(Prominis 19, 58 / 6:00PM)

  Four years ter…

  (Jerry) Css dismissed! You guys are finally finished with your st day of training! I hope you all do well on the final test!

  As Jerry dismissed the css full of teens and young adults, he quickly walked out of the cssroom, his face lightened and calm.

  (Jerry’s thoughts) Maybe this is the day that Jenny will go out with me.

  As the 14 candidates were packing up their things for the day, 16-year-old Luke looked out the old window, seeing the calm and orange sky as it was turning darker each minute.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Guess this is it…

  Getting up, he checked the calendar on the back of the room, the calendar stacked with 24 months of the year. While checking, four other guys came over, checking out the white and bulky calendar too.

  (Fred) Why do we have 24 months in a year?

  (Luke) Because Terra does a full orbit around the sun in 24 months?

  (Fred) Yeah, but how come we’re both 16 and not eight?

  (Gary) It’s quite simple dumbasses, we all have two birthdays in the same year.

  (Stan) Yeah, we always had one odd birthday and one even birthday. Your even birthday is technically your true birthday, as well as the fact that we all sort of decided to divide the year into two years…

  (Diego) Come on Fred, it’s basic knowledge…

  As the boy group was discussing amongst themselves the basics of months and years, Luke noticed that Hope was staring at him, her timid nature holding her back from reaching to Luke, despite being a 17-year-old.

  Fred notices Hope’s shyness and he reaches out to Luke, pcing his arm over his neck.

  (Fred) You should ask her out man.

  (Luke) Look, I just—

  (Diego) Go for it, she’s into you.

  (Luke) H-Hold up—

  (Gary) Freaking loverboy…

  (Luke) Time out!

  Luke, flustered that all his friends were trying to set him up with Hope, wanted to hide in a corner, his body shivering with timidness and ck of assertion.

  (Luke) I mean … she is cute … but …

  (Stan) But what?

  (Luke) There’s her…

  Luke looks to where Luna is sitting, the 20-year-old gring at Luke and the boys, her way of showing dominance and fear. Four years prior, Luna was the coldest and meanest girl that everyone id eyes on. Now, she was more of an annoyance, since even all of Luke’s friends just calmly looked at her.

  (Gary) You always attract either the shyest or the craziest…

  Getting up from her seat, Luna made her way towards the boy group, her walk filled with a barrage of dominance and complete charge as she came across Luke.

  Luke hit a growth spurt a few years back, so he was an inch taller than Luna. As Luna examined Luke with her predator's eyes, she let out a smug grin, her lips letting out a small chuckle.

  (Luna) I need you to come with me.

  (Luke) … sure

  Just as Luna was about to leave with Luke in tow, Hope was in her way, her eyes filled with jealousy and determination. Luna wasn’t in the mood for Hope, since she pnned this day to be special…

  (Luna) Move…

  Hope continued to not move, her fists starting to clench themselves as her body shook.

  (Luna) Move or else…

  As Luna towered over Hope, about to grab her colr and pull her up when-

  (Gwen) Hello! I hope all of you are having a good evening!

  As Gwen barged into the room, she noticed that both Hope and Luna were at it again. Sighing, she crossed her arms, smirking a bit as she seemed to be enjoying the commotion.

  (Gwen) You two again? Fighting for a boy like always?

  Both Luna and Hope’s cheeks were burdened with red, their bodies filled with butterflies as Gwen exposed them. Hope remained timid as she looked downwards with a face as red as a four-cwed lobster, while Luna had the complete opposite reaction.

  (Luna) Shut up! It’s not like he’s special or anything…

  (Gwen) Hmmm…

  (Luna) What are you here for anyway? If it’s for a dumb reason then I’ll kick your ass!

  As Luna changed the subject, Gwen then stood up straight. Her smirk disappeared and her eyes narrowed.

  (Gwen) Tomorrow, we’re going to be leaving for Fort Damns, a former major city in the country of Ticia.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Fort Damns?

  As Gwen spoke of the news of leaving Kepputha for the destroyed nation of what used to be Ticia, Luke and his friends, including Luna and Hope, faces were modeled into confusion. Noticing this, Gwen’s eyes were unwavering, continuing to speak on the information that she was given to her.

