Phantom Bo, a six-foot-long staff made of smoky quartz, it resonates with the Muladhara, Manipura, and Sahasrara. When held, Phantom Bo absorbs negative energy from the wielder and raises the users vibrations to a more positive level. Sam stared at the staff on display in front of him before reaching out to touch it. The staff was made from a single piece of quartz, translucent with blackened wisps trapped inside of it as if heavy smoke had been encased within glass. The staff was cold, sending a chill up Sam’s arm when his hand made contact with it.
Sam exhaled, letting out the breath he was holding. Phantom Bo hadn’t dissolved and disappeared inside of his body despite being a solid piece of crystal like Raindu and the GMC. He wasn’t sure why that was the case, but he was grateful he could use crystal weapons normally. “Is this sturdy enough?” Sam asked. If he smashed it against a reptilian repeatedly, would the reptilian’s bones break before the staff?
“That?” Jimmy asked, raising an eyebrow as he pointed at the staff. “If you’re planning on using it like an actual Bo, then it won’t work. Crystal staves are meant for amplifying your chakra techniques, or if you’re lucky, your natural talent.” Jimmy tapped on the side of the display. “Unless you can reinforce it, you’re better off not hitting things with this staff.”
Sam raised an eyebrow before looking around. If Rosette were here, he could ask her if he could remove the weapon from the display to test it out. Since she wasn’t here, Sam took the weapon off the display; if the shop attendant did find out, she wouldn’t have minded—probably. Goosebumps ran down Sam’s spine as he lifted the staff, holding it at the ready with one foot in front of the other. Raindu crawled out of Sam’s shirt and down his arm. It touched the surface of the smoky quartz staff and tilted its furry head. After a second of contemplation, Raindu retreated, having no intentions of forbidding Sam from wielding the weapon.
Sam concentrated on his root chakra. He did have a way to harden his muscles, but he wasn’t sure if he could use Toughen on the staff; after all, it didn’t have any muscles. However, the staff’s description did say it resonated with the Muladhara, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable for him to test whether or not the vibrations from his root chakra could carry through the staff. After using Toughen, Sam realized he didn’t have a way to test whether or not the staff became more durable. His eyes narrowed, and he concentrated on his root chakra, forcing his body to vibrate the way it had during his fire-ant-gloves ordeal. His hands burned as if they had been set aflame, and he slowly moved the staff towards Jimmy.
The suited man blinked and watched as the translucent staff touched his chest. Then, his eyes widened, and he leapt backwards while waving his arms up and down. “Ow, ow, ow!” Jimmy said and clenched his hands before blowing on them as if that would help. He stared at Sam with an aggrieved expression. “Why did you do that?”
“Sorry,” Sam said, disabling his Burning Hands technique—a name he came up with on the spot. “I was testing something.” His eyes closed as he used his psychic vision to focus on the staff in his hands. As if it were an antenna, the staff increased the range of his psychic vision, allowing him to take notice of the people on the first and third floors of the building despite being on the second floor himself. He had a feeling he could make connections with them too, able to target them with his techniques if he so wished. Sam’s eyes opened, and he nodded his head. “I think this is it.”
“You’re sure you want that staff?” April asked. “Smoky quartz is great at removing negative energies from your body, but it’s not really an offensive crystal. Weapons are meant for dealing damage, right?”
Sam grasped the staff, and a tingling sensation ran up his arms as he tightened his grip. “Yeah,” he said. “This staff is perfect.”
April scooted to the side and gestured at the red sword on display. “You’re absolutely sure you don’t want Flamemaker, the ruby sword capable of igniting whatever it cuts?” the green-haired nurse asked. “I know I’m not a combatant, but….” She stared at the sharp sword. Then, she stared at the blunt staff. When faced with a deadly monster, she knew which weapon she’d pick.
Sam glanced at the sword before shaking his head. Rubies were attuned to the Muladhara, but Sam had mastered more than just his root chakra. After going around the second floor and browsing all the weapons, he found only the smoky quartz staff resonated with both the root and crown chakras. It was a shame his solar plexus chakra was still locked, or he could’ve used the staff to its full ability. Well, even if his Manipura was unlocked, it was questionable whether or not he could use Phantom Bo to its full potential considering the description for it was quite lacking. Like everything else that came with being awakened, Sam had to puzzle through the finer details by himself.
“Isn’t that Sam?” a woman’s voice asked.
Sam turned his head to the side. A well-dressed man and woman were standing next to each other not too far away from an adolescent boy, who had features that were strikingly similar to Sam’s.
“No, that’s impossible,” the man said and glanced down at his fancy watch. “What would Sam be doing here? You and your delusions.”
“No,” the woman said. “I’m sure it’s Sam.” Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped towards Sam, Jimmy, and April. “Sam?”
Jimmy and April turned to look at Sam, making it obvious his name was Sam. Despite that, Sam lied through his teeth. “No,” he said, his knuckles turning white as he clenched the staff. “You’ve got the wrong person.”
“No, I’m sure it’s you,” the woman said. “Take those mirrors off your face and look me in the eyes.”
