Chapter 1

It has been five years ever since the New Squidbeak Splatoon prevented Octavio's second insurgent in the Inkadia region. And reemergence of Inkadia Octolings back to the surface. The Octolings were swift to assimilate into the Inkadia Inkling society without trouble. The other nations outside of the Inkadia expected to rebel because of the past grudges for forcing the Octolings to live in the crumbling giant underground domes of the extinct human civilization leftovers. But that never happened. Instead, there was harmony, peace, and cultural enrichment. The Inkopolis the capital city of the Inkadia became a vibrant city that it has never been shining brighter than ever before.

Or so they say from the Inkopolis international airport immigration advertisement pamphlet. As Marko Long was waiting in line for the immigration entry to the Inkopolis. While he was waiting for his passport, verified by the immigration officer, he was skimming through the Inkopolis welcome pamphlet for foreigners.

The front cover it shows the Squid Sisters and Off the Hook in their idol poses with the iconic title cards on the top of their heads. Vibrant pictures of the city and its major attraction the Splatfest Turf War, and pictures of smiling faces of Inklings and Octolings doing friendship poses and shooting ink guns at each other that they are enjoying the time of their life. And on the next page, illustrates the Squid Sister's concert and shots of their splatcasts. The description says, 'Even though they are retired, the Squid Sisters are still the aspiring icon for the Inkopolis. You can watch exclusive backstage interviews and unreleased footage only on the Inkopolis SBS.' On the other page, as same as before shows the Off the Hook in Inkopolis Square, another city but hoping to merge with Inkopolis into a megacity in the future. The same composition of their concert and shots of their exclusive Square splatcasts. 'Interesting, and somehow this city saved itself from the tyrant twice and almost became a sanitized dead zone. Lady Luck must be on their side.' By the time Marko finished looking through the pamphlet. It was his turn to hand over his passport to the immigration officer.

The young officer woman with the orange-coloured haircut style opens Marko's passport and checks the ID description as she inputs it into the airport computer system. After finishing the input, she asked him questions.

"Your occupation is the public servant, correct?" She asked.

"Yes." He said.

She nods her head twice while looking at the computer screen to ask more questions.

"So, you're going to the Splatsville?" she asked.

"Yes," Marko said.

"For what purposes?"

"To study Management at Splatsville college, the only one in Splatsville."

She nods again twice and types and clicks on the computer.

"Okay, everything checks out. You're good to go." As she gives him his passport back with a cheery smile showing her two sharp teeth each on the top and the bottom.

"Thank you. Have a nice day officer."

He walks past the immigration booth and followed the signs that lead to the coach bus to Splatsville. The inkling coach driver helped him get the carrier inside the luggage compartment. As Marko sits down on the window seat, he checks the digital sign inside of the coach showing the total time of destination to Splatsville. Estimated 2 hours of arrival to Splatsville.

The coach driver started the electric motor and quietly drives out of the airport. Marko drowsed off when the coach is on the paved road. Passing through the hammerhead bridge, he notices from the distance a big dome-like mountain and some tall tentacle-like rock formations somewhat protruding out of the mountain. 'So that's the Octo Canyon, where the Inkadia Octarians lived for over a century. Surprising that they survived that long, and the tyrant held the society tight from collapsing. I wonder what led him to mind-control his entire people and turn the society into a military state.' Marko makes a slight sigh from his nose.

He slowly turns his head to look around the passengers of the coach. He sees jellyfish, inklings and several octolings. The bus is two-thirds full. The inklings and octolings were chatting with each other and some playing with their sea-cucumber phones. One octoling has a tentacurl hairstyle and has eyes colour of red and pinkish. A sudden flashback came into his head, what he had done during the early days of his service. He snaps out of it and notices the red, pinkish eye octoling girl was looking at him. He turns his head to the window and his right hand was shaking. Taking a deep breath and exhales from his nose. And regained control of his right hand to stop shaking. 'You gotta stop bringing back that memory every time. I had no choice... Or did I?' he looks at the far distance of Octo Canyon and slowly closed his eyes.

"Splatsville, Splatsville, we are soon arriving at our destination Splatsville. Please get off the coach once we arrive at our destination Splatsville, Splatsville. Please don't forget to take your luggage with you."

Marko wakes up from the automated machine announcer. Looking outside he sees nothing but endless desert on the horizon and he can get a glimpse of the decayed vehicles and some of the skeletal structural buildings. He turns to the other side of the windows where the passengers were expressing amazement from it.

