A small room filled with nothing but notebooks and art, and these figurines won't just bore me no matter how long I look. My homework just keep piling up. Damn, my schedule's getting worse day by day.

As I pick up my bag, the sound of the band keeps on distracting the hell out of me. There is a festival outside my doorsteps, yet I have to endure the noise to attend my university classes.

It is somehow surprising that this apartment has been standing for over 40 years, as the landlady said. My room is located at the fourth floor, a reason to discipline myself from doing useless walks and focus only on studying.

Going down the stairs, I saw a fellow tenant living next room, Ms. Sline. We have known each other since I moved here two years ago. I took my breath slowly and waved my hand to say hello.

"Good morning, Zack! What's the rush?" she happily asked the question while holding a pile of books in her hand.

I guess I forgot to introduce myself. I am Zack Araiz, and this is how I live my life, alone.

For starters, Ms. Sline is a professor in Hail University. It is known as one of the greatest institutions in fields of science and technology. With that, Ms. Sline has the reputation of being a strict and perfectionist teacher, but my eyes says otherwise.

"Good morning, Ms. Sline." I replied, looking at my steps.

Both of us started walking, matching our pace for a conversation.

"I wanted to finish that homework you sent us yesterday, but the band is so loud, I can't even think straight."

She smirked. I'm pretty sure she knows I get distracted easily.

"Oh dear, I am very sure you hated every second of it." she laughed and raised her hands, placing it above my shoulders. She smiled while asking, "Want to walk together to school?"

She is the closest person I can call my mother. Of course, I couldn't say no. Plus, there's nothing to do anyway. I don't have to go to a game store to buy the new releases from last week. Studies really take away your time.

I nodded my head. Looking at her, she seems to radiate an aura of happiness in her smile. "What could go wrong?" is what you would think right now.

We stepped outside the apartment to see the bustling streets of Ballad. As we walk, we found ourselves far from the sound of the band. This city is a large place, and public events tend to cover every corners of this community.

"Ms. Sline! Zack!" a familiar voice was heard from our back.

"Oh, Cleonne!" Ms. Sline surprisingly said.

I felt myself smile, seeing my bestfriend running towards us. Cleonne Naviss, one of the top students in all of Hail University. A fit and healthy person, above average in sports and academics, he is also the president of the university council leading the whole student body. Two years ago, entering the school for the first time was a bliss for I prefer to be alone with myself, but this person just ruined it. Not that I hated it anyway.

"What's up, Cleonne." I went to Cleonne and made a fist bump.

"'Sup Zack!" he leaned closer to my ear and whispered, "Give me your answers later!"

Ah, yes. His answers in our homework always came from me, and what I'm impressed is he managed to take over two whole years without having any issues. Maybe he's good at words. He got the looks, and he's friendly. I can't be like him. I will never be like him. But, he's a good friend is all I can say.

"Alright, alright. Don't tell anyone okay?" I whispered back.

He winked as we continued moving.

Thirty minutes after, we finally arrived at the university. The chattering of the students induces calmness in your mind. This is the only noise I can accept. A place full of knowledge is a place that keeps me in check.

Ms. Sline skimmed through her things before waving us goodbye.

"You two go on ahead. Make sure you enter your classes safely okay? I'll check the office first."

Cleonne and I waved at her and walked on the first floor of the Science Building. There, we entered our room and took our seats. The class is nearly filled with students. Friends keep on talking to each other with the stories they had yesterday.

I brought out my notes and gave it to Cleonne beside me. "Thanks, buddy! I'll be sure to bring it back before class starts."

Hmm, he never changes. I do wish he develop his study habits, but something feels satisfying whenever he asks for my help. It always feels good whenever I am needed.

Classes are yet to start, so I stood up and scanned the books from the bookshelves at the back of the room. It ranged from topics on History of Science, 65 Inventions on Societal Development, How To Create A Working Program, and more on. There was just this one book that I failed to recognize. It is colored in yellow and red, whereas the others in brown. It stood there in plain sight, how has anyone failed to notice this? I held it in my hand, and read the title. It is written in unfamiliar characters, maybe something that looks like Greek or Latin words? This is very strange. Somehow, I can't get the feeling right. My brain recognizes these as familiar words. In one blink of an eye,

F**C*IO* O* **AP*N *AS**R*

I lost my grip and the book fell out of my hands. Cleonne was shocked. "Oi, Zack! Are you okay?! What happened?" I can't tell Cleonne. He won't understand. The letters changed right in front of my eyes. It is as if the book was not a book, that it was a device.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine Cleonne, don't worry." I weakly replied.

"I was worried. You were just standing out there flat for a few minutes! What are you doing?"

Huh? Was I? I wasn't daydreaming about what happened, I know I did it for real.

I went to my seat and took a deep breath. The book wasn't there. It's not on the floor, not even at the shelf. Maybe someone took it? But I'll notice it if someone picked it up. Should I tell it to Cleonne then?

A few hours have passed by, and it was time for lunch. The whole time, I was thinking about what happened. Cleonne looked by as he was taking out his wallet. He asked if I was okay as I look pale. Possibly, I was thinking too much. Still, I feel lazy leaving the room.

"Cleonne, can you get me a lunch? I'll pay you.", to which he replied, "No worries, buddy. I'll be back soon."

He then left out of the room. Out of boredom, I fell asleep.

Zack...

