**Ring Ring Ring**

The school bell rang, and thousands of students poured out of their classrooms. Some chatted animatedly with each other, others joked around, and a few ran impatiently towards the exit.

One of those running was a tall, dark-haired boy. He had unremarkable facial features but a rather prominent height that stood out among the students.

"***, come on, we're going to be late!" Anxious, someone ahead of the tall dark-haired boy urged.

Feeling confused and unable to understand the situation, a mysterious force guided his actions. He ran tirelessly behind the other person, moving away from the school and heading towards the city center.

As he headed towards an unknown destination, the tall boy realized he couldn't recognize anyone's face; they appeared blurred, as if censored. Adding to his confusion, he couldn't understand the surrounding conversations, as if they were spoken in some strange language.

"Phew... That race was quite intense, huh?" said the person who had led the way, a shorter boy with medium-length brown hair shining under the sunlight. A radiant smile could be seen on his face as he panted deeply.

They had been running for about 5 minutes and found themselves outside a video game store, with a line of about 100 people stretching along the pavement. The brown-haired boy who had led the way smiled happily and joined the line, with his apparent friend, the tall dark-haired boy, following suit. More people kept arriving, rapidly increasing the queue.

"These days, physical games are becoming rarer and less popular, but we had to come for this new WOW expansion, right ***?"

"You're right, it's the first expansion we can buy on our own. Last time, we didn't have the money, and the event was held in the other city, too far to go..." The tall boy responded automatically, his words flowing smoothly as if guided by some mysterious force controlling his actions. It felt like he was experiencing a first-person theater performance, executing each gesture, word, and intonation precisely during their conversation.

"But today is different, and I plan to play all weekend like crazy, so we're gaming together." The brown-haired boy nudged his friend gently for approval.

"That's a fact, Mr. Paladin Elf." The tall boy teased his friend mockingly.

However, a few moments later, as they continued joking around, the sky quickly darkened, and a sinister aura descended over the city. Looking completely bewildered, they glanced around, noticing the people crowded outside the store staring with a mix of awe and consternation at the sky, their faces reflecting their unspoken questions.

The tall boy then turned his gaze towards his friend and realized that the radiant smile had been replaced by a pale, emotionless face.

"It's time to wake up, ***. These days will never return," he said in a robotic tone, looking at him with eyes devoid of light.

In an apparent shock and with no idea of what was happening, the tall boy turned his gaze from his friend's empty face to the sky. Among the clouds that had suddenly appeared, gigantic shadows could be seen. Unprecedented terror seized every cell of his body; his hair stood on end, and confusion flooded his mind, numbing his senses. At some point, he had stopped acting and regained control of his body. The seconds, which felt like an eternity, passed slowly, and as terror engulfed his body, a refreshing and abundant wave of tranquility suddenly washed over him, clearing his mind.

"I remembered," the tall boy thought to himself as the strange scene disappeared before his eyes.

Year 2050, somewhere in South America.

A tall boy with dark hair stood brushing his teeth. His face was identical to the boy in the dream, but with the notable difference that this face lacked emotions; only a cold gaze could be seen. Known as Kaller by those close to him, he had lost his memory and was found two years ago in abandoned ruins. He remembered absolutely nothing, so the soldiers who found him decided to take him into custody to avoid complications. After a few days, they released him, and an elderly man took him under his wing.

Kaller was around 20 years old, with short, dark hair, and a height of 1.90 meters. His emotionless gaze and imposing stature made him appear dangerous, yet he never showed hostility towards others, so suspicions disappeared over time. His physique was well-trained as the old man who took care of him began to train him to prevent him from loafing around the house.

He often dreamed of the past, as he had just done now, but he never managed to remember anything significant or essential to recover his memory, so he continued to live in a limbo of incomplete and empty memories. The first days were tough, but with the support of the old man and his granddaughter, Lina, he gradually got used to this new condition he suffered from.

"Kaller, we have to go," said a youthful female voice from the hallway.

The door to the room opened slowly, and a teenage-looking girl with long blonde hair peeked in.

"Lina, this is not your room to come in whenever you want," Kaller responded with his usual expressionless face.

Looking up, Lina felt jealous. Unlike this boy, she didn't exceed 1.60 meters and looked quite small next to this formed and robust body. She couldn't believe that not long ago, he was a scrawny guy in poor condition not much different from a beggar. However, over time and after undergoing a heavy training regime by her grandfather, she turned into this superhuman.

"It's still my house, and you're a guest, so I can come and go as I please," she pointed her finger at him with a triumphant smile.

"You're an idiot," Kaller passed by the girl, heading out of the house.

"Don't ignore me, dummy... wait for me!" shouting as usual, Lina ran after Kaller as they headed towards the school.

Military School 101.

The day went by smoothly. Lina and Kaller had some classes together, so they saw each other often. However, Kaller wasn't one to talk much, so he usually stayed alone. On the other hand, Lina got along with all her classmates, being quite popular.

"This girl is so childish," Kaller thought to himself as he watched her laughing and playing with her friends.

The war had diminished the will of many, so cases like Lina's and her classmates were not very common these days. Many kids grew up for revenge or a sense of duty that didn't correspond to their age. Negative emotions were an everyday occurrence, and Kaller could feel them quite literally.

