Mason walked through a hallway full of students in black and white uniforms. It was something he hated doing. All eyes turned to him and a few chuckled at him as he approached the cafeteria. The air in the atmosphere felt awry and stuffy, like the normal mixed with a tinge of unusual. At the door of the cafeteria, a boy taller than him stepped in front of him, followed by two others.“Where do you think you're going?” The boy bellowed.Mason looked up at the figure in front of him.It was Oliver O'Hara, the most famous, and brilliant student in school. He brushed his red hair and smirked at Mason, while the other two laughed.Mason hated him because he had stolen Alice from his hands with his money and fame. Alice was also dull for letting such a dummy take her hands.Mason exhaled and tried to evade him to continue to the cafeteria, but he was pushed. He crashed to the floor of the cafeteria, in front of everyone.The whole crowd of students in the cafeteria and the hallway burs
Mason grunted as he pushed him self off the ground. He scanned his body, all the burns, bruises and wounds had disappeared. There was no blood on any part of his body, they had all vanished; even his torn uniform looked like it had just been sewn and ironed. His mouth hung open in shock.He glanced around the area to see who must've done such good deed, but he couldn't spot out anyone, neither could he decipher where the voice must've originated from.He raised his brows in disbelief when he caught a view of the sky. Everywhere was covered in total darkness, except glows from lights in shops and houses. Murmurs filled the air as people emerged from their shops, offices and houses to watch the eclipse that had befallen the city.The day had turned into night, the sun was no longer visible. Thunder rumbled every minute and streaks of lightning decorated the dark background.“Simon,” Mason gasped as he spotted Simon laying on his back.He rushed to him, “Simon! Get up, we have to go now,
The memory struck a sad chord in Mason's heart. He remembered that day, ten years ago, when the first Anomaly Storm struck. He was only eight years old. The evening had suddenly turned dark. He heard screams outside, but his mother held him back from going to the window. She and his father rushed him to his room. His father handed over his silver necklace to him and hugged him. “Stay here and don't make any noise, Mason. Do you hear me?” his mother said before she rushed out again and locked the door. The next thing he heard was the wall of their house crashing, followed by his mother's scream, and then a loud roar. He peeped through a slit by the door frame. He gasped as he watched his father trying to defend his mother from three vicious human-like creatures, while a shadowed manly figure with a hood stood around the corner watching. His father fought strong, but couldn't protect his mother from an attack from the man in hood. He strained to see who it must've been, but a devi
“The nearest portal is in Whitehall Street. Portals can only be penetrated a minute after they open.” Mason shoved a whole slice of bread into his mouth and munched as he walked on. He walked out the alley while drinking water from the bottle, he had gobbled down all the five slices of bread. He secured the half-filled bottle in his bag and darted down the road. Whitehall Street was a thirty minutes walk. It laid bare with destroyed houses. It was the administrative area of Griffin City and was home to the city hall that now laid in ruins right in front of Mason. A faint glow of purple shimmered behind a slanted pillar amongst the ruins. Mason gasped as he recognized what it was, it was his only chance to complete his mission. He charged at the pillar. It could've been mere luck or he had a good timing, there was no monster around. He took sharp breaths, “Here goes nothing,” he said before leaping through the portal. The travel was too quick, he landed face first on soft soil. I
“System, what's a portal pass?” Mason asked as he cornered into a bustling street. It looked like the catastrophe that struck the city had subsided or like monsters were not on the run — businesses were open, stores and malls were stocked with customers and cars zoomed on both lanes of most of the streets of Griffin City. “A special card that grants free passage to any person going through the portals without restrictions or consequences. Every portal traveller must have a copy of the pass, either virtual or a hard copy, when they intend to officially go through a portal,” the system replied with its automated voice which he was getting accustomed to. “You never said anything about this.” “You never asked,” the system's reply came in a neutral tone. “How do I get one?” “Portal passes are gotten from the Protectors' Guild, an authorized association that was established to protect the city from the effect of the Anomaly Storm since its first occurrence a decade ago. They onl
Mason strolled through a doorway with the word “Café” inscribed with bold ink above the entrance. The place was filled with protectors and adventurers seated at tables eating or having discussions. His stomach rumbled as he caught a whiff of the aroma of foods. “I forgot to swap this eye thing for money at the counter,” he threw his head back and sighed. He was on his way out when he heard a familiar tune — it was the sound that announced the Griffin City Daily News. “It’s quite another stormy evening here in Griffin City. Rumours have been flying up and down and through the internet claiming that the appearance of these portals and these monsters might worsen in a matter of days. And this is based on the analysis of the similar occurrence of this storm that caused a great deal of damage on our city ten years ago, as confirmed by our own sources. Today, we have here in the studio, Jeffrey Aleman, the special adviser to the mayor on security.” “What do you have to say to this? Are
Mr. Raymond paced from one part of their tight kitchen to the other. He stopped, and stared at Simon through the open doorway that led to the sitting room. Simon was seated on his wheelchair, gazing out of the window. He had taken to the comfort of the window side, a place that mirrored what he yearned to have once more. Yet, the scenery outside was far from what he could imagine – several purplish circles emerging out of thin air and hovering over a wreckage of buildings and structures, with mysterious creatures creeping out of them like they had just walked into the interior of their abode. The image of Mason trying to save him from one of those hit his mind and a tear dropped. “Look at him, darling,” Mr. Raymond gestured to Simon in his spot. Lucia turned to stare and clasped her lips together. “We can’t stay here any longer, it’s not safe. Two days ago they tore down his room and the backdoor, who knows where they attack next. I don’t want any more losses, we have to move out.”