They're coming...

You have to run...

I woke up from an obvious dream. I heard a feminine voice, and it felt so real. I stretched and lifted my seat beside the window. I gazed upon the view outside the room.

Feeling that it might be another trick of my eyes, I saw an orb slowly floating above the blue sky. It is as clear as a crystal, but with slight edges from all of its sides. Suddenly, a blinding light flashed in front of my eyes. I had to close them, and when I opened it, all I can see is an afterimage printed, hovering at my sense of sight.

Sharp sounds of glasses breaking disturbed me, together with the varied screams of the people. It is a battlefield out there. Something must have exploded. It must be that stupid orb.

It took me a few minutes to see so well again. I have to go to the cafeteria. Cleonne is there. Ms. Sline must be there as well. She usually buys her lunch because she doesn't know how to cook.

I ran outside the room only to see students still running around and screaming. Those explosions seem to occur not just inside the school premises, but to the city as well.

I jumped from trees to trees, avoiding myself from going near the buildings. My knees are shaky. I didn't have lunch yet.

BOOM!

As I was nearing the cafeteria, it exploded right in front of my eyes.

"ZACK!"

I heard rushing footsteps behind me. I felt relieved hearing her voice, Ms. Sline's voice. That is why my heart was shattered to pieces when I saw her vanish into thin air. She turned into a blue mist, unexplainable by common sense.

NO! WHY?!

The thick volume of high-pitched voices started to weaken out. Their screams of agony were halted in the middle for unknown reasons.

All I wanted was to scream but words would not come out of my mouth. I wanted to stand up but I have no energy to do so. All I can do is to move my head sideways, and look at the cafeteria - ruined to pieces.

Among the rubble, a hand sticked out, the person's body flattened out by the debris. Blood showed up like a paint flowing out from its bucket. Tears slowly made its way out my eyes, when I realized the familiarity of that hand's accessory: a bracelet, with a thunderstorm symbol etched on a gem in its center. He loved that gift and always wore it when he accepted it on his birthday. Cleonne loved the storms, and one took his life away from him.

I don't know what to do. I can only breathe, cry and breathe again. It was all too much for me.

A loud thud shook the ground. I felt the presence of a heavy man that came from the sky. Is there any human in the world who could do that?

"The Lost Hero." a mysterious voice, similar to that of an old man's.

What?

"You were here all along. Look at you, lying down on the ground." The man suddenly burst into laughter.

"I feel disgusted. You should end your life."

Fight!

That voice, again. That voice that I heard in my dreams before this destruction happened.

"The centuries of horror caressed your hands upon the dying sound..."

Stand up!

"Erased by the fate, your song empowered the will of the vengeance spirit,"

Argh!

Why are you annoyed? Why is that man saying such things?

"Drowimusico Envanis!"

Pintafura Excomagicka!

The light slowly faded out into darkness. I can't see anything, yet I don't feel weak anymore. I can move, but I don't know where to go. All I can think about was Cleonne and Ms. Sline. I'm sorry I was not able to save you both.

Examining my surroundings, I was able to see a light. It wasn't the same light that brought devastation; it somehow resembles the color of the book I picked up earlier. The light moved closer and closer, with increasing brightness in each instances passing by, although I was able to adjust my eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Zack Araiz." this is the voice that I heard together with that of the old man.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am the Eye of All, Eoa for short."

Eoa, what a beautiful name.

"You just thought to yourself, 'What a beautiful name,' right?" she replied with confidence.

Urk! A mind-reader. But with nothing to spot but me and Eoa, it must be somewhere not from this world. Everything felt surreal, but now is not the time to be fazed. So I asked, "Where are we?"

"We are inside your mind. I am called the Eye of All for a reason, I have every answers that a human can think of. Knowledge gathered over the span of centuries are stored inside my database." Eoa replied in a serious manner.

"In this generation, you refer to me as an Artificial Intelligence, or AI for short. Earlier generations, I was called as a sentient being, or a spirit due to the things that I know." she added.

I hurriedly asked, "Then, can you explain what happened at the university?

Her light twinkled while saying, "The arrival of the Function caused the accident that happened in your university. It is a form of data that gives unimaginable powers to anyone chosen by it. I am but one of those weapon of the Function, a weapon given to you, to serve a purpose."

The Function? A purpose? I have too many questions that need answering.

"Although, the purpose is something I do not know of."

"Why don't you know when you yourself came from it?" I replied with confusion.

"I am but a storage of data from the knowledge of humans."

Meaning...

"The purpose was never discovered by any human."

Then, I need to discover the purpose in order to know why it happened in the city of Ballad.

And to avenge you, Ms. Sline, and Cleonne.

But first, I need to know what should I do, and what can Eoa do. I'm not sure who that man was, but he must be someone connected in this Function thing.

"Then, what should I do?" I asked Eoa.

"You should visit the location of the Function to further gain knowledge. I will guide you in order to safely traverse the dangers. I am yours, after all."

That sounded cheesy. But if there's something I know, it's that I can do this. I'm fortunate Eoa is with me. It is useful to have someone to depend on.

"Zack." Eoa worriedly called me.

"What?" then she replied, "Don't freak out, okay? The moment you regain consciousness, you might see things different from what you expect."

Hmm, you underestimate me, Eoa. "Anything can happen, and I am a living witness. There is nothing more that can surprise me."

"Five years have passed."