"Due to the current state of calamity, the news channel is temporarily signing off. Everyone is advised to stay at home and—"
Raven took the remote control and turned the TV off. Sighing, he checked his computer once again and grumbled an umpteenth time.
No Internet Connection
It had already been like that since 3 hours ago. This wasn't the first time he lost his internet connection. It happened quite a lot ever since the president declared a state of calamity in the country. However, it always went back after 10-20 minutes or so but now...
'Great! No news and no Internet! Even the other entertainment channels aren't airing. What am I supposed to do here, huh?'
He sat down on the couch and leaned back. He stared at the ceiling in boredom, thinking of what he's going to do now.
‘I think I'll call mom.’
He took out his cell phone and scrolled through his contacts. When he found ‘Mom’, he clicked on a green telephone icon.
Dialing.
Dialing..
Dialing...
“The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area. Please try your call later. The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area. Please try your call later. Ding... Ding... Ding...”
He frowned.
He tried calling again a few times after that only to receive the same response in the end. He also tried to contact the others on his phone and didn't have much luck.
“Tsk...”
He put his cell phone back to his pockets and sighed.
‘Guess I'll go out.’
~ [§] ~
Year 2XXX
Humanity has been struck by a deadly virus called Serenaviridae or most commonly known as Serenavirus. A frightening type of virus that is easy to pass to others and one with a fatality rate of 60%.
It is believed that serenavirus came from an aquatic animal that was largely exposed to the unnatural amount of pollution in the ocean which had evolved inside a human body and turned into a fatal virus that it is known today. In short, the once harmless virus inside the animal evolved after being ingested by a human.
Is this perhaps the consequence of humanity's sin? Nature’s retaliation for being abused and polluted by humans for their own selfish gains?
Perhaps it is. Perhaps it isn't.
However, since the spread of serenavirus, the amount of pollution in the world had considerably decreased. The air had become much purer and the water got a bit cleaner. Nature was slowly recovering. Which is why this period of time is also known as The Great Breathing.
Just what and who exactly is the virus here?
In humanity's eyes, the serenavirus is a deadly virus that must be contained and eradicated. A threat to their own existence.
If nature had its own mind on the other hand, perhaps in its eyes, humanity is the virus and the serenavirus is its cure. A cure that will return the purity it had before.
But all this discussion is for naught. This is no time for perhaps, guesses and ifs. Only certainties.
It is certain that serenavirus is a fatal virus to humankind.
It is certain that many people will die.
It is certain that the virus is one of the deadliest viruses in the history of humanity.
And in the near future, it will become a certainty that this is the start of a new age.
A new age for mankind.
~ [§] ~
Raven inspected the mask on hand. It was a face mask specifically designed with the virus in mind. The mask was issued to every student at the beginning of their quarantine to lower the chance of contracting the disease.
Wearing the mask, he exited the dorm as he walked down the school's hallways in a leisurely manner.
It's been a while since he left his dorm and took a stroll outside. Ever since all classes were suspended and everyone was asked to stay at home, he had been inside his dorm playing online games all day long. The only time he stopped playing is to take care of his body needs like eating, sleeping, stretching his body, etc.
Playing online games is nice and all but he was actually dying to go home and be with his family. Unfortunately, that was something he cannot afford to do as he and several thousand students were quarantined in the school and were forbidden to leave its premises.
Why?
It's because a teacher in the school who had just returned from a meeting somewhere in the country turned out positive in serenavirus. At that time, classes were not yet suspended as there still wasn't any case of the virus in the country.
Or so they thought.
When the teacher showed some symptoms of the virus, he was a bit hesitant. He had read a lot of posts from the internet about how expensive test kits are. When he heard the news saying all tests involving the virus will come out of the government's own pocket, he immediately went to get tested since it's free. Thankfully, the hospital had already managed to procure their own test kits for the virus beforehand and quickly tested the man. When the result of his test turned out positive, he was quarantined.
So is the place where the meeting was held including the people who attended the meeting for he might have caught the disease from one of the people there and also the school because he was already having the symptoms when he returned to report...
When the government ordered the quarantine of the school and the students, it was met with heavy resistance mainly from the parents. Nevertheless, the authorities remained firm in their decision, ignoring the hysterical parents' protests.
In the end, the school being quarantined turned out to be a good decision as three other students later showed the same symptoms as the teacher. After testing, they were found positive of serenavirus.
“Yoh, Raven!” A voice called from behind, interrupting him from his thoughts. Before he could react, he felt a heavy load suddenly landing on his back.
