Dawn of the 13th Era

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The shrill sound of the alarm rang through the small hostel room for what felt like the tenth time that morning.

On the bed, Orion shuffled lazily beneath his blanket. Without even opening his eyes, he stretched out an arm toward the bedside table and slapped the alarm silent.

For a moment, everything returned to quiet.

Then he slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the clock.

9:45 AM.

Orion jerked upright as if electricity had shot through his body.

“Shit! I’m so screwed!”

He scrambled out of bed, nearly tripping over his own feet as he grabbed his phone to double-check the time. Somehow he had slept through two different alarms, sinking so deeply into sleep that the world might as well have ended without him noticing.

Normally, someone as unserious as Orion wouldn’t care about waking up late.

On a typical day he would simply roll over, go back to sleep, or spend the day doing random nonsense.

But today was different.

Today he had a very important test for one of his major courses—and he had stayed up ridiculously late the night before.

Just as he rushed out of his room, the door of the neighboring room creaked open.

His neighbor Emma leaned against the doorway, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

“Where are you off to?” he asked. Orion almost never left the hostel unless absolutely necessary.

“Got a test, bro. Gotta go,” Orion replied while hurriedly putting on his shoes.

“Oh? By eleven?”

“Nope. Ten.”

Emma blinked.

“Well… you’re completely fucked then, bro.”

Orion didn’t even bother replying.

The problem wasn’t just the time. Even though the exam started at 10 AM, he only had fifteen minutes left.

His hostel was ridiculously far from campus. Normally it took thirty minutes just to get there, and another twenty minutes to reach the test hall.

But with time clearly not on his side, Orion took a desperate gamble.

Instead of waiting for the usual bus, he flagged down a private cab and ordered the driver to go as fast as possible.

The ride cost far more than he could comfortably afford—but at that moment, survival mattered more than money.

Surprisingly, luck decided to smile on him for once.

Thanks to a delay on the lecturer’s side, Orion actually made it into the exam hall right on time.

But the moment he sat down and looked at the question sheet…

His brain nearly exploded.

His eyes scanned the first page, then the second.

Nothing made sense.

Logic collapsed in his head like a broken bridge and a dull ache began pounding behind his temples.

At that moment, Orion genuinely wished he had overslept completely.

Because he couldn’t make sense of a single damn question on the sheet.

-----------------------------

Two Hours Later

“Hey bro, haven’t seen you in ages. I thought you dropped out of school for a moment.”

A tall and fair skinned guy who looked like a Chinese role model was talking to another student with dark skin and a massive scar running across his face.

That student was Orion.

“And why would I drop out?” Orion replied flatly.

“Maybe you got tired of school life… or life in general.”

The tall guy grinned mischievously.

His name was Jeremiah, though everyone simply called him Jerry.

“Just shut up, man,” Orion muttered.

Jerry chuckled.

“So… how was the test? Finished everything?”

“I tried my best.”

Jerry rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“That second question in section two about the Phanerozoic Eon was pretty confusing though. What were the three main eras and their time periods again?”

Orion’s expression remained blank.

Jerry frowned.

“Don’t tell me you have no idea what I’m talking about.”

“Nah, I know all about it,” Orion said casually. “I’m just not in the mood.”

Jerry narrowed his eyes.

“For real? Your face looks like you’re bluffing.”

“And how do you know I’m bluffing?”

“Alright then,” Jerry said with a grin. “What’s the answer to section three, question four?”

Orion looked away.

“I don’t remember the questions anymore.”

Jerry smirked.

“When did the first coral reefs appear?”

Orion hesitated for a moment.

“…Hmm. The Carboniferous period?”

Jerry’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Bro… that was literally the simplest question in the whole test! How did you mess that up?”

Orion shrugged.

“Well, I tried my best. Anyway, that’s all for now. I’m leaving.”

Before Jerry could respond, Orion suddenly burst into a sprint and ran straight out of the school premises.

As for meetings, hangouts, or extra activities?

Orion wasn’t really interested in those things.

It wasn’t because he was shy or incapable of talking to people.

The real reason was the scar on his face.

The long, jagged mark stretched across his features in a way that could probably give small children nightmares.

And girls.... Weren't really friendly towards him because of his "ugly" facial features. With his scar, Orion knew he scored a solid F in that department.

So why bother with the stress of socializing when he could simply live quietly on his own?

It wasn’t like he held any resentment anymore.

Not really.

After all, he hadn’t been born with the scar.

It was the result of a terrible accident when he was younger—an injury that had nearly cost him his life.

The stigma had hit him hard back then, which was why he preferred keeping his distance from most people.

Still… if he ever had the choice, Orion would definitely choose a handsome face.

But that was all in the past now.

He had grown somewhat used to it.

As Orion reached the bus stop on his way back to the hostel, memories of his childhood surfaced in his mind—back when life had been far simpler.

He inhaled deeply and began jogging again, eager to get back to his room as quickly as possible.

After getting off the bus, he walked into the hostel building and headed toward his room.

But just as he stepped onto the polished floor of the hallway—

His foot slipped.

Orion tripped forward violently.

Before he could react, his head slammed against the hard tiles with a sickening crack.

The impact shattered the polished surface and blood quickly spread across the floor.

Then…

Everything went dark.