Just moments ago, everything still felt surreal, and yet, I can’t help but be shocked: I’m currently in a real spaceship, flying through the sky.

  — “I can’t believe this...” I said, stunned, as I looked down at the vast jungle below.

  — “I want to pilot a ship like this!!!” Ken shouted as he explored every corner of the vessel.

  — “Still, what were those things down there?” said Louis, still in shock.

  — “You probably guessed it, but it looked like some form of gigantism... except it applies to all the wildlife here.”

  — “I had my doubts, but it seems so unreal... Still, did you notice it too, Reel?”

  — “Notice what?” asked Ken, listening despite his excitement.

  — “Yes, but I wasn’t sure, so I waited for you to confirm. As usual, I’m trusting your amazing memory.”

  — “There were exactly 51 people in the conference room: 6 teachers, 3 university students, 39 high schoolers, and 3 middle schoolers. Right now, there are 48 of us, including 3 people I’ve never seen, and 6 are missing.”

  — “That matches what I was thinking... Things really aren’t looking good...”

  — “Reel!” said a familiar voice.

  The person running toward us was someone we knew well: Shina.

  She’s the most beautiful girl in our css, and also the smartest.

  — “Hey Shina. I suppose you're joining the others?” I said with a fake smile.

  — “Huh? Uh... Yes, exactly. We were wondering if you wanted to come?”

  Shina is someone... how to put it? Hypocritical? Nice to everyone, but only to maintain her social status.

  — “Of course!” Ken and Louis blurted out without thinking.

  — “No, we’ll pass.” I replied with the same forced smile.

  — “Huh? Are you sure? But we’re with everyone! We don’t even know what’s happening... We should stick together!” she said with a distressed look.

  She’s a pretty good actress. She’s just trying to gather people around her for protection, I guess.

  Honestly... I don’t like her. Everything about her feels fake.

  — “It’s fine. We’ll manage on our own.” I said as she walked off to rejoin her group.

  — “What are you doing, Reel?! There’s strength in numbers—we should go with them!” Ken scolded me.

  — “He’s right, for once. Just the three of us won’t be enough, especially against the unknown.” Louis added.

  — “Before we go any further, tell me who’s already joined her group.”

  — “Huh? Well, there’s Dony, Jojo, and Non.”

  — “I see what you’re saying... Those are the guys who bullied us in school!” Louis realized.

  — “Exactly. And the rest are people we either don’t get along with or don’t even know.”

  — “I get it now! If we join them, we’ll still be isoted, so we might as well stay on our own. At least we won’t have to follow anyone’s orders!” Ken said with stars in his eyes.

  — “Looks like we’ve split into three groups then: ours, the outsiders; Shina’s group; and the st one, those people we never saw board the ship with us.” Louis pointed out.

  — “For now, aside from that, our biggest concern is what Dante really wants from us.”

  — “What do you mean? Isn’t he our savior?” Ken asked, shocked.

  — “Nothing is free, Ken. Nothing. I already find it strange that he knew exactly where we were and how many of us there were, and came this prepared. On top of that, he seems to be taking us to that tower floating in the sky.”

  After a few more minutes, we finally arrived in front of the massive floating tower.

  It was so tall it looked like it reached into space, and so intricately designed it seemed unreal.

  Bathed in sunlight, it shimmered with silver hues, glowing brilliantly.

  As the ship nded on a ptform that looked like a runway, the hull opened, allowing us to exit.

  No sooner had we stepped out than a horde of armed soldiers in suits appeared to be waiting for us.

  While the whole group seemed terrified and confused, a sudden bluish light emerged beneath each of us, beginning to scan us.

  It felt like every particle of my body was being analyzed.

  That’s when a smooth, slightly robotic voice began to speak:

  > “Report: Here are the results of the complete scan: None of these individuals are Psychers. However, each of them shows traces of spatio-temporal fluctuations, and they ck any trace of ether. Conclusion: they are normal humans. The issue is that they do not appear in any database of the Celestial Federation.”

  — “Hmm...” grunted a deep voice.

  Suddenly, all the soldiers stepped aside. Silence fell, and only the sound of his footsteps remained.

  A man at least 4 meters tall, with a massive build, stepped forward.

  His face was dead serious despite the ck of a beard, and more than half of it was covered in scars. His uniform stood out from the others, and he even wore a medal.

  — “I am the representative of the Celestial Federation on this newly conquered pnet.

  My name is Rond. I am a Giant.” he said with a commanding voice.

  A Giant? Is that a different race? That would expin his size... I thought, awestruck.

  — “Your case is quite unique, but I’m currently very busy.

  Two major figures, members of the top 10, are in the middle of a battle, which makes the Federation’s work difficult.

  I’ll give you two options: since you are not Psychers, you can either join the Celestial Federation and work for us, or survive on your own.

  You have until tomorrow to decide. Dante, I’ll let you handle them.” he said firmly before leaving as quickly as he came.