Chương 2: Firebolt!

Alex stared at his computer screen. Its glow illuminated his tired face in the half-lit office. Most lights were off, except for the small corner that he worked in. The shared working space was close to the kitchen, which often left him with easy access to the coffee pot. With only one headphone in, he could hear the sounds of the cleaning crew vacuuming and emptying trash cans in one of the adjoining office spaces.

"This really needs to pop more. Why do only half of these assets allow me to change the color?" he muttered. Removing the current graphic from the slide, he opened the folder of company-provided assets and scrolled through. He leaned forward to stretch his lower back and tapped the screen of his phone. The time showed 7: 30 PM. Rubbing his face with both hands, he let out a sigh while leaning back in his chair. The memory of his recent dinner with his parents weighed on his mind, adding to his exhaustion.

He leaned forward, willing himself to focus. Alex clicked through the slides and adjusted the color scheme once more. There's gotta be a balance between professional and eye-catching here. A shuffle of quiet footsteps broke his concentration, and Alex looked up to see Dave, the night security guard, making his rounds.

"Still here, Alex?" Dave asked. Alex managed a tired smile.

"Yeah, just finishing up this presentation. You know how it is."

"Don't work too hard, kid. Building's not going anywhere." Alex gave a snort and wave to the fit old man. It's not the building I'm worried about. Dave's footsteps faded and Alex refocused on his computer. He knew it was about time to call it a night, but something kept him glued to his seat. The presentation really needed to be perfect. Henderson's earlier words played through his mind, reminding him that the team was counting on him for the slides and presentation to go well.

He dove back in—adjusting an image here, some text there. Each change was small, but to Alex, they made a huge difference when it was all added together. The office fell quiet again. Only the sound of his mouse and the occasional tap of his keyboard broke the silence. Time blurred as he lost himself in one of the parts of his job that he didn't completely hate. After another 45 minutes, Alex closed down the workstation and stood to stretch.

He rubbed his back and blinked rapidly, feeling like his eyes needed to adjust from staring at the screen for so long. He felt the presentation still wasn't perfect, but it was a great bit of progress. He'd be able to add any finishing touches and adjustments to it tomorrow before he needed to send it to Henderson through ShareDrive. With a mix of relief and anxiety, he packed up his things to head home. His familiar space and the comforts of his small apartment called to him.

Alex's late-night commute passed in a blur. The PATH train always ran, though it meant a bit of a longer commute than if he took the subway during more normal hours. By the time he walked up his apartment stairs, he felt the tension in his shoulders beginning to loosen. Stepping into his apartment, Alex was greeted by the familiar scent of the wax melter on his countertop. He dropped his keys in the bowl by the door and shrugged off his jacket.

Without bothering to turn on the main lights, Alex made his way through his bedroom and into his bathroom. The promise of a hot shower was just too hard for him to resist. As the water rushed over him, Alex felt the day's stressors wash away. On days like this, he loved to spend extra time under the hot running water. When he emerged from the bathroom, it was in a cloud of steam. He used the towel to dry his hair before pulling on his favorite worn sweatpants and a soft, oversized t-shirt.

The tiles felt cold on his feet as he walked to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, he grabbed a leftover slice of pizza and took a bite without bothering to heat it up. He kicked the refrigerator door closed with his heel as he walked past the oven and saw the clock that read 9: 15 PM. Alex leaned against the counter and took several deep breaths at the end of a long day. With his hunger satisfied, Alex moved to his living room and sank into his well-worn couch.

He let out a tired groan and reached for the remote to flick on the TV for background noise. As he scrolled through his phone, catching up on messages and social media, Alex felt the last bit of his work stress slip away. Just as he was considering whether to start a movie or call it an early night, his phone buzzed. He glanced at the banner that came down from the top of his screen and saw a text from Mark. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

Alex squinted at the message. Mark: Hey, I need your help with something important. Got time for a quick call? Alex rubbed his eyes, feeling the weight of the long day. Just as he was about to reply, another text popped up. Mark: You're not going to believe what I found. Plus, I really need your help with this presentation for tomorrow. Alex hesitated, his thumb hovering over the keyboard. He was exhausted, but Mark rarely asked for his help. He sighed before responding. Alex: Sure, give me a few minutes.

He pushed himself up from the couch and walked over to his desk. He booted up his PC and reached under to the hook where his headphones hung. It had been a while, but it felt familiar to jump into their favorite voice chat application and see that Mark was already in one of the channels waiting for him.

"Dude! Thanks for getting on, man. Dang, you look beat."

"Yeah, it was a long day in the office. What's up?" Mark's voice was filled with excitement.