  (Gwen) It’s part of your st test, so make sure you give it your all! Hmm …

  Gwen then took out from her pocket a road map of the world, her eyes scanning the roadmap but—

  (Gwen) Luna, you’re good with maps. Can you determine how many miles is Fort Damns to Lagefor?

  (Luna) sighs … Fine… let me see.

  As Luna looked at the map, Luna’s eyes opened wide, as the 14 candidates had to travel—

  (Luna) It’s almost 700 miles east!

  (Gwen) They said the drive is about 13 hours, with two rest stops which can take up to an hour each.

  (Luna) That’s a whole day’s journey!

  Luke and everyone were surprised that their journey would be a long one since they were curious as to why go back to Ticia.

  (Luke’s thoughts) What even is our final test? They said that our final test determines if we become an elite soldier or not…

  As Luke got into thought, he noticed his friends as well were thinking about the journey, their hands on their chins as they were lost in thought.

  (Gwen) Oh, and one st thing …

  Clearing up her throat, Gwen looked at Luke, his friends, Luna, and Hope, her eyes scanning every one of them.

  (Gwen) Everyone is leaving at 6 in the morning, so make sure you guys are up by 5.

  All the candidates groaned.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Prominis 20, 58 / 5:00AM)

  (Gwen on Megaphone) GOOOOOOOOD—

  In an instant, Luna stormed out of her room and ran furiously to Gwen.

  Luna’s body charged forward with frustration and anger as she targeted the megaphone in Gwen’s hand. Gwen, on the other hand, still maintained a carefree attitude, her smile and childish attitude remaining even when she was in her mid-20s.

  Once Luna was close, her right hand was enclosed with a fist. With enough momentum, she threw a hard punch, the strength capable of breaking someone’s face permanently, but Gwen dodged Luna’s blow to her megaphone, and upon missing her target, Luna didn’t back down from trying to hit it again.

  (Luna) I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THAT THING!!

  (Luke) Luna! Calm down!

  Luke stormed out of his room to try to hold down Luna’s rage. Grabbing both of her arms and putting her in a position so that her arms wouldn’t move, Luna was—

  Much stronger than Luke, a lot stronger, because Luke couldn’t even put her in a proper armlock, so Luna broke free fast and charged forth again.

  (Luke) Luna!

  (Luke’s thoughts) Oh wait, the donut!

  To bring her back to her senses, Luke brought out from his pajama pocket a leftover donut, showcasing it to the air.

  (Gwen’s thoughts) Ooh!

  Luna stopped in her tracks as she sniffed the air to find a strawberry-gzed donut from yesterday. Despite noticing that Luke had it in his pocket, Luna kept her eyes on the donut, her eyes unwavering from it.

  Bringing the donut down, Luke lured Luna in so that he could give her a treat.

  (Luna) I’m not some animal!

  (Luke) Do you want it? I mean … I could eat it if you—

  (Luna) No!

  Luna walked towards where Luke was and snatched the donut from his hand. Taking a big bite, her demeanor completely changed, with her face more happy and rexed as the fluffiness and sugar spread all over the inside of her mouth.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Easiest trick in the book…

  With Luna in her habitat, eating a donut calmly, the rest of the other candidates happened to be out of their rooms, awaiting orders with their eyes showcasing the need to go back to sleep. Their bodies were sluggish, given the fact that every day for the past four years, they had been waking up at 6 in the morning, so a 5AM wake-up call wasn’t suitable for their bodies.

  (Gwen) Alright, I expined this to two separate groups yesterday, but I haven’t fully disclosed all the information. We’re taking two vans, one van would be David and me in the front while the other van would be Jerry and Jenny also in the front.

  As David, Jerry, and Jenny came by, they were keeping an eye on the candidates, hoping that all of them felt at least some sort of relief, but even the adults were feeling nervous…

  (Gwen) For seating, you could choose any van and you can sit with anyone you like, but the limit for each van is seven.

