Year 2102
A busy office space. Rows upon rows of desks sat in the mess of files stacked in cubicles, and people dressed in simple grey suits moved about chaotically making a conflicting contrast with the silence in the air.
Among these figures, one stood out. A red-haired girl seemingly in her early twenties or perhaps late teens walked confidently down the aisle between the cubicles towards a black door at the end. Wherever she passed, people turned to look at her and continued watching causing the room to slowly freeze up like someone pushed a pause button on reality.
She quickly reached the door, knocked twice, and then pushed it in giving little time for the person on the other side to react.
She entered a small office room with a simple sofa in front of the standard table and chair where a grey-haired woman sat glaring intently at the intruder.
On the table was a laptop, an open book with a pen in the ribs, and a nameplate that read, "Bianca Won"
"You better have a good explanation" Won's nasal voice ruined her attempt at scolding.
"I do. Someone awakened a primal ability today" the redhead grinned.
Won's expression turned into one of exasperation,
"People awaken primal abilities every day, can you please knock next time"
"I did knock" the redhead hurried to point out, a relaxed grin on her face as she crossed her legs and spread her hands over the backrest of the sofa.
"What do you want Aliyah?" Won spat.
"Funding. I think I am close to finding this shadow thief and the psychic"
Won stared at her for a long time, her expression impassive. Short bangs hovered close to her eyelids covering the crease in her forehead as she stared into Aliyah's eyes.
"Don't die AY. We've been losing agents lately." She said slowly almost as if she didn't care but her eyes had a peculiar warmth in them.
Aliyah tilted her head puzzled.
"Why? It's just a robbery case, I'm not going after Zion"
Won shrugged and went back to working on her computer as if that was what she had been doing when Aliyah entered.
Aliyah observed her for a while, her gaze roaming the face of the older woman before drifting down to the desk where a closed book lay beside the laptop and in front of them a nameplate that read, "Sandra Hanks"
"I guess creativity died with our ancestors" She shook her head and got up to leave.
"Don't harass the kids when you find them, just give them a warning and get back here, we have important things to worry about" Won's voice came from behind her but she continued. Whether she heard it or not remained a mystery.
***
In a quiet classroom, a Professor addressed his students who observed his every move and words with rapt attention. His eyes were glazed though and he seemed to be blind but whenever he needed to write, he found the whiteboard just fine.
"So this brings us back to our subject for today. The limits of magic. In olden fiction, it was theorized that a person's capability to contain mana or the level of control they exercised over it determined their strength and limitations. In fact, certain things could not be done without skill books that recorded pathways in which to allow mana flow." His gentle voice resounded in the large class to the back seats where even there, the students listened with focus.
"However magic isn't real, the reality is that there are no limits to what we can accomplish with the ability to manipulate energy. No limits, except, of course, our imagination." He paused and turned to a student who had his hand raised, a young man with a hat on his head and dark-tinted glasses over his eyes.
"It might not seem like it but I can't actually see you so please knock on your desk next time?" He said eliciting a round of laughter among the students.
"Yes?" He asked expectantly when the boy remained silent.
"I'm sorry sir, you said our imagination is the limit of energy manipulation but wasn't it said that the first DarkMatter Humans got lost to the elements because they fused with it and lost their individuality?"
The blind Professor frowned in confusion, "Yes?" He asked seemingly not getting the boy's point.
"Sir, wouldn't it be a limitation if we can't wield our abilities to the fullest extent out of fear of being absorbed by it?" The boy continued to ask.
Many other students wore a contemplating expression as they turned to the Professor for an explanation.
"That's a good question kid. That is a good question. True, losing one's individuality is an undesirable result...IF..." his tone changed and he stared ahead solemnly.
"If you are a physical man. Religion is all but gone, in the West, we have sages who chant and meditate endlessly in search of spiritual enlightenment, they seek to become one with their abilities just like the first DarkMatter Humans. While to you it might seem like a loss, to many, it is a great achievement.
"And so it cannot be counted as a limitation since it is controversial depends on perspective"
As he finished the bell rang loudly, its shrill dance bringing dissonance to the students who hurried to pack their bags. While they were interested in learning from the old blind man, they were just as interested in leaving after his class period ended.
The old Professor simply stood still in silence as the students hurried out of class, soon it was just him, and...someone else was breathing, he could hear it calm and steady.
"Go home Nat," he said gently, almost in a whisper.
In a dark corner of the class, a young short short-haired girl had her head on the desk as she slept. The Professor's voice filtered into her ears along with all the noise, it made its way through the chaos of sound waves till it got to her brain for interpretation.
"GO HOME NAT!"
Startled she jumped out of her seat with her eyes wide open and her muscles tense. While the Professor watched, she slowly regained herself and raised her head to glare at him as he chuckled to himself in amusement.
"Why'd you always have to scream at me?" She shouted angrily.
"Your ability never gets old, I've never seen anything like it" he shook his head.
"Ngghhhh, arrrgghhhh" she shouted furiously clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.
However, the only sound one could hear was that of a crying girl. Nat's eyes widened and she turned red, packing up her bags she hurried out of the classroom leaving the old man alone.
"This world doesn't deserve either of you" he sighed and walked around his table to sit while he waited for the next class.
Of the hundreds of students he had, only two appealed to his heart.
****
Nat hurried out of class into the hallway keeping her head down as she went. Suddenly she stumbled into a soft cushion and staggered back dropping her books and things on the ground.
"Are you alright?" The boy in the hat from the Professor's class turned around to her. Seeing her scattered things on the ground, he crouched down and joined her in gathering them.
"Thank you" She smiled faintly at him when they finished.
"Did you just come out of Control Class? I don't think I've ever seen you in there" the boy asked.
"I'm usually in the back seats" Nat replied, her smile receding a little.
The boy studied her for a bit, his eyes lingering a second longer on her cheek with the sleep creases and two seconds longer on her chest causing Nat to roll her eyes.
She was a lot more curvy than her peers, in fact, she looked nothing like other girls her age and while many were jealous of the hottest girl in school, she found it more of a disturbance, a barrier to getting friends. Guys were more interested in her body while girls were more caught up in jealousy, she had yet to meet anyone who could look past this and see her.
"I'm Jace" he reached out his hand starting her.
"Natalya" she accepted the handshake.
"Natalya?" Jake's eyes widened.
"Natalya Tucker?" He asked.
"Yes Natalya Tucker and no you can't see my house" She snatched the book he was still holding and walked around him.
"Hey hey hey, I wasn't going to ask that" he hurried after her.
Natalya stopped, turning around she stared at him with a deep frown on her face.
"You are not interested in my family's cool relics?" She asked applying her ability to the fullest extent she could.
"Umm, no?" He replied with a confused head tilt.
"Getting into my pants then?" Natalya crossed her arms in front of her chest as she eyed him.
"Oh my God" Jace reeled in shock.
Hearing nothing, Natalya shrugged and continued walking only slower this time.
"What was that for?" Jace asked as he walked beside her.
"My ability" Natalya explained, feeling like she needed to.
"What's yours?" She asked back stealing a glance at him.
"Teleportation" Jace replied honestly even though she didn't really explain her ability to him.
Natalya stopped, her pupils dancing in excited anticipation.
"Show me!"