He was awakened by his roommate's shuffling and the sound of drawn curtains, and moments later, the first rays of sunlight burst into the room. Relentless light struck his tired eyes before he could cover himself with the duvet up to the top of his head.
- Come on, Odd. Birds are chirping, sun is shining, breakfast is waiting. - Ulrich's voice echoed, and in the last hour, he managed to wash up, change, and unpack. Knowing him, he probably also squeezed in one of his silly morning workouts.
It was because of those that Odd often wondered if the brunette was truly mentally healthy.
- You're such a dick... - the blond murmured, curling up from the cold as Ulrich yanked the duvet off him. - What time is it? - He groaned again and reluctantly reached for his phone. Adjusting his focus was difficult as he acclimated to the bright light, and the device's screen only worsened the situation.
- It's seven, Odd, and it's thanks to me that you're up for class. - Stern declared, rolling his eyes when Odd threw a pillow at him blindly, causing a skateboard in the corner of the room to topple over. Only after that did Della Robbia finally get up and head to the bathroom, unwilling to listen to Ulrich's further complaints.
He ran his fingers over his face before looking in the mirror, appreciating the moment of silence and peace he had in the separate bathroom for their room. He had no idea how he survived living in the dorms as a kid when the entire floor shared communal showers. Fortunately, the upperclassmen had rooms in a different part of the building. There was also no Jim's inspection more often than once every few months, allowing him to keep his trash wherever he wanted, at least until Ulrich started arguing about it.
His brown eyes moved over his reflection, involuntarily producing a smug smile. Over the past year, his face had acquired sharper features, giving him a 'more serious expression' (according to his father) and making him 'even more handsome' (his mother's words).
And well, Odd couldn't disagree.
According to Louise, his older sister, all the work was done by his new hairstyle, which made him 'no longer look like an idiot.' The warrior had no idea what she meant because he always looked great, and his hair was still in the same disorder. Just slightly shorter and a bit more purple. Another significant change was that he was no longer the shortest in the group. Of course, it was nothing like Ulrich's or William's height, but at the moment, he was taller than Yumi, who not long ago literally looked down on him.
After some time, he left the bathroom in slightly better spirits, rolling his eyes when he noticed that Stern had gone without him. When he reached the cafeteria, he couldn't help but smile widely at the sight of his friends, which quickly turned into a grimace when he noticed their somber faces.
- Come on. We weren't even in the same class. - He greeted, trying to console the warriors in his own way.
Ulrich raised his eyebrows, and Aelita looked like she was about to cry or scold him. Or both.
- Breakfast is just not the same anymore. - she mumbled instead, staring at the empty seat across from her.
- Yumi works literally across the street. - He replied undeterred, completely not understanding the problem.
She finished school last year, but due to their unresolved issue with XANA, she decided to dedicate this year to work in a nearby cafe. This way, she could always be on the phone and, if necessary, run to the factory, while also saving money for college. Sure, it was a bit strange to think that they wouldn't see her as often, but the girl herself was happy with her current situation, and that was the most important thing.
- Yes, Odd is right. - Jeremy agreed. - There's nothing stopping us from going to her for lunches. We can even go today.
- Besides, she could've ended up like William and... - he stopped when he caught a familiar figure to his right in the corner of his eye. He grinned foolishly when the brunette gave him a gloomy look, placing his tray with food in the free spot next to him. - Oh, hey Will! I was just talking about how wonderful it will be for us to be in the same class and...
- Yes, I also couldn't wait for another year with you guys. - He scoffed, and the tone of his voice suggested he wasn't in the mood for jokes. - By the way, I'm not in your class.
- By the way, how did you manage to screw up the last year? - Ulrich spoke, although unusually not sounding malicious.
William just shrugged, focusing on eating his tasteless croissant without filling.
- So, natural talent. - Della Robbia declared, chuckling after Dunbar kicked him under the table.
The blonde didn't expect that even during these holidays, he would miss even William's fragile ego teasing. Perhaps because they were boring - for the first time in years, he spent them with his family, as his mother decided that they would all go to the lake together. It wasn't that bad; he quite liked Mark, his sister's boyfriend. There was also Danny, Elizabeth's boyfriend, who always bought him alcohol. Anyway, everything was fine until Marie and Adelle decided to push him into the water off the pier. It was difficult to explain to his parents why, after so many years of swimming lessons as a child, he suddenly had a panic attack at a depth of three meters.
- Everything's fine, but what about XANA? - William muttered, taking responsibility for bringing up the uncomfortable topic that loomed over all of them. In response, Jeremy just shrugged.
- I don't know. Neither he nor Tyron have given any sign of life.
- So why that face? You look worse than William. - Odd noticed, intentionally not looking in Dunbar's direction, who probably, if he could, would have broken his neck at that moment. - Maybe we really succeeded, and that's it?
- What if we're wrong? This is our last year here. - Einstein muttered, sneakily glancing at the screen of his phone, as if expecting to see a familiar logo. - So I thought maybe we should boot up our computer and search the digital seas? Just in case?
- When? - Aelita brightened up, as always when the topic of Lyoko came up.
Unfortunately, since their memorable action in the Cortex, the girl's mother had not shown any signs of life, except for sporadic emails. Although she understood that Anthea had a new life, she never believed that she could just cut ties with her own daughter. Not after how she reacted when she first saw her in the Cortex. That's why the pink-haired girl had wanted to go back there for a long time and, perhaps, meet her mother again.
