"Hey, what's your name?"
The sudden voice made Rain flinch slightly. He turned sharply toward the source of the sound and saw a boy standing not far from him, wearing a surprisingly friendly smile. Rain took a moment to collect himself and focused his attention on the boy.
"Ah—sorry, I guess I should've introduced myself first," the boy chuckled softly. "I'm Gaia."
Rain nodded faintly. He didn't respond at first, just silently stared at Gaia for a moment. The collar around Gaia's neck displayed his ID: A5-029-BX.
"…I'm Rain," he finally replied.
"Huh… That's an unusual name. But I like it. Heh."
Gaia extended a hand, offering a handshake. Rain hesitated for a second before taking it. It was just a normal handshake—yet somehow, it felt awkward and stiff.
Around them, the room began to fill with the sounds of others talking. Many seemed to be introducing themselves, trying to find some connection in the unfamiliar environment. Rain glanced around the room, his eyes scanning the room—as if looking for someone in particular.
A certain girl he'd met earlier.
---
Thud!
A sudden jolt from behind made Rain flinch again—he nearly stumbled forward from the impact.
"Yo."
The rough voice came from behind him. A short-haired girl appeared over the back of his bed, her expression carefree and brimming with mischief. The collar around her neck read: A5-042-GX.
"I'm Zyn. You?"
"Ah—his name's Rain," Gaia cut in before Rain could answer, chuckling as he turned toward his friend. "She's with me. We've known each other since we were kids."
"Hmm… Rain, huh? Sounds pretty cool," Zyn remarked with a sly smile, then gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder.
Everything in the room seemed oddly normal—too normal. Rain glanced around, trying to take in the details while the others still filled the space around them.
Eliza appeared so silently that all three of them flinched slightly.
"Ah, Eliza. Hey," Rain greeted her. She gave a gentle nod and waved back with a faint smile.
The four of them started chatting, taking turns introducing themselves and sharing little things they'd experienced since arriving here. It was nothing too deep, but enough to ease the tension in the room just a bit.
Suddenly, a voice echoed through the speaker.
((Announcement))
: {Attention, please. It is now lunchtime. Kindly proceed to the dining hall.}
"Lunchtime, huh? Wonder what kind of food they serve," Gaia muttered, a curious look on his face.
"Let's go, everyone," he said as he stepped down from the bed, waving for the others to follow.
"Come on, move it! Off the bunks!"
Rain and Zyn jumped down from the upper bed and followed Gaia and Eliza out. The four of them left the dorm and walked down the corridor, guided by a staff member clad in black.
Along the way, students from other rooms began to stream out as well. The hallway filled with chatter—some voices buzzing with excitement, others hushed and wary.
Though they hadn't known each other for long, something about this strange place seemed to pull Rain's group closer together—as if some unseen thread was quietly binding them.
Gaia gently tapped Rain's shoulder and leaned in closer.
"Hey, where are you from anyway?"
Rain glanced at him briefly, his expression neutral, as if unwilling to discuss the subject.
"I... I'm from the outskirts of the country," his voice was flat, without any emotion.
"Whoa, that far?" Gaia gasped, eyes wide with surprise. But noticing Rain's expression, he didn't press further. Instead, he quickly changed the subject.
"I'm from the north of the country, around Herthan. Ever heard of it?" He asked, smiling.
Rain shook his head slightly.
"It used to be a nice town, you know? Clean, quiet, and not many people around… but then things changed. The government came in, started managing the area, and eventually, it became a giant waste dump for Enseria. That's what people call it now."
Gaia's voice grew softer.
"I don't really know why it happened. It was before I was born. But the people there didn't want to leave. The townsfolk stayed, some of them resisted, some accepted it. In the end... well, strange things started happening."
As they continued their conversation, the group arrived at a massive iron door. The sound of metal scraping echoed as it slowly opened, revealing a vast dining hall. Students from various groups eagerly rushed in, excited by the prospect of the meal.
Rain swept his gaze around the large room. The ceiling was towering, and the walls were a cold, clean white. Long dining tables were neatly arranged, and the atmosphere was a strange mix of awe and detachment.
His attention was drawn to the collars of some other students, bearing unfamiliar numbers like A3-xxx-xx or A8-xxx-xx, creating a blend of confusion and curiosity in his mind.
It seemed that this was the place where students from every room and zone gathered together at the same time.
The four of them chose an empty table and sat down. Food had already been arranged on the table, as if everything had been prepared in advance to maintain order and strictness.
Rain sat down at the table, his eyes scanning the vast dining hall before settling on the food in front of him.
The dishes were arranged neatly, but the appearance was far from appetizing – they looked gray, gooey, and sticky, resembling jelly that hadn't quite set.
Zyn raised an eyebrow and muttered under her breath, "What the hell is this? It looks awful."
Eliza leaned closer to Rain, whispering softly in his ear, "Do you think it'll taste as bad as it looks?"
Rain shook his head slightly, letting out a deep sigh before slowly scooping some of the food onto his plate.
Before he could even taste it, Zyn made a loud sound of disgust.
"Ugh! This is horrible!"
Gaia added with an equally repulsed tone, "Yuck, it's all sticky and gross... totally awful."
Rain paused for a moment, his face paling slightly. He slowly brought the spoonful of gooey substance to his mouth, closing his eyes briefly as if steeling himself, and then swallowed it down.
...The taste was neither sweet, salty, nor spicy. It was nothing at all—like eating air mixed with ashes.
"It's not that bad," he set the spoon down. "It's just... 'tasteless.' That's all."
Zyn laughed, placing her spoon down and pushing herself away from the table.
"Your taste buds are messed up," she teased.
Everyone laughed softly, their giggles blending with the chatter from other groups. Some were joking around, some seemed excited, while others quietly continued eating.
It felt like an ordinary cafeteria, as if the fact that two people from each unit had taken away was something that had never happened.
Rain diverted his gaze from the spoon and spoke softly.
"Hey... what do you guys think will happen next?"
Everyone stopped chewing for a moment, then slowly lifted their eyes to look at him, shaking their heads in unison.
After the break, and once everyone had finished their meals, they were all led back to their dorm. Rain lay quietly on his bed, almost as if he were isolating himself from the chaos around him. He stared at the ceiling, letting out a sigh. At times, he closed his eyes to block out the sounds, but he couldn't escape the truth that kept flowing into his ears.
The voices of the others echoed throughout the room. Some were complaining, others were cursing, some were laughing, and a few had started debating about the grueling class schedule that had just been announced after the break.
> "What? Classes from seven in the morning until one in the afternoon, with only a half-hour break!? And we still have to study until eight in the evening? Are you crazy!?"
A protest from one of the boys rang out in the middle of the room, sparking a wave of groans and discontent that spread like a ripple.
>"Hey, is this a school or a prison?"
>"Eight o'clock in the evening? When are we supposed to rest our brains?"
>"I thought I'd have time to sit and draw..."
((Announcement))
: {This is only the schedule for the first month to prepare your minds. After that, the timetable will be adjusted to be lighter and softer.}
There was no comforting words, no further explanation. Just the phrase "to prepare your minds," which sounded no different than programming a robot.
Rain furrowed his brow lightly and closed his eyes again.
"Preparing our minds, huh..."
He muttered quietly to himself, his tone devoid of emotion but with an underlying sense of distrust deep inside.
The room fell into chaos once more. Some kids started tapping their feet, others climbed onto their beds to chat with their friends, while a few went back to sit quietly in the corner, hugging their knees.
...But Rain remained silent, waiting to see what tomorrow would bring.