Biosystem Awakening: From Bastard To Badass

Chapter 4

Tristian wasn’t even paying attention anymore to what Damon or Lyra were saying. Everything that came out of their mouths sounded like distant noise to him now, like meaningless echoes fading into the background. 

He just stood there for a few seconds, completely numb, before quietly turning around and walking away from the hall, ignoring the people laughing, whispering, and calling him names.

He didn’t look back, he couldn’t. His chest felt too heavy, his vision blurred with unshed tears, and every step he took felt weaker than the last, like his body was slowly giving up on him.

He had never imagined that the same people he laughed with, studied with, and shared so many memories with would one day stand there and mock him like that. 

He never thought his poor background would become something people laughed about, or that the girl he loved the most would be the one to use his deepest pain against him.

And the worst part was that, the word illegitimate, was said so easily, like it wasn’t something that could tear a person apart from the inside.

He walked out of the school gate slowly, his head spinning with everything that had just happened. 

He tried to make sense of it, tried to understand how everything had fallen apart so quickly, but nothing made sense. It felt like his entire life had turned into a cruel joke in just one day.

Tristian staggered down the road under the blazing hot sun. The heat pressed against his skin, burning and suffocating him, but he didn’t care. 

He couldn’t feel anything except the deep, sharp pain ripping through his chest.

His heart felt unbearably heavy, his thoughts scattered and broken into pieces he couldn’t put back together. He didn’t even know how to think straight anymore.

He was shattered and completely lost.  His legs moved on their own, carrying him forward without direction or purpose. 

He didn’t know where he was going, and he didn’t even know why he was still walking. Everything inside him felt empty, hollow, like there was nothing left.

He eventually reached the pedestrian crossing and came to a stop, staring blankly at the traffic lights ahead of him. He waited for the light to change, his eyes fixed on it but not really seeing it.

When the pedestrian light finally turned green, he started to cross the road slowly, his head lowered. He didn’t bother looking left or right.

He didn’t care anymore. The humiliation, the betrayal, the heartbreak… it had all crushed him completely, then, out of nowhere, a car came rushing toward him at full speed.

The headlights flashed into his eyes so brightly that it didn’t even look like normal light anymore. It felt strange and unnatural, like the light itself was bending, stretching and distorting reality around him.

Time suddenly slowed and the sound of the engine deepened into something warped, almost like it was coming from far away underwater. 

Tristian’s breath caught in his throat as his body froze mid-step.

Suddenly, a  voice echoed inside his head.

“Bio-simulation activated. Searching for fusion opportunities…”

Tristian’s eyes widened in shock.

“Neural fluctuations detected… emotional collapse within critical range.”

“What…?” Tristian’s lips barely moved, but no sound came out. 

The car was still coming but now it wasn’t just a car anymore. It looked distorted, like it was passing through layers of reality that weren’t supposed to exist. 

The air around it rippled with faint blue cracks, as though space itself was beginning to tear apart.

“Host condition: extreme psychological breakdown confirmed.”

“Compatibility rate: 100%.”

“Central nervous system integration initiating…”

Tristian’s heart pounded violently. He tried to move but his body wouldn’t respond. It was like something unseen had locked him in place. 

“Linking consciousness…”

“Establishing a neural bridge…”

The headlights flared brighter, almost blinding him, and right before impact, a strange symbol suddenly appeared in front of him in mid-air, a glowing mark  floating directly in his path.

His eyes widened. “What… is that…?”

“Fusion sequence commencing…”

But before he could process it, the symbol shattered into light and everything went white. Then the crash happened and his body was thrown backward violently, hitting the ground hard.

********

In one of the city hospitals, Tristian lay on a bed, still unconscious. His body was completely still, but his mind was far from calm. 

His thoughts raced wildly, scattered and chaotic. He could hear voices, so many voices but none of them were clear. 

It was like being trapped in a space between sleep and reality, where nothing fully made sense.

He tried to focus, tried to open his eyes and tried to understand what was happening but he couldn’t. 

His head felt unbearably heavy, like a massive weight had been tied to it, dragging him deeper into the darkness.

Suddenly, a sharp gasp escaped his lips and his eyes flew open.

He sat up quickly, breathing heavily, like someone who had just been pulled out from deep water. 

His chest rose and fell rapidly as he looked around the unfamiliar room, confusion written all over his face.

The strong smell of antiseptic filled his nose, and it didn’t take long for him to realize that he was in a hospital.

He turned his head slowly and saw someone sitting beside his bed, a woman with her head bowed and shoulders trembling slightly. It was his mother.

Her hands covered her face as tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Mom…” Tristian croaked weakly, his voice dry and strained as he forced the word out.

He slowly pushed himself up a little more, still trying to gather his thoughts.

“Where… where am I? What am I doing here?” he asked, his voice faint. “Isn’t this a hospital?”

His mother lifted her head immediately, her eyes red and filled with tears.

“Oh, Tristian… Tristian!” she cried, rushing to hold his hand tightly.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand as she looked at him, her eyes scanning his face like she still couldn’t believe he was awake.

“How do you feel?” she asked quickly. “Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”

Tristian frowned slightly as he lifted his hand to rub his forehead.

“What happened?” he asked, his voice still weak. “How did I get here?”

His mother sniffed, taking a shaky breath.

“I was on my way to your graduation,” she began, her voice trembling, “when I noticed the road was blocked. I got curious and went to see what had happened…”

Her voice cracked as fresh tears filled her eyes.

“You can’t imagine the shock on my face, Tristian… when I saw you lying there, unconscious on the road.”

Her grip on his hand tightened. “I thought… I thought I had lost you…”

“I’m so sorry I came late,” she continued, her voice breaking. “If I had arrived earlier, maybe none of this would have happened. I just wanted to make a little money so I could get you a gift  and because of that, I almost lost you. I’m so sorry…”