{Isaiah -

Level: Paragon. (I look at Oda, searching for answers as the panel slowly starts to reveal more numbers with abbreviations.)

Intellectual Development Empowering Archive (Idea): 90/10

Biological and Physical Capacity: 8/10

Historical Saves: 0/10.}

[Arcane Association Panel]

Oda is staring at the screen with a very serious look.

"Congratulations, Isaiah." Oda adds on before shaking me, causing me to vomit the yellow substance again: "You're now apart of the Illuminators."

{[End of first chapter]}

'Ugh' as I hold onto to my posture again, looking at Oda and questioning the thought firsthand.

"What exactly is this yellow substance?" Wait, I am an Elysian hunter? And what the hell does being a member of the 'illuminators' imply?

Oda quickly vanishes out of nowhere, suddenly revealing himself in front of me again. In his hand lies a subtle yet weird-looking bracelet.

"Look, Isaiah. This bracelet works the same way as this panel does. It's a mini-portable version of it, if you may consider." If you just visualize the panel opening up or loudly speak the words "Arcane" with the intent of opening up the panel, the bracelet will perform a few tricks and then show you the holographic imagery.

"With that said, I must warn you that you should not lose this bracelet at any cost." Oda keeps speaking, but I'm still intrigued and amused by the shape of the bracelet.

"Arcane."

The metallic beads of the bracelet start to disassemble. I can see a sensor-like component attached to the midpoint of the beads. The bracelet fully detaches itself and starts to hover over my left arm, making a hollow, curved screen-like panel. It slowly starts to show words made out of what looks like air particles.

Specifically, I think the beads are manipulating the air particles to make out writing.

{Isaiah - Paragon}

Intellectual Development Empowering Archive: 91/10

Biological / Physical Capacity: 7/10

[Historical Saves: 1/11]

I'm confused on what all this fancy writing means. Still, I'm amused about just how advanced this bracelet seems to be in manipulating liquid particles—or atoms?

I turn to Oda; it looks like he was still talking. Oda sighs before coming to me and checking out my new statistics.

"So, what exactly does 'Idea' or the 'Intellectual Development Empowering Archive' mean?" It's such a lengthy name for a really soft abbreviation.

Oda looks at me for a brief moment, looking disappointed. "You really didn't pay attention, did you?"

"Idea manipulation means the creative storage inside your brain. Idea isn't just limited to your creativity; it passes to different manifesting interpretations." What does he mean by these fancy words?

"In short, an idea is the manifestation of your trauma and positive thinking." Where most people have it in stable amounts, your idea archives are especially high. Resulting in this, well.

Manifestation of trauma, right...

Yeah, I'm not buying it. I want to go home right now.

"Wait up, your idea is exceptionally high in comparison to your extremely low physical capacity." I get that Oda means my smarts ultimately dominate my physical abilities? Not at all.

"No, dumbass; I mean, your trauma outweighs your endurance." Alright, that's a middle-aged man cursing at a teenager.

Oda tells me, wait in my thinking, "How old do you think I exactly am?" You know what? I'm done with this circus. The floating bracelet was good, but other than that, the falling hatch over my head and this certain trial are not having me over right now.

"That's pretty fun stuff, but can I go back to my house now? It's getting pretty late." I'm sure I've been here for a very long time.

"Look, kid; you're no longer who you used to be." (Oda)

"Humanity needs you; this world needs you." I'm feeling much more like a slanted protagonist being forced to the one the world supposedly 'needs'.

"I'm a typical high schooler; I was fine living my life before." Right then Oda interrupts me.

"Are you sure you were fine the way things were happening? Is it true you wouldn't want a better life?"

I stutter in fear; my legs start to twitch as my eyes roll inside my head.

"Isaiah?" One time, I'm being called.

"Isaiah?" The second time I'm being called, there is a string of laughter.

"Isaiah, wake up." Third time—I wake up to see myself over the table, the table covered in my drool, and the surrounding classmates laughing endlessly at me while the teacher is looking real mad.

"Get out of my class, snooze." Here I am, kicked out of the class again. Reason: I am daydreaming about a life where I am never late for class and am not bullied on occasion.

The tough reality for me is that another reality is never going to be a real reality.

I look around; there's no one hanging out near this hallway. I get that I'm nearly always late and mostly sleeping around classes, but I still manage to get a below-average score at the results eve—after completing the dozens of assignments left over by the Brandies.

Unfortunately, I guess neither the school nor the administration cares about it. All they care about is the discipline of the student doing the chores for the masters.

I sigh at my fate as I think of ways to pass time outside of the class right now.

"Alice." I remember her classroom is just a few walks away from mine.

I obviously won't be able to talk with her or stay for some quick chat, but I'm fine with just seeing how things are going on her end.

