1 1: The Shadow of Greatness

I've always lived in the shadow of greatness, close enough to touch it, yet worlds away from grasping it. That day was no different. Standing amidst the sea of faces at the Awakener's Exhibition, I could feel the pulse of excitement, a stark contrast to the hollowness inside me.

Sean, my best friend since diapers, was up there on the stage, basking in the spotlight that seemed to follow him even when he wasn't flaunting his powers. 'Tron Man,' they called him. He had this way of bending technology to his will, a skill that made him nothing short of a celebrity in our world of Awakeners.

I clapped along with the crowd, each applause feeling like a small betrayal to the envy gnawing at my insides. I wasn't supposed to be jealous; Sean was my friend. But how could I not be? While he was out there changing the world, I was just… Thomas. Ordinary, unremarkable Thomas.

"Amazing, isn't it?" a voice beside me whispered, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was Emily, another childhood friend. She looked at Sean with a gleam of admiration in her eyes, a look I knew all too well.

"Yeah, amazing," I echoed, but my eyes were drawn not to Sean, but to the small device in his hands, glowing with a pulsating light. It was his latest invention, something that would again change the course of our city, or so the rumors said.

As Sean's demonstration reached its climax, the device unleashed a spectacle of lights, drawing gasps and cheers from the crowd. For a moment, I allowed myself to be swept away by the wonder of it all, forgetting the bitterness that usually clung to me like a second skin.

But as quickly as it came, the moment passed, leaving me to confront the reality of my life again. I wasn't an Awakener. I had no powers, no extraordinary abilities. Just a spectator in a world where being extraordinary was the only way to truly matter.

As the crowd started to disperse, Sean caught my eye from the stage. He flashed his trademark grin and waved. I managed a smile and waved back, a silent supporter from the sidelines, always in his shadow, always a step behind.

Little did I know, that very night, everything was about to change. The dormant part of my life was waiting to awaken, and with it, a storm that would turn my world upside down.