The next day, Liam got ready for school. His uniform was neat, his bag hung on his back, and he walked slowly down the stairs. His mother handed him a small lunch box—a sandwich and a carton of milk—which he accepted with a slight smile.
"Have a good day at school, dear. Be careful," his mother said, gently patting his shoulder.
Upon arriving at school, the atmosphere in 11th grade Science Class A was already chaotic. Laughter, anxious whispers, and panicked sighs mingled together. Apparently, there was a daily chemistry test today, and the news spread quickly like wildfire.
Amidst the commotion, a student from the neighboring class entered with a casual, overly familiar demeanor. He immediately approached Liam, who had just sat down.
"Hey, Liam!" he greeted him, extending his hand. "I'm Kael Arven, 11th grade Science Class B. Just call me Kael. I'm actually the smartest and richest student... just kidding!" He laughed to himself, then continued, "Let's get straight to the point. I want to offer you this."
Kael pointed to the small book in his hand. The cover was eye-catching, with an odd title: Sacred Cheat Sheet to Pass the KKM.
Smartest in class B? Richest yet selling... Liam muttered to himself, holding back a smile.
"Sacred cheat sheet? What's that book?" Liam asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.
Kael smiled proudly. "As you can see from the title. This is a cheat sheet for all Chemistry material. Concise, precise, and disguised! Here, take a look."
He tapped the book twice. Instantly, the cover transformed into an ordinary notebook. When shaken again, its original form reappeared—filled with formulas and small notes.
"How about it? Cool, right? This is my breakthrough. Saves study time, and your grades are safe!"
His tone was full of enthusiasm, like a professional salesman.
Liam looked at the book, then at Kael. "Interesting. But how do you find the 'time' to read that during the exam?"
"Ah, that's a company secret," Kael replied with a wink. "The bottom line is, it's safe. Just fifty thousand, and you can relax."
Liam smiled slightly. "I think I'll try doing it myself first this time. But thanks anyway, maybe next time."
Kael nodded politely. "Alright. Here, if you change your mind, this is my business card." He handed him a small piece of paper that read: Kael Arven – Safe Grade Solutions.
"That's all, thank you for your time," he added dramatically, before striding to the next table.
Soon, Levi appeared beside Liam, patting his shoulder with a grin.
"Sorry, I asked him to offer it to you," Levi said, half-ashamed.
Liam glanced at Kael, who was now busy pitching at another table. "Did he start that business himself?"
Levi shook his head. "No, they're a group. You could say… an extracurricular activity," he whispered mysteriously.
"Wow… that's bold," Liam muttered.
Levi leaned closer, his voice even quieter. "By the way, I've been looking into NEXARIS…"
Liam turned sharply, staring at Levi warily.
"It's dangerous, Li. I suggest you… stay away from anything related to it," Levi continued seriously.
Liam fell silent. Levi's words lingered in his mind, bringing back the sounds and figures from last night's dream.
Suddenly—
Kringgg… Kringggg…
The bell signaling the start of class rang loudly, snapping them back to reality.
"We'll continue this during break," Liam said softly. His smile looked forced, and his gaze was unfocused.
Levi simply nodded. He knew this wasn't a trivial matter. And more importantly, he knew his friend was carrying a burden far heavier than just a chemistry exam.
All the students hurried back to their seats. The atmosphere suddenly tensed as the chemistry exam was about to begin. Soon, Ms. Maria—the Chemistry teacher—entered the classroom with a serious expression and a firm stride. In her hands, she held a stack of exam papers.
"Everyone, put your phones on the desk. Leave only pens and correction fluid on the desk," Ms. Maria commanded in a loud voice.
The students immediately obeyed, placing their phones on the teacher's desk. Mrs. Maria began distributing the exam papers starting from the front row, and the students passed them back.
"No one is getting a retake!" she exclaimed. "I've taught you everything. Now it's up to you—whether you want to study or not. Understand?!"
"Understood, Mrs. Maria…" the students replied in unison, but their voices sounded lackluster.
The exam began. Most of the students seemed panicked and confused by the difficult questions. Despite knowing there would be a retest, their study time apparently wasn't enough.
