Orion's Rise: From Zero to Hero in Two Worlds

Chapter 5

“Dude. What the hell was that?”

Jared’s voice sounded different now. A little less confident. A lot more confused.

I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t. 

My head felt busy. I couldn't think straight. Everything was confusing. I tried to figure it out. 

The way I was moving... it wasn’t normal. None of this was normal.

I looked down at my hands.

They were steady. But something felt off.

There was energy pulsing just beneath the surface. Waiting for me to do something with it.

I didn’t know *what*, though. Didn’t know *how*.

“Answer me, Sergio!” Jared was closing in again. He wasn’t laughing this time.

His friends weren’t either. They were hanging back. Watching me. Like I was some kind of freak show. 

Maybe I was.

"I.. I'm not sure," I replied. I said. My voice was smaller than I intended.

I tried to talk. My voice came out too quiet.

I did not intend to speak quietly. I did not mean to appear mysterious.

I just didn't know what was happening. Everything was confusing to me.

Jared sneered. “You think this is some kind of joke? You think you can just dodge a few punches and walk away?”

He moved toward me. I saw his face clearly now. His eyes were getting angrier by the second.

He wasn’t used to this. Not used to losing control. Not used to *me* having the upper hand.

I shook my head. “I’m not trying to fight you.”

He yelled at me. "What the hell are you doing then?"

I froze. I had no words.

"I... I don't know." I said again. I wasn't really talking to him.  

My voice was shaky. My whole body felt like it was shaking too.

It was like something inside me wanted to burst out.

I couldn’t explain it. But I felt it. This power. This thing. Building and building. And I had no idea how to stop it.

“Quit stalling,” Jared snapped, stepping forward and shoving me hard in the chest.

I stumbled back. But I didn’t fall. 

The weird thing was... it didn’t even hurt.

It was like my body had already adjusted, like I’d become... stronger.

I straightened up, staring at him. “You need to stop.”

He blinked, caught off guard by my tone. “Or what?”

“I don’t know.” I said again. My voice shaking slightly.

"But I think something bad is going to happen if you don’t.”

Jared chuckled. He looked back at his friends. His expression seemed to ask. *Can you believe this guy?*

Then he turned back to me, his face twisted into a sneer. “You’re pathetic, Sergio.”

I opened my mouth to respond. But before I could say anything. He swung at me again.

This time I didn’t dodge. I didn’t *need* to.

The second his fist was about to connect, I felt it.

That energy.

That strange, electric pulse that had been building inside me for who knows how long.

And before I could stop it. Before I could even *think* about stopping it.

It exploded.

There was no warning. No gradual buildup. One second. I was standing there. Waiting for Jared’s fist to collide with my face. And the next... everything around me was chaos.

---

I had never before experienced such a strong surge of power.

It wasn’t physical, exactly.

It wasn't comparable to being hit by a car. Or falling from a building.

It was more like... pressure.

Like something inside me had snapped, and all the force I’d been holding back just *burst* out at once.

Jared didn’t even have time to react.

One second he was throwing a punch. And the next? He was flying through the air.

His body flung backward like a ragdoll. His friends weren’t much better off.

They went flying too. Like they’d been caught in a shockwave.

I saw them hit the ground. Hard. A few feet away.

“What the..” Jared’s voice was breathless. Stunned. As he crashed into the grass. Rolling to a stop.

I stood there. Frozen. Staring at my hands.

They were glowing.

Not brightly, but there was definitely a faint light radiating from my skin, like static electricity that you could *see*.

I flexed my fingers, watching as little sparks flickered between them.

“What... what did you do?” Jared’s voice was shaking now.

He was struggling to get back on his feet. His face was pale and wide-eyed.

“I didn’t mean to.” I said quickly. My heart racing. “I'm not sure what wentdown. It's all a bit of a blur, to be honest..”

“You're not sure?!” Jared spat. Finally managing to stand.

“You just threw me. Threw US! Across the yard. And you don’t know how?”

I shook my head. Trying to focus. Trying to make sense of the energy.. still coursing through me.

“I never wanted to hurt you.”

Jared took a step back. His hands raised defensively.

“Stay the hell away from me.”

“Jared.” I started. Taking a step toward him. But he flinched.

“No, man, seriously. What the hell are you?!”

I stopped. My throat. The words were stuck. 

I had no response for him. I didn’t know what I was. What I’d just done.

All I knew was.. something had changed. And I wasn’t sure it was something I could control.

Behind Jared. His friends were picking themselves up off the ground. Groaning and muttering. 

One of them. Ryan. Stared at me as if I had grown horns. 

"We need to get outta here.” he whispered. Backing away.

Jared didn’t argue. He just nodded. His eyes still locked on me. Like I was some kind of monster.

Then. Without another word. They turned and ran.

I stood there. Motionless. Watching them disappear down the street. The beating of my heart filled my chest.

The air around me felt thick. Heavy with whatever power I’d just unleashed.

I didn’t understand it. I didn’t WANT to understand it. But I knew one thing for sure:

I had to get out of here.

---

I didn’t run. Not exactly. It was more like... stumbling.

My legs felt weak. Shaky. Like they couldn’t quite keep up with the rest of me.

But I knew I needed to get away. Away from Jared. Away from the school. Away from whatever the hell had just happened.

My mind was racing. Trying to make sense of everything.

The hologram. The system. The energy. None of it made any sense. I had a sense of being confined. Within a certain video game. Except, this was not a game.

 This was real.

Too real.

I had no idea about my destination.

I just kept moving. My feet carrying me through the back streets. Past the old houses and empty lots. Until I found myself in an alleyway. Behind some run-down shops.

It was quiet here. Empty. A good place to hide.

I leaned against the brick wall. Panting. My whole body trembling with adrenaline.

I could still feel the energy pulsing through me. But it was starting to fade now. Like a fire burning itself out.

My hands were no longer glowing. But they still tingled. Like they were waiting for something else to happen.

“What... the hell...” I muttered. Shutting my eyes and pushing the heels of my hands onto my forehead.

“What just happened?”

But there was no answer. Just the sound of my own ragged breathing. And the distant hum of the city around me.

I slid down the wall. Collapsing onto the ground. My back against the rough brick.

My legs felt like jelly. My head spinning. I had no clue about the duration of my running. But it felt like hours. Days, even.

I gazed upwards at the sky. Observing the clouds floating past. Trying to calm myself.

But the energy... the power... it was still there. Lurking just beneath the surface. Waiting to burst out again.

“I can’t... I can’t control this.” I struggled to whisper.

“What if it happens again?”

I did not know.. what I was asking. Didn’t know who I was asking.

But the fear was real. The fear that I couldn’t stop whatever was inside me.

That the next time it came out. Someone would get hurt. Really hurt.

I closed my eyes. Trying to push the thoughts away. But it was no use.

The memory of Jared flying through the air. The look of terror on his face. It was burned into my mind now. And no matter how hard I tried. I couldn’t shake it.

“I did not mean to.” I whispered again. My voice shaking. “I'm sorry.. I.. I'm so sorry.”

But it didn’t matter. I had. And now, I wasn't sure what to do anymore.

---

The world whirled around me. Faster and faster. Until I couldn’t tell which way was up anymore.

My body felt heavy. Like it was sinking into the ground. And the energy... the energy was building again. Stronger this time. More intense.

I opened my eyes. But everything was a blur. The alley. The sky. The buildings. It was all melting together. Swirling like a vortex around me.

I tried to stand. But, my legs refused to work together. I could feel the power surging through me. Like a dam about to burst.

And then. Just as quickly as it had started. Everything went black.