Magic. A belief that was once impossible to believe, but now is something very normalized. Just over 20 years ago, the first person with magical powers appeared. Noah Fausto, a 16-year-old teenager from the Canadian region, who was missing for quite some time. Since then, more people started to "awaken" magical powers. No one knows how. Nor why.
Some fictional stories became reality. People started playing at being heroes and villains, and competing over who had the most powerful power.
Currently, approximately 30 percent of the world's population has those skills. It seems like very few people, but with 8 billion in the world, that would be about... 2.4 billion, I think. And that's quite a lot of people.
Those people, upon "awakening," would have to be sent to a special school to strengthen themselves and be able to control their abilities. Although I don't trust those schools. They give me a really bad vibe.
And I don't want one of those powers either. I like being normal. One would love to be the protagonist of an epic story, and come out triumphant, with an audience that adored them. I would love to be part of that audience. But without loving the hero, of course. I would be sitting in a nearby café, eating a traditional Spanish omelette, while complaining about the noise people were making.
And don't think I'm a bad person. It's just that I don't like being around people. I already have enough with my family...
—Karma! Wake up! —a male voice disturbed me, pulling me out of my peaceful dream. I recognized him instantly, and I wished with all my heart I hadn't. It was Karam, my 21-year-old older brother. He had slightly tanned skin, not too much, and mint-colored eyes. He had very long dark brown hair tied in a ponytail. He was wearing sports clothes, so I assumed he had gone out for a run. His muscles were quite defined, unlike mine. They barely show. I also noticed that he was holding something in his hand, but I couldn't tell what it was.
He pulled back the curtain, letting the morning light in, and it hit my eyes, which were still not fully open.
—Shut up... You annoy me... Why did you wake me up, in the first place? As far as I know, we're still on vacation. —I tried to throw a pillow at his face, but I missed. He dodged it.
—It's not that, silly. You've received a letter. —So that's what it was... I sat down and took it from his hands. I looked at it closely. It was a letter that came from... the government? I haven't gotten into any trouble with the government. Not yet.
—What is...? —I said to myself. My brother went to see my fish Darwin, in the meantime. I tore open the envelope and took out the contents. I started reading it. Dear Karma Hakami... Oh, so it's not a mistake. What a pity. I kept reading. I recognized what it was about.
At 15 years old, you take a physical and theoretical exam, and they always assign you to a school of their choice, considering all your achievements, needs, and preferences. I still don't know why. Nobody knows, but the law is the law, unfortunately. And according to these, it's my turn to go to the...
—Hold up... Sant Gabriel? —Karam, who had been playing with Darwin, looked at me when I said that —Wasn't Sant Gabriel a school for the awakened? You went to it. —from my family, Karam was the only awakened one. His power was somewhat... peculiar, to put it that way. If he received a hit from someone or something, he could return it twice as strong. That's why sometimes, in fights, he would let himself get hit. All the more reason to start calling him a masochist.
—Yes, yes it is... —he took the letter from my hands this time and read it. —But you're not an awakaned person... Are you?
—No! I'm not like those people! And luckily! — Karam seemed to be looking into my crimson eyes as he sat down beside me. He lay down and stared at the ceiling of my room. I really wanted to punch him in the stomach right now...
—Then it must be a mistake. They can get that wrong. It's rare, but not impossible.
—Geez... I wanted to relax today, staying home sitting and reading... —I said, lying down as well. My brother got up, but not before throwing a pillow at me, hitting me. It annoyed me a bit, but I didn't say anything about it.
—It's 7 in the morning. Look at how beautiful the day is. —he pointed to the open window —Get ready. We're going for a walk.
He left the room without closing the door, and I, resigned, dragging myself to my closet. Why did he like going out in the mornings so much? Weirdo... I looked in the mirror. My long, black hair was tangled into a strange ball, as if a cat had eaten a fluff and then spat it out. Most of the clothes I had were black, red, and brown, my favorite colors. They contrasted with my skin, slightly tanned, but not too much.
Several posters of singers were stuck in my room, next to a bookshelf full of books, without any trophies. Did I already mention that I hated being the center of attention? I wore a simple red skirt that reached my knees, and a black shirt. I put on my socks and some black boots, washed up, got ready, and left my room.
My brother was waiting for me, still in his sports clothes.
—Aren't you going to change? I'm not going out if you're going to dress like that. —It's not my fault for being very demanding, but he should know it perfectly well. I was like that, after all.
—You sound like mom! I'm not going to listen to you. —In the end, he changed and put on normal clothes, consisting of simple pants and a shirt. It seems my killer look worked on him.
The Hispanic region is a very beautiful region, much more advanced than the Gallic region, but not as much as the Union of States' Region. As we strolled, tall buildings surrounded us, alongside a traditional stone pavement. Here, at least, we had separate roads for vehicles, unlike in Gaul, where horses (there weren't even cars) and people shared the sidewalk.
Since we lived near the coast, instead of trees, there were palm trees planted. The best part is the smell of the food that filled my nostrils, like the famous Spanish Tortilla or Paella.
—Don't you have anything to say, witch? —Karam said to me, lightly nudging my arm with his elbow. Karam is funny and very outgoing, but if he annoys me again, I swear I'll send him to the North Pole. He hates the cold. I looked at him again, but without the killer look that I'm starting to love.
—It's 7 o'clock. What do you want me to say?
—I don't know. But, with the Sant Gabriel thing... I'm thinking that maybe it's not a mistake... —he said, his gaze fixed on my left arm. Since I was little, strange spots appeared on my arm, and that's why I always wear a bandage that covers it completely. I placed my right hand on the bandaged arm and sighed.
—This is nothing... Really. It doesn't hurt or anything. —I told him. And it was true. The only thing that bothered me was putting on a bandage.
—It's just that I've never seen anything like it... Not even while studying at Sant Gabriel about magical conditions did anything like this ever appear to me. —he said, putting a hand on his chin. Karam ranked among the top in physical tests at Sant Gabriel, and first in theoretical tests. He was quite clever, but I still called him dumb. Why? Because he's my brother. End of discussion. —Anyway, let's stop overthinking. Shall we go get some food? Joan's place must be open.
He was referring to our father's best friend, who opened a café with his best friend. While our parents worked, they took care of the two of us along with our little sister, Karima, who was about 9 years old.
We started heading to the venue. There weren't many people around, which was strange, knowing that people here are very hyperactive and morning-oriented.
—Ah! Help! Someone help me! —we heard a woman from afar. Alerted, we looked around. There was no one around, but the screams kept echoing. They were coming from our northeast.
—Karma, follow me! —Karam started running towards the screams, and I did the same. Although Karam was much faster than me. We entered an alley, and suddenly, I lost sight of my brother.
"Damn!" I thought as I stood up. I knew he was fast, but not that fast. The awakened people had more physical strength than an ordinary person. Even so, I kept running.
—Karam! Brother! —I shouted. But there was no answer. I kept running through the streets. I reached the point of not even knowing where I was going. While I was running, looking for my brother, I crossed paths with a guy my age, whom I didn't pay much attention to.
Until the moment my head went "click." I passed by him when a click sounded in my head. I kept running, but I couldn't help but look back at the boy. He had jet-black hair tipped with blonde, golden eyes, and wore black clothes. He stopped to look at me, surprised. But I kept running.
It had a familiar yet unknown feeling at the same time. Had I seen him before? I don't think so, since I don't usually socialize much. But still, I was surrounded by a feeling of comfort, confidence, and familiarity. I ignored those feelings for a moment, as I was more focused on finding my brother.
I heard some screams nearby. I turned the corner and saw him. Covered with blood.