However, Liam was different. He seemed calm and even finished faster than the others.
"It's pretty easy. Not as hard as I imagined," he thought to himself.
A few minutes after Liam finished his exam, there was a commotion outside the classroom. The sound of hurried footsteps and panicked whispers flowed into the room.
A female student rushed to the classroom door.
"Mrs. Maria! Someone fainted in class! Several students are also... possessed!" she cried, her face pale.
"What?! How could that happen?!" Mrs. Maria panicked. "Alright, I'll go there. You call the religion teacher, okay!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the student replied before running off.
Mrs. Maria immediately left the classroom. But before exiting, she firmly instructed:
"Remember! No cheating. Honesty is still number one!"
As soon as she left, the classroom changed. Some students took the opportunity to open Kael's cheat sheet. Even those who had seemed innocent were now busily flipping through the pages with hopeful expressions.
Liam looked around in astonishment. "No wonder he invited me to join..." he thought to himself with a mischievous smile. For a moment, Liam managed to distract himself from all the bad things that had happened to him this week.
Recess arrived. The cafeteria was bustling as usual: crowded, filled with laughter, the clinking of spoons and forks against trays, and endless chatter. But today, there was one topic capturing nearly everyone's attention—not about grades, not about class gossip, but something bigger… and more terrifying.
In one corner of the cafeteria, a group of students gathered around a phone screen showing a live broadcast of an international news report. Serious faces were fixed on the screen.
"Hey… did you guys see this?" asked one student, turning up the volume.
On the screen, a reporter stood in the middle of a bustling city street, surrounded by military vehicles and black-clad troops with a triangular winged logo on their chests—NEXARIS.
"Today, the global organization NEXARIS officially announced the launch of the Simultaneous Screening Operation. Hundreds of personnel have been deployed worldwide to conduct checks on teenagers aged 15 to 18. The primary objective of the operation remains classified, but NEXARIS refers to this as a 'global preventive measure' against potential biological anomalies."
"Each teenager will undergo identity verification and physical examinations. Several major cities have already reported the presence of screening points at schools and public facilities."
The reporter's voice was met with panicked murmurs and whispers from the students.
Instantly, Liam and Levi exchanged glances. The atmosphere between them suddenly grew silent and heavy, as if another word could trigger something even bigger.
But not long after—
"Wow, this is crazy... this is serious," Kael suddenly said, breaking the tension as he sat across from Liam. He had just arrived, carrying two boxes of milk and a piece of filled bread.
"You all heard the news, right?" he continued casually, as if unaware of the atmosphere at the table.
Levi glanced at Kael, holding back a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "Who invited you to join us, man?" he joked, emphasizing the last word.
Kael shrugged indifferently, then took a bite of his bread. Liam remained silent, staring down at his phone screen, which no longer seemed to hold his interest.
"They say... they're looking for people with 'potential,'" Kael said, now more seriously, brushing crumbs from his hand. "But it's not clear what they mean. Some say they're looking for failed experiments that escaped."
Liam remained silent. But his hands clenched under the table, and his breathing changed—shorter, heavier. Levi glanced over and immediately noticed.
"I know about that," Levi said quickly, trying to change the subject. "But who cares, as long as it hasn't reached our school yet, it's not a problem."
He reached out, turning off Liam's phone screen while staring at him. Then, with a teasing tone, Levi turned to Kael and said, "Hey, weren't you trying to get close to Liam yesterday because you wanted to get close to Hiyana?"
His eyebrows raised slyly, as if deliberately provoking.
"Hey, Levi... just shut up for a second," Kael said hurriedly, gesturing for Levi to stop talking.
But it was too late.
Liam, who had been silent until then, turned his head, staring straight at Kael. His eyes were sharp and cold—unlike usual.
"What do you want with my sister?" he asked flatly, but the emotional tension was clear.
Kael looked up, paused for a few seconds, then laughed awkwardly.
"Hey, relax... relax… I just wanted to introduce myself. Hehe."
Levi chuckled softly, but his gaze remained vigilant, watching Liam's reaction, which was still not entirely calm.