The bell rang, piercing the stale air of the classroom. The usual clatter of chairs and chatter of students filled the room as everyone rushed to leave. Jay remained seated, his gaze fixed on the frayed edges of his notebook. His mind felt distant, as though he were grasping at the edges of something monumental yet elusive.
The day had been uneventful until now—just another routine shuffle through hours of monotony. But as the afternoon sun cast long shadows through the classroom window, an eerie sensation crept up his spine. It was as if the world itself had taken a deep, anticipatory breath.
Jay shook his head, trying to focus. He couldn't afford another daydream episode, not here, not now. The whispers of his classmates faded into the background, and the classroom emptied quickly, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
He hadn't been normal for as long as he could remember. Not in the way his peers were. There were gaps in his memory—blanks where his childhood should have been. He knew bits and pieces of his past, like broken shards of a mirror: his parents' faces, the warmth of a woman's voice, and then... nothing.
Today, though, something was different.
Jay's moment of solitude was shattered by a harsh voice.
"Hey, loser! Still stuck in your own head?"
It was Kyle, the school bully. Jay sighed, not in fear but in irritation. Kyle and his cronies were a constant presence, their antics predictable and exhausting.
Jay ignored him and reached for his bag, but Kyle wasn't having it. He slammed a hand on Jay's desk, knocking over a pencil.
"You deaf or something?" Kyle sneered. "I'm talking to you."
The room seemed to shrink, the walls closing in as Kyle loomed over him. Jay's fingers clenched into a fist, but he stayed silent.
The other students had gathered at the doorway, eager for a spectacle. They whispered among themselves, smirking and pointing.
"Leave him alone, Kyle," a voice called out.
Jay turned to see Mia standing in the doorway, her expression defiant. She was one of the few people who ever stood up for him, but her interference only made things worse.
Kyle laughed. "What's this? Your girlfriend coming to save you?"
Jay's vision blurred for a moment. The world seemed to ripple as if reality itself had wavered.
Before Jay could process what was happening, Kyle grabbed his shirt and yanked him to his feet.
"You think you're better than me?" Kyle spat. "Say something!"
A rush of heat surged through Jay's chest, an almost unbearable warmth that spread to his limbs. His heart pounded like a war drum, and his vision turned white-hot.
Suddenly, the air around him shifted. The atmosphere grew dense, heavy. The room darkened, the flickering lights casting long, distorted shadows.
Kyle faltered, his grip loosening. "What the hell…?"
Jay looked down at his hands. They were glowing faintly, an iridescent light that pulsed in time with his heartbeat. A deep hum filled his ears, like the resonance of a thousand voices speaking in unison.
He staggered back, overwhelmed by the intensity of it all. Images flashed in his mind—fragmented memories of a life he didn't recognize. A massive battlefield under a blood-red sky, the sound of clashing swords, and a voice calling his name.
"Jay…"
The light around him grew brighter, and the temperature in the room skyrocketed. Panic erupted among the students, who scrambled to flee. Kyle stumbled backward, his cocky demeanor replaced with sheer terror.
"What's happening to him?!" someone shouted.
Mia rushed forward, her face a mixture of concern and disbelief. "Jay, stop!" she cried.
But he couldn't stop. The power coursing through him was relentless, a tidal wave threatening to consume him. It felt familiar, yet entirely alien.
As Kyle tried to retreat, Jay's hand moved on its own. A shockwave burst forth, throwing Kyle across the room. He hit the wall with a sickening thud and collapsed, groaning in pain.
The glow around Jay began to fade, and the room returned to normal. He stood there, breathing heavily, his mind racing.
"What… was that?" Mia whispered.
Jay looked at his hands, now ordinary again. "I don't know," he murmured.
Before anyone could say more, the principal stormed into the room, flanked by two security guards.
"What is going on here?" he demanded, surveying the chaos. His gaze landed on Kyle, who was still slumped against the wall.
Jay felt a pang of guilt. "I didn't mean to…" he started, but the words felt hollow.
The principal's face darkened. "You're coming with me. Now."
Jay spent the next hour in the principal's office, under scrutiny and suspicion. He tried to explain what had happened, but his story only raised more questions. No one believed him—not about the glowing hands, not about the shockwave. They chalked it up to a fit of anger and an overactive imagination.
As he sat there, waiting for the inevitable punishment, he felt a presence beside him.
Mia.
She slipped into the chair next to him, her expression unreadable. "You're not crazy," she said softly.
Jay looked at her, surprised. "You believe me?"
She nodded. "I saw it. The light. The way the room changed. There's something… different about you."
He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I don't even know who I am anymore."
Mia hesitated, then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe it's time to find out."
That night, Jay couldn't sleep. He lay awake, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. The memories from earlier still played in his mind—the battlefield, the voice, the power.
It wasn't the first time he'd felt something like this. There had been moments before, fleeting and inexplicable. A time when he'd fallen from a tree as a child and landed without a scratch. Another when he'd lifted a car to save a stray dog trapped underneath.
But this was different. This wasn't just instinct or adrenaline. This was something… greater.
As the moonlight streamed through his window, Jay made a decision. He couldn't ignore this any longer. If there was a truth to uncover, he would find it—no matter the cost.
For the first time in years, he felt a spark of purpose.
He wasn't just a nobody.
He was something more.
And the echoes of power within him would soon demand answers.