"Would you look at that, (Y/n)'s here. Slept well?"

You closed the door behind you and looked at Cecil. "I mean, more sleep would be great, but I can't really refuse free breakfast."

One may ask: (Y/n), what are you doing inside the cafeteria authorised only to SF members? Well, it's a simple story. You woke up due to a knock on your door very early in the morning. You ignored it because you wanted sleep. You heard Caleb's voice, you still ignored it because you wanted sleep. He didn't leave, you mentally sobbed because you wanted sleep. And eventually, you gave in and opened the door and Caleb almost dragged you out in your pyjamas with no context.

"Why do you need me so early in the morning?"

Caleb smiled cheerfully. "Breakfast! C'mon, the food will get cold."

At the sound of breakfast from a character you knew could cook well, you were suddenly wide awake and frantically rushed to get ready. And now you are here, standing in front of a table filled with an abundance of dishes that puts five-star restaurants to shame.

"You guys could've started without me," you said. "I feel bad about being the last one to arrive."

"That'd be impolite," Elias said, currently making some coffee. You didn't want to question how many cups he already had.

The cafeteria for SF members and the one for the other AEI members were relatively the same in terms of design and space. The main difference was that the kitchen was open for the SF members to use as they pleased and food was only cooked for them by the chefs if requested prior. Work hours for SF members were inconsistent so scheduled meal times would be difficult.

Caleb sat down next to Amias. "Miss support, come over here and sit with me!"

You shrugged and did as he said, the seat being right across Cecil's. Elias sat down next to Cecil, and Caleb made a face at his black coffee. You could envision Elias flipping Caleb off as he elegantly took a sip of his drink.

"Caleb, did you cook all of this by yourself?" Amias asked.

"Of course~ Who else cooks dishes that look this good?"

Cecil raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me that you woke up early to cook all of this and you also made something other than pastries? I'm slowly doubting if you're really Caleb."

"Hey! I can be flexible in my schedule, too. And there's nothing I can't cook. I'm just that amazing."

You just kept eating as everyone talked. I hope they don't include me in their conversation.

"Right, miss support?"

Dammit. You swallowed your food. "Why are you asking me that?"

"No reason, just wanted to hear you talk." Caleb cut up the food for you and held up a spoonful. "Miss support, say ah––"

You went in and chomped on the fork before he finished his sentence. Cecil almost choked on his food and stifled his laughter whilst Elias did his best to ignore the scene in front of him.

"Caleb, are you not eating?" Amias asked.

"I already ate." Caleb shrugged. "Plus, I'm not particularly fond of eating my own cooking."

Elias sighed. "Please don't tell me you ate sweets for breakfast."

"Ah-hah! That's where you're wrong. I had bread."

"Pastries."

"But they're technically bread."

The brunette rolled his eyes. He unzipped his bag and threw a lunchbox at Caleb. "I figured you'd be stubborn."

It was a box of sandwiches. Caleb stared at it for a second before looking up at Elias saying, "Aw, is his royal highness concerned for my health––"

"Just eat it."

"Your wish is my command."

You heard Elias mumble something under his breath while Cecil teased him. Amias looked blatantly confused. It was quiet for a good few minutes until Cecil checked his phone and laughed to himself.

"What's up?" you asked.

"Social media is blowing up right now thanks to the SF trial. Since I'm so popular, there were even articles dedicated to trying to discern my survival rate," he said, amused. "The whole thing will be aired on television, right? I better make sure I look my best. Maybe I can even try to promote my business while I'm at it."

Elias gave him a look. "You're thinking about business?"

"And survival. That as well."

Leave it to Cecil to think like that. Meanwhile, you were trying your best to forget about the fact that the SF trial was a few hours away. Yes, you had always been nervous for the trial. Some days more than others. But when you seriously consider that you were actually going to have to fight for your life in a few hours, it made you feel nauseous. And you didn't need that while you were eating.

Well, too late for that now. You settled down your utensils and took a sip of your water.

"Miss support, you done already? The SF trial will be starting soon, you'll need the energy!"

He wasn't wrong. Considering the nature of the SF trial, you wouldn't be given an opportunity to eat for a while.

