INFINITE WHITE

It had been two weeks since the trip to Solaris Coast, and school had settled back into its usual monotony. I’d lost count of how many times I stared blankly at the time, willing it to move faster. But today felt different. The moment I stepped into the classroom, I could sense the atmosphere was charged, almost buzzing.

The first thing I noticed was the unusually high attendance. Normally, a good quarter of the seats would be empty, thanks to the creative excuses my classmates managed to come up with. But today, almost everyone was here.

I made my way to my seat, and before I even sat down, Mirai leaned in, her eyes wide with curiosity. "Hey, Garp, did you get the thought-wave this morning?"

"Yeah, I got it," I replied, dropping my bag onto the desk.

Around us, the class was abuzz with chatter. Students were whispering, speculating, and throwing all kinds of theories.

“Man, it was so weird,” Takame, our resident loudmouth, exclaimed, his voice was easily cutting through the noise. “I was in the middle of my best dream, and this stupid thought-wave wakes me up! What’s the big deal, huh? ‘Attendence is compulsory. Or else you would regret in the future.’ Sounds like some scam if you ask me.”

“Would you shut up, Takame?” Reddish snapped from across the room. Her glare could’ve sliced through steel. “We’re all trying to think here, and you’re just... loud.”

Takame rolled his eyes, muttering something under his breath about “no sense of humor.”

But Reddish wasn’t done. Her gaze landed on me next, and I swear her expression turned even colder, her lips curling in barely concealed disgust. Perhaps, I was permanently on her filthy-waste-of-space list after the panty incident.

Before I could pretend to ignore her, Mr. Watson strode into the room. As usual, this AIR was a ball of energy, clapping his hands to get everyone’s attention.

“Alright, students, listen up!” he announced. The room quieted down immediately. “The principal has some... logical information to share with you all.”

A ripple of curiosity swept through the class hearing the term ‘Principal’.

To most of us, the principal was more of a myth than a real person. Sure, we’d heard their voice a couple of times before, like during the entrance ceremony. But no one knew their name, how they looked, not even a clue about their age or gender. And yet, the weight they carried in this school was undeniable.

Then it happened.

A voice echoed in my head, not just mine but everyone’s. You could tell by the way the whole class froze, eyes darting around in confusion and surprise.

“Hello, my lovely students,” We heard the first voice. It was smooth, mature, and distinctly female.

Before we could process it, the tone shifted into something sharp and commanding. “Get ready for your exams.” This time, it was a deep, strict male voice.

And then, with an almost jarring cheerfulness, a voice that sounded like a bubbly teenage girl chimed in: “Best of luck!”

“What the heck was that?” Takame broke the silence, his usual bravado replaced by genuine bewilderment.

“Did you hear that switch?” Mirai whispered to me, her brows furrowed. “It was like... three completely different people.”

I nodded, “Perhaps they were using some voice changer?”

And then, just as I blinked, the world around me shifted.

The classroom, the desks, my classmates everything disappeared in an instant. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in an endless expanse of white.

It wasn’t just me. All the students were here, too, their expressions a mix of shock and confusion. Remi was gripping the edge of her skirt like she was trying to ground herself, while Mirai kept glancing around nervously, tightly gripping my shirt. Even Takame, for once, was speechless.

“What is this... a dream?” Meiroko muttered behind me.

“Gah where did you come from?” Mirai asked her with a surprised voice.

“What do you mean?.. I was always here.” Meiroko muttered glancing at Mirai’s fingers that was tightly pinching my shirt.

“Is this some kind of prank?” Takame shouted, his voice was a mixture of anger and panic.

“Garp!” I heard a familiar voice and saw Vir running towards me. He looked as panicked as always. “Yo, nice weather today.” I waved my hand just to see his reaction.

“This is no time for jokes Garp. This is insane! What is this place? Did we die? Is this some kind of... afterlife?” Vir muttered spreading out his arms dramatically.

“Come on Vir. We are in the 31st century and you still go on about after life! You are science guy bro!” I replied. I didn’t have anything against those wild afterlife theories that people came up with. But I needed to lighten the mood somehow. After all, this time Vir was not the only one trembling in fear right now. Mirai was very quiet as well. I could feel her nervousness from the way she was pinching my shirt. It was not just her, the entire group felt this way.

But all those curious buzzing and nervous whispers came to a halt as a certain voice reached our ears.

“Hello, students. I’m Atma.”

The voice was deep and resonant, echoing in a way that made my head vibrate. It felt like the sound came from everywhere and nowhere at once, surrounding us completely. Instantly, the room, or whatever this white void was, fell silent.

“What... who are you?” a student asked, with their trembling voice.

“I am a system created by the school to take your examination,” Atma replied, its tone was unwavering, the echoes lingering long after each word.

“Exam?!” Takame shouted with confusion.

“Yes. Welcome to your STE: Secret Terminal Examination,” Atma continued. “Your examination will begin very shortly.”

Examinations were different for each school. Unlike the past where exams used to be mostly conducted in written form, today thanks to invention of data-sim chips and many others, written exams were no more a reality. Thus, the mode of examination mainly dependent on respective schools. Golden time high school was very prestigious and secretive when it came to its examinations. A world where everything could be leaked easily, it was nothing sort of a miracle that no one knows about their methods.

Mirai leaned closer to me, her voice barely a whisper. “Is this for real? An AI is running the exam?”

I shrugged, unable to tear my eyes away from the endless white void.

Atma’s voice boomed again, cutting through the tension. “Let me inform you of the rules. These are seven important rules.

“Rule 1: Students are prohibited to use any kind of chips such as data-sim chips or any others during the examination. Not only that, but you cannot use any external gadgets or devices.

“So, the school has already taken care of that and removed them from you. You would get them back after the examination.”

A few students instinctively patted their pockets or wrists, realizing their devices were gone. “Wait you can’t do that!” Takame shouted.

Atma ignored him and continued.

“Rule 2: All the 100 students present here would be divided into 50 different teams randomly. These teams will then be virtually transported to a new land, created solely for examination.”

A murmur spread through the crowd.

"A new land?”

“What does that mean?"

“Maybe some kind of isekai?”

“This might be fun.”

“Rule 3: This exam will last for 12 hours. Your performance will be judged based on the number of points you earn. The ten students with the highest points will pass. The rest will fail.”

“Only ten? That’s brutal!” And the happy crowd started panicking again.

“Rule 4: If any member of a team ‘dies’ during the exam, that team would be disqualified.”

The word "dies" sent a ripple of unease through everyone including me.

Vir: “Wh-what do they mean by ‘die’?”

“Yes we need an explanation.” The masses demanded.

But as usual Atma ignored them all.

“Rule 5: Points can be earned and used in various ways. Students must figure them out during the exam. Remember, points are everything.”’

‘This is so… vague” Meiroko muttered to me.

“Rule 6: Students cannot physically attack each other during the exams. If they do, then their team would get disqualified.”

Atma paused for a moment before delivering the final rule, its voice somehow even more serious than before.

“Rule 7: There are many unwritten rules. You must discover these through learning, practical knowledge, adaptability, and awareness during the examination.

“So best of luck.”

“Hey what unwritten rules?”

“This doesn’t make any sense.”

“This exam is bullshit.’

The students erupted into chaos.

Suddenly, shimmering numbers began to appear above each student’s head. I glanced around, catching glimpses of numbers like 5, 17, 42. Then I felt a strange warmth above my own head and looked up to see: Team 27.

CHAPTER 22 END