Ren had a dream the night before —

  A colossal creature made of stars, hunched over a broken moon, whispering his name through shifting constellations.

  He dismissed it as another strange, post-midnight fever dream.

  But part of him knew better.

  It was supposed to be a normal Tuesday.

  The classroom buzzed with quiet chatter, papers rustling, and the droning voice of their teacher trying to explain the properties of light and refraction. It was just another box checked in the calendar of teenage monotony.

  At the back of the room, Ren sat by the window, sunlight warming one arm. He watched the breeze nudge tree branches outside, caught between focus and daydream. His eyes drifted often — not because he didn't care, but because he felt something was coming.

  A gut feeling. A quiet itch behind his ribs.

  Beside him, Iver scribbled furiously, muttering formulas under his breath like he was decoding the secrets of the universe. Focused, precise — probably doing extra calculations just for fun.

  Across the aisle, Josh nudged Marian with a pen cap, the fifth time in two minutes. She swatted his hand and glared, lips tight — which only encouraged him more.

  Cedy was hunched over her notebook, doodling cats with oversized swords. Occasionally, she'd grin at her own work before adding another battle scar to the sketch.

  Kristie leaned back, her arms crossed, gaze flitting from one classmate to another like a puppeteer eyeing her next move. She caught Ren's glance, raised an eyebrow, then smirked.

  Elly sat near the window, chin on her hand. She looked peaceful — but her eyes were glassy, unfocused. Somewhere far away.

  Tick. Tick. Tick.

  The wall clock struck 10:12.

  That's when it began.

  A low hum rumbled beneath their feet — too deep to be mechanical, too ancient to be manmade.

  At first, no one noticed. Then the lights flickered. The windows dimmed like something outside was pulling the sunlight away.

  Ren blinked. The air shimmered faintly, as though heatwaves were rising from the tiles.

  Beneath their desks, cracks of light appeared — glowing lines that snaked outward like veins in marble. They weren't random. They were forming symbols. Shapes that pulsed. Shifted. Reformed.

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  Elly: "W-What is this?!"

  She stood suddenly, knocking her chair back, and rushed toward the door — only for it to slam shut with a metallic clang before she could reach it. The windows followed. Every exit sealed.

  Kristie: "Yo! Is this an event or something? This is sick!"

  Josh: "I KNEW IT! THIS IS MY ORIGIN STORY! I'M GETTING SUPERPOWERS!"

  Iver: "...This isn't science."

  His voice was calm, measured — but he had already stepped toward the nearest glyph, eyes narrowed in analysis. His fingers hovered just above the glowing pattern like he was trying to remember a dream he never had.

  Jonax, sitting near the back, said nothing. Her breathing grew shallow, but her eyes were sharp, scanning the ceiling — as if expecting it to split open.

  Marian: "It's magic. This is magic. Okay. Okay okay okay—"

  Her voice trembled. She tried to breathe but looked seconds away from hyperventilating.

  Rej, phone already in hand: "If I die, I'm going live first!"

  Camera on. Filters ready.

  Cedy: "This is like the start of an anime."

  She smiled — but her fingers trembled as they clutched her pen like a weapon.

  Lily: "...This is real, isn't it?"

  Her voice was a whisper. She held onto her chair as if it could stop whatever was coming.

  The hum became a roar. The symbols flared — blinding white — and then:

  FLASH.

  Everything disappeared in a burst of light.

  Ren felt his body lifted.

  Weightless.

  Unanchored.

  No desk. No floor. No air.

  Just falling.

  Wind screamed in his ears. He squinted against the brightness and caught glimpses of others tumbling beside him — arms flailing, mouths open in screams swallowed by the wind.

  Below: a massive, glistening pond, its surface shimmering like melted sapphire. Towering trees lined the edges like ancient guardians.

  Rej: "AAAAAAAAAAAAAA—"

  Elly: "I CAN'T SWIM!"

  Lily: "ME NEITHER!"

  Josh: "CANNONBAAAAAALL!"

  Ren didn't speak. He braced for impact.

  SPLASH.

  Cold stabbed through him like glass. The silence underwater was terrifying — like the world had forgotten sound. Bubbles surged around him as he fought upward, lungs tightening.

  He broke the surface, gasping.

  Above him, more splashes. Around him — chaos.

  Elly was nearby, flailing helplessly, her head barely above the water.

  Ren: "Breathe. Kick. Don't panic."

  He lunged through the water, grabbing her arm and dragging her toward the shallows. She coughed, eyes wide, lips trembling.

  Then — another scream.

  Lily. She was farther out, panicking.

  Ren didn't hesitate. He went back in.

  Josh surfaced, hauling Cedy with him — she clutched a chunk of classroom debris like it was a raft.

  Kristie was already pulling herself up the muddy shore, soaked but grinning like a maniac.

  Iver stood calmly on a rock in the middle of the water, barely wet. Eyes scanning. Calculating.

  Ren reached Lily just as she slipped beneath the surface — he dove, grabbed her wrist, and kicked upward. Her weight pulled at him, but adrenaline gave him power. They burst through together.

  Back on land, Marian was hugging herself, shaking. Rej was filming again — from the knees up, drenched. Jonax was silent, still watching the trees.

  The pond was surrounded by dense, emerald forest — vines hung low, roots twisted above the earth.

  But it was silent. No birds. No rustling wind. Just stillness.

  Then — a sound.

  A growl. Low. Rumbling. Too close.

  The bushes ahead shook.

  Eyes appeared. Dozens. Glowing. Unblinking.

  Watching.

  Ren: "...We're not home anymore."

  And just like that, the class met the wild, untamed world of Varnak.