Gabriel Reyes: The Awakening (Episode 1)

Prologue: The First Surge

Gabriel Reyes sat in his 9th-grade classroom, tuning out the teacher’s droning lecture about history. His family had recently moved from Oaxaca, Mexico, to Nashville, Tennessee, and everything still felt foreign to him. He was the only Latino kid at his private school, and fitting in had been impossible. But even worse than feeling like an outsider was the feeling inside him—something he didn’t fully understand.

The strange occurrences had begun as subtle things: the flicker of lights when he got upset or the way objects seemed to shift when he was overwhelmed. But today, sitting at his desk, things took an unmistakable turn. His pencil rolled off his desk, but before he could grab it, it floated back onto his desk as if pulled by an invisible hand. Gabriel’s heart lurched, and he glanced around the room to see if anyone had noticed. No one had. They were all too focused on their own things.

He tingled with unease, the feeling like a crawling under his skin. The knot in his chest tightened—a constant presence now, like something twisting deep inside him, ready to snap.

Gabriel quickly shoved the pencil into his backpack, trying to ignore the trembling in his hands. He didn’t know what was happening to him, but he could feel it building, and the worst part was—he didn’t know how to stop it.

Chapter 1: Alone in the Crowd

Lunch was always the hardest part of Gabriel’s day. He sat alone in the far corner of the cafeteria, pushing food around his tray as a dull hum of voices surrounded him. Normally, Jamal would sit with him—his only friend in this sea of faces. Jamal was different too, the only Black kid in school, and in a way, they understood each other. But today, Jamal was absent, and Gabriel felt more exposed than ever.

Gabriel could feel the stares, even if no one was looking directly at him. The clatter of trays, the shuffling of feet, the murmured conversations all felt louder today. His senses were heightened, like his nerves were wired too tightly. His skin prickled under his clothes, and the knot in his chest pulsed harder.

“Hey, Reyes!” a loud voice cut through the noise. Gabriel’s stomach dropped. It was Bradley.

Gabriel kept his eyes down, hoping Bradley would move on, but his hopes were dashed when Bradley sauntered over with his usual sneer. He was the kind of bully who enjoyed finding weaknesses and exploiting them. And Gabriel had become an easy target.

“You too good to eat with us, huh?” Bradley slapped Gabriel’s tray, sending his sandwich tumbling to the floor.

The knot in Gabriel’s chest tightened painfully. He could feel the pulse of anger and humiliation, the heat rising in his face. His hands trembled as he clenched them into fists under the table.

“You gonna say something, or are you just gonna sit there like a freak?” Bradley leaned in closer, his breath hot and sour. His friends snickered behind him, adding to the chorus of taunts.

Gabriel’s breath quickened. The pressure inside him swelled, like a dam about to burst. His vision blurred, and he felt a strange buzzing in his ears. The lights above flickered—once, twice—before exploding in a sudden, violent burst. Glass rained down from the ceiling, and screams erupted around the cafeteria. Kids dove under tables, shielding themselves from the shards.

Gabriel sat frozen in place, his heart hammering in his chest. His breath came in short gasps, and his skin tingled with residual energy. He hadn’t touched anything. He hadn’t done anything. But deep down, he knew it had been him.

Bradley stumbled backward, his wide-eyed expression morphing from smug confidence to fear. “Freak!” he spat before bolting from the cafeteria with his friends trailing behind him.

Gabriel didn’t move. He couldn’t. The knot in his chest was still throbbing, and his hands shook uncontrollably. What had just happened?

Chapter 2: The Stranger

Gabriel rushed home after school, his heart still racing from the cafeteria incident. The echo of shattering glass and the terrified looks on his classmates’ faces haunted him. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something inside him was dangerously out of control.

His father wasn’t home—he rarely was these days. His architecture firm kept him working late, leaving Gabriel alone most evenings. The quiet of the empty house usually calmed him, but today it only amplified the storm inside his chest. He locked the door behind him, leaning against it as his breath came in shallow bursts.

What had he done? How had he done it?

