A woman, shorter than average with dark hair, offers a smile as she glances at one of the waiters in the restaurant, her last shift of the week. She’s tired and is simply waiting for the next shift to get there so she can go. Walking over to do a quick clean of one of the tables by the entrance, she stops. Something has caught her peripheral. A large daunting shadow of muscles, a dim yellow glow illuminates from behind its figure. Slowly and cautiously, she goes to open the door, however just as her hand touches the handle, the door is yanked away into a shadowy abyss as the city that was before her just a moment ago quickly descends into a black void. She stares into it, lost and feeling as though she is floating.
Peering over her shoulder, she sees that the diner she was working at is now far away, and the boy who she had just glanced at was now gone, replaced by another, a wider man with curled hair and dark skin. She looks back to infront of herself, uncertain what is going on before, from the void, a set of eyes appears. After a moment of these floating eyes dancing around her, they begin to back away, quickly. Underneath the eyes, a smile widens. As the smile is revealed, the disconnected face speeds back towards her, growing and growing in size as it does.
The woman turns and tries to kick her way back towards the dinner, however finds it to be too far away in this void. She turns back to see how close the face has gotten to find that it’s grown so large that just one of its teeth is now the size of her whole body. She tries to let out a scream but finds that no sound can escape. She struggles, fighting and kicking. Screaming and calling for help, reaching out towards the boy in the diner, but finds no use.
After a moment of fighting, she opens her eyes and looks around. The eyes and mouth are no longer around, forcing her to wonder what happened. She looks back to the boy in the diner and watches as his head expands. Growing bigger and bigger before his face becomes a replica of the missing void’s. She can only watch as he looms over her, tilting towards her and opening his mouth. She tries to once again scream however nothing escapes as she is swallowed whole by the face.
Suddenly Daisuke shoots up from his bed and lets out a blood curdling scream. Sweat falling from his arms as he looks around, trying to get his bearings, gripping his covers tightly as he propped himself up,
“Kunos..” he cursed as his brother banged against the wall, yelling at him for all the comotion. Ignoring his brother’s irritation, Daisuke simply looked down and said with a sigh, “… Sleep terrors.”
Much later that day, Daisuke and Pascal walked side by side, laughing about some silly little inside joke they had shared. The atmosphere seemed vibrant, yet there was an undercurrent of unease in Daisuke’s demeanor that Pascal couldn’t ignore. Though he chuckled at their shared joke, Daisuke’s laughter lacked its usual vigor, his eyes occasionally darting to the ground or scanning the crowd, as if searching for threats unseen.
“You alright, Daisuke?” Pascal finally asked, his voice tinged with concern. “You seem a bit off today.”
Daisuke hesitated, his fingers tapping nervously against his thigh. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he replied, his tone unconvincing even to himself. The events of last night had left him shaken, but he wasn’t sure how to articulate the gnawing anxiety that had taken root in his mind.
Pascal slowed his pace, turning to face his close friend directly. “Come on, man. We’ve been friends for a long time. Something’s obviously bothering you.”
Daisuke sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “I had this… Sleep terror last night. It felt so real. The whole thing with Absolute Throttle and that monster. I can’t shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. Like we’re being watched, or worse… Hunted.”
Pascal’s eyes shift with concern. “T’was pretty intense… What happened in the terror?”
“It was like this… Void, swallowing everything. And then there was this giant face, laughing and taunting me. She couldn’t escape. She was being consumed by it,” Daisuke explained, his voice trembling slightly. “All I did was stand in the window of that diner and watch as she was tortured by that thing… And at the end of the terror, I became the face in the void and eat her.”
Pascal frowned, placing a reassuring hand on Daisuke’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out together. You’re strong, Daisuke, stronger than you know. And remember, you’re not alone in this. Michelle and Enkai got your back too.
Daisuke managed a weak smile, grateful for Pascal’s support. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s just… hard to shake off that feeling. Like there’s something more to it.”
Pascal nodded, understanding the weight of his friend’s fears. “We’ll figure it out, okay? Let’s focus on what we can control—getting ready for the preliminaries and staying out of trouble. And if those terrors keep coming, we’ll deal with them too.”
Daisuke took a deep breath, nodding. “Thanks, Pas… One step at a time.” As they continued walking, the camaraderie between them offered a semblance of comfort to Daisuke, even as the shadow of his terror lingered at the edge of his thoughts.
Finally arriving at the auditorium in which the first evaluation was to take place, the duo looked around at the other people entering the large building; normally used for daily lectures for those interested in various topics, today it was being borrowed by the school.
