Jim barely remembered the rest of the school day.
Everything felt like it was happening behind a pane of glass—muffled, distant, irrelevant. Teachers droned. Papers rustled. People talked and laughed. But Jim? He wasn't really there. Not mentally. Not anymore.
He was somewhere between who he used to be and something new he didn't understand yet.
The system was real. The template was real. And every second, he could feel it humming beneath his skin. Like a motor idling in his veins, waiting to be revved.
By the time the final bell rang, Jim had already made a decision.
Instead of going straight home, he headed in the opposite direction—toward the quarry on the edge of Arcadia.
It wasn't far, maybe twenty minutes if you cut through the woods behind the school. Most kids stayed away from it since the whole place was technically off-limits and partially fenced off. But Jim had been here before. Once, years ago, when he and Toby had tried to build a secret fort and ended up getting chased off by a raccoon the size of a small dog.
Now, the quarry was exactly what he needed: isolated, quiet, and empty.
Perfect for testing Abilities.
He climbed over the rusted fence and dropped down into the gravel with more ease than he expected. His knees bent smoothly. His body adjusted like it had done it a hundred times.
Jim stood there a moment, the gray sky above casting long shadows over the scattered rocks and half-buried machinery. He dropped his backpack by an old pile of cinder blocks and pulled off his hoodie. The air was cool, but he didn't feel cold
He rolled his shoulders and flexed his hands.
Okay… let's see what you can do.
The first thing he noticed was how light he felt.
He jumped experimentally—just a quick hop—and landed with a thud. But the hop had taken him nearly six feet into the air. His eyes widened. That was… not normal.
"Whoa."
He backed up, took a breath, and ran forward in a straight line. His legs pushed off harder than they ever had before, and suddenly he was sprinting—really sprinting. Rocks blurred beneath his feet. Wind whipped past his ears. He felt the world narrow to a tunnel of movement and instinct.
Then a boulder appeared in front of him.
Jim didn't have time to stop.
His foot slammed down. He launched upward—and cleared the thing in a clean vault, flipping midair before landing with a skid.
He stood there, chest heaving. "Okay… that was awesome."
[Template Activity Detected – Captain America (Tier 1)]
Strength, Reflexes, and Agility Engaged.
Mastery Progress: 4%
The words shimmered briefly in the air, then faded.
Jim grinned. So that's how it works. Use it, grow it. He couldn't deny the rush in his chest—the thrill of pushing his body and watching it respond with more than it ever had.
But there was more to test.
He grabbed a fist-sized rock and squeezed it. His fingers dug in like it was soft clay. Pebbles cracked and spilled from his palm.
Jim stared.
Not enough to punch through steel or anything, but it wasn't normal strength either. He was still himself… just upgraded.
He threw the rock—hard. It shot like a missile and smashed into a rusted metal beam at the quarry's edge, denting it with a metallic clang.
Jim's smile slowly faded as the reality began to set in.
This was real. Dangerous real.
He looked at his hands. What happens if I lose control? What happens if someone sees me do this?
He breathed deeply through his nose, trying to calm himself.
The last thing he wanted was to hurt someone.
Or end up in some government lab.
As the sun dipped lower behind the hills, he knew he had to go home. It wasn't late, but if his mom got back and found the house empty, she'd worry. Probably call Toby. And that was the last thing he wanted—especially with the amulet still pulsing quietly in his hoodie pocket.
He grabbed his stuff and climbed back over the fence, walking quickly through the woods.
His mind was still buzzing. The potential was there, just beneath the surface—but so was the fear.
By the time Jim got home, the sky had turned lavender. His mom still wasn't back, which gave him time to shower, change, and clean up the leftover breakfast dishes she'd left in the sink.
He caught a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror again.
Still taller. Still broader. The changes weren't going away.
He looked… older. Like he'd grown a year in a day.
Later, sitting on his bed in the fading light, he finally pulled the amulet out and placed it on his nightstand. It sat there, perfectly still, glowing faintly with a soft blue light.
"Alright," he whispered. "I don't know what you are, but I'm in this now."
The text returned—unprompted this time.
[Template: Captain America (Tier 1)]
Progress: 4%
Template Unlock Threshold: 100%
Next Template: Unknown
Compatibility: Stable
Cognitive Sync: 87%
Mutation Risk: 0%
Jim frowned. Cognitive sync? Mutation risk? He hadn't seen those stats before.
So there were risks. Maybe not now. Maybe not at Tier 1. But if there were higher levels—stronger templates—what would they do to him?
Would he still be Jim by the time this was over?
The house was silent that night.
His mom came home late, exhausted and distracted. She kissed his head, barely noticing the change in height or build, then collapsed into bed after a microwaved dinner and a few sleepy words.
Jim stayed up.
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, the soft hum of the amulet a quiet heartbeat in the dark.
He had powers. He had a system. He had potential.
But with that came something else—a responsibility he hadn't asked for.
This wasn't just about being stronger. It was about what came next.
Because the system hadn't just given him a template.
It was preparing him for something.
And deep down, Jim already knew...
The world was about to change.