  Luke’s friends were overjoyed that they would all be together in the same van, their faces smiling and nodding their heads with contentment as they had each other's backs for the long road.

  Many minutes ter…

  Upon exiting the building, they saw two brown spacious vans. In the back of both vans, there were four seats on each side, having the ability to hold up to eight people. As they saw the vans, Luke and his friends formed a big group, while Sean, Jack, and Miles were a trio, and Ryan and Cameron were a duo.

  (Stan) Let’s go with David and Gwen.

  (Gary) Seems fine with me.

  (Miles) Follow me, we’re going with Jerry and Jenny.

  (Jack) Sure dude.

  (Ryan) Come on Cameron, let’s go with Miles.

  With all the boys going to their prospective vans, the st people to decide on which van they wanted to take were the girls.

  But the two girls had the same idea in mind. Looking at each other, both girls hated the idea of either one of them inside the same van as Luke.

  (Luna) I’m going in there—

  Hope ran to the van that Luke was in, leaving Luna in the dust—

  (Luna) Get back here!

  Grabbing Hope by her back colr, Luna was ready to throw Hope back hard with enough force to send her back 20 feet, but Hope had a counter. Since she knew that Luna would throw her back, Hope got a hold of her arms, eliminating the chance to get rid of Hope.

  (Luna) Get off me!

  In the distance, two girls saw the commotion unfold.

  (Loraine) They’re at it again!

  (Gemma) Come on, let those two lovebirds just handle it out.

  (Loraine) They should kiss!

  (Gemma) Lorraine!

  (Loraine) hehe.

  As Luna was about to smack Hope in the head, with enough brute force to let her see stars, Luna noticed that two other girls were trying to enter the same van Luke was in.

  (Gemma’s thoughts) But I think Fred is in this van. I just hope those two are still bickering…

  (Gemma) Loraine, quick let’s get on—

  As Gemma and Loraine noticed Luna and Hope, Gemma’s face turned pale as not just Luna, but Hope too looked at Gemma with a dangerous gre. Not wanting to take her chances, she and Loraine in tow scurried to the van that contained Miles and the others.

  (Luna’s thoughts) Good riddance…

  But that meant that both girls had to be in the same van…

  (Hope’s thoughts) Finally, I could sit next to Luke…

  (Luna’s thoughts) Do I have to be in the same van with this blonde bitch?

  As both girls entered the van, there was a little miscalcution…

  From the right side, from near the passenger to near the back door, was Fred, Luke, Diego, and Stan.

  But on the left side, there was only one seat, right in the middle…

  (Gary) Hey girls!

  Hope didn’t mind Gary, so she sat down nearest the driver to get a better view of Luke. As she was seated, Gary looked at her with a warm smile, his face lighting up as his pn was a success. Luke, who was facing in front of them, kept his hands to himself, gring at Gary without anybody noticing.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Wait … why am I jealous?

  But there was one girl that didn’t take her chances with this change of seats.

  (Luna) Hey fatass, switch seats with Luke.

  (Gary) Huh? Who are you calling a fatass—

  (Luna) Now.

  (Luke) Hey, be nice.

  (Luna) Then trade seats.

  Luke pulled out another donut from the morning, motioning it still as Luna’s hands were quivering as she licked her lower lip.

  (Luke) I’ll give it if you apologize, and if it makes you better, I’ll trade seats with Gary.

  (Gary’s thoughts) Come on!

  Luna gred at Gary, who was in the middle of between Luna and Luke in the rge yet small van. Sighing, she crossed her arms and put her right leg on her left knee.

  (Luna) Sorry for calling you a fatass, not my fault that you were—

  (Luke) Say it like you mean it.

  (Luna) Tch … sorry.

  Giving the donut to Luna, she rapidly snatched it with her right hand. Opening her mouth wide, she took three bites to completely devour the donut.

  Luke got up so that Gary could sit in the seat that Luke was in, Gary’s eyes gring at Luke as he sat in between Hope and Luna.

  Both girls sat side by side with him, causing his whole body to burn with nervousness.

