System Awakening: Rise Of Thomas Walker

CHAPTER TWO

At night, Thomas laid on his bed quietly in his room, a lamp was near his bed. The wind blew softly outside.

While his mother slept peacefully in the next room with a blanket covering her from the cold..her breath was shallow but alright.

She had fought hard through her recent illness, and Thomas felt the guilt of never having been able to help her more.

The door creaked open. His father, Mr Walker, stepped into the hallway, a tall man with wrinkled hands and a face that had forgotten how to smile. His dark coat hung off him like a shadow.

"You're late," his father grumbled, voice low but sharp, hanging his coat beside the firewood.

"I ran into Duke today," Thomas replied, not bothering to sit up.

Mr Walker turns into a grunt. "Same old excuse," he mutters while walking across the room.

"I'm tired of this nonsense, Thomas. I truly am. Can't you ever stand your ground? Must that boy humiliate you every time like a whipped dog?" He said.

"I landed a punch on him today," Thomas said, his voice low but firm, his father froze.

"You what?" He asked.

"I punched him. Square in the jaw." Thomas repeated.

There was a pause. Mr Walker stared at his son, not in pride, but in disbelief. "And you lived to tell it?, you're lucky he didn't break your spine." He added.

Thomas shrugged. "He beat me, of course, but I made him stumble. For a second....he looked surprised." Thomas said.

"Surprise doesn't win a war." Mr Walker turned away and grabbed a small tin of oil to polish his boots.

"You're weak, boy. Soft and weak. Always have been." He said.

Thomas said nothing.

"You'll be eighteen tomorrow," his father continued, wiping the boots with slow, angry strokes.

"I hope you understand what that means." He said.

"It means....I get my power. My real power."

His father nodded slowly. "And so does every other seventeen year old I. Greystone. Including Duke. Especially Duke." He said.

Greystone itself was twisted, burdened by the hidden remnants of the war. As new generations came, so too did powers, humans beginning to awaken strange abilities at the age of eighteen, an age said to be connected with destiny.

Tomorrow, Thomas Walker will turn eighteen.

With that, Mr Walker walked into the other room to check on his wife, leaving Thomas alone.

"Get some sleep," his father's voice from the other room. "You'll need to be early to the academy." He said.

Thomas closed his eyes and dreamt of monsters.

Morning came with grey skies and haste. Thomas stood before the mirror in the corner of his room, buttoning his black school coat, brushing his hair with his fingers. His reflection stared back at him, not fierce but determined that the bruises on his ribs still hurt but he ignored them.

His mother stirred from the bed and looked at him through tired eyes. "Your father told me what happened." Her voice was soft.

"It's nothing ma." Thomas said softly.

She smiled. " You always say that. But today .. nothing might become something."

He bent over and kissed her forehead gently. "I'm leaving now," Thomas said as he stepped into the hallway, putting on his boots. His father, seated by the window with a tun mug of butter team, simply grunted.

The door shut behind him. Outside m, greystone alley was filled with morning fog. The cobblestones were smooth and every shop window reflected faintly. Thomas walked quickly.

He reached the train station, a crumbling iron structure from before the portal war. Steam hissed from the massive engine as students were all at the station, dressed in identical black suits, their eyes wide with excitement.

He climbed into one of the trains, that's when he heard the voice. "Hi, I'm Jerry," a cheerful boy, already seated. He had short hair. He reached out his hand for a shake.

Thomas hesitated for a second, then shook it. "Thomas Walker." He replied.

"You from Greystone?" Jerry asked as the train moved forward.

"I am, you?" Thomas replied, surprised that someone had spoken to him without malice.

"Just moved here two weeks ago from Wayhaven," Jerry said.

"Strangest little town I've ever seen. You people have monster statues like they're local heroes." Jerry said.

"They kind of are,"  Thomas muttered.

Jerry chuckled. "I suppose you're right. Say, what kind of powers do you think you'll get tomorrow?" He asked.

Thomas looked out the window. " No idea." He replied.

"I hope mine's something flashy," Jerry said.

"Lightning, maybe. Or shadow leaping m something wild. My brother got frost skin and all he ever does is ruin our plumbing." He said.

Thomas laughed, caught off guard. It felt nice to laugh. Even if it was brief.

But then his eyes went to the back of the carriage, where Duke sat, legs spread arrogantly, arms around two of his friends. His eyes met Thomas's and a slow, mocking smile appeared onto his face.

Thomas quickly looked down.

"Friend of yours?" Jerry asked after he noticed Thomas' reaction.

"No. The opposite." Thomas replied.

"Well then you stuck close to me, mate. I've got a big mouth, a fast foot and a death wish if I'm being honest." Jerry said.

"Duke is a bully, you wouldn't want to mess with him, I know that for a fact" Thomas said.

"He'd better stay clear of my path, I'm really good at using hurtful words," Jerry replied.

"If you say so Jerry, if you say so" Thomas said.

Thomas managed to let out a small smile. He had never had a friend before. But perhaps today marked the beginning of something new

The train rumbled forward, carrying greystone children towards the academy, a place where destiny is forged with ancient prophecy.

Tomorrow, Thomas Walker could awaken something and the world would never be the same again.