The GAIA system was glitching. Again.
I slouched in my seat, my eyes half-lidded as the clock ticked past 8:05 a.m. The hum of the classroom was steady, like a low, monotonous drone. Mr. Riz, our homeroom teacher, stood at the front of the room, gesturing animatedly at the large screen behind him. His words washed over me like white noise.
"...Today is your awakening ceremony," he was saying, his voice clipped, professional. "We'll be heading to the GAIA Talent Bureau at 9:00 a.m. for your talent scans."
I barely paid attention. It wasn't that I wasn't interested; it was more that I was tired of hearing the same spiel every year. The entire school had been talking about this for weeks, and nothing about it felt real to me.
"Now, remember," Mr. Riz continued, flipping to a new slide showing the process.
"Just because you don't awaken a talent today doesn't mean it's the end of the road. You all have two chances. If you don't awaken today, the second awakening program is your backup."
A few scattered chuckles echoed through the room.
Everyone knew how the second awakening program worked—it was a gamble, a coin toss. Most didn't even bother with it unless they had no other option.
"Anyone who successfully awakens will be assigned to a GAIA Talent Academy," Mr. Riz said, his tone becoming more enthusiastic. "Those with an A rank or higher will receive invites to select their academy. Choose wisely; your future depends on it."
A slight thrill passed through the class at the mention of "A rank." But I couldn't bring myself to care. The ranks, the academies, all of it felt like a game that someone else was playing, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be part of it.
Mr. Riz finished his speech and walked toward the door, leaving us to buzz with excitement. The classroom filled with whispers, some eager, some anxious. I watched my classmates, their faces lit up with anticipation, and I couldn't help but wonder what it was like to feel that.
I didn't.
"Hey, Noah, you ready?" Graham's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
He was a lanky guy with messy brown hair and a grin that never seemed to fade. Apparently, we'd known each other since childhood, bonding over our mutual love for food, a shared hobby that kept our friendship afloat despite the difference in our academic standing.
"Ready for what?" I asked, stretching out my legs and resting my hands behind my head. I gave him a half-hearted smile, not wanting to dampen his enthusiasm.
"To see my talent!" he said with excitement. "I've been training hard. I bet I'll get a solid B rank, maybe even an A! My stats are above average for sure."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're not the only one with above-average stats," I replied, but inside, I wondered why my own stats hadn't been displayed.
"Come on," Graham chuckled. "I bet you're worried about getting a low rank, huh?"
I laughed along, but it felt hollow. The truth was, I didn't know what to expect from my awakening. The HUD—the same one every student has—had been glitching. Nothing about my stats showed up anymore.
No strength, no intelligence, no energy acuity.
Just question marks in every field.
It didn't bother me as much as it should've. Part of me had always been skeptical of the GAIA system. The way it assigned classes and talents, so clinical, so... controlled. It was like a piece of machinery churning out futures for people, but at what cost?
"Hey," Graham said, snapping me back to reality. "You still have time to change your mind, you know. You could back out of this whole awakening thing if you want. But I'll warn you—everyone will talk."
I hesitated, then gave him a weak smile. "Nah. I'll go. Just... don't expect much."
********
The rest of the morning passed by in a blur of nervous energy.
At 8:30 a.m., we all gathered by the entrance of the school, where a shuttle awaited to take us to the GAIA Talent Bureau. The air was thick with the buzz of anticipation, but I felt detached, like I was floating above it all, watching but not participating.
When we arrived at the Talent Bureau, the scene was overwhelming. Teens from all over, each carrying their hopes and dreams, filled the vast registration hall. The air smelled faintly of disinfectant, and the hum of GAIA's systems echoed in the background like an ever-present heartbeat.
It was sterile, efficient—and somehow, that made it feel even more oppressive.
"Follow me, everyone!" Mr. Riz shouted, cutting through the noise. "Make sure to check in at this location, then head to your designated capsule!"
I followed the crowd, my HUD blinking to life with a notification. "Check-in required: GTB Registration in progress."
Without thinking, I tapped the glowing icon, and the system scanned my credentials with a faint hum. The display shifted to show the talent registration interface—a sleek, minimalistic design that pulsed with an unsettling energy. I tapped "Accept" without hesitation.
"Verifying applicant..."
A few seconds passed, each one stretching longer than the last. My chest tightened, a strange sense of unease crawling up my spine. Then, the screen blinked, and the message updated.
"Applicant verified. Welcome to the GAIA Talent Bureau."
For a moment, I stood still, staring at the screen in disbelief. The message seemed so... normal. But as my stats flashed on the screen, my stomach churned.
Name: Noah Adler Age: 16 Talent: None Class: None DA: ??? EA: ??? Attributes: ???
I blinked. "What the hell?" The stats were completely blank. I'd seen my stats before—my strength, intelligence, everything—so why were they gone now?
I was still staring at the screen when Graham sidled up beside me, grinning like a kid on Christmas.
"See? Told you," he said, not noticing the look on my face. "Above average stats all the way."
I forced a grin. "Yeah, good for you."
"Hey," he leaned in, lowering his voice. "You sure you're okay? You don't look so hot."
I didn't answer. My thoughts were too tangled, too focused on the glitch. Was my data just too low to be measured? Or was something else wrong?
********
We moved through the line, eventually reaching Capsule 15. I took my seat, the cool metal of the capsule pressing against my skin. The lid sealed with a soft hiss, and I could feel the weight of the system's energy flowing into me, buzzing under my skin like static.
The screen in front of me flickered to life.
"Talent Awakening is initiating…"
A warm wave of energy spread through my body, followed by a shiver of cold. My HUD lit up with progress bars, tracking my energy acuity and data accumulation.
[Energy Acuity (EA) Progress: 35%... 40%... 55%...]
[Data Accumulation (DA) Progress: 21%... 67%...]
I relaxed a little, watching the numbers tick upward. Maybe this would be simple. Maybe this was just a standard awakening, one that followed the path of every other student.
[Determining Class...]
The screen froze.
[ERROR] [Progress interrupted]
I blinked. "What?" I whispered, my pulse quickening.
Then the words appeared.
"Initiating Codebreaker…"
My heart skipped a beat. "Wait, that's…"
What was happening? Why was that showing up now?
The sensation of energy continued to buzz around me, but I couldn't focus on it. My mind was racing, trying to make sense of the flashing text in front of me.
A red warning flashed across my HUD. Then my entire vision distorted—code, numbers, glitches. The capsule's hum turned into a screech, and the last thing I saw before blacking out was a single line of text.
[CODEBREAKER SYSTEM OVERRIDE: ACTIVATING.]