The sensation was no longer a mere twinge at the edge of my subconscious; it was now a kind of magnetic pull that tugged at the very center of my being. The sensation was a rhythmic, a pulsing thump that resonated to match the beat of my heart. It grew louder and more insistent with every step I took.
I moved with a sudden, frantic purpose. My tray of food, which was filled with a bunch of mysterious cafeteria slop and a piece of hard crusted bread, started to tilt dangerously as I began to navigate myself through the sea of students located near the middle of the cafeteria.
"Hey! Watch it!" a student barked at me as I accidentally shouldered past him.
I didn't turn back. It wasn't like I was in the situation to do so. The "Kin Locator" wasn't just an ability anymore, it was now a lifeline. I kept pushing my way through the cluster of chattering students, my stride meeting some opposition as I made my way through to the other end of the cafeteria.
"Rude much?" a girl that I had accidently brushed passed hissed at me.
I decided to ignore the curses and the angry stares directed at me. I just kept making my way through the crowd of students. What was a little social degradation compared to the moment of meeting someone stuck in the same situation as me? The "other worlder" attribute had described the both of us as kin that needed to stick together in order to survive what the world might throw at us. I had already seen what the world could throw at you. I had seen the masked figure. I had seen the trails of blood. I had also seen the so-called gate anomaly.
With every inch of space I covered, my breath began to run ragged. It was a bit bizarre; it felt as if I were about to meet a friend I had known for my entire life. And yet, I had never met this person a day in my life. My palms began to sweat against the plastic edges of my slop covered tray.
Finally, reaching the end of the cafeteria I could see rows of windows that overlooked the training grounds. I slowed down my steps before stopping completely, finally being able to catch my breath. There, stood a boy that looked to be around my age, and who was also the source of the constant magnetic feeling.
The boy looked remarkably... ordinary. He had short, messy brown hair that looked like he'd spent most of the morning ruffling it in frustration. His face was unassuming, the kind of face that could easily disappear in a crowd, much like my own. He wasn't a "golden-boy" like that Michael Valeheart I saw earlier, nor was he a striking but aggressive beauty like the girl who had cursed me out earlier.
He was just a guy. A normal typical guy you could find practically anywhere.
As I stepped into his immediate periphery, his head snapped immediately toward my direction. His eyes were of a plain deep brown which had now darted toward my dark grey eyes, his gaze locked into mine.
Neither of us spoke a word. The world around us seemed to have quieted down, the clatter of silverware and the constant chatter of hundreds of teenagers receded into a dull background noise. We stood there, two anomalies in a world that supposedly rejected our very existence. We stared at each other with a mixture of shock and recognition both visible on our faces.
The silence stretched, making the atmosphere awkward and heavy. My mind groaned in awkwardness, I was the one who had sought him out, so I suppose I should be the one to break the ice.
"Hey," I said. My voice sounding a little gruff, which lead to me coughing slightly to clear out my throat.
The boy blinked as if waking out of his thoughts. He took a long slow breath before giving me a short, upward nod.
"Yo." He responded.
Another brief pause. I shifted my weight to my other foot, the tray in my hands feeling heavier by the second. I felt like an idiot just standing there while staring at a stranger like he was a long-lost brother.
"Soooo... um." I gestured vaguely toward the empty cafeteria table behind me. "Why don't we sit down and have a little chat?"
The boy didn't answer immediately. He scanned my face one last time, before looking at the cafeteria table I was pointing at.
"Ok." He gave a slow, deliberate response before sitting down.
I slid into the bench opposite to him, placing my tray on the table with a soft clacking sound.
"I'm Noah," I started, trying to keep a state of composure, though my trembling fingers betrayed me. "Noah Wilson. At least, that's what everyone seems to call me in this world."
The boy leaned forward, resting both of his elbows on the table. The intensity in his eyes softened by just a fraction, replaced by some sort of wary curiosity. "Nice to meet you, Noah," he said. "I'm Mark."
Mark. A normal name. A name from home. Hearing it felt like I was hit with a splash of cold water.
Mark didn't waste any more time with the pleasantries. He quickly leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a level that ensured no eavesdropping students could hear us. "So," he whispered to me, "you must have the same attribute as me, huh? The 'Otherworlder' one, correct?"
I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "Seems like it," I said with a shrug, trying to play it off as if nothing. "My status window gave me the 'Kin Locator' skill, led me straight to you."
Mark exhaled a long, shaky breath, running a hand through his brown and already ruffled hair. He looked like he'd just been told he wasn't crazy. He took a moment to let the information settle, his eyes scanning the cafeteria before returning to me with a sudden, but sharp type of focus.
"So," Mark said, his tone turning convinced, almost expectant. "You must have read the novel as well."
I froze; The piece of stale bread I was about to take a bite of also freezing as it hung inches away from my mouth. "The... what?"
"The novel," Mark repeated, his brows furrowing. "I mean, how else would you end up here? It's the standard setup. You read the story, you die or pass out and then boom, transmigration. So, how far did you get? Did you finish the 'Great War' arc?"
