The year was 1933, and the world changed forever. A mysterious outbreak turned millions of people into stone-like statues. The world order was shattered, and the stage was set for a great war caused by the confusion.

But after four months, something miraculous happened.

The statues cracked, and every person who was trapped inside was freed. They were not the same as before, though. They had gained special abilities that defied the laws of nature.

Some could manipulate the elements, some had transformed their bodies, and some could even control others. At first, people were amazed by this phenomenon, but soon they became divided. A global war erupted between the normal people and the chosen ones.

Only one of the most powerful chosen, Damane Smith, managed to unite both sides and end the conflict. Now, ninety years later, we live in a different world. We go to schools where we can train to be soldiers for the government or compete in the international tournament called The Games of the Chosen.

That's how the world is now. No one knows what caused the outbreak, but there is a prophecy that says everything will be revealed in the next ninety-one to ninety-four years. I hope it won't be something that will endanger our civilization.

I knocked on the door of the nurse's office and walked in.

"Bro, she really messed you up," I said as I saw my friend Dwayne. He had his head wrapped in bandages, and he looked hilarious to me. He had been taunting me all day long.

"That's what you get for fighting a member of the Void family," I told him as I sat on a chair next to him.

"Are you feeling better now?" I asked him.

"This sucks, man. I can't believe I lost to her," he said with a frustrated look on his face.

"Ha-ha-ha I bet she's gonna be recognized as the fifth strongest you will be moved to the sixth," I said as I laughed at him.

He slammed his fist on the table and stormed out of the room.

"Wow, you're really mad, huh?" I teased as I grabbed his jacket and followed him.

We walked across the school grounds and he kept ranting about why he lost. He was making all kinds of excuses, but it was too late to save face.

"Come on, man, it's lunch time. Let's go to our usual spot," he said as we headed to the bench where we always sat.

As we passed some students, I heard them whispering about Dwayne's fight with Ashylene. He clenched his jaw and glared at them.

"Don't mind them, they'll forget soon enough. Welcome to my world, ha-ha," I said, trying to cheer him up.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"Whatever, let's just eat," he said. We got our food and sat down to chat. Dwayne and I had been friends since childhood.

We met one day when I was little and I saw him getting bullied by a bunch of kids in the park. He was always a target because he was shy and awkward back then.

They would push him around and call him names. It made me sad to think about it, but luckily I was there to help him out with my shocky ability. It was easy to zap those normies away.

From that day on, we were inseparable.

"Bro, don't sweat it, you'll win next time," I said to him with a smile. We finished our lunch and relaxed for a bit.

"Yeah, I wasn't really trying, you know. I'm the strongest, he-he, so I had to hold back for a newcomer," he said, lying through his teeth.

He leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes, rocking it back and forth.

"Oh really? You weren't trying? Then why didn't you fight seriously?" a sweet voice said behind us.

I turned my head and saw her. My jaw dropped. "Uh-oh," I muttered.

"Of course not, I mean, it would have been rude to fight her for real," Dwayne said, trying to sound casual.

"Oh really?" she repeated in a calm tone.

Dwayne stopped rocking his chair and froze.

"Hey bro," he whispered to me as he opened his eyes slightly.

"Ye-yeah bro," I whispered back nervously.

"She's here, isn't she?" he asked.

I nodded slowly.

He opened his eyes and fully and forced a smile on his face.

"Hi Ashylene," he said weakly.

She smiled back at him with a friendly smile.

She asked him, "How have you been? I thought you might not show up today." She sounded genuinely concerned.

He shrugged and smiled.

"Like I told you before, it was nothing. Just a scratch." He tried to act casual, but she could see the bandage on his head.

She sat down next to him and giggled. "I like you guys. You're different from everyone else here." She glanced at me and winked.

I rolled my eyes and said, "You do realize we're the losers, right? The bottom of the food chain. The rejects."

She shook her head and said, "Says who? You guys are way more interesting than the rest of them. You have personality."

He puffed up his chest and said, "No-no-no, you're the loser, bro. I'm the fifth strongest in this school.

" He opened his eyes wide to impress Ashylene.I snorted and said, "Yeah, right. You mean sixth, after Miss Ashylene here. She could kick your ass any day."

We bickered for another five minutes, while she watched us with amusement. In her mind, she didn't see two losers, but two good friends who had each other's backs. She smiled and giggled more.

"Do you mind if I become your friend?" She asked us with a sweet smile. We glanced at each other and quickly huddled together to discuss.

"What do you think, bro?" I whispered to Dwayne with a serious face.

"Hmmm, she's suspicious. What if she wants to play us?" He answered as he eyed her warily and stroked his chin.

"But our status in the school will go up, so I don't see any harm in it," I suggested as I also looked at her and rubbed my chin.

"Mmm-hmm, agreed," Dwayne said as he narrowed his eyes at me. Ashylene watched us baffled by our conversation and shook her head slowly and smiled.

"Look at that, she's smiling. Mmm-hmm, very suspicious," I said to Dwayne.

"Okay, you are our friend from now on," we both announced to her. She stayed silent and just giggled softly.

"She laughs too much," Dwayne said with a suspicious look on his face.

Our argument was interrupted by a loud voice from across the cafeteria.

"Ugh, look at that new girl," Jane said as she stared at us with disdain. "They're so carefree and it annoys me so much."

Dane, her boyfriend and the strongest male student in the school, said with a grin, "My queen, why do you care about them so much? They're no threat to you."

Jane narrowed her eyes and said, "That girl over there, I don't like her. She's from the Void family, and she's competing with her brothers for the position of family leader." She smiled wickedly.

"I can't wait to see her lose that position." she thought.

She snorted in contempt as she watched her spurned invitation. "She's wasting her time with those scum. Maybe she belongs with them."

She clenched her fists and narrowed her eyes. "She'll pay for this soon enough." She vowed.

Dane shivered and said, "Sometimes you scare me. But that's also what I like about you." He kissed her cheek.

Jane was the strongest female student in the school, and she had seven friends who were all in the top ten, except for Dwayne. He had refused to join their group after Dane betrayed me and left us for them.

Jane stood up with Dane and the others and said, "We're going to crush her and her new friends in the upcoming school tournament. I'll prove to everyone that I'm the strongest girl in this school." She walked out of the cafeteria with a smug look on her face.

As they left, Ashylene looked at them with a smile and said, "This is going to be a very interesting term we're going to have this year."

"As Ashylene walked ahead of us, she suddenly exclaimed, 'Oh, I almost forgot! I have plans to meet up with a friend soon.'" Dwayne and I exchanged puzzled looks, intrigued by the unexpected news and eager to learn more about this mystery friend.

I shot Ashylene a quizzical look, my mind racing, "Wait, she's got a friend around here?" I murmured to myself as we strolled along behind her, casually curious.