The Awakening

The sound of pencils and paper resonates in the otherwise silent room; figures in lab coats exchange looks and nods without uttering a single word as the lights dim. A kid lies on the other side of a glass wall, on a metal table with restraints on his limbs; some chains dangle off the table, disappearing into the back of the subject. Static fills the air.

"Elemental affinity experiment n52. Affinity confirmed to be lightning-aligned, testing resistance. Administer low voltage."

A mechanical arm descends from the ceiling; sparks arc from the ends. Pain, the current hits the boy on the table, vital systems spasm, limbs struggle, the chains remain still.

"Level 1 over. Attempting level 2; raise the voltage."

The pain intensifies; stray shocks start hitting the walls and floor. The kid gritts his teeth trying to stay awake; screaming wouldn't help, he already discovered that long ago. The restrained limbs start hurting from the spasm, the struggling continues, the chains remain still.

"Subject displays great resilience; cause is inconclusive. Mutations could be lessening the damage, switching to level 3."

The mechanical arm pushes closer to the boy's chest; a cacophony of burning and electric arcs spills from the soundproofed room into the chamber where the researchers are taking notes. The pain starts becoming unbearable, consciousness is fading, the world starts going black. The chains stir.

Alarms ring around the whole underground complex; researchers run through the hallways, keys held in trembling hands as they struggle to unlock the numerous security doors. Screams cover the alarms, chains sprout from the walls and start lashing at anything that moves, latching onto anything with a mana signature. The doors are flung open; knights in armor rush in as the lab coats run past them. They attempt to push back the chains. Armor is pierced, swords alight with the elements lose their glow, the chains multiply, leaving the knights tangled and rushing to the exit.

The cells open in the containment block; a mess of metal and lighting tears into the walls. Kids of different ages stare dumbfounded at the spectacle. Some start running for the door; others are too scared to react. More chains appear out of several surfaces; some subjects are sapped of energy as they hesitate and remain caught. The walls crack and crumble; the mass of chains writhes as it expands, moving into corridors and rooms like a rising tide. Communication devices fall as the researchers are taken by surprise; the machinery is destroyed by the voltage or drained of energy.

Some figures stand on a nearby hill, looking at the underground collapse in a mess of chains and rubble; some collapse to rest, others take out radios and antennas to send a rescue signal. A man in ornate armor speaks to a man in ragged and scorched lab clothes. "What in the gods' name were you keeping in there that could cause this much damage? The weapons should have been too young to be useful."

The researcher coughs a bit. "It was simply a slight miscalculation. One that solved itself, mind you; nothing could survive that collapse, and if we stick around, we won't survive either when the main power supply enters overdrive. Such a shame; it would have been our greatest success..."

The armored man scoffs. "If this is your success, I don't want to be here for the failure. Pick yourself up; it's a long way to the capital. There will be consequences, but the problem not spreading will work in your favor."

Leigan opens his eyes with a start, shooting into a seated position before flinching. His body aches all over, and there are scorch marks on his chest and wrists. He tries to assess the situation: the room is in shambles, holes pepper the walls, and the table is broken in several pieces, making for a very uncomfortable seat. The kid struggles to stand up and stumbles in the direction of the door; he trips on a metal tube and braces for impact. But the impact never comes; opening his eyes and looking around, he notices a group of chains extending from his back, encased in the ceiling, holding him steady. After regaining his footing, he focuses on the chains; they retract, answering to his call. "I guess the theories were correct; I can control them."

The kid wanders what remains of the facility; some passages are collapsed, some are surprisingly intact, corpses litter the floors, most with no visible wounds. The cells are open; some subjects lay scattered about the place among the rubble, in similar condition to the researchers. "What happened here? Were there this many kids in this place?" A rustling sound is heard in the half-destroyed cell. Leigan shoots into a defensive stance, chains speed to the source of the noise, and wraps around the intruder. A muffled squeak is the only response; a strange sensation spreads across the kid's body as energy rushes in from the chains. The surprise makes the chains retract. After a moment of deliberation, Leigan approaches the source of the out-of-sight noise; a single deceased rat meets his eyes, shriveled and sickly with marks left by the chains.

Realization hits: panic. He rushes out of the room to check the corpses; the marks match. The kid falls to his knees, breathing quick, shallow breaths. He looks around once more; there is no movement in the room, no sounds other than his own. He collapses into a ball on the ground, the chains wrap protectively around him. Darkness.

Chains shift and unravel as the kid wakes up, the warm morning sun meets his eyes, and a gentle breeze dries some tears from his face. "That dream again. After all this time, why now?" Leigan looks at the sky; it's barely dawning. Time to move. Chains slither around him, gathering his belongings; a worn backpack is filled with odds and ends and secured to his back. One chain holds an almost burnt fish to his mouth as he starts to walk and eat. "Just a couple more days of travel now, and I will find out if there really is a village crazy enough to accept anyone."

The sea comes into sight in the distance, the morning sun reflected on its surface.