Ethan stepped out of his childhood home, the door clicking shut behind him with a soft thud. The morning air was crisp, the remnants of rain from earlier still clinging to the streets and sidewalks. He took a deep breath, hoping the fresh air would clear the fog in his mind. But the unease from the previous night—the explosion, the voice—still lingered.
His feet moved automatically, as if they knew the way better than his mind did. Central City sprawled out before him, the familiar sights and sounds of the city mingling with a strange sense of detachment. People bustled about, hurrying to work or to school, their conversations blending into the background noise.
But Ethan felt different. He felt hyper-aware of every single thing around him. The way the pavement beneath his shoes seemed to vibrate ever so slightly, the way the breeze moved through his hair, even the faint scent of coffee wafting from a nearby café. It was as if his senses were heightened to an almost uncomfortable degree.
He was walking down Main Street when it happened again—the sensation of time stretching out, bending in a way that didn't make sense. A woman passed by him, her umbrella held high against the drizzle. Her footsteps were slow, deliberate. He glanced at her, and then... everything slowed. The world around him melted into a kind of half-speed, as if the woman's movements were unfolding in slow motion.
Ethan froze, his pulse quickening. The space between them seemed to stretch impossibly long. He watched the droplets of rain drip from her umbrella, falling to the ground in what seemed like minutes. Her footsteps came down with an exaggerated slowness, and he could hear each tap of her heel against the wet pavement like a drumbeat.
What is happening? he thought, his mind racing.
He blinked hard, and the world snapped back into normal speed with a jarring force. The woman continued walking as if nothing had happened, and the sounds of the city returned in full. His breath was shallow, his hands trembling as he steadied himself against a lamppost.
What just happened?
He glanced around quickly, half-expecting someone to have seen him, but no one seemed to notice. People were still rushing by, immersed in their own worlds. Ethan was certain they hadn't felt it. But he did.
The world had slowed. And it had felt... natural. Like he was seeing it the way it was always supposed to be.
He shook his head, trying to dispel the thought. He had to keep moving. Whatever was going on inside him, whatever had changed since the explosion, he needed answers. He couldn't stand still forever.
Ethan continued walking down the street, his steps hesitant at first but then gaining confidence. He needed to clear his head, to focus. He passed a café, the sound of a bell above the door ringing as someone walked out. The warm smell of coffee and pastries filled the air, and for a moment, he was reminded of simpler days—before everything had gone crazy. He paused, a sudden urge to go inside and lose himself in the normalcy of a cup of coffee overwhelming him.
But something stopped him. A feeling, like a whisper at the edge of his consciousness, urged him forward. He couldn't explain it, but he knew that he couldn't afford to ignore whatever was happening to him. He had to figure it out.
Focus, Ethan. Focus.
He kept walking, trying to ignore the strange sensations swirling inside him. That's when he noticed it again—this time more intense. His steps echoed in his mind, amplified. Each footfall felt like it was happening in slow motion, each beat of his heart pounding in his chest like a distant drum.
And then he heard it—a heartbeat. A quickened pulse, faint but unmistakable. His eyes flicked to the pedestrian ahead of him, a man in a suit who was rushing to cross the street. His heart rate was elevated—Ethan could hear it as if it were his own. It was as if the rhythm of that stranger's heart was beating in time with his own.
Ethan instinctively picked up his pace, his senses expanding. The man was just a few feet away now, but Ethan could hear his heartbeat with eerie clarity, faster than normal, faster than it should be. His body was in overdrive, either from stress or excitement, but the sound was... too clear, too precise.
He was hearing the rhythm of a life—another person's life—unfolding in real time.
How am I hearing that? he wondered, almost afraid to examine it too closely.
The man's breath came in shallow bursts, and Ethan instinctively reached out with his hand to steady him, as though the rhythm of his heart was calling him to do so.
"Are you okay?" Ethan asked, his voice a little too sharp.
The man glanced up, startled, but then gave him a quick nod. "Yeah, just... not feeling great, you know?"
Ethan noticed how the man's face was flushed, his brow slick with sweat. The pulse was erratic now, each beat of his heart loud in Ethan's ears. Ethan's fingers tingled, his senses pushing him toward the man like a magnet.
"I— I should probably get to the hospital," the man muttered, then hurried off without another word.
Ethan stood there, confused, his breath still coming in shallow bursts. That... was strange. Not just the fact that he'd been able to hear the man's heartbeat, but that it had felt so urgent, like it was his responsibility to help.
This is... not normal.
He rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself. The city around him had become a blur of sounds and sensations. His heightened senses, the perception of the world around him... it was too much. Every car that passed by him sent a jolt of energy through his body, and each drop of rain on his skin felt like a tiny shock. He couldn't escape the feeling that the world had changed around him.
As if on cue, a car swerved toward the curb, tires screeching as it tried to avoid a puddle. In a split second, Ethan was already moving. He didn't think about it. His body reacted before his mind had fully processed what was happening.
He dove toward the curb, reaching out to steady the car, the energy in his legs propelling him forward with such speed that his body was a blur. He felt the rush of air, the friction of his hands skimming the side of the car.
The car didn't crash. The driver, a woman, looked at him, her eyes wide, as she slowed down and honked her horn.
"What the hell, man?" she yelled, but Ethan barely heard her. He was still breathing heavily, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
He had... stopped the car. Without thinking. He had moved so fast.
Ethan took a step back, his mind reeling. "Okay, okay... what's going on with me?" He was talking to himself, but it didn't make him feel any better.
His heart was pounding. The world was still around him, ordinary, unchanged... but to him, it felt like everything had shifted. It was like he was seeing the world for the first time, but through someone else's eyes—faster, sharper, more intense.
It wasn't just the strange feelings. It was the power, the energy that seemed to course through his veins, begging to be used.
I need to control this, Ethan thought, his mind racing as he took a few steps back, his gaze fixed on the bustling street ahead.
But controlling it... would be another challenge entirely.