Shoom
The sound of a door sliding open woke me from my sleep.
It has been over a week since I woke up from my coma inside of New Mount Sinai Medical Center. Since then, I have learned a lot about the changes that have happened.
First, the introduction of 'Mana' to the world since the occurrence of 'The Great Fissure'.
Second, humans who had a high adaptability with this new energy gained powers, and scientists were able to harness mana to create weapons.
Third, because I had a high adaptability , my body continuously absorbed mana while I was in a coma. Due to this, I was able to stay alive without aging, only losing muscle mass and weight due to inactivity. Furthermore, mana also helps the body to purge impurities, causing my hair to change from dark-brown to jet-black, and my eyes from copper to a brighter, almost golden color.
After a week of struggling with all this new information, believing that I might still be in a dream, I've finally come to accept my situation. I have traveled 41 years into the future due to falling into a coma and being exposed to mana. Dr. Cynthia Su did her best to explain what was going on with my body and the world, but seeing as I am still a bit confused, she invited a friend of hers to explain further. The sound of the door opening was a sign that it was time to meet that friend, the current head of the recently established Government agency 'F.C.F'. Otherwise known as the Fissure Containment Force.
"Hello, my name is Gerard Williams, the current head of the F.C.F. You must be Vernon, Cynthia has told me a lot about you." spoke Gerard, a tall, well-built man who seemed to be of African-American decent. He had dark-brown skin, grey hair, along with a well groomed beard. The most shocking part of his appearance were his Crystal-blue eyes that shone like the ocean.
"Yes... My name is Vernon Arias, nice to meet you." I said to Gerard.
"First and foremost welcome to Lyons, one of the last remaining Human Cities on Earth. Currently, Lyons is governed by a parliament comprised of officials from many different countries that were destroyed or taken over due to The Great Fissure." he started explaining straight away.
"Since the time you fell into a coma, humanity has been at war trying to maintain whatever land we can for ourselves. Monsters, whether beast like creatures, or humanoid-like figures, have taken control of most of the land on Earth. These monsters have created fortresses, dungeons, and even cities in the areas we once controlled. We are constantly under attack by them, and attacking them in order to expand in an effort to save ourselves. Are you following along?" he asked.
"Yes...Somewhat? I do have a few questions." I told him with a concerned expression on my face.
"I'm sure you do Vernon, but let me explain a bit further first. My explanation will most likely answer the questions you seek." Gerard said, matter-of-factly.
"Ok..." I responded solemnly.
"Okay, where were we. Ah, yes. As the war for control waged, humans began to 'Awaken' to abilities due to the appearance of mana in our atmosphere. While mana did not affect everyone in the same way, this gave birth to many strong individuals, heroes, who were able to push back the monsters. Along side heroes, the top scientists in the world were able to create weapons and systems to aid heroes in battle. One of such systems is this!" he exclaimed while pointing to an object on his wrist.
"This is a 'Status System'. This watch-like object uses a piece of a monster core to read how much mana a person currently has and tells them their overall power in relation to others. Here, let me show you." he says as he takes his watch off and places it around my arm.
"Now, before we go further let me explain this. Currently in this world the super-humans that protect the world from outside forces are referred to as Guardians. Guardians mainly belong to what we now call 'Guilds' that employ Guardians to do different tasks. Some Guilds focus primarily on finding and conquering dungeons. Some guilds focus only on defending Human Cities. There are also some Guilds that are large enough to do everything, and usually these guilds are comprised of some of the top Guardians." he explained.
"Furthermore, Guardians are given a rank which signifies how 'strong' they are. Their strength is measured by their adaptability with mana, which is what we use the watch for, and their latent ability. We won't be able to measure your latent ability just yet, as we need specialized tools, but we can at least see your mana adaptability. And, the reason we're going through all this trouble to explain and measure these things today is for one reason, Vernon.We at the F.C.F. have reason to believe that you may have a high-adaptability rate with mana, thanks to observations made by Dr. Su." Gerard explained further.
"I see, that does explain some of the questions I had." I said in a straight-forward manner. I was curious as to why Dr. Su went out of her way to bring such a 'big-shot' in simply to explain the world. This must be the reason. "I guess it did seem a bit abnormal that I could be perfectly fine after 41 years in a coma" I wondered to myself.
"So, what you mean to say is you believe I have the potential to be strong?" I questioned him.