"Wow, look at that giant hole over there!"

"What kind of building is that? Is it a metal cone of some sort?"

"I think it's upside down."

A gigantic crater filled with innumerable decayed buildings and vehicles, and an upside-down giant tower showing its twisted legs if looked closely. 'An Eiffel Tower!? How the heck did it got here in the first place? Was it the great flood that swept it here? The recovery institute would be dumbstruck that the missing landmark was here all this time right next to us.' He took out his phone and took a picture of the crater with the Eiffel Tower and send it to the head of professor Hui Zeen of the Recovery Institute. The message read checkmark showing white shows that the professor saw the picture and immediately replies.

HPHuiZeen_RI: Is that an Eiffel Tower!?

marko_BOS: Yes, that is definitely a missing landmark, Eiffel Tower.

HPHuiZeen_RI: How the... never mind, the location?

marko_BOS: Splatsville, the Splatsland region, the East Sea Islands.

HPHuiZeen_RI: I'll have the recovery team send it there to investigate it.

marko_BOS: Didn't expect it to be here, out of all places.

HPHuiZeen_RI: Thank you for sending me this. Enjoy your studies there, my friend.

marko_BOS: Pleasure to help, professor.

Professor Hui Zeen is one of many that handles the recovery operation of the lost relics of extinct human civilization. Despite being over 150 years of his age, he still studies, research and directs the operations of search and recovery. The purpose of the institute's establishment is not to repeat the same incidents that happened in human history centuries ago and to find the lost technologies which are of the utmost importance to elevate the nation to another level.

Since five years ago, worldwide nations are on high priority alert to seek the lost human technologies and knowledge. However, some fear that this would lead to an arms race that led to a catastrophic event in the ancient past.

For Inkadia it seems they are oblivious or uninterested in world affairs. An island nation that prefers fun, peace, and party a lot. Emphasizing the Turf War as their national sport and their cultural pride.

"We have arrived at our destination Splatsville, Splatsville. Please don't forget to take your luggage with you. Thank you for choosing Inkopolis Coach."

Marko gets off the bus and takes his luggage from the compartment below. He looks up the Splatsville city that has many tall apartment complexes, different colours of neon signs hanging all over the streets, street vendors and store owners shouting and doing extravagant behaviours to attract would-be buyers to them, and a low-flying domestic plane passes by above the apartments as if it is a giant white bird in the sky.

The streets are filled with bustling people of many species that Marko forgot that people here move to places based on the results of the Splatfest competition. 'No wonder, both the Inkopolis and the Square were dead quiet like a lifeless ghost town. I never imagined this place to be chaotic.'

Marko uses his navigation map on his phone to find his way to the college. As he walks the streets of chaos. He consistently bumps into other people and his eyes, and his head is getting dizzy because there are so many people tightly walking around with their different colours on their heads that his brain thinks this is a flowing sea of rainbows that moves up and down, up and down repeatedly.

Marko closes his eyes for a bit, rubbing his forehead. He checks the map where he is right now. 'Main Plaza of Splatsville ', there are tall skyscrapers and shops that mostly sell to those who are taking part in the Turf War. This is the only period when the unknown city becomes recognized and gets both its income and growth substantially. He even sees the constructions going on preparing the Fes, and by the looks of it. This time it centre the theme around the Asian oriental. 'So, this is the place where the Splatfest starts.'

He looks at the map again how far the college is. '2 km from here... head north and around 1 km turn right.' As he moves through the main plaza crowded with kids and tweenklings trying to show off their new trendy styles. Dragging his luggage along crossing several streets. He finally reached the opening entrance of Splatsville college. They built it with a modern design with giant window glasses and walls with clean red bricks. The college stands out among the usual characteristics of Splatsville architecture. It strongly shows that this college has just recently been opened. The college streets are clean, unlike the others. He enters the main entrance door and walks towards the staff behind the front desk in the lobby.

"Morning! What can I help you with?" The blond pony hair octoling woman said.

"Morning, name's Marko, I just enrolled in this college. Could you point me in the direction where the college dorm is Ms Elee?" He said, looking at her plastic name tag on her left chest.

She already notices that he is not from this region. Because he is wearing dark-coloured formal clothes, compare to her wearing a somewhat casual pink lettered shirt and vibrantly coloured blue jeans. And his black tentacle hair looks like a longer version of the buzz-cut but much more refined and calmer, but some would see it as dull that it does not stand out in the common Inkadia fashion.

