“Suddenly gaining something that other people see as special but then failing to be special… is a disappointing turn of events.”

∞×∞

Panc City, United Reshteh

4042 AOT

A rainy afternoon, empty classrooms, and quiet school grounds, all students has returned home early.

Meanwhile, a young boy stays behind to finishing some duties of the class president. The dampness of air and the cold breeze gives a chilling sensation while he is marching towards the exit. He takes out his folded dark blue umbrella which he is using for more than two months already since the school year started. When he is about to open it, a sudden flash of images rushed into his head. Blurry pictures of familiar places, familiar people; like a movie those images are playing in his mind as if he is there to witness everything, all over again. All of the distorted depictions are being continuously sent to his brain. Disturbing sounds from unknown sources kept on screeching inside his ears. All of which made him feel emotions he cannot comprehend. As the throbbing feeling in his head grows stronger, he feels more like he cannot breathe. Every inch of his body has fallen numb.

Due to the sickening sensation, he let go of the umbrella throwing it to the floor. Suddenly, the unpleasant feedback on his mind and body stopped. The shock has taken the strength of his legs along with his consciousness leaving him out cold on the ground.

That incident is his first memory of being awakened as a reveil. He is fourteen at that time. Since then, every object he touches sends surreal dream-like images into his mind. Every time it happens is like a nightmare.

In this world, everyone has mana. However, those who can actively use it are rare. In the human society, those who can use their mana are called reveils while those who cannot are called ubliss. The reveil population takes only about twenty-nine percent of the total human population in the world. Humans are born unable to use their mana, though there are some exceptions. Children normally awaken during puberty. They are not labeled as either kind until then. Eventually becoming a reveil is expected among the family of pure lineage, however it is not always guaranteed. The same goes for the families with pure ubliss lineage.

The main difference between the reveil’s four classes is the awakening of their center of mana, called Vi. In the human body there are three centers namely, Viscaput, Viscor, and Visumbilicus. Awakening viscaput and viscor makes the person a mage. Those who awaken viscaput and visumbilicus are espers. Ki masters are those who have awakened viscor and visumbilicus. If one awakens all of the vis, they become contractors.

The Dela Torre family is just an ordinary one, the everyday normal folks around the town. The mother is housewife taking care of family affairs. The father is a white collar employee working in the city hall. They live in a middle-class type of apartment, complete with a living room, dining hall, kitchen, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms. They do not live a luxurious life but they have the adequate amount of needs and recreations. For generations after generations they are a family of ubliss, none from their lineage had ever been a reveil. Their second son is what they call a “sprout.” They are the kind of people who suddenly awakens their Vis despite not having any preceding record of having a reveil in their lineage.

After the incident becomes widespread housewife gossip, some adults became very interested in the Dela Torre’s second son’s power. His parents expect him to use it for the good of their society, just like what superheroes do when they discover their gift. Unable to make a sound argument for himself, he can only go with the flow of everyone’s expectations. His father has a close friend working in the city police station, so he recommended that he help resolve cases using his power.

Helping with unsolved cases is not bad idea however it comes with complications. His psychometry is very strong. Lacking proper knowledge and training, it is a power he has no full control of. Everything is being fed directly into his brain to the point that the entire event witnessed by that object appears and feels so vivid in real-time. Within his mind he became that object witnessing all the crime. He is the pen that fell near the crime scene; he is the coin taken from the victim’s purse; he is the stuff animal riding on the car watching that cheerful little girl before the ten-wheeler truck hit them; and sometimes he is also the kitchen knife that dug dip over and over again into the wife’s lungs, intestines, and stomach before her husband slashed open her throat. From simple cases of theft, small gang fights, unfortunate accidents and then into those gruesome acts of murder, it all happened in front of him, as if he really is there. It makes him feel sick. It is not that he does not want to help; it is just that he cannot stand most of it. He knows that he is unfit for the job.

All of a sudden he finds himself confined in a situation where nobody understands him. He has no one to turn to; no one to give him advice and guidance, and above all nobody understands the anxiety he feels for suddenly becoming something that he is not supposed to be.

He always thought that he will keep his simple way of living until he grows old. Graduating from a normal school like his elder brother. Then get employed with a common office job like his father. He wanted to keep up with his responsibilities without troubling anyone and without getting involved in anything out of his area of specialty. He does not wish to leave his comfort zone. Those are the things he wants to express but he does not know how to.

“Umm… Father,” Tristan calls while they are having their dinner. “I’d like to take a break from helping with the police so that I can focus on my studies.”

His mother pauses to silently look at him. His younger brother continued with his meal without a single squeak. The sound of the utensils clattering in the middle of that wordless eye contact makes the atmosphere feel more intense. His father continues to chew on his meal for a minute while he is resting his hands that are holding the utensils. That minute feels so long. Then the old man fixes his tired-looking eyes towards his second son. Tristan’s image is now reflected in his glasses like a semi-transparent mirror.