"Yes, exactly. We've had doctors monitoring you over the years and they've all noticed strange fluctuations of mana coming from you. We haven't been able to fully test your body since it would require the 'will' to. Which you couldn't provide while in a coma." he said.
"The 'will' to? What does that mean?" I asked.
"Well, exactly what it sounds like really. In order to determine somebodies rank, they have to 'will' their mana, or manifest it in some way. Mana is kind of like oxygen. It exists everywhere all the time, but in order to create a fire, you have to willfully light it. Mana is the same way, you have to gather it in your body and then concentrate it. With this 'Status System', all you have to do is concentrate the mana that your body has absorbed into it to find out your rank. Just know, it isn't entirely accurate, but we would need a specialized facility to be able to get the most accurate results." he said excitedly.
"I see, so how do I concentrate my mana exactly?" I asked, confused.
"Well, the easiest way for you to do it right now is like this." he said as he sat on the chair next to me. "Close your eyes and take a few long breaths, inhale and exhale. As you do so you should be able to feel an energy rising up from your abdomen. When you feel that energy rising up in your abdomen, imagine moving it from your abdomen to your arm. This may take a while, also it might hurt a bit at first." he said with a smirk.
"Okay." I said quietly. I then began to breathe in and out, trying to feel this 'energy' in my abdomen. "Hm?" I silently squealed. I felt a stabbing sensation in my abdomen, then the pain spread throughout my body. It felt as though a fire started in my stomach and pushed its way outward to the rest of my body. I could feel a tingling sensation on my hands and feet, my thighs and calves were cramping together, and my arms tightened as well. There was a burning sensation in my eyes and a high-pitched ringing in my ears. "Ahhhh!" I screamed while grabbing the sides of my head.
"What's going on, are you okay!?" Gerard said as he jumped out of his seat. Pressing something by his collar he yelled "Hurry! Get Dr. Su in here right now!" he yelled. "Vernon, get a hold of yourself, say something!" he screamed.
"Ahhh! It...hurr-Ahhhhhh" I screamed out in pain.
"Vernon, VERNON!" Dr. Su yelled as she came running into the room.
After what felt like an eternity in pain I finally passed out. Looking at the young man in bed who was just screaming in agony a few moments ago, Gerard took something off of his wrist. "I'm not sure what just happened, but I know it wasn't normal." he spoke. "I've never seen someone pass out from the shock of concentrating mana in their body. Whatever happens, when he wakes up make sure he doesn't do it again. Not until we hear back from our researchers." Gerard ordered.
"Yes...of course" Dr. Su answered. "I'll make sure he rests for now until we figure out what happened." She stated.
"Good." Gerard spoke sternly as he left the room with a smile from ear to ear. "This should be fun." he said under his breath.
***
Floating in a dark and empty void-like space, my eyes slowly opened. "Where am I?" I thought to my self.
"Oh, so you finally woke up." a familiar voice rang out.
"Huh? Who's there? Where am I?" I asked.
"Hahaha, don't be so scared, you aren't anywhere. Or maybe you're everywhere? Who knows" the voice declared.
"What, stop messing with me? And why is it so dark!?" I questioned.
"Oh, my mistake. It's been so long by myself I got used to it." the voice uttered.
Snap
The sound of fingers snapping resounded in the area. Soon, I was in a completely white space, devoid of any style or characteristics. What I saw next was a man sitting across from me. The man wasn't too notable. He had long brown hair, dark brown eyes, and a beard that covered the bottom half of his face. He was wearing a black, long-sleeved sweater, dark-gray pants, and no shoes.
"Yo~" he said playfully.
"Y-yo? Do I know you? Also, where are we?" I asked the figure.
"Well, for starters, you do know me, but lets not get into that right now. Right now we aren't really anywhere. Think of it like this, right now your mind is separated from your body due to the after effects of what just happened." he said calmly. "Because you tried to use mana when you weren't ready to, your body collapsed under the pressure of trying to maintain it. Realizing that you might die if it continued I decided to help you out. That's why I forcefully knocked you out and brought your consciousness into this sub-space. You're welcome." he smirked.
"Okay, so lets say that's true and you did help me. Who are you and how were you able to help me?" I questioned the figure.
"Who I am isn't that important right now, and we don't have much time to explain. This sub-space will close soon as I don't have the mana to keep it open. All I can say is this, if you use mana again in your current state you will die. First, you need to fix your body." he stated.
"Also, you still haven't answered me." he smiled as he spoke.