"Oh, you don't have to be so formal. Anyway, before that could you give me your acceptance letter and your passport, please? I need to register you in the college system so that I can check your dorm room number." As she sits down and turns on the power of the desktop.

Marko hands the college letter and his passport to her. And as she flips it through the passport. She replies. "mmmm? Zougling? You from the Zougualia, huh? Wow, it must've been a long trip for you to come all the way here." As she types the info on the computer, she asks some questions to him.

"Hey, what's it like to live in your country? I mean I've never been there, but I am planning to take a tour after this Fest."

"Well, you need to choose which four of the capitals you want to visit first. North Peling, South Nanling, East Dongling, and the West Fangling. I suggest you take a tour on Peling for the culture and history, and Dongling for the big city stuff." He said.

"Wow, I heard it is the most populated country in the world but didn't know that you need four capital cities to manage it. That's some whoolmy level." She said as she was about to take a picture of the acceptance letter and the passport so that she can upload them for the college verification process.

"Umm whoolmy? You mean like a whale?" he asked.

"Oh, sorry, I guess you don't know the Inkling slang words. I mean, I also had difficulty understanding their slang since I got out of the under-dome a few years back. But don't worry you'll learn it fast soon enough once you get comfy here."

After she finished talking, the computer just completed the verification process. Marko is now registered as a full-time Zougling student in the college. In a few clicks, she gets to the dorm's room occupation list.

"Let's see, your room is number 306, that's on the third floor. Let me lead you to the campus residence and show you around along the way." As she stands up and gives him back the letter and the passport and the most important thing, giving him a plastic student card to him with his name and his major on it. "Please lead the way, Ms I mean Elee." She chuckles a bit, and they moved on to the dormitory.

Passing through the straight corridor that has both sides of glass walls makes the walk feels wide and open. He can see the campus grasses and trees on the left and, on the right, he can see the college street where the building complexes are. They turn left after the corridor.

"This is the Student Center area. Well, the office it's actually on the 3rd floor so if you have questions related to your academics or anything else you come here and ask during office hours." She said.

As they move along and turn right it leads to the wide-open hallway where many students are going back and forth.

"Now this is the main section of the college where most of your classes will be. You can see the cafeteria with the sign on it. And for the gym, just go past the door either through the end of the cafeteria or at the end of this hallway exit door. And the health centre, just go straight, you will see the door on the left side with the direction signs that will lead you there."

After walking several steps in the hallway painted in bone white colour and the ceilings covered in dark blue paintings, they turned left again where they finally reach the dormitory residence lobby.

"And here we are at the dormitory residence lobby. The front desk is right over there on the corner next to the entrance of the residence. The staff is always available 24 hours just in case you need any help. And you can see the exit door straight over there facing the main hallway entrance. If you wanna take a stroll around college forest park. Now let's go inside."

An Inkling man sitting behind the desk playing with his phone and giving a greeting hand to Elee. She gives a smile back to him expressing hello to him. As Elee and Marko take the elevator and arrive on the 3rd floor and head right towards room 306.

"Finally, we are here, your room. Always remember you need your student card to open the door. So never lose it, or else you have to pay extra for the reissue." She puts her blue ID card on the card reader and the door opens.

In the immediate view, Marko sees the small kitchen area with a refrigerator, a sink and a simple microwave with the traditional dial to turn on. And there are two simple chairs and a small kitchen table. On the left the washroom, and on the front, there is another door that leads to his bedroom. A double bed, desk and a chair in front of the window that views the college park, two drawers and a closet against the walls facing the right side of the bed.

"Lucky for you, this is the single room, so you don't have to be concerned about whose gonna be your roommate like that." She said.

"Well, this is a very pleasant room that I think I will enjoy." He said.

"I'm glad then. The wewink password is your student ID number and don't forget to check your class schedule on myinkboard. Are there questions or anything else you wanna ask?"

"Um, no, as of right now."

"Alrighty then, if anything comes up, please ask the front desk they will be happy to answer you. Enjoy your studies, mee-kyu weemo!" As she waves her hand goodbye and left the room.

Marko loosened and relax as he is now in his comfortable quiet room. He dropped his large backpack on the desk and look out the window outside. Seeing the forest park in the middle of the desert makes him think that the college must have spent a lot of gessoes to make it happen. He organized his stuff and after that took a shower to refresh and clean himself. After changing his clothes into comfortable ones, short black pants with a grey coloured hooded shirt.