  The four boys on the other side view in envy, as Luke was in between the strongest and the shyest.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Prominis 20, 58 / 8:03PM)

  (Border Patrol Guard) Your Drakos right?

  (David) Yeah, we have a dispatch to go to Fort Damns.

  (Border Patrol Guard) Well if it’s by thee David Drakos then I wouldn’t question it. Is the other van with you too?

  (David) Yes son.

  (Border Patrol Guard) Alright, can you tell me the name of the driver behind you?

  (David) Jerry Phillips.

  (Border Patrol Guard) Noted. Thank you sir.

  Crossing into the forest wastend of Ticia, David’s eyes began scanning the area, making sure that no zompires were within his line of sight. Meanwhile, Gwen id back deep in her seat, still sleeping in without a care in the world.

  (David’s thoughts) She’s been sleeping through the entire trip…

  In the back, five out of the seven candidates that were in that van were still awake, funny enough, it was the two oldest candidates in that van.

  (Stan’s thoughts) That damn border crossing woke me up…

  As Luke was fast asleep, his face slumped down straight, not leaning his head into any girl, Luna had her arm over Luke’s shoulder, while Hope was leaning her head towards Luke’s left shoulder.

  (Luna’s thoughts) I wish he wasn’t this shy…

  As Luna’s eyes started to gre at Hope’s sleeping face, Stan, who was now awake, looked at Luke and the two girls that were attached to him. Curious, Stan took his direction towards Luna, who was trying to lean Luke’s head into her left shoulder.

  (Stan) I know he’s better-looking than most boys, but why him?

  (Luna) Huh?

  (Stan) It’s pretty rare for two girls to fight over some socially awkward dude, so why him? I’ve seen what you do.

  Stan put his hands on the back of his head, slumped forward as he casually eyed Luna.

  (Stan) You mark your territory, you gre at any girl that looks at him, you make him follow you around, yet you say that you don’t “like” him…

  (Luna) Is that supposed to be a bad thing?

  (Stan) Well, do you like him?

  (Luna) He’s…my pet.

  (Stan) You mean your toy?

  (Luna) Whatever you call it, I don’t care.

  (Stan) But the moment someone wants to py—or rather, treat your toy with care, you get selfish, possessive…

  (Luna) What the hell type of point do you want to make here?

  As Luna raised her voice, but barely enough so that she didn't wake up Luke, she wanted to hear Stan’s thesis. Quietly, Stan’s eyes remained focused on Luna’s, his voice low but audible enough for Luna to hear.

  (Stan) I think you should let Luke decide who he wants to be with.

  (Luna) Decide?

  (Stan) If Luke was a dog-human, which partner would he rather go with?

  (Luna) …

  (Stan) Because you show who’s the big dog? Do you truly believe he likes to be treated that way?

  The more Stan questions Luna, the more her throat agitates with frustration. Her fists started to clench, followed by her body sending one-second shivers in five-second intervals.

  Noticing that Luna didn’t want to retort back, Stan continued to go along with his point, his eyes remaining focused on Luna.

  (Stan) From what I’ve seen in ethics, dog-humans usually go for people who treat them with respect, the same goes for cat-humans but cat-people are mostly spoiled in terms of love.

  Stan’s voice then started to tone up a bit more, clearly trying to finish his point with his body exerting confidence without fear.

  (Stan) If Luke wants to be treated with care, then I think the best choice would be Hope.

  (Luna) Shut up…

  Trying not to yell, Luna’s voice was at its limit in trying to hold her anger, using every bit of strength to hold herself back.

  (Stan) You’ve seen the way Luke looks at Hope, try to remember a scene in which he looks at Hope the same he looks at you—

  (Luna) Shut up!

  Luna flinched out of her seat, barely standing as she wanted to make her dominance known to Stan, but limited since she was being seated in a van.

  Unsurprisingly, the candidates that were asleep soon woke up to Luna’s outburst, with Gwen as well waking up and David losing focus on trying to scout for enemies.

  (David) Luna, keep it down.

  Calmly, David told Luna one simple request that he knew wouldn’t work, his face eyes barely awake as he continued to drive.

  (Luke) W-W-What happened?

