Expectations

The rain lashed down in relentless sheets, reflecting the neon glow of Tokyo's seedy underbelly. Inside a dimly lit bar, a scene of quiet devastation unfolded. Several fierce-looking men, their bodies adorned with intricate tattoos, lay unconscious on the floor, broken bottles and overturned chairs scattered around them.

In the center of this chaos, a man sat alone at the bar, his gaze fixed on the swirling contents of his glass. His name was Ryu, a legend in the criminal underworld, feared and respected as the leader of the Black Dragon yakuza clan. His bloodied hands loosely held the amber-hued liquid, his expression nonchalant as if the carnage around him was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

A burly figure, his face etched with respect, stood silently beside Ryu, a testament to the man's undisputed authority. "Another street conquered, boss" the burly man rumbled, his voice thick with admiration. "Even when they banded together, those fools were no match for you."

Ryu simply nodded, a hint of a smirk appeared on his face.Ryu's life was a tapestry of violence and cunning, woven together by his unwavering ambition and a unique fighting style honed through years of brutal training. A master of Kyokushin Karate, he had earned the nickname "The Ghost," renowned for his ability to move like a phantom and strike with devastating precision. He had faced countless opponents, armed and unarmed, and emerged victorious each time.

But tonight, as he stared into the depths of his amber-hued drink, a sense of emptiness gnawed at him. He had achieved everything he had ever desired—power, wealth, respect—yet it all felt hollow, meaningless. The thrill of the fight, the adrenaline rush of danger, had lost their allure.

His contemplation was interrupted by a sudden tremor that shook the bar. The lights flickered, and a low rumble echoed through the city streets. Ryu looked up, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes. It wasn't an earthquake. It was something else, something far more ominous.

As he stepped outside, the rain intensified, and the sky above Tokyo was split open by a blinding white light. Two massive black holes materialized out of thin air, their gravitational pull twisting and distorting the fabric of reality. Ryu watched in awe and horror as the black holes began to merge, their insatiable hunger threatening to consume everything in their path.

In a desperate bid for survival, Ryu unleashed his full power, his body moving with lightning speed as he attempted to escape the growing vortex. But it was too late. The black holes collided, releasing a catastrophic surge of energy that engulfed him.

As his soul was being torn apart and absorbed into the abyss, Ryu felt a strange sensation, a burning imprint on his very essence. An ancient power, vast and majestic, was being engraved into his soul. Then, darkness.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an opulent chamber adorned with intricate carvings and shimmering crystals. Plush velvet lined the walls, and sunlight streamed through stained-glass windows depicting scenes of heroism and valor. His body felt different, younger, lighter. A dull ache throbbed within him, a remnant of the ordeal he had just endured.

"Atlas," a deep, resonant voice boomed, jolting him fully awake. A man with silver hair and a stern expression stood over him, his eyes piercing and filled with expectation.

"It is time. Do not disappoint the clan's prestigious legacy." With a beckoning gesture, Magnus Luminos turned and walked out of the room, expecting Atlas to follow.

Confused, but intrigued by the man's words, Atlas rose from the chair and followed his grandfather through a grand hallway adorned with portraits of stern-faced men and women, all radiating an aura of power. They reached a set of ornate double doors, which Magnus opened with a flourish.

Beyond the doors lay the Awakening Hall, a symphony of light and energy. A massive crystalline structure dominated the center of the chamber, its facets shimmering with an otherworldly glow. Around it, a series of interconnected machines hummed with power, their metallic surfaces reflecting the myriad colors emanating from the central crystal. A colossal screen, spanning the far wall, flickered to life, displaying intricate diagrams and data streams.

Dozens of young men and women, all precisely sixteen years old—the age when the energy within their bodies reached maturity—stood nervously with their families, their faces a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. Each of them had been identified as potential Resonators, their bodies showing signs of latent power waiting to be unleashed.

Atlas and Magnus stepped into the hall, their footsteps echoing on the polished marble floor. All eyes turned towards them, whispers rippling through the crowd. Atlas could feel the weight of their gazes, the unspoken expectations hanging heavy in the air. But a peculiar observation caught his attention, many of those gazes weren't directed at him, but rather at his grandfather. Their eyes held a mixture of awe, reverence, and something akin to worship. A suspicion began to form in Atlas's mind. Could his grandfather be more than just a respected elder?

A hush fell over the hall as a team of scientists in white coats emerged from a side door. They approached a young man who stood tall beside his mother, a comforting hand on her shoulder. The young man's eyes were focused and determined, a stark contrast to his mother's anxious expression.

One of the scientists, a woman with a kind smile and gentle eyes, explained the awakening process to the young man and his mother.

"We'll be using this machine to stimulate your latent Resonance," she said, gesturing towards a large, cylindrical device. "It will send a controlled pulse of energy through your body, triggering the awakening process. It might feel a little strange, but it shouldn't be painful."

The young man nodded confidently as the scientists carefully positioned him within the machine. His mother squeezed his hand, her eyes filled with both worry and pride.

With a gentle hum, the machine activated, bathing the young man in a soft blue light. The crystals in the chamber resonated in harmony, their glow intensifying. The young man's eyes closed, and his body began to tremble.

The colossal screen behind him flickered, displaying a series of complex graphs and data points that danced and shifted in real time.

A hush fell over the hall as everyone watched with bated breath. Then, a gasp of surprise escaped the crowd. The young man's body was enveloped in a swirling vortex of energy, crackling with electricity and shimmering with an ethereal light. The screen flashed, displaying the results: C-Rank Resonance: Lightning Affinity. A murmur of impressed approval rippled through the crowd.

The energy intensified, growing brighter and more powerful. The young man's eyes snapped open, glowing with a newfound intensity. He raised his hands, and a bolt of lightning shot out, striking a target dummy with a deafening crack.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers as the young man stepped out of the machine, a confident grin spreading across his face. He had done it. He had awakened his Resonance.

Atlas watched the scene unfold with a mix of curiosity and determination. His turn was coming. He could feel the power within him, dormant but eager to be unleashed. And as he looked at the glowing crystals and the humming machines, he knew that this was just the beginning of his extraordinary journey.