World Rejector

Chapter 3: The FLAMES Organization

The Next Day

I still couldn't comprehend what was happening.

One moment, I was living a painfully average life. The next, I was somehow entangled—figuratively and maybe even literally at this point—with Amber.

Her image flashed in my mind. She was undeniably beautiful, but her personality? Pure devil.

I sighed as I followed her down a dimly lit underground corridor. I wasn’t sure if we were heading toward a secret government facility or the lair of a comic book villain. Given Amber’s smug grin, I was leaning toward the latter.

“You sure this isn’t where you keep your hostages?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Amber glanced over her shoulder with a smirk. “I only take hostages on Wednesdays.”

“Lucky me. It’s Thursday.”

“Exactly,” she said with a wink. “Which means you’re very lucky...”

After a few minutes of descending cold, echoing steps, we arrived at a heavy steel door. Amber didn’t bother with any security code or keycard—she just kicked it open.

What lay beyond was... unexpected. The room felt oddly casual, like a high school clubroom. There was a battered table in the center surrounded by five girls, chatting, laughing, and snacking. Open chip bags, half-empty soda cans, and general chaos filled the space.

For a supposed team of dangerous operatives, they looked painfully normal.

That is, until they noticed me.

The room fell silent. Every head turned toward me.

I froze. All of them were beautiful—like, ridiculously beautiful. Models, maybe. Or assassins pretending to be models.

Their expressions ranged from curious to suspicious to outright annoyed. One girl even looked like she was mentally calculating the best angle to throw something heavy at my skull.

The first to break the silence was a blonde with piercing blue eyes.

“Amber… who’s the guy?”

Before I could stammer a word, Amber answered.

“My boyfriend.”

...

Wait, what?

“WHAT?!” I blurted out, but it was already too late.

The room exploded.

“YOU’RE WHAT?!” the others chorused in unison.

“No way! You’ve got to be kidding!” shouted a girl who looked the eldest of the rest.

“Amber, seriously? I knew your taste in drama was bad, but this?” said the girl with a permanent black expression on her face. “Even in fiction, love shouldn’t be this tragic.”

“Yeah,” the blonde added, blunt as a brick. “He’s not even that cute. But I guess love really is blind.”

Was there a world record for how fast someone could be insulted by five different people?

Also, I’m not that ugly… I’m quite handsome compare to others.

Amber let out a dramatic sigh and finally untangled her arm from mine. “It was a joke. Noah’s not my boyfriend.”

The collective relief was so loud it might as well have been offensive.

“Oh thank God.”

“Phew, I was about to lose all respect for you.”

Amber clicked her tongue. “That’s a little rude, don’t you think?”

The eldest girl crossed her arms and kept glaring at me. “Then why is he here?”

“He’s joining the team,” Amber replied.

The room tensed again.

“Amber,” the ninja-looking girl said coolly, “our team is called FLAMES. You do remember why, right?”

Amber raised an eyebrow. “Because we’re all ridiculously hot?”

The ninja girl sighed. “Because it stands for our names: Fina, Lynn, Amber, Mei, Emma, Sion. F-L-A-M-E-S. Add a guy, and the acronym’s ruined.”

I blinked. “That’s... actually kind of clever.”

“Right? And now you’re ruining it,” the eldest said, not hiding her irritation.

Amber shrugged. “Relax. We’re not changing the name. Noah’s just an addition. Not an official member.”

I frowned. “What does that even mean?”

She patted my cheek like I was a lost toddler. “It means you’re the intern.”

I glared at her. “I don’t remember signing up for unpaid labor.”

“You didn’t,” she said cheerfully. “That’s the best part. But enough of that. Let’s talk about why Noah’s really here.”

The room quieted instantly. All eyes were now on her—and then on me.

Amber pointed a finger at me. “Noah has the power to erase anything from existence.”

A beat of silence.

Then the eldest sister snorted. “That’s BS.”

Amber didn’t flinch. “Watch.”

She raised her hand and summoned a small flame. Without hesitation, she tossed it toward me.

“Reject!” I shouted, raising my hand.

The flame vanished on contact—no smoke, no heat. Just... gone.

The silence this time was thick. Heavy.

Thunk!

A knife embedded itself in the wall, inches from my face.

I froze, turning slowly to see the ninja girl already holding another blade, her eyes locked on mine.

“Not fast enough…” she muttered.

Was I just... attacked?

“These people are insane,” I thought.

The eldest girl spoke again, analyzing me like I was a defective product. “He’s useless in combat. If he needs to touch something to erase it, then what happens when he can’t reach the target? He’ll die before he gets close.”

I swallowed. Hard. She wasn’t wrong.

The blonde folded her arms and smirked. “Honestly, that makes him less scary. There is a way to kill him.”

That wasn’t exactly comforting.

Amber clapped a hand on my shoulder—this time, a little too firmly. “Means you need training, Noah.”

I sighed. “Training, huh...”

“Be excited!” Lynn, the blonde, said brightly. “Sion and I are top-tier combat experts. You’ll get better in no time.”

“As long as you’re willing to learn, I’ll help you,” she added with a sincere smile.

“I’ll teach you the way of the master,” said the ninja girl, Sion. “But I’ll be very strict.”

…

FLAMES Organization

Leader:

Amber – Charismatic, unpredictable, probably dangerous. (Note: She's a demon... not literally)

Members:

Fina – The adorable, idol-like girl. Serves as the team’s data analyst. (Note: The kindest. Rude at first, but she is just teasing. The prettiest girl in the room.)

Mei – The eldest and a university student. (Note: She hated me... That's for sure. For maybe she hates men.)

Emma – Obsessed with drama. Always looks like bored. (Note: Never speak to her, she only stare at me until she drools.)

Lynn – Passionate blonde and close-combat expert. (Note: Very kind and Funny.)

Sion – Ninja enthusiast. Loves games. Takes her blades very seriously. (Note: Might have eight grader syndrome... Also, a gamer, according to her.)

Intern:

Noah – The newest “addition.” Ability: Can erase anything he touches. Combat ability: …work in progress. (Note: Cool looking and handsome newbie.)