** TW: Emetophobia, Dissociation
Only one minute left.
My foot tapped impatiently on the worn, wood floor as I gazed at the clock reading 23:59:00. Confetti and balloons surrounded me, their vibrant colors and delicate shapes reflected in the gleaming party decorations. The air was thick with anticipation, the scent of cake and cooked meat hanging heavy over the crowded room. I was transfixed by the numbers ticking towards the most important moment of my life.
Birthdays are always exciting, but your 20th is something altogether different.
"5... 4... 3..." The chorus of voices around me shouted, echoing off the walls of the crowded party room. My mind raced. What would my core ability be? Something amazing or mundane?
"2..." Every second ticked by slower than the last. Panic crept in, my heart pounding in my chest. What if I don’t get one at all?
"1..." The room erupted in cheers and applause, the sound wave washing over me like a tidal wave. "Happy birthday, Rowan!"
Suddenly, a soft blue glowing box appeared in my vision.
“Core Ability Unlocked: Mind Forge”
—
Mind Forge
Tier 1
Unlock the boundaries of innovation with Mind Forge. This ability triggers spontaneous cognitive flashes, revealing revolutionary designs that defy current technological and scientific understanding. When this ability triggers, you'll enter an ability-driven focus called your “Synthesis State”, bringing your visionary concepts to life.
—
My mom's warm smile and dad's proud nod made my heart swell as I focused past the notification to their faces. The sound of champagne corks popping and laughter filled the room. "So, what is it?" mom asked, eyes sparkling.
"It's... amazing?" I said, then read off the description.
"That sounds like a perfect fit," dad said, beaming. "You've always been so creative."
I sighed, releasing tension that I hadn't realized built up in my shoulders. As the name implied, Core abilities were based around who you are at your very core. Twenty years of life was enough for your core self to be truly cemented into reality. The problem was, it really embodied who you are as a person. There are, of course, horror stories of people who seem okay on the outside but get truly horrific core abilities at the end of their second decade, and I was relieved to not be a part of that statistic.
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I looked across the room filled with my family and friends. The room was rather small, but even so, over a dozen people had shown up to fill the beige walls. My gaze landed on Kaida Reyes, who wore a bright smile and a "Happy Awakening!" tiara. Her dark hair was styled in a sleek bob, and her olive skin glowed in the vibrant party lights.
As Kaida noticed my gaze, she confidently began navigating through the room towards me, her almond eyes sparkling with joy. Ly Patel towered behind her, his curly dark brown locks wild as ever.
"Hey, genius! About time you joined the ranks!" Kaida exclaimed, her voice carrying over the din.
A smile split my face as I embraced Ly and Kaida. "Took you long enough," Ly said, "only what, three months late?"
"We can't all be born in March, asshole," I said wryly.
Kaida playfully elbowed Ly, coming to my defense. He grimaced and grabbed the area she had hit. "Oh shit, sorry Ly. Still getting a hang of my strength." Tiny, harmless sparks shot from Ly's fingers, hitting Kaida in the stomach. Kaida laughed, and Ly's face lit up with his signature smile, its brightness accentuated by the rich, dark tone of his skin.
"Yeah, I probably deserved that."
“Kaida, could you go grab the tray with drinks I left in the kitchen?” my mom asked.
"Of course, Ms. Pierce. I'll be right back!" She blurred out of the room, reappearing with the requested refreshments.
After handing out the drinks, Kaida set the thick plastic tray on a small workbench that I had set up in the corner of the room. The clinking of glasses and ice filled the air.
My eyes sparkled. "You two are something else. I feel like my ability is cool and all, but I know I'll never be able to match you guys in the awesomeness department."
“I don't know, Rowan, depending on what you make, you definitely could beat us there,” Ly responded.
As we chatted, my eyes landed back on my mom's serving tray that Kaida had left on my bench. Something nagged at me about it. Without realizing it, I slowly began to wander over towards it.
“Hey Rowan, what's up? You've just been staring at that tray for like 30 seconds.” Kaida said, concern evident in her tone. “Do you want me to move it or something?”
“Nah, it's just that it…” The nagging feeling wouldn't go away. I sat at the bench and picked up the tray. Turning it over, I realized it was the perfect size. I couldn't exactly articulate the feeling, but I could tell where it came from. Mind Forge.
I let the feeling take over and guide me. I felt like I gradually got pushed back in my mind behind a pane of glass. As if I was simply an observer in my body. My hands moved with a life of their own, gliding across the tools on my table with precision, growing faster and faster. The scent of soldering wire and metal filled the air.
My hands dipped into the box of scrap hardware over and over, and pulled wires from the spools hanging on the wall. The tray gradually became covered in intricate circuitry. I could hear voices talking near me, but they sounded distant, muffled, as if spoken in a foreign language through the fog I was trapped within.
As I placed the final glass lens and saw a blue glow burst into being above it, I felt myself come back into control of my body. The mental fog lifted, only to be replaced by a splitting headache and a wave of nausea.
I heaved the contents of my stomach onto the floor beside my bench, the bitter taste and acidic burn making my throat constrict. The rest of me quickly followed, collapsing as darkness took hold.