When both a man and a woman get intimate, the woman gets in the pudding club and starts to eat for two. Regardless of the number of children a woman gives birth to—be it a single child, twins, triplets, or even quadruplets—by the time we get to be born, we are reared separately. But why is there a need to build relationships if we are born and exist in this world as separate human beings? This individuality extends to death as well. Can humans survive by themselves just by living without the presence of anyone? 

Human survival is more than meeting physical needs, it is intertwined with social and psychological factors. Therefore, it is plausible for a human to survive physically without being in contact with others, but it is not healthy or recommendable, since humans themselves need connections, communications, and communities to thrive. Isolation, especially if it is prolonged, could cause a severe emotional state that manifests itself as extreme loneliness and despair. The human brain is social, meaning it is wired for social connections, and isolation can result in different cognitive and emotional problems, including memory problems, hallucinations, and extreme mood changing. 

Humans are dependent on others for learning and development. As children, we know how to learn and grow by imitating those around us. Social learning from others is critical to learning and understanding the world, so with the absence of social interaction, our cognitive and socio-emotional learning would be dramatically restricted. Our relationships with others teach us language, acceptable conduct, and numerous things we need to survive. Human behavior is a complicated mechanism driven by emotions, motivations, and learned norms. Often, it is challenging to understand why people pretend to be satisfied with the people in their surroundings, when in fact, they’re not. Is it because of societal expectations? Is it because of the fear of rejection? Or could it be for the need of affection and socializing? Harmony and cooperation are two of the fundamental principles a human society seeks to promote. People thrive in a setting that has no pronounced conflicts. Therefore, the majority of individuals attempt to keep their feelings to themselves and pretend to be satisfied with everyone to ensure peace and tranquility. Humans are social beings by nature, and the fear of exclusion can drive one to follow the rules of the society and expectations of the public to the point of denying one's own frustrations. Humans constantly seek validation and approval from their friends and at times pretend to not be dissatisfied with the people they are spending time with.

"Is he serious right now?" growled one of the students, shooting a glance at the teacher who was gearing up for roll call.

Seeing him acting like nothing happened, the students started whispering one another and frustrated faces glued on their faces as they exchanged glances, as if they didn’t want this to happen. In fact, their method was supposed to be working according to their plan, and with their leader’s command. What they never expected was for him to come back and with all that unexpected entrance they had to witness. Previous instructors desperate to bring their will to the class quickly retreated from the students’ fierce desire for independence. They once tried to resist them, but their powers passed by in vain and ended up quitting and succumbing to the relentless grip of the soldiers. This teacher, Mr. Arcturus, was the first teacher they had known who had come this far. Teachers who had been tormented before barely stood a chance. They were easy targets for teasing that they were so quick to quit. And this situation they’re facing? The students despised it, they couldn’t stand any of it. 

As much as they didn’t want to escalate things up, the students were still eager to intervene. They were not comfortable with the idea of him having complete control over them, or just having his way. However, they were also acutely aware that any hasty or thoughtless actions on their part could potentially exacerbate the situation. So, they decided to hold off and wait for a cue from their classmate.

Proceeding further, the teacher started opening the portfolio and the initial entry portrayed a picture with few details below of a young male student, distinguished by his jet-black hair that flowed with an ethereal glow, enhancing his light, peach-tinted skin. The young man’s eyes were a captivating hue of deep blue that possessed a profundity that contradicted his tender years. They shimmered with a brilliance that was at once daunting, welcoming and pulling others into the orbit of his existence. Regardless, his facial expression carried the signature of a raven that suggested an exceptional memory skill, as though memory itself surrendered to his command.

Scarcely a moment passed after perusing the information, the instructor’s eye vacillated across the classroom to locate this student. Presently, though, those few split seconds were spent as his vision covered over the student bearing the avian mien — Herus Laurier, aged 15, sat at the back corner right next at the exit while bearing a noble expression. His attention, however, was not devoted to scholarly pursuits but instead absorbed in an inconspicuous card game flanked by companions who shared in his pastime.

“Old Maid. I see,” Mr. Arcturus observed thoughtfully, recognizing the game that his student, Herus, was engaged in with a couple of his companions.

Mr. Arcturus’ face lit up with a kind smile as he made eye contact with Herus. In a bold counter, Herus responded with a disrespectful sign towards the teacher (he flipped him off), accentuating it with a crude swear word. Unfazed, the student picked a card from his hand while fixing his gaze onto the teacher, seemingly in derision of his presence, and tossed it onto the shared desk. The disclosure of his card triggered an immediate win and left his friends disheartened in the wake of his win.

Even in the face of the disturbance triggered by Herus’ bold and defiant behavior, Mr. Arcturus managed to maintain his composure and remained observant to this student. Rather than resorting to reprimanding the young man, he chose to respond with a gentle smile persistently gracing his lips. This reaction, however, far from diffusing the situation, seemed to only fuel Herus’ anger further. Despite being victorious in the game, Herus found no satisfaction in his triumph as it was largely because of the presence of this instructor who had become a source of annoyance for him. This newcomer was constantly wearing a smile that seemed to be permanently etched on his face. He would look at him with eyes that appeared to be filled with feigned joy, which only served to irritate him further.

However, the soldiers on lookout were not having an easy time; they found themselves in a state of disagreement and confusion, even the lieutenant had no plan in his mind how to handle this situation yet. Their communication radios had stopped working unexpectedly, and this included even the extra ones that were kept aside for emergencies. Despite the presence of a few electronic technicians in the military, they were left scratching their heads as they couldn’t pinpoint any causes for the sudden malfunction of their devices. They found themselves in a predicament where they couldn’t use their weapons without receiving any command, and they knew they couldn’t act hastily since it would disrupt the classroom environment and raise more problems. Advancing and suspecting the new teacher was also not an option as it would cast suspicion on them. However, this didn’t mean they were planning to stand by idly. Their command chief, Lieutenant Livian, had thought of a plan and under his command, they gathered at their base and promptly formed their ranks.

“All of you must stay here. I’ll go see the Captain. Officer Darval, you come with me. Sergeant Soren, you take command,” Livian began, as he readied his weapon and took the vehicle keys. Those who were called out acknowledged with a salute and officer Darval trailed behind him.

“Attention, Officers!” Livian commanded, causing the remaining soldiers in the unit to stand at attention, their arms held behind their backs. “Ensure no one leaves that classroom! Not a single student or the new instructor! Our initial mission was to vacate this base once a teacher took control of the Leftover, but the arrival of an unexpected visitor has changed things. If anything happens, Sergeant Soren will be in charge. For now, hold your positions and wait for our return. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!” 

The soldiers salute with their right hands raised. Livian and Darval began to move towards their vehicle while carrying their weapons and a radio, despite knowing that the malfunctioning radio might not be of any use. They carried it just in case it might come in handy. However, as they were about to board the vehicle parked at their base, they were stopped in their tracks when an officer responsible for electronics repair called out to the lieutenant. Livian and Darval shared a look, wondering what could be happening in the midst of the crisis. Seeing the technician with a radio, they didn’t hesitate and quickly joined him along with the other officers. The technician reported that the radio was malfunctioning, but there was a man’s voice coming from it, seemingly calling out for the lieutenant. Livian, with a sense of nervous anticipation, took the radio, puzzled as to why a malfunctioning radio was suddenly working and why it was calling out his name. He wondered what the man on the other end wanted and why he was reaching out at this particular moment.