"Okay, well, maybe this'll cheer you up. Check your messages. I just sent you a video. You need to watch this before we do anything else." Alex raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected turn of events. He complied, opening his phone and finding a video in a recent text. When Alex opened it, three figures were clearly visible in what looked like an abandoned quarry. Dust and scrub brush surrounded them. Maybe somewhere out West?

One of the boys glanced at the camera, and Alex noted that they looked like teenagers.

"Bruh, you recording yet?" A thumbs-up appeared in view from the cameraman. The boy in the center laughed a bit nervously. He held out his right hand and grasped the wrist with his left as if to steady himself.

"Firebolt!" For a moment, nothing happened. A pinpoint of light bloomed in the air in front of the boy's palm. It grew rapidly into a blinding white sphere, and then it stretched, morphing into a fiery red dart of energy. Alex held his breath and leaned forward in his chair. He heard a hissing sound through the audio, like air escaping a tire. The air around the boy's hand shimmered. Then, his clothes and hair fluttered as if caught by a gust of wind.

Without further warning, the red bolt streaked past the gray surroundings of the quarry. There was a beat of silence before a distant crack echoed through the speakers. As the projectile slammed into the far wall, it erupted into a shower of sparks and dust, leaving a clear scorch mark on the flat stone. The camera began to shake violently as the boys exploded into cheers and excited chatter. Alex could barely make out their words as they called out over one another.

The video ended abruptly, leaving him staring at the last frame, his heart in his throat. Fuck. Magic. Real magic. Not illusions or digital editing, but raw magical power. Even after seeing it, the thought felt insane. The implications weighed on him, and he wondered if he could ever be part of something like this. Yeah, right. My superpower would be turning into a doormat or something lame like that.

"Mark," he managed to say after a few long moments of silence.

"What—what was that?"

"Told ya!" Mark said, the excitement in his voice clear.

"They're calling them 'Awakened,' and those powers that they use are called 'skills.' Apparently, some people can just… do that now. Like, we're really in some sort of fantasy world."

"Holy shit," Alex breathed.

"Is this real?" As he asked the question, Alex pulled up another tab on his computer.

"Yeah, as far as I can tell, it was posted on the Nexus Hub earlier today, but it got taken down pretty quickly. I managed to snag it before it disappeared, though." Is someone intentionally filtering the articles or posts? Why would they even do that? Alex's mind tried to process.

"This is... incredible. Maybe I need to start monitoring this a little more closely. But what does this have to do with your presentation?" Mark gave a somewhat sheepish expression on the other side of the video call.

"Oh, well, it doesn't really have anything to do with the presentation. I just got a bit carried away. I've watched that video like a hundred times today. The presentation is actually for that sports drink company, Vitality Burst. I've got the big client meeting tomorrow, and I need to reorganize my entire pitch. I know it's late, but you're the best with the slides, man." Alex nodded slowly, and his brain shifted back toward work mode.

"Okay, walk me through what you have so far." For the next hour, they worked on reconstructing Mark's slides. Alex offered suggestions on layout and flow, and since the company software was cloud-based, they were able to work on a document at the same time.

"Maybe we should move the engagement metrics to the beginning," Alex thought out loud while stifling a yawn.

"It'll grab their attention right away, and you know that the higher-ups always love to see stuff like that." Mark agreed and made the changes.

"Good call." As they worked, their conversation drifted back to the video and slowly away from work.

"So these awakened..." Alex said as casually as possible while adjusting a graph on Mark's slide.

"They're people who have gotten powers from the rifts," Mark replied.

"That's what they're saying," Mark continued.

"Telekinesis, energy blasts, the whole nine yards."

"It's like we're living in a comic book or something," Alex said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"It's just so hard to believe," he added.

"I mean, actual superpowers? I literally saw the video, and every part of me wants to find some reason why it's just not real."

"I know, right? It's wild. But apparently, this stuff is really, really dangerous. And some of the posts I've read are really encouraging people to stay away from it until there's more information and safety." Alex nodded absently and started the video again.

"Hey, thanks for helping me with this, by the way," Mark said.

"I owe you one."

"Don't mention it," Alex said, waving his hand out of habit.

"That's what friends are for." As they wrapped up working on the presentation, Alex found himself not wanting to sleep, despite his tired mind. The world was changing, and he couldn't help but wonder how the changes might affect his own life.

"Alright, I think we've got it," Mark said, reviewing the final slides.

"This looks great."

"You're a lifesaver, dude." Alex smiled and felt a sense of accomplishment despite his earlier reluctance to rally.

"Happy to help. Good luck with the meeting tomorrow."

"Thanks! I'll let you know how it goes. Oh, and just to remind you, I'll be out of town next week on that business trip to Arizona. But we'll catch up when I'm back, yeah?"

"Sounds good," Alex said.

"Talk to you later."