"Answered you? What did you ask me?" I said.
"Will you fight?"
A sudden shock struck me. "Now I remember that voice" I muttered under my breath. "So... all those years ago, that was you? And just recently?" I asked the figure.
"Yes, listen. Times up, if you choose to fight, I'll give you a piece of my power, but before that." he says while pointing at me. "You need to fix your body first" he declared.
"Wai-" I said as my eyes opened suddenly with a stupefied expression on my face.
I was now back in my hospital bed, looking at the clock on the wall it was midnight. "Was that a dream?" I reflected. "Impossible." I stated to myself. "That had to be real, it was the same voice I've been hearing all these years." I said, assuredly. "Starting tomorrow I need to do something about my body if I want to live." I told myself.
***
Yawn
The following morning I was greeted by Dr. Su who explained what happened, and told me that I was passed out for two days. Truthfully I wasn't in the best condition, but it could be worse. "I think I have an idea on what happened to me yesterday." I explained to her. "I think my body is too weak due to the coma I was in. I'm guessing that's why I couldn't handle controlling the mana in my body." I continued to explain to her.
"Well, you're not too far off actually." she said with a shocked expression. "I talked to Gerard this morning, he told me what researchers were able to determine studying the watch." she said. "It looks like not only is your body physically too weak to control mana at this point, but it seems as though your 'core' is damaged as well." she stated.
"My core?" I questioned, puzzled.
"Yes, your core. A 'core' is where beings store and withdraw mana from. It looks like because you continuously stored mana over the past 41 years, eventually that mana was too much for your core to handle. This has cause your core to break down which is what caused the wild mana fluctuations that we've been seeing from you." she explained. "Don't be too alarmed though, it's something that we can fix." She stated with a confident smile.
"Okay, so how do we fix my core?" I asked her.
"It's pretty simple actually. First, we'll start with exercises, Gerard will soon be taking you to the F.C.F. where they've got you set-up with somewhere to stay while you get better." she stated.
"The F.C.F? Why does it have to be there?" I questioned.
"Well, you can't stay here, we don't really have the equipment for the training you need for your core. Also, you don't have anywhere else to go to, so the F.C.F. will be sponsoring you for the time being. " she said.
"I see..." I said uncomfortably. It might seem like a kind gesture on their part, but I think they're just trying to curry favor with me. "I guess for the time being I should take advantage of what I can." I thought to myself.
Knock Knock
I sturdy knock on the door could be heard as Gerard entered my room.
"So, I'm sure you've heard everything from Cynthia. Are you ready to go?" Gerard asked.
"Yeah, I think I'm ready. Not like I have much to pack anyways." I stated with a solemn expression.
"Alright, then. There's a car waiting outside, we'll get going right away. The F.C.F. isn't too far from here either." he gestured to the door.
"Alright, lets go." I said.
This would be my first time leaving the hospital and seeing the world today. I entered an all black vehicle, with tinted windows. It looked like an SUV, the outside resembled cars of my era. The technology on the other-hand was completely different. Gerard explained that most vehicles and electronics these days run on mana using cores hunted from monsters as they are much more efficient. The inside of the car was much more spacious than cars from back in my day. Most of the systems in the car including driving were controlled using holographic screens and mana from the driver. This was probably one of the smoothest car-rides I've ever been on.
As we drove through the city I saw a lot of familiar architecture. "It seems like they wanted to preserve a piece of the past" I thought to myself. Many condensed high-rise apartment like buildings cluttered my view. Alongside those buildings were different shops as well as entertainment venues. It resembled New York City in a lot of ways, but also had architecture from different parts of the world, like France, Italy, and Japan. Finally, we arrived at the F.C.F. Headquarters which was at the center of Lyons, alongside a few other government buildings. The F.C.F headquarters building was about thirty stories high, mainly comprised of office workers. There was a separate facility for housing, and another larger facility for training. We first entered the main building to arrange my paperwork.
"Good morning, Sir." A guard at the front door said loudly.
"Yes, morning. This is Vernon Arias, please guide him to Secretary Kim so she can sort his living arrangements first." He ordered the guard, then turning to me. "Secretary Kim will guide you through the facilities and explain everything to you. I have a meeting this morning, but we'll meet up again later for your training." He explained.
"Okay, thank you. I'll see you later then." I said.
"This way!" said the guard, guiding me with his arm pointed forward.
