"Is this really necessary?" Darion asked for the third time this morning.

"It is mandatory," his dad said patiently. "If you do not register with ISSUE a week after you discover your powers, then you might get in trouble with the authorities. This way, we are making sure that you can smoothly use your powers without any problems."

Darion just stared outside the window of his dad's Buick car as they drove to the nearest government office to register Darion's new status as fully minted empowered.

That night, he decided to tell them about his "acquired ability," and his parents, after a silent discussion, said to him that he needed to register himself immediately in this organization called "ISSUE."

It turned out that the government wasn't as stupid as he thinks they are. The moment there are stories of mass comas out in the streets, the military is alerted and considered this to be a national security situation.

A sizable portion of the coma victims was sent to military hospitals all around the country. They are not only diagnosed with standard diseases but received a whole battery of tests to verify if the victims' coma is due to an entire range of biological and chemical attacks, including the introduction of artificial foreign substances within the body.

The moment there are rumors of supernatural abilities manifesting from the victims of the void coma, (that's what they are calling what happened, by the way), the government immediately acted.

Mainly, a cold and brilliant deputy director of the NSA named Carlos Gallo acted unanimously and so decisively that the government was never overwhelmed by the new development in human evolution.

Gallo, using the president's clearly biased opinions against illegal immigrants, argued that the newly empowered beings are a direct danger to the country and to their old way of life. He pushed new laws and regulations to make sure that the newly empowered individuals will adhere to a strict form of control, whether they like it or not.

It was a carrot and stick approach. With new mandates and Whitehouse backing, Gallo created a new agency that answers to no one except for the president of the United States. This agency is called The Management and Assimilation Commission of the Empowered or MACE for short.

The first thing the commission did is to make empowered beings as privileged individuals and made them feel welcome. The empowered and their families were authorized by the national government not only to be exempt in paying personal taxes but received special stipends as well. They received massive discounts on all products and services. Within months of identifying empowered, they were also given access to free housing and special facilities. They were not exactly forced to go to these places, which the government insisted on calling the "Hero Villages," but they were strongly encouraged to do so because living with normies might cause accidental damages on both sides. Many agreed to this, and a massive continental migration happened in the mainland United States.

While all this is happening, MACE continued to support the awakened’s medical cost and continued diagnosing their "abnormalities." As weeks and months passed by, the empowered were systematically identified and classified according to their powers and abilities.

Then came the stick. MACE began to inform the empowered that privileges and powers come with responsibilities and discipline. They were placed in mandatory schooling with high indoctrination in the need and obligations to one's country. Many empowered were enticed to join a newly empowered militia organized into teams. Battle-hardened military veterans and CIA operatives trained them. Once they graduated, they were placed in hotspots around the world where they gain experience and a sense of ruthlessness and loyalty to the country.

Now with their own army of empowered individuals, MACE began to tighten their grip on the empowered community by enforcing more and more laws and regulations in controlling the empowered. The core of these new laws is the hero registration policy, which required all empowered beings within the country must now register to the government and submit to receive an ankle collar that will tell MACE where ever you are in the country.

Maybe it is just a coincidence, but this is the time when a few of the empowered started protesting with the new and sudden restrictions. Rightly or not, some showed their displeasure violently with their new powers. The government response was quick and decisive. Those who protested at the policies were quickly accused as traitors to their country and branded as villains. Superpowered teams descended upon them. No matter how powerful they are, with a dozen empowered ganging up on you, they never stood a chance.

It was not only the empowered that rebelled against the policies of MACE that gets persecuted. That included his or her entire family. After all, his point of view would not have evolved into something that will betray his/her own countrymen if it is not influenced by those who are closest to him/her. So depending on the crime committed by the empowered, the family also gets fined or be incarcerated in special prisons. Within a year, the empowered were cowed into submission.

That is the new current reality of the world. MACE was so successful in controlling the empowered in the United States that the UN finally followed their model and created a global institution that deals with the empowered problem. They called this new global institution the International Service System of the Unified Empowered or ISSUE for short. And to no one's surprise, Carlos Gallo was invited to manage this new global agency.

"So we are slaves now," Darion said after his dad's explanation. His dad looked at him with disapproving eyes.

"Don't think like that, Darion," he said. "I understand that this is all new to you, but the government is doing its best to compromise with everyone. There are other organizations out there that really hated us and would rather see us gone. But restrictions must be imposed, or the common people will suffer from all of us empowered just prancing around and doing as we please."

Darion opened his mouth to rebut but shut it back again. The truth is he didn't have the energy to argue with his father at the moment.

"Even so, I am surprised the government is able to suppress man's natural curiosity."

"What do you mean?" His dad asked while waving pleasantly to a lady to cross the street in front of him.

"I don't know. It's just that... " Darion hesitated as he tried to explain to his dad how he feels. If you have superpowers... I just think that you want to use it as often as you can. Otherwise, well, what's the use, you know?"

Now it was his father's turn to smile enigmatically. "Ah! Well, you see, the government actually thought of that as well."

