Part 6: Unseen Strength
Zoruto sat on the edge of his hospital bed, staring out the window as the sun began to rise. He had been in the hospital for about a week now. The doctors were amazed at how quickly his body was healing from the injuries he had sustained during the meteor crash. They had told him it would take months to fully recover, but here he was, barely two weeks later, almost fully healed.
"Zoruto, this is unbelievable," the doctor had said just yesterday. "You should still be bedridden, yet your body shows no signs of major trauma. It's... a miracle."
Zoruto was baffled, too. He could feel the strength in his limbs, the energy surging beneath his skin, but something about it didn't feel natural. There was a part of him that felt like he was holding back, like his body was bursting with some unknown power that was only just beginning to surface.
Today, he decided to test his body. The hospital room felt too small, too confining for someone who was supposed to be recovering. He dropped to the floor, starting his usual routine of push-ups. One, two, three... He felt a strange rush as his arms pushed him upward.
By the time he hit thirty, a curious feeling spread through his body. His muscles felt... bigger. He stopped for a moment and looked at his arms. The sleeves of his hospital gown stretched tight around his biceps, which were noticeably larger than before the accident.
"What the...?" he muttered, flexing his arms. His muscles bulged, veins pulsing beneath the surface. He'd never been this strong before, not even close. It didn't make sense.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he stood up, moving to the mirror on the far wall. His reflection stared back at him, but it wasn't the same Zoruto he had known before. His muscles were clearly more defined, more powerful. His chest, shoulders, and arms looked like they belonged to someone who'd been training for years, not a teenager who had just survived a near-death experience.
He tried to make sense of it. Was this another effect of the meteor crash? Zoruto's mind raced, replaying the strange dreams, the symbols on his hands, and the sensation that something deep inside him had changed.
A knock on the door startled him. It was the nurse, checking in for her usual rounds. Zoruto quickly covered himself with the hospital gown, feeling a strange need to hide what was happening to his body.
"How are you feeling today?" she asked with a smile, oblivious to the transformation taking place before her eyes.
"Uh, better. Much better," Zoruto replied, trying to keep his voice steady. Inside, his heart pounded. He couldn't tell anyone yet—especially not until he understood it himself.
As the nurse left the room, Zoruto sat back down on the bed, staring at his hands. His mind flashed back to the dream—the shadowy figure, the cyclone, the symbols on my skin. Was this connected? Was this power a part of something much bigger?
He clenched his fist, feeling the raw energy coursing through him. Whatever was happening, it was only the beginning.