Later that night, Rohan had slipped out of the room after Erica fell asleep, as he knew he couldn't stay in the room in the event of somehow being caught in the morning. Whether or not they were dating, being caught in a girl's dorm room, especially bedroom, was an offense that could be punishable by extreme measures, with some stories resulting in expulsions.
So Rohan just waited for Erica to drift off, carefully slipped her body off his and laid it gently on her bed, tucked her in, and left silently. Hopefully she wouldn't feel too annoyed in the morning, but Rohan knew it was the right call.
When he went to the elevator pad, he had thought about everything that transpired on that day, and even though he had school in the morning of the next day, he figured he could take a brief walk before going back into the building.
He hadn't taken walks before as a way to soothe himself, as usually he'd do that via work and projects, but today he didn't feel motivated to do any of that. He just wanted to walk on the planet he had just learned so much about. Alone with his thoughts, free from the confinements of his room.
Maybe then, his mind could clear, and he could finally see. For now, he felt blind, as though he was trying to maneuver in a minefield with a blindfold. It felt as though no interaction he had since the incident ended well, and he hadn't found himself happy ever since.
The door of the dorm building opens up, and Rohan steps out, wearing his jacket unzipped to allow the fresh air to hit his chest while still covering his arms. His hands stay in his pockets, and his hair glides in the nightly breeze, still messy since he hasn't combed it.
His eyes were still dulled and he had an emotionless expression, but he was eager to find a solution for that.
Rohan walks down the field, listening to nothing but the breeze, feeling the wind push against his body. He decides to head to the forest, as he figured the natural setting would be more relieving. As he walks, he looks up at the moon, which hovers among the stars in the black night sky.
The light reflects off his eyes, with the image of the moon visible in his iris. A soft breeze pushes his hair back, and it flows behind him like a stationary river.
He couldn't help but wonder why he kept finding himself remembering events he never lived, with people he never met, but he wasn't sure if it was his memories anyways. He wasn't sure if it was some sort of nickname, but he kept being called a different name than his own: 'Meditat.'
He was unsure if he was hallucinating, but he was sure that he wasn't taking any drugs of sorts, so he didn't know why he'd be experiencing them. He had heard that there were natural causes of hallucinations as well, yet he never experienced them before, and so it was odd that it had only started recently.
That name had stayed imprinted on his mind for a while. 'Meditat.' 'Meditat.' If he wasn't the person he saw the memories from, who was the one in the dream? Who was Meditat? He seemed to have a different father, one who saw his son as someone special, someone destined for so much.
The most Rohan's father saw in his son was a good computer programmer who could work a high paying job.
Of course, for his whole life, that destiny was more than enough. He loved computer programming, and he loved even more to be able to work in a high position in a well known company, being able to help push the bounds of the digital world even more.
It was a destiny he spent his whole life working towards, teaching himself whenever he wasn't doing work, researching jobs and trying to find the requirements he had to work towards. It was his future, and he knew it for so long, and was happy with it.
Now however, he couldn't think of that future the same, knowing that he was going to work in a battlefield. One where his coworkers were victims. He had hoped to better the world by simply helping create cool applications, but now it felt like that would be irrelevant to the real problems.
He thought that security was the least of concerns, but now it felt like there was nothing else to prioritize.
He wasn't sure if Meditat was a real person, or a delusion he dreamed of for whatever reason. But if he was real, part of Rohan hoped that maybe he could save the world, if his life was truly as great as his father made it out to be.
Of course, it was most likely a fantasy, but even then, it was relaxing to contemplate the possibility of such fantasy existing in reality.
Maybe the world would be a better place if Meditat was real.
Rohan had walked down the sidewalk and steps into the forest looking around to see that the outdoor campus was completely empty, as everyone was already inside either in their dorms sleeping or partying. It left Rohan with peace and quiet, as he needed to step away from people for just a moment to think about everything.
His conversations with Erica came to mind, her seeming to be annoyed with how focused he had become on the Exhuman problem, and how he lost focus in everything else. She wasn't wrong, he hadn't spent any of his break with her, nor his friends, but instead he spent it cooped up in his room reading and watching.
Part of him understood her argument: that it would be best if he focused on helping other people if he cared so much about the problem. If he was there for the people he loved who suffered worse, rather than chasing invincible enemies. It was a more realistic goal, and one that could also still help immensely with the damage that was done.
Rohan looks at the trees that surrounded him as he walked, following the main path with his hands still pocketed. The breeze picks up from being inside the forest, and his jacket flaps more.
His steps were slow and steady, as he was in no rush, even willing to give up valuable sleep time just for the walk.
He had learned that these atrocities had been done many times for a long time, centuries even, affecting more people than he could know, including Shuraj, who seemed to be such a carefree kid that nothing could ever touch him.
