WELCOME AND GOODBYE
The morning of 3rd October was foggy and cloudy. It was probably the first cold week of autumn in Edinburgh. Thick Scottish fog has already started to screen over the landscape. Edinburgh Waverley station was mostly crowded.
Johnny rushes towards the train with a blank and bored look on his face. His hair is long and slightly messy, and he runs his finger through it very often. His outfit is particularly formal, consisting of an oddly looking pink funky suit with a retro touch in it that fits him well.
Johnny stepped inside one foot forward and one still on the metallic rail. He could almost feel something hold him back while he got on it.
He started to move slowly through the narrow aisle.
Carriage 5B.
The ceiling lights seemed to be flickering from time to time. But no one seemed to care. And it smelled faintly of something metallic, like the old keys left out in the rain.
Many other students were already seated. Everybody was doing their stuff, some of them nervous, some of them were not at all bothered by anything, and some of them didn't even know why they were here in the first place.
He started scanning rows for the right seat. He chose a window seat on the left side. a seat with a view, that's it.
He slid into the seat and tossed his duffel bag underneath his seat, and sighed out of pure exhaustion. He began searching for a companion to keep him awake throughout the entire ride. It's about a 2-hour ride to Elderfell from here.
All of a sudden, the front door of the carriage was opened with a hiss. A medium-sized, young black man suddenly steps in.
"Yo dude, is this seat taken?"
He asked gently.
Johnny was delighted to see someone his age.
"No, of course you are surely welcome to sit here."
"Oh thanks, dude."
He looked just like he had come out of Y2K magazine. His hair was parted down the middle, tightly braided into the strands, and his oversized windbreaker had a holographic shimmer. His baggy jeans were patched with graffiti. And his almond-shaped green eyes were flooded with confidence.
He sat down on the seat beside him. He popped his duffel bag into the overhead rack, then went back to his seat.
"...so what's your favourite dinosaur?"
Johnny asked him like it was the most accurate question to ask somebody he had just met.
He looked over, confused. "What?"
"Favourite dinosaur," Johnny repeated.
"Uhh… I don't know….maybe the long-necked one, I guess."
He replies with the most outlandish smile on his face.
"Oh, that is a great pick matter of fact, that's the one I would pick too. It seems that we both have great taste in them."
He chuckled, trying to catch up. "Was this some kind of pop quiz?"
Johnny shrugged. "Kind of".
"You see, I just wanted to know if you have some personality on you. Because I can't stand people without them, those are some boring ass people, even if you don't know anything particular about them, you'll at least try to describe it."
Johnny said with a freaky smirk on his face.
He just sat there trying to grasp what this guy had just said to him.
He was a little unhinged, but that didn't trigger his weirdo meter. His instinct said to laugh it off.
"Alright, man, whatever. Im Jason, by the way.Jason Young."
He introduced himself with a rather curious intent.
Hey, it's really nice to meet you, Jayson. My name is Johnny Ocean.
"So Johnny, are you going to the entrance exam as well?". Jayson asked Johnny to keep the conversation going.
Johnny's eyes lit up instantly. "Hell yeah…". He exclaimed.
"Cool man, but I wouldn't be that excited about it."
"And why is that..?" Johnny asked, absurdly curious.
"As you know, Fordox University is one of the most prestigious and hardest universities to get in. Even getting an exam invitation is obscurely rare. I mean, it's my second time attending this."
He paused for a second and continued, lowering his voice,
"The last time, I couldn't even get past round one. It's…more than just an 'examination'."
Johnny leaned in, his eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"So, how many rounds are there in total?"
"To get in, you have to at least score about 200 points across 5 total rounds, over 10,000 every year, and only less than 4% participants pass the exam."
"Beautiful!!!".
Johnny yelled with a ridiculous smile on his face.
"Are you deadass happy about that?"
"Well, I have never been in a challenge this hard in my life. Where tens of thousands of people from all around the fight their ass off to just get into a college. That's really interesting. Real pressure. Real stakes."
"But that also means you are gonna lose too."
Jayson replied.
"All my life, I have always been ahead. smarter, faster than anybody else, and I don't think I will lose."
"I wanna be tested, I wanna be defeated."
Johnny said it without moving a muscle on his face. His eyes were cold, not burning with passion but with clarity. At that moment, Jayson could feel the sinister and uncanny aura around him.
They didn't speak again for the rest of the ride.
Johnny just stared out the window with an eerie look on his face. And Jayson, on the other hand, leaning back, headphones in, music low.
The train screeched as it slowed, and the announcement went in a sterile voice:
"We are now approaching Elderfell. Please make sure you take all your belongings with you when you leave. Thank you for traveling with us today."
Everybody on the train was waiting for this moment. Their eyes were filled with a mix of tension, hope, and confidence. Some grabbed their bags a little tighter. Some quickly stood up to show dominance and fearlessness.
Meanwhile, both of them looked at each other with sheer composure. They both stood up slowly at the same time. They both knew this was the start of something big.