The air felt thick, like it had been soaked in something. Ethan Allen woke up with a sharp breath, his body stiff from lying on his back for what felt like hours. His head was pounding, each beat of his pulse sending waves of discomfort through his skull. He blinked his eyes, fighting the blur that clouded his vision. The room around him was dim, bathed in the soft light of the early morning sun filtering through the curtains.
He sat up quickly, his legs dangling over the edge of the bed, but the motion made him dizzy. The world tilted for a second, and he had to grip the edge of the nightstand to steady himself. His heart raced, not from the dizziness, but from a strange sense of unease that gnawed at him.
"Focus, Ethan," he muttered under his breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts. The last thing he remembered was the explosion.
The particle accelerator at STAR Labs—Barry's work—had gone critical. But after that... it was all a blur.
He stood up, his feet unsteady beneath him, and walked over to the window. Central City lay quiet below, the streets bustling with life, the sun rising over the cityscape. It seemed so ordinary, as if nothing had happened. But Ethan felt it—the shift inside him, the quiet hum of something unfamiliar and... wrong.
His mind raced back to the explosion. He had been there. He and Barry had been at the lab when it happened. The shockwave had knocked them both off their feet, and then... nothing.
Silence.
And now? Now, something felt different. He could feel it in his bones, in the air, in the way his body seemed to hum with energy. It wasn't right. Something was changing, and he couldn't tell what.
There was a noise downstairs—a soft thump—and then the sound of footsteps. His mother.
"Hey, you up?" her voice called from the bottom of the stairs.
Ethan froze for a moment. He had to act normal, at least for now. There was no explanation for this—this... feeling inside him. The last thing he needed was for his mom to see him panicking.
"Yeah, I'm up," he replied, his voice shaky but trying to sound calm. "Just... wasn't feeling too great. I'll be down in a second."
He didn't wait for her response before heading for the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror startled him. His face was pale, and there were dark circles under his eyes. But more than that—his eyes. They were different. More intense, like they were seeing something beyond the surface.
His hands trembled slightly as he splashed cold water on his face, hoping it would clear his thoughts. He leaned against the sink, staring at his reflection, trying to process everything that had happened in the last few hours. The explosion. The energy surge. The pain. And now this.
"What's happening to me?" he whispered to himself, but the answer came not from his own thoughts but from somewhere deeper.
"You are awakening."
The voice, if it could be called that, reverberated inside his mind like a low hum. It wasn't his voice, nor was it from anyone around him. It felt ancient, distant, and yet... so close.
Ethan jerked back from the mirror, his breath catching in his throat. His heart raced again, faster this time. He grabbed the sides of the sink to steady himself. What was that? Was he imagining things?
But the voice didn't stop.
"You are the vessel. You are chosen."
The words echoed in his head, vibrating through his entire body. He gasped, his chest tightening. The hum was growing louder now, almost suffocating. He closed his eyes, trying to push it away, but it lingered, like a presence inside him that he couldn't shake.
"Protect Barry Allen. Protect the Paragon of Hope."
Ethan's mind was spinning. What the hell is this? His hands gripped the edges of the sink so tightly that his knuckles went white.
"Ethan?"
He jumped at the sound of his mother's voice from the hallway. He quickly wiped his face with a towel, trying to shake off the strange sensation, but it lingered. He was still hearing it, feeling it, even as he tried to act normal.
"Yeah, Mom?" he called out, his voice strained.
The door creaked open, and his mom poked her head inside, a concerned frown on her face. "You sure you're okay? You've been in there for a while. You don't look so good."
Ethan gave her a small smile, trying to mask the anxiety gnawing at him. "I'm fine, just... a little off today. I think I just need some air."
His mom eyed him for a moment, clearly unconvinced, but she didn't press the matter. Instead, she just sighed and nodded. "Alright, well, come down when you're ready. Breakfast is on the table."
Ethan nodded and waited until his mom's footsteps faded before stepping away from the bathroom. He needed answers. His world had just exploded in a way he couldn't understand, and whatever this... voice was, it wasn't going away.
As he walked back to his room, he passed by the window again. The city was the same as it had always been. Nothing had changed on the surface. But Ethan felt it deep down—the city was no longer just a backdrop to his life. It was a place full of unseen forces, of metahumans and dangers he wasn't yet prepared for.
And then, without warning, the sensation hit him again—this time stronger. The air crackled around him, an electric hum filling the room.
Ethan's heart raced, and without thinking, he moved. He wasn't sure how it happened, but suddenly, his feet were moving faster than he could process. He was darting across the room, his body a blur.
He stopped abruptly just before crashing into the wall, the force of his movement leaving him breathless.
"What the...?" he muttered, eyes wide with disbelief.
It wasn't just a quick step, a simple dash. No, this had been faster than anything he'd ever done in his life.
The voice returned, quieter this time, but no less urgent.
"You are the Speed Force. Embrace it."
Ethan stood there for a moment, his mind reeling as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. The world outside, the people in his life, it all felt so far away. He wasn't the same person anymore. Not since the explosion.
And as the hum in his chest settled into a steady rhythm, one thing became clear: Ethan Allen's life was never going to be the same again.
This chapter serves as the opening to Ethan's transformation, illustrating his confusion and the awakening of his powers. The dialogue reflects his attempt to hold onto normalcy while confronting the emerging reality of his new life. The voice from the Speed Force adds a layer of mystery and foreshadowing, setting the tone for his journey ahead.