Sam took in a deep breath. He had imagined it more than once, what he’d do or say if he ever met his parents again, but for some reason, none of those words came to mind once he actually came face to face with his mom again. He thought he’d be angry or bitter or even a little hopeful, but he felt nothing. Sam raised his free hand up and took off his reflective, green sunglasses. His eyes met with his mother’s, and she let out a bloodcurdling scream as she clutched her head with both her hands while falling to her knees.
Sam blinked and took a step back as his dad and younger brother ran towards the kneeling woman, and Jimmy distanced himself from Sam, staring at him as if he were a lunatic. Although high-ranked awakened tended to be arrogant, they didn’t attack people in public unprovoked—at least, not within a building with plenty of cameras. If Sam wanted to murder this woman who claimed to be his mother, Jimmy had no problem with that, but if the woman died, some attention would be thrown onto Jimmy because he was present at the time, and a scandal was the last thing he wanted as Mister Park’s son.
“Hey!” April said, rushing forward and squatting by Sam’s mother’s side. “Are you alright, lady? Is this a new form of insurance fraud?” She turned her head towards Sam, meeting his gaze. She shuddered upon seeing his eyes as if she had laid sight on a reptilian irises and pupils; however, that was it. There was no blinding pain that the older woman seemed to be suffering from. April narrowed her eyes at Sam. “Did you do something to her?”
“No,” Sam said, shaking his head. His forehead wrinkled as he looked at the staff in his hand. Perhaps it had something to do with Phantom Bo? He was pretty sure the staff was responsible for his lack of negative emotions since drawing in negative energy was a property of smoky quartz. If his anger, hatred, bitterness, and disappointment were drawn away from his body by Phantom Bo, those emotions would have to be released somewhere, and in this case, he might’ve channeled his negative emotions through his Sahasrara and struck his mother with them … not on purpose. His evidence? It felt like energy flowed from his root chakra to his staff to his crown chakra and into his mother’s head. Of course, he wasn’t going to take the blame for this. “I think it was the weapon. It’s quite irresponsible of Treasured Crystals to let dangerous weapons be used so freely.”
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“Isn’t it common sense not to test weapons on random people?” April asked.
“She’s not a random person,” Jimmy said. “She’s Sam’s mother.”
April stared at Jimmy as if to ask, “How is that any better?”
Jimmy shrugged. “For all we know, she could’ve deserved it.”
“How dare you!?” Sam’s dad asked, having finally arrived by his wife’s side. His eyes widened upon seeing Sam, and his body stiffened as a chill ran down his spine. “Sam? What are you doing in this part of the city?”
Sam put his sunglasses back on lest he accidentally zap someone with his eyes once more. “I’m a late bloomer,” he said. “Who knew someone could awaken S-ranked talents even after they turned eighteen?” A faint smile appeared on his lips. “Certainly not you; otherwise, you wouldn’t have abandoned me so easily, huh?”
“Sam?” Sam’s brother asked. A smile appeared on his face. “You’re alright!”
“Hey, Tom,” Sam said, nodding at his brother. “Things happened, but yeah, I ended up alright.”
“More than alright,” Tom said, scanning Sam from head to toe. Then, his expression changed as he looked at his mom. “Mom, are you okay?”
“Now you pay attention to me?” Sam’s mother asked as she panted for breath, standing with the help of her husband. “I think I need to go to the hospital; he burnt my brain.”
Before Sam could reply, three men wearing black suits, black sunglasses, and black earpieces approached the scene. “Is there a problem?” the lead man asked. “Did someone get hurt?”
“He attacked me!” Sam’s mother said, pointing at Sam.
“Stop,” Sam’s father said. He turned towards the guards and shook his head. “There’s no problem here. We’re all family.”
The guards looked at Sam, and upon seeing him nod, the guards relaxed. “Alright, but please refrain from testing the weapons on each other,” the lead man said. “Someone could get seriously hurt.”
“Someone is seriously hurt,” Sam’s mother said, glaring at the guard. “Doesn’t Treasured Crystals have nurses or doctors on standby?”
“I’m a nurse,” April said, glancing at Sam. He didn’t seem to mind her stepping up, not like stepping up did anything since her talent was already healing Sam’s mother. The green-haired woman placed her hand on Sam’s mother’s forehead before taking in a deep breath. “You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Really?” Sam’s mother asked. “If I’m not fine, and if I’m not okay, are you going to hold yourself legally responsible for my health after diagnosing me?”
“See,” Jimmy whispered to April upon seeing the nurse’s expression darken. “I told you she could’ve deserved it.”
April retracted her hand and frowned. “I should’ve expected it when I heard you abandoned Sam, but you’re a really hard-to-get-along-with person, aren’t you?”
“What?” Sam’s mother asked and glared at April. “What is that supposed to mean? Everyone loves me.” Her gaze shifted onto Sam. “You awakened with an S-ranked talent? Did I hear that right?”
Sam smiled. “Yeah,” he said. “But that has nothing to do with you.”
“Nothing to do with me?” Sam’s mother asked. “I’m your mother; your success is my success. Without me, you wouldn’t have even existed!”