Maybe the trauma had shaped him into who he was, and was a reason for why he seemed so dependent on aid, something Rohan used to look down upon while still agreeing to help.
He was lucky to live such a sheltered life for so long, able to live with the delusion that the world was for the most part perfect, that any little chaos that existed was balanced, that any small crime was immediately stopped by the benevolent order.
Now to know that the world was weak in the palms of gods who could choose to kill however many they wanted, it terrified him. An unstoppable enemy who couldn't be caught, who appeared, destroyed, and disappeared promptly after.
Part of him wondered how widespread this issue was, as he had found news pertaining to Exhumans committing acts in other Earths, however they were few and far in between the endless lists of crimes done by Exhumans in the vast lands of Versepolis.
As he looks up at the leaves above him, he wonders if it would be better just to move to another area, one farther from the crimes.
However, he feels a disgust from that train of thought, as though it was wrong of him to contemplate dropping his future in fear of the demons. He had worked all his life towards his career, and while he could most likely have an easier time finding another job elsewhere, he felt it wouldn't be right.
He had everything here, he couldn't just walk away from it, even if it was life threatening.
Rohan stops, and he looks back. He takes a deep breath, deciding that he couldn't retreat. He had to stick his ground, and somehow, he had to fight this. He turns around and begins walking back to his dorm, his head straight, his eyes ahead of himself. He didn't know how, but he was going to make the city a better place, and that meant staying home to defend it.
A gust of wind hits Rohan, causing his hair to fly, and his eyes light up with life. His jacket starts flowing backwards like a cape for a moment, wearing a determined expression now.
He knew how there would always be the fear that one day, he'd be working in a cubicle, and an attack would crush the building along with everyone inside including himself. However, if he let that fear drive him from living, then he'd be increasing the chances of that death to a hundred percent, and all that he lived for would be for nothing.
He couldn't continue living his old life, and he had new priorities, but he was going to keep fighting.
Rohan steps out of the forest, and begins approaching the road to cross it and make his way up the sidewalk back to the dorm. As he approaches the road, he sees another student cross from the other side, as it seemed Rohan wasn't the only one outside at night.
The student was a boy, seeming to be a fellow freshman, shorter at around 5'4. He wears a hoodie with the hood over, and his head is low, staring at the road while walking on it.
He also seems to be on his own with his mind, kept to himself, his hands pocketed.
As Rohan walks towards the road, he hears the sound of a pod's hum coming from his right side. He turns to his right to see a pod driving down the road, with an SUV design and black body. While it was nighttime, its lights weren't on, making it even harder to notice it.
The pod races towards the student, who walks in the middle of the road, right in line to strike. The student didn't seem to notice the pod, as his head was still down, and he wasn't moving any faster. Due to the dark hoodie, the pod also didn't seem to see the student, as it wasn't slowing down.
Rohan's eyes widen, as he realizes that he was about to witness a collision in front of his eyes, and judging by the speed of the pod, the student wouldn't make it. In a sudden instinctual move, he kicks forward, and begins sprinting towards the road, racing between the student and the speeding pod. He completely loses his old train of thought, as it seemed he was completely out of mind, almost trying to use himself as a shield for the student, even though the both of them would be run over anyways.
As he sprints towards the pod, his mind could think of nothing but how to solve the situation he had just mindlessly thrown himself into.
He needed to find a way to stop a moving object, however, he himself wasn't strong enough to do that, he needed something else capable of such work, some sort of device. His mind abandoned the question of where to even find such a device, and instead he only focused on a hypothetical solution to a very real problem that would play out in a second.
His mind races to everything he could think of, a wall- but either the pod would run over it or it would crush the driver inside-, something to knock the student off of target such as a projectile- however the width of the SUV would make it hard to escape its impact, and anything that would theoretically propel the student fast enough would also most likely be fatal due to the required velocity of that push, and the impact of striking everywhere he lands.
He had to find a way to stop the vehicle in a way that left no impact on anyone, as while the student was the most clear victim, the driver could become one as well if he was harmed too. He had to find a way to halt the pod in a way that didn't crush it with an impact.
His eyes dilate as he experiences an epiphany, and he flashes a memory back to about a week ago, during one of his air hockey games against another school.
A crowd surrounded the rink, cheering and screaming with many of them standing up. Inside the rink were multiple players wearing versions of the suits that Rohan had worn for the tryouts, however these were clearly higher quality, as they were built with more hardened plates around the body and had a more shiny finish.
Half of the players wore blue and white suits, and the other half wore orange and black ones. They seemed to be on one of the far sides, with a goalie wearing a modified version of the blue and white suit protecting the floating goal.
One of the orange players rushed down the center, and held by his gauntlet's beam was the puck. He had a determined aggressive expression, ready to make a shot, followed by two other orange wingers. He pulled his arm back, and thrusted it forwards, firing the puck directly ahead of himself.
