COTE: The Best Version of Me

Prologue 1 - A drastic change

Ayanokoji Kiyotaka POV

"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change."

This is an illustrious quote from Charles Darwin, a British naturalist and geologist. This quote is based on the idea that organisms change over time and that the environment, through the action of natural selection, selects the most adapted organisms. What did he mean by this? It is not difficult to understand.

It is not just a question of strength or intelligence, but rather a question of how well you can deal with the changes around you and adapt to them. The ability to adapt to the environment is an incredible characteristic that favors the survival of individuals in a given environment.

And I have witnessed this since the moment i was born. From the moment i opened my eyes, all I could see was pure white. The walls, floor, ceiling, and everything in sight was pure white. For 14 years, this color has been piercing my mind and senses relentlessly. However, even though it was a huge challenge at first, I never stopped being shaken and kept moving forward.

No matter the environment or the environment around me, I will continue to adapt and improve every day to continue surviving.

I have spent 14 years adapting and evolving day after day without stopping. When I realized it, I was alone in my generation. Despite the feeling of emptiness, I was never really sad about it. In fact, it just meant that I was able to evolve further than others and leave them behind. No matter what challenge or exams are thrown at me, I will continue to improve every day and continue to survive until the end.

3° Person POV

Despite his strong determination, not even Ayanokoji was expecting what would happen in the next few hours.

What was once just the characteristic white of that installation, in a few hours became complete pandemonium.

"STATE OF EMERGENCY, SOMEONE CONTACT AYANOKOJI-SENSEI, WE ARE BEING ATTACKED!" A man wearing a white lab coat shouted fervently. His hoarse baritone voice echoed throughout the walls of that place.

*BOOOOOOOM*

The sound of an explosion not too far away filled the entire facility. The instructors, completely frightened by the deafening sound, screamed frantically through the cold, sterile corridors, trying their best to save their lives.

Kiyotaka stood up alertly from his place upon hearing the explosion. A few seconds later, several heavy footsteps filled the previously silent place. The owners of these footsteps were the instructors running as far away as possible from the source of the explosion.

"What was that?" the boy murmured, analyzing the current situation as much as possible. Although he didn't show it on the outside, a disturbing feeling formed in his chest. As reckless and irresponsible as he was, Kiyotaka quickly ran in the opposite direction of the instructors, heading towards the source of the explosion. His goal was to better understand the current situation and take action after analyzing it.

As he ran towards his destination, the uncomfortable feeling in his chest persisted and continued to grow stronger. "What... is this? My instincts are tingling non-stop." He muttered as he quickened his pace. All the while, the walls around him were getting darker and darker, and the agonizing crackling sound was becoming more and more audible. "That sound... is a fire. And a big one at that. This is an attack from outside, is the most plausible thought. But that's not irrelevant for now. This feeling in my chest... I have to see for myself."

A few minutes running, Kiyotaka finally arrived at his destination. It was the main room that was now collapsing. After a quick look in the room, he saw an arm sticking out of the rubble that was on the floor. Parts of the room were dominated by the flames formed by the impact of the explosion.