Awakening of the Calamity

Lucien observed with calm and indifference. All around him, hundreds of people huddled in the shadows, crying in silence. The wails and whispers of men, women, and young people filled his ears, but his heart was calm.

Passers-by would pass by, some skeptical, others with looks of pity and others still annoyed at the scene in front of them, but they would all hurry past to get to their destination, as if not wanting to stay another minute in the place.

Among the group of pitiful people, some were filled with determination and, ignoring their shame, moved by hunger and the will to live, they approached passers-by to ask for money to calm their hunger.

It was a pitiful and heartbreaking sight, but the strangest thing was that some of these unfortunate people had a small, ethereal mist on their chests. Although it seemed harmless, it spread wildly, as if alive.

This phenomenon was known as the Curse of the Haze and mainly affected young people between the ages of sixteen and eighteen.

This curse did not cause any disability or make them dangerous, but why are the people affected in such a pitiful state?

The answer is quite simple: people affected by this Curse of the Haze are forced to take an enigmatic test called the Awakened Test, which will put their lives at risk, and most likely they will find themselves doing inhuman things, with little chance of survival.

This Awakened test begins unexpectedly, so sometimes the test began earlier or later, as it did not have an exact start time.

Since the onset of this curse, the government has created thousands of shelters and implemented programs where the uninfected and the infected learn basic fighting and survival skills.

However, the problem was that the shelters filled up extremely quickly, so not everyone was able to enjoy this benefit, and they simply lamented their bad luck.

The good thing about this Awakening Test is that, once a person passes it, their body undergoes an evolution that puts it above that of mere mortals. Should they lose their life in this test, their bodies would be transformed into grotesque monsters, corrupt creatures that would lay waste to everything.

Although the benefit of the test was great, so too was its cost. Those who completed, the Awakening Test, would form part of the elite group of people known as the Awakened.

And those who didn't would simply be forgotten.

"No... Th-this has to be a joke, right? Why...? Hahaha! This has to be a nightmare... It has to be!"

Lucien briefly diverted his gaze to the "acquaintance" next to him. His eyes were lost, and pathetic tears were falling down his cheeks. In his chest, the Curse of the Haze was present, spreading wildly.

'Pathetic.'

With a calm movement, he checked his chest. The same ethereal mist was coming off of him, expanding wildly. He felt no fear or anguish, only a cold acceptance.

"Why all the drama? You know it won't change anything. What's the point of complaining if, in the end, you'll be transported to the Awakening Test, whether you want to or not. Our fate was sealed from the moment we were chosen by this curse."

The acquaintance looked at him with eyes full of despair, in contrast to Lucien's red eyes, which were cold and indifferent.

"You... how can you be so calm? Don't you know that we will be transported to a world in ruins, to face monsters that are stronger than us, where we will most likely die."

It was true. Lucien was quite calm, he was not in such a sorry state. He had long since accepted his reality. Although he had not had an easy life, for as long as he could remember he had lived on the streets, struggling to survive.

But despite experiencing all this life of poverty and hardship, his objective was quite simple: to survive and, if possible, to find a place where he could live in peace, far from misery. However, he did not expect to be marked by the curse of the haze.

But what was the point of complaining? What was the point of being desperate? What was the point of cursing? If, in the end, nothing was going to change, all those marked by the curse would be sent to carry out the test.

Lucien sighed softly, his gaze lost in the sun as it faded over the horizon, staining the sky an opaque red.

The man continued speaking, taking him out of his thoughts:

"Lucien, Lucien, we weren't lucky enough to get into those shelters or the schools. Do you think we'll have a chance of coming out of this ordeal alive?"

On hearing these words, Lucien quickly lost interest in the man called Karl, whom he had previously met in the streets. Although they had barely interacted, and that man had often been around him for a long time before they were both marked by the curse.

But he didn't consider him a friend, for Lucien he was just an acquaintance, as he is already quite paranoid and distrustful due to past experiences.

With a slight sigh.

"So, what will you do? Will you continue to complain?"

Karl lowered his head, unable to give an answer.

Lucien turned around, he had nothing more to talk about with the pathetic and desperate Karl, and began to walk away from the group of pitiful people, looking for a much quieter place to wait for the start of the race.

Furthermore, it was not the smartest thing to do to stay near so many people marked by the curse, as the chances of dying were higher.

The winter snow began to fall slowly and silently on the city.

Night had already fallen, and a light cold breeze blew with the snow.

However, the city was not plunged into darkness; from the sky, one could see small bright lights, like a shining band.

Lucien sat on a weather-beaten metal bench, his white hair and cold, indifferent red eyes felt the cold penetrate his skin, making him shiver.

He stared into the distance and his consciousness began to cloud over. He got up from the bench, feeling that the test was about to begin, and walked towards an empty and lonely hut, where he lay down on the cold floor and his consciousness was enveloped by darkness.

In the embrace of nothingness, an articulate and lifeless voice resounded:

[Participant! Welcome to a fragment of the World in Ruins. Prepare for your awakening test]