  (Luna) Go back to sleep.

  (Luke) B-but.

  (Luna) Now.

  Forcing Luke to go back to sleep, he followed her order, putting his head in the middle so as to not lean in on Hope or Luna’s shoulders. As he forced himself to sleep, everyone else did the same, as their faces were perplexed with crusty eyes and drool marks.

  (Stan) Guess I should go back to sleep…

  As Stan positions himself to take in a few mimis, Luna’s arm that was wrapped around Luke tightened more, her eyes looking into Luke’s sleeping face. Her cheeks turned a bit red as she couldn’t resist the way he slept peacefully.

  (Luna’s thoughts) After all these years, I still haven’t apologized to him so …

  Luna looked up at the van roof, her eyes bnkly staring at its metallic brown state. Almost as if looking up at someone, she clenched her right fist slightly.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (Prominis 20, 58 / 9:15PM)

  (David) We’re here!

  As the van’s engine turned off, David got out of the car and headed his way towards the back. Using a vault code to unlock the locks, David turned the handle to let everyone out, their eyes and bodies barely operable as they grudgingly looked around…

  The forest was unusually quiet, with no crickets or cicadas chirping or buzzing, followed by the darkness of the forest surrounding them.

  As the first van unloaded, the second van pulled up near their location. Same as before, Jerry got out to unlock the vault from the back, and the second group came out the same as the first … barely operable.

  (David) Everyone, get inside the white building!

  (Jerry) Listen to what David says!

  As the 14 candidates walked towards the building, their legs feeling the tall grass that brushed against their legs, all of them lined up single file to enter the small metal door. Upon entering, they noticed that the building was cramped for 14 teens and young adults, but for some reason, most people could see the outlines of the building despite it being night…

  (Luke’s thoughts) Is this a bathroom?

  (Fred’s thoughts) Why are there little sprinkler systems here?

  Noticing that it had stalls, toilets, and sinks, all of them slowly noticed that it wasn’t a fancy lunch or storage room.

  (Jack) Damn, it stinks in here!

  (Miles) Try not to use any toilets or sinks, the pipes have probably been corroded and rusted by now…

  Pinching their noses to not smell the putrid horrors of sewage water, they all weren’t happy that they were enclosed in a run-down bathroom—

  The sounds of a closing door can be heard…

  Everyone checked their back, they noticed that the door was closed from the outside, the heat and humidity of the teens worried them, causing them to make the bathroom feel like a sauna.

  Cameron, nearest the door, noticed that the handle to the door wasn’t opening…

  (Cameron) I think we’re locked in here…

  (Ryan) Why are we even here in the first pce? Aren’t we supposed to be doing our final test?

  (Gemma) What if this is—

  (???) Welcome to the final test candidates!

  A faint recording was heard throughout everyone, their ears perking up as they curiously began looking for the noise. Seeing that a small recorder box was pying on a rusty sink, the voice could be none other than…

  (Sean) Is that Boris?

  Everyone huddled around the recorder.

  (Boris recording) If you could hear me, then this test would prove your capability of becoming a soldier. It is known publicly, but some people possess magic, which you may know as blessings. If you listened in css, you should have already known that blessings originated from the white bananas you eat, and in turn, give you magical powers that suit your DNA and personality…

  The candidates continued to listen to Boris’s exposition, the memories of training and learning flooding in, causing most of the candidates to nod as Boris mentions.

  (Gary) Weren’t we already familiar with blessings?

  (Stan) If you think about it, some of us probably forgot about the power of the blessings, so it makes sense that you would review it for the final test…

  (Boris) Stan is indeed right, but please listen.

  The gasps of teens and young adults can be heard…

  (Gemma) I thought it was a recorder box.

  (Boris) It’s a handcrafted government box—shall we continue along with the lesson!?

  (Loraine) I’m hungry—

  (Boris) Stop interrupting me!

  Heavy breaths and panting were heard through the box, the candidates worried for Boris' health since previously, when Boris introduced himself, he was out of breath and sweating when he finished his speech.

