Moments later, Liam was getting ready for school. His uniform was neat, his bag hung on his back, and his steps were slow down the stairs. His mother handed him a small lunch - a sandwich and a carton of milk - which he accepted with a faint smile.
"Happy school, son. Be careful," she said, patting him gently on the shoulder.
Arriving at school, the atmosphere of class 11 IPA A was already noisy. Laughter, anxious whispers, and panicked sighs mixed together. Apparently there was a Chemistry daily test today, and the news spread like wildfire in a dry meadow.
In the middle of the crowd, a student from the next class came in with a casual and familiar style. He immediately approached Liam who had just sat down.
"Yooo, Liam! New student huh?" he greeted while thrusting his hand. "I'm Kael Arven, 11 IPA B. Just call me Kael. I'm actually the smartest and richest student... joke!" He laughed to himself, then continued, "Right away, I want to offer you this."
Kael pointed at the small book in his hand. The cover was striking, with a strange title: Sacred Cheats to Pass the KKM.
The smartest in class B. The richest at selling... Liam muttered to himself, holding back a smile.
"Sacred cheat sheet? What's that book?" Liam asked, unable to hide the astonished tone in his voice.
Kael smiled proudly. "As you can see in the title. It's a cheat sheet for all Chemistry materials. Concise, precise, and disguised! Here, take a look."
He tapped his book twice. Instantly, the cover turned into a normal notebook. When shaken again, its original form reappeared-full of formulas and small notes.
"This is my breakthrough. Save study time, save KKM scores!"
His tone was full of enthusiasm, like a professional salesman.
Liam looked at the book, then at Kael. "That's interesting too. But, how do I have the 'time' to read it during the exam?"
"Ah, that's a company secret," Kael replied with a wink. "The point is, it's safe. Only fifty thousand, and you can rest easy."
Liam gave a small smile. "I think I'll try my own business this time. But thanks, maybe next time."
Kael nodded kindly. "Alright, here, if you change your mind, here's my business card." He handed over a small piece of paper that read: Kael Arven - Safe Value Solutions.
"That's all, thank you for your time," he added dramatically, before waltzing off to the next table.
Not long after, Levi approached Liam.
"There's definitely nothing like this at your old school, right?" Levi said with a grin, his tone somewhat mocking.
"Yeah... I was wondering the same thing. Is he the only one?"
"No, no. They're a group. You could say... dark extracurriculars," Levi replied in a mysterious whisper.
"Wow... that's a lot," Liam muttered.
"Are you interested in joining?" asked Levi with his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Not yet. I want a quiet life," said Liam with a chuckle.
The bell rang. All students hurriedly returned to their seats. The atmosphere was suddenly tense because the Chemistry test was about to begin. Not long after, Mrs. Maria-the Chemistry teacher-entered the class with a serious expression and firm steps. In her hand, a stack of test papers.
"Everyone gather your cellphones on the table. Leave only pens and tip-ex on the table," she ordered in a loud voice.
The students immediately complied, putting their phones on the teacher's desk. Ms. Maria started handing out the exam papers from the front row, and the students began to pass them to the back.
"No remedials!" she exclaimed. "I've taught you everything. Now it's just a matter of whether you want to learn or not. Do you understand?"
"Got it, Mom..." the students replied in unison, but sounded lethargic.
The exam began. Most of the students looked panicked and confused about the difficult questions. Even though they knew there would be tests, they didn't seem to have enough time to study.
But Liam was different. He seemed calm, even finishing faster than the others.
"It was easy enough. Not as hard as I thought," he thought to himself.
A few minutes after Liam finished his exam, there was a commotion outside the classroom. The sound of hurried steps and panicked whispers flowed into the room.
A female student came stumbling to the classroom door.
"Mom... Ms. Maria! Someone fainted in class! Some students are also... in a trance!" she exclaimed with a pale face.
"What?! How come?" Mrs. Maria panicked. "Okay, I'll be there. You call the religion teacher!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the student replied before running away.
