The twig hit the ground with a soft sound. Eliot barely noticed. His mind was spinning with unbelievable thoughts. Telekinesis. He, Eliot, who couldn't even get a job, could now move things with his mind. It was crazy, exciting, and scary. The words (BASIC TELEKINESIS: ABILITY UNLOCKED) glowed, a quiet sign of his new reality.
He raised his hands, staring at them, half-expecting sparks. The faint blue glow still pulsed, a constant reminder. The deep sadness that had covered him for weeks started to fade, replaced by a strange mix of wonder and a new, dangerous curiosity. What else could he do? What was this System?
He looked around the empty park. Streetlights made long, twisted shadows, and a cool night breeze rustled the leaves, a sharp contrast to the burning feeling inside him. He was alone. Truly alone, in a way he hadn't been before. Sarah was gone. His job was gone. His old life was shattered. But this… this was new.
He thought of the System's menu. The GUIDE had shown him how to use his power. What about STATUS? He focused his thoughts.
SYSTEM STATUS:
Host: Eliot Vance
Physical Condition: Not good (Not enough food, Tired from stress)
Mental Condition: Damaged (Very sad, Has signs of past trauma, Very stressed)
System Integration: Basic (2% Connected)
Active Abilities: Basic Telekinesis (Level 1)
Energy Reserves (Host): Low
Energy Reserves (System): Stable
Eliot frowned. "Not good," "Damaged," "Low." The System was brutally honest. It felt like a medical report from a very direct, digital doctor. But "System Integration: Basic (2% Connected)" caught his eye. What did that mean? Was he slowly becoming one with it? And "Energy Reserves (Host)" was low, but "System" was stable. Did that mean his powers used his energy, not the System's?
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. This was too much. He needed a place to think, to try and understand. Not here, out in the open on a park bench. He thought of his parents, but that was a dead end. Their disappointment would only make things worse. Friends? Most had left when he lost his job. He was truly lost.
His eyes fell on the street. People walked by, lost in their own worlds. He thought of their everyday problems – a missed bus, a late bill, a bad day at work. And here he was, suddenly having powers like in a comic book. The difference was shocking.
Then, a cold, sharp thought cut through the confusion. Sarah. Richard. The betrayal. His hands clenched. The blue light around them flickered, an angry pulse. He felt a surge, a dark, hot energy rising inside him. He wanted to strike out, to make them feel just a fraction of the pain they had caused. Could he? Could this power be used for that?
The System, as if reading his thoughts, showed new options:
POTENTIAL PATHWAYS DETECTED:
Retribution
Self-Preservation
Exploration
Eliot stared at the choices. Retribution. The word hung heavily in the air, a tempting song. He could imagine it. He could picture Richard's smug face, Sarah's cold look. A dark satisfaction grew in his chest. But then, another part of him, the sensible part, screamed caution. What would that even look like? What would it cost? He was already a shadow of a man. Would revenge truly make him whole?
Self-Preservation. That felt right for his current situation. He needed to survive. He needed food, a place to stay, and a plan. This power, whatever it was, could surely help with that.
And Exploration. The unknown. The huge, scary potential of what was ahead. It was the furthest from his current misery, the most abstract. Yet, it also held the most promise for something beyond his shattered past.
He closed his eyes, taking a shaky breath. He couldn't act on anger. Not yet. He needed to think clearly. He needed to understand. He opened his eyes, and the options remained. Which one would he choose? He felt the hum of the System, waiting for his decision. It felt like a turning point, not just for his immediate future, but for the very person he would become.