Time Flies in an Instant

Time flew by in the blink of an eye. Morning classes, lunch, and finally the afternoon. I headed to the auditorium for the Charity Holy Mark reselection exam, with Gu Jun-hyeok and Jeong In-ah by my side. Jeong In-ah wasn't a participant, though; she was just seeing us off on the way to the auditorium.

"Do great! Text me when you're done."

As we reached the front of the auditorium, Jeong In-ah waved and said goodbye. I returned the gesture with a simple wave, no words needed. Gu Jun-hyeok glanced back and forth between me and Jeong In-ah, looking a bit displeased.

"...Hey! What about cheering for me?"

"What, do I have to? Just do well, then."

"Your cheers have no soul, no soul at all. Put some heart into it."

"Cheers with soul cost extra. Cough up 30,000 won, and I'll consider it."

"30,000? Get outta here!"

While Jeong In-ah and Gu Jun-hyeok bickered playfully, I eyeballed the crowd gathered at the auditorium. Excluding the supervising teachers and spectators, there were about a hundred participants. Quite a few from classes other than Charity.

The Charity Holy Mark reselection exam was oddly open to students from other classes. Even those already holding Holy Marks—like Yeo Min-seo with Kindness, Han Su-ryeon with Temperance, or Seong Ha-yeon with Purity—could take it. Sure enough, Seong Ha-yeon was picking up her registration receipt right in front of the auditorium, and off in the distance, Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon were walking side by side toward us.

"...What the?"

That's when my eyes met Han Su-ryeon's. She pointed at me and said something to Yeo Min-seo, who nodded with a meaningful expression. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it rubbed me the wrong way.

"What do you mean, 'what'? Why are you spacing out again today?"

Gu Jun-hyeok nudged my shoulder and asked. Jeong In-ah, who'd been chatting with him moments ago, had vanished.

"Looking for Jeong In-ah? She left. Seemed pissed you weren't paying attention."

"Oh, really?"

"Look at that reaction. 'Oh, really?' She's upset because of you, and you don't even feel guilty."

Gu Jun-hyeok chided me subtly, and I caught a hint of annoyance in his tone. I'd been so buried in voodoo practice, plus dealing with Satanists and all that crap, that I'd been neglecting people around me a bit.

...But did I really have to care?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

As that thought crossed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my mind—

"Participants, get your registration receipts here! No receipt, no exam!"

A teacher's sharp voice cut through the noise into my ears. Gu Jun-hyeok and I pushed through the crowd to grab ours.

"Class and name here. And show me your student ID."

We wrote our class and names on the roster and flashed our IDs. The teacher compared them to her papers, furrowed her brow, then nodded and handed us the receipts.

The design was simple.

Black text on a white background, nothing fancy. It reminded me of Han Dae-ho's business card, and I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Whoa. 666."

Gu Jun-hyeok peeked at my receipt and whistled. Sure enough, the last three digits were 666.

"Of all numbers, 666. Kinda ominous."

"Nah, it's good. Consider it warding off bad luck."

"Warding off?"

Did Romanica even have a concept like that? Voodoo did, sort of, but I wasn't well-versed in Romanica doctrine.

"...Well, stuff like prayer rituals is basically the same, right? You know what I mean."

"Ah, yeah."

Gu Jun-hyeok backpedaled quickly. It was odd, but I let it slide. Not worth suspecting over something so minor, especially when I had bigger things to worry about.

"Participants with receipts, time to move out!"

The teacher bellowed. Right on cue, several massive buses pulled up in front of the auditorium. Teachers herded us on board like luggage. Gu Jun-hyeok and I stared in confusion.

"Buses out of nowhere? Talk about overkill."

Gu Jun-hyeok said, impressed. I nodded in agreement.

"Hey, participants! Hop on quick!"

"That's us."

Where the hell were they taking us for an exam that required buses? Before I could ponder further, we boarded under the teacher's guidance.

The kids already on board looked tense as hell. Curtains blocked all the windows, so no view outside.

"...Man, suddenly getting nervous."

Gu Jun-hyeok, next to me, rubbed his neck. His voice shook a little.

Vroooom!

The bus roared to life and took ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠off.

*

No idea how much time passed. Right after boarding, teachers collected our phones. Curtains stayed shut, no clocks inside. I scanned around—some kids were doodling blessing circles in the air for practice, others chatted with friends, the rest slept.

"This feels like... getting kidnapped?"

Gu Jun-hyeok said.

Kidnapped. Spot on.

"Why cover the windows... It's stuffy."

"Probably heading somewhere off-limits. Like Area 51? No civilians allowed."

"Dragging us there just for a reselection exam? Florence must be swimming in cash."

"Seems like it. Whatever~"

Gu Jun-hyeok reclined his seat with a smirk, squeezing the kids behind.

"...Hey, what the."

A complaint from the back, but he ignored it. He lounged back, staring blankly at the ceiling.

"Hey, what relic did you bring?"

"Eh."

No reason to answer, so I brushed it off. With no clue on the exam format, spilling my relic was suicide. Better to hide it—or lie if cornered.

"Look at him dodging. Checking your competition already?"

"Competition? Why you always pitting us against each other?"

"C'mon, drop the act. You see me as a rival too, right?"

He stared out the invisible window, sounding serious. We'd compete once the exam started, sure. But I didn't see him as a real rival.

"..."