Lost in his thoughts, a man in military attire entered the classroom, and the teacher, who had been checking her phone, looked at her students and silenced the class with a gesture of her hand as she stood up.

"Students, as you know, the final semester exam is coming up. Therefore, today I'll introduce you to General Riskgood. He will be in charge of a large part of the exam and will be your evaluator."

The students stood up and quickly placed their hands on their foreheads to salute the general, a burly man with a great deal of muscle. A large scar was visible in his right eye, which matched his bald head.

"GREETINGS, SOLDIERS. HERE'S GENERAL RISKGOOD!" General Risk

good greeted the students loudly as he scanned the area with a playful gaze.

"TODAY I COME TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE FINAL EXAM OF THIS SEMESTER." With his usual loud tone, General Riskgood allowed the students to sit down.

"AS YOU KNOW, THINGS HAVE BEEN QUIET FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS. THEREFORE, THE SOUTH AMERICAN HEADQUARTERS WILL ORGANIZE A FIELD PRACTICE IN A MONTH. WE WILL FORM SQUADRONS ACCORDING TO YOUR SKILLS AND APTITUDES, SO COMMUNICATION AND TEAMWORK WILL BE FUNDAMENTAL FOR THIS EXAM." At the end of his short but concise speech, General Riskgood rose to his feet and placed his hand on his forehead to bid farewell.

Barely three minutes had passed, and General Riskgood was already leaving through the classroom door. The students who had quickly stood up to bid him farewell sat down again.

"General Riskgood is a busy person," said the teacher with an uncomfortable smile as she watched him walk down the hallway to the next classroom.

"I have the forms you need to fill out," the teacher showed the sheets to the students and proceeded to distribute them, one by one.

"Don't get your hopes up about being with your friends. It will be a regional-level exercise, and all the students of this semester will be evaluated, so stay focused on doing well," the teacher finished distributing the forms and stood in front of the class.

"As you know, the war has been going on for 30 years against these alien beings. We have barely won a few battles and have lost Central America, Oceania, and two-thirds of Africa. The outlook is grim, but somehow we endure. As long as there is hope and people willing to fight for it, we will continue to stand firm against the enemy. I have been a teacher all my life, and I still remember when schools were places full of dreams and happiness, shaping people to improve society, not soldiers. Back then, the war seemed so far away, yet here I am, forming soldiers and teaching military tactics. Still, I trust that you will one day regain that happiness and return to the good old days. Therefore, do not give up and keep moving forward. Let's return to the good times..." With a deep sigh and a melancholic look, the teacher, who was around 70 years old, seemed to age another 10 years in an instant. Walking slowly towards the exit, she concluded the class.

The students looked at each other, pondering the spontaneous speech of the teacher.

"My grandfather has told me several times about the past and how life was back then. The elders and adults who lived before the disaster often have that melancholic look on their faces. It honestly depresses me a bit," Lina said, her head bowed, as she recalled the occasional talks she had with her grandfather.

"Will this war ever end? I feel like we'll never win," Diana said, voicing her doubts.

"Don't worry, Diana, of course we will," Lina reassured her, "Let's go get something to eat to keep growing." Out of the corner of her eye, Lina unconsciously glanced at Kaller.

"Okay, Lina, let me treat you, alright?"

"Hmmm... fine, haha," Lina chuckled.

In the distance, one could see the figures of the girls disappearing into the crowd. As it was lunchtime, many students were heading to the cafeteria, and the hallway was bustling with activity. Feeling hungry as well, Kaller got up to go eat.

"Do you think it's a picnic? A school trip? Most likely, we'll go on patrol and serve as soldiers, damn idiots," a gloomy-looking boy with an angry face began to berate the others.

"What should we do? Should we get serious and tense for the whole month?"

"I've never been out in my life; I'm afraid something might happen..."

"I want to live a normal life, I didn't ask to be a soldier..."

"What did you call me, you son of a bitch?"

Many students were offended and responded to the boy, most of them were teenagers with different opinions about the war, so their casual and indifferent chatter angered the boy who took the situation seriously.

"Leave them be, Luis," Kaller said, intervening and calming the situation.

"But, Kaller..."

"Don't say anything, they're just kids who are still growing," Kaller sighed to himself, as he separated the boys and defused the situation.

"I understand," Luis said with a frustrated expression as he ignored the commotion and focused on the form in front of him.

Luis was a 15-year-old boy who had lost his parents. He was raised by his uncle, who was an unrecognized soldier in the army. This environment caused a growing sense of vengeance in him over time. Most of his classmates didn't know the horrors of war, but he experienced it firsthand, which made him boil with anger at their carefree attitudes. However, Kaller, who was 20, became his friend, and they often talked about various things, which helped to reduce his animosity towards others. Being older than him, he saw Kaller as a figure he could ask for advice and trust without any problems.

"Don't be so hard, you should be like them; you're just a kid," Kaller said with a slight smile as he headed out of the classroom towards the cafeteria.

Luis put on a disgruntled face at Kaller's comment. Although he was small in stature, he felt mature and quite adult for his age. However, Kaller always treated him like a child despite everything.

"You fool, I'll prove it to you someday," reflecting to himself, Luis glanced sideways as Kaller walked away. He was a reliable and respectable elder, and an excellent friend, but despite everything, he felt an immense gap between them. Kaller seemed to be acting, or at least that's what he felt; his instinct told him that this person was completely broken and empty inside.