“Jensen came in first again.”

“No surprise there. He’s a genius.”

“I heard he doesn’t even study, and we know he barely comes to class.”

“Ah, it must be nice to be gifted.”

“Agreed.”

A group of teenagers crowded around the wall that the midterm results were posted on. The entire class looked uniform and regular- well, for an advanced class. The majority of the students in Class A of APAS were thin, glasses wearing bookworms. After all, they passed the entrance exam that only 0.1% of test takers performed well enough to attend.

The sheepish-looking group of geniuses take school very seriously. Studying 8 hours a day is not uncommon among students. Competitive spirits flared, and often collided.

A slender teen with dark hair and a slightly tall build is sitting in his desk.

“Why did I come today? School’s so boring. The people are boring. The teachers are boring.”

“Oh, right. It’s because my home is boring too. Television’s boring, and so is my family.”

At a young age, Jensen was determined to be special. At almost anything he attempted, he excelled at. Sports, schoolwork, and even games, Jensen was superior. After growing with such an inflated ego, he began to look down upon others. ‘Why can’t you do that?’ or ‘You’ve tried that hard, and that’s the best you can do?’ His parents and older siblings doted on him only to further affirm his beliefs. The boy enjoyed being held in such high regard with others until he realized that nothing could entertain him. In sports, there was no one in his town that could compare in his age group. Schoolwork was even more impressive- sporting a fantastic memory and mental capabilities, Jensen almost never missed a question on a test. He had come to the top academy in his district hoping for a challenge, but the schoolwork was barely harder than before.

As his boredom got progressively worse, he began to skip school and get involved in some dark acts. Jensen had a nasty habit of committing crimes for the thrill. ‘In this mundane world, I’ll do anything if it’ll help take my mind off this boredom.’ What started as petty crimes, such as shoplifting candy, slowly turned more serious. As of now, Jensen had stolen a $5,000 necklace from a local jewelry store. The bigger the crime, the more excitement he felt. As of now, Jensen was planning on holding up a local grocery store. ‘It’s risky... but if I get caught, that might also be fun.’

Of course, the students and family had no idea of Jensen’s hobby. In his eyes, they were barely people- much less, a confidante.

“Jensen.”

A loud voice pierced his ears. As he turned, upon seeing the black-haired speaker, he thought, “Oh, it’s you again. Just leave me alone already, you inferior trash.”

“How are you, Mary? Is there something I can help you with?”

“Ah, not particularly. I just wanted to ask why you haven’t been attending classes lately.”

‘Well, it makes sense. I skip about as much as I come.’

“I wasn’t feeling well.”

“Not feeling well? People say they see you out and about at nights when you were absent.”

“Wow, you run a fine detective agency. This isn’t because I’m number one, and you’re number two, right?”

“This.. has nothing to do with that.”

Mary, the number two in Class A of the prestigious academy, was always used to being the best. Until she met Jensen, that is.

“Look. I might not be here at all starting tomorrow, so cut me some slack.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing much. It’s almost lunch, which means it’s time for me to leave. See you tomorrow. Or not. We’ll see.”

“You..!”

The group of students had long since begun listening to their conversation. In their minds, the two titans of the future were battling head to head. Mary- the beautiful and gentle queen of kindness. Jensen- the perfect and proud king of narcissism. As Jensen stood up to leave, the crowd parted from around them to make way. Jensen left with a disinterested attitude, leaving Mary deeply disturbed.

“Nothing in the world can fix a disgusting personality like that.”

As Jensen walked home with his backpack over one shoulder, he began to muse about his night. ‘If I think too deeply about it, there won’t be any thrill. As I thought, winging things like this is best.’ Jensen approached his home and entered the door.

“Welcome home, Jensen!”

His mom, in a cooking apron, welcomed her son dutifully. It should be noted that his mother is not a bad person- a bit too proud and praising, perhaps, but not bad.

“I’ll be in my room. I’m going out with friends tonight, so don’t panic if you see I’m gone later.”

As Jensen walked upstairs, he grabbed his pocket knife for the robbery. The narcissist actually believed holding up a store with a gun to be too easy, and wanted more of a challenge. After several hours of clockwatching and mind numbing boredom, Jensen headed out towards the local grocery story. The building was small, but not silent. Movement through the windows was visible.

