Chapter 1: Chapter 1

[The project involves seven individuals, all unemployed, who receive a divine power of their choosing to compete against each other and become the Star Squire. The Star Squire will be an honorable position serving directly under chairwoman Ersa of WARD Corp. The key rules are as follows:

1 – You shall compete against the other candidates only according to the instructions given to you.

2 – Your freedom will be dictated by WARD Corp. every Monday to Saturday. You may disregard any instructions or messages from WARD Corp. on Sunday.

3 – You shall not speak of the Star Squire Project to anyone except for other candidates, Sundays included.

*Violations of the key rules will result in ejection from the project. Further measures to ensure the continued safety of the project are under the jurisdiction of WARD Corp.

*Additional rules may be added at any point of the project, as long as they do not conflict with pre-established rules.

*There is no time limit for the project.]

“Mr. Erizon, have you finished reading the instructions? Did you read them carefully?”

“Uhm…”

Being called “Mr.” for the first time in my life is pretty uncomfortable, he thought.

Rey Erizon, 19, unemployed, homeless. Taking in the shiny glass walls he was surrounded by, and the faint smell of perfume of the elderly businessman in front of him, he inspected himself once again. His jacket’s tears had been painstakingly sewed together with some leftover pink fabric he found on the ground while searching for bottles and lucky pennies. His pants didn’t look as bad, but hadn’t been washed in months. While that man in front of him, gracious enough to even talk to him, wore state-of-the-art black leather shoes, enough to be the envy of everyone around, Rey’s sneakers were of his middle school days, and have started to become a tight fit.

When thinking of the situation he was in, he didn’t know where to even begin. It seemed too unreal. Nobody would expect a nameless hobo like him to be openly invited on the street to a meeting as absurd as this, especially involving a big-shot company like WARD. Rey didn’t have anything to contribute, after all. But after he went through a basic interview, writing his name, temporary address and education background onto a lengthy form, he had already been put inside a small venue. Behind two bouncers in black suits, there was this white door with a golden seal. To Rey, the seal looked like a dozen small, stretched out arms clasping each other and forming an eight. Above all else, he found it creepy.

The opened door revealed a pure white room with a golden orb inside, slightly floating above its marble pillar pedestal. Before he could take his eyes off the mysterious item, the door was shut behind him. Even though he had only moved an inch from the entrance, Rey quickly found himself unable to properly distinguish front from back. Both direction and distance couldn’t be figured out anymore. The only navigator was that one golden point in the middle, so alluring, that Rey felt no choice but to approach it. At a closer look, the golden orb appeared to contain something, but the form of it was made foggy by the water-like substance around it.

Rey reached out with his hand, trying to touch the orb. Yet, a distorted, but still calming voice emerging from it stopped him. The voice emitted by the orb gently said:

“What destroyed you?”

He held still. It asked a question he didn’t understand. After all, nothing had destroyed him. He was right there, living and breathing. It didn’t make any sense. He looked around, trying to spot cues to solve this riddle he was given. However, looking up at the ceiling, there was only one hint. A huge projection, showing a 10. It quickly turned into a 9, and then an 8. Cold sweat started running down Rey’s spine. Was there a true answer to the question? What was the orb looking for? As he fumbled around with ideas, the counter had already hit a 6, and then a 5. Knowing he would be out of time soon enough, Rey decided to change his approach, and think back to the past instead. And when he did, the answer came out laughably easy. At the count of four, he said to the orb:

“Light.”

 The orb lit up, oozing out a golden aura that engulfed Rey’s body. After a few seconds, it went back to normal, stating:

“May you become more.”

Then, the light in it vanished completely, leaving behind a stone-like husk. Rey thought he broke it, and was now nervous in a completely different way than before. But the counter on the ceiling had disappeared, and a door was opening behind the pedestal, revealing golden steps. Through a hidden speaker, a man’s voice called out:

“Proceed, Mr. Erizon. This is the final stage.”

And that’s how he found himself face-to-face with an old man in a black suit wearing expensive leather shoes, who did nothing but hand Rey a single piece of paper and asked whether he had read through it. It sounded to him as if he already had no choice in the matter. Still, he asked:

“Hey, am I allowed to leave this project?”

The elderly man shook his head.

“Not for now, I’m afraid. Now, if you will, please follow me.”

In the back of the room, yet another door opened. The man said:

“Rest assured, this is the last one. At least, for today.”