He couldn’t stay still. The knot inside him felt like it was winding tighter, and he didn’t know how to stop it. As he paced the living room, a soft knock echoed from the front door.

Gabriel froze.

He wasn’t expecting anyone. His father wouldn’t be home for hours. He crept to the door and peeked through the peephole.

A tall man in a long, dark coat stood outside, his face obscured by shadows. Gabriel’s heart raced, his pulse thundering in his ears. He didn’t recognize the man, but there was something about him that felt… wrong. It was as if the air around him was heavier, denser.

“Gabriel Reyes,” the man said, his voice smooth and cold. “I know you’re in there.”

Gabriel’s breath caught in his throat. How did this man know his name?

“I know what’s happening to you,” the man continued, his tone calm but unsettling. “You’re not alone, Gabriel. I can help you.”

Gabriel’s mind whirled, panic rising in his chest. How did this man know about him? About the things he couldn’t explain, the things he was afraid to admit even to himself?

His fingers trembled as he backed away from the door.

“I’ll be back,” the man said, his voice fading as footsteps echoed down the hallway.

Gabriel collapsed onto the couch, his body trembling. This wasn’t just in his head anymore. Someone knew. And that terrified him more than the powers themselves.

Chapter 3: The Meeting

The next morning, Gabriel walked to school with dread hanging over him like a dark cloud. The knot in his chest hadn’t eased overnight—it had only tightened. No matter how much he tried to convince himself it was a dream, the truth clung to him. The lights in the cafeteria, the explosion of energy—it was real. He had made it happen. And now someone knew.

As Gabriel rounded the corner to the school gate, his heart skipped a beat.

The man from the night before stood there, leaning casually against the fence. His long, dark coat swayed in the morning breeze, and his cold eyes locked onto Gabriel the moment he appeared.

Gabriel’s stomach churned. His pulse quickened, and the knot in his chest pulsed painfully. He couldn’t face him. Not now. Not ever.

He turned to walk in the other direction, but the man’s voice cut through the air, freezing him in place.

“Gabriel Reyes.”

Gabriel’s body went rigid. The knot tightened, twisting so hard he thought he might pass out.

“You can’t run from this,” the man said, stepping closer. “I told you, I know what’s happening to you. And you need help.”

Gabriel turned slowly, his heart hammering in his chest. “Who… who are you?”

The man smiled, though there was no warmth in it. “My name is Nocturne.”

Gabriel took a step back, the name sending a chill through him. “What do you want?”

“To help you,” Nocturne said simply. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? The power inside you, building up, threatening to consume you. I can teach you to control it.”

Gabriel’s breath came in short, panicked bursts. The knot was twisting tighter and tighter, and his skin felt like it was buzzing. He shook his head, backing away. “I don’t want this. I don’t want any of it.”

Nocturne’s smile faded. His eyes darkened. “It doesn’t matter what you want, Gabriel. This power inside you—it’s too strong to ignore. If you don’t learn to control it, it will destroy you.”

Gabriel’s vision blurred. He felt like the world was closing in on him. The buzzing in his ears grew louder, and the air around him seemed to thicken. He had to get away. Now.

“I don’t need your help,” Gabriel whispered, his voice trembling.

Nocturne’s eyes gleamed, but his tone remained calm. “You will. Sooner or later, you’ll come to me. You won’t have a choice.”

Before Gabriel could respond, Nocturne turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving Gabriel standing there, shaking with fear.

Chapter 4: The Explosion

Gabriel didn’t go home after school that day. He couldn’t. The pressure inside him had built to an unbearable level, and he knew if he went back home, it would only get worse. The knot in his chest felt like a ticking time bomb, and he didn’t know how to stop it from going off.

He wandered the streets, his mind racing, his body tense with the weight of everything that had happened. Nocturne’s words echoed in his head, filling him with dread. “It will destroy you,” he had said. And Gabriel was starting to believe him.

As the sun set, Gabriel found himself standing in front of an old, abandoned warehouse on the edge of town. It loomed over him like a skeleton of a building, its windows shattered, walls covered in graffiti. It was the kind of place no one would look for him. The perfect place to hide from whatever was happening inside him.