Taking their seat, the two peered around, seeing the various different bodies that lined the seats, characters of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes. A couple hundred students, at least, caused Daiske to whisper to himself as they took their seat, “Lots of people.”, which Pascal nodded in agreement with next to him.
After a few minutes of looking around, the doors to the room are closed and an instructor steps up on the podium grabbing everyone’s attention.
“On the right side of each of your chairs is a small computer. Just like in your grade schools, that is what you’ll be taking this evaluation on. Once you start it, it’ll ask you a series of questions. Once you finish, simply place the computer back in its pocket on the chair and walk out. Wait in the hallway for your name to be called and you’ll be seen by a doctor to ensure you’ll be able to continue for the next evaluation which takes place tomorrow.”
Following the directions, Daisuke and Pascal turned on their computers, entering their personal information, including names and social numbers before starting up the evaluation proper. A series of questions, ranging from history to science, from personal life goals, to moral opinions, as well as how they’d change the actions of characters in recent events, among other topics. By the end of the personality evaluation, the students were forced to answer nearly four hundred questions within a five hour allotted time.
Daisuke would eventually finish the questionnaire, while before Pascal, still far from the first to stand and leave the massive room, where he, along with others, waited. As he awaited his friend, he began peering over at the other students, pacing back and forth before a set of seats where only a few students sat, the rest walking around or talking, beginning their relationships with their new classmates early. His mind racing, his nerves still high from the test as well as the events of the night prior, where the face of the woman who got her head bashed in by the door flashed in his mind.
It was weird, in the moment that it happened, she was just another casualty. Something he’s seen many times before, either through the various cameras around the city as they played videos of Waruioshi or witnessing various fights growing up. But there was something different about her. He couldn’t seem to take his mind off her. She was the girl in his dream. The one he swallowed.
“Aurh!” Daisuke suddenly let out, his mind stirring as he started to become annoyed at its constant rushing. He decided a good way to leave his mind would be to look around, examine his new classmates, like he saw others doing earlier, perhaps he can make a new friend while he waits on Pascal.
The first of which to catch his attention is a massive beast of a man, with rough, leathery brick-red skin, and patches of dark, wire-like hair. His stature was tall enough that his mohawk was only a few inches from the eight foot ceiling, and two large tusks that exited his jowls. “A brute.” Daisuke joked to himself, as another man, standing considerably closer to the average height, talked among the group that surrounded him. Expressing with an air of arrogance how he was one of the top cadets in the military before deciding to come to Chikara-Koko, his body slim but toned, and his hair well kept and swept. Among the many faces, some of which Daisuke recognized from the online forum, ‘/ChikokoReady.chat’, finally he stopped on the individual that piqued his interest the most. A mysterious young man that was keeping to himself, engrossed in his tablet, which caused Daisuke to step over to him, wanting to figure out how he was able to finish the exam so quickly.
As he stepped up, he called out, “Yo.” causing the young man to adjust his glasses and set his tablet in his lap, replying cheerfully,
“Hello there, my good sir! Fine day today, is it not?”
“Not really,” Daisuke scoffed lightly. “Most people around here are stressing over the tests. But you don’t seem to be.”
“I was well prepared for the test, so I have nothing to stress about.” the man replied with a stale smile.
“I was just curious, I saw you finish so early, what are your reasons for joining the Chikara?”
“Well, there are a couple of reasons, really.” the man explained. “Being able to use my power whenever and wherever I want is nice. It’s also quite prestigious, and there are lots of connections to be made here, both working and learning. Why do you ask, what are your reasons?”
“I mean… You kind of covered all the reasons right there,” Daisuke admitted, assuming ‘wanting to help heal, protect, and build society’ being a given. “Like I said, you finished so early, so I just figured you knew exactly what you wanted.”
“Oh, I do.” He swiftly and coldly replied.
“I’m Daisuke, by the way.” Daisuke clarified as two girls passed between them, chatting incessantly.
“Oscar King Kingston!” The man said with narrowed eyes, “Nice to make your acquaintance, Daisuke. I’ll make a mental note to remember you when we get into the school proper.”
“Y-yeah.” Daisuke said, getting an uneasy feeling from Oscar before the intercom came on again, calling for Kingston to enter room 41-N.
“Looks like I’m up.” Oscar said, getting to his feet and securing his tablet into his pack before leaving Daisuke with a wink.
