CHAPTER 41: CH 41: ALIVE.

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The sudden silence that followed soon after that message was deafening. The once blaring music from inside the house was silenced, not even a whisper could be heard.

Everyone. Absolutely everyone had the joy ripped out of their lungs.

Aegon shot up from the grass, dusted himself off and headed back inside to the gloomy sight. Everyone stood with their eyes wide as if frozen in place.

From the spilled drinks on the floor to still bouncing ball drumming against the floor as the loudest thing in the room, the entire scene had changed.

"Guys! Snap out of it! I know we all got the system message, but that means that everyone got it too. So, we have to get back to school."

Eli screamed from the stairs, lipstick on his... Everywhere, yet he tried to be serious and commanding.

"..."

"He’s right guys. We have to get out of here, and soon." Aegon added as the room fell silent again.

They said nothing. Morale was at an all time low evident from the unsure glances exchanged between most of them.

But they complied. Following Eli’s directions as he guided them out of the house and into the bus.

It was funny, really. Even after all he drank tonight he was the most sober he’d ever been in his life— the opposite could be said for Quinn and Cara tho.

Eli held onto Cara as Quinn threw herself onto Aegon. He balanced both their weights as he ignored the smell of booze oozing from her breath and guided her to the bus.

The quiet between them as they got onto the bus was staggering. Aegon glanced at their faces and couldn’t figure what was worse.

Was it that the ride over here was filled with rantings about beer, gossip and someone to hook up with but now? Not a soul could muster a word even as the bus creaked back onto the road.

A drunk Quinn should’ve been hilarious if not for the fact that he exactly...

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He’d be in the next trial.

He chuckled to himself as he looked at the neon timer at the corner of his eye, whether a practical joke from the system or it genuinely trying to help was unsure.

The entire bus ride back to school was silent, deafeningly so. Just a few sniffles from teenagers who didn’t want to die and glances of people fated to die.

The bus creaked to a stop and they filed out. The phaser proceeded back to the wall and began vibrating it again.

They snuck back in. No doubt most of the Novuses were now awake as the academy was never supposed to be silent. There was always something, be it late night giggles, fraternity initiations or even loud snores.

But tonight, as they snuck back to their dorms the places who’ve made a graveyard seem like a playground in the middle of the day.

The trio got back to their dorm room. Aegon tucked the already asleep Quinn into her bed and sat at the edge of his.

He turned to Eli, who was already sliding into his sheets like it was just any other night.

"Eli," Aegon’s voice was low, "I know you’re weird but you can’t tell me you didn’t get the system message."

"Oh, that?" He moved to get more comfortable. "I did. Global Adept trial warning and whatnot."

Aegon raised a brow. "And whatnot? This could literally be our last days alive and you sum it up with whatnot?"

Eli drew a long sigh, shifting up from his bed. "Look at her,." He pointed to Quinn. "She’s the daughter of Spectra. She’s probably been training for his trial since she was born.

She’s basically a shoo-in to survive this.

But us? I have an older sister here who told me how she felt the night before her trial, how the timer at the corner of her eye drove her crazy.

How the colour was completely drained from the world and worst of all, how it wouldn’t change the outcome of our situation.

All her classmates, whether those who cried, who begged the system or trained their whole lives before it— they all still entered the trial."

Aegon’s mouth hung open for a moment, his mind questioning if this was the same care free Eli he’d been living with for weeks now.

Aegon finally said, "How can you have such a gloomy outtake on the situation?"

"Haa." He laughed, either sarcastically or honestly, unsure. "They can pay as many Royals as possible, beg the Gods for help or even sob till that timer hits zero. Zero. Zero. It won’t change shit."

And with those words that left Aegon stunned and questioning everything, Eli turned his back to him, placed his bed under his head. "Goodnight, man. I hope we actually live to have this conversation again before the Ascendant Trial."

Aegon laid back straight on his bed and watched the ceiling fan spin for what felt like hours. What was he thinking about? Absolutely nothing.

You know when there’s so much in your mind you can’t even focus on a particular issue to actually think about? Yeah.

Time slowed or rushed as he exchanged glances between the fan and each second of the timer.

~WHOOSH!~

Several streaks of black suddenly flew past their window and noted him out of them.

Only then did he blink to realise, it was already morning. He jumped out of bed to look out the window as several jets lined up in the field far away.

~BZZZZZT! BZZZZZT!~

A blaring alarm rang out within the speakers waking everyone up.

"ALL NOVUSES ARE TO GATHER AT NIGHTWALKER HALL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I REPEAT ALL..."

Principal Morwen’s voice followed the alarm.

They all got up. Quinn, with a mad hangover, Aegon looking more depressed than usual and Eli with a smile on his face.

Through the dorms corridor as they proceeded to Nightwalker hall as the principal stated. The other Novuses bore the same expression as they did.

Not long after, they made their way to the hall and found their seats. Even in the day the mood was at an all-time low.

They all waited for about a minute before Principal Morwen made her way to the stage.

She tapped on the mic, as it gave haptic feedback before she spoke.

"Welcome to..." She paused for a second that stretched too long.

"Welcome to either your last day as a Novus or your last day alive."