"Oh?"

"Have you heard of the game called Heroball?" His dad asked him with a smirk.

Darion stared at him for a long time. "You gotta be shitting me," he said.

"Language!"

"Are you telling me that empowered beings are now in the sports business?" Darion asked.

"Empowered beings are the sports business," His dad corrected. "I mean, what do you expect? Normal beings could not possibly compete toe to toe with a guy with superpowers. So what do you do? The management forcibly resigned the normies and replaced them with the empowered — just one of the reasons why people hated us and loved us all at the same time.

"So you're telling me there are no more Lebron, Becham, Brody, or Mcgregor in sports today?"

"Who?" His dad asked.

Darion rolled his eyes. His dad smiled at him and activated the radio in his car. The sports news came blaring in.

Good news for the Shielder's fans when team Owner Owen Sludge and General manager Erron Mcginnis reported today that the Australian hero Deep Torch has just renewed his contract with the embattled Texas Shielders in a 2-year, $328 million deal.

Deep Torch, 38, is a 2-year veteran Protector that averaged 7.8 class C kills, 3.2 class B kills, and 0.7 class A kills in 66 bouts last season. It looks like the Texas Shielders are trying to maintain their long-range defense options now that they lost their normal line defense.

"That is an insult to a great man!" His dad suddenly declared, and Darion stared at him in shock. His dad played some hoops in college and has always been passionate about his sports. Even so, Darion just couldn't see him being an avid fan of sports made up of superheroes. It's like seeing his dad getting pumped up in E-sports.

"Torch may not be a butcher anymore like he was in his heydays, but he is a solid defender."

Butcher? Heydays?

"With proper support, he can still be part of a contender team in the playoffs. Getting a lousy 150 mil a year is an insult!"

Darion smiled at his dad. "150 million dollars a year is an insult these days?"

"For those athletes, it sure is. The top hero players are paid in the billions with a B. Every year. And we are not even talking about endorsement yet."

Darion did not even bother to stop his jaw from dropping. "Seriously?"

His dad stared at him for a moment as if saying, are you for real? Then he realized who he is talking to, and he sighed. "I keep forgetting that you were not aware of the world around you this whole time," His dad said, a sad smile growing on his tired face.

"I kept talking to you about Heroball when you were sleeping that I subconsciously thought that you know everything about it."

Darion kept quiet. He didn't know what to say to that. They let the car radio rumble on and kept a comfortable silence. Eventually, they arrived in the central part of the town and slowed the Buick in a nearby carpark right next to Silvanas' administrative building where the mayor resides.

After stepping outside the car, Darion looked around. They lived in Starfield county in Georgia in a town called Hoboh. There were some differences the last time he went here but the central plaza is still the same.

At least my hometown didn’t change much while I was away.

The building was old, almost a historical landmark in this part of the woods, but at least it was clean and well maintained. More importantly, the services are running as smoothly as possible without external interruptions.

After asking around, the two walked into a small office where a bored middle-aged man in a drab suit gave him a questionnaire which Darion tried to answer as truthfully as he can.

From his conversation with his dad, Darion knew that the guy already met his father. More likely, he is the same dude that registered his dad years before, maybe even Alana and Ernie. As Darion continued to complete his questionnaires, he and his dad chatted amiably.

The office is a bit small. The only furniture available is a desk and a chair for the clerk, and a single chair for a visitor. Another sofa is at the far end of the room opposite the clerk's desk. Darion is forced to sit in that.

Darion looked up from his questionnaires since the damn questions are boring as fuck. It was the second time it asked for him to state his address, and Darion decided to look around and observe the place.

He turned to look at the clerk. When he realized the dude was mumbling something to himself, Darion unconsciously stared closer and observed him.

I hope this boy is not another healer type. Shit, we have like 8 of them already this month alone.

Darion blinked. He realized that he understood what the guy was saying simply by observing him. And the moment he realized what he said, he received another pop-up.

Congratulations! Due to your diligence, you are able to increase your PERCEPTION attributes by one.

Current PERCEPTION: 1

Congratulations! You have unlocked the upgrade “Heightened Senses.”

Requirements: PERCEPTION 1

Current level: 1

Darion kept a poker face as he stared at nothing. The blue screen eventually vanished out of his vision.

"Oookaay..." Darion said under his breath. "What the fuck was that?"

His dad and the administration guy were still idly talking to one another awkwardly, waiting for Darion to finish the damned questionnaires.

Was that just my imagination? He shook his head. He remembered seeing something like that yesterday when he was trashing the cabinet when he received his powers telekinesis.

That is why he told his family about his new powers. When they asked, he explained he received this message about telekinesis, and then proceeded to demonstrate it by trying to pull the fork in the table magically. It didn't do anything but vibrated in place, but it was enough to convince his family, however, and that is why now they are here at the government site to register him.

Now...

Now he wasn't so sure he actually understand the power he just told them.

