New York Stock Exchange.
Red screens everywhere as Dow Jones plummeted, S&P 500 hemorrhaged points, NASDAQ bled value while global markets synchronized in freefall.
Negative 8.7% single day.
Worst since 2008 crash.
Traders shouted as panic selling triggered automated systems while circuit breakers activated, trading halted temporarily as chaos was barely contained.
Financial news anchors spoke rapidly.
"—unprecedented volatility—markets worldwide experiencing coordinated collapse—oil prices spiking—gold surging—investors fleeing to safe havens—"
Nobody understanding why.
Economic fundamentals seemingly stable yesterday.
Today?
Catastrophe.
Speculation rampant.
"Geopolitical tensions escalating—"
"Insider knowledge of coming conflict—"
"War fears driving panic—"
But no official declarations.
No confirmed threats.
Just instinct.
Global anxiety.
Something wrong.
Social media exploded.
#MarketCrash trending worldwide.
#WW3 appearing.
#WhatIsHappening viral.
Theories proliferated.
"China invading Taiwan imminently—"
"Russia escalating—"
"Middle East conflagration—"
"Nuclear threat—"
Military movements reported, unconfirmed.
Government silence, suspicious.
Public preparing as grocery stores emptied, gas stations showed lines, emergency supplies vanished.
Fear contagious.
Manhattan streets tense as people walked faster, looked nervous, checked phones obsessively while conversation stayed hushed.
Something coming.
Everyone sensing.
Nobody knowing.
Atmospheric dread.
Invisible wrongness.
But nothing concrete yet.
Just waiting.
For catastrophe.
Inevitable.
Beneath economic panic, stranger rumors emerged.
"Did you hear about Manhattan hospital incident? Someone attacked staff—"
"Video on TikTok—guy acting WEIRD, aggressive, incoherent—"
"Friend's cousin in Brooklyn said neighbor started screaming, broken glass, police came—"
Isolated incidents.
Dismissed as stress-related as economic panic caused breakdowns, mental health crisis, nothing supernatural.
Rational explanations.
But whispers spreading.
Something different about these cases.
Something wrong beyond psychology.
Videos circulating as grainy phone footage showed disturbing behavior, violent outbursts while victims' eyes were wrong somehow.
Comments speculating.
"Drugs?"
"New synthetic?"
"Biological attack?"
"...zombies?"
Last comment downvoted heavily.
Ridiculous.
Obviously.
Right?
***
Breaking news.
CNN, FOX, MSNBC, BBC, all major networks interrupting programming.
"—breaking development out of New York City—Manhattan hospital reporting unusual incident—patient displaying aggressive, incoherent behavior—medical staff unable to determine cause—"
Video footage aired as hospital security cameras showed grainy but clear images.
Middle-aged man, businessman with suit torn, attacking nurses with inhuman strength while showing no response to pain as security guards struggled, tranquilizers ineffective.
Eyes wrong.
Glassy.
Unfocused.
Movement jerky.
Uncoordinated yet relentless.
Anchors careful.
"—authorities emphasizing this appears to be isolated incident—no confirmation of contagion—investigating potential drug involvement—"
But footage disturbing.
Comments sections exploded.
"ZOMBIE ALERT"
"28 Days Later vibes"
"This is how it starts"
"CDC needs to respond NOW"
Speculation uncontrollable.
First official case.
NYC.
Manhattan.
Where Evelyn investigated.
Where Hazel lived.
Within hours, video viral.
Millions of views.
Reposted everywhere as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, TikTok shared.
Memes appeared as dark humor masked fear.
Analysis videos came as YouTubers dissected footage frame-by-frame, speculated causes while comparing to fictional zombies.
Medical experts interviewed showed puzzlement with no clear diagnosis while ruling out known conditions.
"—not consistent with rabies—"
"—not drug-induced psychosis typical presentation—"
"—neurological damage? Unknown pathogen?—"
Nobody saying zombie officially.
Everyone thinking it.
Global attention fixated.
Manhattan incident dominated news cycle.
Economic crash secondary now.
Something worse emerging.
News ticker scrolled.
"BREAKING: Similar incident reported in London hospital—"
"UPDATE: São Paulo authorities investigating aggressive behavior case—"
"DEVELOPING: Tokyo police responding to violent outbreak—"
Not isolated.
Not NYC only.
Global.
Pattern emerging.
Dozens of cases.