“Is your grade that bad?” His father asks with an imposing voice. He looks like he is in mid-fifties. He is wearing executive glasses, his hair and mustache is black mixed with grayish and white hair. He set his utensils aside and then fixed his dark brown eyes to Tristan. “Stanley is at the top of his class in the field of medicine. Trevor is just two years younger than you but he has brought home a number of medals playing soccer. The only thing that makes you stand out in this family is that weird ability of yours. You can’t just stop helping out just because you think it’s hard. Use this job as a stepping stone to lift yourself higher.”

Tristan frowns upon the pressure that came from his father’s words but he cannot let him see his cowardly feelings. He could only look down on his barely touched food. All of it, despite being good quality meal, seems inedible in his eyes.

“Dear,” his mother interrupts. “Maybe Tristan is right. You know that academy in Eldoon? Most of their graduates get employed in ICA. We could have the Chief help us get a recommendation for our son.”

“AB Academy?” He repeats while thinking deeply. “Aren’t you just increasing the stakes? The tuition there is expensive, furthermore it is not easy to get accepted there.”

The mother takes a deep breath. “We could at least try.”

“What do you think, Tristan?” He asks; his lips are not smiling.

“I…” Tristan’s voice trembles. That suggestion does not make him feel any better. “That place feels like it’s too high for my level. I mean, I don’t have a reveil background, and my ability is not a combat type. What if…” He gulps, swallowing his nervousness. His hands are set apart from each other holding the spoon and fork separately several centimeters away from the plate in between to avoid making any noise from his uncontrollable shaking hands. “I’m not strong to become a soldier. I’m not like those rich heirs with long family history and tradition with them. I don’t have any formal training or education for this. If I go there, in AB Academy, won’t I just become an outcast?”

His father lets out a heavy sigh. “You don’t want to do this. You don’t want to do that. What exactly do you want to do?”

“I just want to be normal,” is what he is thinking but the words are not coming out.

“Tristan,” his mother calls. She grips her spoon and fork tightly. “You should not let this opportunity pass when it’s right in front of you. What am I going to tell my friends and our relatives if you are not even going to put any effort in your life?”

“I’m done,” Trevor says and then he leaves the table. “Good luck with that, bro.” He says softly before going back to his room.

“AB Academy is the best learning place for people with abilities.” His mother continues to lecture him. “Just getting an official recommendation from that school is a great achievement. Getting accepted is great, but it would be for the best to graduate and get your diploma and certificate there. Even if you don’t land a job in ICA, there are still more opportunities that are open for you as long as you are a graduate of AB Academy. This is for your own good. We are trying to give you a better future. Why are you hesitating so much?”

The frown on his face grows more outward. “I mean… If you let me study for the entrance exam, I think I can make it there.” He feels like he is being choked by his own words.

“See?” His father says as he picks his utensils again. “You just have to put your mind into deciding something for yourself. What’s so hard about that? In the future, you’ll face situation where you’ll have to make more difficult situations. Man up, Tristan.”

“Yes, I will try my best.”

“That’s great,” his mother says enthusiastically. “I’ll let your uncles and aunties know when I visit them this weekend. They’ll be surprised.”

In the end, Tristan cannot help it but be carried away by the flow. For now, he has to prepare himself for a path he never thought he would ever take.

Using the recommendation of his parents’ acquaintance, Tristan is able to take the entrance exam and reveil evaluation in AB Academy. He left three days earlier to start living in the academy’s dormitory. He needs to familiarize himself to this new lifestyle, living alone, away from his family. From now on, he needs to be more independent and responsible for himself. Being free from his family’s critiquing eyes makes him feel relieved and uneasy at the same time.

The academy that stands in an island gives of the feeling of isolation and solitude. The place is large, almost like a small village. The building’s interior are maintained clean and neat at all times. Outside, there are very few litters, the trash cans are spread across the academy and the trashes are segregated responsibly. Even the leaves and pieces of twigs on the ground are cleaned up by a number of janitors in the beginning and the end of the day. The uniformed guards are rarely seen mainly because the Balaam Knights, a school organization composed of students that take care of student conflicts and possible threats within the academy. Since there is still few days before the official start of classes, there are very few students walking around the school grounds. Most of those who came in early are the ones that live in faraway countries. The diversity of foreign-looking teens is kind of overwhelming.

When Tristan returned to his room in the green dormitory, another student greeted him by the door. He has champagne blond hair and sapphire blue eyes. He is wearing silver earrings, one on the left and two on the right. He has medium body build that looks fit and healthy. An eye-catching pendant that does not quite fit his style hangs around his neck. Among his luggage, there is a guitar in a leather casing with tribal design. Despite an image that would make girls swoon, he treats Tristan politely and with kindness. Definitely not like what he usually sees in dramas his mother loves to watch. He introduces himself as Ezekiel Fedorov; this guy is his roommate for the rest of the school year. He gives off the feeling of that one classmate who could casually get along with anyone and everyone.

