Raia felt a little bad for Arman. He thought that Arman should have been rewarded equally with him too. But because of the system True Haven had, it was actually breeding jealousy between them.
Raia tried to comfort his friend by suggesting that maybe there was a mistake in the rewards. He even promised to transfer some credits to Arman in the future, if it was possible.
Arman eventually dropped the matter and focused on reading the information about the rules, regulations, and the requirements to graduate from True Haven.
Raia did the same, but he also went to check the contents of the box given to him.
Just like Arman, he received four vials. Two green ones and two purple ones.
Curious about what they were, Raia opened one. Each vial was sealed with a cork, so he pulled the cork off one of the green vials. A sweet scent immediately wafted through the air.
Arman, lying on his bed, smelled it too and looked over at Raia with curiosity."Raia... what's that smell? It seems so familiar..." Arman kept sniffing the air, sure he had smelled it not too long ago.
"I think this is... Origin," Raia guessed. He remembered the scent from the first time he killed a worm. This smelled exactly like that... but a bit fainter.
Raia felt his mouth water. He couldn't resist and drank the vial in one gulp.
A refreshing sensation coursed through his veins. Raia let out a satisfied sigh.
Arman saw this and asked, "Raia, what did you just drink?"
Raia looked at him with a bright smile. "Drink the vials, now. They're filled with Origins!" he exclaimed happily. Arman looked suspicious, unsure if Raia was joking. But the scent coming from the vials was too tempting. His curiosity got the better of him, and he drank one down from his own box.
A strange but energizing feeling coursed through Arman's body.
"Whoa! I know this feeling! It's just like back then, when I ate those locusts!"
The two of them opened all their vials and drank them.
Power surged through their bodies. Their senses became sharper, and their bodies felt stronger and full of vigor.
"Raia! Did you feel that too?! I have so much energy! I want to run!" Arman exclaimed, overly excited. He sprinted out of the room and ran downstairs.
Raia, on the other hand, tried to calm himself. The energy rushing through him was intense.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. After doing this a few times, he entered a meditative state.
Everything around him fell silent. All he could feel was the surging energy within his body. It felt like a dragon running amok! Raia focused on it, thinking about all the movies and manga he had seen. He tried distributing the energy to different parts of his body.
He directed some of it to his skin. It felt like cool, cleansing water washing over him.
Then, he guided another portion to his hands and feet, and to the muscles surrounding them. He felt rejuvenated in every fiber of his being.
The final portion he sent to his brain. His mind became clearer, sharper. His senses spiked again.
He could now hear the faintest sounds and smell even the lightest traces of cologne people wore in the building. It felt overwhelming but strangely manageable. He could turn it on and off at will. Everything felt normal, just vastly improved.
Raia opened his eyes. He looked out the window and saw Arman still running around the building.
Because of the new energy in his body, he suddenly felt jumping off the building again. Without thinking it through and influenced by his body, he opened the window and leaped out. As he was was falling, he was keeping his body upright.
When he landed, he could still feel his body---whole, he felt perfectly fine. It was just like when he and Arman jumped off that building before.
His body was much stronger now. His senses are much sharper.
He couldn't help but feel overjoyed. "The only thing missing now is the ability to fly and super speed, and I could call myself Superman!" he thought, laughing. "Well, minus the ice breath, laser eyes, and other eye powers."
Raia started testing his body. He threw a punch into the air. The force was so strong, it compressed the air before him.
The power behind his punch amazed him.
Next, he tested his speed. He spotted Arman running up ahead and took off after him.
Raia stretched his legs and sprinted at full speed. The force was so strong that faint footprints were left in the ground. Raia didn't notice this and kept running, quickly overtaking Arman like a motorcycle zooming past.
Arman stopped in disbelief, stunned by what he just saw.
He had never seen anyone run that fast before.
"We're really living in a world with superpowers now," he thought. Though technically, what Raia did wasn't a superpower, it was just extreme physical enhancement.
Arman wasn't discouraged. In fact, he felt even more excited to run alongside Raia.
The two friends enjoyed their newfound strength. They spent time testing themselves by running, jumping, punching, just to see how much they had grown.
Raia thought to himself that maybe True Haven wasn't so bad after all. It was, after all, a chance to get stronger. But deep down, he still couldn't shake the uneasy feeling about everything.
By lunch, they were completely exhausted and hungry. They hadn't even eaten breakfast.
Then, an announcement rang through the building."Students, the cafeteria on the ground floor is now open and serving. You may have your lunch."
Raia and Arman heard it and rushed to the cafeteria.
It was huge! Six times larger than their classroom back in Descendants College!
Across the room, a counter was staffed by several military officers in PPE suits, serving students who had lined up.
Above them, a digital board displayed various meals, prices ranging from thirty to a hundred and twenty True Credits.
The duo joined the line and waited for their turn.
As they waited, the cafeteria started filling up. Eventually, it was their turn.
Raia looked up and selected the Chicken Curry Combo Meal for 50 True Credits. It came with a piece of chicken curry on steaming white rice, a glass of juice, and a chocolate muffin for dessert.
It was a good combo.