“Ugh!” He staggered a few steps forward as he groaned. There's only one person he knew who would do this.
“Kyle...” An annoyed look made way on his face as he turned his head to the side, getting a better look on the guy. From the corner of his eyes, he noticed that like him, he too was wearing a mask. Well, that's normal with the virus out and about. “You're kinda heavy. Get off me. Now.”
That and they are getting the attention of the other students in the area. The last thing he wanted was for them to be the center of attention for any nonsense like his friend yelling and jumping on his back.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Geez, can't a man just have his fun?” He heard him complain before getting off his back. He then sighed in relief at the weight that was lifted off him.
“Your definition of fun is different from mine. Remind me again why you're my best friend for 8 years?”
“Because I'm awesome!”
“Right...” Raven rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. Seriously, sometimes he acts like a kid. It was amusing when he's messing with other people but when he messes with you, it's just plain annoying.
“Anyway, I'm glad to see you've finally ditched that computer of yours. You don't know how much I'm worried about you. Don't you know playing all day is harmful to your health?” Kyle placed his hands on Raven's shoulder as he spoke, fake concern evident on his voice.
“It's much safer than going outside nowadays. At least, me, playing online games inside my dorm reduces the chance of contracting serenavirus. Speaking off,” He gently took his friend's hands with a slap, separating himself from him. “You're too close. Have you heard of social distancing? Stay one meter away from me.”
“Come on. Do you think I have the virus too?”
“Of course not. There's a saying that says ‘idiots can't get sick’ after all. Therefore, you should be perfectly fine.”
“Did you just indirectly call me an idiot?!”
Raven was about to reply when the duo noticed a group of people covered in white suits from head to toe passing by. They were holding a stretcher on both ends, carrying a body wrapped in a black plastic bag. The other students in the vicinity solemnly lowered their voices as they watched the group in silence.
“Astronauts.” Raven's eyebrow twitched at his friend's remark. Can't he read the mood? How can he still have the nerve to joke around?
“Dude…” Before he could chide Kyle, he saw a serious look etched on his face. A big contrast to his usual goofy self. “Kyle?”
“Raven, you probably don’t know this since you don’t go out much. 31 people in the school already died from the virus with only 12 having recovered. What’s more, is that there are still 56 active cases under constant monitoring by the health care guys.”
“Yeah, I know that. It’s not like I’m completely cut out from the rest of the school, you know? I saw some posts from our fellow students on the internet to know enough,” Raven narrowed his eyes at the group, frowning. “Still, I wonder how they handle the bodies? Do they return it to their families or not? Other countries do not allow embalming someone who has died from the virus. Instead, they are buried or cremated right away. I wonder how it is in our country.”
“I heard they set up temporary morgues in the classrooms on the first floor. They probably kept it there,” Kyle looked at Raven strangely. “Why do you want to know that?”
“I’m just considering the possibility of me being infected with serenavirus. With the high amount of death as opposed to those who have recovered, the chance of dying is incredibly high. What if I die? Will my family ever see my body again? Will I be given a viewing? Imagine no one attending your funeral, that would be too sad.”
“Don’t say such unlucky things. Knock on wood, knock on wood.” Kyle immediately knocked on a classroom’s wooden window frame three times on their way.
“This is the age of science and technology, don’t go believing in some random superstitions.”
“It’s just to be safe and it’s not like believing in it would hurt.”
Raven dully stared at his friend. “Whatever. Let’s go to the rooftop for a change of pace.”
~ [§] ~
“It’s locked,” Kyle turned the doorknob several times to no avail. Just as he was getting impatient and about to kick open the door, he felt a hand land on his shoulder, stopping him.
“Idiot, don’t use force. It would make too much noise and attract the others downstairs. It’s locked for a reason so it would be bad if they see us trying to get to the rooftop.”
“Then what do we do now?”
“Leave it to me,” Raven took out two paper clips from his pocket and twisted it. Crouching in front of the door, he inserted the clip inside the hole and began to do his work.
“Wow, I didn’t know you could pick locks. Where did you learn that from?” Kyle asked with amazement. This was the first time he saw someone picking locks in person. He only saw something like this in movies.
“Youtube.”
Kyle sweatdropped at his simple reply. “Seriously, you know so many useless things but when it comes to academics, you barely pass.”
“Well, it’s not useless now is it?” Raven shot back. “Besides, studying is boring. I only study just enough to pass. And I find that learning things like this is much more fun. Oh, I really opened it. What a surprise.”
