Controlled Burn (BxB) (Werewolf)

Chapter 2: The Awakening

The morning came all too quickly for Callum. His alarm blared, yanking him from a fitful slumber. Groaning, he reached out a hand to hit the snooze button, the events of yesterday flooding back to him. He groaned again, louder this time. The strange sensations, the visions of green fire - he'd hoped his burger really was laced with something trippy enough to make him experience everything he did. But even in the harsh morning light, the memory of his new perception was all too real. It wasn't some food contaminant intoxication he could just sleep off.

While may have fallen asleep, he was far from well-rested. He was haunted by vivid dreams of his mother. He saw her in places he had never seen before, and, of course, the mysterious green fire was always somewhere in view. Callum couldn't remember much about his dreams, and his memories faded the longer he was awake as most memories of dreams do. However, some of the feelings lingered, fleeting feelings of sadness and anger.

He got up slowly, every part of his body protesting the movement. It felt as though he'd spent the whole night running rather than sleeping. After rubbing his eyes and stretching his limbs until they trembled, he turned off his alarm and rolled out of bed, beginning his day.

Despite his groggy state, Callum couldn't shake the sensation that something had changed. Everything seemed more vibrant, more alive. The city sounds he'd grown so used to seemed different. Not louder or softer, but there was a new depth to them, a resonance that vibrated through his very being.

A week passed with the same intensity of the sensations. Callum grew used to the overwhelming feelings, learning to focus on one thing at a time to manage the sensory overload. He continued with his daily life, trying to appear normal in front of his foster family and the world, while inside, he felt like a live wire, always buzzing, always on edge.

His interactions with people, plants, even inanimate objects, had all changed. He could feel life everywhere, in everything. It was like discovering an entirely new color in the spectrum, a color that had always been there, but he'd been blind to it until now. And the fire he saw when he first closed his eyes seemed to grow with time. The flames were healthier and more stable. It was like it had fuel and could withstand a little wind. It was no longer a pathetic ember. It was a proper fire now, enough to light a torch.

As overwhelming as it all was, Callum couldn't deny a strange sense of fulfillment. It was like he'd been missing a vital part of himself, and now it was finally in place. The newfound connection he felt to the world around him was both exhilarating and terrifying. It was a part of him, an extension of his being. And as he grew accustomed to this new aspect of his existence, he started exploring it further.

Over time, he could feel something building within his core. He could also feel it within living things. He had to employ Google to come up with a good word to describe it. Was it an aura? A vibe? Chi? The energy of the spirit of life itself? He ultimately decided it wouldn't matter what it was called. It was it. He knew it was there, and, somehow, he knew he could interact with it. All life was connected, so maybe it was another way to connect with other living things.

One day, as he visited a park after work, he focused on a flowerbed at his feet. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and stretched his senses towards the flowers. He could feel the life within them, that same living energy he felt within himself, pulsing in time with the rhythm of the world. He opened his eyes to find the flowers glowing faintly and a soft haze flowed from every petal with each gust of wind. He learned he could do more than just vaguely sense this lifeforce. He could see it too!

Excitement welled up within him, but it was quickly replaced by anxiety. What was even happening? This was beyond anything he'd ever imagined. He'd always felt a connection with nature, but this... this was something else entirely. He had no idea how to proceed. There was no one he could confide in. There was no one he could gloat with about his newfound sensations. He felt so alone despite being surrounded by an abundance of life.