The first thing Oliver Grant learned about being ordinary was that nobody considered it a tragedy.They considered it a fact.It was written on examination sheets, whispered in training halls and occasionally delivered with the sort of sympathetic smile people reserved for those who had disappointed them without doing anything particularly wrong.Ordinary.It was an unremarkable word, yet Oliver had spent most of his seventeen years discovering how many different ways people could use it to describe him.He wasn’t stupid. His grades were respectable, his attendance was nearly perfect, and he possessed enough physical coordination to avoid embarrassing himself during practical examinations.Unfortunately, none of those qualities mattered very much in a society that had spent the last century measuring human potential through supernatural ability.Awakening had changed everything.Approximately a hundred and twenty years earlier, the first documented energy manifestations had appeared

The accident happened on a Thursday.There was nothing particularly unusual about the morning.Oliver woke up late.He burned his toast.His mother complained about the bathroom light.His father left without remembering his lunch.Daniel sent him a photograph of a badly drawn face with the caption:This is what you look like when you concentrate.Oliver replied with an insult.Then he went to school.If somebody had told him that it would be the last ordinary morning he would ever experience, he would probably have laughed.Life rarely announces the moments that will divide it.The inter-class assessment began at eleven.Oliver's opponent was a student named Marcus Bell.Marcus possessed a relatively common ability called Surface Compression.He could temporarily increase the density of objects he touched, including his own skin.His fighting style was straightforward.He absorbed attacks and returned them with greater force.Oliver knew he couldn't overpower him.So he didn't try.T

The interface did not make Oliver stronger.That was the first disappointment.He had half-expected some dramatic transformation.An immediate increase in physical strength.A sudden expansion of his energy reserves.Perhaps a new technique.Instead, he received information.A considerable amount of it.And most of it was useless without experimentation.The interface could reveal possible developmental structures, but it couldn't automatically provide the practical knowledge required to achieve them.It was like being shown the architectural plans for a building without possessing the tools, materials or experience necessary to construct it.Oliver found this frustrating.He also found it fascinating.His first serious experiment involved his forearm.He activated Minor Enhancement and attempted to distribute energy across the entire structure.The result was inefficient.His elbow became unstable.The reinforcement around his wrist weakened.The interface displayed a warning.[STRUC

The second funeral was smaller.Daniel's parents had requested a private ceremony.Oliver attended.He wore the same black suit he had worn at his parents' funeral.It no longer fitted properly.He had lost weight.His face looked thinner.His eyes were permanently tired.He stood near the front.Daniel's mother cried throughout the service.His father remained silent.Oliver wanted to speak to them.He wanted to apologise.For what, he wasn't entirely sure.For surviving?For not lifting the railing quickly enough?For having an ability that could evolve into something extraordinary but couldn't save his friend?He didn't know.After the ceremony, Daniel's father approached him."Oliver."He turned.The older man looked exhausted."Daniel spoke about you often."Oliver lowered his head."He was my best friend.""I know."There was a pause.Then the man placed a hand on his shoulder."He was happy when he was with you."Oliver's expression crumpled.He looked away.Daniel's father con