"Just taking a break. My nerves got to me all of a sudden."

"Hm? But you told me that you'll pass the trial with flying colours."

Your face warmed in embarrassment. You did say that.

"Confidence is good, but the SF trial isn't something to be underestimated," Elias said.

Yes, I know that. It was difficult enough when you were playing as Amias, now you had to deal with it as yourself without any save files, retry buttons, and the luxury of being safe behind the screen.

"Are you confident you'll make it?"

"I'm confident that I won't die in the first second."

He nodded. "I look forward to seeing how you'll perform."

You held back a sigh and tried to continue to eat. As you did so, your mind wandered off to the conversation you had with with Cecil a while ago.

"What if the chairman had intentions of targeting specific people? That's why he chose members from units you'd normally wouldn't expect. Amias, someone with an unknown background was chosen. Me, someone who displays odd abilities to withstand possession and claims to know little about them. We're both suspicious.

What if he intends to keep us in check? And if we are deemed as a threat in some way, he'd get rid of us and use the SF trial to cover his actions? Even if our disappearance might look suspicious on his part, I don't doubt that he can come up with an excuse and everyone will believe him."

The chairman would be paying attention to you, Cecil, and Amias since the three of you were anomalies amongst the candidates. What you said to Cecil was never confirmed as the truth, but considering the type of person the chairman was you were confident that you were right.

(Y/n), stop thinking about things that'll only make you more nervous.

You nodded to yourself and aggressively took a bite out of your food, ignoring the stares you got, and pushed your thoughts to the back of your mind.

Footsteps echoed from a distance before the door abruptly opened, revealing a female figure. Champagne pink eyes identical to Elias's, rosey pink lips, and a hint of pink eyeshadow; her beauty was subtle yet captivating at the same time. Her long curly light brown locks were tied into a high ponytail.

"Sara!" Caleb exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me you'd be here early? I feel betrayed."

Sara was holding a plethora of shopping bags in her hands––you were honestly impressed at how she was able to hold all of them with only ten available fingers––and soft pants escaped her lips. She leaned against the door frame and caught her breath.

"I ran as fast as I could and it turns out I wasn't late."

Elias eyed the bags in her hands. "You got distracted by another sale, didn't you?"

"Don't worry! I didn't waste any money. I put all my coupons to good use." She grinned and looked inside one of the bags. "There's a bunch of nail polish, skincare products, perfume, and overall stuff that'll make us look ten out of ten."

She looked around and saw you and Amias. You swear she almost dropped her bags as her face lit up in excitement. "New members! Oh my god, I do not look so hot right now. But hi! I trust that these three aren't giving you too much of a hard time?"

Amias smiled. "No, they've been welcoming."

"Good, good." She settled down the bags in the corner and approached you. She abruptly took your hands in hers. "Finally! Another female on the team. I was getting sick of all the testosterone."

You couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiastic personality, but you leaned back a little due to the close proximity. Sara was always a social butterfly. "Technically, I'm still a candidate."

As mentioned the other day, Sara was Elias's younger sister. From the mountains of bags she brought in, she gave the impression of a serial shopper. However, that was far from the truth. She's actually very meticulous with how she spends her money, today happened to be a lucky day where she could abuse all the coupons, deals, and sales (she's also terrifyingly great at bargaining). If she's not actively purchasing things, then she becomes the epitome of a window shopper.

"Please, you'll do just fine––wait, I just realised your uniform! You're a support?" She looked at you in awe. "Awesome! So the stuff I heard was true!"

"Crazy, right?" Caleb gestured to Amias. "This guy just recently joined as a support as well."

"Woah, the trial this time is definitely different." Sara went ahead and sat next to Elias. "A lot of people are gossiping about what it might be."

Elias didn't look pleased. "The whole purpose of the trial's details being hidden is to test adaptability."

Heh. Yeah, you totally didn't spend the entire two months preparing for the trial because you knew exactly what it was. But! To be fair, most of the scenarios you prepared for didn't pertain to your survival, but other important aspects of the story. One of them being how you were going to deal with the vengeful apparition.

You glanced over to Caleb. And another has to do with him.

It wasn't long before you heard a knock and another individual entered the room.

