As I gazed at my reflection, I was transfixed, mesmerised. Like a moth paralysed by a blinding light.
My breathing grew heavy and erratic, as if my lungs were burning from within; the air came in and out in short bursts. Beads of sweat drenched my forehead and began to trickle slowly down, tracing winding paths across my temples and neck.
"Brother, brother!"
The girl's voice rose sharply, but it was in vain. I couldn't feel her, and I was slowly beginning to fade away.
"Is it me?" I murmured in a hoarse voice.
"What is this? What's happening?"
Calm down, calm down, calm down… panic began to take hold of me, and a torrent of absurd assumptions surged through my mind.
C-could I have transmigrated? Is that possible?
I wanted to deny it. No! I tried to deny it, but it was useless. The reflection was still there, staring back at me.
My first reaction was surprise, then fury, anxiety, despair, fear…
All those emotions were overwhelming me at once, but no matter what I did, reality kept hitting me over and over again.
I felt suffocated…
Ruined.
Everything was completely ruined.
Had I really fallen into the game? Was this… Epidemic World?
A fleeting memory flashed through my mind: infested floors, impossible creatures, terrorist organisations, and the most miserable deaths one could imagine.
I wanted to curse my luck.
Of all the places in the world, it had to be this damned world.
Decades ago, humanity experienced an event that changed everything. Thousands of young people fell unconscious, with no vital signs.
Governments around the world, mistakenly believing it to be a pandemic, incinerated the bodies.
That was their greatest mistake.
From the charred bodies, the Bridges were born: dimensional rifts in reality, portals connecting to an unknown dimension… the Abyss. From there emerged impossible creatures, beyond all comprehension.
The armed forces collapsed instantly.
Unable to stand up to them, one by one the countries fell.
Finally, the world was plunged into despair.
Then they appeared: the Awakened.
People who, after passing the Trial of the Abyss, awakened the System and managed to drive the beasts back. They established a new world order.
That, basically, was the plot of Epidemic World. Just remembering it made a strange pressure fill my chest.
As if the air had grown thicker.
As if something inside me had slammed shut.
…and then, just as my breathing had become uncontrollable, a sharp impact cut through the air behind me.
"Bam!" The blow shook me from head to toe, snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Calm down, mate…" said the girl, her eyes reddened.
Seeing that genuine concern on her face, the trembling inside me gradually subsided.
"Thanks… I'm better now," I whispered, wiping her face with the sleeve of my jacket.
She looked at me for a few seconds; the tears had made her eyes swell slightly.
"Really?" she asked innocently, though her gaze betrayed a hint of doubt.
I nodded and gestured for her not to worry.
She didn't seem entirely convinced, but she didn't press the matter.
Soon, the metallic screech of the train echoed throughout the station, and seconds later, the doors opened with a screech.
She immediately took my hand gently and pulled me out.
We walked in silence.
After a few minutes walking through the streets, we reached a building whose façade resembled a concentration camp.
Grey walls stretched from horizon to horizon, with watchtowers rising at every corner. However, the detail that caught my attention most was undoubtedly the checkpoint attached to one side. From there, several eyes followed our every move, and the automatic turrets swivelled with a dull hum, pointing in all directions.
'A… police station?' I asked, bewildered, furrowing my brow.
She glanced at me sideways, with a flash of suspicion.
'Have you forgotten, brother? Today you turn eighteen.'
The moment her words fell. My legs gave way; I felt as though my soul was slipping from my body in a single breath, but somehow I kept moving forward, guided solely by the strength of her hand.
A burly man approached us immediately. He wore a black leather uniform, heavy boots and a sword at his waist. On his face, arrogance mingled with hostility.
'What are you doing here?' he asked in a harsh voice, looking us up and down condescendingly.
I didn't reply. My eyes were lost in the surroundings: metal plates reinforced the walls, sensors flickered, and beyond them, automatic rifles mounted on turrets rose up, pointing at us mercilessly.
Seeing my silence, the officer was about to rant, but the girl squeezed my hand and, swallowing hard, dared to speak:
—My… my brother's turning eighteen.
No sooner had those words left his mouth than the officer clicked his tongue in a bored tone and pointed dismissively to one side.
—Hey, mate… this one's yours.
A middle-aged man with grey hair and an immaculate uniform came out to meet me. First he looked at me with some unease, then glanced at his watch and, with a brusque gesture, motioned for me to follow him.
The girl tried to come with me, but he raised his hand and the guards roughly pushed her aside.
We soon arrived at a detention room; the walls were covered with valves and pipes marked with warning symbols. In the corners, reinforced ventilation units hummed with an unsettling sound, and industrial lamps hung from the ceiling, casting a sickly yellow light.
Lined up along the walls were old-looking automatic machine guns, with leather straps and metal magazines, pointing towards the centre of the room as if awaiting an order to open fire. The air smelled of rust, oil and disinfectant.
The officer forced me to sit in a chair bolted to the floor. His eyes locked onto mine during a long silence. Finally, he spoke in a softer tone:
'Don't be nervous, it's just protocol, lad.'
I remained silent for a moment and nodded slightly.
"What's your name?" he asked after a few seconds.
"Keir," I replied, feeling a little calmer.
The officer repeated the name, rolling it around on his tongue.
"Keir… Nice name," he murmured with a nuance I couldn't quite decipher.
He tilted his head and sized me up.
"Tell me, Keir… how much do you really know about the Abyss?"
I looked at him for a moment. In this world, probably no one knew more than I did. But I couldn't reveal that.
"The same as everyone else…" I said, looking away slightly.
The officer clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"Liar." His voice was dry and sharp.
He leaned towards me until I could feel his metallic breath, laced with tobacco and disinfectant. His eyes, cold and sharp, seemed to pierce right through me.
I felt a tingle run down my spine, but I kept my mouth shut.
After a few moments of silence, he let out a brief chuckle.
"Well, I won't pry any further. Everyone's entitled to a secret or two."
Hearing this, I let out a sigh of relief inside, but the officer's expression quickly changed.
"Now… listen carefully, Keir."
He settled into the chair opposite me and spoke in a serious tone:
"As you know… when you turn eighteen, the Abyss chooses its candidates."
He paused for a long moment, staring intently at me.
"All young people go through this. There are no clear rules, only that you must be prepared."
As he spoke, his fingers tapped once on the table.
"We have separate rooms for those who might be chosen. If you aren't chosen, you walk out that door and go home immediately."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice deeper.
'…But if you're chosen and survive the Test,' he added with that expression that was neither a smile nor a sneer, 'then yes. You'll be recognised as a citizen. We'll give you a roof over your head, food and an education… you'll be able to leave the slums for good.'
'Bam!'
A sharp blow put an end to his enthusiasm instantly.
He hadn't finished speaking when suddenly my body collapsed in front of him.
"Shit," cursed the officer.
His face paled instantly and, with clumsy movements, he grabbed the communicator from his shoulder.
"Emergency! Code Red! I repeat, CODE RED!"
The echo of his shout unleashed chaos around me. Guards ran in all directions and thousands of weapons were pointed at me.