A group of cops arrested a gang of thieves. One of the thieves suddenly shouted,
"Stop! Don't be rough with me! I know my skin is dark, and y'all are just gonna treat me unfairly!"
The cops frowned but stayed silent, not arguing—they were just doing their job.
Suddenly, a man stepped forward toward the thief. "I'm the owner of the store you robbed. Look at my skin, look at my face!"
The thief went quiet.
The store owner yelled, "Stop playin' your goddamn victim card! Look at my fucking face—we almost look alike. You robbed my store, motherfucker!"
The thief stammered, "You… you don't know what it's like living on the streets!"
"Shut the fuck up! I built my store, I worked my ass off to be better. Live on the streets? Motherfucker, I probably know who your goddamn gang chief is!"
The store owner grew even more furious. "You know… you're ruining our community's reputation by committing crimes. I've had enough of this bullshit."
And the young man, still holding onto his fragile illusion of pride, got angry. They got into a heated argument, and the cops tried to break it up.
Did they stop? Could the cops stop them?
No.
All it took was a single flick of a thumb to put an end to it all.
Because another young man, bored out of his mind, was scrolling through his phone.
And then, a kid appeared on the screen.
"9-to-5 is a trap. Get out before you're stuck. Don't waste your potential! 9-to-5 is bullshit."
The guy holding the phone smirked. "What the fuck? A twelve-year-old just said that? They don't even know how to work yet."
Luke, bored out of his mind, kept scrolling through his phone. He made comments in his head but never typed a single one on social media—he knew it was pointless for him.
But that didn't make him any better than anyone else. He had no real connection with his own family, lived alone, worked a dull corporate job, and led an unremarkable life.
Until one night changed everything.
The Awakening happened.
Slowly, people over the age of 20 began gaining superpowers. The news spread like wildfire.
Unfortunately, the Awakening didn't discriminate—those who awakened were chosen at random. But humans refused to accept that. They always wanted to feel special.
And that desire plunged the world into chaos.
Luke walked down the dimly lit streets after another exhausting day at work. His tie was slightly loosened, his eyes dull, his mind lost in thought.
"When will I get my powers?"
It had been days since the Awakening began, and yet, nothing had changed for him. He saw people manifesting supernatural abilities—some subtle, some extravagant—but his reflection in every passing store window remained the same.
Just another corporate worker, trudging through life.
As he turned a corner, a sudden shout echoed through the street.
"Look! Look at this! Mother Earth has blessed us!"
A small crowd was forming around a woman standing in the middle of the road. She wore short pants and a green jacket, her dark hair whipping in the evening breeze. But what caught everyone's attention wasn't her voice—it was what she had just done.
Right before their eyes, a tree burst forth from the asphalt.
Thick roots cracked through the concrete, stretching outward like nature reclaiming its territory. Leaves rustled in the night air, the scent of fresh earth mixing with the city's polluted atmosphere.
Then, just as suddenly, the tree disintegrated into nothing.
Gasps spread through the crowd. A few people clapped, awestruck. Others murmured in confusion.
Luke just stared.
The woman spread her arms wide, a manic gleam in her eyes.
"This is proof that we no longer need to harm our planet! The Awakening is our chance to correct humanity's sins!"
She took a step forward, voice rising with fervor.
"Cows do not need to be violated for their milk! They have families too!"
Luke blinked.
"Chickens do not need to live in terror, knowing their unborn children will be tossed into a frying pan!"
Somewhere in the crowd, someone muttered, "The fuck...?"
The woman ignored them, her expression full of righteous fury.
"Meat is murder! Dairy is slavery! The world must be cleansed! Join us! With Eco-Purist, Earth will become pure with no purge!"
She lifted her hands dramatically, vines writhing from her fingertips before vanishing into thin air.
Silence hung over the street.
Luke watched as a few people nodded in agreement, their expressions shifting—some intrigued, some hesitant, some outright captivated.
A sect. A movement. A new ideology born from power.
He exhaled through his nose, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Great. Another crazy faction."
As if the world wasn't chaotic enough.
Luke went home, entered his apartment, and opened social media again to scroll through more short videos.
This time, his feed felt different—filled with clips of various individuals experiencing their Awakening.
A new video popped up.
A group of feminine men and masculine women had taken over a TV station—not in Luke's country, but somewhere else.
The hijackers called themselves Neo-Humanists, claiming their goal was to help humanity embrace true freedom.
One of the feminine men declared that he could heal people, while the masculine woman boldly stated, "From now on, anyone can love anyone. Age is just a number!"
She was holding a 15-year-old teenager wearing a dog collar, while the boy hugged her and kiss her cheek.
Luke felt disgusted.
"These kinds of people… got powers?" he muttered to himself.
But once again, the Awakening didn't discriminate.
As night fell, Luke started feeling short of breath.
His chest tightened. His vision blurred.
Then suddenly—he woke up in a void.
A deep, reverberating voice echoed through the emptiness.
"Human, accept your Awakening. Pour your ambition into it, and claim your true power!"
Luke remained still.
Ambition?
For what?
At that moment, he realized—he had none.
There was nothing he truly wanted, nothing he had ever fought for.
Luke knew this was his Awakening moment—he had seen countless content creators describing the exact same experience.
But even now, he had nothing to say.
The voice thundered once more.
"Human… this power is yours!"