Every year, 14 crore new breaths came to light, every month approximately 1 crore new cries. Every day, 30 lakh young ones of paddle-legged beings brought joy to families.
This is the kingdom of big cerebro beings, who walk on two legs and have nothing special beyond other living beings. They are not the fastest, nor the strongest. So, what makes them king of this planet?
Perhaps the answer lies somewhere in the hardship they faced in evolution—a fight that no other single species had fought. However, even these big-headed beings must compete against themselves. There are many people who dominate their domain, ranging from Elon Musk to Cristiano Ronaldo. The point is, psychologists and scientists were confused about a missing puzzle piece.
But, now in the 21st century, we have a theory which explains it well...
(Modern day, March 14, 2020)
Arka Singh Rathore thought in his mind, "Finally, I have given my examination of Maths. Ahh! That was a tough subject. Hi, everyone! The thing is, I have nearly no friends. I am a half-baked secondary school student."
(Flashback)
"Hi, Arka! Please come with that sample of sodium nitro prusside," Mr. Ali said.
"Yes, sir. Just wait," he quickly replied. Arka was so confused that it took him a whole half hour, and he still couldn't find it.
"You cannot just find a chemical compound with the label. Get out of my class, Arka," Mr. Ali said in his callous voice.
Arka thought once more: That's not even the most embarrassing day of my life. Is it?
Morning, 7 o'clock, June 2019, in the assembly: "Good morning all my friends and my respected teacher. Here I am for the prayer, 'India is my country...'" Arka went completely black. Even the hundred times he had practiced were wasted. Amidst the crowd of hundreds, he felt like an alien who had just arrived on this planet, feeling the cold gazes of others.
He cried later, alone...
On December 2019, he even tried to somehow regain his pride and auditioned for the annual speech as an anchor. But... "Ah! You boy, sorry, you speak in a glib way, so we are rejecting you," Mr. Singh sir said calmly.
This was the aspect of Arka's life which he probably hated, a lot.
He said in his mind, "I am a curious guy but nothing special... until..."
Arka heard the Prime Minister's voice blare from the television: "Bhaiyo aur behano, aaj raat 12 bja desh ma purn rop sa lockdown hona wala hai."
Global Mandate: Protocol 001
After two years of that COVID disaster, the world was meeting again to establish peace and prosperity.
The Education Summit
"Well! Gentlemen and women, I am honored to be seated here among all dignitaries. I am here to share my thoughts about current education and the future we need to have. Scientists recently found a new human genome theory," Max Paul began, standing before the assembled education ministers from all over the world. "This theory could help us to mitigate all future issues, if we want to take human civilization to another level."
"I may now share the blueprint of Our project 'Protocol 001'. This project includes an institution based on training human youth from different countries to produce exceptional genius in all specific domains. Thus, Human civilization will grow at an undeniable speed. We lack leaders or specialists who even surpass human common sense."
"I get that, mister," the Chinese Minister interjected. "But please, can you re-introduce yourself? This whole setup you've put in motion... In India, why? You could have gone to Japan, USA, Russia, or China."
"I am Max Paul, sir, and I understand your concern. But we need fresh blood for this project. It's our dream to see humanity evolve to a certain level. These few special individuals who we will assist and train would be a gold mine for our whole civilization. Also, it's my personal dream to see my own students surpass every existing being who either had taken their breath, are taking breath, and will. I know how you felt when you had innate caliber but were limited by your current education level."
Arka's Realization
The next day. It had been exactly two years since the pandemic. Arka hoped it would never come again. Finally, he had completed his schooling. Ah! What should I do next?
He felt himself sinking into the familiar pit...
"No again, I don't..." (He tasted the metallic bitterness of overwhelming thought, taking heavy breaths.) Why do I go so deep in thoughts? It felt like I lose my other senses. When I use my sense, I sometimes get overwhelmed, Arka thought again.
"Maa, I am home..."
"Again, you fell into the pit? I mean, is this your third time this month?" Arka's Mom glanced at him furiously.
"Sorry, Maa. I will take a bath first, then please give me food," he said in a low tone.
"After your bath, there's a letter that came for you. Check it out," his Mom told him, her eyes sparkling with hope and curiosity. "Arka, it seems to be from the Government of India."
