"Jaye! Where have you been?! I've been worried sick!" I flinched.
"Sorry. I tried to hurry home!" I closed the door behind me dropping my bag on the floor. Saber jumped off, and I stretched relieved. He was heavy.
"Meow~"
My mother paused in her ranting.
"Where did this cutie come from?" She cooed, petting him.
Saber stiffened, and I was worried he'd do something, but he continued after me.
"Outside. I'm going to take a shower." I hurried to the bathroom before she could ask more questions. Saber followed behind me.
"Ew." The goo all in my hair had started to dry and clump together, flaking off onto the floor. "They really should put showers in the dungeons. I swear."
Once I was finally clean, I flopped on my bed, tired. Grey curled up at my feet.
I heard Mom check in on me at some point, but I fell asleep pretty quickly.
Seeing my childhood bedroom when I woke up, was still quite Jarring. I almost wished it was all a strange dream.
I walked into the kitchen stretching contentedly, only to be confronted by my Mother.
"If you aren't home when I get home-"
"What? Gonna ground me?" I yawned.
"Yes!"
"From what? No phone. No computer. No video games. Crappy cable TV. I don't have any friends. Can't afford my hobbies. Just go to work. I'll be here. Don't have anywhere else to go." I blew up, repressed childhood emotions erupting like a flood.
Mom left, not responding. I think she was about to cry. I regretted it immediately. Yeah, I couldn't afford much but at least I had a home. And food.
I went to school the rest of the week. To be honest I'm not sure how I managed it- I guess not having friends could come in handy.
The gates began opening on the 7th day of my regression. Exactly as they had the first time. I was at school.
Alarms sounded and the school was locked down.
People watched the horror unfold from their cellphones. Many called families to see if they were safe.
Hours later, the military showed up. The waves of F-rank monsters had been felled by the military.
"All students report to the gymnasium." Someone called over the intercom.
It was chaotic, but eventually, the students were quiet. Men clad in military uniforms stood at each of the doors. Another stood in the center of the gym. I hoped I could go home soon, I was worried about Mom.
"A national emergency has been issued. The Military has everything under control. I'm sure you are all worried about your families, and once we have contact with your parents you may leave.
Thankfully the school was a distance away from the commotion, so we advised all students to remain in the gym until further notice. It is not safe." The gym erupted with students discussing this matter with their friends.
" Thank God! We're safe!"
" Is the military really here to protect us?"
" What if my parents aren't okay?"
" I want to go home!"
Parents came to pick up students over the next few hours, and the only ones remaining began to worry. My mother was late, but she was fine.
" Jaye! Oh my God thank goodness you're okay!" She began sobbing, hugging me.
My eyes watered, the memories of me waiting for days before giving up on her in the past, resurfacing.
"Yeah, mom. I'm alright. Let's go home." My voice came out a squeak of what I had intended.
She squeezed me one more time, nearly cracking a rib I swear, before letting go. Many roads were blocked off, the monster remains blocking the way, but we made it home safely.
"Everyone is advised to stay home! Do not go outside! If you see a monster, call the hotline 411 immediately." A new hotline had already been set up so the military could help. Thankfully the first breaks to happen were minor F-rank dungeons mostly, so not a lot of people were killed- though the hospitals were full of injured people.
Over the next few days, Online, a few people began posting about the monsters. Pictures, how-to's, guides, and of course, about the powers.
People began awakening. If you killed a monster, you were granted special powers. It happened a lot faster than I had remembered.
A few became reckless and tried hunting them. Others posted about religion and the end of times. About how God had forsaken us. It was chaos.
After the initial break, school resumed. Lots of people kept their kids home as gates began appearing, though none had yet broken since that day.
The next morning when we got to class, we were all handed a sheet of paper.
"Good morning students. I am Seargent Kay Raymonde. The paper in front of you is an application for military service. We are facing a national crisis right now, and each of you is now considered old enough to join. Because you are still underage it is not mandatory, but recommended. Both men and women. If you accept this offer, you will attend school in a separate location. You will continue school, but you will also have combat classes. I do not know the details of what this is. You will be paid, and you will live on a well-guarded campus. During your stay, you will be protected and safe. You will also be isolated from your families. You have a week to think it over. Any questions?" He spoke quickly and curtly, getting the the point.
"Do we keep our phones?"
"I do not know."
Murmurs of unease flooded the room, of course, they didn't want to be completely cut off from the outside. Either way, it didn't matter to me.
"Can you guarantee the safety of our families?" I asked, genuinely curious. This was different for me.
"No."
I had figured as much.
"I assume pets will also not be allowed?" I had almost forgotten about my new friend.
"Of course not." He raised an eyebrow at me.
I'll have to talk it over with the netherlych before I decide on what to do.
After the shock of the morning, classes went on as normal, though- I did get a talking-to about my failing grades.