What did the latest blue screen tell him? He has enhanced senses? He tried to listen again, and yes, he can hear his dad and the other dude mumble something to each other. There are some sounds outside, but he cannot distinguish them. In the end, he wasn't sure he could feel any changes in his senses. He doesn't smell anything new, except the molds in the room and the cheap car freshener somewhere. His vision is the same...

It was then while he is looking around when he finally noticed this small icon on his peripheral vision and the moment he put his attention on that symbol, a new screen popped up in front of him.

Name: Darion Libinski

Level: 1

Age: 17

Hero name: Not applicable

Class: Not applicable

Attributes:

Strength: 0

Agility: 0

Perception: 1

Constitution: 0

Mind: 1

Essence: 0

Abilities:

Telekinesis 1

Upgrade:

Basic Heightened Senses 1

Available Hero points (HP): 0

Available Attribute points (AP): 0

He remembered seeing it before, but he wasn't able to study it since a new screen popped up and distracted him. But now, he stared at it.

He remembered seeing 1 point available in his attribute point, that AP thing. But now it's gone, and he can see that he received 1 point in "Mind." What does it mean?

Did the AP points been used to upgrade his attributes?

He analyzed the information in front of him further. He stared at "Telekinesis 1" and a new screen overlapped the first.

Telekinesis:

The ability of one to move objects with his mind. The higher the level, the greater the object you can influence, and the better the control you will have with it. Using telekinesis taxed once mind since your brain is not used to function like this. But the more you use it, and the higher the level, the more your mind gets used to it, and the easier it is to use it.

Requirements: Mind 1

Current level: 1

He reread the info, and when he concentrated on the X at the upper right corner of the blue screen, it vanished. He then focused his sight on the "Upgrade" tab and "Basic Enhanced Senses."

Another screen appeared in front of his vision.

Basic Heightened Senses.

Many people consider having enhanced senses as magical in nature, but the first step is actually a simple one. You only need to learn how to focus your current senses and forced your mind to filter out external distractions. Once properly trained, your senses will become far more sensitive than normal.

Effect: Make senses 40 percent more sensitive.

Requirements: Perception 1

Hmmm... The only thing similar between the two is that they have a requirement, which for the upgrade is 1 in Perception. He definitely remembered that most of his main attributes were 0 when he first saw it. Also, he remembered that he has 1 point attribute point available. Did he unconsciously choose MIND that first day, unlocking abilities that require mental attributes? What if he placed the point in Physical instead, would that unlock abilities with Physical requirements?

Maybe he jumped the gun in reporting his powers and it seems that he has only scratched the surface of this new ability.

His dad turned to him. "You finish with that, son?" His dad asked.

That jolted him back to his reality. "Oh, aah...No, not yet. I just want to ask if there are any changes in our zip code."

His dad said no, and he nodded. Then he focused on his task once more, aiming to finish it as soon as possible. Ten minutes later, he was about to put the finishing touches on his answers when another screen popped up in front of him.

Congratulations! You have unlocked the upgrade: "Focus mind."

A passive skill that helps you concentrate on a single given task. The higher the skill, the faster you finish a task and would have a better resulting product.

Requirements: MIND 1

Current level: 1

He smiled secretly as he arranged the papers in front of him and submitted it to the clerk. He is beginning to get a grasp on how the system work based on the clues it was giving him.

I wonder if I can manipulate this to help me customize my powers to something I believe is useful?

The clerk asked him a few more questions and then typed something on his old computer. After checking his work, he nodded to himself and told them that everything seems to be in order. Our committee will be the one who will check your info, and you might receive additional visits from our people who will then ask you for a few more questions and then evaluate your current capabilities.

"Either way, most of the paperwork is done, and you should not have anything to be worried about."

Dad shook hands with the clerk before saying their goodbyes. They walked outside and back to the car. "Hey, Do you want to get some ice cream? There is this new place in Hailey Street that has this giant sundae that you won't believe. If it is not for my diabetes, I'll go there every day!"

Darion smiled at his dad. "I thought superhero powers give you immunity to all that diabetes and shit?" he asked innocently.

The smile on his dad's face froze for a minute, then Darion's words slowly entered his brain. "Son of a gun! You're right, why the hell am I limiting myself to once a week when this doesn't affect me anymore! Your mom and her manipulative-"

Darion laughed but stopped his dad with a raised hand. "Listen, I'm not really in a mood for ice cream today so why don't you enjoy it for the both of us. I- I just want to walk around the neighborhood if you don't mind. I want to..."

That sobered up his dad immediately. "You okay, son?" he said.

Darion visibly forced himself to get it together. He nodded to his dad confidently. "Yeah, I'm good, dad. I just want to be alone for a while."

His dad nodded his understanding. "Well, come back before dinner, or your mom will get worried."

"I will."

"Do you need some cash?"

"I'm good, dad," Darion said. He gave a lazy waved and walked around the corner of the building. His dad watched him go with concern in his eyes, then he sighed and climbed his car before hurrying to Hailey's street.