The male had short dark brown hair, the length was a good few centimetres above his ears. His build was similar to Lyle's, but his height was taller than his. His eyes were orange in colour and reflected a gentle look. He reminded you of a huge teddy bear; that is, one with muscle instead of fluff.

"Finn's here!" Sara turned around and waved at him enthusiastically. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"It's good to finally see everyone. I finished up with the volunteer work a lot sooner than I expected so here I am." He looked over to you and Amias. "I haven't seen you two here before."

Caleb patted Amias on the shoulder. "This one just recently joined." Then he placed his arm over your shoulder. "And this one has been invisible up until recently."

When Finn took a seat, he first talked to Amias as you were struggling to get Caleb's arms off your shoulder. In the end, you were successful after playing dirty by tickling him.

"So, you were selected for the SF trial as well?"

Oh, Finn's talking to me.

"Yeah. It was shocking to see Elias hand me a letter."

"I can imagine. Oh! I'm Finn, by the way. You already know since Sara called out to me, but a proper introduction never hurts anyone."

There was something about the way he presented himself that made you want to be best friends with him immediately. "(Y/n), it's good to meet you. You said something about volunteer work earlier?"

"It's nothing serious. When I have free time, I do my best to help around the city."

"Like what?" Amias asked.

"My recent work was at an animal shelter, but I help around wherever I can."

Finn was the kind of guy who kept a group together. He was similar to Elias in terms of being viewed as someone incredibly reliable, but the big difference was how approachable and in touch with everyone he was. A random AEI member can walk across the hall and Finn would know their name without any hesitation.

"His good nature makes him naturally popular. Despite being stationed in another AEI building, people still talk about him every now and then here." Ceicl sighed dramatically. "If I'm not careful, he might surpass me. That'd be a tragedy."

Finn reassured Cecil that he was no match for him, which only reaffirmed Cecil's point, before he glanced over to Caleb. "Have you been eating well?"

"Of course! See? I have a sandwich here."

Elias rolled his eyes. "That I prepared. Since Finn's here, I don't need to babysit you anymore."

"Hey, hey. I'm not some kid." Caleb paused. "Or is this your way of calling me youthful? Aw, you don't need to be shy with the compliments. I know I look good."

Elias never looked more done with Caleb until now.

"Cecil, want me to paint your nails?" Sara asked. "I have a bunch of nail polish waiting to be used. We'll look super glamorous for the camera."

Cecil smiled. "Sounds good to me."

The room was lively with conversation. You and Amias got to know Finn a little more, Cecil and Sara were busy doing each other's nails (and posing for social media), and Caleb was annoying Elias. Time went by quickly and it was almost time to depart for the SF trial.

Caleb looked at the table. "So, who is going to clean up?"

Amias spoke up. "I'll do it."

"I'll help out as well," Finn said.

Elias shook his head. "Everyone should just help out together––"

"Let's draw sticks then!"

Elias narrowed his eyes at Caleb. "You prepared for this, didn't you?"

Caleb pulled out from his pocket a bunch of sticks. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Somehow, Caleb convinced Elias to go with his idea.

"The one with the shortest stick was responsible for the dishes, right?" you asked.

Caleb nodded enthusiastically. "Yup!"

When the sticks were drawn, everyone glanced at each other. After a few seconds of comparing what each person drawn, all eyes landed on Caleb.

"... Is the team effort still on the table?"

Elias smiled sweetly. "No."



===



The absurd amount of noise coming from the astir crowds of people could practically crush you. The SF trial was a huge deal, that much was obvious. But no matter how aware you were of that fact, it would've never prepared you for the onslaught of cameras, microphones, and tsunami of people that were outside the AEI building's gates. Your sole goal was to get on the bus as soon as possible, but every three seconds a microphone would be shoved in your face with the same question asked over and over again. It didn't help that your support uniform made you a walking anomaly.

The media was here for an interesting scoop and civilians were here to catch a glimpse of the SF members and the SF candidates; honestly, it felt more like you were walking on a red carpet into an expensive limo than walking into a bus that will take you to a trial that determined life or death.