“You weren’t sure?”
Raven nodded as he opened the door. “I practiced on a lock that was completely different from this one so I wasn’t confident.”
“You should show the same enthusiasm when it comes to your studies.”
“What are you, my mom? I’ll try next year.” Kyle rolled his eyes at that. Raven already said that last year, and the year before that, and even the year before that. Yet he didn’t change.
The two went towards the railings as they looked at the scene below in a bit too careful way because someone might just look up to the rooftop and see them. Down on the ground, they saw students, teachers and health care workers donned in white suits walking about in an organized way. Although they were mingling together, they all had a distance of one meter away from each other. Such a sight would have been unusual before serenavirus came to be. Now, it had become the norm.
Come to think of it, it’s amazing how humans can adapt so quickly.
“You two. What are you doing here? Are you not aware that students are not allowed here?” A somewhat melodic yet inquisitive feminine voice reached their ears.
The duo turned behind and saw a woman with snow-white hair wearing a plain black cap on top. Her skin was pale, a feature that would normally not look good on others but in her case, it only made her all the more attractive. The woman wore a black tank top shirt and a black coat on her upper. On her lower was black shorts and shoes with a pair of black knee socks. The contrast of her skin and her clothes looked glamorous on her.
“Wow, she looks so beautiful. I would love to have a girlfriend like her,” Kyle whispered to Raven but the woman heard him loud and clear.
“Judging people by their appearance, I look down on you,” Raven frowned at his friend disapprovingly. “See that? Like us, she too is wearing a mask. You never know if she’s hiding her deformity in that area. She might have an abnormally big lip or large nose. She might also be missing a front tooth or two. Kyle, you shouldn’t judge others by their looks.”
The woman turned red in anger as she glared at Raven murderously. Deformed? Big lips? Large nose? Missing teeth? She might not care much about her look compared to other women but no one likes to be called ugly even if it was indirectly.
Kyle on the other hand just gave him a strange stare.
Just who is judging who here?
“You didn’t answer me. What are you two doing here?” The woman repeated herself, this time, with an edge to her voice.
“Nothing. We’re just looking around. Kyle, let’s go. We’re leaving.” Raven walked towards the door with Kyle instantly going after him.
“Bye, beautiful.”
“Wait, what are your names?” She stood on their way, stopping them from their tracks and asked.
“What, are you going to report us?”
She shook her head. “No, I’ll just let you off with a warning today. But the next time you do this, don’t blame me for being strict.”
“Cool. Thanks, I guess? Anyway, this idiot here is Kyle,” Raven said pointing to his friend. “And I'm Michael. Nice to meet you.”
Kyle's head snapped right away towards Raven, curious as to why he gave a fake name to the girl. Raven noticed his action and just gave him an eye.
‘Shut up and don't mess this up for me.’ was the message behind that look.
“My name is Crystel Frost.” The woman gracefully introduced herself. However, the two didn't miss the glare she sent at Raven's way.
“Crystel Frost? Are you the student council president?” Kyle asked to which she nodded. “Awesome! I knew you looked familiar.”
Suddenly, the earth violently shook without any warning, throwing them off the ground. It was no other than an earthquake and quite a strong one at that. They were knocked down right away without even being able to react. Thankfully, it only lasted for a few seconds or else, the building they were currently on might have just collapsed.
When the shaking of the ground came to a stop, the three groaned as they slowly got up. It was then that each of them noticed a blue screen floating mid-air in front of them.
Character Information
Level: 1 Experience: 0/10
Name: Raven Ruverwind
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Title: None
Class: None
Strength: 9
Agility: 12
Stamina: 7
Constitution: 10
Spirit: 11
Charisma: 11
Undistributed Point(s): 0
Raven's eyes widened as his mouth parted a bit. “Guys, I think I'm starting to see things.”
“Ditto,” Kyle was similarly in the same state as Raven, looking at the strange blue screen displaying his own information in front of him.
“Me too,” Crystel added. She was also staring at her status floating before her. After thinking a bit, she immediately concluded. “If all of us can see it then that means we are not imagining things. What we're seeing is most likely real.”
“Kyaaah!”
The three heard a shrill scream coming from below. They went into the railings and gasped at what they saw. Never had they imagined they would see such a thing aside from movies and games.
Unfortunately, what was happening was no fantasy. Not a dream but an undeniable reality.
People were eating each other down below!
From the corner of their eyes, they could faintly make out the words, displaying,
The Game Starts Now!
End of the Chapter