A silvery-white box, riddled with cracks, floated in the endless void.
[Beep. Beep. Beep. Identified intrusion... Activating masking shield... Synchronizing...]
"What was that?" Dave froze. He had been sitting on the awakening mandala moments ago. "How did I get here? This isn't supposed to happen. People aren't supposed to be conscious during awakening. And what was that sound just now?"
He looked around, but the void offered no answers. "Was that... a hallucination? Damn, but it doesn't explain why I'm conscious now." Anxiety began to claw at him.
Meanwhile, in the real world, Dave's form began to faintly glow. Yet amidst the excitement of Yasmine's and Scott's extraordinary awakenings, no one noticed his.
Inside the void, it was silent and cold—an infinite blackness devoid of light.
"Hello?" he called hesitantly.
Nothing.
"System?!" His voice cracked.
No reply.
"Dammit! Is anyone there?!"
"Mom.. huhuhu… mom"
He went on and on for more than five minutes. No one replied to his shouts.
Desperate and trembling, he tried again: "Hello! I'm the protagonist of this world. Can you repeat what you said?"
[Hello, Protagonist of this world. I like your name, but shut up for now. I don't want to be detected.]
"What the—" Dave gasped, stunned. "I wasn't hallucinating... And those cheesy lines actually work?"
The voice went silent again, leaving Dave sitting in anxious anticipation.
Back in the real world, Yasmine's awakening reached a crescendo. Her energy burst forth once more, freezing the air. Even Vice Principal Gaius had to intervene to contain it.
"Hehe, my daughter will surpass me one day," Gaius chuckled, pride radiating from him.
Her projection dimmed and the icy energy condensed around Yasmine, her body visibly transforming, left behind was the empty void on the projection.
When she finished absorbing the energy,her once jet-black hair turned ghostly white, and her muddy brown eyes shimmered with sapphire blue. The cold had seeped into her very being, reshaping her to better channel her newfound power.
Dave remained in the void, waiting for the mysterious voice to return. His patience was running thin.
He was about to shout again when he felt a sudden pull. A moment later, his eyes snapped open.
Back in the assembly ground, his classmates were still sitting cross-legged as teachers moved around.
"Wait, I'm out? Did I awaken or not?" he muttered, confused.
The Principal's voice boomed across the venue, breaking through his thoughts. "Students, proceed to the meeting hall. Ms. Sanders, would you do the honors?"
"Of course, sir," she replied, bowing.
As Dave was going towards the meeting hall, he saw some of his classmates excited, some in daze, some crying and some nonchalant.
"Well, it looks like they already know what happened to their awakening but damn why is it that I don't know about mines?" he was confused.
In the meeting hall, Ms. Sanders addressed the students. "Some of you have awakened, and some haven't, but this isn't the end of the road."
She offered words of encouragement, but her message was blunt. Those who hadn't awakened would need to forge their paths through other means—science, the military, or other contributions to human civilization.
As the holographic board lit up with the awakening results, Dave's eyes scanned the list nervously. Relief washed over him as he found his name.
His name was on the list, and it was all that mattered.
"Ok, Principal Peterson is going to give you some advice. I hope you all behave."
Principal came right at that moment and laughed "Haha. no need to be so serious Ms. Sanders, these are good kids.." he then looked at the students and asked "right??"
Everyone immediately started nodding their heads. Then he started to give a few guidelines, the same old script that they have already heard, mentioning these will only take more papers.
"Then, I hope you all work hard from now.. I'm very happy with you all so I will give you a holiday today.. You can return to your homes to take a rest… haha ", he announced.
"Well that was sudden….." Dave thought.
Yasmine was called by Gaius and Scott was taken away by principal Peterson.
Everyone was busy chattering; some were busy lamenting their luck. In the midst of this hustle and bustle, Dave slipped away.
He didn't head home but headed to a quiet corner of a nearby park.
Sitting cross-legged, he closed his eyes and reconnected to his void.
"Hello? Are you there?" he shouted
[Ok, OK, don't shout. I can hear you.]
"Oh Sorry, sorry," he apologized hurriedly.
[Beep Beep.. it's ok then.]
Then it went silent again.
"Haa.. how should I talk to this.. What the fu** is even this.." he thought to himself.
[Beep.. you can ask if you want, don't curse..]
"Ah oh sorry sorry" he apologized again.
[it's ok.. AGAIN…. Ask away then, what do you want?]
"Um... who are you?" he asked hesitantly.
[Who am I? I don't know.]
[Beep.. Beep.. Reading memory.. Reading initialized - - - - - - - - - Reading completed]
"What the hell? Did you just read my memory??"
[No I did not]
"Don't lie to me. I saw it.. I saw reading memory there" he shouted
[This medical condition is called trauma induced hallucination]
"Ok ok ok.. Don't bullshit me, I might be young but I am not gullible"
[Pfft.. Yeah.. Yeah I saw it....Ahmm I meant I believe you.]
"Did you just laugh?"
[This medical condition is called trauma induced hallucination]
Seeing that the conversation was going nowhere he waved his hands and said "Ok ok.. Answer me, who are you?"
[Let me think...] The voice paused. [I am ALLSPARK.]
"ALLSPARK? Like from Transformers?"
[Not exactly, but close enough.]
"Can you turn cars into robots? Like, will they go all Megatron on me?"
[Yes. But no, they won't go rogue. They'll be under control.]
"That's... awesome!" Dave grinned, imagining himself commanding a fleet of robot cars.
"But what are you doing inside my void?"
[Don't know.]
"Why did you hide earlier?"
[Didn't want to be detected.]
"Why?"
[Sh**t. Why do you ask so many questions? Use your brain for once.]
"Ok ok sorry.." he apologized again.
Dave sighed. "I think I got it. being unique will definitely attract unwanted attention. I have lived my entire life being mediocre. Maybe I should keep it that way, avoid trouble."
[Good.]
The voice went silent, leaving Dave alone once more. But for the first time, he felt a flicker of excitement. Whatever this strange power was, it was his secret, and it was just the beginning.