  The same thing is happening again, but worse…

  (Boris) pants … anyway … pants … every one of you has not received a blessing, until tomorrow… pants … your final test will reward you with it…

  The 14 candidates then clumped together like sardines, their bodies leaning towards the box in order to understand Boris’s words.

  (Boris) In the center of the city, you’ll find white bananas that will grant you those blessings. Some of you may receive support blessings, offense blessings, or defense blessings … and some bananas will grant you support-offense blessings, offense-defense blessings, or defense-support blessings…

  (Luke’s thoughts) Six csses in total…

  (Boris) When you eat a white banana, the power will take time to activate. When using a blessing, there is a limit to how much you can use it. Instead of mana or chakra or any other fancy mechanic, the power of a blessing and its usage determines how much stamina the person has…

  (Stan’s thoughts) So that means the healthier the person, the longer the usage…

  (Fred’s thoughts) That’s why they made us train till our bones break… they were getting us in perfect shape.

  The more Boris expined the power of blessings, the more intrigued everyone in the small bathroom was. Curious, Gary decided to speak up, his face confused and his tone curious as he spoke to the box.

  (Gary) Hey, I have a question.

  (Boris) sigh … Yes Gary?

  (Gary) Doesn’t the government have a monopoly on these white bananas? A couple of years ago, I heard from either you or David that the government has been slowly taking control of all the white banana trades. Does this mean that if we get our blessings, we will be forced to work under the government?

  (Boris) Unfortunately, yes. I received the funds for this project from the government, but they had some demands that even I was hesitant to push forward…

  (Diego) Wait, by the Kepputhan government or the Union of Ordered Governments?

  (Boris) … I think you boys should stop talking … for all of our sakes…

  With a change in the tone, Boris continued to speak through the metal box, his voice hesitant.

  (Boris) A demand from the government that I was fine with was the time limit, in which everyone had to get to the center before 6AM, starting at midnight. I believe everyone should reach the center in that period.

  The candidates were somewhat content with the time limit, their bodies were rexed and calm.

  (Luke’s thoughts) It’s better that way, it forces us to work missions under pressure.

  The candidates held their stomachs, as their way to achieve status as a soldier was soon in the—

  (Boris) But one of the demands that the government wanted … was to put only seven white bananas in the center…

  (Everyone) W-WHAT!!

  Realizing that half of them would be cut off from the program, everyone’s eyes remained solely on the recorder box.

  (Stan) Why seven?

  (Boris) They said they wanted the best … I was a little hesitant, but it’s for the greater good…

  (Miles) For what greater good?! Are you really going to cull the weak because—

  (Boris) Please understand it wasn’t my choice to begin with! I just went along with it to please them!

  Panting again, Boris was restless and exasperated once again as his heavy body was not working with him.

  (Boris) pants … another demand … pants … that they wanted … pants … was one that I fought with …

  (Stan) What can this demand be any worse than culling half the group—

  (Boris) The government … wasn’t content with just the city being filled with regur traps … so they decided to fill the city with … zompires…

  There was no shock, no voice uttering amongst the teens and young adults.

  Luna, Luke, Fred, Gary, Stan, and Miles’s bodies began to shake uncontrolbly, their faces as white as gcier snow when they had to-

  (Luke’s thoughts) I don’t want to go through it… Not back there … Not back there …

  (Boris) I offer my sincerest apologies…

  Boris' voice was filled with regret.

  (Boris) Please forgive me…

  Many of the candidates began to cough and gag as gas began to spray within the building..

  (Fred) Everyone, break down the door before … before …

  Fred slowly started to colpse onto himself. Slowly, the candidates started to lose consciousness.

  (Stan) Someone … get … get a stick …

  More candidates were slowly falling asleep. Even Luna, who was kicking at the metal door, started to lose her strength, her kicks slowly becoming more and more weaker.

  (Luna) I’m … going to kick your … kick your …

  (Boris) Before you go, this is the most important rule! Please stick together and—

  As Luke colpsed, he had his eyes still open. Before he began to fall asleep, his eyes caught one st gnce as all the candidates managed to fall asleep. Closing his eyes, he heard one st—

  (Boris) … prepare for ... The Array …