Chapter 13: Chapter Thirteen

Washed out lights flickered above him. He thrashed as he woke up, as he remembered the cutting agony of Dave’s shadowy blade scything through his arm. Blankets twisted with his clothes, tubes and wires tugged and pulled painfully on his skin until he blinked the sleep out of his eyes. He was in a hospital room. Of course he was.

Eli lifted both of his hands to rub his face then flinched when he only felt one hand move. Only one arm moved and bent. Stiff bandages were wrapped and padded around the stump of his left arm that ended abruptly shortly below the shoulder. More were wrapped around his chest in a kind of brace. He slowly lifted his head and angled himself up to a sitting position and looked around the small room he’d been stuffed inside of. Machines crowded around the head of the bed, there was a counter cluttered with trash from whatever kits they used, and there was a markerboard with his name and the name of a Dr. Nathaniel Byers written above his name.

A large message from his mom took up the whole bottom corner along with a doodle that Lyra must have left of a giraffe for some reason. ‘Hope you’re doing okay. We’re just outside in the cafeteria. We’ll be back soon. Love Mom and Lyra’

Tears crowded in his eyes as he re-read through the message again. And again. What about Dad and Lana? Was he okay? Did he get hurt while Eli was fucking around trying to save other people?

“Hey there, sweetie. It’s okay.” said a familiar voice as the exhausted looking nurse that had helped him in the hospital swished the curtains aside to step inside.

He realized he was sobbing, but he didn’t really care. His chest ached and his eyes burned from the sudden downpour of tears. His lungs heaved as he held his head in his hands—hand—and started bawling even harder. A warm hand patted his back soothingly, but he ignored it in favor of sinking deeper into his grief.

What would he do if Dad had died? If he’d been hurt from what had happened and Eli hadn’t been there. His vision swam and his hearing buzzed as the ache in his test tightened like a wretched cold hand that clutched his heart and squeezed. Weakness and exhaustion plagued him as he swooned a bit.

Rapid Recovery.

Eli commanded his powers, but nothing happened. No swift stabilizing tide came to take away all of his pain and discomforts. Nothing came to fill him with strength that he didn’t have. Nothing at all. He tried again as his panic mounted.

Spatial Control.

Space refused to bend or buckle at his beck and call. He became instantly aware with sharp clarity of how unaware he was of everything around him. Panic climbed from the pit of his heart. Its sharp nails raked up his chest to his throat. How would he escape if something were to happen?

Photon Shot.

Light refused to gather how he wished or desired. He couldn’t sense its gentle guiding light inside of him. He was defenseless. Without the light to charge and control at his whim he was just a fragile cowardly little boy who had to run away. Clammy fingers scratched at his throat before they clamped down and squeezed.

Black dots danced before his eyes as he bawled louder. Everything broke free. Memories that had been held back broke and joined the new haunting scenes he’d created for himself.

Broken glass.

Lana screaming.

Sizzling beams of light

crunching bones

blood spraying

“Eli! What is it!” Mom cried out and she was there. Holding him. “Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“D-dad? Is he okay?” Eli’s voice was thick and clotted with snot and tears from his hysterical sobbing. He leaned into her embrace. “Where is he?”

“Picking up Lana. It’s okay. We’re okay. Are you okay?”

“You didn’t get hurt?”

“We’re fine. We’re all healed. Stop asking about us. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” He snapped as anger spiked deep and hot in his gut. He pushed away from her embrace to glare up at her through the veil of his tears. Of his weakness. He wouldn’t even be upset if he’d been stronger. Strong enough to not get hurt. “You scared me by leaving a vague message like that! And no, I’m not okay. I fucking feel horrible and can’t use my goddamn powers. It’s too cramped in here—”

“Eli… Eli, son. It’s okay. We’re all okay. It’s over now.” Mom said as she reached out to hug him, but he leaned away. Panic, fear, and pain scrubbed and pulsed at him like iron wool scraping against his skin. She reached out anyway and hugged him tight. “The hospital has everyone’s powers suppressed but the staff. You’re okay.”

“Suppressed powers?” He yelped as alarm shot through him like… like lightning. He shuddered at the memory of that blue-eyed man tossing him down to the ground like a child’s doll. “How? What? How can they do that! Why?”

“It’s okay. It’s temporary.” She said then paused as she peered into his eyes. “But… Is that really what you care about? Your powers?”

“N-no. Of course not.” He shook his head even as his discomfort continued to grow. He tried to call and use his powers again and again, but nothing happened. He was ordinary again. Mundane. Powerless.

