The Beginning: Part 6

Emerald Green rippled down his cape instantly.

Relief found him a moment later.

With a great push, Ermis urged his lower body to step forward, catching himself while screaming, "Arrrrggghhhh!" Bobby was suddenly faster in Ermis' eyes, but there was no recourse. He would have to take the beating as it came.

Successive strikes rained down on the target that was Ermis. Each strike was calculated and selected to avoid instant death.

Ermis felt the pain much more clearly. Just a single punch was more painful than his previously broken arm, but he sought no escape, for the only thing he could do was stay standing.

'Endure.'

Blow after blow slammed against him, his consciousness desperately seeking shelter in the recesses of his mind, only to be dragged back, kicking and screaming.

'Endure.'

The pressure was building within himself, a telltale sign of Drain beginning to accumulate.

'Wait.' He realized, 'That isn't Drain. It is indigo.' The taste on his tongue shifted from blood to a color, something abstract, yet he knew.

Then he made his first conscious shift, 'I trust you. INDIGO!'

A ripple of Indigo washed down him, his tongue demanding an end as he commanded, "STOP!"

Bobby, who was mid-punch, froze. Terror filled his eyes.

An ethereal voice came from behind Ermis, "Young one. Hold your tongue."

Ermis turned to see the person speaking but only noticed a faint humanoid-shaped impression in the air. An outline. An existence beyond reality. He knew this Cape, they went by Mindwave. They were S-class, one of the most dangerous beings in existence. And a personal friend of his father.

Ermis remembered Bobby and turned back towards him. A purple face, clearly starved of oxygen, greeted him. Ermis thought of his command and realized it was still in effect, 'Release.' With a thought, Bobby collapsed to the floor, gasping and coughing blood.

Green flashed.

"Bobby, let me help." He bent down and laid his hand on Bobby's head, green light spilled out and encased him, health-restoring immediately.

Ermis knew that Bobby's body was resilient, he was a Brawler, but this was more impressive, as he didn't die when his heart stopped. He could tell because the blood took a second to get moving, as some of it had pooled in his lower extremities. For some reason, Ermis knew more about Bobby's body than he should.

Bobby stumbled as Healers peered into the room.

Mr. Brown looked at a wall and spoke, "3 colors, 3 different power sets. Damn." Then he walked off, ignoring Mindwave and Ermis entirely.

Mindwave "giggled" as it bowed towards Ermis, "Young one. We shall meet again. Refrain from using your 'Indigo' power, please. You need training, lest you hurt someone important to you."

He nodded, silently agreeing, then Mindwave bounced off the walls and disappeared out the door.

"Huh."

Ermis felt odd after that. Usually, a newly Awakened would be required to Cycle after so much, but he had plenty left in the tank.

The woman in a lab coat appeared, "You. Come."

She marched him down the building, passing hundreds of Capes. He could feel eyes on him, still being considered compromised until he had gotten it out of his system at least once.

The "pair" stopped behind a closed medical ward. Something Ermis wasn't even aware of.

She pressed her badge against a card reader and spoke loudly, "Well, Wonderboy, it seems like you take after your parents. For the record, that is good and bad, but still, I need you to Cycle. So, I am going to make sure it happens."

The door opened with a hiss, letting them inside. Ermis and the Scientist Lady walked down the corridor and met with a receptionist.

"Hello, I am Commander Heydari." She flashed her badge, "I have a special request from the Deputy Director. I have his son, Ermis Jones, with me, and we're seeking permission to engage in healing efforts, specifically to drain him of his Awakening Particles."

The woman nodded and made a call to a superior. She seemed stressed during the call and stuttered as she spoke, "Y-y-yes Sir, I-I-I will tell them, thank you."

She hung up the phone and took a moment, then she spoke breathlessly, "The Deputy Director of Medicine is on his way. Please wait in one of the lobby chairs."

The Commander looked pissed, but she acquiesced. "Come. Sit. Don't touch."

They plopped into the soft chairs as the testing officially felt over. Ermis wasn't sure how he did, but he guessed that beating your examiner counted for something.

After a few minutes of absently looking around the room, Ermis heard hurried footsteps approaching.

An extraordinarily well-dressed man approached and offered to shake Mrs. Heydari's hand. She took it and explained, "Thank you for hearing my request. I know it is rather unusual, but his Prism Particle levels are, frankly, off the charts."

The man nodded as he looked at his tablet and viewed the classified files. Then he asked, "No signs of Drain after examination from Mr. Brown? Huh, you are right." He pointed at Ermis, "Come on kid, let's drain you."

Ermis smiled and quickly stood up as the pair began power walking passed the rooms.

"No. No. Maybe? No. No. No. AH!" He finally pointed at a door then he knocked on it.

A beautiful young woman opened the door, bewildered, and asked, "Can I help you'uns with somethin'?"

The Director smiled and asked, "Would it be permissible to allow a freshly awakened Healer to Drain himself by healing you?"

She blinked and smiled, "Well, I'll be darned, come right on in."

They stepped into the room, a rather basic design, something you would copy 800 times and place in a giant cluster. Essential medical equipment hung off the wall. Just in case someone was rejecting healing and needed a trained Doctor.

The woman sat down on her bed and got comfy.

"Mr. Jones, I will be monitoring your actions. Relax and let your power do the work, do not direct the healing." The well-dressed man smiled grimly, then sat on a physician's stool next to the bed.

Ermis nodded, "Here we go."

A flash of Emerald Green rolled down his shoulders like a waterfall of gemstones.

The woman in the bed smiled and exclaimed, "OH, pretty!"

She smiled as the newbie placed his hand on hers, it was almost romantic.

Then the glowing light appeared. Her Power enhanced body growled in pleasure. She had burned through 5 Healers today, but additional Healers would be allocated to her soon because she had to return to the front. When she took a break, people died.

The green light wormed and wriggled as Ermis grimaced in pain. She was a bottomless pit. For the first time, he felt Drain begin to build. It was deeply unpleasant, like food poisoning in your brain.

The light grew until a thin layer of it wormed across her entire body. It looked like an ethereal placenta, connecting her to Ermis for life.

Veins bulged and pulsed as "something" was pumped into her, "Doc, this Newbie is the real deal." She sat up in bed and felt Power returning to her, "I think he is absorbing my Drain too."

The Director used his Powers and felt inside her body. Her P-particles were going haywire. They were resetting their quantum state in real-time. He could barely feel it from the outside, but if a Titan like her confirmed it, then he would take it as gospel because she knew her body in a way that very few could even handle.