The next room was a giant dark lobby with a single wide, golden coach in the center, positioned in front of a giant screen. Three other people were already inside, though two of them could barely be made out given the thin lighting. The other sat at the right corner of the coach, yawning, while saying:

“Another one? So, it’s really seven, isn’t it?”

It was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, scratching his neck with long, dirty nails. His red sweater looked like an itchy Christmas present a decade old. Rey sat down on the left side of the coach, grabbing a feel of its material. Probably expensive, he thought. At first, he hesitated to lean in with his back, but seeing the carefree attitude of his neighbor, he decided to become laxer, too. As he took in his surroundings, Rey noticed the elderly man was no longer in the room. His neighbor said:

“Don’t worry, he’s just bringing in the others. Then, the wait will finally be over. I was the first one here, you know? It’s been ages.”

Rey didn’t reply. Not because he assumed there was no need to, but because he didn’t know what to say. Regardless, his neighbor continued talking.

“You’re the first one to sit down next to me. Why don’t we start with introductions? I’m Thomas. Thomas Baker, but just call me Thomas.”

At this point, Rey found it rude not to answer, especially to someone older than him.

“…Rey Erizon. Rey is fine.”

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Thomas smiled.

“Good name. I don’t think I’ve met any Erizons before. Oh, and would you look at that. There comes the next one.”

The elderly man brought a young blond woman, only a few years older than Rey. Thomas remarked:

“Oh, she definitely belongs here. What a find, huh, Mr. Lain?”

She wore a worn-out cardigan, and constantly scratched her right arm. Her eyes darted around the room, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. Thomas said:

“Hey lady, we’re doing introductions here. I’m Thomas. This is Rey. Mind you tell us your name?”

She spoke in a contained, yet still slightly high-pitched, squeaky voice.

“S-sorry, not right now.”

Thomas didn’t mind this. Instead, he went over to the old man he referred to as Mr. Lain.

“Mr. Lain, have the others arrived as well?”

The elderly man replied:

“Certainly. As they have completed the ritual, it will only be a moment until they arrive.”

Thomas sighed in relief.

“Great. Finally, this is going somewhere.”

The blond woman from before sat down in a corner of the room, clasping her legs with her arms. Mr. Lain pulled out a remote from his pocket, and switched on the screen. Then, he said:

“While we await the other candidates, you are to watch the following recording. As they have already watched it, this does not result in an unfair advantage for the ones present here. Now, please enjoy yourselves, and watch closely.”

As the screen started up, the image of an office formed. With the ominous leather chair hidden behind a fine wood desk, one thing became clear. It was the chairwoman herself, only that she wouldn’t show her face. From behind the back of the chair, she said:

“Welcome, dear participants. I hope you’ve enjoyed your introduction to the Star Squire project this far. Allow me to answer a few questions you may have.”

Thomas spat out:

“What, the chairman was a “she”? First time I’ve heard of that.”

To which Mr. Lain replied:

“Mr. Baker, I believe I told you to read the instructions carefully.”

“Yeah, yeah.”, Thomas scoffed.

The chairwoman continued:

“From here on out, you’ll live life according to the rules of the project. This means you’ll have a very regulated lifestyle, except for Sundays. Our company handles your new home, the Star Squire dorm, where you’ll eat and sleep according to a specific schedule, which will change regularly. As for the competitions, any details will be given to you on the days they’re held. Once one of you succeeds over the others, they’ll be appointed as Star Squire and serve directly under me.”

She added:

“And if you’re wondering what a Star Squire does, do not worry. Other than a few menial tasks, you’ll be able to lead a life freer than anyone else. WARD Corp. will support you with all of its wealth, to accomplish anything you want. This is my promise to you as Ersa, chairwoman of WARD.”

“Anything…?”, Rey wondered.

“Sounds fantastic to me”, said Thomas.

“Now then, I’m sure you’re still confused about many things, but that’s part of the process. After all, becoming my squire will take a lot of development on your side. For now, feel free to direct any other questions you have to Mr. Lain. I will see you soon. Until then.”

As the recording ended, Mr. Lain came forward, switched off the screen and said:

“This was the chairwoman’s message. Now, please follow me to the previous room.”

As Rey stood up, he looked around. This is serious, he thought. And there was no going back from this. As he joined the others, he simply wondered. What will become of me?

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