Everyone blinked in disbelief as the blinding light faded. The classroom was gone. In its place stood a vast temple, if it could even be called that.
The floor shimmered like polished glass, and beyond the marble columns stretched open space, stars swirling in the void like living fireflies.
The angel from before stood before them, wings folded and expression calm, as though nothing about this scene was out of the ordinary.
"I'm pleased you all accepted the call," he said, his voice echoing softly through the vast chamber. "This will be a most… opportunous moment in your lives."
The students exchanged uncertain looks.
"Now," the angel continued, "if you look in your hands, you'll find an apple."
Dozens of heads dropped in unison. Each person now held a golden apple, smooth, radiant, and impossibly perfect. It gave off a faint glow that was both calming and strangely appetizing, as if it were whispering eat me into their minds.
Everyone marveled at it, everyone except one person.
Raka stared down at his apple, frowning. His wasn't golden. It was darker, bruised, and slightly shriveled. A faint whiff of rot hung in the air.
He raised his hand, waiting patiently as the angel continued to talk. After a few seconds of being ignored, he finally spoke.
"Uh, bird—uh, sir angel. Why's mine rotten?"
Every head turned toward him.
The angel's serene expression didn't falter, though his eyes flickered briefly to Raka's hand. "Ah. Unfortunately, we ran out of the regular apples. That one was the last. But don't fret, it's not the outside that matters. It's what's inside."
Raka's eye twitched. 'An angel ran out of apples?' He wanted to laugh, but instead, he just muttered under his breath, "Yeah, sure. Totally normal."
The angel continued, unbothered. "That apple, my children, is called the Origin Apple. It was created to draw out your true potential and awaken your deepest traits. Some of you will gain extraordinary gifts, perhaps even be reborn as other races. Dragons, elves, fairies… destiny will decide."
Gasps and excited murmurs filled the air.
Raka looked back at his decaying fruit. With his luck, he'd probably turn into a corpse.
"Now," the angel said, raising a hand, "consume the apple completely."
One by one, everyone obeyed. Golden light flared as students bit into their fruit, swallowing quickly as the divine glow surrounded them.
Raka hesitated. He stared at his apple. It looked like something that fell out of a compost heap. He sighed. "Screw it."
Just as he lifted it toward his mouth, he noticed the angel watching him, directly, unblinking, almost expectant.
'Creepy bastard,' Raka thought. Then, a mischievous grin tugged at his mouth. Wait… what if he can read minds?
He smirked to himself.
'Yeah, you heard me. Fuck you, fuck your mom, fuck your dad, fuck your whole bird family.'
The angel's face didn't move, but a thick vein appeared on his forehead.
Raka shrugged and bit into the apple. It was soft, bitter, and tasted worse than it looked. Grimacing, he stuffed the rest into his mouth, chewing through the rot until it was gone.
The moment he swallowed, the world tilted.
A blinding pulse of energy surged through him, and everything went dark.
When Raka opened his eyes, he wasn't in the temple anymore.
He was lying on a polished marble floor inside a gigantic golden hall. The walls were decorated with intricate carvings and bright banners that shimmered under the light of floating crystals.
Armored guards stood like statues near towering pillars, and several figures dressed in regal robes surrounded a long table at the center.
As Raka sat up, he noticed something strange, his classmates were there too, but they were… different. Taller. Stronger-looking. Each one radiated energy like they'd just walked out of a fantasy game character creation screen.
"What the hell…" Raka muttered, but his voice sounded a bit… off.
Before he could think too much, a tall woman approached the group. She was stunning, so much that the word beautiful didn't do her justice. Her long hair shimmered like silver thread, and her presence demanded attention.
"Greetings, young prodigies," she said with a soft, commanding tone. "It's a pleasure to welcome you all. You have been summoned for a great purpose."
She turned gracefully toward the throne at the end of the hall. "Before we begin, allow me to introduce His Majesty, the King of the Britarian Kingdom."
A massive man in royal attire stood from his seat. His armor gleamed gold, and his expression was stern.
"You may continue, Cynthia," he said in a low, powerful voice.
Cynthia bowed slightly, then faced the group again. "Our world faces peril. The beasts of the forests have turned violent, and the demons—" her tone hardened "—have begun breaking the barrier that seals them within their accursed realm."
She extended her arms dramatically. "We need you, the chosen heroes, to fight for our world."
Murmurs spread among the students. Raka tilted his head, unimpressed. Fight for their world? They were high school kids, not soldiers.
"Now," Cynthia continued, "I know this is overwhelming, but do not fear. You will all be trained, guided, and blessed with extraordinary power—"
"Uh, why is there a monkey here?" someone interrupted.
The room fell silent. Heads turned.
Raka blinked. "A monkey? Where?"
Everyone was staring directly at him.
He looked down. His heart froze. His hands—no, paws—were covered in thick brown fur. His arms were shorter, his body smaller. He lifted his hand to his face and felt a snout.
"I'm the monkey!?" he tried to shout.
"Uw uuuu Uu kuuu kuu kuu"
But all that came out was a series of loud, panicked screeches.
"Guards!" one of the nobles yelled. "Remove that creature! The hero's magic must have failed, it's turned into a beast!"
One of the armored guards lunged forward, spear in hand. Raka's instincts kicked in. With a terrified yell, well, screech, he ducked, darted between the man's legs, and bolted toward the nearest window.
He didn't know how, but his body moved fast, too fast. He jumped, crashed through the window, and landed on a grassy slope outside the castle wall.
He stood up, breathing heavily, looking down at his small, furry hands again. The air was warm, the sky impossibly blue, and far beyond the castle gates stretched a vast forest.
"Well… this sucks," he muttered, or tried to. What came out was another loud monkey shriek.
He sighed, shoulders slumping, and looked toward the woods.
"Guess I'm not getting that GTA copy after all."
Then he turned and ran, disappearing into the forest before anyone could catch him.
[Those monkey sounds am I right, lol]