It was the next day, and Kenji was fast asleep in his apartment. Wearing a simple white shirt and shorts, the sun had barely risen. All was quiet in his room, and the boy was curled up, hugging a pillow.
At exactly 4:29 AM, Kenji felt a strange buzzing noise in his ears. The annoying sound echoed like a mosquito, and Kenji forced his half-lid, tired eyes open.
There, he spotted a white drone. Its red light shines like an eye staring deep into his irises.
Kenji stared for a moment, his mouth ajar. Wasn't this one of Erhardt's drones? How did it get in here? Why was it even here? Hold on, where did Erhardt even get his address?
When the clock hit 4:30 AM, the drone opened a channel.
"WAKE UP APE! IT'S NEARLY TIME FOR COFFIN ATTUNEMENT!"
The sound blared in his ears, and Kenji forced both of his hands to his head. Glaring at the drone as it played a loud rock tune that vibrated the whole floor.
"Alright, I'm up!" Kenji yelled, but the drone didn't stop.
Irritated, Kenji swung — miss. He swung again — miss.
He couldn't even hit the damn drone? How the hell was he able to dodge lightning just a few weeks ago with no effort, and not this buzzing, oversized mosquito? It was unbelievable.
With a sigh, Kenji studied the drone more closely. Finally, seeing the red button atop its chassis, akin to one you'd find in an alarm clock. He pressed the buzzer, silencing the drone. It flew back before it projected a holographic display of Erhardt next to his bed.
"Greetings, Kendo." Erhardt began.
"What do you want?" Kenji dryly asked.
"What do I want, you ask? Tsk. Tsk. I knew apes had bad memories, but I didn't expect that you'd be this bad, Kenta." The man shook his head and walked to the side.
"I told you yesterday at exactly 3:54 PM that you'd come here by six sharp for your Psychic Assessment. And here you are, at exactly 4:30 in the morning, still fast asleep! Get up, boy, and get ready! My drones have already prepared a nutritious breakfast to start your day!"
Kenji blinked. "It's 4:30? Buddy, I can get ready and head over in thirty, wake me up at 5:30."
He settled back into his bed, trying to fall back to sleep. Seeing this, the drone floated over, and a claw clicked itself into place. Grabbing Kenji by the ankle, it pulled.
"Huh— Hey! Wait a minute—" Kenji yelped, to no real avail.
It dragged him through the floor before it sat him down in front of a table. There, he'd find a properly prepared breakfast of... gray mush and paste.
"Huh?" Kenji gawked. He looked at the drone, his mouth thinning. "What the hell is this?"
"Nutrient paste!" Erhardt excitedly said over the drone's speaker. "I've found breakfast foods around the world to have too many toxins, so I've cut the middle ground and created a nutrient-efficient and rich paste for your consumption."
Kenji grimaced at the gray paste. It looked like how prison foods were often portrayed in cartoons — and he's expected to eat this?
"Gee," Kenji said dryly, taking a spoonful of the paste and clicking his tongue. "You sure I can't just... skip breakfast?"
"No. You need your stomach filled for the psychic assessment, Renji." The drone hummed cheerfully. The boy turned his gaze back to the paste. With a shaking hand, he scooped it up and placed the paste in his mouth...
And it was...
Bland. There was no taste at all. Like eating stale wet bread, the taste was non-existent. But the texture was god-awful and made him want to vomit. He swallowed hard and kept eating. The drone kept a watchful eye. When all was said and done, Kenji got up and stretched.
The drone buzzed off outside the apartment once Kenji finished. For a moment, he debated getting back to bed, but he felt far more energized than ever.
He looked at his empty plate with a curious gaze.
'Did the paste do that?' Kenji thought to himself.
He couldn't sleep, and he honestly had the urge to go outside and walk the energy off. Kenji wouldn't let this extra energy go to waste, however.
With nothing left to do, he showered, changed, and went to his new workplace. A bus drive here, a train station there, and finally a thirty-minute walk to the facility.
'Of all the things Shō got me, he couldn't give me a car?' Kenji thought dryly. Not that he knew how to drive.
**********
Entering the Choir facility as a new recruit, Kenji didn't know what to do or where to go. On the surface, the whole facility was masquerading as a government office. But clearly, it was anything but. Stepping foot into the building, the boy was met with a shabby-looking reception hall.
Cracked tiles, the air vents roaring in the background, and the faint smell of rubbing alcohol sold the illusion of a neglected government building well enough.
As he walked towards the reception, he noticed another figure waiting on a metal chair. She slumped into her seat, hands tucked into the pockets of her bright neon windbreaker. She had black hair and pink eyes, with a touch of purple dyed into her locks.
She blew a gum and popped it in the same breath. Chewing it once more right after. The girl turned to him and waved, and Kenji awkwardly waved back.
He recognized her somewhat. She was among the fifty-or-so people who stayed. He wasn't sure how to talk to her, and he opted to just keep moving.
But she tapped at the side of her seat — a universal signal to get over there and talk. The first time a girl invited him to do anything, even if it was just to sit and talk.
