Caren sat on the edge of his bed.
He had gained some information about the Water Core.
Not much, but enough.
What if he didn’t want to go?
Couldn’t he choose?
Well, he would find out later.
Caren looked around his room.
His last time being here.
Only one hour was left until the Water Core.
But was he ready?
Why wouldn’t those whispers stop?
Why wouldn’t they shut up?
Caren looked up.
Someone was standing there.
It was blurry and barely visible.
It had no face.
Its voice was feminine, and it kept telling Caren to kill.
To kill anyone he could.
“Kill her.
Atrin is weak, so kill her.”
“Can you please shut your mouth?”
“Kill Nero.
He is too careless.”
Caren turned toward the wall and slammed his head against it.
Then he stepped back and put his hand on his head.
He wasn’t injured, but the wall had cracked slightly.
“Kill.”
Caren clenched his teeth.
“Shut up, shut up, shut up.”
The invisible creature giggled.
“Are you still mad at me for taking your first time?”
“Huh?
My first time?
What do you mean?”
Caren lay on the bed and closed his eyes.
“Want to sleep?
But you haven’t killed a single person.
How cruel you are!”
He opened a door and entered a large hall.
It was full of Upside Downers waiting for the Water Core to start.
They were all ready.
Except Caren.
He wasn’t sure what would happen or how the Water Core would start.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and Caren turned around.
Ren was there, with a smile on her face.
She was wearing her usual outfit, a black T-shirt and jeans.
“How do I look?”
Caren raised his eyebrows, not expecting that.
“Why should I answer?”
Rey narrowed her eyes.
“Come on…”
Rey smirked.
“One point for you.
Don’t lose to Nero, okay?”
Caren stared at her.
Losing what?
Caren’s eyes widened when he saw the girl walking toward him.
“Atrin?…”
She was wearing a long red evening dress made of satin.
Its V-neckline revealed a small part of her collarbone, while the fitted skirt fell gracefully to her ankles.
Her scarlet eyes were shining.
She stopped and looked at Caren.
“Hello.”
Caren stared at her.
“H…
hello.”
Rey immediately left, leaving them alone.
“Well, why are you wearing this kind of clothes?”
Atrin looked confused.
“What do you mean?
Everyone is wearing these kinds of clothes.”
Caren looked around.
She was right.
Then he looked at his own clothes, a black T-shirt and baggy pants.
“These clothes suit you, by the way.”
Then he blushed slightly at what he had said.
“Thanks, I guess.”
Suddenly, the door opened with a loud noise, making everyone silent.
Everyone stared at the person who entered.
Caren followed their gaze.
There she was.
Black hair and light brown eyes, with a calm expression.
The strongest among the new Upside Downers.
A member of Team One.
The Goddess from Heaven was there.
Everyone could see her charisma.
The smile on her face, her sharp look.
The goddess walked up the stairs and took her place behind the mic.
“Hello, everyone.
I’m The Goddess from Heaven.
Nice to meet you.”
Her voice was determined, as if she was telling everyone that she was the best one there.
“I want to congratulate you on this memorable day.
You will try your first Water Core.”
She paused for a second and then added.
“Sure, it’s an important day in your life.
But you don’t need to worry.
We have each other.
I’m not the leader of Team One, but me and all the members of Team One just want to help you survive, grow, and reach higher places in life.”
She cleared her throat and continued.
And we deserve an easy life more than them.”
She waited for her words to sink in, then continued.
“We are stronger, we are faster, we are smarter.
We are just better.
And the important part is, we are gifted.
Gifted with this treasure, Upside Down.
We can do insane things.
We are almost gods.
So don’t worry, I won’t let anyone die.
We will find the Water Formula together and get our new abilities.”
Blue sparks appeared around her hand.
After a few seconds, something appeared in her hand.
A blue cube, shining and beautiful.
It was like a piece of a river.
So calm and cold.
When Caren saw it, he felt a little nervous, like it was the effect of the Water Core.
The Goddess from Heaven continued.
“This is a Water Core.
It is beautiful, isn’t it?
This is the duty assigned to me, to use it to lead us to our destination, a place that makes us stronger, elevates our status, and most importantly, makes us greater than before.
I’m sure even the weakest teams will emerge victorious from this decisive test.
And afterward, we can all celebrate with a feast in its honor.”
She licked her lips.
“It’s time.
Let’s start this journey.”
Caren looked at Atrin.
Then he looked at that fucking creature in front of him.
“Kill her.
Kill The Goddess from Heaven.”
Caren frowned.
Yeah, he disagreed that they were better than other humans, and The Goddess from Heaven didn’t think like him.
But that didn’t make Caren want to kill her.
“Not now.
Go to hell, you fucking invisible bastard.”
Tiny cracks formed on the surface of the Water Core.
A blue light seeped through them, and the core burst into a brilliant flash.
But it didn’t hurt the eyes.
On the contrary, it was calming.
Caren’s vision grew heavy.
His eyes began to close.
A few people around him dropped to the ground.
Finally, his eyelids lost their strength and shut completely.
He fell to the floor.
He saw something, a smiling face?
No, it was a flower, a red rose.
Flowers couldn’t smile, but…
Caren just felt that it was smiling at him.
And then Caren blacked out.