I still wonder. What is the meaning of all this. What does one’s existence mean for the world. What does one’s existence mean to others. What does one’s existence mean to oneself. The fact of being alive can mean nothing to some of us. The routine of waking up every day and feeling nothing but fear. Fear of being forgotten. But once you’re on the ground, the world hits you again.

I entered the building with Syl. Her presence relaxed me, but other than that I was not sure what I was scared off. Everyone got an image after waiting for long enough in their lives, the objective of the forced rupture was to wake the ability inside of every individual. But the forced rupture did not serve for the happiness of individuals out of the Guard’s own good. It was kind of a symbiotic relationship between them and us. Everyone got to get an image, and they would be able to use anyone that got one they were interested in. Maybe a powerful one, maybe just a simpler but useful one. Everyone was glad to get into the Guard, it was a dream employer. The funds exceeded anything other competitors could offer you, since the government was supporting it. Well, it was more like the Guard was the government in and of itself. The only purpose the central government had was to do as intermediary between civilians and the higher ups in the Guard. So, their interest in getting non-image users to obtain their possibly powerful ability was none other than a strategy to strengthen themselves.

The chances of me getting an ability were almost guaranteed, so why was I worried? I think it was the fear of getting a weak one, even a mediocre one. I didn’t want to compare to Kai, but he was already a capable wielder, stronger than anyone I knew. It was hard not to aim as high as him. But there was another person I wanted to surpass… Drest had set a high standard for me. His ability had surprised everyone after his rupture. The capability of controlling and creating flames just with his bare willpower was already a flashy and cool ability that got everyone interested in him. But it was not only that. I think if anyone other than him got that image they would not have gotten as far as he had. But maybe I shouldn’t have been so willing to get something like that. The image of him and his lost limb was one still burnt into my eyes. I hadn’t thought about it at the beginning, but his scars, wounds and burnt flesh. Were they a consequence of his own ability? Did it go out of control? But he mentioned other people, and his own past. What did he see that changed him so much? Was I supposed to fear getting a strong power too then?

The room was filled with other kids my age. Most of them looked excited. But it seemed like I was not the only one to be insecure. A kid sitting in the waiting room playing with his fingers. Another one sitting on the ground against a column in the corridor was hiding his face between his arms. The thing is that it was a chance that no one could miss. A forced rupture was an important event. It was provided for free to anyone without an ability at the age of 15. But you could not expect for it to make miracles.

—It seems like I have to wait here— I said looking at the closed door of what looked like a doctor’s office from the outside.

I turned my face towards Syl. She looked expectant. Surveying the area, looking at all the people waiting to get their turn for their expected rupture. They were all our age. A young woman with a lab coat and with a notepad spotted us, she probably thought we were confused or lost. She then walked towards us.

—Hi! Are you both waiting for your appointment?

—Yes, my turn was booked for twenty minutes from now. And she’s just a friend of mine, shes not in the waiting list— I replied.

—Can I have your name then?

—Nath Allen— I said.

—Oh. You have the same surname as Guardian Allen then— Shoot! she noticed.

I just laughed and nodded, not wanting to get into details.

—You don’t seem to be a combatant. Do you really work for the Guard?

Thank God Syl interrupted her before she could ask anything bothersome.

—Oh, do you not know about it? You are right now in the science department of this building. The Guard is split into two main bodies. The defence department, which is the popular and most well-known part of the Guard since it has all these important people. But we are working in the science department. We investigate the nature of images and other interesting topics related to them. That is why you must come to us to get your forced rupture. We developed the technology that will allow you to grow an image. Well, we don’t really grow it. We just pull it out of you. I think it’s a more interesting place than the defence department. They are too serious and scary on the other side.

—That’s so cool! Can I know more about it? — Syl’s eyes were shining with interest.

—Well, I am supposed to go in a minute… but I’d be glad to speak to an enthusiastic girl like you!

Damn, already friends.

—I am researching specifically in the nature of images. We know how we develop them, but we don’t exactly know why. We know which interactions result in a rupture for example, but we are not sure what is the process behind it. And there are many questions that this could pose an answer to. Like, why does everyone get a different image? Can we decide what Image we get? It seems to be a phenomenon that didn’t happen long ago. People who lived a thousand years ago did not have images, or at least we deduced that from many archaeological discoveries so why is it different for us? Me and the doctor are really interested in this topic, and our research group has been working hard for a while, however we were not able to get results in so long. But…

—But what?

—Well, I’m not supposed to tell you about this, but there is a really important guest coming today to help with the research. He is kind of… Peculiar? I’m not sure how to describe him, but you might recognise him amongst the crowd. I’m sorry, but I must leave now. I need to go greet this person, if not I might disappoint the doctor, you know. Well, it was nice meeting you! See you later!

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

—Hm. What a nice lady — Syl said.

—You found someone that speaks as much as you.

—Hey!

I smiled at her.

One of the people waiting for their turn was gone, probably inside the office. My turn was getting closer then. I signalled to Syl that I was going to sit, and she followed me reluctantly. I would apologise for the joke properly later.

I was still anxious. I tried distracting myself by looking at people. There must be something interesting going on in such a place, right? In fact, there were many people rushing in the same direction that woman had left to, towards the entrance. I was still puzzled by her words. There was apparently someone important coming to the Guard’s offices to help with the investigation they were carrying out. I couldn’t think of anyone important in the research field that I would know about. Was it a scientist? I was not too involved in the field, so there were no current researchers that came to mind. Maybe a politician? Maybe they were doing a presentation to get some extra funding. But it did not seem like it.