As the puck flew towards the goal, one of the blue players launched himself between the puck and the goal,his body horizontal with his hand facing ahead of himself.
Behind the blue mask was Rohan's face, with an equally aggressive and determined expression, just barely managing to get in the line of sight.
He then held his hand out, but rather than using his gauntlet to pull the puck, which could've only backfired and struck himself and the puck towards the goal, he fired a controlled burst, the same kind used normally to navigate.
The puck came to a sudden halt in front of Rohan's hand, as the opposing force managed to stop it right in front of him, suspending it in the air.
Rohan then closed his hand, and his gauntlet grabbed the suspended puck. He then continued flying horizontally before firing the puck towards Sriya, who was also wearing a blue and white suit, who was already racing towards the center of the rink, and managed to grab the fired puck before continuing his rush to the other zone.
The maneuver was something he had made up, as he'd study the suit and its workings when he had free time, for it was intriguing to understand such a complex gear. He had his own suit to take to his dorm anyways so he had the time to play with it, and he managed to learn how to take advantage of certain systems and use it in creative ways for the games.
While he was not particularly a brute, he managed to make up for lost muscle with his creative thinking.
A maneuver that could suspend an object moving at high speeds without forcing any impact on it. Now, Rohan knew what he needed.
Rohan continues to sprint down the road, and he manages to get in front of the pod, putting himself between the student and the driver. He then turns to face the student, and puts both of his bare hands behind his back, facing the pod.
His mind thinks of nothing but the suits and their propulsion systems, and he closes his eyes to better picture them in the best detail he could.
Inside the pod, an older student, perhaps a junior or senior, notices the man standing between them. His eyes widen, as he realizes that there are people ahead of himself, yet there wasn't enough time for him to stop the pod. His hands stay on the wheel, petrified, as he has no other option but to sit there, bracing for impact, and for the ensuing consequences.
The student hears an odd snapping sound, and his eyes widen. He turns his head to his right, and as he does, a soft blue glow reflects off his eyes. His eyes widen even more as he witnesses the sight, and his movements come to a halt.
Between the pod and the student, Rohan stands, his body facing the student while his hands are behind himself, nearly touching the front of the pod. A powerful gust of wind blows Rohan's hair and jacket, causing his face to be unrecognizable, especially with his head slightly lowered.
However, Rohan's chest seems to be glowing with a blue energy, pulsating with two streaks running from the chest and towards his hands. Under the hair, his eyes were also glowing, with streaks of the same blue energy running up to his brain, faintly glowing through his hair.
The student steps back, his eyes wide, his heart racing. He stares at Rohan, and takes his right hand out of his pocket to protect his eyes from blindness, as the blue light continues to dominate the road.
The pod comes to a halt, and the driver stops the pod as well, stopping it from attempting to push forwards. His eyes widen more as he stares ahead of himself speechless.
Rohan lowers his hands, panting heavily, and the gust of wind finally quiets down. As it does, his body's glow fades away, vanishing into the night. Rohan breathes heavily, and he lowers his head.
He then turns around, and sprints down the street, vanishing from both students, leaving them speechless and lost.
The student on the road watches as Rohan runs off, and he then looks at the pod which nearly ran him over.
The driver turns to watch Rohan race off as well, and then turns back to the student, not knowing what to do nor say.
Rohan sprints up the sidewalk and towards the dorm buildings, panting heavily, the wind pushing his hair and jacket back. He runs with wide eyes, which while always blue, seems to harbor a faint glow, which then softly fades away, leaving his eyes to be as they were before.
He continues sprinting, and as he does, he raises his hands in front of himself, and looks down at them.
His hands were gloved by what was similar to the air hockey suit gloves, something that he didn't have a second ago when he dashed onto the road.
He turns his hands back to see that his whole hand was covered, reaching down to his wrists where there just seemed to be an abrupt cutoff point.
Countless questions came to Rohan's mind. He knew he didn't bring his suit with him, and even if he did, the suit didn't allow for such a specific transformation where only the gloves would appear.
Furthermore, while the gloves he had on and his hockey suit's gloves held many similar features such as the color being blue and white along with the design of the hands to allow the propulsion, the gloves were noticeably larger, its strength seeming to accommodate for the size of what it was stopping.
Rohan recognizes that the gloves he was wearing were gloves he never owned, and never even had up until this moment, not until he suddenly did.
Somehow, gloves nonexistent had manifested on his hands, in a way Rohan couldn't explain. He tilts his head up at the stars, his mind racing with questions, as he couldn't explain what just happened.
What he just did.
He didn't even know why he ran to the road, and he had even less idea how he manifested the gloves.
As he runs down the dorm field and towards his building, his eyes tear up with a mixture of confused fear yet victorious joy, and all he hears is the voice of the man of his memories.
The voice simply restates the question: "Meditat, what is it that you want to succeed at?"