When the explosion occurred, Gareth Blackwell used all the power he had left to separate a piece of his soul with his fragmenting consciousness.
He then sent the piece to the farthest reach of space, using a portal of darkness.
As the explosion engulfed his main body, he went to a space far away, where his mind diminished, until he fully lost consciousness.
------
On a faraway planet called Airth, the sister planet to Terra.
There is a child who just turned 10 and he is about to test whether he will become an awakener or not.
This boy's name was Greg Gareth and his whole life has been a series of tragedy.
When he was born, due to his father's reckless actions he was taken away from his mom at two years old.
He was put in a cell where he suffered torment by the hands of his captors.
Isolated a majority of the year, locked in total darkness with nothing but his thoughts.
Treated like a savage as his tormentors threw food at him. Disgusting, cold and barely edible food was all he had ever gotten to eat.
He wasn't starved however it was the opposite. If his stomach couldn't take anymore and his hands couldn't move, they stuffed the food down his throat like giving a dog a pill.
This was in an attempt to keep him growing stronger.
While not in his cell he was forced to train for 8 hours at a time when he turned 6. Then it was increased to 10 when he turned 8.
This wasn't even the beginning of his harrow, he was constantly battered and tortured.
The guards would beat him at times with their fists or heavy sticks. The crunching sounds were apparent as his bones cracked and ribs were almost shattered.
They always stopped when he stood on the brink of death. This was all to make him stronger they always said.
He was then left to cough up blood and coddle his bruises sitting in the dark cell curled into the tightest ball he could muster. If his daily training wasn't done then they would force him to do it even in that horrid condition.
Other times they would force him to ingest terrible poisons, which weren't lethal but made him extremely sickly. These poisons brought him to the point were he could barely breathe or move.
This was nothing compared to what they would do at the beginning of every week. They would strap him down in a chair that forced his eyes open.
Someone would then come to meticulously describe what they would do to his mother, who was in front of him chained to a wall.
They then made him watch as they repeated the actions they described on his mother till she was no longer conscious. during this time he cried until his eyes couldn't shed a drop.
His hands dug into his palm making them bleed.
He wanted to shout!
He wanted to cry out to her!
He wanted to do anything other than watch!
But there he was sitting again and again. They even repeated the process except for his father instead.
After that they would force him to take sleeping drugs which had the side effect of vivid nightmares and fatigue. When he would finally wake up he would be screaming from terror.
This repeated until he was 10!
that was the death of his father and the beginning of his mother's complete breakdown.
She no longer moved much and barely ate, almost opting for food to be forced down her throat.
She didn't react to anything at all. Like a stuffed animal when facing the torment.
One day something had changed!
He could no longer cry when looking at his mother. His mind became numb like a deer watching headlights approach.
And the headlights did approach.
The third week that passed after his emotional shut down was the first time as well that he is allowed to leave his chair after the brutal torture she endured.
So without hesitation he runs over to hug her.
He wishes for her to tell him everything was going to be alright.
He wishes for her to tell him he was a strong boy for enduring the torment.
He wishes for her to tell him it's over now.
As he reaches her and gave a hug, she reacts to his touch!
it is not a reaction of comfort or joy. She didn't soothe him by saying everything was going to be alright. She didn't even hug him back.
She kicks him back and screams with hatred in her voice. "YOU WASTE OF LIFE, HOW DARE YOU TOUCH ME. I SEE YOU EVERY TIME SITTING IN THAT CHAIR WATCHING ME LIKE THE WORTHLESS TRASH YOU ARE!"
These words shocked Greg to his core.
His voice shook as he spoke. "Mom... No... please I..I"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! LEAVE! GO DIE! GET OUT!" She roars out with a wretched rage filled voice and despair in her eyes.
That night even with the medicine he didn't sleep. His mind just kept repeating his mom's words.
'what did I do wrong' this is the only thought that went through his mind on loop.
Even the next day as he walks out of the cell for the first time and into the field.
In the middle of this field was a stone platform with a large grey crystal ball in the middle and a burly man with robes on standing next to it.
He wasn't the only one here, there are many other prisoners there.
These prisoners also being kids the same age as him. They came walking out almost all of them being as disheveled as him if not more.
The robed man on the platform is a an awakener who is skilled in crystal ball reading. He could interpret grade and element even if it is a rare sub-element.
"LINE UP!" the robed man yells his voice booming across the entire field.
All the kids hurriedly form a line in front of the platform. There are about a hundred and each kid is called up by number.
The first kid goes up. He touches the crystal and held his hands there for a second like instructed. The burly man is watching intently.
10 seconds passed.
then 15 seconds passed.
20 seconds passed and the burly man calls out.
"Unawakened!" Right after he creates a blade made of ice on his hand.
One swift hand movement from the man severed the first boy's head from his body and he dropped to the ground.
Everyone of the kids looked at the dead boy with shock except for Greg and a few other kids. He was still looking down, entrapped in his own mind.
The other kids start screaming until they heard the man speak.
"Don't make a sound and don't move out of line or you will be killed." the man commanded with a calm but loud voice.
One boy didn't listen and shouted at the man. "HOW COULD YOU JUST KILL HIM!"
As soon as he said the last word a ice spike pierced him from the ground. After this all the kids were silent, some even held their breath. They feared of making too much noise.
Four men dressed all in black then took the bodies and head of the boys.
The testing continued on, and one kid after another went up. Now each step feels like a death march to the kids.
6 of 10 died and the rest had become Awakeners. Next child up is the girl in front of Greg.
The girl who went up awakened a rare hurricane element with a high-grade potential. She was ecstatic and much too rash, immediately using her power.
A massive amount of wind swirls around her hand as she looks at the man with an angry stare.
"Put your power away and move to the next field I would hate to lose a potential powerhouse." The robed man orders calmly while looking at the girl with an ice cold glare.
She ignored him and continued to run forward and punch the man. Suddenly and unexpectedly as she took another step forward, her head didn't follow.
Her body falls forward as her head plops on the ground.
She had been decapitated!
Any thought the kids had about fight back are instantly squashed in the moment they seen her head fall.
'Do these people have any care about us.' Greg wonders as he heard the man call "next" again.
It is Greg's turn now!
He walks up absentmindedly.
'What if I don't awaken. I wonder if death would be better.' He places a palm on the crystal ball.
5 seconds passed.
15 seconds passed and there was still no color in the ball. The color in Greg's face disappeared.
The robed man created an ice blade on his hand.
20 seconds passed and the ball still didn't light up.
Greg's felt a sense of peace as he put his head down accepting death.