"Secretary Kim, this is Vernon Arias. Mr. Williams said to bring him to you to sort out his living arrangements." The guard stated.
Glancing at me above his glasses, "Ah, yes. He did state to prepare for a guest, I see that would be you. Vernon?" he said, somewhat coldly.
"Yes, my name is Vernon. Vernon Arias, nice to meet you." I said firmly.
"Very well, follow me, first we'll need to get your ID." he said as he started walking quickly towards the front desk.
I quickly followed after him, although it was a struggle seeing how fast he was walking.
"Alright, stand over here while they take your picture. Then, type your name on that screen afterwards." he said.
Once we finished getting my ID he then had me follow him to the housing facilities.
"Now, you just need to have that ID on you and the doors will automatically recognize you. Remember, without it you won't be able to enter the housing or training facilities. Follow me inside." he ordered.
"O-okay.." I said as I was gasping for air. He was practically sprinting compared to me.
"Here is your room," he pointed to a door with a plaque with the numbers '314' imprinted on it. "This will be your room while you're recovering here, make yourself at home." he said. "For now take a rest, in an hour or so Gerard will be back to show you the training facilities and explain what you'll be doing while here." He stated.
"Okay." I nodded.
I thankfully sat down on the bed in my room. The room itself was pretty spacious, it was about six-hundred square feet. It had a bathroom, a small kitchen, a room for storage, and a balcony. It was similar to a studio apartment. There was already some simple furniture in it like my bed, a dresser, and kitchen appliances. Alongside my ID they also gave me a watch similar to the one Gerard showed me the other day. This one used similar technology but was mainly for communication and media. I set an alarm for one hour, laid on my bed, and fell asleep.
BZT, BZT
I was jolted awake by the vibrations from the alarm on my watch. "Already..." I said as I yawned. Gerard wasn't here yet so I decided to shower and get ready. After my shower I realized that I had no clothes besides what was given to me at the hospital. Luckily, I checked the dresser in my room and there were a couple of sets of training clothes that the F.C.F. provided me in advance. I first put on the gray shirt, which was a long-sleeve, loose fitting, cotton like shirt. Then I put on the black, cotton shorts, which were a little above the knee and fitting. Lastly, I put on the shoes that were provided which were a pair of gray and white shoes with a red stripe on the sides.
Ring, Ring
"It looks like Gerard is here." I thought to myself.
"Well, looks like you're ready to go. No time to waste then, follow me." he said as soon as I opened the door. "Normally I would have had Secretary Kim explain this to you, but I'm going to instead to make sure everything goes smoothly." he stated.
"Yeah, sure." I said, wondering what it was we would be doing.
"Here it is!" Gerard gestured towards the training facility. The training facility, from the outside, resembled a football stadium, just much bigger. What I wasn't expecting was the interior.
The first thing I noticed when we entered were the different shops and food court inside. It seemed like we were in a shopping mall, not a training facility.
"Surprising right?" Gerard spoke as we continued walking past the shops. "On the outer-ring of the training facility which we call 'The Dome' are mostly shops, rest areas, and food courts. The inner rings will have different rooms for training, and certain areas are sectioned off for medical facilities. Then, in the middle we have 'The Arena'." he stated.
"The Arena?" I asked, puzzled.
"Yes, the Arena. It's similar to the stadiums of the past, there is a large field for combat, and surrounding it are seats for spectators. It is also one of the safest areas in all of Lyons, it would take an army of monsters to break into." he said proudly. "But don't get too excited, all you'll have access to for the foreseeable future are the training rooms." he said with a smirk.
"Ah, I see. Well it's not like I can fight anyways, so when do we start?" I asked.
"Now." he said firmly.
"Now wha-?" I said as he grabbed me by the collar and threw me into a room. "Ah!" I screamed as I landed on my back into what looked like a high-end gym.
"Put these on." a fit, somewhat muscular woman said roughly. She was about five-eight with a lean muscular body. She had short, brunette hair tied into a ponytail. She was lightly tanned and had sharp eye-brows, with dark-green eyes. "Gerard's told me about you, you're weak. Put these on or you'll get hurt." She stated coldly.
"I'm Adira, Adira Lyons. For the next few weeks I'll be making you wish you weren't born." she spat.
"Ah, I see" I said solemnly.
"What's with that look? What you don't want to train? Giving up already?!" she belted.
"No. I'm not giving up. I'll train." I said.
"I'll fight." I said to myself.