Arman, on the other hand, chose a Ribs Combo for 120 True Credits. It came with eight large ribs slathered in a delicious sauce, two cups of rice, a Coke, and a slice of moist chocolate cake.
He drooled when he received it.
To pay, they scanned their wristbands, placing their hands under the scanner. The device beeped, confirming the transaction.
They grabbed their food-filled trays and looked for an empty table.
In the far-left corner of the cafeteria, there was a vacant table... but it was right next to a trash bin, making it less appealing.
Before they could sit, a girl with purple hair approached them, she looked very shy.
"Uhm... hi. You can sit with us, if you'd like," she said, looking directly at Raia. She pointed to their table, where two empty seats were left. Sitting there were her and a scrawny-looking boy with glasses.
Raia recognized the boy. He was the one who could turn into a Rock Person.
Raia smiled warmly. "Sure. Thank you. But is it okay if I bring my friend too?" he asked politely.
The girl glanced at Arman and nodded. She blushed and led them to their table.
Other students in the cafeteria were watching. They were the same ones who had bombarded Raia with questions earlier. His fans. They glared at the girl, thinking she was stealing their idol.
Feeling their stares, the girl shyly covered her face with her palm.
"Thanks for letting us sit with you," Raia said to the girl and the boy with glasses.
The boy blushed, fiddled with his glasses, and muttered, "No problem."
Raia gave them a genuine smile and began eating. The table became really silent and awkward after a few minutes.
"By the way, my name's Raia. What's yours?" he asked, trying to break the rising awkwardness.
The girl and the boy looked up, surprised that Raia asked them. Their eyes lit up, amazed Raia had spoken to them, when they're just... not really famous.
"M-my name is Lavender," the purple-haired girl said quickly, stuffing food in her mouth and looking away.
"I'm Brock," the boy said softly.
Raia found them unique and sensed that they were introverts. He could relate as he used to be the same.
At the beginning of every school year, he'd always be the loner in class. His classmates used to say he was mysterious and unapproachable.
Thankfully, people like Arman were extroverted and friendly. They kept trying to talk to Raia until he opened up. That's when he changed from the quietest kid to one of the most approachable.
So now, Raia tried to keep the conversation going with Lavender and Brock.
They ended up having a wonderful conversation over lunch, getting to know each other's backgrounds.
Lavender, seventeen and American, had been a senior in high school before the Great Catastrophe. She was about to graduate but fell seriously ill with a contagious skin disease and was isolated in a hospital.
Then, during the Catastrophe, something strange happened. Her skin started itching, and purple stripes appeared. Her once black hair changed color too, turning lavender.
She thought she had become a monster. When the military took her, she feared becoming a lab rat. But she soon realized she wasn't alone. Others were experiencing supernatural changes too. She had been brought here to learn how to control her new abilities.
Raia listened with awe. He hadn't known that True Origin could alter someone's appearance permanently.
Brock also shared, though briefly. He came from a wealthy family. He and Lavender had been classmates, though not close, he was happy knowing he knew someone here. When the Great Catastrophe struck, monsters slaughtered his family. He couldn't remember what happened after that, he was brought here by the Army.
Raia shared his story as well. The others listened with interest.
For once, these teens realized they weren't the only ones suffering. Everyone had gone through tragedy. And knowing that made them feel less alone.
While the three chatted, Arman was fully immersed in enjoying his ribs, oblivious to the conversation.
After lunch, Raia bought snack packs for later. He thanked Lavender and Brock before heading back to their room.
He felt warm inside, grateful for making new friends.
Arman flopped onto his bed and immediately fell asleep. Raia giggled, understanding that the morning's events had been physically draining.
Feeling bored, Raia read through the Rules and Regulations displayed by the digital wristband. He memorized them all, searching for loopholes but found none. Some rules felt suspicious, but overall, they made sense. He kept racking his brain that he almost shout.
He didn't dwell on it too much and started exploring other wristband features instead.
He opened the map option. It showed the full structure of True Haven.
There were two main bases, with the Assembly Dome situated between them. Each base had five buildings, representing the ten barracks where students stayed.
Each base also had a mini-park and a training ground.
Around the Assembly Dome were facilities called the Training and Teaching Courts, where each of the founders would instruct students.
Outside the bases were forests, hills, and mountains. But not far from Raia's base, Raia could see a blue portion. It was the sea.
Raia noted it but pushed the thought aside.
Next, he checked his schedule. He was in Class 8. The student list included Arman, Lavender, and Brock. He figured the barrack-mates were grouped into the same class.
While browsing, he found a shop feature. Items like clothes, weapons, food, and vials were available. When he looked at the vials, he saw the same ones they had drunk earlier— the Origin Vials. But the prices were insane! Ranging from 1,000 to 5,000 True Credits!
"So expensive!" Raia muttered.
He learned the green ones were called Primal Origin Vials, and the purple ones Evolved Origin Vials. Each vial had a potency rating from 20 up to 100.
Raia became even more intrigued. These vials could increase their Origin count!
Speaking of which... Raia checked his status again.
But something was wrong.
It was still the same as before...
"What's happening...?"