"Riswan, right." I pass by another classroom on the way to Alice's classroom; it's the club leader's classroom.

He's been bugging me for unfair interest in terms of a particular monetary 'debt' that I owe him. Honestly, I know I'm being exploited, and I know I've got no money to pay the 150% interest that keeps increasing every second.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

I shake my head, not wanting to succumb to thoughts regarding the club right now. "I should turn back to my classroom."

If anyone of them or the Brandies sees me, I'm as good as dead.

Before turning back to my classroom, I reconsider my decision; I come to the conclusion that I'm indecisive.

Precursing back, I start moving towards the final destined classroom again. Aka, Alice.

"There it is." I look at the classroom from afar, but I can't quite take a view at them since the middle part of the glass-paned wall is covered with mosaic blurred materials. If I bend over to check from underneath, I don't think my life would be alright after it.

If I check from the upper side, there's a chance I'll get spotted immediately.

Then again, I'm also short, so I'll have to tip-toe to actually get a peak. Afterwards, trying not to show too much of my skin to the class students.

I pull up the trick and it—well, works, I guess. I get to see Alice and Ria discussing something, and then for a brief period, Alice is staring at the glass-paned wall.

The exact wall I'm standing and checking them out from. I feel like a creep, but that's all I can do really. Never felt love when I did; couldn't express it.

Was someone there? I see Alice returning to her seat, as I just narrowly escaped her view.

"Okay, I can't hold this for much longer." My liquid excretion chamber is really full. Pretty much going to burst any time now.

As I walk towards the bathroom stalls, I wonder if they will be occupied or completely empty. I bet on the empty section because there is no reason for any student to come out during the first period, and there is no reason for a teacher to use the student restrooms.

"Oh god, no way..." If the bathroom stalls were full, I'd be mediocre; if the bathrooms were empty, I'd be happy. If the "threats" are right in front of me, clearly noticing me, what am I supposed to be feeling like?

Fear, cringe, or scream in agony as I'm being beaten to a pulp by these bastards?

My glasses are thrown to the floor, and the first guy is holding me by the collar and berating my ears while his brothers are kicking me and destroying my glasses.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" I'm looking straight at the floor as they are trashing me, unable to speak or look up. My arms are thin; every part of my body is the same for that course.

"We told you, you'd regret ever crossing us." They are laughing as they go; I'm not trying to stand up for now. I'll get up when they are off. I slightly move my head upwards, searching for my glasses. Without them, my vision is as blurry as it can get.

I pick up a fragment of my eyewear, trying to assemble it fully. Still missing the right lens though. I take what I've managed to gather from the parts around this floor and scurry over to a bathroom stall.

I'm trying to fix my glasses since they were made to be easily disassembled and then assembled. As I'm continuing my part in that area, I can hear footsteps.

"How long?" The voice seems familiar, like Michael.

I don't try to respond, silently doing my work on assembling the eyewear. I'm guessing Michael saw what happened to me or there's something else going on.

"I am asking how long you are going to hold that stall off, Isaiah?" I guess he was just asking for the stall—wait a sec, there's a dozen other stalls here; why just this one?

"There's other stalls too."

"Uh, I just prefer to shit in that particular stall over others." Michael says in an awkward tone before leaving. I am guessing he left based on the footstep noises slowly moving in the opposite direction and diminishing in volume.

After fixing my glasses, I come out of the stall. Greeted by absolutely no one. I'm fine not seeing anyone. It's better that way, being honest.

The bells ring; the lunch period has already begun. I didn't notice, but three classes have already gone by in such short notice...

"I should apologize to her." I remember being rude to Alice on our walk to school alongside making faces at home. I sort of messed up around her photographer video call.

**

"Hey Isaiah?" Alice makes a stop while we are on our way to the school.

I get flustered and awkward, becoming red for no apparent reason.

"Is there anything wrong between you and my photographer?" I don't want to answer her. I'm hating this conversation right now.

"Please, if there's anything going on that doesn't feel right to you, feel free to speak with me." My demeanor turns soft inside, but then I mess up being angry at her for no reason.

"There's nothing wrong." I said in a fit of confused rage, I overexerted my emotions.

"FOUR EYES!" That's when the three guys, 'Threat' appeared, and we had to go. I didn't get the chance to apologize to her for the rudeness. I don't want to lose her.

**

I start to walk down the stairs from the hallway, making my way to the gym. If I am correct, Alice should be there. If not, she's probably at lunch. But I'm sure she's at the gym.

As I make my way to the gym, I come across the club poster.

The former club poster, I should say. "Jigoku no tengoku," A japanese name, meaning 'Hellish Heaven'. I wanted to join this club first, mainly due to the club president being a really nice guy. He was fascinated with Japanese mythologies and spirituality.