“What were you doing there?”

“I got an alert on my phone.” Eli said, looking away, unable to meet her gaze. “It said there was an active situation at the mall and I… I had to go. Had to help. What if you needed me?”

“We did need you. We needed you to be safe. I think you’ve forgotten that you are our child. We protect you… not the other way around. And you were needed to stay where you were with Lana. You left your younger sister behind at that community center, Elias! What were you thinking? Rick had to go pick her up.”

Eli said nothing. He couldn’t, he felt far too numb. In the heat of the moment, he had thought he had made the right decisions. He shivered as the oppressive, chill air sapped the heat from his bones, out of his skin, but what if he hadn’t. What if they couldn’t have protected themselves? What about the people he saved?

“I don’t understand. Help me understand, please, Eli. Is the therapist not helping? Because something is most definitely going on. You aren’t excited about the future anymore, you don’t seem to care about college or… well anything. At first I thought it was an adjustment period after what happened, but no. You’re obsessed. All you care about are your powers. You keep pushing and pushing with them. This isn’t a game, Eli.”

Eli shrank back with his mouth open as he tried to meet his mother's furious stare but didn't have the strength to. What could he say? She didn't understand. How could she understand? The only thing he knew was that he had tried to do the right thing. They had been harassing and tormenting everyone while looking for *his* family. He squeezed his fists and winced as only one hand responded. Right. He'd lost his left arm...

Bed springs creaked as Mom sat down partially on the bed so she could hug him again. She smelled like their garden back home. Emotions toiled and warred throughout his body and mind. His entire self was a battleground that crumbled with every passing moment. He opened then closed his mouth half a dozen times before he finally managed to speak.

"I..." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Mom, I'm sorry."

“I know you are. But this isn’t acceptable. You can’t throw yourself into danger like that. Please take care of yourself. Please, Eli. I don’t want you becoming one of those Federal Superpower Task Force people. I won’t be able to handle wondering the next time you’ll end up in a hospital bed… or a casket.”

Eli nodded, unable to say anything.

“I’ll go get Lyra and see how far away your dad is then we’ll probably go,” Mom sighed as she stood up.

“Me too or am I staying here?” His heart thudded with the slightest ache of betrayal at the thought of his family leaving him in the hospital. Alone. Powerless and trapped.

“You’re coming home, but… I don’t know. I can’t talk about this anymore. I’m glad you’re alive and I love you, but don’t you ever do this to me again, Elias.” She left the room in a rush, her legs unsteady as new sobs overtook her. He winced at the pain and uncertainty of what he had done.

She said something to someone outside in a low cracking voice filled with pain.

“Knock, knock!” Lyra said as she walked in too. He blinked, hardly able to recognize her. No longer was her hair brilliantly lustrous with a casual sheen to it, but instead it was a dull brown matted with dirt and blood. Instead of a dress or actually cute clothes, she was wearing a blocky gray hoodie with ‘NEW FARAM GENERAL HOSPITAL’ emblazoned in it across the center. Her jeans were smeared with dirt, dust and blood with numerous rips and holes that hadn’t been there when he last saw her.

Something about seeing his usually perfectly presentable sister wearing a mismatch of dirty and ‘ugly’ clothes broke something in his chest. New tears rolled down his cheeks even as his eyes prickled like needles had been stuck in them from how much he’d been crying. What if she had been hurt or killed while he’d been off fighting that absolute fucker, Dave? Or that lightning prick Jack? He wouldn’t have been able to live with himself. It started to dawn on him exactly how much he’d fucked up… and how much he’d let his priorities get skewed.

He needed to stop fucking around with his other powers and evolve Spatial Control so he would be able to teleport other people. So he could actually help next time.

“Eli?”

“I’m fine. Honestly.” He smiled at her even as he turned to try and hide his missing left arm from her.

“Obviously. Hey, I just remembered, could you give me a hand with some of my math homework?” She asked with a straight face except for the small, sad smile on her face. Warmth wrenched at his raw aching heart as he stared at her flabbergasted before they both started roaring with laughter.

“Guess I should become a handyman, huh?” Eli asked, turning their uproar of laughter into one of hysterics that went on until their sides ached and their laughter turned into crying instead. At some point she’d sat on the bed and he’d hugged her as well as he could with one arm. Maybe he could find a way to use Spatial Control after all of this so it’d be like he still had two. Or maybe even harden enough Photon Shot to create a sort of prosthetic.

Then he winced internally, barely able to suppress it so she wouldn’t notice.

