Many years ago, in the year 2035, the entire human race had been attacked by a different race. One that came from outside earth, coming to earth with the sole purpose of conquering and enslaving humanity.
Nuclear warheads, weapons, most of those things seemed too useless against this invading species.
Just when it seemed the human race would lose against these wretched fiends...
The appearance of strange superhuman abilities. Talents began to rise in humans, giving them the power to perform acts considered to be magic, to destroy and bend reality to their will.
And with this power, humans were finally able to stand their own against the wretched fiends.
With the presence of these abilities, the human race was able to fight the alien race to a stalemate, and in the end, both sides were forced into a shaky retreat, one that could shatter at any moment.
However, this war had brought upon the world the start of a new era.
One we called... The Era of Superhumans.
***
Thors thought, staring at the massive swirling portal of blue, twisting within the large metallic ring that had been erected on the ground.
It felt surreal, staring at a portal, but more unnerving still was the knowledge that past this wall of energy lay his future.
"Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet?"
Thors’ lips curled upwards slightly as he turned to the girl standing right next to him.
A beautiful woman, with long pink hair and a gorgeous face, one thing stood out most about her — her bold, unfaltering gaze.
She wore a dark hoodie, the same as him, with dark jeans and a pair of sneakers.
She was Estes, his supposed best friend.
Honestly, the bravest and most daring person Thors knew.
He considered her to be far more fearless than himself.
"Can’t believe we’re finally here. That’s all," Thors said, turning back to glance at the portal.
The portal that led to the Superhuman Academy, where all Superhumans at the age of seventeen attended to receive proper education, both in military activities in case another war were to rise someday, and in the current expanse of their world.
’It’s basically where Superhumans go in order to find out where they want to be in life — either joining a faction, the military, or just living out a normal, regular life with a paying job.’ Thors thought, his eyes focusing on a person who had just stepped out of the swirling expanse of blue.
A man dressed in a military uniform, a white cap on his clearly bald head, his face covered in scars.
"Entry into the portal will now begin. Step up to the podium and walk right into it. Whatever comes next will be explained upon entry into the academy."
The explanation was simple enough, and all the candidates present absorbed it.
Some even nodded, turning to their peers and repeating what the officer had just said, as though trying to sound wise themselves.
Thors simply sighed at the groups. It wasn’t even the start of the academy yet, and some students were already doing their best to stand out as important.
Estes yawned. "I’ll see you on the other side, then."
With that, she moved forward, approaching the massive, ethereal portal.
She neared it, paused, and then walked right in.
The portal was large — large enough to fit six people walking abreast at the same time — so the number of students in line was quickly shrinking.
Only when half the group had gone did Thors let out a sigh and move towards the portal.
With each step he took towards it, he felt heavier, his breathing, his eyes, everything weighed down.
To him, who was no one special to society at all, a nobody who barely had anything going for him...
Just left with nothing but the scars of the war’s aftermath. No parents, no importance, constantly looked down upon, no money to his name but the savings his parents had left him, which was now the source of his academy’s acceptance fee.
Getting admitted into the Superhuman Academy was his one and only opportunity to transform his life and prove something to himself.
Being born into nothing doesn’t mean one cannot rise to the level of kings.
With that, Thors took a step into the ethereal river of blue, letting it swallow his entire being.
At first, all he saw was an empty blue blinding light, yet somehow it did not harm his eyes.
He took a few more steps forward, curiosity building within him. Then, finally, everything snapped back into focus.
He was in a large room. The floor was made of an obsidian-like concrete, and above him stretched a white metallic ceiling, patched with square cubicles that shone bright white light down over the entire vicinity.
Around him stood four other candidates, all with their attention placed on the two military officers before them.
Thors also noticed where he stood, atop a small flight of stairs that led to a smaller, circular piece of machinery resembling the large blue portal he had just stepped through.
Except this one, strangely, held no portal within it.
’Did it disappear after dropping me here? And why are there only five of us?’
His questions did not go unanswered for long, as one of the military officers waved at Thors, gesturing for him to join the others.
He did, anxiety clearly looming in his mind as he approached the group.
Finally, the military officer — a woman in her mid-twenties, cleared her throat before speaking. "I am Kaely, your instructor for this test."
"Test?" one of the students repeated, scratching the back of his head.
The others were just as surprised, but none of them dared show it.
Kaely stretched out her left hand, and it immediately materialized a visible holographic screen like tablet formed from thin air.
"Yes, a test. All candidates have been split into groups of five, and each of you will be tested before entering the academy as a verified cadet."
With that, she fell silent and began scrolling through the tablet.
Her words, though, caused nothing but confusion in the minds of some of the cadets there.
’Wait, does that mean my acceptance fee means nothing if I don’t pass the test?’ Thors felt his stomach tie itself into a knot at the thought.
He could already imagine himself with a small plate on the streets back home, begging for credits.
He swallowed hard, dismissing those thoughts.
One of the cadets, a lady with long brown hair, decided to speak. "What is this test for? Is it just to weed out the weak and keep the strong?"
Kaely took her time to reply, still scrolling her tablet, then nodded a few times in succession.
"The test is to place a hierarchy within the academy’s year. The better you perform, the higher your probability of making it into the top ten Superhumans of the year," Kaely said, then turned to the other military woman beside her, gesturing for her to proceed.
The woman moved immediately, walking to the side of the room and placing her hand against the wall.
A soft whirring sound came from within it as the wall opened up, its panel sliding away to reveal a human-sized door leading out of the room.
"Follow me," Kaely commanded, and moved.
The students followed after her, Thors trailing at the back of the group, fists clenched, knowing —
This was it. The start of either his journey to the top, or just more surviving at the bottom, as he had done his entire life.