"
"Shut up, Jared," I muttered under my breath, though I couldn't hide the nervous edge creeping into my voice. My mind was racing, trying to piece together why we'd be having an exam with a robot teacher, much less the whole chip implantation thing.
20 minutes later
We were rushed to our class numbers after barely getting ready—three minutes in the restroom, two minutes to get dressed, and ten more minutes walking to the main building. At this point, we probably looked like college students who overslept.
I looked down at my phone. That's strange. I don't remember downloading this app.
Just as I was about to tap it, I bumped into someone. My phone slipped from my hand and landed next to theirs.
"Pucca?" The name left my mouth before I could stop it.
"You watch Pucca and Garu too?" she asked, her voice picking up. I glanced up—it was Aliyah, a classmate of mine from school. I wonder which class she's in.
I knelt, picked up both phones, and handed hers back.
"It's a famous TV show, so…" My voice trailed off as I watched her run toward her best friend, Margaret, waving goodbye to me on the way.
Instead of the usual exam papers we were all bracing for, something stranger happened. Mr. Delaney, moving in his usual stiff, robot-like way, walked up and down the rows, placing sleek black tablets on each of our desks.
They gave off a soft glow—too polished, too high-end to be just regular school tech.
I stared at it. Dang. I ran a finger across the edge. "This place has money," I muttered.
I expected the usual—math questions or maybe some physics. You know, the stuff that made you question the very meaning of life while solving for x. But nope, not even close.
I tapped the screen. The questions are loaded.
Personality questions.
No multiple choice, no "choose the correct answer"—just a simple prompt:
"Describe your most memorable childhood moment."
I blinked. What was this?
"Is this for real?" Bernard muttered beside me. He was eyeing his screen like it had personally offended him. "I thought we were supposed to take a test, not... spill our souls."
Meljasher leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, calm as usual. "Guess they're evaluating us on feelings now. Maybe they'll implant the chip based on our answers."
Jared, ever the chaotic one, grinned. "Yeah, right. A robot teacher can read our souls."
The screen flashed green. Test complete. Then it launched straight into the next section.
Mathematics:
1. Calculus: Optimization Problem
Problem:
A company manufactures a product, and its cost function is given by C(x)=5x2−40x+200, where x is the number of items produced.
(a) Find the number of items xxx that minimizes the cost.
(b) What is the minimum cost?
2. Linear Algebra: Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
Problem:
Given the matrix
A= (4 1)
(23)
(a) Find the eigenvalues of the matrix.
(b) Find the corresponding eigenvectors.
3. Physics: Kinematics and Acceleration
Problem:
A car starts from rest and accelerates at a constant rate of 3m/s^2.
(a) How far will the car travel in the first 10 seconds?
(b) What will be its velocity at the end of 10 seconds?
I exhaled. Finally, something that made sense and something I can suffer. But when I started solving using my fingers, Jared's voice startled me from my focus.
Jared jumped out of his seat, pointing at me like I'd just invented fire. "Hold up—did you just solve that like it was nothing? Are you some kind of human calculator or what?"
He smirked, throwing his hands up like he was revealing the truth to the world. "Do you even think, or do you just have the answers already in your head?"
Meljasher chuckled and tossed a paper ball at Jared. "Easy, man. You're gonna give yourself whiplash trying to figure him out."
Jared shot back, still grinning. "Nah, I could do it in my sleep. You two should try it sometime."
Bernard glanced up from his notes, deadpan as ever. "It's math, Jared. Try not to overthink it."
Jared blinked. "Wait, you're not a robot, too? I swear, you're all just out here plotting world domination, one formula at a time."
I raised an eyebrow, glancing at him. "You're not making sense."
"Y'all, shut up," Kurt said, his voice cutting through the chatter. Instantly, we fell silent.
Finally, after I'd finished the torture, I hit PASS. The tablet lit up, then slid out a sleek pen-like device from the side.
"Place the device near the base of your neck."
I scoffed. "What the hell…"
Still did it. Why? Because I'm a damned idiot.
Click.
My phone buzzed.
[CHIP IMPLANTED]
Status: Alive
Name: Josh O. Perpicaz
Age: 16
Strengths: Math, Science, and Technology.
Shit
The feeling of something foreign lodged in my neck was... weird. Not painful, not uncomfortable, just there.
Before I could dwell on it, Jared leaned in, practically hanging over my chair as he jabbed a finger at his neck. "Yo, bro, can you see it?"
I blinked. "See what?"
"The chip." He waved me off before I could answer. "Anyway—guess who just pulled the mafia role? Hell yeah."
I frowned. "What? What game?"
Jared scoffed. "Did you even check your phone yet?"
Now I was even more confused. I pulled out my phone, and the moment I unlocked it, a new app popped up on its own- Ludus.
My name. My profile. My health status.
And my role.
Detective.
I stiffened slightly.
Wait... This looks just like that card game I play with my cousins. The one where everyone got secret roles—mafias, detectives, doctors, survivors—and had to figure out who was who. It was fun. A strategy game. But why the hell was this installed in my phone?
I quickly schooled my expression and shut my phone. "Citizen." I lied. No way was I telling Jared I'm a detective. Not when he was already way too hyped about being a mafia.
Jared snorted. "Lame. So you're just another body bag waiting to happen. Don't worry, I'll make it quick." He smirked. "Unless you beg."