Gabriel slipped through a broken door, the cold air of the warehouse wrapping around him. Inside, it was dark, the only light coming from the cracks in the roof, casting eerie beams of twilight across the empty space. He collapsed onto the dusty floor, his breath coming in short gasps as the knot in his chest twisted harder.

The pressure inside him was unbearable now. He felt like he was going to explode. He clenched his fists, his body trembling with the effort to keep it contained.

And then, with a scream, he let go.

The energy surged out of him in a violent wave, shattering what remained of the windows, cracking the walls, and sending debris flying across the room. Gabriel fell to his knees, gasping for breath, his body trembling uncontrollably. The knot in his chest was gone, but in its place was a searing emptiness.

The warehouse groaned under the weight of the explosion, dust and dirt falling from the rafters. Gabriel barely had time to catch his breath before he heard the door creak open behind him.

Nocturne stepped into the warehouse, his eyes glowing faintly in the dark.

“You can’t run from this, Gabriel,” Nocturne said, his voice low, dangerous. “The power inside you—it’s too great. You need me to help you control it.”

Gabriel’s heart pounded in his chest, the emptiness replaced by fear. “I don’t want your help,” he said, his voice trembling.

Nocturne smiled. “You don’t have a choice.”

In an instant, Nocturne lunged at him, his hands crackling with dark energy. Gabriel barely had time to react before the knot inside him snapped again. Another shockwave erupted from him, sending Nocturne flying across the room.

But Nocturne wasn’t finished.

He rose from the rubble, his eyes blazing with fury. “You’re stronger than I thought,” he growled. “But you don’t know how to control it. Without me, you’ll destroy everything.”

Gabriel staggered to his feet, his body shaking. He didn’t know how to fight this, didn’t know how to control what was happening. But he wasn’t going to let Nocturne take that power from him.

“I’ll figure it out on my own,” Gabriel said, his voice steadying.

Nocturne’s eyes darkened. “Then you’ll die with it.”

He lunged again, his hands glowing with dark energy. Gabriel braced himself, feeling the power surge inside him, but this time, he didn’t lose control. He focused, channeling the energy into his hands, and with a scream of defiance, he thrust his palms forward, releasing a blast of raw energy that collided with Nocturne’s attack.

The warehouse shook as their powers clashed, sending shockwaves through the building. Gabriel could feel the strain in his body, but he refused to give in. He pushed harder, the energy burning inside him, until finally, with a final surge of power, Nocturne was thrown back into the far wall, crashing through the concrete with a deafening crack.

The room fell silent. Dust and debris settled around Gabriel as he stood there, panting, his body trembling from the effort. The knot in his chest was gone, and for the first time in weeks, he felt… calm.

Nocturne groaned from the rubble, but he didn’t rise again.

Gabriel took a deep breath, his hands still shaking, but he felt in control now. The power inside him was still there, but it wasn’t threatening to consume him anymore.

As he stood over Nocturne’s fallen form, Gabriel knew that this wasn’t the end. Nocturne had warned him—there were more battles to come. But for now, he had survived. He had faced the darkness inside him and won.

Epilogue

The next morning, Gabriel walked through the quiet streets of Nashville, the early morning sun casting long shadows across the pavement. The events of the previous night weighed heavily on him, but for the first time in weeks, he felt… lighter.

The knot in his chest was gone, and the buzzing under his skin had faded. He didn’t know what the future held, didn’t fully understand his powers yet, but he knew one thing: he wasn’t going to let anyone, not even Nocturne, control him.

As Gabriel approached the school gate, he spotted Jamal waiting for him, a grin spreading across his friend’s face.

“Man, you missed a lot yesterday,” Gabriel said, clapping Jamal on the back. “You good?”

“Yeah. You?”

Gabriel smiled, though the weight of everything still lingered in the back of his mind. “Yeah,” he said. “I’m good.”

Maybe he didn’t have all the answers yet. Maybe there were still battles to come. But at least he wasn’t alone.

And for now, that was enough.