- Well, I think we can talk to Yumi about it in the afternoon. What do you think? - Einstein sighed, trying to avoid the girl's gaze, which always weighed him down when he refused or avoided answering.
He glanced sneakily at Odd with such panic in his eyes that the blond couldn't help but let out a amused snort.
- Sure. I wouldn't want to be stuck here because of XANA for the rest of my life. - replied Odd on behalf of the other warriors, then finally changed the topic to something more interesting that didn't involve saving the world from a deadly virus.
Something Odd definitely didn't miss was school classes. Exceptionally tiring school classes during which he either fought to stay awake or got into trouble. Like in biology when he accidentally broke vials and got kicked out of class, or in Jim's class when he accidentally hit a girl in the head with a ball. After this not-so-nice morning, he decided that he certainly deserved a break, so during the break between classes, he went to his room.
- Just don't forget that we're meeting Yumi at three. - Ulrich reminded him, bidding farewell under the classroom.
The blond waved his hand, indicating that he would remember. However, he wasn't worried about the alarm clock, and the meeting was the last thing on his mind when he finally lay down in bed.
Inside a peaceful nap, he was awakened by the phone. He cursed under his breath, answering it blindly, hoping for a quick return to sleep.
- Huh? - he opened his eyes wide when the meaning of the mumbling on the other end finally reached him. - What factory? Jeremy?! - he asked, but the bespectacled boy had already disconnected.
He blinked, seeing three-fifteen on the screen. Damn, how could they make such a decision without him so quickly?!
On the way to the factory, he tried to contact Ulrich, but he didn't answer the phone or read the messages. When he arrived, he couldn't help but notice that the supercomputer was on, and the full version of Lyoko was displayed on the holomap, including sectors that didn't exist two years ago. He furrowed his brow, looking at Einstein, who was intensely clicking something on the keyboard. He was about to criticize him for sending everyone in without his knowledge, but then he noticed the flashing icon of the activated tower.
- We have a problem. - Jeremy informed, as if the blond couldn't infer that himself.
- I see. And is everyone in Lyoko? - he muttered sarcastically, realizing what that meant.
If the supercomputer was running, and XANA was active, Tyron must have found a way to protect his system from the virus. Della Robbia had to admit it was really demotivating.
- Yes, and they need your help. There are a lot of monsters. - Jeremy announced.
And if only Odd took a moment to look into his friend's face, he would notice that there was something more than just ordinary concern in his eyes.
He virtualized himself into the polar sector and had to admit that this area was as ominous as he remembered it. However, it wasn't the environment that caused that overwhelming anxiety, but rather the cackling laughter of the polymorphic clone as a group of monsters surrounded him in a tight circle.
At least in that matter, he wasn't lying, he thought.
Never before did his lack of skills in Lyoko bother him as much as it did then. Evil Jeremy had already disappeared, taking his weapon with him, without which he couldn't do absolutel g. Every time he tried to escape, one of the monsters blocked his way, but even if he could, he had nowhere to run. They were in a complete wasteland, making him an easy target for two crabs on the right and three blocks on his left. And then it only got worse.
- Well, maybe I'll admire the views a little longer. - he grimaced when one of the blocks created an icy prison around his leg. And when he heard a familiar sound behind him, he couldn't help but let out an annoyed snort. - Are these damn jokes... - He clenched his jaw, looking over his shoulder as Scyphozoa emerged from behind one of the monsters.
Unfortunately, fiery anger and frustration weren't enough to remove the ice from his limb. He couldn't move, and he didn't have a weapon.
He had nothing.
- Guys, come on! We can handle this in... - he stopped when he felt four stings in his back, which robbed him of the ability to speak, and then control over his limbs. The monster's attack removed the freezing beam that surrounded his calf, something Odd might have noticed if he could focus on anything other than the overwhelming sensation spreading through his body.
He had never experienced anything like this before. He had never been caught by Scyphozoa until that moment. Once Aelita told him that when the monster started stealing her memory, it wasn't perceptible for her, and William and Yumi confirmed it. That's why he was surprised that his situation was completely the opposite. At first, it was just a slight tingling, but with every second, this internal itching grew, irritating his senses. Throughout this time, he was also painfully aware of what was happening, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. He didn't even notice when the monster let him go, too dazed to gather his thoughts, let alone move.
And then, as suddenly as he was caught, he lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Lyoko warriors gathered at one of the tables in a nearby café, as agreed at three o'clock. They were waiting for the moment when Yumi finished serving the last customer and could join them.
- Sorry it took so long. - the raven-haired girl smiled from behind the counter, catching their attention. She glanced over familiar faces, furrowing her brows when she realized someone was missing. - And where are Odd and Jeremy?
- Odd isn't answering the phone, so he's probably sleeping. - sighed Ulrich, suspecting that this would happen. He didn't even know how close to the truth he was.
- And Jeremy was supposed to come soon... - added Aelita, and as if on cue, the bespectacled boy appeared. Several customers looked in his direction as he accidentally slammed the door, but at that moment, he couldn't care less. For a moment, he looked feverishly around the room until his gaze finally met his friends.
The expression on his face told them everything they needed to know.