Genesis 1.9

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

MOUNT JUSTICE

HAPPY HARBOR, RHODE ISLAND

JULY 14TH, 2:36 EDT

At one point in time, the main gym located in Mount Justice would have been filled with the sound of activity, Green Arrow and both of the Hawk-couple often taking advantage of the extensive equipment to keep in fighting shape.

Now, apart from Superboy's pointless use of equipment that was literally no effort to him, it was usually silent, the place basically as quiet as a graveyard with no one being found in it.

Today was only slightly different, with the gym nearly as silent as ever as one young man sat on a yoga mat in the center of the cavernous room. His chest rose and fell slowly, his eyelids fluttering ever so slightly as he simply sat there, still and in perfect… "Ah-choo!"

Zeke opened his eyes and let out a sigh, his expression turning down into a frown as he rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "So… close." He let out a frustrated growl, the serious expression on his face entirely out of place with the way he was wiggling his bare toes and fingers. "And… now, I'm numb. Perfect."

Really, there were only so many times he could sit in this criss-cross position before his legs started to go numb and, honestly, he wasn't looking forward to getting up again only to face-plant into the marble floor.

At least, not again.

"Two days," he grumbled, absent-mindedly scratching his nose again. "Two whole days of this and nothing!" Well, it hasn't even been two, really. If anything, I've spent like seven hours, at the most, actually meditating. Ignoring his own pedantic inner voice, Zeke continued muttering under his breath at the perceived unfairness of his own powers.

It had been two days since Nate had taken him shopping at Happy Harbor Mall. It had been two days since he had finished reading the books on martial arts and meditation. It also had been two whole days since he had been stuck on the second level of the latter ability.

I don't get why this is so hard. I leveled martial arts (2→3) and breathing (2→6). This shouldn't be like this. It's like… Zeke groaned again, dropping his chin down onto his chest. He let out a deep breath as he stared at his hands resting on his lap. It's like I hit a wall in my own head or something.

Mental walls aside, Zeke knew he had to keep trying if he was going to get anywhere. He was part of a team now, a team full of young superheroes. Granted, he hadn't met most of that team and the members of the team he had met hadn't actually done any superheroing, from what he knew, but still...

They're all still better than me, he thought to himself as his hands tightened into was an undeniable fact. In a fight, he was the weakest link on this team. Granted, he hadn't seen any of them in a fight but he didn't really need to, to be honest.

From what he knew from the comics, it was a given that Miss Martian was stronger and faster than him. After all, Martians were just green Kryptonians with psychic powers and shapeshifting on top of that. Superboy was half a Kryptonian and definitely not lacking in strength in any way. Hell, from what Zeke could remember, the clone was only slightly weaker than Superman which was all sorts of overpowered.

As for the other three members of the team he hadn't met yet; Aqualad, Robin, and Kid Flash? Well, the first was basically Diet Aquaman, the second was trained by Batman himself, and the third had the Speed Force, nuff said. Each of them could outdo him without even trying. As he was right now, Zeke was far from even being considered the weakest link.

Even worse, I'm like a paper clip next to an iron chain… Zeke thought as he settled back into position, fighting the urge to fidget as he crossed his legs. Bringing his fists together, he placed both of them in front of his chest as his knuckles pressed into each other. I have to keep trying.

The boy shut his eyes once more, drawing a deep breath as he began to mutter under his breath. The book had mentioned using 'a repetitive statement, in co-unison with your breath as an aid to focus, relaxation and transcending mundane thoughts' so Zeke had simply relied on the example the book offered instead of wasting time trying to make his own.

"Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out… breathe in… breathe out… brea-"

"Hello, Ezekiel!"

"Gah!" Hazel eyes snapped open as Zeke's head jerked up, the loud sound of a perky voice shattering his concentration like fine glass. Letting out a shaky breath at the sudden surprise, Zeke stared up at the figure standing at the open doorway to the gym.

"Hey, M'gann…" Pulling himself to his feet, he gave the green girl a smile that was only somewhat forced. "What's up?" He couldn't help but look her up and down as he greeted her, still unable to push back the part of him that questioned how superheroes could even exist. More specifically, how superpowers could even exist. I mean, come on, she has freckles. On green skin. How does that even work?

"Oh, nothing," Miss Martian replied, her hair swishing to the side as she shook her head. "I just came by to see if you wanted some cookies."

"Cookies?" Zeke's head snapped up at the mention of treats.

"Yep! Fresh out of the oven," Megan clapped her hands together in front of her chest and shot Zeke a bright grin. "They're cooling right now but I just wanted to see if you liked chocolate chip!"

