Juan woke to a cold droplet of water falling onto his face from the rusty container ceiling above. Plink. Plink. This metallic, rhythmic sound whispered the bleak reality of New Madrid every morning, just as it always did. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the layer of grey dampness coating their cramped living space. In the distance, the low-frequency hum of the energy barrier—the one protecting the city from the outside world and the monsters left behind by the 'Great EMP Storm'—could be heard. That hum was the price of being alive; a piercing, never-ending reminder.
His bones ached as he hauled his thin, frail body out of bed. He was only fourteen, yet his reflection in the mirror looked as though it carried the weight of a lifetime. Juan grabbed an old military rucksack from the corner of the room. Today was the final day before the big day. Tomorrow, he would turn fifteen, and like every other child, he would participate in the 'Awakening Ceremony.' But unlike the others, Juan felt no hope—only a paralyzing fear. What if he couldn't awaken anything? What if he was shoved down into the lowest strata of society, among the 'Unawakened'?
The heavy door of the container creaked open as he stepped outside. New Madrid resembled a gargantuan junkyard built upon the wreckage of the old world. Juan moved quickly through the crowded streets, heading toward the edge of the 'Dead Zone'—the most dangerous yet most profitable sector of the city. This area lay right against the barrier and offered the best chance of finding technological relics from the old world. He moved like a shadow, careful not to draw the attention of the guards.
He stopped when he reached the foundations of a collapsed skyscraper. His eyes searched through the rusted cables and piles of concrete. Other children could use their powers to lift heavy boulders or bend metal, but Juan's only weapon was his intellect. He noticed a faint pattern in the dust on the ground. This wasn't a random accumulation; it had been formed by the airflow of an ancient ventilation system. Following the direction of the dust, Juan found a concealed compartment behind a wall. In a spot where many would have searched for days and found nothing, an intact 'Energy Crystal Module' shimmered. Juan's fingers trembled as he grasped the module. This meant enough food rations to last for weeks.
When he returned to the market in the city center, the weight of the atmosphere pressed down on his shoulders. The marketplace was thick with the stench of sweat, oil, and rust. When Juan placed the module on the counter, a bloated, coarse merchant looked at him with disdain. "Bringing in trash again, kid? I won't even give you half a ration for this," the man said, despite knowing full well the module's true value. Juan was about to protest when he silenced himself, feeling a cold breeze at his back.
A group of Academy Cadets, shining in their polished armor, was approaching. The boy in the lead likely possessed a C-tier elemental ability, as the air around him shimmered with a slight heat. The cadet shoved Juan aside harshly with his shoulder. "Get out of my way, loser. After the ceremony tomorrow, you'll either be heading down to the mines or becoming bait for the mutants outside," he bellowed. Juan hit the ground hard, his palms scraping against the filthy market floor. He swallowed his rage and clenched his fists but said nothing. Strength was everything, and right now, he had none of it.
As Juan picked himself up from the mud, he gripped the hard metal in his palm even tighter. He had rejected the merchant's insulting offer. On his way home, in a dim corner, he scraped the rust off the module and saw a brilliant blue light beneath. This wasn't a common energy module; it was a 'Primary Core,' the kind spoken of in legends, capable of triggering an Awakening. In that moment, he made his choice: this piece could feed him for a day, but perhaps it could save his life forever. He hid it beneath the loose metal floorplate, a secret he would keep even from Sofia.
As nightfall descended, Juan returned to his container, exhausted. He saw his older sister, Sofia, as he walked through the door. Sofia was twenty years old and a C-tier warrior. She worked on the city's defense line and was Juan's only support in this world. Sofia sighed when she saw the scrapes on her brother's hands and the empty ration pack. She pushed her own plate of dried meat and synthetic mash toward Juan.
"You didn't eat again, did you? Take this, I want you to finish it all" she said, her voice firm but her eyes filled with tenderness.
Juan sat at the table, but he had no appetite.
"What if I can't awaken anything tomorrow... or if I'm just an E-tier, Sofia?" he asked, his voice trembling. His future was hidden behind a veil of fog, and behind that veil, he saw only darkness.
Sofia came over and held his thin shoulders.
"You are smart, Juan. You can survive not just with muscle, but with your head. No matter what happens tomorrow, we will find a way. I'm here, and I will never leave you."
When night fully took hold, Juan found no sleep. He picked up a shard of a broken mirror in the corner of the container. Under a dim light, he examined the thin features of his fourteen-year-old face. With his tired eyes, pale skin, and frail build, he looked nothing like a hero. In just twenty-four hours, he would face the greatest trial of his life. The Awakening Ceremony. He would either become a 'Risen' or rot among these heaps of metal forever. Looking at his reflection, he felt the thumping of his heart throughout his entire body. Tomorrow would be either the end of everything or the beginning of an ascent he could never have imagined.
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'Ozone Rain' — A fine mist with a metallic taste, formed when the energy barrier interacts with low-lying clouds, leaving a copper-scented residue on everything.
'The Unbound's Tax' — A superstition where scavengers leave a worthless piece of iron at the edge of the Dead Zone to appease the 'Echoes' of those lost during the EMP.
'Wasp Nest Hum' — The specific vibration frequency of the New Madrid barrier, which can be felt in the teeth of malnourished residents.