Eli had started to accept that he only had one arm now.

“Hey, buddy, how are you… doing…” Dad trailed off as he walked in and noticed Lyra held under Eli’s arm. She pulled away with a sniffle and waved limply at Dad before she stood up.

“Can we go home now?”

“Yeah. Your mom is in the emergency waiting room with Lana.” He sighed then turned back to look at Eli. His face was blank with his jaw rigidly set like he was struggling to not clench his teeth. “Can you head out there? We’ll catch up.”

Lyra nodded before she practically sprinted out of the room as fast as she possibly could.

Dad took a few steps closer as his eyes roved all over mostly Eli’s prone form, the tubes and wires that snaked all over his chest and the crook of his arm. Silence stretched between them while Eli waited for whatever was going to come. Dad opened and closed his mouth half a dozen times in the space of a minute. His stare grew glassy and dazed. Haunted.

Did he understand why Eli did this?

He had to, right?

"Dad?" Eli's voice cracked at the tension of all the unvoiced questions. He had to understand, right? Dad loved having these powers almost as much as he did, if not more. It was only mom that didn't get it. She was the scared one. He would've done the same thing. Eli knew he would. Any second now he’d tell Eli he did the right thing, that his only fuck up was not being ready or some ot—

"That was the most irresponsible thing you've ever done." Dad started to say, slow and careful. His voice was taut, thick with emotion. Each word stacked on top of the other like building blocks leading to a conversation neither of them wanted to have.

"I know."

"No, you don't. You don't even know how reckless you were," Dad said as he narrowed his eyes. "You could have gotten yourself killed or worse. You could have killed others. Again! You almost paralyzed one of them. I saw them when the police finally managed to pull us out of the mall. He was lying on a stretcher and he had a hole burned through his back to his chest. What if they used you as a hostage? What if they demand for you to go to jail? Why didn’t you fucking call us or stay put. I'm not going to let you take this risk again, Elias."

"I wasn’t going to kill anyone.” Eli growled. “I used Photon Shot so I wouldn’t. Would you rather I had buried them in a ton of rock or weights again? I bet I could have found some in that mall somewhere. Besides, you can’t stop me. Or control me, I’m almost eighteen on the 17th! That’s only a week and a half away."

"What does that matter? I don't see an adult here." Dad sneered. "I see a child who might've meant well, but is only alive through sheer luck and because powers that break the laws of physics exist. You're lucky and you try to throw it all away? You’re even luckier that Mr. Daniels pulled some strings for us to keep you from being arrested… this time. But that’s beside the point, what are you going to even do after school now, if you'll even be able to graduate?"

"Why wouldn't I be able to graduate?" Eli asked haughtily as he lifted his chin to glare up at him.

"You don’t think we know how poorly you’ve been doing lately? Teachers have been a bit more vigilant ever since the System. They honestly aren’t paid enough to deal with teenagers already and now they have to deal with kids that hold bits of cosmic power at their fingertips? No. They’ve been very active about letting us know about your poor grades and lack of attention.”

“So what? Mom said you didn’t graduate high school.” Eli tried to cross his arms, but felt pathetic when he only ended up moving one arm into his lap at the cost of tugging on every single wire and tube attached to him. Somehow it panged him even more to not even be able to cross his arms in spite.

“That’s different and you know it. I got my GED. Would you? Or are you going to go galavanting around as a vigilante because you have cool powers and feel the need to show them off? What do you even want to do after high school? Sure, you applied and got accepted to New Faram University, but what do you actually want to do? Are you even going to go?”

"I don't know! I have no idea, okay?" Eli snapped, his lone fist clenched tight on his lap. "I want to travel, I want to do things, see the world. But no, I’m not going to be a vigilante or join the fucking Federal Superpower Task Force. I'm not some battle-crazed maniac! I've only ever fought to protect my family, not that you or Mom have ever noticed!"

Dad opened his mouth and then stopped, puzzled. "What does that mean?"

"I thought you understood, but I guess you never did."

"What do you mean, Eli? You say you've been protecting 'the family', what does that mean?"

"I've only ever gotten in fights or been beaten because of you three." He huffed as he shook his head. "Bullied because of Lana, attacked because some creep wants to be with her, or because someone broke into our home. Rushed off into danger because I'm the only one who can move freely. I'm not nearly as reckless as you all think."

Dad was shock-still, his eyes glazed as if he were processing everything when the curtain opened with a rattle of clinking curtain rings.