Do I even like chocolate chip cookies? Zeke thought to himself, trying to dredge up memories that weren't in any way pop-culture related one more time. Shrugging when nothing seemed to come up, Zeke gave Megan a much more natural smile. "Chocolate chip sounds great, M'gann. Don't know if I've ever had any before, but chocolate always sounds good to me."

The green girl cringed, her smile drawing inwards as she batted her palm against the side of her head. "Hello, Megan! I forgot that you had amnesia." She shook her head as she offered Zeke another smile, this one far weaker than the first. "Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it," Zeke replied, raising a hand to literally wave away her apology. "I mean, it doesn't bug me that much anyway." Under his breath, Zeke muttered, "I've got bigger things to stress over anyway."

The Martian girl blinked as she took a single step forward across the threshold. "Really? Bigger than your memories?"

Now, it was Zeke's turn to blink, mouth falling open slightly. "Y-you… you heard that?"

Miss Martian nodded. "Yeah." After a moment, she raised an eyebrow, confusion clear on her face as her smile shrunk again. "Was I not supposed to?'

Zeke held back a groan, instead opting to wave off the question again. "No, no, it's fine. I was just… not paying that much attention to what came out of my mouth," he responded, trying to find some way to salvage the conversation. And of course, she has really good hearing too. Green Kryptonians, man. Green Kryptonians.

"Anywho," Zeke continued, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, "I figure I'll get my memories back eventually but till then…" He let out a deep sigh, "I'm just trying to get my powers to work with me here."

M'gann took another step over the threshold, her head tilting to the side. "Your powers aren't working?"

"Uhhh, not exactly," he began, brain working hard as he tried to get his words together, "It's just that I… can feel something inside me when I use my powers and I glow too, so I'm pretty suremy powers have to do with energy control." I mean, they kinda have to, right? Mana is for magic spells and stuff and will… I'm pretty sure will makes me stronger and faster.

Pausing to take a breath, Zeke continued. "From what Captain Atom told me,I need to meditate to learn how to do that. The only thing is…"

"Oh!" M'gann cut in, her face brightening. Suddenly floating a few inches off the floor, the green girl quickly zipped over to him in an odd vertical flying motion that was more than a little unnerving given how fast she did it. "You don't know how, right?"

Ugh, creepy. Zeke blinked again as he craned his neck up to stare at the Martian, his eyes still wide at her sudden movement. "Uhh… umm, yeah." He nodded, finally having processed the question. "Well… I read a book but I feel like that only got me to the first l-" Zeke snapped his mouth shut before he could finish saying the word "level", his eyes widening slightly.

"The first steps, I understand." M'gann didn't seem to notice his sudden pause as she lowered herself back down to the floor, nodding her head in thought.

Roll with it.

"Yes, exactly." Zeke replied as he nodded along with her. "The first steps."

"Don't worry about it," M'gann chirped. "Meditation is almost always hard to get for beginners. How long have you been practicing?"

The young teen shrugged, holding up five fingers. "Uhh, one, three… carry the four… about two days." After a moment, he tilted his head to the side. "More like six hours spread over two days, if I'm gonna be honest."

"W-wow," Miss Martian blinked. "Two days? You really are a beginner."

"Yeah," Zeke sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I'm a rookie in a lot of things."

"Well," the martian girl replied, bringing her hands together in a loud clap. With a smile on her face that was as perky as it was wide, she stepped in even closer to Zeke and dropped her hands on his shoulders. "At least I can help you with this thing. Let's get to it!"

Without hesitating, M'gann began pulling Zeke over to the edge of the gym where a large set of mats were laid out on the floor. In his head, Zeke couldn't help but grouse. And here I thought meditation was all about being calm?

Ten minutes later, Zeke found himself sitting in the same position he was in before M'gann entered the gym, with the stark difference of a green girl sitting in a similar position across from him. M'gann's hands were held out to her sides, her thumb and index finger on both hands making a small circle, while Zeke's were clenched together, fists meeting each other at the knuckles.

His legs were starting to lose feeling again, after another session of sitting in place, and just like before, his nose was already beginning to itch. I could be grinding my stats right now or reading or doing anything else but this. Why does meditation have to be so hard?

"Focus inwards."

M'gann's voice interrupted his thoughts, her tone much calmer than he expected from her given her natural energetic personality.

"I am," Zeke replied, tone ringing with only the slightest bit of frustration. Not at Miss Martian, of course, but in general. Seriously, I followed the book's instructions. I did the breathing exercises and everything. What else do I have to do?

"You don't feel like it."

"Are… are you reading my mind?" Zeke's eyes opened wide, the young man shooting Miss Martian a slightly nervous glance.

"No." Just like that, Zeke let out a relieved sigh, closing his eyes only to tense up as Miss Martian continued. "But I can feel your mind. You're trying so hard that you're projecting your thoughts out."