Scattered worldwide.
Authorities coordinating as WHO alerted, CDC mobilizing while international response began.
But slow.
Bureaucratic.
Insufficient.
While cases multiplied.
Exponentially.
Quietly.
For now.
***
Riverside Park.
Hazel stood near water's edge as deserted pathway showed sunset approaching while December cold bit, winter jacket zipped.
Deliberately alone.
Same location as branch incident, familiar, safe, isolated.
Three days since awakening.
Three days attempting replication.
Finally, something.
Hands extended as palms forward while concentrating, trying to remember that instinctive feeling, that survival reflex, that moment wind obeyed.
Breathing slowly.
"Come on, wind, air, something..."
Nothing.
Frustration building.
"I did it before. Branch hovering. Real. Not hallucination. Physics violated. Impossible but happened. So again. Must be possible again."
Scientific mind tried to systematize magic.
Pattern recognition sought replicable formula.
But magic not physics.
Magic feeling.
Instinct.
Trying different approach.
Eyes closing.
Remembering feeling as branch fell with terror, hands raising with need to survive while wind responded to desperation.
Not thinking.
Feeling.
Need.
Hands tingling.
Eyes snapping open.
Wind stirred.
Air currents visible as distortion, shimmering while miniature cyclone formed around hands, leaves swirled, snow danced as controlled chaos emerged.
Hazel gasped.
"Oh my god, oh my god, it's real, I'm doing this, consciously..."
Maintaining focus.
Wind intensified as gust pushed across water while ripples spread, small waves formed.
Ten seconds.
Twenty.
Exhaustion crept.
Concentration slipped.
Wind dissipated suddenly.
Hazel panted.
Hands shook.
But smiled slightly.
"Conscious control. Replicable. Not hallucination. Not one-time. I can learn this."
Terror mixed with wonder.
Physics student discovering new laws.
Impossible laws.
But learnable.
Staring at Hudson River.
Water moved naturally as current flowed, wavelets lapped while surface rippled.
Curiosity overwhelming fear.
"Wind, air element. But water? Different element. Different law? Different physics? Can I...?"
Hands extended toward river.
Concentrating.
Not on wind.
On water.
Feeling fluidity, flow, current.
River responded.
Small tendril rose as water defied gravity, streamed upward like liquid snake while hovering two feet above surface, shaped by invisible force.
Hazel's breath stopped.
"Water. Water element. Not just wind. Multiple elements? How many? What am I? What's happening to—"
Water splashed down as concentration broke from shock.
Staring at hands.
Terrified.
Amazed.
Alone.
"I need someone who understands. Someone who can explain. This isn't normal. This is..."
No words.
Just impossible reality.
Hazel looked around.
Park deserted as sunset hour with December cold meant nobody jogging while pathway stayed empty.
Perfect privacy.
"Can't tell anyone. Sound insane. 'Hey, I can control wind and water with my hands!' Psychiatric evaluation. Medication. Dismissed."
Isolation crushing.
"But it's real. I'm not crazy. Physics violated but happening. Reproducible. Observable. Scientific."
Determined to understand alone.
No choice.
Resuming practice.
Unaware of sensor network triangulating.
Unaware of scientist approaching.
Unaware of discovery imminent.
Focused on magic.
On impossible.
On survival.
***
Dr. Evelyn Sato.
Tablet pinged urgently.
Midtown hotel room.
Monitoring screens flashed as Signal #4 detected.
Same electromagnetic signature.
Same unfamiliar wavelength.
But sustained, not 0.3 seconds this time.
Twenty seconds duration.
Then dissipating.
Another spike.
Forty seconds.
Origin: Riverside Park, Upper West Side, near Hudson River.
Triangulation precise within 50-meter radius.
Evelyn's calm professionalism cracked slightly.
"Finally. Ground zero. Source located. After weeks—signal origin found."
Grabbing portable sensor.
Grabbing tablet.
Winter jacket.
Camera.
Evidence collection mode.
"Twenty minutes away. If signal repeats—I'll be there. Direct observation. Finally."
Controlled excitement.
Decade waiting for this.
Atmospheric anomaly with source.
Scientific goldmine.
Running.
Riverside Park.
Evelyn arrived as portable sensor stayed active while tablet displayed electromagnetic readings, real-time data streaming.
Following signal.
Readings strengthened as approaching source while triangulation narrowed.