"Sorry, sorry, but we need the room. Are you ready to go?" asked a different nurse with bloodshot eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a lanky ponytail. He also noticed she had a strange plastic wristband on her wrist, but it wasn’t a watch or anything. He wondered if it had to do with the power suppression.

"My son needs his IV and EKGs removed first, please."

"Right away." She came around to his bedside and got to work where she quickly removed his IV in a practiced motion. He shivered at the rip of tape pulling and the icy touch of the needle slipping free from his arm. Then she tugged EKG node after EKG node off his chest and sides before stepping aside. "Anything else?"

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"That's it, thank you. We'll be out soon." Dad nodded at her then turned with a sigh when she left. "We'll continue this later. We need to get going. After we drop the girls off, I’m taking you to an emergency appointment with Dr. Simmons. Just…This was horrifying to deal with and we only want you to be safe. That’s it. Okay?"

He nodded as he slowly stood to his feet then stopped as he glanced down at his arm again. "They really couldn't heal my arm or even reattach it?"

"No. Your arm was destroyed in your fight and none of the doctors' powers could heal it. The discharge paperwork said you were as healthy as you could be. You'll have to go to a physical therapist to teach you how to... cope with one arm. They said that as theoretical and practical knowledge of powers advance they might be able to one day restore it or even you could, but not right now."

"Hm." Eli stood with a sigh as Dad handed over a bag full of cheap thrift pants and a hospital gift shop hoodie. Dressing himself was a slow, fumbling business. He naturally wanted to bend and use both hands to pull on the clothes... but he only had one hand. He almost lost his balance every time he shifted around.

"Let me help." Dad said as he helped him guide piece after piece of clothing on him one by one. Underwear, pants, shirt. He even helped tie his shoes. It was enough to almost set Eli off on another bout of crying. After fifteen or so years of being independent since he was a toddler, he was now reduced to not knowing how to dress himself.

Pathetic. Helpless.

Eli followed behind his dad like a lost little duck following its parent as they walked out of the hospital room. They crossed through hallway after hallway honeycombed with small hospital rooms just his, most of them full. Nurse stations littered nearly every hallway and each of them was abuzz with activity. After a series of quick turns, they finally stepped out of the ward into the nearly full waiting room.

Dad stopped for a second as he scanned the room before pulling his phone out to check it and then sighing and leading them outside. The immediate moment he stepped over the threshold a series of System notifications scrawled across his vision, one after the other, along with the familiar presence of his three equipped powers opening themselves up to him. Relief flooded through him as Rapid Recovery melted away all of his aches and pains until he stood taller.

Stronger.

He wiped his tears away with the back of his hand as he climbed into the backseat of his dad’s car. Within moments they were driving back home in silence while Eli read through his System notifications and tried to figure out what he should do.

 

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! You have defeated a HUMAN with the power:

Liquid Flame Ev. 1/Lv.7>

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! You have defeated a HUMAN with the powers:

Precision Ev. 2/Lv. 12

Projection Ev. 0/Lv. 4>

 

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! You have leveled up the following power: Rapid Recovery Ev. 1/Lv. 0 -> Rapid Recovery Ev. 1/Lv. 1>

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! You have leveled up the following power: Rapid Recovery Ev. 1/Lv. 1 -> Rapid Recovery Ev. 1/Lv. 2>

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! You have leveled up the following power: Photon Shot Ev. 1/Lv. 9 -> Photon Shot Ev. 1/Lv. 10>

 

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! You have maxed out the following power:

Photon Shot

You may now select from one of the following options:

Evolve Power

Slot Power into Stat

N/A

N/A>

]

 

Eli nudged at the prompts for both Evolve Power and Slot Power into Stat. Two new windows popped up in front of his face with two very different choices.

 

<Would you like to evolve Photon Shot into Photomancer? Y/N?>

 

<Slot Photon Shot into one of three stat slots.

WARNING: This is a permanent selection and may not be changed later.

Select one of three following choices:

Body of Light

Mind of Light

Will of Light>

 

Visions of each option filled his mind as each option presented itself to him. The evolved form of Photon Shot, Photomancer, would give him a far more intimate connection with light. Allow him to shape and channel it however he wished. Turn it into something more. It’d be like turning it into a part of him.

Or he could literally turn it into a part of him. Just like when he picked a new power, he could feel what each stat would do when imbued with Photon Shot. Not only would Photon Shot remain as it was, permanently bonded to him, but each option would enhance him in different ways.

Body of Light would allow him to charge himself up physically with any light. Turn it into strength, help him heal even better with Rapid Recovery, even transform himself into light. Of course there was downside if he ran out of it or used up too much, but that could be an easy fix over time. It’d be a huge start in making up for his shortcomings.

