Chapter 9: Comes Great Responsibility
I. Disaster Strikes
It was a crisp Saturday morning and Jason was enjoying a jog through the neighborhood using his Supreme System's enhanced speed and endurance. After nearly losing access completely, he had been closely following the rules for responsible use of his abilities. But a distant plume of smoke on the horizon interrupted Jason's run.
Approaching the local high school, he was shocked to see flames engulfing the building. Fire trucks were already on scene, futilely battling the blaze as trapped students cried out from windows for help. Jason froze, torn between intervening with his powers or following protocols to avoid exposure.
The firefighters' hoses could not reach the imperiled students in time. Reality sank in - Jason could stand idly by following arbitrary rules or act now to save lives at great risk. The students' screams decided for him. This was what his gifts were meant for.
II. Saving the Day
Tapping his superhuman speed and strength, Jason raced into the inferno before hesitation could stop him. He hurled broken beams aside barehanded, clearing a path upstairs. With telekinesis, Jason evacuated students out shattered windows into firefighters' outstretched arms. He then uprooted blazing rubble to create fire breaks.
Once the last student was safely evacuated, Jason absorbed the flames' energy until the building was extinguished. But in his haste, he had been careless. Security footage of him using his powers was now online and would soon go viral. Jason had saved lives, but the cost of exposure loomed.
III. The People's Hero
Jason braced for Elysium's wrath, but the head scientist Lazarus was unexpectedly pleased. He said that the only way to stay hidden is never to act, and Jason had risen to the right occasion. Sometimes rules must be broken for the greater good.
Incredibly, the public reaction to Jason's acts online was not suspicion, but overwhelming gratitude. They heralded him as a real-life superhero who had used his gifts to save others when it counted. Jason was stunned. He had feared judgment, but people recognized sincere sacrifice. Their compassion awakened his own.
Jason realized he did have a greater responsibility not to hoard his abilities out of fear, but to act when circumstances demanded moral courage. And through small daily acts of service, he could inspire that courage in people's own hearts again. Like a contractual oath had been dissolved and Jason felt free to walk his true path at last, in service of others.
IV. A Hero Rises
In the following months, Jason expanded his acts of subtle heroism, whether volunteering at a homeless shelter using his powers to repair the damaged building overnight, or comforting hospital patients by telepathically sharing their painful memories. He took precautions to avoid exposure but helping openly mattered more now.
Jason also trained militantly to control his abilities for physical rescue missions, should disasters strike again. He hesitantly uncovered the System's dormant genetic branch, realizing its incredible medical applications if applied ethically. Jason vowed all these tools were meant for the greater good, not personal exploits.
No matter how small the act, improving even one life proved meaningful. He listened to troubled souls without judgment, reminding them their inherent worth. At the children's hospital, Jason manipulated quantum fields to manifest environments where kids could play and briefly forget their illnesses. Each smile of joy reaffirmed his purpose.
In what moments Jason had left, he studied philosophy and ethics relentlessly to guide his moral compass. With eternity on his wrist came obligation to use that time developing wisdom. Gradually, he understood true responsibility was cultivating compassion. The Supreme System was a gift, but not the gift itself. That lay within, awaiting discovery through service to others. That sacred covenant made manifest the latent hero in all.