Awakening: Book 1 of the Vanquisher Series [GxG]

20b

Two days later

Trixan dug her hand into the pocket of her gym trousers and took out two round devices as small as the buttons of a shirt.

"What are those?" Narvari asked, looking at the devices curiously.

"Simulation transmitters."

Before Narvari could ask what kind of sci-fi nonsense Trixan was on about, the Elder glued a transmitter into Narvari's neck. Suddenly, the surroundings of the classroom were no more. Instead, Narvari found herself standing in a vast sandy desert.

Sand dunes stood high as mountains everywhere. The heat threatened to burn her alive. She looked around in shock. Where the hell was she? And where was Trixan? All she could see was sand as far as the eye could reach.

"Trixan," she shouted. "Trixan. Where are you?" Her throat ran dry. She was not sure if it was from the searing heat or the anxiety building up within her. "Trixan-"

"Over here."

Narvari quickly turned around. "What the..." she whispered as the embodiment of Trixan gradually appeared before her eyes. Was this a mirage? No. It seemed more like a hologram. After a few seconds, Trixan's body finally materialized. The real Trixan. Was it thought? She thought she could never be surprised by Draghein School. She couldn't be so wrong.

"Sorry about that, my dear." Trixan smiled. "I had to make sure our bodies outside the simulation were safe."

"We are in a simulation?" Narvari's eyes widened. Someday, she might actually die of shock in this school.

"Of course, my dear. That's what simulation transmitters are for."

"Wait. Did you say you had to keep our bodies outside the simulation safe?"

Trixan nodded. "We may not be here physically. But we are here mentally. Everything we feel in this simulation is real to our brain."

Their consciousness was actually in a simulation, Narvari thought. This was insane.

"This is your final lesson as a rookie," said Trixan. "Consider this a mini-test before your actual Finals."

"A mini test?"

"Yes, my dear. Today's lesson involves applying everything you have learned. And you, my dear, are going to do that by capturing demons stronger than you."

Narvari narrowed her eyes. "I thought we vanquish demons, not capture them."

"Well, yes, my dear. But when a demon is too powerful to vanquish and all you can do is weaken it temporarily, your best course of action is to capture it," said Trixan. "Besides, sometimes we may also need information from them. And we can't possibly do that when they are dead, can we?"

"Right. Where are the demons anyway?"

"No rush, my dear." The Elder opened her right palm and a golden cube, half the size of a Rubik's Cube, appeared.

Narvari blinked rapidly. Where the hell had it come from? Was this an effect of the simulation? She scrutinized the cube. It was so shiny like it was made of pure gold. Intricate markings in a strange language were inscribed all over the faces of the cube.