Opening a single eye, Zeke glanced at Miss Martian again, the green girl looking utterly calm as she continued to focus. He sighed again, before deciding he might as well ask for more pointers past 'Focus inward.'

"Can we forget about 'focus inward' for a moment?" Zeke asked with a slight shake of his head. At this, Miss Martian opened her eyes and stared at him with a confused glance.

Before she could open her mouth to respond, Zeke pre-empted her words, with a raised hand, "Not that I don't appreciate the help or anything… I just need a little more detail, 'cause sitting here and trying to 'focus inwards' isn't really helping me get anywhere."

M'gann tilted her head to the side, letting out a soft hum for a second or two. "I'm sorry. This worked with my brothers and sisters when I helped them learn." The girl seemed to slump a little, dropping her hands onto her lap. "Maybe I'm not the best at teaching humans."

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's it. Rather than voice his thoughts, Zeke patted the older girl's hand reassuringly, once again waving off her words with a smile on his face. "Nah, come on, M'gann. You're a great teacher. It's probably just me being super dense, you know."

"Like," Still smiling, the teen lightly slapped his palm against the side of his head, just like the Martian girl had done not too long ago, "Hello, Zeke! M'gann's trying to help you and all you're doing is whining."

+ 1 CHA

Hold up, what? Zeke's smile faded slightly as the notification flashed into view, but the young man didn't have time to appreciate it as M'gann seemed to perk up, openly giggling at his imitation. After a moment, she glanced down at his hand, a bemused expression making her way across her face before she glanced back up. "If you want, there's another way I can help you get used to the feeling of meditating properly."

"Really?" Zeke leaned forward, eyes widening in relief. "How?"

Miss Martian bit her lip before continuing, looking Zeke directly in the eye. "On Mars, there are a few of us who can't really access their telepathy naturally. Another Martian has to give them a…" Her lips pursed, before she brightened as she seemed to find the words. "Think of it like a mental push!"

"A mental push?" Zeke repeated her words, nodding his head slowly. She's gonna go inside my head? What if she sees that I'm lying? Of course she's gonna. She's a Martian. They're more BS than Kryptonians almost. Don't freak out. Just stay calm and ask some questions. Still nodding his head, Zeke glanced at M'gann and asked, "So, you're gonna go inside my head or s-"

"No!" Miss Martian interjected, shock clear in her expression. "Never! At least… not if you didn't want me to. Unwanted intrusions are considered… taboo on Mars."

"Oh," Zeke let out a single one-note laugh, his worries fading away. "Well, that's okay, I guess. So, how would this work, then?"

M'gann reached out for both of his hands, palming them in hers. "Just relax and I'll give you a push."

Zeke tilted his head to the side. "Okay, how is the push supposed to w-" He cut himself off as his eyes suddenly closed, his entire body seeming to jerk as he took in a deep breath. Aware of nothing more than his own breathing and heartbeat, he felt the latter still, slowing down just enough for him to notice.

After a moment, he felt something else.

Zeke wasn't sure what it was but he could feel it. Something like a fire inside him, a fire and something else, something much harder to describe. Just like his heartbeat and his breathing, he knew they were part of him, had always been part of him. He just hadn't realized it before.

The boy took in another breath, a deep one, as the fire seemed to spread across his body, making his extremities tingle as he felt them coming alive. Gold. That's all he could think. For some reason, this energy felt like the strongest yellow he could imagine, the image sticking in his mind as nothing but a bright golden light.

He exhaled, letting the breath go and the gold vanished, leaving him feeling empty. Tired, almost. That feeling didn't last long as with the exhale, he felt an unending sense of blue rush through him. Blue streams of light flowed through his body like a stream, pulsing outwards from several points on his body. Unlike the fire, it felt calming and refreshing, like water on a hot day.

A moment later, the blue waned and was replaced by the powerful gold fire again, his body filling with warmth as he felt it surge through him. Far more energetic than the blue light, the gold seemed to make him want to move, to jump, to do something other than just sit here.

Zeke let out another breath and, just like that, the feeling was gone. Replaced by the blue again, he took a moment to focus on the sensation of this light, gasping slightly as he felt it empowering his body with a sense of lightness and calm.

He breathed in once more, the action seeming to light the gold fire in his mind's eye like a bellows as his chest expanded with life-giving air. At the same moment, the blue pool withdrew, receding back as his body filled with energetic warmth.

He doubted there was a proper description for what he was doing, what he wasexperiencing. He could almost feel it thrumming inside him as he breathed, a second and third heartbeat pounding through his ears one after another, each one filling the space left by the other until he heard nothing but himself.

Whatever 'Mana' or 'Will' actually was, Zeke realized, was more than just some nebulous energy. No, he thought aloud, letting out another deep breath as the cool, blue energy pulsed through him again. This… This is part of me.

