Awakening Attempt

The rest of the went agonizingly slow. It is proven that when on was not looking forward to something happening in the future, then the time would seem to move fast, but when one was looking to something, then the vice - versa was the case.

Unfortunately, Justin had been looking forward to his awakening for a week now, making the week seem like a leap year. 

After 6 days, Justin could be seen sitting in the lobby of one of the many awakening organization buildings. Today, he had put on his best attire not wanting to appear bad on his awakening day. 

Creak.

The door to the awakening room suddenly swung open very slowly, as every 18 year old waiting in line for their turn at awakening, looked towards it. A young fella could be seen walking out of the room with confident strides. From the smile on his face, one could guess that his awakening had gone well, and that he he managed to awaken an uncommon affinity. 

Once the happy fella left the room, the next person in line was then called to the awakening room. 

It won't be Justin's turn until 5 people have had their turn. After the boy was a girl with silver hair, when the girl had stepped out from the awakening group, the changes in her demeanor seemed to be evident for all to see. The already cold female seemed to have gotten colder, a sign that she had managed to awaken an ice ability, and a very high one at that. 

Justin watched as people of his age went into the awakening room, only to step out with different facial expressions and auras. The closer it got to his turn, the more nervous he became.

' what if I awaken a seemingly useless ability?'. He would think.

The tension in the room was palpable. The only thing that Justin did, that helped him relax a little, was thinking of ways that he was going to exact revenge on his bullies. They would know that he was not 17 anymore. He was going to go into the awakening room, and emerge as a man. 

Justin was still lost in his thoughts when he heard his name being called.

"Next, Justin lastborn'. 

For a moment, he thought of not answering his name, but just remembering the amount he had paid for his awakening, he quickly stood up and half ran into the awakening room.

The room was dimly lit, with only a desk and a female worker behind it. 

' Place your hand on this tablet.', the attendant said in a monotonous tone born out of repetition.

Justin quietly obeyed the instruction. Now was not the time to make observations. 

As soon as Justin's hands came in touch with the smooth bronze tablet, he felt a wave of energy move through his body, beginning from the point his hands made contact with the tablet. Although Justin had not yet awakened, he still felt the energy that moved through his body, from the tablet and back to it. This process took less than five seconds, and after that, the number 18 appeared the surface of the tablet, while the tablet itself glowed a very bright green colour, which made Justin wonder how a bronze object could release such a splendid green colour.

"Great, your age has been verified, next you wear this helment", the anttendant said, breaking him out of his thoughts, while handing him something similar to a VR helment. 

Justin hastily put on the helment, moving according to the instruction given to him, just like a robot.

After, Justin had put on and secured the helment, he looked towards the attendant, awaiting further instructions.

" Just say 'hello world', when you are ready.", The attendant told him dismissively. Breathing in and out to calm himself, Justin said the magic word, 'hello world'.

Nothing, could have prepared Justin for what Happened, as the moment he said the magic word, his consciousness was suddenly taken to an empty white room, much brighter than the previous one.

Justas he began to wonder where he was, a blue system interface appeared before his very eyes.

' yeah, this is it.' , Justin thought as he relished the moment. 

Soon a mechanical voice started reading out the results of the awakening.

[ Commencing awakening.]

[Detecting affinity....

 Error... Can not determine affinity.]

Justin's heart skipped a beat when he heard the words error, but he managed to calm down, slightly when he heard the next sentence.

[ Attempting awakening.]

Justin nervously stood in the canter of the room, while feeling ttae the wave of energy pass through him. Gradually, he started to relax a bit, but that was until he heard the next sentence.

[ Cannot Awaken affinity due to some interference]

When Justin heard this sentence, his heart not only one beat, but several. What the above sentence simply meant was that he would not be able to awaken. He got goosebumps just thinking of what would become of him, if he did not awakening.

' no no no no' Justin thought in his mind, an not long after he was screaming the same thing,"no, no, No, NO, NO, this can't be happening. 

As Justin was screaming his grievances, he became oblivious of his surrounding, and at this very moment, a wave of the energy that he had felt, was continually pulled into his body. Unlike the awakening attempt, this energy was rushing into his body, as though they were being pulled by something within Justin.

After five minutes of shouting, Justin managed to regain his calm when the room started to release a red light, while saying,[Error].

Justin became confused, ' what happened here?', he wondered, but he was not given enough time to play detective as he mind was sent back to his body. 

Justin opened his eyes to see the panicking attendant, typing something in her computer.

Confused, Justin asked," Can I go?"

"Not yet, wait in the lobby." , The attendant replied.

Justin slowly walked towards the lobby, as he stepped into the lobby, with various eyes trying to pry into his being, he was left Wondering,

' Am I really a man now?'