Invitation

Neo was in a large hall with a wooden stage, several chairs and tables. There was an elegant decoration with red colors. He was talking to a brown-haired girl in a white-green uniform and a dark-haired boy in a more colorful outfit, a blouse with shades of yellow, red, orange, and various other colors.

The girl's uniform caught Neo's attention. It had the symbol of a tree and the name "Futura", one of the four big schools in the city. Both were shorter than he was, but the girl was taller than the boy.

It was difficult to hear what they were saying, or even to hear himself over the noise of other conversations. Suddenly everything went dark. The initial shock quickly dissipated as he thought it might be a power outage. But strangely, in the distance, a light from another room was still on.

From that room, a faceless dark figure slowly entered the hall, pulled out a revolver, and began shooting at the people present. The previously dark place was now illuminated by flashes of light. Neo's first impulse was to look for the two people he had been talking to; he had to protect them. But they were gone. He searched the crowd, but the place was chaotic, with people trying to escape as quickly as possible.

The sounds of gunfire and screams painted a picture of true horror. The faceless figure continued to kill anyone in his path. One by one, people died and the smell of blood grew stronger.

Filled with fear, Neo ran as fast as he could towards the exit, passing an empty reception area. When he reached the street, he looked back to make sure he was safe. But as he looked at the building he had just left, he saw the faceless figure emerge from the same place he had left, a double door with the symbol of a golden lion on it.

He ran even faster, his heart pounding, and his pursuer was right behind him, relentless. Neo tried to shout for help as he ran, but no one seemed to take the boy seriously. No one was willing to help him; their looks were filled with confusion or even mockery. He begged for someone to call the police, but it was all in vain.

The mysterious figure grabbed his shoulder. Fear paralyzed his limbs. Neo tried to scream, but just as his voice was about to break, the blade of a Japanese sword pierced his throat.

Neo awoke, trying to scream, sweating and gasping for breath. He looked around, unsure of where he was. He saw that he was in another room, looking down from a high place. He slowly remembered that he was in the dormitory.

Still in shock, he searched his mind for ways to calm down. He held his necklace as he sang parts of a song.

"As long as there's a little light, you must follow it

If it doesn't exist, I'll be your light, your shelter

I'll make you happy, don't be afraid, don't hesitate

In the darkest shadows I'll be with you, no matter what the weather".

In his mind, he imagined Saya singing; it was the same song. Now that he was calm, he could...

"KNOCK KNOCK!"

Two loud knocks startled him and made him jump out of bed. He heard the sound of paper being passed under the door. After nearly having a heart attack, he decided to go down and see what it was. The room was quite comfortable, with a bunk bed he had just climbed down from, two closets, a small sofa, two desks against the window, a table in the middle, a rug, and some cupboards to store things, and finally a bathroom.

He approached the door and the envelope with trepidation. What could it be? From a distance he could see his name on one of them. Was it a death threat?

Holding the envelopes in his hands, he noticed that there was not one, but two, and the other one had another boy's name on it. He felt relieved, thinking that whoever left those envelopes wasn't specifically after him.

"Len Moonstrider," what kind of person would Len Moonstrider be? Neo thought he would meet him when he opened the door the day before, but was surprised to find the room empty.

He left the envelope with Len's name on the table and opened the one addressed to him. Inside was a piece of paper with a slightly thicker texture than the envelope. The colors were dark with golden details, very pleasing to the eye. It read:

"The school board is pleased to invite the students of Hoshi School to a welcome party. It's just a fun event to encourage new friendships among the new students. Come and join the couples dance, and the winners will receive a special prize.

Next Saturday from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Dress: Formal

We look forward to everyone's attendance. Sincerely, the administration."

The first thing he thought about was the clothes Karine had left with him. As far as he could remember, he didn't have any formal clothes, but at least there were many nice and different outfits.

Neo decided to take a shower, change out of his pajamas and take a walk around the city. He still had to find a job, and staying locked in his room would not help him get one.

The boy talked to the owners of various establishments, especially those with signs at the entrance indicating that they needed help. However, since he was a student, many of them wouldn't even consider interviewing him. Time was one of the problems, as he was in school most of the time. Most of the available positions required a full-time commitment.

Some owners asked if he had any work experience or references from previous jobs. However, Neo had no memory, so he couldn't be sure if he had ever done anything like this before.

The boy was frustrated by this paradox, where he needed experience to get a job, and to get experience he had to work. It would be easier if these places just said they didn't want anyone; it would be less complicated.

His last attempt was to talk to a woman who owned a pharmacy. She was open to the idea of hiring him as a cashier. She began to explain how things worked in the pharmacy and what his duties would be. Neo began to feel hopeful.

From a distance, however, he had the strange feeling that he was being watched. In one of the nearby alleys, a hooded figure was looking at him. He had to break off the conversation. He walked away to see if the person would follow him, and to his surprise, they walked in the same direction as him.

Must be a coincidence, he thought.

He quickened his pace, and the follower did the same. Neo started to sweat, thinking it could be the same person from his nightmare.

He started running, not looking back, already thinking about his next move to avoid death. He weaved through several people on the street, but when he looked back to see if he had shaken off the pursuer...

As he looked ahead, he saw two boys coming out of a flower shop carrying boxes that looked heavy. But he was running so fast that he couldn't avoid colliding head-on with one of them and falling to the ground.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!"

The voice was familiar.

"Wait a minute, Neo?" another voice asked.