Mrs. Maria immediately left the classroom. But before leaving, she gave a stern warning:
"Remember, no cheating. Honesty is number one!"
As soon as he left, the class immediately changed.Some students took the opportunity to open Kael's cheat book.Even those who had looked innocent were now busy turning the pages expectantly.
Liam looked around in surprise."No wonder he asked to join earlier..." he thought with an amused smile.
The following week was quiet.No strange dreams, no odd events. Liam began to enjoy his days.In fact, he would occasionally play with his friends after school-something that was foreign to him not long ago.
On the same day, the Chemistry test scores were distributed. Mrs. Maria stood in front of the class, carrying a wad of test papers.
"After my review, your exam results are quite good," she said, looking at the students."Most of you scored above the KKM. But, there is one thing that is very surprising."
The class went silent, curious.
"For the first time," she continued, "someone got a perfect score.One hundred.Even the answers to the essays are complete, clear, and very detailed.
I really appreciate that intelligence."
"Wow, who is it?" asked one student, whispering to his friend.
"It's me," replied another with a laugh, making the class a little noisy.
"Be quiet, everyone," Mrs. Maria reprimanded in a stern tone.
"I will distribute the exam papers now.The last one called is the owner of the perfect score."
One by one, names were called.Exam papers changed hands. Curiosity grew.Until one name remained unmentioned.
"William Louren.Congratulations. I didn't expect it.I thought you needed remedials because you're a new student... but you turned out to be the smartest," Mrs. Maria said with a proud smile.
Liam-or William, as his real name was-walked forward a little awkwardly.The gaze of the whole class was on him, making his face redden.
"Sip deh, my next target," a male student chuckled.
"Come to think of it, Liam doesn't have a bad face either," whispered one of the girls to her friend. It didn't take long for the whispers to spread like the wind.
From then on, Liam started to get more attention from his classmates.In an instant, he became a sort of class idol-not only because of his perfect grades, but also because of the mystery and serenity that surrounded him.
Break time arrived. The cafeteria was as usual: bustling, full of laughter, the sound of cutlery clashing with trays, and endless chatter. But today, there was one topic that caught my attention
almost all students-not about grades, not about inter-class gossip, but about something bigger... and scarier.
In one corner of the cafeteria, a group of students were gathered around a cell phone screen showing a live broadcast of an international news program.Serious faces were glued to the screen.
"Uh... can you see this?" asked one of the students as he turned up the volume.
On the screen, a reporter stood in the middle of a large city street, surrounded by combat vehicles and black-clad troops with a winged triangle-shaped logo on their chests-NEXARIS.
"Today, the global organization NEXARIS officially announced the implementation of Operation Simultaneous Screening.Hundreds of personnel are deployed all over the world to check adolescents aged 15 to 18. The main purpose of this operation is still a secret, but NEXARIS calls this step a 'global-scale preventive measure' against potential biological anomalies."
"Each teenager will undergo identity and physical condition checks.Some major cities have already reported checkpoints at schools and public facilities."
The reporter's voice was met with panicked murmurs and whispers from the students.
"Wow, crazy... this is really serious," Levi said, sitting across from Liam.The gaze of the whole class was on him, making his face redden.
Liam squinted at the screen. The look in his eyes changed.Sharp.
"NEXARIS organization..." he muttered to himself. The name sounded familiar. Too familiar.
"They say they are looking for 'those with potential'...I don't know what that means," said Kael who suddenly appeared from behind while holding three fries in his hands. "Someone also said that they were actually hunting for a failed experiment that ran away."
Liam was silent. His heart was beating a little faster than usual. His left hand was clenched under the table.
"Uh, what's wrong with you?" asked Levi, noticing the change in Liam's face.
"Nothing. It's just... the name of the organization seems like something I've heard before," Liam replied quietly. He wasn't lying. He had actually heard the name. But not from the news. Not from a rumor. Rather... from his dreams. Or... maybe her past?