The Awakened is the name given to those that received strange abilities upon surviving "The Event."
It is unknown what they are, or what is the source of them, but their abilities are nothing short of fantastical. These abilities are known as "Abstractions," and allow the user a variety of different abilities that put them above regular human. Every Awakened Abstraction reflects them, or their subconscious, in some way. Someone filled with rage may have fire abilities, while someone who regrets the past may gain time traveling. The powers vary from person to person, but Abstractions extremely extra-normal in nature, almost magical. The Awakened are identified by a series of symbols that appeared on their body. These sigils reflect the user. These sole symbols are known as Sigils, and are only visible to the Awakened. These sigil appear no different from tattoos, tribal tattoos in fact. A lover of nature may have a leaf, or an animal. Or someone who loves sports may have a sigil symbolizing strength. These sigils glow a color whenever a user activates their Abstraction.
In order to Awaken, a person needs to be in a moment where they experience overwhelming emotion - which can either be a traumatic or joyest moment. Afterwards, the sigil will appear on their skin, and they will have access to their Abstraction. The Abstractions can be powerful abilities, but other Awakened seem to have a resistance to the Abstractions of other Awakened. For example, an Awakened specializing in telekinesis wouldn't be able to stop the heart of an Awakened, while they'd be able to easily do it to a regular person. Regardless of the ability. A temporal based Abstraction may find that Awakened are harder to alter in the timeflow. Which means that the Awakened can take quite a beating from each other.
Aside from Abstractions, the Awakened have several abilities inherent to each of them. Each of the Awakened have unlocked potential for reading auras. They are all connected to the world on a completely different level than anyone else, and can thus, perceive through their mind. However, what exactly they can sense is dependant on their personality, as, like their abstraction, reflects the user. Such as a kind person may be able to see the Auras of people in pain, or are injured, or a greedy person may be able to sense money in the vicinity. Through this aura reading ability, the Awakened can sense that object or person through walls, and over long distances. Some Aura reading is capable of gathering specific information. Though, some aura sensing requires activation. No one aura reading ability is the same (There are even some aberrations within aura reading).
There also exists a mental link between all Awakened individuals. This manifests in a telepathic ability that allows them to communicate with each other mentally. They can talk to each other, and possibly send images to each other, but they are unable to read each other's thoughts. They can only hear/see what the others want them to. This telepathic ability goes a bit more in depth. Normally, it is painfully short ranged (around fifteen feet at max), but if the Awakened have formed an emotional bond with each other it is much stronger. They are able to communicate with each other from much farther away. Friends may be able to communicate with each other over four times that, while father and daughter may be able to speak with each other from miles away. This ability to form bonds may even allow them to telepathically communicate with those who haven't Awakened, long as they are attached to each other enough.
Another ability inherent to the Awakened is the ability to see into the past as if they were there. Triggered by being in a certain place, encountering a relevant person or object, or being in a moment of stress, an Awakened may receive a flashback into the past. Better known as Retrocognition, the Awakened will be a third party in this flashback, and will be able to move around in a limited capacity as they watch the scene unfold. After the memory has faded, the Awakened will be thrusted back into the real world with a minimal amount of time passed. In addition, an Awakened may experience these moments while sleeping.
In addition, the Awakened have a higher sensitivity to the Extra-Normal. Meaning that they can sense when something that doesn't belong in their world is nearby. However, it appears as a feeling in their skull that draws them to a particular direction. Feeling stronger the closer the being is. In addition, the Awakened can see the unseen, and abstract concepts. This sensitivity to the extra-normal means two things; they are drawn to it, and it is drawn to them. At the very least, this means that the Awakened are drawn to each other, but this also means they are attracted to the extra-natural elements of their small town.
A peculiar aspect of the Awakened is their reaction to the mountain known as Mount Ever Reaching. When in proximity of the mountain, an Awakened's Abstraction are much stronger. Their limits are broken, and they have access to abilities they normally don't have access to. Such as a telepathic Awakened may be able to dominate the minds of people around them, and telekinetic Awakened can lift up far more. The presence of the mountain also enhances aura reading, and retrocognitive abilities. But, it has an opposite effect. The further away someone is from the mountain, the weaker their powers get. However, long as an Awakened stays within the town limits, their powers should function as normal. Once they begin to leave the city, their Abstraction (and other abilities sans retrocognition) gradually weaken until they return to Farmer Hill. Then they'll regain their Abstraction, Aura reading, and Sensitivity to the extra-normal.
The Awakened are strange, and there's no real explanation for what they are, or where they came from. However, there is still plenty to find out about them...