“I wonder if I could learn more about myself here?..”

Two days before the school year starts, feeling very anxious being in a renowned academy for the reveils, he finds himself sitting on a bench by the fountain. His mind is clouded by the thoughts of not being able to live up to the expectations as a person who wears the AB Academy uniform. He knows no one here and he has never been friends with any reveils before. He does not know how to talk to them. He is afraid that he will get alienated in this new environment. It is quite troubling.

“I do not want to touch anything that could give me any weird visions.” He thoughtlessly keeps on adjusting his white gloves that acts as a seal for his ability. It is especially crafted for him, a magic item that is over their family’s budget. “Everyone in this academy is probably very smart or has very strong powers. I’m pretty average in everything. I have no fighting potential.” He slouches while staring blankly into space. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come here after all. I don’t need this ability; I should just live a normal life back home.”

He always finds himself regretting his poor choice of decisions after he already made them. It is a part of himself he hates the most, yet he finds it extremely difficult to change.

“Hello,” suddenly a pretty blonde girl with bright purple eyes appears and greets him with a warm smile. “Are you having some trouble?”

He is startled. He jittery moves his hands away. “N-nothing! Sorry, but I’m fine so you don’t have to trouble yourself over me. I-I’m fine.”

“Did I look too flustered? Blonde with unique purple eyes… She’s… pretty…” He does not know what to do as the girl keeps staring at him. “Umm… Excuse me?..” He says hesitantly.

“By any chance…” She says with observant probing eyes fixed at his hands. “Hmm… Perhaps your ability is Psychometry?..”

“H-how did you know?!!” He is so surprised to hear how this girl he met just now easily learned about his ability.

“You don’t have to be that surprised.” She laughs it off as she takes a sit beside him like they are close friends. “It’s a lucky guess. That’s a good ability in many ways. Are you a freshman too?”

“Err… Yes, I just arrived yesterday late afternoon so I thought checking out the campus today.”

“I see, I have just arrived today. I’m Azalea Blakewood. What’s your name?”

“I’m Tristan dela Torre.”

“Hello, Tristan.” She grabs Tristan’s hands and then shakes them casually. “Nice to meet you, let’s get along well.” She smiles at him before leaving.

“Ah… yeah, take care.”

He find himself in daze while he watches the unusually friendly girl walk away. It is unfortunate that he could not feel the warmth of her hand because of those thick gloves. He wants to at least become that person’s classmate. Having a friendly roommate and being able to talk normally with another reveil makes him feel a little relieved. He clenches his hands thinking that he somehow gained a little more self-confidence.

However, fate is not very kind to him. It turns out that she is in Class 1-C while he is stuck in Class 1-D; just one letter away, a few meters behind that wall. From afar, she looks like the kind of person who easily gets along with everyone; completely different from his timid self. She is out of his league; he does not have the courage nor does he find any excuses to approach her. They will probably never talk again.

In his class, he is a stranger. Some of his classmates seem to be already acquainted with one another. He, who has an unknown and questionable background, could not talk to anyone. Just as he expected, his roommate is able to quickly fit in their class. He gets along well with boys and girls alike. In the first day of classes, his roommate already found a clique of cool looking friends. Ezekiel invited him to join them once, however he cannot relate to their conversations which mostly revolve around music. They have a nerdy looking friend who fit in well because it looked like he is very knowledgeable when it comes to music. There is a girl whose left arm seems to be filled with tattoos. There is another girl with long wavy hair, very pretty, cheerful and nice, definitely someone popular in class. One other guy is very energetic and somewhat boisterous, he knows how to read the atmosphere and fit the flow of the conversation well. All of them has interest in music and could play an instrument well. They are a diverse group that he does not think would get along just because they all like one thing.

Tristan is very thankful for Ezekiel’s kindness and consideration that he feels he does not deserve any of it. They seem to be a very accepting clique, but he just feels bad forcing his presence in their group. They have one common thing they want to work on and converse about. He on the other hand, spends his time mostly in studying. It’s not like he did not try, it’s just that he feels like an outsider around them. Even though he knows it is all in his mind, he cannot help but feel that they are forcing themselves to hang out with him. It’s like they are just tolerating his existence. In the end, he could only distance himself due to the gap of their interests.

Just like that, days pass while he is left alone in a world where he continuously fails to fit in. He has not changed at all. Maybe he will never be able to change and become like the others. They are proud and confident of who they are, while he is always asking himself.

“Why me?.. Do I deserve this?..”