I stared at him, my face turning completely blank. My brain, which had been racing, suddenly stopped. I thought back to my room, to my computer, to the flashing lights of Star-Fall: Protocol 0. I thought of every fantasy book I'd ever skimmed, every "isekai" manga I'd ever binged.
"Mark," I said calmly with my face showing no trace of emotion, "I have absolutely no fucking idea what novel you're talking about."
Mark's eyes quickly widened, to the point that I even thought his eyes would pop out of his sockets. "What? No. That's impossible. You're an Otherworlder. This is the world of the book!"
"I'm serious," I insisted, raising my voice slightly. "I was playing a sci-fi grand strategy game called Star-Fall: Protocol 0. I think I died, and then I woke up in a cage being hunted by a guy with a machete. I've been trying to find a link to any story I know, but none of it fits. The Shapers, the ranks, the anomalies... it's all new to me."
Mark let out a deep, agonizing sigh. He buried his face in his hands, looking as if he were about to cry. He stayed like that for several seconds, his shoulders shaking slightly. When he finally looked up, he looked as if his world came crashing down.
"Okay," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Okay, let me explain what I can... or what I can remember, at least."
I leaned in, my heart hammering. "What you can remember? Did you larp the story or something?"
Mark expression grimaced. "The situation has been very strange. Ever since I woke up here, it's like... it's like someone took a literal eraser to my brain. I know I read this. I know I spent months obsessed with it. But whenever I try to reach for specific details, villain's names, secret items, plot twists— it's just... a fog. It's like the person who transmigrated us wiped it off my memory to keep things 'interesting.'"
I frowned, thinking of my own situation. Could my memories have been wiped too? Rolling the idea through my head I came to a conclusion. No, that didn't feel right. I remembered my life. I remembered my game. I just genuinely didn't recognize this world.
"So, what do you know?" I asked worriedly.
Mark took a shaky breath before speaking. "We've been transmigrated into a novel called Light-Abyssal: Heroes' Ascension. And as you've probably guessed by now, the main character, the 'hope' of this world is, Micheal Valeheart."
The name hit me like a ton of bricks had just been placed above my head. Micheal Valeheart. The golden-blonde haired representative, the bastard with the red eyes. The same guy I had yawned to during the ceremony.
"He– he's the protagonist?" I said, my breath starting to quicken.
"The ultimate one," Mark said looking grim. " According to the novel, he's a once-in-a-century genius. He has the 'Humanity's Chosen Hero' attribute. He's supposed to lead humanity against the gate anomalies, and the demons, eventually making his way into Rank 10. But, the story might be brutal for people like us, Noah. A lot of people die, let alone us with the 'Other Wolder' attribute."
"So, what can we do?" I asked, my voice cracking ever so slightly.
Mark gave me a grim look. "I don't know. I don't remember any 'Noah Wilson' or 'Mark Adams' in the early chapters. We might just be extra's meant to die in the first act to show how high the stakes are. Or maybe our existence here has already changed things."
I thought back to the cage. To John. I was supposed to be in that building when it collapsed. Aston had said I was the only survivor. If I didn't have my "Whisperer" power to nudge that lock, or that machete... what would have become of me?
"The plot is happening around us," I realized aloud.
"Yeah," Mark said, his face already gone pale. "And if Micheal is the hero, we're just... the background noise. Unless we figure out why we're here. There's a reason the 'Otherworlder' attribute says we need to stay together. The world itself—the literal 'will' of this reality—doesn't want us here. We're glitches, Noah. And the gate creatures? The anomalies? They can sense us."
I opened my mouth to ask him about the "rank 10?" I had seen on the board, but before a single word could escape my mouth, a loud, jarring sound tore throughout the entire cafeteria.
RIIIIING!
The lunch bell had rung, signifying that the lunch period had ended.
The sea of students immediately began to surge toward the exits. The moment was shattered. The heavy, secret air between us evaporated as the mundane reality of "second period" came crashing back in.
Mark stood up quickly, his face returning to that unassuming, "background character" mask.
"We have to get going," he said, his voice showing a slight hint of urgency. "Combat Theory in the South Wing. If I'm late, the instructor will literally kill me or at least take me out of commission for the week."
"Wait!" I stood up, reaching out. "We need to talk more. Where are you staying?"
"Dorm block C, room 302," Mark said, already making his way into the sea of students. "Find me after the final period. And Noah?"
I paused. "Yeah?"
Mark looked at me with an expression that was suddenly very old, very tired, and very scared.
"Don't stand out. If the world notices us too much before we're ready... it'll send something a lot worse than that figure to come find us."
With that, he turned and vanished into the crowd of students.
I stood alone at the table, my untouched tray of food growing cold. I looked down at my hands. I was an Otherworlder. I was a "Whisperer." I was a glitch in a story I hadn't read, living in the shadow of a hero I didn't know.
I took a deep breath, tucked my schedule into my pocket, and began to walk. I didn't know the story of Light-Abyssal: Heroes' Ascension, but I knew one thing for certain.
I wasn't going to be the background noise that died in the first act.