It is unfortunate that his missing report was ruled a runaway. He was one of the only people to approach me and try to start a conversation, the other being Alice.

Jordan, I can't seem to remember his last name for some reason. All I can recollect is his facial structure—a bright face with a beige tint. Eyes reflecting the color of aqua, a blue-ish misprint.

When everyone was against me for joining the club, he stood up and took the stand for me. He was the nicest person and the happiest member of the club.

So much so that no one could have predicted him running away. He was hiding a tragic story behind that fake smile. I overheard the principal discussing his parents' breakup with a few teachers during lunch and Jordan's recent bullying at school that prompted his decision. I can guess body-shaming.

I get interrupted in my analysis of the poster by Riswan, the current club president. Jigoku was rebranded into the science-fiction club.

"What's going on, Isaiah?" What does he mean by that? In terms of how I am doing, what I'm doing, or what? I'll just guess the most normal answer.

"I'm fine?" Riswan grabs me by the collar before I can finish. His face is straight up serious, an olive complexion, eyes of evil—something's going to go wrong here.

"What's going on about the interest you owe me, Owe us?" Us? What does he mean by that? I can get a reason about the club poster, but what does he mean by us? As I question him on that part, I'm fucking stuttering the hell out.

"Look, man, you have been avoiding me, and I do not like that. I don't usually beat others up for my part. But you have also been avoiding the Brandies too, and you know how much they dislike being ignored."

"Last thing you'd want is those braindeads coming after you for a homework assignment." The homework assignment was a guess.

"O-okay." What else am I going to say? What else am I supposed to say?

"About my $100, my last date was today." Riswan says before letting go of my collar.

I so want to punch, but I know right now isn't the time. I should've opened up my hands in front of the three guys instead; they beat me up without any reason at all. Riswan is at least a bit more decent than them.

The problem is, last time I clenched my fists, I ran into the Brandies mess. Not in a stable mood to start imagining them.

Yet I can only recall standing up for a guy who was being threatened by them into giving up his lunch. Then I got destroyed while that same guy was singing a French song at their request.

Stood up for the wrong person, got sat down forever.

Their demands for sparing me every time they see me: "Complete our assignments and become our dog." was the last thing I heard before being subjected to do twice as that.

Even the teachers are useless; they allow them to cheat but silence us when we speak. Applications after applications, it's better to keep sitting down now.

I'm just tired of this, looking at my watch. Even lunch time is nearly over now.

"She's not here." I look around her classroom as everyone is present except for her and Ria.

I get it; she must be in the gym still. Either she is waiting for me or she is attempting to—well, I don't have time to hypothesize.

I look at every hallway as I make my way towards the gym. As I approach the room, I see students walking out.

"I'm going to check whether she's present among them." As I'm carefully evaluating the crowd and looking for Alice or Ria among them. If I can find Alice, I'm good to convey to her. If I can find Ria, I'll ask her for where Alice might be.

I'm getting increasingly scared as I'm recounting the students and matching their faces. I can't find Alice.

"Isaiah!"

I get flabbergasted as I'm approached from behind by Ria. Getting back into posture and sticking to the ground, I muster up the strength to suppress my stutters.

"Where's Alice?" I ask Ria, hoping for her to answer me rather quickly.

"What do you mean? She's been searching for you the entire lunchtime." Ria adds on, "We didn't go up in the pair today."

Alice wasn't even here in the first place? I thought she was at the gym; that's why I was coming here, but apparently she didn't even arrive here in the first place.

Alright, I was getting too ahead of my overthinking back there.

"Where is she now?" I ask Ria,

"No idea; she told me she was going to your clubhouse." I say my thanks to her before turning to leave when she calls me back.

"Also, I know I shouldn't be talking about this, but don't stress too much about her photographer. He's just a poser who she takes consultation from, nothing much." Ria adds on, "Alice has been worried about you."

That changed everything for me. I get it that she knew a little bit about my struggles in school but I didn't know she cared about it or worried for me in that case.

"Ahem, Isaiah?" There's the class teacher behind me; I'm in detention for sure.

** "Ahem, Isaiah-"

The bracelet wrapped around my wrist starts to tighten itself. As it eventually disassembles and turns curved again. Displaying the panel without voice recognition. I'm staring right at Oda as he's looking at what the panel is displaying.

{Isaiah - Paragon+}

(Intellectual Development Empowering Archive: 1010/100 | Unstable)

(Biological and Physical Capacity: 8/11)

[Historical Saves: 2/11.]

I stutter as I attempt to speak. I am looking directly at Oda, who is stunned and in awe.

"Things might be difficult, but I have someone I need to get back to."

Re: World, the first contact: Chapter two.

Upcoming: Chapter three; Elysians.