Worlds In Limbo

A shivering boy.

The lampost outside gave just enough light for him to see through the dark. But just enough.

He traveled the hallways of the school. It was empty. No one was around. Students and teachers all seemingly vanished from thin air.

That's what he tells himself, at least. After 'sleeping,' he woke up on his desk, noticing the math on the blackboard severely incomplete and messy.

He looked around his class and saw no one, only backpacks filled with torn books and numerous stationery lying on the ground. He thought it was someone playing a prank on the teachers.

His eyes blinked repeatedly, getting used to the absence of light as he stood up. The top half of the cupboard was missing, and the notice boards he and his friends worked so hard to make pretty were... destroyed.

He yelled, calling out the names of his friends. Then, his teachers. Then, the headmaster of the school. 

No one answered.

He reached for his backpack, intending to hook his hand through the straps before he realized it was missing. He decided to leave it behind.

It was quiet - a deafening quiet. Parts of the walls were carved out and disappeared. The plants were still standing, although some had no pots to inhabit. He tried to, at the least, put them upright, but the dirt was hollow, breaking apart once he placed it on the floor.

His heartbeat fastened as his breathing hitched, regretting the fact he did something 'bad.' He gulps it down, continuing.

The windows allowed some light in, casting the shadow of the broken windows. His eyes glanced outside. It was very late in the night, he thought.

The cafeteria was still there. Although the seats were disordered, he saw one he could comfortably sit on but was hungry. His eyes glanced at the counters.

He instinctively gravitated toward a counter with a sign hanging over it labeled: 'Fried Noodles,' in Japanese characters. He looked over the counter and saw brown noodles lying on it, thinking it was incredibly messy.

"Hmp!" His arm clung to the edge of the counter, jumping with as much strength as he could, pulling with his arm. He made it up, making sure not to touch the dirtied noodles. 

His stomach grumbled a couple of minutes ago, but there were no bowls to eat out of. He saw many pairs of chopsticks put into a small basket but no bowls.

"HRN!" He jumped down the other side of the counter, a place he wanted to see since being admitted into the school. It wasn't much.

He exclaimed happily once he found a whole bowl tucked into a cupboard. Whether it was clean or not didn't pass his mind as he walked to a big wok. 

Noodles, still fragrant, caught his attention. There were still toppings in semi-halved baskets, with only the fishcakes lying on the ground. A spatula was placed on the side of the stove, where the wok was.

His imagination worked, randomly sprinkling green onions, fish balls, and an egg. After a couple of tosses with the spatula, he served himself the food, almost dropping it.

He climbed back over the counter again, skipping toward the only remaining seat in the cafeteria. Clasping his hands together, he thanked gratefully before violently chowing down on the noodles.

A cold wind blew into the cafeteria, causing him to shiver as he noticed frost covering the window sills. He remembered it wasn't winter and was a scorching summer when he went to sleep.

He let out a satisfying sigh after finishing his meal, intending to put the bowl back on the counter, but he remembered his situation.

"KOTA!" His ears perked, snapping toward the source of the sound. It was his teacher, and she seemed to be worried. He yells back, hoping she heard him as he quickly dashes out of the canteen.

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'It's an elementary school...?' Beautiful, new, and cute. It was perfect for the nurturing children.

"The 'System' said there was an Abberant nearby. Be aware." They walked past a halved gate, going up a long driveway.

[!Warning!] 

[The Abberant you will face is an Abberant with a High Rune Rank! Great caution is advised!]

'Shouldn't have asked...' Rhian pushes the panel out of the way as it reverts to 'option.'

The car park was somewhat empty. Like their experience on the road, the carpark was littered with scraps from a car, except for the one flipped on its side.

"There's blood..." Gideon crouched beside the car, forwarding his head over the oozing bright red pool as he sniffed. "And... a faint scent of something foul." His face soured as he whiffed.

"Possibly this arm." Kouki was standing on the other side. It was a severed arm, coupled with torn flesh and fractured bone.

'Was this the cause of the Abberant?' Rhian's interest darted back to the system.

[No. The Sundering caused her death.]

Her eyebrow raised as her eyes glanced toward the arm, noticing fabric that looked like it belonged to a teacher. 'Was... she a teacher?'

[Yes.]

'... How did her arm get severed?' The arm was left a considerable distance from the woman's supposed body.

[The Abberant severed it.]

Her eyes widened, looking around to call the two, but they were already walking away. 'Why are you so fast-?!' She quickly stood up, rushing to the sides of the two, who asked her why she was so slow, to which she just sighed.

Two buildings stood in front of them, they headed to the one on their right. 'I'm guessing this is the assembly hall.' They all looked around to see emptiness.

Rhian was at the front of the stage, noticing rows of chairs set up. 'Why... is this not like- destroyed?' They were set perfectly, unlike everything they've seen up until now.

'Is it just pure coincidence...?' Rhian stared at the rows of chairs. Although, something so mundane and so prevalent in her past lives, these rows of chairs seem to be the most unnatural occurrence right now.

Her gaze fixates for a moment before it's dragged by something faint, prompting her to snap her body toward the entrance of the building, seeing two people standing before it with a boy yelling in a language she couldn't understand.

'If these... are still people. Can you act as a translator?'

[Yes.] 

The boy's yells continued, helping a woman with a severed, bleeding arm, causing Rhian to raise an eyebrow.

[HELP! HELP! PLEASE HELP HER!]

'Can you translate my sentences to one he understands?' Rhian ignored the boy but observed the lady. She didn't seem in pain. She was conscious. She would at least be wincing, panting, or showing signs of discomfort, but the woman was just... there.

"Who are you?" Rhian asked sternly while Kouki and Gideon came from behind the curtains, locking their eyes on the two mysterious figures.

The boy was stressed, scared, and worried.

[I-I am Kota! She's my teacher! Please help her!] 

The boy's cries were real. The tears that swelled and fell to the floor were 

real and genuine.

However, something about the teacher put her off. Something she can't pinpoint. Her arm was bleeding and Rhian knew the necessary procedures to at least soothe her, but the lady didn't seem to need it.

'Do not translate my next sentence.'

[Understood.]

She turns her head, looking at the men. "The lady is suspicious." Kouki and Gideon nodded, but they didn't activate their Runes, only jumping down beside Rhian.

'Alright... Translate this next one.' Her heartbeat raises as her mind races, thinking of possibilities of how she could be wrong and how she could be right.

"Alright, we can help." Rhian slowly walked toward the boy, who seemed relieved. She took the arm of the woman off the boy, slowly lowering the woman to lay her flat.

"How are you?" Rhian asked, waiting for a response as she gestured for the boy to go toward the men, who reluctantly did so.

'A-Alright... one last question: what magic does the Abberant use?' Rhian's heartbeat pounded in her head as her Runes surfaced under her unit, prepared to sprawl out.

[The Abberant possesses Mimicry Magic. It can mimic anything and anyone with a single touch.]