Maintaining distance at 100 meters initially with scientific caution, unknown phenomenon, safety protocol.
Scanning area.
Deserted pathway.
Hudson River beyond.
Sunset casting orange light.
Single figure.
Young woman.
Standing near water.
Hands extended.
Evelyn's sensor spiked as electromagnetic signature emanated from her.
From her hands.
"Human source. The anomaly is a person?"
Evelyn moved closer.
Quietly.
Scientifically.
Observing.
Not interfering.
Not yet.
Need data.
Need understanding.
Camera raising.
Recording.
Whatever happened next.
Evidence required.
Hazel's hands glowed faintly.
Not visible to naked eye but Evelyn's sensor detected energy emission.
Wind stirred around young woman.
Air currents visible as distortion, shimmering while controlled chaos swirled around extended hands.
Then water rose from river.
Tendril streamed upward as gravity was defied while liquid hovered, shaped by invisible force.
Evelyn's breath caught.
Camera steady as years of professional discipline maintained composure despite shock.
Sensor readings exploded as electromagnetic signatures went off-scale while wavelength patterns proved impossible, energy emission unprecedented.
But visible proof undeniable.
Young woman controlling elements.
Wind.
Water.
With hands.
With will.
With what?
Evelyn's scientific worldview cracked.
Not breaking.
Not yet.
But fracturing.
"Not technology. Not equipment. Her. She's generating this. Controlling this. Electromagnetic anomaly originates from human being. Impossible according to all known physics. But observing. Recording. Real."
Quiet shock.
Professional maintaining.
But paradigm shifting.
Fundamentally.
Water splashed down as young woman's concentration broke.
Evelyn lowered camera as footage secured.
Observation continuing.
Not approaching.
Not yet.
"Need more data. Need understanding before contact. She appears afraid? Nervous? Alone. Experimenting privately. Unaware of observation. Good. Natural behavior. Uncontaminated by external influence."
Scientific protocol.
Observe first.
Understand second.
Interfere last.
But questions overwhelming.
"How? Why her? Why now? Connection to atmospheric anomalies? First case? Only case? Others worldwide?"
Hawaii lab detecting multiple signals globally.
Not alone.
Not isolated.
Phenomenon spreading.
Worldwide.
Evelyn watching.
Recording.
Understanding beginning.
Slowly.
***
Mauna Kea Observatory.
Evelyn's colleagues monitored systems remotely.
Alerts cascaded as dozens, hundreds of electromagnetic signatures showed same wavelength family as NYC anomalies while appearing worldwide.
Tokyo.
London.
Mumbai.
Sydney.
São Paulo.
Lagos.
Mexico City.
Every continent.
Pattern unmistakable.
Humanity awakening.
Observatory director called Evelyn urgently.
"Dr. Sato—whatever you're detecting in New York—it's happening everywhere. Hundreds of signals. Possibly thousands. Pattern suggests exponential growth. We need you back immediately—"
But Evelyn watched source.
Staying.
Understanding here.
Then worldwide.
News broadcasts updated.
"—Manhattan case now twelve confirmed—"
"—London reporting eight similar incidents—"
"—WHO declaring international health emergency—"
But different reports emerged.
Quieter.
Less sensational.
But significant.
"—unconfirmed social media reports of individuals displaying unusual abilities—"
"—viral video purporting to show young man generating electricity from hands—dismissed as CGI—"
"—another video, woman allegedly moving objects without contact—likely fake—"
Dismissed.
Ridiculed.
But multiplying.
Two categories emerging.
Aggressive, violent, infected with high mana exposure as curse.
Controlled, frightened, awakened with low mana exposure as blessing.
Humanity dividing.
Blessed.
Cursed.
Unaware.
Both spreading.
Exponentially.
December 2024.
Stock markets crashing.
Zombie rumors spreading.
Infections multiplying.
Awakenings emerging.
Hazel practicing magic.
Evelyn observing source.
Hawaii detecting hundreds.
Thousands potentially.
Earth transforming.
Fate's Revenge manifesting.
Mana saturating atmosphere.
Blessing low-exposure.
Cursing high-exposure.
Humanity dividing.
Seven billion unaware.
Apocalypse beginning.
Quietly.
For now.
But accelerating.
Exponentially.
Days remaining.
Before chaos.
Before outbreak.
Before awakening.
Before truth.
World ending.
World beginning.
Simultaneously.
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