The late 21st Century was the Age Of Collapse, or that's what Rebekah called it.
Today was a day like none other, after the 20-year-old girl had done cleaning him and by mistake waking up his small dragon while rubbing it clean, she had instantly became a little awkward while muttering weird things in embarrassment.
Omen chuckled softly. "You don't have to panic every time something like that happens."
"I-I'm not panicking!" Rebekah's voice cracked. "I'm just…being careful!" To shake off the awkward air, she quickly shifted the topic.
"S-so! Like I said earlier, the Age of Collapse wasn't all bad. Something…mysterious happened back then.
People started changing. They called it evolution at first, but it wasn't natural."
Her voice softened, curiosity flickering in her tone as she looked at the floating screen in front of her, it was her 'status'.
[Status]
Name: Rebekah
Strength: Inferno
Weakness: Corruption
———-
"Humans started showing signs of 'Strengths' and 'Weaknesses.' It was like a hidden part of their soul which had waken up.
One man could lift a car, but couldn't see at night. Another could heal someone from a bullet wound but couldn't heal himself. It made no sense at all."
Omen listened silently, his cloudy brain turning towards her voice. He could picture her movements through sound, the shuffle of her feet, the way she fidgeted when explaining things she didn't completely understand herself.
"Of course," Rebekah continued, "once people realized they could be more than normal, chaos broke out.
Governments collapsed and wars started. Everyone was obsessed with finding their Strengths, and hiding their Weaknesses."
"And the Divine Order came after that," Omen muttered, his voice low.
Rebekah nodded. "Yeah. The ones who won that chaos…they formed the Divine Order. They claimed to be protectors of humanity, but really, they just wanted control.
They made it illegal to use your Strengths without approval. Even now, if someone's caught using it without an Authorisation Seal, it's prison or execution…as simple as that."
Rebekah sighed, walking towards the TV screen hanging opposite to Omen's bed as she switched it on.
"They say it's a way to protect people. But it feels more like a cage, doesn't it?"
Before Omen could reply, a sudden ding echoed through the room.
The TV screen flickered to life with static before a brightly dressed host appeared, wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a fake smile that looked like it had been plastered on his face.
"Good morning, citizens of the New Era!" the man's voice boomed. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled broadcast for a world-changing announcement!"
Rebekah blinked. "Oh great, another government ad."
But the man's next words froze her in place, as she sat on the bed beside Omen.
"Today marks the collaboration between the World Government, The Divine Order, and the mysterious association known as the SoulLink Corporation!
Together, they've finally launched what experts are calling 'The Eclipse.'
The world's first fully-immersive game and authorised for real-time use of Strengths and Weaknesses!"
Omen's head lifted slightly. "A game…that uses your powers?"
The host's grin widened as if feeding off the shock of millions. "Yes, you heard that right! For the first time in recorded history, users can now legally utilise their abilities inside a controlled environment!
The Divine Order itself has sanctioned this project, ensuring safety and fairness through the integrated SoulLink System!"
Rebekah stepped closer to the screen, her eyes wide. "That can't be real. They've never allowed this before."
The camera cut to a sleek corporate hall, filled with reporters and flashing lights.
A tall man in a silver suit stood on the stage, his voice calm and mechanical. The caption read: Dr. Lucien Hale, Spokesperson for the SoulLink Corporation.
"The Eclipse," he said, "is more than a game. It's an experiment. A step into understanding the human soul.
Our goal is not profit, but connection. We want every human, regardless of status, to experience their true selves in a different mirror of reality."
Murmurs filled the room as reporters threw out questions, but Dr. Hale raised a hand. "The price for entry has been set to the bare minimum, just one hundred dollars for the console and free access to the main server. Why? Because as long as a person has a living brain, they can play. "
The camera zoomed in on the figure as a mysterious and crooked smile appeared on his face. "Even the crippled and the blind are welcome."
Omen's heart skipped a beat.
The sound of his own fast breathing filled his ears. He felt Rebekah's hand stiffen where it rested on the back of his neck.
"Doesn't that mean…"
Omen's throat tightened.
"Rebekah."He had never been able to access this so called System, the invisible interface every human awakens at age ten.
A transparent screen only visible through neural light waves, showing one's Strengths and Weaknesses.
For others, it was normal but for a blind guy like him?
It was impossible.
He'd been blind since birth, or that's what he remembers atleast.
While others learned their potential, he remained trapped in this perpetual darkness, unable to even see what made him weak or strong.
But this…this game claimed something humongous for him.
That even the blind could see in this game!
The broadcast switched to another private room, these were apparently the beta testers who were among the first ones to try the game out.
"The Eclipse," the host said, his tone dramatic, "launches tonight at midnight. Preorders are flooding in faster than our servers can handle. Experts predict it'll redefine not just entertainment, but humanity itself!"
Rebekah switched off the TV as soon as the announcement was over while the room went silent, the only sound the faint but heavy breathing of the 17-year-old boy beside her
"Rebekah…" Omen finally said.
"Yeah?"
He tried leaning, expression calm but his voice trembling with something fiery, something alive.
"For years, I've been nothing more than a body breathing in the dark. I've heard people talk about Strengths and Weaknesses my whole life…but I've never seen them either."
His fists tightened, veins showing on his wrist as he continued. "If that game lets me see what's inside me, if it really connects the soul…" He took a deep breath, the energy in his tone practically visible.
"Rebekah…use all our savings if you must," he said, a ghost of a smile forming on his face. "But I want that game."
***