Chapter sixteen: The Awakening Beyond the River
Eli's body drifted silently beneath the surface of the river.
The chains around his neck tugged him deeper. His limbs floated lifelessly, and the world around him dulled into a suffocating blur.
In that silence, Eli's thoughts were loud.
"So this is the end…"
"So this is how it ends… not in fire… not in battle… but by the hands I trusted the most…"
"Faded… Johnny… all of you… You said you would protect me… you said I mattered…"
"Was I really just… a weapon to you? A threat to erase?"
"…Catherine… you believed in me… You fought for me… I wish I had the strength to do the same…"
"Was I just a tool? A name on a list?"
"…Mom… if you can hear me… I'm sorry. I promised I'd make it back to you. I promised I'd bring peace to your pain. But now… I can't even say goodbye…"
His mind slipped into a memory.
---
FLASHBACK: YEARS AGO
A warm evening sun spilled into a modest, peaceful home. The scent of spiced stew filled the kitchen as laughter echoed from the living room.
Young Eli sat on the floor with his little sister, Sarah, stacking blocks and laughing.
Their mother, soft-voiced and smiling, knelt beside them.
"You two are my everything," she whispered, hugging them both close.
She would often hum a lullaby:
"In the winds I leave you courage, In the stars, I gift you light, When the shadows fall upon you, Sing my song and you'll fight."
"Though the world may turn its back, Though the skies forget your name, Know my love is never ending, Oraga keeps you safe again."
Back then, life was soft. Warm. Eli's world was whole.
---
Back under the water, Eli's heart began to slow.
This is it… he thought.
Then… a voice called.
"Eli…"
"Eli…"
"Eli."
His eyes fluttered open.
A figure stood in the dark.
A tall, formless being cloaked in black smoke, eyes glowing faintly white.
Eli gasped, his body stiffened with fear.
It was the same figure he had seen in the forest long ago while cutting wood.
The memory rushed back—the strange chill, the watchful presence.
Now it was here again.
The figure raised a hand and gently closed Eli's eyes.
"Sleep, my son," it whispered. "This world has always been unfair to you."
Suddenly, the necklace around Eli's neck—Oraga, the pendant his mother gave him at age two—began to glow with a soft green light.
A gentle hum filled the waters.
Then, the lullaby.
Her voice echoed in the depths:
"In the winds I leave you courage, In the stars, I gift you light…"
The song wrapped around him like a blanket.
Then—
Everything changed.
---
Eli's consciousness burst upward like light.
He emerged in a vast, star-filled universe.
Galaxies swirled like floating glass orbs. Floating scrolls spun in formation. Ancient ruins hovered mid-air. Gigantic chains crossed the cosmos, each link the size of a city.
The entire universe shimmered with mystery and power. It reminded Eli of a place beyond human understanding—something like a divine library, or a storage space for souls.
He screamed, staggering.
"Where… WHERE AM I?!"
Then a voice echoed from nowhere:
"Welcome back, Master."
Eli turned in terror. "Who are you?! Why are you calling me Master?!"
"I am Acute," the voice replied, smooth and ageless. "Your personal system. I've been inside your consciousness since birth. But you never activated me—until now."
"System…?" Eli muttered. "What the hell is this place?"
"This is your World, Master Eli," Acute said. "Your inner universe. Everything you see here represents a fragment of your potential—locked away until the Oraga necklace awakened your core."
As Eli tried to take it all in, he suddenly vanished—his body turned into a beam of light and entered the vast landscape.
He passed floating islands of memories, skill books titled "Serpent Truth", "Bloodline Unleashed", and ancient weapons sheathed in starlight. He saw a massive throne chained to the ground, with an inscription that read:
"Only When He Suffers Shall He Rule."
"Each structure here," Acute explained, "is tied to your soul. Train here, grow here, and you will awaken powers beyond anything the world knows. You were not meant to die, Master. You were meant to rise."
---
Back on the Bridge
Johnny stood beside Faded.
"I know this was hard for you," Johnny said, his eyes fixed on the dark water. "But we had to do it… to save lives."
Faded was quiet.
"…Yeah," he said. "To save lives."
Johnny took out a communicator.
"This is Hero Command. Dispatch to the Training Sector. Begin immediate healing and clearance operations. The battle between the Awakened and the Threats has left heavy casualties."
Then he turned to Faded. "Let's go grab a drink. We need to clear our heads."
Faded nodded and entered the car without a word.
---
At the Training Facility
Police, medics, and support heroes rushed through what remained of the structure. Screams of pain. The groans of survivors.
Among the injured lay Nice.
He waved off medical help.
"I can walk," he muttered, teeth clenched.
He limped toward a tall man in robes.
Enoch. A retired hero. Now one of the Hero Council's elite.
"You sure you don't need help?" Enoch asked.
"I'm fine," Nice said.
Enoch narrowed his eyes. "You're in a terrible state. Are the new Threats really that strong?"
Nice didn't respond.
Enoch exhaled. "Anyway, Eli's been killed. Quietly. No press, no public chaos."
"Good," Nice said. "That should reduce their power."
He limped away.
Enoch watched him go. "I really hope it does."
---
Back at the River.
Vile stood on the bridge with five Esada beside him.
He raised a hand and snapped.
The river parted into two like the sea splitting.
"Find the body," he said coldly.
The Esada leapt down into the depths.
Vile stared into the darkness.
"I must find him. He's too important…"
---
Back in the Inner Universe
Eli wandered through a chamber of glowing pillars, each showing moments from his life—some real, some yet to come.
Strange beings walked beside him: armored snakes, golden-eyed ghosts, spectral warriors with no faces.
"What are these?" Eli asked.
"Fragments of your possible futures," Acute answered. "Some are allies. Some are enemies. All are pieces of your destiny."
"But why me?" Eli asked. "Why is this all in me?"
"Because," Acute replied, "you are not just a boy, Eli. You are the Key Way. The final door. And you… are unfinished."
Suddenly, light consumed him.
---
Reality.
Eli's body gasped to life on a dry patch of land.
The chains were gone. His wounds were healed.
He sat up fast, coughing.
A hologram screen flickered in front of him. Blue and glowing, with sharp geometric lines.
Just like a holographic system
It read:
[You Have Activated Your Inner World: "Oraga Consciousness"]
[System Level 1 Unlocked]
[Welcome, Eli Calamaki. Your survival has defied fate.]
[Initializing Power Awakening… Please Wait…]
Eli stared.
His vision blurred.
His body swayed.
He collapsed.
TO BE CONTINUED...