1 I Alone Am The Useless One

The city of Luminaris, a sprawling metropolis cloaked in its daily routine, lay undisturbed as its residents hustled through the day. Unbeknownst to most, hidden within the labyrinth of streets and buildings were born with extraordinary powers, abilities that transcended the bounds of the ordinary. Scion Bright wasn't born special, it was noticeable when you saw just how mundane his day-to-day life was.

You could tell that he was utterly aimless. With his messy brown hair, unappealing hazel-coloured eyes and slouched posture, he wasn't the type of person to be making the headlines.

But ironically, Scion was known as the biggest troublemaker in school. Whether that would be instigating fights, shamelessly begging classmates for money or just straight-up insulting his peers, he would always find a way to find trouble. Even if it meant he lost all possibilities of being self-aware.

For the past few months, Scion had been navigating the tumultuous journey of college life. At a relatively uneventful college campus, he went about his days like no other young adult—skipping classes, provoking random students to either get some of their money or to have a brawl, and always dreamt of destroying this endless cycle of mediocrity. 

He was wandering around the college campus and a quick yawn escaped his mouth. He was getting bored… Lucky for Scion, he had found a victim, or so he thought… 

Scion approached the large, imposing student.

"Oi, you there! Have you seen yourself in the mirror?" 

The intimidating student looks in confusion. "What? Of course, I have, who hasn't."

Scion tried to make a few attempts to speak, but he was too busy trying to hold his laugh in. Nonetheless, it comes out.

"I doubt it because if you did, the mirror would've 100% laughed and given you a face slap to fix your face!" Scion couldn't help but laugh, to the point that if he had died from laughing, no one would've been surprised.

But no one was surprised to see what had just happened to Scion. He got utterly, and I mean utterly beaten…

(A few hours later)

*That didn't go well at all. But hey, at least some people gave me money. Even if it was out of pity…*

A little girl appears next to her mum and points out into the sky. "Mommy look! The Sun has gone all dark, it's scary!" 

"It's okay Lillia, It is interesting when you can see things like this, that's what makes this place amazing, maybe you'll understand when you become a big girl."

Her mum teases Lillia a bit, causing her to childishly pout. "Mommy, I'm not a baby anymore, I'm a big girl!"

The door opens and a young teenager walks in with scratches and blood running on his face.  "Hi Scion, did you have a good time in colle-... What happened to you? Did you get into another fight, why can't you listen to your mother for once!" Scion's mother rushed in to see if he was ok.

"Mom, I'll be fine like always. It's just boring without a thrill to keep me from boredom." The guilt from Scion's tone was apparent, but there weren't any questions about it.

"Big Brother, look at the sun, it's black!" Lillia giggled as she said this and Scion couldn't help but smile.

"That's called a Solar Eclipse Lillia, the black part is the Moon, isn't it interesting to see these types of things?"

"Woah, Big Brother Scion is super duper smart!"

Scion hugged Lillia tightly and started gloating about his 'smarts'. "Hahaha, you know your big brother is the coolest there is."

*Speaking of the Solar Eclipse, Luke invited me to his laboratory a few days ago. I should go and check out what he's doing this time.*

"Mom, I'm going off to see Luke."

"Don't do anything reckless, or else you'll face the consequences."

For a moment, Scion was awkwardly staring at his mom, he had a tingle down his spine, almost as if his life was flashing right before his eyes. But that thought disappeared instantly. "Don't worry, I'll be safe."

"If you say so, I'll see you soon." Scion looked back at his Mom and Lillia and softly smiled, but left to find Luke.

But as the sun began its descent, casting elongated shadows that stretched across the streets of Luminaris, Scion's mundane life was still haunting him. The impending solar eclipse had been whispered about for weeks, but Scion didn't initially understand what was so special about it. But for some reason, his heart told him to go meet Luke and observe the Solar Eclipse. 

Scion felt as if he was getting dragged by an invisible force, he was uncertain as to why he felt this way, but it didn't hurt to get those thoughts out of his head.

After half an hour, Scion saw the gigantic laboratory in front of him. There were large glass panels stuck to every part of the building with a finish so shiny that Scion couldn't stare for too long. There were strong, erect pillars holding a portion of the building, but the most outstanding part was the eye-gripping Orange sign which spelt out 'Everhart Corp'. It also happened to be owned by Luke's parents.

At the laboratory's entrance, Scion met Luke Everhart, his childhood friend. Luke, wearing a leather jacket adorned with azure-coloured mystical symbols was a man who possessed an air of unwavering dedication to the mysteries he wanted to uncover. He was 19 years old, about a year older than Scion, with a rugged appearance and an expressionless face that would make him seem nearly unapproachable. 

"Hey, Luke, do you think we'll see anything interesting tonight?" Scion asked, his eyes drawn to the towering telescope inside.

Luke chuckled, clapping his friend on the back. "Scion, when have we ever left this place disappointed? Trust me, something incredible's about to happen."

Together, they ascended to the observatory's dome, each step fueling the anticipation that had been building within them for weeks. They joined a group of amateur astronomers who had gathered, their excitement palpable as they eagerly awaited the celestial spectacle.

The moon began to encroach upon the sun, a gradual dimming of the world outside, and Scion's heart raced with anticipation. When he peered through the telescope, the sheer beauty of the eclipse took his breath away. He watched in awe as the sun's brilliance gradually faded into a halo of shadow. The moment of totality was upon them, and in that instant, everything changed.

As Scion gazed into the depths of the eclipse, a blinding light erupted from Scion's body. It was as if a cosmic explosion had occurred within him. His body quivered, and his mind was overwhelmed by a flood of sensations he couldn't comprehend.

As the brilliance faded, Scion fell to his knees, his breathing ragged as his vision was torn by these incomprehensible thoughts.