Amias was doing his best to politely excuse himself from the reporters, overwhelmed by the large mass of attention he was receiving. Finn was well loved and the crowd was excited by his return, one smile from him and everyone was on their knees. Elias handled everything professionally, even if three hundred microphones were thrown his way he would not be fazed in the slightest.

How Cecil, Sara, and Caleb handled the crowd was a complete 180 compared to these three.

Cecil would purposefully get in view with the cameras as much as possible. One wink towards the crowds and he doubled his fanbase. And, of course, he would interact with the crowd and smoothly promoted his business. Sara would start conversations with the people and Elias had to pull her away or else she would've forgotten to actually walk to the bus. Caleb was happily basking in the crowd's excitement and managed to somehow answer every single question thrown his way.

Finally, you settled down on the bus and could finally breathe. Caleb took the window seat and insisted that you sat next to him. Elias and Sara sat next to each other across your left. Finn was with Amias sitting in front of the siblings and Cecil was sitting in front of you and Caleb.

Even inside the bus you could hear the commotion outside. And when the bus began departing, you were honestly left in awe at the long line of people standing on the pathway to catch just a glimpse of the candidates in the bus. For AEI members that needed to walk that path to go to work, you gave them your condolences.

Finally, the bus got away from the crowd completely and the tension in the bus became prominent. Aside from the small instances of quiet conversations every now and then, the bus was quiet. Though, the subtle glances towards your direction didn't go unnoticed.

There was Finn, Sara, Elias, and Caleb who were members of the SF force. Then, there was you, Amias, and Cecil who were candidates with unique circumstances. Your group essentially had a luminous spotlight shining down with a raised flag that says 'main characters'.

"How are you feeling, Amias?" Finn asked.

Amias was zoning out so the question caught him off guard. "Ah, I'm feeling okay."

Caleb perked up. "Not nervous? Aren't you confident?"

With a bashful smile, he replied, "Well, I just thought being nervous won't do me any good."

Caleb kept pestering Amias with more questions. Considering his overly curious nature, Amias's past being shrouded in mystery was the perfect catalyst for Caleb's interest in him. You asked if he wanted to switch seats so he'd have an easier time talking to Amias. He said it was fine. It was not fine for you.

"Join our conversation, Miss support!"

"I'll pass."

"C'mon, no need to be shy."

Cecil chuckled. "You guys sure love attracting attention." He stood up from his seat and leaned forward against the back of the chair, facing you and Caleb. "Let me in on the conversation."

You ignored the urge to say that Caleb was the one being loud, not you. "I don't even know what we're talking about."

"Since the trial is coming up and there's a chance we might never see each other again, you interested in hearing a little about me?" Cecil asked.

Oh my god, that was a little morbid.

"I mean, yeah sure." Technically, I know you better than everyone here combined, but we will ignore that fact.

"Let's see... So, I'm super successful."

What did I expect? "Are you sure you're not using this opportunity to flex on us?"

Sara snapped her fingers. "Cecil! You should tell them what you did to your parents."

Amias gave her a nervous look. "What did he do?"

"Oops, bad phrasing. Nothing illegal, promise."

Cecil was amused at Amias's reaction. "To put it simply, they cut me off due to reasons I won't bore you with, I pursued my career and did better than they expected, they tried to send money as a way to say 'hey, invite us back in your life', I then sent them back quadruple the money and told them to never talk to me again." He laughed. "Any questions?"

Amias was startled at the avalanche of new information. With how casually Cecil revealed it all, it was as if parents cutting off their own child wasn't something that evoked some serious concerns.

"My turn! I want Amias and (Y/n) to get to know me better as well," Sara beamed. "Elias and I have three younger sisters, they're triplets."

"I've acted as a substitute teacher for their school once," Finn added. "It was during the time I worked at the main AEI building."

Amias paid attention with great interest. It was honestly adorable how invested he was in listening to everyone.

"What about you, Elias?" he asked.

Elias was silent for a moment. "... I suppose I like to drink coffee?"

Caleb groaned. "Dude, that's obvious. Here, since I'm so nice, I'll do it for you."

"Don't––"

"Let's see... I know! His highness over here is great at doing hair and stuff. Guess that's what happens when all your siblings are girls."

Sara nodded. "He joins me in my face mask routine from time to time."

