INVASION: Wildest Game

Ch, 6: The Trio

Alexa's POV

I can barely breathe as we inch closer to the door. The crowd surges forward, people unaware they're shoving others ahead, forcing us to press against each other— awkward, stifling.

Curiosity and nerves drive them to act more recklessly.

Thankfully, I'm surrounded by girls, but I can't help but notice some guys taking advantage of the chaos. I know how men can be — no situation is ever truly innocent.

The pressure is suffocating. Just as I feel I can't bear it any longer, the transportation door slides open. The girl beside me darts inside, seizing the chance to escape the crush. I follow close behind, slipping through before anyone else can claim the spot.

The room is dim with quiet intensity, bathed in shadows. Thin lines of light crisscross the black walls, casting geometric patterns, while two round platform of soft yellow light on the floor, casting faint silhouettes of our faces. The yellow stripes on our suits flicker faintly as they interact with the dark environment.

I'm not one for technology, nature is more of my world, someone who prefers sunlight and open spaces, but I can't even deny the beauty here. There's something captivating about how the darkness frames the light, how it turns the ordinary into something almost otherworldly.

The first girl to enter the room looks about my age. Without hesitation, she steps onto the transportation ring, and I instinctively follow suit.

I glance at her, my expression unreadable as I take in her appearance from head to toe. When our eyes meet, I offer a genuine smile—an attempt to reassure her. She must be just as confused as I am. But unlike her, I understand the danger of our situation, and a little encouragement can go a long way.

Unfortunately, showing kindness doesn't seem work for some people.

The moment I smile, her expression twists into something unsettling. Her gaze darkens, sharp and threatening. She clenches her fists, as if barely restraining the urge to strike me.

Did I offend her? I have no idea. But one thing's certain, I did nothing wrong.

She shifts, stepping off the ring as if to approach me. But before she can, a brilliant light flares up around her, encasing her in a protective barrier.

She paused because this must be how the transportation ring works and realizing that interrupting it might be bad for her.

I glance down and realize the same thing is happening to the platform I'm stepping on. And I am glad she thought of stopping because she might have hurt me, otherwise.

Not long enough, I suddenly feel a sensation of weightlessness come over me as a flash of light rose from the transportation ring beneath my feet.

Before I can react, I'm lifted off the ground, suspended in a glowing void.

Surrounded by light, I found myself floating in a way I couldn't quite comprehend. Within moments, I began to spin without my control. It felt as though my entire body was gently rotating, in a smooth and comfortable speed, almost pleasant.

lasting only a few fleeting seconds before I begin to drift downward again.

I glanced beneath me and a grass bed appeared.

I tried familiarizing the surroundings to where I got transported but the light blurs everything, distorting my vision, but I catch glimpses of trees, patches of green in a distance.

It's a forest.

Ever watched the Superbook cartoon animation? Every time the bible takes them and drops them in the past era? That's it!

I now realize why it's called a transportation ring. It can transport us through some kind of teleportation. I can't help but wonder what else they're capable of that seems impossible. Time travel? That's possible at this point!

As the light from the ring vanished, it was also the moment I fully landed on the grassy bed. It was like a scene straight out of a fairy tale movie.

I take a slow, steady breath and scan my surroundings. A grassy clearing stretches out before me, bordered by towering trees. Just beyond, the dense woods wait, silent and mysterious.

I'm not sure where I am, but I know I need to find someone soon before I lose my mind.

However, I wonder where the transportation ring brought the girl earlier. We departed at the same time but it seems like she ended up somewhere else because she's not here.

Maybe it's a good thing for me?

Taking her off my head, I look around, hoping to see anyone because I can't handle this all by myself!

But gladly, upon looking around, I see two people, wearing the same outfit as mine, and even from behind them, I can tell they're a couple. There's no romantic display, but something about their closeness gives it away.

They're standing near the woods, their backs turned to me. I don't recognize them from this angle, but they're my best shot at finding company.

I move toward them cautiously, careful not to make a loud, distracting sound. The dense trees and tangled undergrowth remind me that this could be a forest. Either way, I don't want to risk drawing attention. Who knows what kind of wild creatures might be lurking, waiting for the perfect moment to strike?

As I approached, the woman's figure became increasingly familiar—the long, dark brown hair, her tall stance, and that unmistakable silhouette. Their conversation grew clearer with each step.