Eyes still closed, Zeke couldn't help the peaceful smile that grew across his face, the sensation of his own soul like the most comfortable blanket as it filled his body.

Ability Learned: Mana Awareness

Ability Learned: Willpower Awareness

Meditation: Lvl Up!

2→3

INT + 2

WIS + 1 – o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Superboy walked through the wide gym door as it slid open for him, his face set in its usual stoic frown. As he took his first few steps across the threshold, he paused mid-step as something caught his attention, a puzzled expression marring his frown.

Both Miss Martian and the small boy… Zeke? Superboy raised an eyebrow, unsure if that was how the boy had actually introduced himself. It had a Z in it, right?

Whatever his name was, Miss Martian and the small boy sat on the floor across from each other, eyes closed with their hands clasped together. This wouldn't have been all that interesting if it wasn't for the fact that the small boy was glowing.

A blue aura surrounded him, the color appearing and vanishing from the boy in the span of a second before being replaced by a fiery golden glow, leaving the boy's entire body pulsing like a strobe light as they replaced each other over and over. The blue seemed to trail away, floating off of his body like a mist only to vanish while the gold held tight to the boy's skin for the short time it appeared.

Superboy blinked at the sight as his frown grew slightly more pronounced, unsure exactly what to make of this.

Quickly coming to the realization that he didn't really care, the clone turned on his heels and left the two of them to their own devices.

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o – Awareness: Mana Lvl Up!

1→4

Awareness: Willpower Lvl Up!

1→3

Breathing Control: Lvl Up!

5→6

Meditation: Lvl Up!

3→5

– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –

Spoiler: STATUS Ezekiel Patrick Armstrong Age: 13 Level 1 Experience 50/250 Health 110/110* [310] Mana 80/80 Willpower 95/95 STR 23 (-30%) SPD 30 (-30%) VIT 22* INT 16 WIS 9 CHA 11 Stat Points: 2 Cash: $375 Traits

Malnourished: Too little to eat for too long has weakened your body, drained you of vitality and made you more susceptible to bumps and bruises. (-30% to STR & SPD, Health does not gain VIT bonus, Health/Will recovery is slowed by 50%, and Will-based skills cost twice as much)

Bright Kid: While you're no genius or some prodigy, you're obviously brighter than most kids. By the time you're an adult, however, no one will care. (Before the age of 18: +75% to INT gain and +25% to speed of learning Mana-based skills/abilities) Perks: None

Skills

Observe Lv. 6

Kinda like a scouter, but less cool somehow.

Allows you to view the status or qualities of anyone or anything, allowing you to learn information about them.

Cost: 1 MP

Power Sprint Lv 6

You'll never be the Flash relying on this alone. Still, we've all gotta start somewhere.

While active, your running speed increases by 5% per level. (30%)

Cost: 1 Will/s

Power Strike Lv 1

Not exactly a heavy hitter quite yet.

Increases the STR value and knockback of your punches/kicks by 10% per level. (10%)

Cost: 5 Will

Abilities

Gamer's Body Lv. MAX

Allows your body to exist in a similar standard to that of a video game character.

Sleeping restores HP, MP, Will and removes most negative status effects. Health, Will, and Mana regenerate at a base of 1 point every 30 seconds. Food and drink items can accelerate recovery.

Gamer's Mind Lv. MAX

Allows your mind to exist in a similar standard to that of a video game character.

Grants immunity to mental status effects, emotional trauma and severely damaging emotional states. Grants immunity to forceful/unwanted mental intrusion.

Awareness: Mana Lv 4

Mana, magic energy, magicka, prana, ether, spirit energy, magatsuhi or even chakra… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of Mana, the spiritual energy found within the human mind and soul. Gaining awareness of your magical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Awareness: Willpower Lv 3

Willpower, ki, chi, qi, stamina, aura, mantra, physical energy, life energy, od, or even hamon… Call it what you want. It's all the same in the end.

You have gained awareness of your Willpower, the physical energy found within all living organisms. Gaining awareness of your physical energy has given you some semblance of control over it.

Basic Martial Arts Lv 3

Heroes prefer fists. Apparently, so do sidekicks.

This ability measures your skill and intuition in bare-handed combat, allowing for rapid growth and adaptation in martial arts.

Breathing Control Lv 7

Batman can breathe in space. Why can't you?

The ability to use oxygen efficiently, enabling you to hold your breath for extended periods of time. Increases by 1 minute every level. (2 minutes)

Meditation Lv 5

When the mind is enlightened, the spirit is freed and the body matters not.

The ability to train your mind in order to achieve a state of oneness with your spiritual essence and life force, as well your mind and body.