Elias was sitting in a stark white room with a single metal chair and table.
Looking around he saw the one way mirror and bright LEDs around him, a cold glass of water resting on the solid metal table. The handcuffs around his wrist irritation his skin after the long hours of waiting.
'Tsk. Why do I have to do all of this.'
Looking at his reflection in the mirror he saw his dark brown unkept hair wavy and messy, his silver-grey eyes staring back at him. A black eye and a sharp cut on his cheek.
His pale alabaster skin bruised and swollen. As he thought about his position the door finally opened after 3 hours of nothing but waiting.
A tall man with a plaid dress shirt and dress pants walked into the room his shoes clicking lightly on the white tile floor. His silver white hair and long beard as well as his rough disposition made it clear he wasn't there on friendly terms.
The old man looked at Elias with disdain as if being forced to work overtime was all Elias' fault.
"Elias Ashgrave of the 20th district outskirts 17 years old. Explain to me what happened."
Elias remained silent for a few minutes thinking before finally answering.
"Nothing much, I was simply enjoying my night before those thugs decided to mess with me for absolutely no reason. Then they even had the audacity to try to blame me when we fought."
Elias shrugged while giving his heavily sarcastic response.
The old police officer stared at him for a few moments before sighing and taking off his handcuffs.
"You're free to go, I don't have time to deal with this mess."
Elias new it would end up like this, it always did. The only reason him and the other 2 were arrested was just so the police could say they did something about it.
Not that it would matter anyway, with the shattering coming up. Luckily it happened the same day every year so it was easy to keep track of.
60 years ago the trials descended upon earth, ruining most of humanity all that remains is what was once New York City, it had undergone major changes after the first shattering. Made into a safe have by the remnants of the world.
It wasn't the only one though there were a few other cities left in North America New York was just the biggest.
Later for the sake of simplicity it was renamed to the GCH or the Great City of Humanity. Separated into 20 districts each with a different social standing. The lower the number the better off you were.
As an orphan Elias lived in a shack in the outskirts of district 20. Even though it was called the outskirts the entire district was a slum him just lived as far away for other people as he could which was hard considering 160 million people lived in the city and almost 10 million were in the 20th district.
As Elias walked out of the precinct he walked towards his shack, he had to get ready for tomorrow. He was leaving for the 5th district where the academy for the awakened was.
Every year the Shattering occurred pulling thousands of 17 year olds into the first trial, he was one of them this year so he had to go to the academy so everything could be prepared.
Out of those thousands that was forced into the trial only a few dozen or at most a couple hundred would survive becoming awakened.
Obviously not everyone was chosen to go through the trials but his luck was never good so he figured it would happen. The chosen were marked with an imag, or more like a brand, this brand would give a few details about what their awakened power would be and it always appeared on different parts of the body.
His was on his back it was three crows flying on his right shoulder. He had no idea what it meant and didn't have the money to find out, not to mention everyone's abilities were different so there was really no telling.
Arriving to his shack, Elias crouched down and walked through the small opening in the wall he used as a door. Being 5'9 had it's benefits as well as its downside.
Walking to his bed which at this point was just the old reclining couch he found on the street a few months ago he laid down and slowly drifted to sleep.
Early the next morning Elias woke up and started packing his things, he didn't have much, just a backpack and a few pairs of clothes. Elias put on his old worn out tennis shoes after he donned his black worn out hoodie and a pair of sweat pants.
Walking out the "door" he started heading in the direction of the academy, it was going to take a while for him to get there but he had luckily been supplied with a train service card for the trip by the academy, so it only took a few hours.
Exiting the train he started to walk to the massive school buildings. They were easily a dozen stories tall and took up more than a few city blocks.
Walking through the gate he noticed a lot of other teenagers walking forward around him. All heading to what could be there death.
The academy itself was massive but the amount of people going in and out was even more crazy.
Most of them heading to one place, the hall of awakening where a trial tear of the first rank was.
As soon as you woke up in the trial you will awaken your tier 1 abilities. Everytime you challenge a Tear of a higher rank then you ascend further and develop new attributes and abilities.
Walking to the trial hall that he was directed to at the front of the academy, Elias followed the other students and stood with them, the hall was easily 100 meters long and 50-60 meters wide. Big enough to easily fit the groups of young awakened filtering through the door.
Stepping to one corner of the room Elias was looking around trying to gather his bearings.
'I wonder how many of us will survive.'
While he was thinking about it Elias looked around, here and there were large groups, some as small as 10 and others as large as 30 or 40.
The were the groups from the large families and their vassals. They would train their children as they grew up and give them good gear for their first trial.
Some had swords and other various blades and light to heavy armors. Some had even taught about the possible abilities they could get from their marks.
He had street clothes and a strong will to live, other than visit the public library to read and learn about the trials or to workout at his shack. He was in good physical shape if one weren't to include his malnourishment.
He had long ago lost the fat on his body and was quite lean but there wasn't a lot of muscle mass either.
Lost in thought Elias waited patiently trying to figure out how he'd survive, he had no weapons, no friends, and barely a will to survive.
He knew he was going to die but it was better to atleast try rather than just die a slow painful death from the shattering.
If one went through a Trial Tear they would be safe from it and would awaken during their trial. If they didn't do one after they were marked then during the shattering their mind one fracture and implode on itself driving them to madness and corrupting them and their souls slowly fractured as well.
That's why every year just before the Shattering they would send the young awakened through the Tear.
Eventually Elias saw someone standing not far from him, she was a little bit taller than 5'0 but had a petite stature, she had long wavy blonde hair tied in a loose braid over her shoulder and soft pale blue eyes.
She had a soft muted pastel blue shirt on with sweatpants and tennis shoes like Elias. He knew her, not her name of course but she had gone to the public school in the 20th district like him before he dropped out a few years ago.
She was a few feet away but as the room grew more packed the two slum kids had to scurry further into the corner. Eventually surrounded almost shoulder to shoulder as the final few arrived the trials were going to start soon and he would be at the very back of the line.
Soon an old man made his way to the front of the room to speak, he was just a normal human assigned by the academy to explain to them what would happen but everyone there already knew.
Eventually done with his long speech telling them they would probably die but to keep striving further and never to give up.
Elias was basically falling asleep against the wall when the old man finally finished. Pressing a button the back wall of the hall started to lift.
Behind it was the Tear. Elias had seen a few of them in pictures and textbooks but he had never seen one in person. The few that popped up in the 20th district were usually closed by awakened. Those were the 2nd Rank Tears. They were spontaneous and not permanent.
After the trial was complete they would close. However if they weren't the trial would spill into the world causing massive destruction.
The Rank 1 Tears like he was staring at now were permanent and couldn't be closed but they wouldn't break.
Looking at the Tear in awe Elias stopped moving in the line. The warp in space was a sight to behold like reality it's self had become a shattered reflection.
Continuing walking with the crowd he saw as the teenagers made it to the Tear disappearing as they stepped into it, sent into their first trial.
Eventually after the slow walk he finally made it himself. Stopping and staring forward he thought about everything he had been through until then. The turmoil and loneliness, being forced to fight for scraps to eat. Working any job he could get and still never having enough.
He thought about his parents and what they would want for him.
Steeling his resolve and clenching the bag straps in his hand, Elias took a step forward.
Everything turned black.