Since there were people around, Elias simply chuckled lightheartedly at Caleb to not cause a scene. But the seven of you knew that his laughter was an implication that the SF trial won't be the danger Caleb would be facing later.

"I never got to ask, but what are these gloves for?" Amias asked, looking down at his hands. "I know they regulate the heat of your hands, but I never got a full explanation."

"Exorcism abilities generate heat from your palms, which makes them warm up easily. Usually, that isn't an issue. However, dire circumstances can lead to an overexertion of power which then leads to an overwhelming amount of heat accumulated. This can lead to entire arms being paralysed," Finn explained. "The gloves are specially designed for exorcists by the technology design division to combat this issue. An exorcist's hands are their most important tool, so these gloves are crucial. Though, it's still important to note that the gloves help mitigate the effects, not completely stop it."

You looked down at your hands. You had them on as well, but you didn't need them. At least they looked cool.

Amias was silent, taking in the information before his eyes widened in realisation. "Then...why does Caleb––"

"I didn't get a chance to ask you this due to my busy schedule, but how has your training been? Have you gotten used to your abilities?" Elias intervened.

Elias's sudden change in topic was odd, but Amias didn't try to point it out. But it left a lot of room for suspicion. Like Finn said, the gloves were crucial for an exorcist. Yet, Caleb is sometimes seen discarding his gloves when he faces an apparition. You knew his reasons, but it wasn't like you could bring it up. Elias changed the topic for a reason.

"Miss support, you haven't said anything about yourself this entire ride," Caleb whined. "No need to be so mysterious! I'm dying to know more about you."

"Uhm..." Actually, now that you thought about it, you've never really opened up to anyone here. You knew a great deal about the main cast, but they hardly knew anything about you. "I like to write, I used to want to be an author."

"What changed that?" Sara asked.

You thought about it for a moment. "Well, I kind of still do want to be an author. But I'm preoccupied with being in the AEI and all. You can say... I got myself roped into an unexpected situation."

You remembered your thought process before being reincarnated here.

Living as an author, you wrote down your desires for an adventure, your longing for an exciting life. Maybe that was why you enjoyed playing Anomalous so much. It was a game that had a sense of freedom where you could explore the worldbuilding the game had to offer. You loved playing the game as it fulfilled your desire for excitement in your life, even if it was behind screen.

"But I don't feel any pessimism towards that. In fact, though there's a road of unpredictability and danger, I'm almost grateful for this opportunity. I realised that recently." A small smile touched your lips. No longer were you the (Y/n) in the past who lived a mediocre life as an aspiring author, you were now put into a situation where you could create an exciting narrative yourself. "Even if I die here, I'll do the best I can to assure that I make the most of what I have."

You might've gotten a little more sentimental than you initially planned. Everyone was silent at your words, surprised.

Amias looked at you in awe. "(Y/n)––"

Interrupting him, the collective sound of alerts coming from the devices echoed through the bus. You looked at your wrist and it displayed a 24 hour timer. That was your cue to act. You braced yourself just on time when the bus crashed violently against a building. While some people were either recovering from the collisions or were still confused and questioning what was going on, a good majority figured out the situation.

The SF trial has begun.

What greater way to test someone's versatility than to start off the trial with no notice?

Since your group was seated towards the back, getting out using the door wasn't the fastest method. Especially when people were crowding it, desperate to get out of the bus.

Finn looked to the back window. With one swift and strong kick, he broke it. If it weren't for the perilous nature of the situation, you would've taken a moment to be amazed by his strength. Thankfully, the back window on this bus was huge so using it as an exit wasn't out of the question. Though there were still sharp bits of glass sticking out of the opening Finn created, getting a few cuts were the least of your worries. Finn nodded and the seven of you took turns jumping out of the window.

You landed and distanced yourself from the bus as soon as possible. While you were running, an explosion thundered from behind you. You turned around and saw flames emerge and ate up what was left of the bus. Horrifying screams of anguish came from the vehicle before they were engulfed by the fire. Those who didn't act fast enough died in the explosion.

You placed a hand over your heart and felt it's frantic rate. Already. Already people were dead. You forced yourself to look away from the scene. This was really happening. Adrenaline, panic, fear; you've never felt such a rush of emotions all at once before. It was nauseating but also served as a reminder that you were still alive.

