'…Huh? What?'

The result couldn't have been more unexpected. Just to be sure, I checked her one more time but it was still the same.

'How is that even possible?'

I watched her again. In appearance, she was as normal as one could be. Long black hair, black eyes, skinny. No one would pay her any particular attention if she were to walk on the streets. Her dress looked a bit old-fashioned, perhaps? But with new fads, it was hard to say what was normal or not. The only thing that was special about her was that she still looked as lost as before.

I had a hard time believing what I learned. Still, it wasn't like staring at her would give me any answers. For now, I focused on the next classmate. After a few seconds, I received another shock.

'Oh my gosh! What in the hell even?'

This one was even worse than the previous girl. I scanned another one and it was something incredible again. I was now trembling, both in fear and incomprehension. What was happening here?

As if in a trance, I went through the next classmate, and the next, and again. As time passed, I felt my mind going blank. I didn't know what took over me at that moment but I continued to scan all of them, including the homeroom teacher.

When I was done, I felt like my brain short-circuited. Hard.

'O|*+#$_@*{%)#8~=}$%&???!!!'

I stood up and shouted with all my strength.

"O|*+#$_@*{%)#8~=}$%&???!!!"

I ran toward the door, opened it, and sprinted toward the building's exit as quickly as my legs permitted. When I was outside, I continued to run at full speed in the direction of home. My mind was still completely blank, a veil of terror obscuring any of my thoughts. I only had one goal. Take refuge as far as possible from my school. I ran and ran, not looking at anything and just going forward.

I quickly reached home. My legs were burning from the effort but I didn't care. I climbed the building's stairs until I was in front of my apartment door. I struggled with the keys but finally managed to open the door. I entered, slammed the door behind me, and took refuge under my bed's comforter.

I rolled myself into a ball, shivering in the dark for an unknown amount of time. My mind was scarred, recalling the horrors I witnessed in a loop.

'What the hell? What the hell? What the hell, seriously!? What's wrong with these freaks? Why are they here? Why do they even exist at all? What's wrong with this world!?'

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

My panic had reached enormous levels and it took me an extremely long time to barely manage to stop trembling like a newborn.

A normal person might come across one of the sordid hidden truths of this world during their lifetime if they were unlucky. However, in the few minutes that I used to scan my classmates, I reached more than twenty of these, all more insane and terrible than the previous ones.

'Why me? What did I do to get myself into this situation? I'm just a normal person, unlike them! Why did I end up mixed with them? Why?'

Like, what the heck was a World Destroyer? A being that enjoyed a planet for 500 years and destroyed it afterward? And that thing was on its 497th year on Earth? We were all doomed to die in three years?

And that was just one of them! My thoughts were going round and round, half in terror, half cursing my situation. I lost track of time.

After that, I slowly, very slowly, stabilized my mind as best as I could. There was only one thing I could do in this situation. If I didn't want to die, I would have to transfer to another school. A school as far as possible from this town. Actually, I should move to another country. Even better, to another planet.

It was then I heard the front door open. I took my phone out to check the time. It was already late afternoon and I could sense that it was my father who was back from work. My father was the one I needed to convince if I wanted to change school. It wouldn't be easy but I had no other choice if I wanted to escape a sad fate.

I finally exited my comforter. Once I got up, I went to the living room. My father had already taken his usual spot on the sofa and was using his tablet to read some sort of article. I went to him, revolved to persuade him no matter what.

"Dad."

He didn't even glance at me and just hummed.

"Hm."

"Dad, um, can I transfer to another school?"

"What?"

He looked up at me and frowned.

("What's wrong with him? Uh? Why is he shivering?")

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. I want to change schools. Please."

"Right from the first day? Why?"

This was a tricky question. I couldn't tell him the truth because he would never believe me. He would ask my mother to put me in a mental hospital just like she dreamed of.

"Because… Because my classmates aren't normal. They're dangerous."

"Dangerous? In that school? How?"

I had no choice but to lie a little.

"I heard them talking about killing people. Please, Dad, they're really dangerous! Let me transfer to another school!"

If it was only to this level, it would be paradise. Unfortunately, the truth was so unrealistic it wasn't even worth considering talking about it.

("What nonsense.")

He sighed.

"Stop talking nonsense. Go away now."

"No! It's the truth! Please, believe me, Dad!"

"I said no. Stop insisting."

"You don't want something to happen to me, right? Please, Dad!"

His frown deepened.

("It seems it's been too long since I disciplined him last. If he begs me even one more time, he won't be able to go to school but for a different reason.")

So much for parental love! I didn't know if I should love or hate my power in this situation. I was now stuck in front of him, not sure about what to do. I wanted to continue begging him but I knew very well that his mental threat wasn't a joke. He would really do it.

Eventually, I had no choice but to execute a tactical retreat in front of a stronger force.

'Darn it! I just need not go to school! What can he even do in that case? It's not like he can take me there by force!'

'…He can't, right?'