While Others Evolved, I Understood Reality

For the rest of the day and the night that followed, all everyone and all news channels could talk about was the incident that occurred on the flyover leading to The Twilight District. It had been years since a confrontation between the police and a local gang had caused so much death and destruction.

Families lost their loved ones. Police officers lost their partners. Many were in mourning. It was a dark day for everyone involved.

And at the centre of all this was a new student of the prestigious North Star Academy who went by the name Adam Highstein. So the question came... how was a sixteen-year-old boy who was not even a native of their great city at the very centre?

Theories and speculations flew around as people clamoured for answers. Some could not make heads or tails of the situation. Some could not accept that a simple kidnapping had brought forth such a disaster.

Many were not convinced.

Some believed the boy had been deeply involved with that ruthless gang before stepping into the city. Others believed it was some kind of transaction gone wrong. Whatever the case, people had died because of it.

As people continued to dig deeper, they uncovered the circumstances surrounding his admission into the North Star Academy. The boy was a talent even those from elite backgrounds could not match.

Across all news channels and social media platforms, people discussed the matter. The wise ones managed to see the bigger picture, but that too did not explain the situation entirely.

People were angry; they wanted someone to blame. So they turned to the only person they could crucify — Adam Highstein.

Had he stayed in his city, perhaps none of this would have happened. Had he kept his head down, perhaps those people would be alive now. And as though to add insult to injury, another disaster hit another part of the city when an entire building collapsed.

A fight had apparently broken out at a popular destination for partygoers. Several people had already been reported injured, with many even losing their lives in the chaos. But those were collateral damage.

Others had been gruesomely murdered, the scene so gory that the videos in circulation had to be censored across all platforms.

Fear was beginning to spread across the city. In less than twenty-four hours, there had been one disaster after another. No one knew the circumstances surrounding the collapse, but many suspected it was somehow connected to the same boy.

Innocent people were paying the price for whatever trouble he had gotten himself into.

No one knew who had started it, but a petition was forwarded to the academy to have the boy’s admission revoked. His presence alone seemed to be a curse upon their once peaceful city.

And before long, it had thousands of supporters and was steadily growing. The situation was getting out of hand, and fast. The academy had to step in to calm the raging public, assuring the people that they would get to the bottom of the matter.

Meanwhile, the one who had worsened the situation returned to the Healing Department after securing his prisoner in a place only known to him. Asher could not be bothered with what the public clamoured on about.

As far as he was concerned, he and his disciple were not at fault.

Great was his surprise when he returned to see Adam fully healed but his hand bound behind his back. He recognised the suppressor cuffs the moment he laid eyes on them. The device was not something even the police were privy to.

It was a military-grade device very few people knew about. For criminals to have access to such a device meant only one thing. But now was not the time to look into the matter.

Asher used his space affinity to break the suppression cuffs, freeing Adam from the discomfort. He then turned to the healers around and ordered calmly, "Leave us."

The healers did not dally and quickly vacated the room.

Adam rolled onto his back once the suppression cuffs were removed, his gaze focused on the night sky visible through the window. For several seconds, none of them spoke. Asher simply looked at the boy and felt a pang of guilt. That light he had seen in the boy’s eyes was now dim.

Whatever torture he had endured seemed to have taken its toll on him. Asher silently clenched the hand hidden at his back. With an internal sigh, he sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

Adam turned to meet his master’s eyes and held his gaze for several long seconds. It felt as though he was searching for something within those purple eyes.

"I-I..."

As the words began to form, his eyes beaded with tears. All the pain and torment that weighed on him since his capture seemed to finally find an outlet in his master’s presence. Tears rolled down his face as his shoulders shook from the overwhelming emotions.

"There, there."

Asher placed a hand on Adam’s head and roughly ruffled his hair. Almost immediately, the shaking shoulders and falling tears came to a sudden stop. Adam looked at his master, his expression neutral and quizzical.

"You-You’re not very good at this, are you?"

The vice-principal could only smile awkwardly. Adam let out a soft chuckle, his tears momentarily forgotten. While unintentional, Asher had broken the sombre atmosphere, putting a smile on Adam’s face.

"You’ll be fine, Adam." The vice-principal spoke after some time. "I can’t pretend to understand what you’re going through, but I do know this... Embarking on the path of evolution is fraught with many challenges and life-threatening dangers."

Adam exhaled as he listened to his master share his wisdom.

"There will be those who seek to break you. There will be those who seek to take your life for one reason or the other." The vice-principal paused for a moment and then added. "But the greatest danger you’ll ever face is not your enemies, Adam. It is yourself."

Adam looked up.

"Fear. Doubt. Despair. Pride. These things have ended more promising awakeners than any beast or rival ever could." A faint smile appeared on the vice-principal’s face. "The world is not fair. It never has been. Yet those who continue moving forward despite that fact are the ones who eventually stand above the rest."

Asher’s gaze shifted toward the night sky beyond the window.

"Don’t let this incident break you, Adam." His gaze shifted back to Adam. "When the world tries to knock you down, make sure you get back up."

Adam held his master’s gaze for a moment and then nodded, silently clenching his fists.

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