Mind of Light would enable him to think faster. Better. Temper his mind with radiant light along with what it did before as Photon Shot. He felt like it would be a huge benefit and aid to him in nearly any situation… except for two things. It still needed and used light obviously, but it’d be far more of a hindrance at night time or in his void whenever he teleported. But would the sheer strength of his evolved mind make up for it?

Will of Light was… strange. He didn’t fully understand what the System was trying to show him. Not for the last time, he wished it told him what each option and power did. It was practically passive-aggressive with these flickers of vague images and impressions. He just felt it’d somehow change his emotions. Make him feel like light and open up a whole world of possibilities if he chose it.

But the minute he understood what Will of Light would do, he realized he wanted to save that stat for whatever his spatial power was then. Otherwise, what would be the point?

Photonomancer sounded… okay, but after that fight and after that dodgeball match, he realized how outclassed he was by everyone with a body enhancing power. He was just as weak as a normal human right now. Sure, he recovered and healed faster, but that meant he was still getting hurt.

No.

It was between Mind of Light and Body of Light now.

He thought again about the sheer limitations it implied with both of them. Be a bit weaker in the dark and have to use the light it let him store… or be mentally slower? He had no power to boost his body right now, but if he chose Mind of Light he’d be literally thinking far faster than he could even move. That would be problematic… except then he could teleport and use Spatial Control just as quickly.

So what if the teleportation would give him mental whiplash from the super-speed of thought crashing back down to normal cognition? Would he even need to worry about his body being as frail as that of someone pre-System?

But… Body of Light would strengthen him. Make him faster. More durable. Heal him quicker even before he took Rapid Recovery into account. Plus, he could transform into light. Would that mean he’d be able to turn into light and heal his arm back?

With Photon Shot and Body of Light he’d be able to turn his whole body into a single radiant weapon.

Eli leaned his head against the window and watched the interstate blur past as he tried to decide. He’d need to—

No. He needed to stop thinking about it and just make a decision already. At this rate, he’d spend the rest of his life trying to weigh each and every pro and con. It’d never turn up one way or the other. He glanced at Lana in the corner of his eye who sat with her arms crossed as she stared out at the interstate with her headphones in listening to whatever music she was into. Silverlight flashed on each of her fingertips then disappeared again and again to the furious beat of whatever song was playing.

She was strong. Powerful. Especially now that her powers lined up with her dreams…

Eli stopped and took in a deep breath. Right. His dreams.

What was the point of choosing a power for no reason other than if it’d bring him closer to what he wanted? Photon Shot was his throwaway offensive power, but he’d grown to rely on it over time. Now it would become a part of him in body or mind, but he got Teleportation originally because he wanted to travel. To be free.

What was more free than light?

With that thought, Eli prodded the Body of Light prompt before he could change his mind then grimaced at the confirmation message. The system never asked or repeated itself.

 

<WARNING: This is a permanent selection. No other powers will be able to slotted into the Body stat. Confirm: Y/N>

 

He accepted and shivered from delight.

Warmth suffused his skin as the sunlight suddenly felt amazing on his skin. Strength radiated through him as the changes took place. A feeling of lightness spread through him as his bones shifted and realigned. His muscles grew and strengthened as he stretched and flexed. He glanced hopefully down at his severed arm and frowned once nothing happened.

But he couldn't stay sad about it for too long as pleasure jolted through his body. He reveled at the feeling of strength as he lifted his hand up. His fingertips glowed with a peaceful white glare as skin, nails, tendons, and bones all became light. He felt an increased control of the transformed digits. A thought sharpened his fingers into literal blades of light. Another thought spread the transformation throughout the rest of his hand.

Newfound strength swelled into his hand even as he felt the limited light stored and charged inside of him begin to diminish. His hand was far stronger than it had been before as flesh and blood, but the rest of his body felt far weaker in comparison. He’d have to test how full body transformation would feel… when he wasn’t stuck in the car.

Mom and Dad would be furious if they found out that he was experimenting with a new power right after landing in the hospital and they had both torn into him with a full lecture. Eli sighed as he let the light fade and then blinked in surprise as he noticed a new notification waiting for him to acknowledge it.

 

<Congratulations, Elias Newton! For slotting a power into a stat, you have unlocked an option to obtain a special power. You may now select from one of the following options:

 

Voidshade Control

Hydro Control

Metal Control

Assimilative Constitution

Winter’s Dominion>

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