I scoffed. "Nah, I've played this before, many times actually, I'm a pro.."
But as I sat there, fingers brushing over the back of my neck, I couldn't shake the weird feeling creeping in.
This was just a game, right?
I let my gaze wander around the classroom. In front of me sat two girls: Reneth and Aliyah. When they turned to face us, Aliyah's well-framed fair skin stood out, her slightly pimpled face giving her a natural charm. Her doe-like eyes and perfectly messy hair- effortless, like it was styled that way on purpose- completed the look.
Reneth grinned. "What did you guys get?"
"We both became citizens," Jared answered immediately.
"Citizen too," I added. Then, without thinking, I threw Jared under the bus. "Jared got mafia."
Jared gasped dramatically, clutching his chest like I'd just stabbed him. "BETRAYAL!"
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up."
As we made fun of Jared, saying we'd team up to defeat him, a ding on our phones came in unison.
All players have chipped. Let us start.
"Players or Students?" Bernard frowned, his brows furrowed in suspicion.
Please check your phones.
Welcome to Ludus- a game of survival and strategy.
Each student will be given a role to fulfill, and only you kind will receive certain messages from the game as your guide.
The roles given are the following: Citizen, Detective, Mafia, and Doctors.
Detectives can range up to 6 members.
Mafias can range up to 7 members.
Doctors can range from to 5 members.
The rest are citizens.
To win the game, vote out all the killers.
.
.
.
Ludus starts
.
.
Now
"One minute to vote for a killer," I read out loud.
Laughter rippled through the room, light and careless, like none of this was real. Jianna, our class president, nudged a student beside her, grinning. "Guys! James said he doesn't want to play. He said it's creepy."
"Just vote me out," James muttered, his voice tight. His fingers gripped the edge of his desk, knuckles white. "I don't like this game. Really."
"What'd you get?" Jianna leaned in with a teasing smirk before tapping her screen.
"Jianna voted for James."
The announcement rang through the hall, crisp and final.
Then, like a pack of animals, the class followed. One by one, the votes stacked against him. The sound of fingers tapping against screens was deafening, too rhythmic, too eager.
I hesitated. My finger hovered over the screen. Why are we even doing this?
"Majority vote confirmed. James - eliminated."
The moment the words echoed through the speakers, James's body tensed. A sharp breath hitched in his throat. His eyes darted wildly, hands clawing at his neck.
That's when I saw it.
A tiny red light flickered beneath his skin-right at the base of his pulse.
It pulsed. Once. Twice. Then faster. Brighter.
James staggered, breath turning ragged. His hands trembled as he scratched at his neck like he could rip the chip out before-
Snap.
The sound of bone cracking. A sickening rupture.
Blood erupted from his neck in a violent spray, gushing out in thick, uncontrollable spurts. He didn't scream. His eyes were wide with panic, but all that escaped his mouth was a choked gurgle as the blood splattered across his shirt, his hands, and the desk.
Then, in a horrifying moment, his head flew off his shoulders.
The force of it sent his body lurching backward. His head struck the desk in front of him, sending it flying into another student. A sickening thud followed, then a wet splatter.
Jianna screamed, her hands flying up to shield herself as his blood rained down. It drenched her face, her uniform. Red, everywhere.
The room froze.
James's body collapsed, twitching once before lying completely still.
Screams erupted all around me. Some students bolted from their seats, slipping on the gore-streaked floor. Someone was vomiting, retching so hard their entire body convulsed. The door slammed as a few students hurled themselves at it, banging, kicking, clawing.
"LET US OUT!"
A girl sobbed violently, shaking in the corner, her hands soaked in James' blood. The speaker crackled again.
Players, please remain within the school gates.
Or you will meet your punishment.
Leaving the premises is strictly prohibited.
"Punishment my ass! I'd rather live-"
Heads started bursting open like overfilled balloons, skulls shattering, blood spraying in violent arcs. The air smelled of iron, thick and suffocating. Bodies collapsed mid-run, twitching, convulsing, then still. Bones jutted out of mangled flesh. Eyeballs rolled onto the pavement like marbles. I barely had time to scream before a hand yanked the back of my collar.
My body jerked backward as blood splattered across my face—warm, thick, suffocating. I hit the ground hard, dust rising around me. My ears rang, my vision swam, but I forced myself to sit up. And I saw them. The headless bodies. The blood was pooling beneath them. The torn flesh, the exposed spines.
"You idiot! Why did you run? Didn't you hear what the system said?" A voice, sharp and pissed off.
I blinked up, my head spinning. A girl stood over me, her uniform soaked in crimson, her short hair disheveled, breathing heavily. She wiped blood off her cheek with the back of her hand, glaring down at me.
My lips parted in recognition. "Angel?"
Angel sank to the ground next to me, her clothes stained in blood as she sighed deeply. As I looked around, there were still students who managed to survive, just as I was about to say I felt glad-I heard the system once more.
"Lia was a citizen."
"Jacob was a citizen."
"Belle was a detective."
"Kathryn was a mafia"
"Kae was a citizen."
It kept going, and going, and going....
"Overall, 98 players have been eliminated. 3 mafias, two doctors, and four detectives. The groups with missing members may vote for who shall be part of them. Voting starts at 9 am."
"Please return to your classroom."