Sam’s smile remained on his face. He was sure Phantom Bo was helping him regulate his emotions because he didn’t feel a single ounce of frustration or anger at his mother’s words; instead, warm vibrations flowed from the smoky quartz staff into his body, causing his muscles and nerves to relax. “You can keep thinking that,” Sam said. “If you believe hard enough, it might just come true.”
“Don’t patronize me!” Sam’s mother said. She placed her hands on Tom’s shoulders. “You’re not the only one with a good talent: Tom’s talent is rank B! If we stayed in the outskirts with you, Tom never would’ve had the chance to shine.”
“I know,” Sam said. “You threw me away to secure Tom’s future.” He nudged Phantom Bo over, letting the tip of the staff fall and point at his mother’s face. “You severed our familial ties, so why are you still trying to act like my mother? You’re a stranger to me, Iris.”
“Don’t talk to your mother like that!” Sam’s father said, supporting his wife as she theatrically clutched her chest and staggered backwards.
“Didn’t your parents teach you manners, Dave?” Sam asked. “Try saying please.”
Sam’s father, Dave, steadied his wife as if she were an out-of-shape beanbag cushion before stepping towards Sam. “Call me that again,” Sam’s father said with his face invading Sam’s personal space. Sam’s nose wrinkled as he caught the scent of boiled eggs on his dad’s breath.
“Dave,” Sam said, dragging out the word while breathing out into his dad’s face at the same time.
Sam’s father’s eyes twitched, and he drew his hand back. His arm cut through the air as he slapped at his son’s face, but a smoky quartz staff got in his way. Normally, that wouldn’t have been a problem with his talent, but the staff was unusually hard, and instead of Phantom Bo shattering with a crack, a loud snap rang through the air—the sound of the bones in Dave’s palm breaking. Dave’s eyes widened, and he let out a cry of pain while bringing his broken hand to his chest.
“If I didn’t harden it in time, you might’ve broken this staff,” Sam said, raising an eyebrow at his father. “Aren’t you glad I did? Treasured Crystals has a you-break-it-you-buy-it policy.”
April stared at Sam as if she were seeing him for the first time. A few months didn’t seem like a long time on paper, but it was enough to change Sam into a completely different person. She was lucky she had met him when he was still in his unloved-golden-retriever phase because if she met him as he was now, she didn’t think he’d give her the time of day.
“You broke my hand,” Sam’s father said through gritted teeth, practically hissing out the words.
“And you broke my heart,” Sam said, letting the crystal staff lean against his shoulder. “I think that makes us even.”
“You’re not Sam,” Sam’s mother said. “Sam would never talk to us like this. He would never treat us this poorly!”
“The Sam you knew died the day I awakened,” Sam said and shook his head. “Now, get out of my sight. I’m shopping with my friends.”
“Sam,” Tom said, his forehead wrinkling. He looked up at Sam’s face, but instead of seeing his brother’s eyes, all Tom saw was his reflection in the green lenses.
“What?” Sam asked.
Tom shook his head. “Nothing,” he mumbled and looked down at the floor.
Sam nodded and turned towards April. “Let’s go up and see if Birdbrained finished shopping.”
“We’re just going to leave them here?” April asked, turning her head to look at Sam’s parents. Their faces were both contorted in pain: one from mental damage to their brain and the other from physical damage to their hand. She blinked as Sam walked away, and she shrugged at his family before following after him.
Jimmy walked up to Tom and held out his hand. “Hi,” the suited man said. “I’m Jimmy Park from Carbon Peak. If you’re looking for a job where you might meet your brother again, come to our company headquarters.”
Tom furrowed his brow as he grabbed Jimmy’s arm. Carbon Peak was a massive company, one on par with Monarch. Normally, it’d be difficult for an awakened with a B-ranked talent to join Carbon Peak. They usually recruited A-ranked awakened and above. “I’ll be there,” Tom said, looking at Sam’s back. It was awfully green, a color Tom had never seen his brother wear when they were younger.
Sam glanced down at the ferret poking out of his shirt. “Yes,” he said. “Those were my parents.”
Raindu chattered, causing Sam to chuckle.
“No,” Sam said. “I don’t want them dead.” He shook his head. “They acted in a manner that was best for them; anyone would’ve made the same choice if they were put in their situation, so did they really have a choice? There’s no point in blaming them.”
“Are you alright?” Jimmy asked after catching up to Sam. Talking to one’s ferret in public was a clear sign of someone not being alright, so Jimmy had to make sure. “Although it isn’t common, it’s not the first time I’ve heard about someone meeting the parents who abandoned them. Usually, the abandonee has to go to therapy.”
“I’m fine,” Sam said and grasped his staff with both hands. “This thing is eating up my negative emotions and converting them into good vibes; I feel refreshed and recharged.” He turned and smiled at April. “Thanks for bringing me here.”
“Of course,” April said and beamed at Sam. “I didn’t think we’d meet your parents like that, so I apologize.”
“No need,” Sam said as he passed a doorway and took a step up a flight of stairs. “I would’ve bumped into them eventually, and I’m kind of satisfied with the way things turned out.” Sam sighed. “It would’ve been nice if I had met with Tom alone without our parents around, but it’s alright.”