I turned to look at her in the back row. Seong Ha-yeon, white from hair to skin, stared blankly ahead, unflinching. Not on our bus, but Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon had signed up too.

Seong Ha-yeon, Yeo Min-seo, Han Su-ryeon. Sorry, Gu Jun-hyeok, but he wasn't even in their league. If any wild cards popped up, it'd be those three.

"When do we get there... Getting bored."

"Hey, can you put your seat up?"

"If they just told us the time..."

"Guys..."

"Seriously, taking our phones? Ridiculous."

"..."

Something weird from the back during the chatter, but too faint to catch. The bus kept rolling. We stared at the curtain grid, clueless on ETA.

*

The bus finally stopped. We disembarked under teacher guidance. I stepped on solid ground and took a deep breath. Forest scent first, then mist. Air was thin, breathing tough.

We'd arrived at a mountaintop. Including me and Gu Jun-hyeok, everyone gawked around in confusion.

"Welcome, everyone. I'm Noah, proctor for this Charity Holy Mark reselection exam and head administrator of the Ark. Oh, not my real name, of course. Baptismal name. My surname is Noah, though. Haha... Not funny, huh?"

A man boomed with laughter, introducing himself. Noah—white shirt, black slacks, ankle-length robe in fresh ocean blue.

Too wordy. Exactly the type I hate.

Legba tsked in my head. Yeah, Noah talked a ton—more than Baron Samedi or Sobo even.

"Anyway! I know you're all confused. 'Why drag us to a mountaintop for a reselection exam?' Right? Obviously, this isn't the test site!"

"The place for your exam is right behind me! The Ark!"

Noah gestured dramatically behind him. No applause. Simple reason: nothing there.

He was ranting about exams and the Ark to empty air.

"...Crazy?"

Someone muttered. It echoed louder in the silence. Noah's face twitched.

"Crazy? Harsh words! There really is an Ark behind me! Only good folks can see it—maybe you can't?"

He flailed wildly. Definitely nuts—then he unleashed divine power, drawing a blessing circle I'd never seen.

Vwoooom!

Light from the circle enveloped the air. A horn blared, and something materialized in the void.

A wooden ship. Massive, majestic—too vast for one glance. My mind instantly flashed to "Ark."

"See it now?"

Noah beamed triumphantly. Kids gaped, awestruck. Gu Jun-hyeok's lips formed an O, eyes sparkling as he scanned it top to bottom.

"Your shock makes me so happy! Haha! Anyway, you'll take the exam inside this 'Ark.' Oh, and just to clarify—it's an ark, I'm Noah the administrator, but this isn't 'Noah's Ark'!"

This was an ark, but not the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠biblical prophet Noah's. It was a holy relic designed by former Cardinal Seong Yu-da—master relic crafter, expert in holy materials and dynamics—modeled after the real one.

Seong Yu-da's name dropped, and eyes flicked to Seong Ha-yeon. I ignored her. That name echoed in my ears too often, grating. Unwanted names stuck sharper, lingered longer.

"Anyway! Seeing is believing—head in and experience it yourselves. Let's go!"

Noah led us. The hundred-odd students filed after him into the Ark. Fitting its scale, the entrance was wide—no chaos.

I followed the crowd inside. Airport-style security checkpoints at the foyer.

"Clear. Next!"

A staffer said. Kids showed relics, passed through, entered proper.

My turn. Showed my relic, passed the scanner—

Beeeep!

Sharp alarm blared.

"Huh? Unregistered relic?"

"...No?"

"Weird. Hold on~"

He pulled a metal detector, scanned me. Nothing at first—then beeped at my finger.

"Ah. The ring?"

"..."

Cold sweat. If no rings allowed, my plan was dead on arrival.

"Student, couple's ring? Rings okay, but couple rings no~"

"...Huh? No, not a couple's ring."

"Kidding! Rings are fine. Happens sometimes. Not a relic anyway. Haha, you're good~"

He grinned amiably. Ring cleared. Kids behind whispered, but I ignored and hurried through.

Finally inside Noah's Ark after the hassle. All participants cleared security.

"Ta-da! Welcome to the Ark!"

Noah spread his arms wide in the center.

I looked around. Shockingly empty. Bare as hell. How the exam here?

Irritation building—

"Good luck, everyone!"

Snap!

Darkness. Thick black swallowed everything. Pitch, no visibility—too risky to move.

Surprised kids made noise: screams, groans, sighs. It swirled like mist, then faded.

Left: endless dark, silence.

Seong Yu-da, that vile bastard...

Legba's mutter pierced the quiet. Meaningless to me.

Snap!

Darkness lifted, light seeped in. Eyes stung. Blinking, I scanned.

No empty hall. I stood on grassland. Short grass, fresh flowers underfoot; scattered trees afar; towering mountain too high to crane at.

Clear blue sky, perfect clouds drifting leisurely. Warm sunlight. Like pre-civilization Earth, untouched.

Peace in the wildness, but unease too. Hadn't grasped what happened.

Plop.

Something dropped before me. A note. I unfolded it—felt compelled, like ordered to.

Too sudden—hard to process. No time, though.

Plop, plop, splatter.

Whoosh!

Drops heralded it—then torrent like a waterfall. Clear sky turned storm-black. Distant participants dashed toward the mountain through rain.

And so, abruptly, the exam began.

(To be continued)