"Ziro… Ziro, are you there?"
"Hm…?"
"It's your mom. Wake up and come downstairs. Your dad's waiting too. Have breakfast first, then we'll head out for our trip to Sylhet."
"…Mom?"
Ziro's eyes snapped open.
Huh?
He sat up slowly, heart pounding.
Was all of that… a dream?
The black hole swallowing Earth.
The monsters.
The screams.
"…That was messed up," he muttered.
He exhaled deeply. Just a dream.
"Coming in two minutes, Mom," he called out.
He swung his legs off the bed. "Let's wash up first…"
Ziro walked toward the washroom and grabbed the handle.
"Hup—hup?!"
"What the—why is the door stuck all of a sudden?"
The world shattered.
In an instant, his surroundings changed.
Barren land.
Collapsed buildings.
Monsters charging from every direction.
The door in front of him—no longer a bathroom door—had become a massive steel gate.
"W-Where am I…?"
"Mom? Dad?!"
"What is this place?!"
A voice echoed sharply.
"Ziro! Get into the base now! Stop standing still and move!"
Ziro froze.
That voice… I've heard it before.
"Oy, hero!" another voice shouted. "Get in quick! Stop daydreaming!"
"…Shintaro?!"
Ziro's breathing went wild.
"Wait—wasn't this all a dream?!"
"No—no, no—!"
He slammed his fists against the gate.
"Open! Open the door! I'm still outside!"
"I don't want to die—please!"
—
SPLASH!
"HUFF—!"
Ziro jolted awake as cold water soaked his face.
"WHAT THE—?!"
Jamal stood over him, holding an empty bottle.
"You were screaming about opening doors, dumbass."
Riya crossed her arms. "What kind of nonsense were you dreaming about?"
Jamal grinned. "What? Someone steal your girl?"
Ziro gasped for breath.
"So… that really was a dream…"
Riya sighed. "Wake up properly and take a shower. Dinner's ready."
"Eat first," she added, "then we'll head out for the call."
"…Call?" Ziro asked.
Jamal explained, "While you were sleeping, we got a notification on our devices. We're supposed to go to a marked destination. Ayzo will take us."
"And apparently," he smirked, "the Sky City Mayor's gonna say something to the survivors."
"So let's eat and go."
Ziro nodded weakly. "O-Okay. You two go ahead. I'll come after washing up."
"Don't take forever," Riya said as she left. "Dinner's waiting."
"Yeah!" Jamal laughed. "Let's watch that series on the status bar. It's been going on forever."
At the dinner table, Riya spoke quietly.
"…Have you guys thought about what you'll do next?"
Jamal leaned back confidently.
"I dunno about you, but I'm applying to the Blue Tech Department."
"So many new things waiting for me there."
"Hehehe."
Riya narrowed her eyes. "Creep."
She turned to Ziro. "What about you?"
Ziro inhaled deeply.
"…Military, maybe."
"I don't know anything about this planet. I don't know how things work."
"But I want to get stronger."
"So I can protect people around me. And those who need help."
Riya raised an eyebrow.
"Did you even touch your device?"
"…My device?"
"Yes," she snapped.
"All information about this planet—laws, society, systems—everything is updated there."
"And Earth's status updates too."
She leaned closer.
"If you don't know anything, how do you plan to get strong?"
"And you wanna go straight to the military?"
"Who's gonna accept you like that?"
"…Uhh."
Jamal burst out laughing.
"Brain of a nut!"
"A brave hero saving the world, getting stronger—LOL!"
"Yeah, everyone's gonna cheer when you die in two seconds trying to save a mutated dog."
Ziro lowered his voice.
"…I'll check later. So please stop teasing me."
Ayzo's voice echoed calmly.
"Sir, please be ready. We will depart in fifteen minutes."
"Uhh… okay, Ayzo."
Jamal spun around.
"YO! Look at this, Ziro!"
"This outfit is sick!"
"It totally suits me!"
Ziro nodded. "Yeah… it's comfy. And the futuristic vibe is insane."
"And our devices can merge with the clothes too…"
Riya twirled slightly.
"Well? How do I look?"
She'd chosen blue.
"…You look gorgeous," both boys answered instantly.
She blushed.
Ayzo spoke.
"You all look nice, sirs. Please proceed to the destination—City Center."
"Yeah!" Jamal pumped his fist. "Let's go!"
At the front of the building—
"Please get inside, sir," Ayzo said.
Ziro frowned. "Inside? But we're already outside."
"No, sir. I meant inside the auto-car."
"…Huh?"
"Is this car invisible?"
"…Please wait, sir," Ayzo replied politely.
"And kindly stop questioning."
"System Delta—modification request accepted."
"Auto-car transformation initiated."
Mechanical sounds echoed as Ayzo's body reshaped.
Metal shifted.
Panels unfolded.
In seconds—
Ayzo became a car.
"…Get in, sir."
Ziro, Jamal, and Riya stared.
Their mouths nearly hit the ground.
It felt like they had lived their whole lives inside a well—
and someone had suddenly thrown them into the open sky.
As they rode—
"Please sit comfortably," Ayzo said.
"You may now observe Sky City Center ahead."
The massive structure dominated the skyline. Guards stood motionless at the entrance.
After identity confirmation, they entered.
Inside was impossibly large.
Ayzo explained, "This is void space technology. Interior dimensions exceed external limits."
They were guided to their seats.
Suddenly, the atmosphere changed.
Unknown figures entered the stage, surrounded by protectors—like a prime minister stepping into a chamber.
An elderly man with white eyes stepped forward.
"Hello, fellow survivors."
"I am Franklin, Mayor of Sky City."
"We welcome you to our home."
"I won't waste words. You already know what's happening. All essential information has been provided."
"But you're wondering—what next?"
"From this point onward, you are civilians of Sky City."
"You may live freely under our laws."
"Choose any profession—small shops, big corporations, guilds, military… or simply live as you did on Earth."
He paused.
"But first—you must complete one thing."
"Graduation."
The crowd erupted.
"HUH?!"
Franklin nodded calmly.
"Your current knowledge is insufficient for this world."
"If you want to beg, you still need education."
"What's the point of living here if you don't even understand common basics?"
"So—starting tomorrow…"
"You will attend the academy."
"Good luck, my people."
He left.
Silence followed.
The burden of the word academy hung in the air—
like someone saying study hard, get a good job.
Ziro whispered in despair.
"…So we're going back to elementary school?"
His voice cracked.
"NOOOOOOO!!!!!"
..
[ TO BE CONTINUED]