Eli's mornings were a tapestry of routine and simplicity, woven into the fabric of a life that seemed increasingly out of step with the world around him. Each day began with the soft, comforting cadence of his family bustling about their home—a sanctuary untouched by the chaos that reigned beyond its walls. His parents, ever kind and gentle, greeted him with warm smiles that lit up the dim morning light, though their gazes often lingered longer on his younger sister, Lily.
Lily was a prodigy of the new era, a beacon of hope in a world still grappling with the aftermath of the Cataclysm. Unlike Eli, she had blossomed early, her powers emerging as a testament to the potential of their generation. She could heal with a touch, a gift that made her revered and sought after. Her abilities extended beyond mere healing; she could create sanctuaries, zones of tranquility where pain and injury ceased to exist. It was a rare and precious talent, one that saw her frequently away on expeditions, leaving a void in the household that Eli felt more acutely with each departure.
Despite the growing distance between them, Lily's casual greetings, tinged with a faint note of indifference, were a balm to Eli's troubled spirit. He understood the nature of their world, where power defined one's worth, and yet, he couldn't help but feel the widening chasm between them as his own powers remained dormant, an anomaly that marked him as different in the eyes of society.
School was no refuge for Eli. Here, his status as a late bloomer, a boy untouched by the transformative gifts of puberty, made him a target. Bullying was a daily ordeal, an unspoken endorsement of the survival of the fittest doctrine that had taken root in the post-Cataclysm world. Even the teachers, custodians of knowledge and guidance, were swayed by the promise of power, their favoritism towards those with abilities a stark reminder of Eli's perceived insignificance.
It was during one such day, amid the stifling atmosphere of a classroom that seemed to shrink around him, that Eli's world began to unravel. The familiar, mundane pain of exclusion was suddenly eclipsed by a physical torment unlike anything he had ever experienced. Waves of heat and cold crashed over him, a maelstrom of dizziness and nausea that threatened to sweep him away.
Eli's hands trembled slightly as he raised them, catching the attention of his teacher, Mr. Harlan, who was in the midst of explaining the significance of the new geographical formations post-Cataclysm. His voice, steady and commanding, paused as his eyes met Eli's.
"Mr. Harlan," Eli's voice was barely above a whisper, strained with discomfort, "I—I don't feel well. May I be excused to go to the bathroom?"
A hush fell over the classroom, the kind of silence that preludes the storm of whispers and smirks. From the back of the room, a snicker broke the silence, quickly morphing into a chorus of barely suppressed giggles and murmurs.
"Oh, what's the matter, Eli? Can't handle a little geography lesson?" taunted Derek, a boy whose ability to manipulate earth made him particularly smug during such discussions.
"Yeah, Eli, maybe you're allergic to learning," chimed in another voice, sparking a wave of laughter.
Mr. Harlan's expression was one of thinly veiled irritation. He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as if to ward off a headache. "Mr. Thompson," he began, using Eli's last name with a formality that felt cold, "we do not have all day. If you must, then go. But make it quick."
The teacher's words, devoid of sympathy, felt like a dismissal, an acknowledgment that even in distress, Eli's plight was of little consequence. Eli nodded, a flush of embarrassment warming his cheeks as he gathered his belongings and made his way to the door, the weight of his classmates' stares pressing down on him like a physical force.
As he exited, the laughter and jeering didn't cease but instead seemed to grow louder, a stark reminder of the divide between him and the rest of his peers. Eli's departure from the classroom was not just a physical exit but a metaphorical one, marking his isolation and the beginning of a transformation that would soon redefine his existence.
Arriving in the bathroom the cool, sterile light of the bathroom offered no solace as Eli collapsed, his consciousness slipping away into a void where pain and fear dissolved into darkness. It was in this abyss that he encountered it—a presence so vast and incomprehensible that it dwarfed his very essence. A giant hand, emerging from the nothingness, reached for him. Instinctively, Eli flinched, bracing for an impact that never came. Instead, the hand enveloped him in a grasp that was both terrifying and gentle, pulling him towards an unknown destiny.
When Eli awoke, the world as he knew it had shattered. The words that greeted him, floating before his eyes in letters of ethereal light, spelled the beginning of a new chapter in his life: "You have awoken the Hands of God system."
In that moment, Eli understood that everything had changed. The pain, the isolation, and the despair that had defined his existence were now the prologue to a story of transformation and power. With the awakening of the Hands of God system, Eli was no longer the boy who stood on the sidelines, watching the world pass him by. He was a participant in the unfolding saga of the new Earth, a bearer of a power that could shape the future.
As he stood alone in the quiet aftermath of his awakening, Eli felt a surge of determination. The journey ahead would be fraught with challenges, but he was ready. The hands of God had chosen him, and he would rise to meet the destiny that awaited him.