Theo's entire body sat frozen in shock, eyes locked on the screen.
That's when he noticed another section at the very bottom of the hologram.
[Time Remaining: 00:59:59]
[WARNING: Failure to select an option will result in the system's immediate disappearance.]
He sat up a little straighter, his back firmly pressed against the wall.
"What the hell… is this?" he squeezed out.
He shut his eyes, then opened them again. But the hologram didn't disappear.
His throat felt dry, his mind racing.
"Theo?" A hoarse voice shouted from downstairs. "Are you home already?"
Theo glanced away from the hologram for a moment, remaining deathly quiet to avoid getting his parents involved.
But even when he looked back again, the hologram was still there.
His eyes locked onto the bottom of the screen again, the seconds ticking away rapidly.
'Is this some kind of prank?' he thought, clenching his fists as his mind searched for answers. 'But what is this screen even? And who could pull this off?'
He glanced at the two options displayed on the screen.
Even if it was a stupid joke or prank, Theo wished that it was real.
'SSS-rank affinities,' he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. 'Who wouldn't want one?'
They were the epitome of talent, something so rare that it barely appeared even among billions of people.
'And if I had to choose between upgrading my lightning affinity or replacing it with one for water, I'd choose lightning in a heartbeat.'
He smiled slightly, imagining how strong he could become with that kind of talent.
As he opened his eyes again, his smile instantly disappeared.
The screen lit up in a yellow color, all the previous lines of text replaced by only two.
[Choice made.]
[Upgrading Lightning element in 10…9…8…]
"The fuck?" he let out.
[5…4…3…]
'Was this real after all?!' he thought, eyes widening again.
[2…1… Good Luck!]
The holographic screen closed, disappearing as if it'd never existed before.
Theo closed his eyes, his entire body tensing up as he prepared himself for what might come.
Not even a second later, a strange electrifying sensation came from his core.
It felt exactly like what happened during the awakening, except… the sensation was much stronger this time.
Theo gritted his teeth, concentrating on his core.
Deep from within the swirling purple mass, a bright yellow light had appeared.
The yellow light rapidly expanded, swallowing the entire purple mass in just a second.
"Kgh," Theo let out, feeling the lightning spread throughout his body.
He barely squeezed out a sharp gasp as immense pain shot through him.
His vision grew blurry from the pain, all control over his body fading as his muscles spasmed crazily.
Lightning shot everywhere through his body, tearing through his old cells and muscles within seconds.
It didn't take long before the air around him started crackling, thin arcs of lightning escaping from his skin and slamming into the floor.
The lights in his room flickered for a moment.
Then, they shattered.
Glass exploded everywhere as his ceiling lamps burst, plunging the room into darkness.
Theo barely noticed any of it, gritting his teeth as his mind spun in and out of consciousness.
Suddenly, all the remaining lightning exploded out of his body.
The carpet, the door, his bed— all of it turned to dust the instant the lightning ravaged through it. What used to be a white room was scorched black in a few seconds.
But it wasn't just his room that was affected this time. Glass explosions echoed from the floors below and above him, followed by loud screams.
Not even the shabby lampposts surrounding the apartment complex were spared, glass scattering everywhere as they exploded.
Finally, everything went silent.
Theo glanced around for a moment, only feeling an incredibly numbing sensation as the violent pain had completely disappeared.
Relief flooded through him for a moment.
Then, everything went dark.
An unknown amount of time passed in pure silence.
Theo's consciousness returned slowly.
His eyes fluttered open, instinctively squinting as bright lights assaulted his vision. A fast beeping noise echoed beside him, making his head ache.
"Where am I?" he muttered, rubbing his eyes.
Despite his confusion, he felt a strange, energetic feeling spread through his body, like he'd drunk twenty cups of coffee in a row.
"…Theo?"
A familiar voice called out beside him, pulling him out of his thoughts.
He turned his head, spotting his father sitting beside his bed, a bandage wrapped around his head. The moment he noticed him move, he jumped up.
"He's awake!" he called out, ushering in a nearby doctor.
The doctor approached Theo immediately, writing several things down on his clipboard.
"He woke up this fast?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow. "And his heartbeat rate doesn't seem to have changed."
Theo swallowed, his throat painfully dry.
"What… happened?" he asked hoarsely.
His father stared at him with a tense but slightly relieved expression.
"Nobody knows," he said, voice low. "The power circuits in the entire building exploded. From there, it all caught on fire."
He fell silent, as if hesitating.
"Even your room…"
Theo nodded slowly, coughing once from his dry throat.
"Where's mom?" he asked quietly.
His father smiled slightly.
"Don't worry, she's almost here," he said. "Your mother left work the minute she heard about the fire."
Theo stared up at the ceiling, smiling faintly.
"That's good," he muttered.
Before either could continue the conversation, the doctor, who was still in the room, coughed.
"If I may," he said, raising his hand, "I'd like to perform a few tests on him to make sure he's still fine."
Theo's father nodded.
"I'll see you soon, kiddo," he said, waving as he left the room.
After his father left, the doctor adjusted the sensors attached to Theo's chest and glanced at the monitor beside the bed.
"Strange," he muttered.
Theo's eyes shifted toward the screen as well.
The heartbeat displayed instantly caught his attention. It was going fast—far too fast for a regular human being.
The doctor frowned slightly.
"And you were supposed to have just awakened?" he asked, tapping the side of the monitor.
"Yes," Theo answered hoarsely. "The lightning element."
"…Huh," the doctor said, nodding slowly. "The lightning must be affecting the equipment then."
It wasn't uncommon, since newly awakened often failed to control their elements and subconsciously leaked tiny bits of it.
The doctor contemplated for a moment and performed a few more tests, all of which turned out well.
"You can stand up now," he finally said. "From what I can see, nothing's wrong with you."
Theo nodded, pushing his legs off the hospital bed.
He quickly stood up, still feeling extremely energized.
'What actually happened?' he wondered, the hologram flashing through his mind. 'Did I really upgrade my lightning affinity to SSS-rank?'