Enchanted University of Magemenos

Chapter 44:Dissapointment

"The first group is: Gregor, Nathan, Ryssa, Belver, Serah, Roni, and Nylie," the teacher says.

I freeze as I realize my name isn't on the list. My hands start to shake. I look over at Nathan, hoping for some comfort, but he seems completely relaxed. Why would he care if I'm in the game or not? I silently pray, "Please, let this work out."

"The second group is: Alyssa..." the teacher continues.

The list goes on, but I can hardly focus on the other names. All I can think about is that I'm not with Nathan. The thought of not being on his team is eating me up inside.

"This game is for 7 minutes, all the best do well"the teacher goes away conveying best wishes.

We wore our headbands, each with a unique design. They were black with a metallic structure that automatically resized to fit our heads snugly, making them impossible to remove. Nathan's headband gathered back his hair, which often fell into his eyes, enhancing his already striking appearance.

Next to me was the same girl who had spoken to Nathan a few minutes earlier. Her expression of fright hadn't changed since then; it was as if she was frozen in the same moment of fear.

I took the initiative to ask her what was wrong.

"What's your name? What happened? Are you alright?" I asked, my voice filled with concern as I looked into her wide, anxious eyes.

"I am Tiana," she said, her voice trembling. "I don't know what this game is about. I can't figure out what's happening. What game is this? I just arrived, and unlike all the other games where they explain the rules, they didn't specify any rules here." She paused, looking around nervously. "It's like we're expected to know what to do, but I have no idea. Everyone else seems to be moving with purpose, and I'm just standing here, lost and scared."

"How do you know this is a game?" I asked, surprised. "Nathan was actually right! I mean, I thought this was all my imagination. No one seemed aware it was a game, and whenever I tried to tell anyone, they either dismissed me or completely forgot what I said. It was as if I was the only one seeing it. But now, hearing you say it too, it confirms that something strange is definitely going on."

This must be the girl Nathan mentioned earlier.

"What illusion? I don't understand," she gasped, her voice trembling. Her eyes darted around nervously, as if expecting the walls themselves to reveal some hidden truth. "Is this some kind of trick? or am I just lost?."

"It's a long story," I said, trying to soothe her. "For now, just focus on the game and don't stress about the rest."

I looked around, wondering if there were others who were as aware as we were. Then, another player spoke up.

"Hi everyone," said a new voice. "I'm Brisa. Which day are you all from?"

It struck me as odd that Brisa was asking about the days. So, it seemed everyone here might be players, too. This was a whole new situation for me.

"Sunday," I replied, trying to keep my tone casual

"But it's Monday, isn't it?" Tiana interjected, her brows furrowing as she looked at the rest of us.

"Oh, it's only Monday?" I responded, my eyes widening in surprise. "It's already been 3 days for me here . I am on my Wednesday. Time really seems to be moving differently in this place."

Tiana looked puzzled. 

"Not the actual day, Tiana," I explained. "She is talking about the day in the game. Basically, you have to go through a full week—seven days—to get out of the game."

"Long way to know everything," she replied.

We stood inside the inner boundary, anticipation thick in the air as we waited for the blindfolds. The sharp sound of the buzzer pierced the silence, and instantly, Tiana's eyes were covered by a metal shield, its cold surface contrasting sharply with the warmth of her skin. Two more players were similarly blindfolded, their faces obscured by the same metallic shields.

The rest of us, who were not blindfolded, took our cue and moved outside the boundary. We spread out in different directions, each of us carefully navigating the area with a heightened sense of awareness. The game had begun, and we needed to be quick and strategic to make the most of our time.