Syl was staring in the same direction. Puzzled, I wondered. She had followed that woman with her eyes. Unlike me. Likely trying to figure out who she was talking about. Maybe she knew more than me. But the situation escalated without previous notice. The ones that were walking fast switched to running, and it was not only people with lab coats anymore. People dressed as officers, or soldiers even some civilians were joining. Just around the corner, where we had come from. It must be crowded by now.

Then Syl stood up suddenly.

—Let’s go see.

I followed her without a second thought. I was also keen on learning about the individual. It might have been a woman, I wondered.

When we reached the door in the corridor, we were able to see what waited for us around the corner. A crowd of people was gathered around something. Likely to be someone instead. We tried getting closer, but I hated crowds. There was no reason to push in other than my curiosity, so I just stood there for a second, questioning if it was worth seeing what was on the other side of the wall of people. For a second I was about to turn around and leave.

—Where are you going?!

She shook her head as if disappointed. I just shrugged my shoulders to that.

—Go see what’s in there —She said while pushing me into that mess of a place.

—Ah come on there is nothing to do. We can just wait until everyone leaves. No need to rush.

—Shut up! I don’t want to wait. Go check it out for me, I want to know!

I tried pushing back, but I did not want to hurt her, so she won in the end, making me fall to the ground. I did not realise the crowd had opened, leaving a passage to let whoever it was to get to our side of the room. I was just unlucky enough to be the only thing in the way of that person. Of course, Syl had hidden behind the other people, staying away from the trouble.

I turned around slowly, unsure if I wanted to look in the face of whoever was waiting behind my back. The room had turned silent at the scene. There was a man at the front, wearing sunglasses. The front of his uniform was unbuttoned, probably due to the hot weather. And he stood confidently. But there was something unsettling about him. The crowd behind me was staring directly at me, some watching in horror, others in confusion, but they all looked like they thought I shouldn’t be on the way of this man.

I couldn’t know for sure, but I felt his gaze on me even behind his sunglasses. I was not sure about what to do. His serious expression did not look pleased, but he was not angry either. He offered his hand to me without a word, but I decided to stand up without his help, not wanting to bother.

—Glad to see you are fine.

He then started to walk away. But in what seemed like an eternal instant, I was able to examine him better. Unkempt hair and a beard. From his mouth came a small stream of what looked like smoke, no sign of a cigarette though. But while he walked away, I was able to catch a glimpse behind his glasses. I could only see one of his eyes. There was something odd about it. Time slowed down so much that it felt like it had stopped. His eye was completely white. Where a normal Iris and a pupil would be found, there was just a couple of concentric white circles. But the eye was indeed pointing somewhere. And it was staring right at me.

The feeling I had was that he was not looking at my face, not at my chest, not at my body. He was staring into me, my soul. I felt him grasping into my feelings and playing with them like they were toys, but there was a specific one that he toyed with enthusiastically. But I felt lost, in the dark. I was not surrounded by anyone anymore, it was me… and him.

I did not realise I was holding my breath until Syl shook me.

—Hey, are you all right?

—Yeah, I’m fine… We have to go back. They must be waiting for us.

But While I was walking back, I couldn’t help thinking about that man.

—He was Haze, the Guardian — She said seriously, without looking at me.

I was so confused. Was it him the person that was coming for the research? It was a weird experience. He seemed normal until I was able to look at his face. When I did, especially when I saw him staring at me, I felt abandoned. I was unsure. I was scared.

Apparently, the doctor was waiting for us when we reached back. The door was open for us to come in. And everyone else had left too, probably due to the commotion the sight of a Guardian had caused, so we went in without a second thought.

Immediately after going in, I saw it. There was a chair with a couple big metal boxes in the back. The chair was of the medical kind, but it had some belts to hold the legs and hands. On top of the chair there was a big machine connected to the two metal boxes behind. And in the middle, a helmet.

—You can sit, it’s not going to harm you.

I was reluctant at the beginning. I did not know the procedure, but from the looks of that machine, it probably had to do something with your head. I was not too keen on them giving shocks to my head.

—Don’t worry, the bindings are not usually necessary.

—Then why do you have them — I asked.

—Well, ruptures don’t always go smoothly. You should know that.

I was hesitant, but I could do nothing but trust that man. I sat on the machine, Syl standing near the entrance, waiting. The doctor came closer, he tied my limbs to the chair and placed the helmet on my head. He must have done this many times to feel so relaxed, but it was my first, and I wasn’t quite enjoying it.

—Well, I’ll explain the procedure to you. It’s not invasive, and I am not going to shock you electrically. The process itself has, not been made public, but it has to do with emotions. It is usually strong feelings that trigger a rupture. The difference between a person that goes through a natural rupture and a forced rupture is not in the emotions themselves but an emotional threshold. Your family’s threshold was probably lower and yours, and your friend’s here was too. That’s why they developed an ability before you did. Now, for you, we will need to produce something like they went through but more extreme, and since we don’t want to hurt you in any physical way, we will drug you in order to alter the perception of reality. The drug’s effect only takes place while you hold the helmet on, so please don’t take it away unless I instruct so.

He then got close to me, a syringe in hand. I had no issues with needles, so it did not bother me too much. He then explained something about brain scans that he had to do for the procedure and compare them with the brain activity after the rupture, but I did not pay much attention. He then turned on the machine and I slowly fell asleep…