He turns on the laptop to check his class schedule. 'Let's see I'm in the foundation advanced class.' The foundation class is the pre-college course to prepare the students before they head into their major. From the Basic to Advanced level each one takes 3 to 6 months to finish depending on the student's skills. Marko sighs a bit, seeing the schedule that his first class starts tomorrow in the morning 'Advanced Reading around 10 in the morning and afternoon Advanced Writing around 2.' His weekly schedule packed with a couple or more classes that college made it like this. He would have much preferred to finish all the mandatory ones in just the first or second day not just spread out over the entire week.

He looks at the digital clock on the laptop. '12, already lunchtime. Gonna have a quick bite at the cafeteria then.' He went there and saw the cafeteria crowded and that he has to wait in line to get the order. Fortunately, there is an inside convenience store he can easily grab something to check out in a quick session. He bought the only two sandwiches that are available, salad and potatoes with fake crab meat in them. He went back to his dorm and comfortably enjoyed his simple meal.

Brrrrrrrrm Brrrrrm

His phone vibrated. Checking it his colleagues were sending a chat message to him.

jinli_BOS: Marky marky marky marky~~~~~~ you alive?

marko_BOS: Alive and well, in the college dorm now

jinli_BOS: Ooooooooooh, he is not deady.

daiyo_BOS: You're not dead yet? I thought you were ~_~

marko_BOS: Please go jump into the seawater. Wanna see how you splat with your handsome face of yours.

daiyo_BOS: Ahhhh pody, you make me blush with your kind zouyu words.

jinli_BOS: How's the Inkadia? find it interesting?

marko_BOS: Small place. Two cities already dried ink. Majority of the populace is in this desert city.

daiyo_BOS: It's true!? that people there move places based on the turf war result?

marko_BOS: Yep, you cannot imagine how densely packed in this city is. Way more packed than Shong City.

jinli_BOS: Like a nomad tribe, huh?

soganyi_BOS: What did I tell you marky? that place is a backwater region.

marko_BOS: Heya, sog feeling better?

soganyi_BOS: Feeling much better than the last time we did. Don't wanna get into that situation again.

marko_BOS: Same same.

daiyo_BOS: Gotta head out. Striky on the Fengling.

jinli_BOS: God speed daiyo, don't get yourself inked.

soganyi_BOS: Good luck.

marko_BOS: Good luck.

marko_BOS: Gonna get a shut-eye. Jet lag is hitting me hard. bye-bye, you two.

soganyi_BOS: Bye-bye.

jinli_BOS: Bye-bye enjoy your life as a college slave ^-^.

marko_BOS: hahahahahaha~~ I'm not, yet.

Marko puts his phone down and rubs his eyes. 'feeling so tired suddenly.' He lies down on the bed, closing his eyes, he was in the thought of himself. 'Get the degree, while doing that find out about his place if it's okay to settle down or not. If it's not, then go back right after I'm done with the studies here.' As he is in deep thoughts, he slowly faded into a sleepy void, thinking to himself less and less and then he finally fell into a deep sleep.

BANG! BANG BANG BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG!

'OPEN THIS DOOR! OPEN THIS DOOR!'

A male voice outside banging the old wooden faded white door loud and hard.

BANG! BANG BANG BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG!

'I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! I KNOW YOU'RE INSIDE!'

BANG! BANG BANG BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG!

'THERE IS NO POINT IN HIDING!'

BANG! BANG BANG BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG!

As each banging was getting louder and louder and the door was about to break at any moment.

BANG! BANG BANG BANG! BANG! BANG BANG BANG!

Marko wakes from his nightmare, he was panting, sweating a little on his forehead. He gets up slowly on his bed and puts his upper body against the wall. The sun is shining high outside. He exhales and turn his head on the wall clock pointing its short arrow at 7 in the morning. 'I must've slept deeply.' His stomach gives him a hungry sign that he skipped dinner and only ate a couple of sandwiches yesterday.

After taking a morning shower and holding his backpack, he went straight to the cafeteria. However not fully opened for breakfast, but the convenience store inside is. He took a simple meal there and gazes at the time and it is almost 10 in the morning.

He hastily walked to his class which is going to start at the moment. He opens the door and sees that there are already students sitting down on their sits. All of them were looking at him. But to his dismay, he caught a look on an individual that caught his eye. An octoling girl with a red eye with light red pulis in the shape of an infinity symbol.