"I hope they have some sort of bathroom and toilet prepared around here," the woman remarked. "Most importantly, a source of water like a lake or river."

A man's voice, equally familiar, responded, "You're looking for water to drink, right?"

"No, I just have to practice my swimming skills, I have a tournament next week!" she replied, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"This is not the time for that! We don't even know where we are or what's happening! We need to find clean water to survive!"

"This place is so big and full of life! It means there's water everywhere! We just need to find another water source for drinking—"

Unable to contain myself any longer, I stepped forward and interrupted, "Cassandra?"

The moment she turned to me, my breath hitched. My vision blurred as tears welled up, stinging my eyes. I thought I would never see anyone I know again, most especially her!

I had been trying to smile, to motivate myself, to cheer myself up, and to distract my mind to detour my reality.

A sob tore from my throat as I rushed toward her. My best friend. My anchor. The one person I knew I could rely on.

Once I arrived at her, she didn't hesitate— she pulled me into a tight embrace, her warmth pressing against the cold loneliness that had been weighing on me for what felt like an eternity.

She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, her voice soft but knowing. "It's okay," she murmured, her eyes searching mine. "You've learned something from all of this, haven't you? I can see it on your face."

A shaky breath escaped me.

She always saw through me.

She knows every little thing about me. She understands me better than anyone. She always manage to find clues about my thoughts by just glancing at my face.

I nodded, my shoulders trembling as more tears spilled over. I couldn't even find the words. But she understood, she always did.

Cassandra gave me a small, reassuring smile and took my hand. "Come here," she said, her voice a quiet promise. "Let's talk about it," and then it calmed me down.

It feels safe to tell her everything I've learned. Still, Cassandra is the calmest person I've ever met, even in the face of disaster. She never loses her composure. I hope I could borrow much from her.

We sit beneath a tree, and I take a deep breath before speaking.

"I met Mr. De Vera," I begin. "He's one of the captives. He actually met the entity responsible for the crash. He told me the cosmos has been at war for a long time now. The entity was part of it, wounded on the run. He escaped here to Earth to warn us, but by the time he arrived... it was already too late."

Cassandra listens intently, her expression unreadable as I continue.

"The Galactic Federation took us to be their army representative," I say, my voice dropping. "They locked us up while they were preparing the training grounds... which, I'm guessing, is this massive jungle. We're going to be trained here, and from what I understand, it won't be anything conventional." I pause, the weight of it sinking in. "The alien died before he could tell us everything we needed to know."

She exhales sharply. "How did they choose who to train? Are all the humans here?"

I shake my head. "They only took the ones who could resist the mind chip manipulation in our brains. Definitely, people like us. I don't know how long they've been doing this, or how they even managed it, but not everyone is here. They left behind the ones still under their control." I glance at her, my voice grim. "Mr. De Vera said that once the training begins, they'll free those people and stop the manipulation—because now, they have us."

"So, basically, when they did Earth a favor twenty years ago, it wasn't out of kindness. It was all part of a plan. They never cared about us. We were never anything more than mere subjects to them." Cassandra's voice is sharp with realization. "And I didn't fall under their control either. Maybe that's why I was drawn to you—because we were both free from their influence. We sensed something was wrong when no one else could."

I nod, her words settling in my chest like a heavy stone.

"I just hope the Galactic Federation has a damn good explanation for this," I say, frustration creeping into my voice. "Think about it—becoming a police officer, a soldier, or an army officer takes rigorous training, meeting endless high-standard qualifications. And yet, we—a bunch of inexperienced college students—are supposed to fight against the universe?" I let out a bitter laugh. "Hell, I can't even stand up to a group of bullies in one university, and now I'm expected to survive this?" My voice rises as my patience wearing thin.

They better start explaining things soon, or my head is going to explode!

Cassandra sighs, shaking her head. "But seriously, I thought there was just a plague that they quarantined us. Until I found out it was worse than that. A plague in this era would only take a week to cure, than a raging war that exists centuries now is a whole different nightmare," Cassandra said.

Before I can respond, a sudden flicker in the air catches our attention.

A massive holographic screen appears before us, its glow illuminating the darkened sky.

"Welcome, Earth-inhabitants..."