He blinked, then pointed at himself — the universal signal for: 'Are you talking to me?' The girl let out a laugh, light and casual.
"Calm down, man. I don't bite." The girl casually said with a small smile.
She leaned back onto her seat and reached into the pockets of her windbreaker. Pulling out a pack of gum, she offered it to him.
"Here, as a little token."
Well, how was he supposed to say no to that? Kenji settled himself next to her and took a piece of gum.
"Thanks," he happily said, tearing the pack open and tossing it into his mouth. It was sweet, ridiculously so. "Hey, what flavor is this?"
The girl looked at Kenji and showed off the pack. "Bubblegum."
"Bubblegum flavored gum?" Kenji asked.
That existed? What kind of flavor is that, even? It's like having potato-flavored chips.
The girl snorted, turning to him with a small grin. "I know, right? It hits all the right spots for my sweet tooth, so I'll give it a pass."
She blew another bubble and bit into it. Kenji chewed his own gum and tried to do the exact same thing, only for him to blow empty air out — the gum was very much un-bubbled. The girl laughed, a light, melodious laughter.
"Dude," She said, turning his way. "You trying to blow a raspberry or a bubble?"
The boy furrowed his brows.
"Shut up, it's the first time I tried." He whined, but broke into a light chuckle in the end. The two shared a moment in the silence, then the girl turned to him with her bright pink eyes.
"Nice to know that someone else with humor signed up for this organization — especially since a lot of the people I've seen look like the serious types. Then again, I doubt things would be boring in this organization."
"With that crazy doctor, and the mechs? Doubt it." Kenji said, leaning into his own seat. The man chewed his gum and tried to blow a bubble again — once more devolving into a frustrated raspberry.
The girl looked at him with a snort. "Still trying?"
The red-eyed boy sighed. "As if I'd embarrass myself with nothing to show for it. If I'm gonna blow a bubble, then might as well go all the way."
"Love the dedication, at least." The girl laughed, then paused for a moment. She sat up and turned to him. "Okay, just watch."
The girl blew another bubble, one larger than the others. Was this a skill she liked to show off? A party trick because even Kenji found that impressive. Then again, Kenji found nearly anything impressive if it was cool enough.
Then, with a sudden bite, the bubble popped and she bit it back into her mouth. "See," she said as she chewed. "Just do that—"
"Not exactly a learning by looking kind of guy," Kenji replied.
"Yeah, I can tell. Doesn't look like you're the learning kind of guy in general." The girl lightly jabbed.
Kenji rolled his eyes with a sigh. Grumbling a bit and leaning on his armrest. The girl kept chewing, turning to Kenji before a thought crossed her.
"Yeon." She said,
"Huh?" Kenji uttered.
"That's my name, Yeon Su-Mi." She held a hand out for him to shake. "I shared a gum with you, might as well share my name."
"Oh..." Yeon had a nice ring to it. Taking her hand, he shook it back with a small grin of his own. "Kenji, Kenji Hakurou."
The two shared a laugh after that, then settled into their seats. The two had no real clue where to go, so they waited for someone to notice and tell them. The reception was empty, but by the time the clock hit 5:30, a receptionist walked into the room and settled behind the desk.
She glanced at the two, immediately recognizing Kenji — and Kenji recognized her, too. She was the girl from the interrogation, Aisha, was it? She cleared her throat, walked over, and passed two papers to them. Looking down, Kenji found a small code of numbers.
"Memorize them, then hand the paper back," Aisha said, pushing her spectacles up.
Kenji furrowed his brow. He was horrible at memorization, but he'd do so. He recited the numbers internally, getting used to it.
298021803...
After taking back the papers — then tossing them into a paper shredder — Aisha beckoned for the two to follow. As they walked, Kenji was focused solely on the string of numbers. Again and again, he recited it in his mind.
Turning the corner, Aisha led them to an 'Out of Order' elevator.
"One by one, get in, press the numbers in the sequence you were given, then put your finger on a slot that would open up," Aisha explained, first turning to Yeon. "You first."
Yeon blinked, then turned to Kenji. She flashed him a smile, "See you on the other side."
She disappeared into the elevator.
Both Aisha and Kenji waited for a moment, the girl looking at her watch from time to time. Finally, when it was his turn, he was ushered into the elevator. Standing here alone, he recalled the code, then pressed the numbers.
A slot opened with a metallic hiss, just large enough for him to put his pinky inside. Kenji blinked, then placed the finger into the slot. It scanned his fingerprints with a low hum, identifying him as Kenji. Then, a sharp pain pricked at his skin. With a yelp, Kenji pulled back his pinky to see it bleeding.
"Seriously?" Kenji huffed.
They needed a blood sample for verification, too. He supposed they needed to be secure, only for another slot to open big enough to hold his face.
"Face scan?" Kenji grumbled.
No wonder Yeon took so long.
**********
After a few minutes having his face, eyes, fingers, and even his hair scanned — along with setting a password and voice-activated command — Kenji was finally allowed to enter the facility.
