Rain seeped through the hole in the ceiling as high-speed winds battered the windows of our high-rise building in Dartana. The population had just risen to 4 billion, and the overcrowding began to show, necessitating the sourcing of new accommodations.
Seeing a rare break in the clouds, I called my sister over to enjoy the view together.
"Sol, look at this."
We looked out the window, amazed by the sight. Hundreds of buildings, just like our own, reached toward the sky—hundreds of floors, thousands of homes, and millions of people trapped. And then, nothing. The abyss and the infinite sea separated us from them.
When I was 12, I asked my stepmother, Heather, about the abyss. She responded in a somber tone:
"The abyss didn't always exist. A thousand years ago, the planet was whole, until a small dark hole pierced the surface of the Earth, seemingly coming from nowhere. It brought with it a new type of energy: the essence of life. Not long after, the first enhanced appeared, bringing with them supernatural abilities, forever changing the world."
"At first, the abyss appeared in Solmenis, spewing primordial essence. Then, slowly, it devoured the planet, growing larger. The abyss expanded, swallowing lives and entire countries. The world has never been the same since."
Staring at the torrential downpour with Sol, I thought back on that memory. "An enhanced," I murmured under my breath. Sol picked up on my words, and her golden eyes brightened.
"If I were an enhanced, I'd be able to shoot flames from my palm and wipe the rain away with a swipe," she said, a smug look plastered across her face.
"It's all sunshine and rainbows with you, isn't it?" I mocked. But the reply I got made me freeze and fall silent.
"If we were enhanced, we wouldn't have to live off the government like freeloaders, begging for our next meal. We could control our own destiny and forge our own fate."
I turned, facing the door, and said solemnly, "You read too much fantasy. Haven't you heard the saying: 'Destiny is father's blessing, and fate is mother's curse?'"
I walked out of the high-rise building and headed straight for the underground markets, avoiding the aftermath of the deadly storm that always seemed to loom over Dartana.
The market was packed with people—life everywhere, bursting at the seams. As I looked to my left, I saw beggars, their numbers overwhelming. Down here, a high-rise apartment was considered a luxury, and most had nothing. I made my way to my favorite stall, which provided the best produce at the cheapest price in my opinion.
"I'll have two jugs of milk, one whole artificial chicken, and two loaves of wheat bread. That'll be all," I ordered.
"That'll be 18 pence," the old lady merchant, Deloris, said. Normally, such a selection would cost 30 pence, but since I'd been coming here since I was a kid, Deloris gave me a small discount when she could. I handed her a 20 pence piece.
"Keep the change, Deloris. Thank you," I said as I browsed the market.
I couldn't help but notice a suspicious young man in a long midnight cloak to my right. As an enforcer grabbed him, four roast chickens, five loaves of bread, and an entire jug of milk fell to the ground. He instantly took off in a sprint, but the clumsy guard seemingly caught him without effort.
"You filthy scum, stop!" the enforcer screamed as he grabbed the man. But something strange happened next.
Boom!
The enforcer carved a line through the crowd as he slammed into the wall on the other side of the underground cavern.
Such strength was impossible, unheard of… unless…
I gasped. "An enhancer!"
Enhancers were rare, and they were given places and titles that suited their power—not shopping in the underground markets.
The crowd seemed to reach the same conclusion as me, and soon, wide eyes appeared everywhere. The crowds parted, and the young cloaked man was left standing alone, surrounded by a semi-circle of people, avoiding him like the plague.
'An enhancer, huh? I've never seen one before. Let me take a closer look.'
As I squeezed through the crowd, I was the only one moving forward; everyone else stood frozen, as if time had stopped.
I could see the young man more clearly now. He had auburn hair, blue eyes, and sharp features. If I had to say, he was quite beautiful.
'Well, that's to be expected from an enhanced, I guess. How lucky.'
"It's an enhanced! Run! They'll call a senior enforcer," a civilian yelped. I stopped in my tracks.
A senior enforcer? They were always enhanced, and even worse, they were permitted to kill. If I stayed, being caught in the crossfire was a definite possibility.
I turned to leave, abandoning my plans to browse the markets, but then…
The young man's piercing blue eyes locked onto mine, seemingly piercing my very soul—and something even deeper, sending shivers down my spine. I have to run.
In that split second, my survival instinct kicked in. The young man phased out of existence, disappearing from my sight. What's going on?
A tug, like someone had attached a winch to my back and the other end to a truck, pulled me backward. I was moving too fast for me to comprehend. My vision blurred, bringing on terrible motion sickness, and I collapsed into unconsciousness.
"Boy, are you awake?" I faintly heard, as if from a dream. I saw a light, piercing and bright. Reaching for it, I felt something squishy, like jello or… slap!
A devastating blow woke me from my slumber, and I could feel a red mark forming on my face.
The young man's blue eyes were piercing me again, and I felt my rage boil. "Did you just… slap me?!" I shouted, baffled by his actions. However, he just stared at me silently, his pupils energetically bouncing around as if struggling to stay still.
As I fully woke, I looked around at my surroundings. We were on top of a high-rise building, clouds surrounding us, and the sun shining from above. The sight was breathtaking, stealing the breath from me.
"Don't you live in one of these buildings? Why are you so amazed?" he said mockingly.
Turning my head to look at the other side, I responded, "I do, but… our windows are caged, and we cannot access the roof. So while I've seen this view before, I've never seen it so freely."
Snapping out of my awe, my rage returned. "You… go on, tell me why you slapped me. I'm still waiting. Why would you kidnap me and then slap me? Better yet, who are you, and what do you want with me?"
The boy raised an eyebrow, a mocking sneer curling on his lips. "Listen, boy, you're too young to be grabbing a lady's bosom—especially one you've never met."
'Lady's bosom? What is she talking about? Lady?… Lady!'
As I took in his features fully, I realized that the short auburn hair was, in fact, long auburn hair tucked away into a ponytail. And the figure under the cloak wasn't masculine but lithe and slim. Refusing to believe it, I moved my gaze upward and saw two large mounds on her chest.
Color drained from my face. "You have to be joking." I shuffled backward, a rose-colored hue creeping up my face. The lady laughed, an energetic sound bursting with happiness.
"I'm Mani. And well, how do I say this… I grabbed you because you looked interesting."
'Interesting? Is this woman delusional? Well, she does seem it, I suppose.'
As Mani turned away, her tone shifted. "Do you like living here?"
The question stumped me. I never liked anything, really. I just accepted my place.
"What does it matter what I like? I have no other options."
Mani turned, the playfulness gone from her expression. "Why don't you become an enhanced? Then you can walk a different path."
I stared back at her, confused. "Do you live under a rock? It's difficult to become an enhanced if you're not born naturally one. And even then, the government controls who can access primordial essence. So how could I become enhanced in a situation like this?"
Mani's voice darkened. "There is another way…"
My eyes widened. Another way to become an enhanced? Impossible. Why would no one know?
As I eagerly awaited her response, my vision darkened, and a whisper entered my mind: "Enter the abyss, and you will become a true enhanced."