He took the envelope with his clean hands and, with mild curiosity, opened the letter.
"Dear Mr. Arka Singh Rathore,
On behalf of the Government of India, you have been chosen for a test for 'The Apex Institute in Chennai.' You are considered a student who has the caliber required to take this recruitment test. Please do not take admission to any institute until you have taken our test. Date: 2022 December 31st is the day to report at the given address [Address]. Please give confirmation if you have decided to arrive on this gmail ID.
President of Global EducationMax Paul"
Arka chuckled at the thought for a while, his expression bizarre. He decided to talk with his father and told him everything about the test. With only six days to arrive, they booked a railway ticket from Bihar to Chennai.
Hmm... finally I am out of the state, Arka thought as the train rocked. I don't know what this test is all about. But what did they find interesting about me? I am a nobody, a 17-year-old teenager belonging to the so-called "Gen Z group." I think it's more about, as the name suggests, a government institute that is finding students who have diverse skills. He re-analyzed the letter. But what do I have that is special?
"Mister, do you have your ticket?" asked the Ticket Taker (TT).
Daydreaming, Arka snapped back to the real world. "Ah! Wait a minute, I'll give you this... where is it, where?" After half an hour, he finally located the ticket. The TT glared at him with an infuriated face until the next station.
On December 31st, Arka reached the station early morning at 4 o'clock.
He eventually found the Apex Institution, a giant, modern, sci-fi skyscraper that gave off the vibe of an Avenger Tower.
The building itself stood multiple stories tall; if you were to let your head turn 120 degrees, your neck might ache. It was that tall.
As he entered the building, he felt a kind of ease coming to his mind, as if the density of the air was lower and the atmosphere was noticeably cleaner around the entrance.
A tall man, as tall as an elite basketball player, with a musky mustache, stood before the assembly of students.
Well, there seem to be approximately 400 students, Arka deeply observed and thought. They all seem to have come from different parts of India, and a few are foreigners. They all seem to be five feet five inches and above, with a maximum age of twenty. The ratio of boys and girls is also equal in this crowd, and no barrier for them to seat differently is given. Unlike the usual setup in colleges, no distance has been made. It's odd, and interesting; maybe they have their own merits and philosophy to run this institute.
"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am your host, and you can call me Max Paul. I am honored to run this new institution," Max Paul announced. "As we know, the last two years have been draining for all of us due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The world stage of education has faced casualties and problems…."
"There are a total of 450 students from different regions of India here to witness the revolution in the world of education. Humanity, at its deepest core, is a special byproduct of evolution. Recently, around the time of the COVID-19 vaccine discovery, we found a unique genome code in humans. This is something we barely see in other species. We cannot say they are mutants, as shown in X-Men," Max laughed a little, teasing the Marvel character. "The theory based on this is called the 'Structural Excellence Theory of Humanity.' SETH, for short, we will call it."
"This theory proposes the idea that all of us humans nowadays possess a few genes that elevate one of our abilities above average. All of you who were selected were checked in by this unique genome code. Thanks to your parents, buddies! You all have a more exceptional genome code than most peers around the world... but the cost comes with this, something we call 'The Constraint.'"
"Wait a sec, Professor, if we have this genome inside us, then how did you codify it? You also mentioned we excel it? How much data did you come with this? I mean, what is the motto of us being here?" said a girl standing nearby. Her name was Priya Khandwal. She was five feet eight inches tall.
That girl said it right! Plus, I cannot believe I have something special, but why does the word "constraint" feel familiar? Or has my life been dictated by some unknown genome given by my parents? Arka thought, with a little excitement.
"You are Priya, a student who performs and outshines when it comes to social empathy and raw intelligence. I saw your profile. Let's take you as an example. Do you ever feel pain or a sudden rush of other emotions in you?"
"Yeah... I feel it sometimes, but I know I can control it."
"So, you are already Level 2, I guess. This project has a simple aim," Max Paul continued, "to answer in short: to create the world's best domain masters. They specialize in their field and can leverage their genome gift wherever and whenever they want. They will be the key to solving problems in all fields, to be frank—a star. Only 200 would be selected from you 450. So, be ready for a rigorous five-level stage game, to polish you 'rough, talented learners.'"