"What's there to be scared of? If he was really that badly hurt, he wouldn't be talking so much right now."
No one could tell who said it first, but as soon as the words were out, the other students seemed to realize it too. A few hurried over, picking up the injured guy and rushing him to the nurse's office.
"His social life just died a much worse death than mine."
Sean Summers watched as Ray Flynn was carried off, a strange mix of relief and amusement in his eyes. With Ray around, no one would bother looking at him for a while. That was a blessing in itself.
Ray, you're a real lifesaver.
"Is that really the point right now? Seriously, shouldn't we be thinking about running?"
"Running? Someone's got to take the lead. Without someone stepping up, who's going to just bolt?"
"My instincts won't let me run, you know what I mean? It's hardwired into us—just part of being from Vantora, I guess."
"It's just a spectacle. No need to make it sound so dramatic."
"…"
Brandon White listened to all this, not quite sure what to say. They were talking about watching the chaos, worried about being the first to run and look bad. It was such a classic student reaction.
He could sort of understand the students, but what about the faculty and the school administrators? Why weren't they doing anything? Even the security guards around the field were just watching with smiles on their faces. Shouldn't someone be actually dealing with the situation?
If Brandon didn't know the firebird had come specifically for him, he would've thought this was some school-sponsored "training" event.
Everyone acted like they knew exactly what was going on.
Whatever. If you all won't do anything, then I guess it's on me.
Brandon shook his head, a blue glint flashing through his eyes.
BOOM!
A thunderous roar rolled across the sky. The sudden clap of thunder made everyone instinctively look up.
A streak of blue-white lightning tore through the sky, like a dragon's roar, ripping the clouds apart and slamming straight into the firebird.
Lightning lit up the world.
Arcs of blue-white electricity danced wildly in every direction.
When the light faded, the entire field was filled with the sharp scent of burnt air.
At the center, the once-fiery bird lay charred and lifeless, just a blackened husk on the ground.
"…What the hell?!"
"Divine retribution?"
Everyone stared, mouths agape, struggling to find civilized words for their shock.
They'd imagined all kinds of ways the firebird might get taken down—maybe the police with their guns, maybe some kind of coordinated assault, maybe a genius psychic or awakened student. But this… this was literal divine retribution, right out of the blue.
What did it do to deserve that? Struck down from the sky, in broad daylight?
It wasn't just the students. Even the teachers and the security guards on the edge of the field looked like they'd just been smacked in the face. This wasn't what they'd agreed on, was it?
They patted the bulges at their waists—clearly carrying equipment—and exchanged bewildered, helpless glances.
Wasn't the whole point for them to be the ones to "save the day," so the students would learn that even with powers, they had to obey the law and respect authority? That technology was stronger than anything these kids could imagine?
But after sharing a few looks, all they could do was sigh and shake their heads.
Better let the higher-ups handle this.
Meanwhile, somewhere else—a woman in military uniform suddenly paused, as if sensing something, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.
"What's wrong, Firewing?"
The man beside her glanced over, puzzled.
"My Crimson Flamebird is dead," Firewing replied, voice tinged with something strange.
"But wasn't it all arranged—?"
The bird was meant to die, of course—whether as a warning to the students or to show off the power of modern weaponry. Its death was inevitable.
After all, a creature that could only breathe fire and had some basic defense wasn't a big deal. For someone like Firewing, summoning a hundred of them was no challenge at all, so neither she nor the government considered Crimson Flamebirds a valuable asset.
"No, no—it wasn't shot. It was lightning. Real lightning, from nature itself."
"…?"
"You're sure it was natural lightning, and not an awakened with electricity powers?"
If it was the latter, he'd be thrilled—a new national-level prodigy! But if it was the former… was she sure?
"I'm sure it was natural lightning," Firewing said, then hesitated. "But I can't rule out the possibility it was a gifted individual."
"If it was, that person's power wouldn't be any weaker than mine."
Her own gift was [Summon (Fire)]—she could call forth fire-elemental beings and objects from other worlds. Her talent was remarkable; there were others with summoning powers in the army, but none who could casually call forth a hundred Crimson Flamebirds like she could.
Of course, there were other prodigies, just as awe-inspiring in their own ways.
Take Skyler Quinn, who awakened the [Divine Dragon] ability—able to control wind, rain, and thunder. Even at the dawn of the era of "spiritual awakening," his powers could stop bullets cold.
Or Ethan Yates, with the [Light of Life]—he could cure diseases, heal wounds, and even bring people back from the brink of death.
Or Chris Frost, who awakened [Absolute Zero]—when he first came into his powers, the whole army camp was covered in snow, and the ice shields he created couldn't be pierced by bullets.
And there were others: William Mecham with [Mechanical Affinity], Nathaniel Gray with [Mist], Charles Longfellow with [Longevity]…
Their abilities were truly terrifying.
Even Firewing herself didn't consider herself stronger than them—nor did she see herself as weaker.
As Ray Flynn once said, this age of spiritual awakening gave everyone a chance to change their fate. But that didn't mean everyone became equal. If anything, it made the gap between the gifted and the ordinary even wider.
Talent was something no one could ignore.
In school, hard work could at least close the gap with geniuses, to a degree. But with awakened powers, the gap was a chasm.
Just like Firewing—the birds she summoned could easily crush someone as talented as Ray Flynn, and she could summon a hundred of them without breaking a sweat.
Could hard work ever bridge that gap?
And even if it could—how long would it take? A month? Two? Six months? A year?
And in that year, did those prodigies just stand still?
No—the gifted would only pull further ahead.
"Send me the ability registration forms for Vantora City First High when they're done."
"And have the meteorology department analyze what caused today's thunderstorm over Vantora."
Firewing's tone was calm as ever.
"Understood."
Brandon thought he'd finally be allowed to go home after the whole incident. But instead, he found himself sitting through an hour-long assembly.
The usual stuff: don't lose control, don't use your abilities recklessly, don't hurt others.
He'd heard it all before. But after skimming over the clichés, there were actually a few things that piqued Brandon's interest.
(End of Chapter)
---------
Please Give me Power Stones support me on Patreon @ patreon(dot)com/SorenEclipse : Read 15 Chapters Ahead on Patreon