Red lights began flashing all throughout the interior of the plane.
Everyone was screaming. The crash was inevitable.
Shit, shit, am I really going to die like this?
As the plane plummeted, a magical shield enveloped the aircraft.
Huh? A magical barrier? Oh! Right, the new models have that protective shield.
Vicxen felt a bit reassured. After all, it was his only chance of survival.
Amid the chaos, a man spoke up, raising his voice.
"Silence, everyone. Please calm down. This plane is equipped with a magical shield as an emergency protective measure"
People began to calm down, at least a little.
"Ah! That's true."
"We might have a chance."
"But does that really guarantee our survival…"
The passengers did not even finish their sentences when the plane struck the ground.
From the impact, Vicxen lost consciousness.
***
About a century ago, a wave of mana emerged from space and flooded the Earth, causing mutations in plants and animals and giving birth to horrifying creatures.
These mana creatures were powerful and intelligent enough to destroy nations and entire continents, leaving the human race on the brink of extinction.
Because of this, some humans began to adapt to mana, becoming Awakened. Thanks to them, humanity was able to stand up to these creatures.
Later, 13 countries came into existence, along with groups of Awakened known as guilds, and finally an association bringing together all the guilds and Awakened of the 13 countries, called the International Association of Protectors.
Within these countries, peace reigned, while outside lay the red zones.
But at some point, creatures were no longer humanity's only enemies. Some Awakened began using their powers however they wished, ignoring the consequences.
That is why academies were created, to guide young Awakened onto a righteous and just path.
They also invented a machine capable of measuring an individual's magical power, after which they would be ranked from F up to Legendary rank.
***
"Hey, wake up."
Vicxen heard a distant voice telling him to wake up.
Who is it?
"Wake up!"
Vicxen jolted awake. Standing in front of him was Melcy.
"Melcy? What happened?"
She held out her hand.
"Let's get out of here first."
"Ah, okay."
I remember the plane was about to crash.
When he left the wreckage of the plane, outside were panicked people, desperate screams, the injured, and above all, dead bodies.
"What? There are dead people?"
"Yes. The pilots and flight attendants are all dead. Among the passengers, it was mostly the very elderly who died on impact."
Hearing this, Vicxen felt an intense pain shoot through his head, and his vision began to blur.
"Aaaaarg…"
He held his head and dropped to his knees from the pain.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm okay now. I think it's pain from the impact. I need to rest."
The girl raised her eyebrows.
"Ah! Okay, then come here."
Melcy led him to the trunk of a tree. Vicxen lay down, covering his face with his arm, trying to calm the pain in his head.
The desperate cries and panicked screams grew louder. Vicxen tried to ignore them, but the more he tried, the more his head hurt.
Then he began to hear murmurs. He couldn't make them out clearly, but he felt himself losing consciousness.
I can't take this anymore.
He was about to close his eyes and give up when suddenly—
[Your system is locked]
Strangely, his pain began to fade.
Damn it, what is this bluish window, and why is it locked?
"Hey, are you okay now?"
It was Melcy walking toward him, looking panicked and serious.
"Yeah, I'm better than before."
Fuck, my trip that I'd been preparing for months just went completely off the rails.
Melcy sat down beside him. She smiled.
"Life really is full of surprises, isn't it?"
Vicxen looked at her, then rolled his eyes up toward the twilight sky.
"Yeah. It's 100% unpredictable."
To think that less than three hours ago, I was telling myself that tonight I'd be in Orianie. Tch.
"May I have your attention, please."
It was a bearded man with a scar on his forehead.
Everyone turned their heads in his direction.
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Dorian Falck, an E-rank Awakened and a former member of the Thunder guild."
He checked to make sure everyone was looking at him.
"My three men and I tried to send out a radio signal, but unfortunately it didn't work. And as you can see on your phones, there's no network here."
Out of reflex, Vicxen checked his phone, and just like the bearded man had said, there was no signal.
"Which means we'll probably be spending the night here."
People started panicking again.A woman grabbed her hair, a man became angry, a woman cried while holding a wounded man in her arms.
"That's why every bit of help will be valuable, and we should act together. To start with, let's prepare for the night."
"When will reinforcements arrive?"
A man's voice rose from the crowd.
"In my opinion, they should arrive tomorrow, but to be honest, it's uncertain."
Murmurs and panic spread among the people.
"Okay, let's start getting ready for the night. The bodies will be placed over there."
He pointed toward the trees behind the plane.
"And for the injured, if there's anyone who can take care of them, we'd really appreciate it."
Three women volunteered to help the injured, along with one man.
"And above all, if something isn't right, don't hesitate to speak up. For now, you need to decide where you'll spend the night, and also don't wander too far."
A woman raised her hand.
"Do you know where we are right now?"
Everyone fell silent, because they wanted to know too.
"Are we in Orianie?"
The bearded man hesitated for a moment.
Vicxen looked at the trees around him.
What's with that hesitation? Don't tell me that…
"Huh? Vicxen, did you understand something?"
Melcy asked, noticing Vicxen's wide eyes.
Dorian sighed.
"According to the last location transmitted by the plane, we're in the red zone."