The meditation room was on the second floor, adjacent to the auditorium. The moment Ryan stepped on this floor, the memories of that day flashed in his mind immediately!
Though the floor had been repaired and the classroom doors re-installed, deep scratches marred the concrete walls, and it reminded him of the attack and the tragic deaths of the guards.
Ryan looked around him, only to find that the same emotions playing on almost everyone's face. They all were experiencing the pain again.
He let out a deep breath, composing himself.
'What had happened, happened in the past. As of now, I have to focus on the awakening procedure.'
They all entered the meditation room.
The room was a large hall; meditation chairs were placed in rows. The students walked through the hall, occupying the chairs.
As always, Ryan found a far corner of the room and settled himself in a chair comfortably. A faint hum filled the air of the room; everyone's face had the same look of fear and uncertainty.
Ryan was also not an exception. Though he tried to remain calm, one question continuously stirred up deep inside his mind — 'What if I can't awaken any power, or what if I don't have any!'
Certainly, nothing would happen! If anyone didn't have any special power or couldn't awaken his or her dormant potential, nothing would change.
They'd go back to their normal life as always.
They'd complete their studies at Kingston High, then move to colleges and universities to obtain degrees; some would become corporate workers, some would become celebrities and internet sensations; some would thrive in their careers, and some would simply do nothing — their lives would go on like every other individual in the world!
But Ryan had never wanted a life like this! Since his childhood, he wanted to become an awakener; he wanted to tap into the world beyond the ordinary.
And that's why, for him, today's awakening mattered the most.
Ryan was lost in his thoughts when suddenly the hall fell silent. Startled, he looked up and found that their class teacher, Mr. Abraham Moore entered the room.
Mr. Moore stood at the very front of the meditation room, with a wide grin on his lips.
"Students, take a deep breath and relax yourself. Today is a very important day in your life, and stress wouldn't do any better."
With this, the backdoor of the meditation room opened, and a guard entered the room with a trolley. He stood in front of every row, handing each of the students two wristbands.
Ryan received his own; he took it in his hands, and the bands immediately adjusted themselves to his wrists.
It was called awakenix, a device that'd help them to awaken their dormant potential.
The serum shot that was given to them at the time of their birth had suppressed their extraordinary powers, if they had any, and this device was meant to reverse the action of the serum shot.
When activated, these bands would send shocks of specific wavelengths to their brains, which would help them awaken their dormant powers.
After all the students put on their bands, Mr. Moore talked further. "Alright, students. Let's start with the procedure."
With that, the bright lights of the meditation room were replaced by subtle dim lights. The dimly lit room seemed mysterious.
"Students, close your eyes. Now, I'm gonna activate the awakenixs." Mr. Moore spoke up.
Ryan closed his eyes. After a few seconds, a faint 'beep' sound was heard, and immediately Ryan felt a jolt in his body as if it sent a shock in his brain!
"Don't panic. Take a deep breath, relax your mind."
Ryan followed him, after inhaling and exhaling shakily for some time, his breath seemed to be stable. The awakenix was still sending shocks to his brain, and he could feel the vibration throughout his body.
"Now, calm yourself. Forget everything, everyone, forget the surroundings. The awakenix has already struck the match; now it's you who has to ignite the fire." Mr. Moore's voice felt extremely soothing.
"Gather your thoughts in one place, imagine a deep void, imagine yourself in the abyss, let the power free which you're holding for long..."
His voice began to slowly become indistinct to Ryan. He felt like he was slowly sinking into a bottomless pit, or floating in space; his body was as light as a feather! He slipped into the darkness behind his eyelids.
Then...
Suddenly, he felt as if a light was slowly emerging from the darkness. That light gradually began to grow brighter, so bright that it filled the deep dark void within him! Ryan felt that the intensity of the light would explode something inside.
Mr. Moore's voice seemed to come from afar. "Follow the current inside you. This is not foreign! This is you. Don't hold it back; surrender yourself to it, let it take hold of you."
Ryan felt his senses were stretching — stretching beyond his physical form as if they touched a vast emptiness! The light grew brighter and brighter and brighter...
Spreading wider!
And then...
Something stirred in him!
Something powerful; the light seemed to burst in him, and with that, a wave of power surged through his body. It was unknown, but not completely foreign.
It felt like it was a part of him that he had not been aware of until now! His heart started racing in the rib cage, and sweat accumulated on his forehead. Unknown to him, two red lights glowed steadily on the bands around his wrists.
Awakenix had detected the sudden power surge in his body. It was the sign of the awakening of dormant potential.
Ryan had successfully awakened the power that had been dormant in him since his birth.
He shot open his eyes, breathing heavily. The moment he opened his eyes, everything around him felt brighter and more alive!
'Is it the effect of the awakening!' Ryan wondered.
It took him some time to settle himself. After a while, his breathing became normal, and Ryan felt relaxed. He looked around him, most of the students were still sitting with their eyes closed; however, from their facial expressions, he guessed some of them started experiencing the surge — just like him.
Ryan leaned back on the meditation chair, with his eyes closed. Wasn't he supposed to feel stronger? But, instead, he felt extremely tired.
He got a little dizzier when the voice of Mr. Moore reached his ears. He opened his eyes; he didn't know when the lights had lit up the room again, taking away the mysterious atmosphere.
Mr. Moore was reading out a list of names, those who had awakened their dormant potential. Ryan couldn't remember all the names, but included Sylvia, Freddy, and his names; the list was about twenty students.
"Congratulations students, for successfully awakening your dormant potential." Mr. Moore's grin got wider. He was saying many other things, although Ryan didn't listen very carefully. His head started aching badly, all he wanted now was to go home and have a sound sleep.
One thing was clear to him — whatever the power was, it was always part of him. And... Now that it awakened, his life would never be the same.