After climbing a few flights of stairs, he found the room with little trouble. Inside, a long line of students awaited their turn. The room was impeccably clean, with shades of cream dominating the decor. At the end of the line stood a man with messy, spiked purple hair, appearing both exhausted and nonchalant, with whom, Oscar exchanged pleasantries,
“Hello there, my good sir! Fine day today, is it not?”
“Mah,” The purple headed stranger replied with a shrug. “That exam took a lot out of me.”
“Ah, no need to stress about things, I’m sure you passed.” Oscar said with a cold smile accompanying his words of false friendliness.
“I’m not stressed, just tired.”
“Ah, so you came in prepared too?… Or you simply don’t care?”
“Nah, I care, just don’t see the point in getting all worked up, ya know?” the man shrugged.
“I suppose that makes sense. Can’t change what’s already happened and all that,” Oscar agreed.
“Yeah, just let what happens, happen,” the man nodded. “Name’s Wataru.”
“Oscar King Kingston! Nice to make your acquaintance, Wataru,” Oscar says, his eyes locking with Wataru for a moment as the stranger nods and offers a fist bump which Oscar instead grabs and shakes, with the two ignoring the awkwardness and instead just going back to silence.
Eventually, the line moved forward, and Oscar found himself walking past a curtain where he was instructed to undress down to his underwear, to which he complied without hesitation. Just as he finished, a man with white and black blotched hair stepped behind the curtain with him, holding a tablet he scrolled through.
“Kingston… Oscar,” the man said, looking up. “How are you feeling today?”
“Very well, thank you for asking,” Oscar replied.
“That’s good. So tell me a bit about your history, Mr. Kingston. Had any surgeries? Ever been in a major sickened state?” the doctor inquired.
“I’ve had no surgeries. The only time I’ve been seriously ill was when I had the Prymore virus for two months as a child,” Oscar explained with little emotion.
“The Prymore, huh? A real survivor you are. Good, you’ll need to be tough for this school. I’ve heard it can get pretty bad. I see you got some glasses there. What’s your vision like?” the doctor asked.
“I’m farsighted and have 11/11 vision,” Oscar responded.
“11/11? Hmm… alright. Well, no broken bones or anything like that? Not now, but ever?” the doctor continued.
“No, never broken any bones or had any fractures,” Oscar confirmed.
“That’s good. That’s good. Alright, how about your Eaftousia? What exactly can you do?” the doctor asked, his tone growing more curious.
“Nothing too spectacular. I can control a puppet of my own making,” Oscar stated, causing the doctor to let out a heavy laugh.
“Alright, bit of a joker, that’s nice. But seriously, what do you do?”
Oscar’s eyes narrowed, and a small, almost unnoticeable scowl crept onto his face. “I. Control. A. Puppet.”
The doctor smiled, realizing Oscar was serious. “Really? A puppet? Hmm, alright. Just making sure, you don’t mean you can control a person like a puppet, you mean you got a… like a… a wooden puppet?”
“Yes, a puppet. It doesn’t matter what it’s made of, as long as I’ve done a type of blessing on it.” Oscar clarified.
The doctor snickered before writing a few notes on his tablet. “Alright, let’s… ha… okay, well I think that’ll be about it. My assistant will come and give you a quick scan then. Wish you luck, puppet-boy.”
With that, the doctor left, and Oscar received a couple of scans and answered a few more questions before being told to redress and move on to the next room. There, he found Wataru chilling next to a door, where he felt compelled to ask,
“Hey Wataru, how’d your medical check-up go?”
Wataru shrugged. “Bit of an odd guy. Went fine enough.”
“That’s good to hear! Hey, quick question, did you notice he couldn’t pronounce ‘hmm’ right?” Oscar inquired.
Wataru looked over at some passersby. “Yeah, he said it a bit weirdly. Like a pigaruu.”
“Yeah, exactly! I thought he was asking me if I wanted ham at first, but then I thought, ‘Wow, this guy must really like ham and he’s just repeating it like a mantra.’ That man must have had an extremely underdeveloped broca’s area. Makes me wonder how he became a doctor. He was quite unprofessional and had an air of dullness around him,” Oscar speculated.
“Yeah, it’s whatever. Probably the only time we’ll ever see the dude anyway,” Wataru responded.
“Maybe. Or maybe not, you never know. If he ends up being a head doctor or something, I’ll make sure he isn’t for long,” Oscar remarked.
Wataru peered over at Oscar. “Didn’t much care for him, huh?”
“No, not at all. He was rather uncouth and a man I believe does not deserve the title of doctor,” Oscar stated firmly.