Walking through the familiar neon-lit corridor, he passed by several rooms, high-tech halls, and finally entered Erhardt's laboratory, where the white-haired doctor was waiting.
"Ah, Kendo! Nice to see you join us!"
He waved. Kenji deadpanned and resisted the urge to run over and dropkick the bastard for the earlier stunt just this morning. Kenji just gave a dry nod, walking inside and settling next to the group.
He spotted a few familiar souls. Aiden was one who brightly waved at him. Yeon was next. She gave him a faint smile. The others here were unfamiliar, but he had seen them during the orientation.
Octavia wasn't here. As Kenji expected, she didn't sign the form.
He could've sworn there were more people who signed the form, though. Right now, there are only around eight.
"Now then, welcome one and all. You'll serve as the first batch to receive our coffin attunement. The process may be a bit nauseating, but believe me when I say that it's much worse than that!"
'Aren't you supposed to be selling the psychic powers?' Kenji internally thought.
The crowd looked to one another with weary expressions plastered on their faces. Erhardt waved them off.
"I'm jesting, jesting. Admittedly, you would have to deal with a few hallucinations, and maybe a few night terrors as your mind gets accustomed to an increased presence within the Shroud — but you should be fine."
'Should be?' Kenji thought dryly.
"You'll have a protective shield in your mind that should prevent any outside interference, and it'd prevent you all from going mad at seeing Eldritch entities while you're up there."
That didn't put anyone's mind at ease. But Erhardt waved to them and beckoned for the group to follow him before they got any ideas of backing out.
Hesitantly, each of them followed Erhardt outside his lab. Passing by hallways and corridors before entering another chamber. The door opened with a hiss, and the group was confronted with a large room manned by multiple scientists.
They clicked on panels, monitors whirred and beeped, and there was a sense of organized chaos that permeated through every step and hushed order.
The most striking feature of the room was the lined pods. Eight empty pods resembling coffins for the group to all lie on. Erhardt said something about being filled with a liquid. Did they have to do so with their clothes or are they stripping?
Kenji grimaced; he wasn't exactly comfortable with the notion. Especially considering some of the things he wanted to hide.
Luckily, a drone flew in, handing each recruit a skintight suit to wear. The group looked at the suits, while Erhardt pointed at a changing room just next to the coffins.
"Hurry along and change — unless you want to do this nude, which I'd assume none of you do," Erhardt said.
No one objected or said anything.
**********
"A few reminders!" Erhardt's voice boomed across the speakers.
The group, now clad in their given suits and stationed within the Coffins, listened intently to Erhardt's words.
"First and foremost! You are about to enter into your own mind, a dark and dreary place, from what I've seen from many recruits before. While the process is underway, your very consciousness would be trapped in the Shroud — and you'd experience a chaotic representation of your mind. Every fear, every little daydream, every want, every desire, every nightmare. You will witness it."
Erhardt paced around the room.
"A containment field around your consciousness will manifest, courtesy of mineself, of course. Whatever you do, do not leave the containment field. Or else you will be made vulnerable to all the little horrors your mind can create. Do you understand?"
The group turned to one another, then nodded. They'd heed these words.
"There may be moments when the containment field feels like it'd break — or shatter. That is just an illusion made by the nightmarish creatures of the Shroud to try and get you to flee. Do not, under any circumstance, leave the containment field until the process is complete."
He then stopped, his gaze turning to the group.
"And one more thing. The concept of time in the Shroud does not exist. You may be trapped there for just a few minutes. You could be trapped in there for years. There have been cases where minds were trapped in there for centuries." Erhardt added.
There were also those who would've been trapped for millennia. But none of the recruits he'd seen before withstood more than one thousand years within this psychic hell. A nightmare their mind created, trapping them in a cramped space for millennia.
None but one.
"Again, under any circumstance. Do. Not. Leave. The. Containment. Field." Erhardt finalized.
"For any poor soul who's trapped for more than a few weeks in there, we'll reverse your memories to get rid of any lasting mental traumas."
With a wave, a sickly blue fluid began to fill the tank. The group shuddered under its touch; some closed their mouths to prevent the water from reaching them. Kenji was among them, lifting his chin up as the liquid filled his pod.
"Switch to Coffin Channels," Erhardt ordered, and soon his voice echoed within the pods themselves.
"You can breathe under the fluid; it's designed to preserve your body during the process."
Kenji hesitated, then forced his mouth open. The liquid rushed in, and he blinked. The sensation was strange, but it was as if he didn't need to breathe. The liquid seeped essential nutrients into his lungs without doing so.
Kenji closed his eyes as Erhardt spoke once more.
"We will begin psychic attunement at ten, nine, eight..."
Sparks began to cover each coffin, blue thrumming light illuminating the chamber.
"Seven, six, five..."
Kenji felt his consciousness begin to fade, as if being put under an anesthetic. His eyes struggled to stay open, and soon his body fell limp.
"Four, three, two..."
His vision turned white.
"One."
And when it cleared, he saw hell.