Get a grip, (Y/n)! You mentally cursed yourself for being caught up in the moment.

You observed the area and analysed where you were.

It was an abandoned city and was where the last SF trial was held as well. The place already looked perturbing enough with the thick mist that veiled the presence of anything from afar, dilapidated buildings with cracks that carved disturbing images of faces, and the disquiet silence that gnawed one's conscious. So, the apparitions that crawled around these parts only accentuated the daunting nature of the abandoned city.

You were well prepared for the confronting appearances of the apparitions, but that didn't stop you from wincing at the sight.

The smallest apparition was triple the size of an average human. Others were bigger than the tall city buildings. The apparitions were disfigured shapes––some had hollowed eyes while others had unsettlingly small pupils––disturbingly large mouths with razor sharp teeth, and an expression frozen in pain. The apparitions back in the city would be a pale variations of silhouettes enshrouded in mists. Their appearances were blurry and vague, but these apparitions were horrifyingly detailed and were dark and murky in colour.

While most people were still processing the appearances of the apparitions, you took out earplugs from your pockets and placed them in your ear before putting your hoodie over your head.

3... 2... 1

The apparitions mouths grew wider before an ear shattering scream left them. Even with earplugs on, the screech that lacerated the air was still clear to you. The jaws of the apparitions continue to stretch wider as they continued their horrifying screams of anguish. The ground reverberated and you staggered a little. The sound was painful, but the earplugs prevented your eardrums from bursting.

Years of dealing with apparitions would allow an individual to develop a decent amount of tolerance to such a sound. However, there were a few unfortunate candidates who didn't develop a good tolerance and you saw their horrified expressions and distressed body language. Some collapsed and fainted, others shakily brought their hands to their ears as they felt the warm crimson trickle down, and others were in denial of their lost hearing.

Elias approached one of the apparitions. The closer he got to it, the more affected by the screams he'd be. The apparition's scream grew more ferocious in intensity, however the sound was now directed solely at Elias rather than reverberating through the air. Just the pressure from it would be enough to render some people immobile. But he didn't even flinch. A pale pink light illuminated from his palm before he swiftly exorcised the apparition.

Collected, calm and composed; seeing his competence sent relief to everyone. You could basically hear their thoughts. Elias was here, there was nothing to worry about, right? The trusted son of the chairman, someone who fulfilled his duties did his best to protect others during operations. Someone who, though came off as intimidating due to this authoritative demeanour, is a polite and amiable individual. Surely, he would save everyone here.

Right?

You chuckled bitterly. Wrong.

It was the opposite.

More apparitions drew closer and everyone looked to Elias to deal with them. You saw Caleb scoffing at the candidates as his green eyes glowed in amusement and anticipation.

Elias nonchalantly looked over to the apparitions. But instead of exorcising them, he snapped his fingers.

That action caused the screech from the apparitions to increase in intensity. You gasped and almost lost your footing. Ringing echoed in your head and you steadied your breathing to calm down. Even with the earplugs and two months of trying to develop your tolerance, you were affected. Unless you find a solution to this issue later, you won't be lasting very long in the trial.

Amias and Cecil covered their ears at first. Caleb and Finn didn't need to, but they were mildly startled. Sara and Elias were the only ones completely unaffected by the sounds.

Elias smiled kindly at everyone. It looked so... reassuring. But the way his pink eyes glinted in satisfaction at the fact that he worsened the severity of the situation was quick to break the reassurance. The candidates looked at him in disbelief and terror.

And though you had ear plugs, you didn't need to be able to hear to know what his next words were.

"As the grandson of the chairman, I'll take it upon myself to make the announcement. The SF trial has begun. Surely, everyone here isn't naive enough to believe I'll do all the work?" He made a motion to snap his fingers again. "Three seconds. I suggest you start running."





A/n: tmw the scary apparitions weren't the main issue in the SF trial but a sleep deprived coffee addicted brunette

Okay but guys I'm so excited for the SF trial. I have so much drama and action planned (yes, this is still a yandere story dw guys. Slow burn. Slow burn)