Jensen entered the store, and with the ring of the bell was welcomed by the cashier. He walked over and observed the immediate surroundings while guising as a customer. In the store were 10 people- 3 men, an elderly woman, 2 teenage girls, a mother and her 3 children, and the male cashier. A regular thief would wait for the store to clear out, but Jensen was ecstatic at the opportunity for such a thrill. Jensen approached the counter and begun to reach into his pocket, feeling the weapon in anticipation as he waited for the elderly woman in front of him to finish her purchase.

As he started to pull out the weapon in excitement, his mind began to swirl. This is the feeling that Jensen was risking his life for- a mix of excitement and fear. ‘Will I really be able to pull this off? I only have a knife! I bet I get caught. What would that feel like? The feeling of defeat, that is. Is it fun? Motivating? Perhaps boring, so I’ll make sure to get away. My hand is sweating? Hahaha! I’m actually this nervous. Excellent.’ As his mind raced with such thoughts, he was snapped back to reality by the sound of the entrance bell. A dark haired woman entered. Completely focused on the action and cashier in front of him, he had no time to confirm the person’s appearance or age.

Mary’s POV

Mary was on her way home from school. She was in a terrible mood ever since speaking to Jensen earlier in the day. In her eyes, he was a narcissistic, pompous, rude… Well, it’s safe to say she didn’t care for him much. Despite her name, she was half Japanese. Her mother always cooked meals for her, and Japanese food has been her favorite since she can remember trying it as a child. ‘Mom won’t be home from work in time to cook.. I’ll just grab a bento from the grocery store.’

As Mary entered the store, she walked over the cold section. Upon walking to the checkout, she noticed an annoyingly familiar face in front of her. Jensen was looking especially devious while waiting in line. As she checked to see what he was buying, she didn’t see any items. ‘That’s weird.. What is he doing then?’ Mary scanned his hand and saw a small blade gripped tightly in his hands. ‘What is he..!?’

He held up the blade to the cashier’s throat and yelled…

Jensen’s POV

“Everyone line up on the wall opposite the door or I’ll kill him. Empty the register and put it into this bag. If I see anyone make any sudden movements, I’ll kill him and run.”

In a wave of panic, the 9.. No, 10 people stumbled towards the wall. Children wailing and old lady confused,the people eventually gathered against the wall. The man at the register, flushed with panic, began to spill the contents of the register into the bag.

‘Incredible.. I’m actually robbing this place with just a knife! This bliss.. I’ll have to flee quickly after he’s done. I’m really doing it. This.. is exhilarating! Those petty crimes are nothing compared to this rush!’

As he glanced back at the people on the wall, he saw them in a fear-stuck state. No one was making any kind of attempt to contact the police due to the fear of causing a death. ‘Hm.. perhaps next time I should go for a gun store, where people have a more dangerous disp.. Wait, why are there only 9 people on the wall?’

Mary’s POV

‘This damn madman! He’s crazy!’ Mary, who had just been ordered to go to the wall, was completely awestruck by Jensen’s actions. She, however, knew Jensen’s antics of searching for a thrill. Due to this, she was able to recover from the shock a second before everybody else. In that moment, she decided to go towards the wall and slip into an aisle in the confusion. ‘Knowing Jensen, he will glance to make sure people are listening to him, and be overconfident that everyone will obediently wait for him. I’ll jump him when he is lost in thought.’ Making up her mind, she slips behind the aisle and approaches Jensen from the side. Low to the ground and slow moving, noticing her would be an accomplishment. When she is about 5 feet away, Jensen glances towards the lined up people. For an instant, confusion flashes across his face. ‘I can do this.. Jensen, I won’t let you do as you please!’ Thinking this, Mary lunged..

Jensen’s POV

“Damn!”

A hand grabbed his arm with the knife and pushed with full force. ‘Why the hell is Mary here?!’ Jensen, for the first time in his life, showed a facial expression that read as panic. He knew that he could take Mary in a physical bout, but this gave everyone else in the store a chance to make a move. Right as he thought that he would have to actually stab somebody, a vortex opened up in front of the struggling duo. Sucking the two of them into It within seconds, the pair had no time to react.

The feeling of time and space being splintered around them was evident- Jensen could not access any of his five senses. Suddenly, a light came into his eyes. Growing brighter and brighter, the light eventually flashed his entire vision. A cold wind swept his hair, and with a thump, he landed on cold ground. In a state of shock, Jensen observed his surroundings. ‘This looks like some sort of medieval castle. Where the hell am I? And why are so many people here?’

“Welcome, people of Earth. This place is called the Destined Planet.”