The morning sun peeked through the small window of their room, casting a soft glow on the cluttered space. Kane was the first to wake, stretching his arms and feeling a slight soreness in his muscles. His mind drifted back to the strange events of the night before—the surge of energy, the prism, and, most importantly, the mysterious system that had appeared before him.
He blinked a few times, expecting the translucent screen to pop up again. But nothing came. With a deep sigh, he glanced at Leo, who was snoring loudly on the opposite bed, his limbs sprawled in every direction. Liam, as usual, was already stirring, his calm demeanor in contrast to the chaos that usually followed their trio.
"You awake?" Kane whispered, sitting up.
Liam nodded, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah. Was just thinking about last night… what was all that?"
Kane shrugged, still trying to make sense of it himself. "I don't know. But something's definitely different. I felt stronger yesterday—like something was awakened in me. You felt it too, right?"
Liam frowned slightly. "Yeah, a little. Nothing major, just sharper reflexes. But you had that… screen, didn't you? The system?"
Kane nodded, his expression thoughtful. "It felt like it was connected to me. I can't explain it, but it's like something inside me got activated."
Before they could delve deeper, a loud snore interrupted their conversation. They both glanced at Leo, who was drooling onto his pillow, completely oblivious to the world around him. Liam rolled his eyes.
"Should we wake him up?"
Kane smirked. "You handle that. He'll probably wake up complaining about his dream Sophie anyway."
Liam gave a half-smile, picked up a pillow, and tossed it straight at Leo's head. It hit him with a soft thud, causing Leo to jolt upright, blinking in confusion.
"Huh? What? Where's Sophie?" Leo mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Did she ask me out yet?"
Kane chuckled. "Nope. But we need to talk about last night. Do you remember what happened after the prism zapped us?"
Leo scratched his head, still half-asleep. "Yeah, yeah. We got powers or something. I'm faster now—like, seriously fast. But I don't know what it all means." His eyes widened suddenly. "Wait, did Mrs. Elduige catch us sneaking in? Did we get in trouble?"
Liam smirked. "You knocked over a vase and face-planted into a wall, remember? And yes, we're in trouble. We'll probably get a lecture later."
Leo groaned, flopping back onto his bed. "Ugh. Can't we deal with one disaster at a time?"
Kane stood up, stretching. "Let's clear our heads. I say we hit the park, think things through."
Liam nodded in agreement. "Good idea. We need to figure out what's happening to us. But first, let's get dressed."
Just as they were about to move, the door creaked open, and a familiar voice called out, "Breakfast time, boys!"
It was Sophie, standing in the doorway with a bright smile. Leo froze, his face turning crimson. He sat up too quickly, fumbling for words. "Uh, uh… Sophie! Hi! Uh… breakfast… yeah, we'll be right down. Uh, you look… I mean, good morning?"
Sophie giggled, raising an eyebrow at Leo's awkwardness. "Good morning to you too, Leo. Don't take too long, or Mrs. Elduige might eat all the food." With a teasing smile, she turned and left.
Leo sat there for a moment, his mouth still hanging open. "Did… did Sophie just talk to me? Like, actual words? And she smiled!"
Kane and Liam exchanged amused glances.
"Yep," Kane said, pulling Leo out of his daze. "She talked to you. Now let's go before you start drooling."
Leo stumbled out of bed, his mind still racing as he tried to make sense of Sophie's sudden friendliness. "Guys, did I stutter? I didn't stutter, did I? I totally kept it cool, right?"
"Sure, buddy," Liam said, patting Leo on the back as they headed downstairs. "You were super smooth."
As they entered the dining area, they were greeted by the sight of several children from the Haven, all seated at various long tables, separated by age groups. The older kids, like Kane, Leo, and Liam, sat together, while the younger ones chattered away at their own table across the room. The smell of fresh bread and eggs filled the air, and Kane's stomach rumbled.
At the head of the room, Mrs. Elduige sat with her arms crossed, her sharp gaze immediately locking onto the boys. She gave them a look that could melt ice, a clear warning not to repeat their late-night escapade.
Leo winced as they passed her, and he gave a small wave. "Good morning, Mrs. Elduige!"
She didn't respond, just raised an eyebrow in silent reprimand.
Once they were seated, Leo's mind drifted back to Sophie. She was only a few seats away, talking to some of the other girls. Unable to resist, Leo turned toward her, trying to strike up a conversation.
"So… uh, Sophie," he began awkwardly, his voice a bit too loud. "I was just wondering… d-do you, um, come here for breakfast often?"
Kane nearly choked on his bread at the ridiculousness of the question, and Liam had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. Sophie, to her credit, didn't seem to notice how strange the question was.
"Well, I live here, so… yes, I come for breakfast every day," she said with a smile.
Leo nodded, his face turning red again. "Right, right! Of course! That makes sense. I-I mean, we all live here, right? So, uh, breakfast… daily ritual and all…"
Sophie giggled, seeming amused by Leo's nervous rambling. "You're funny, Leo."
Leo's brain short-circuited at the compliment. "I-I am? Oh, well, yeah, I guess I'm pretty hilarious when I try—"
Before he could embarrass himself any further, Kane and Liam intervened.
"Okay, Leo, let's not keep Sophie from her breakfast," Kane said, grabbing Leo's arm and pulling him back. "We've got to head out after we eat, remember?"
"Yeah, park plans," Liam added, nodding seriously.
Leo blinked, still dazed from Sophie's attention. "Oh, right. The park. Uh, yeah… okay…"
They hurriedly finished their breakfast, with Leo casting a few more glances in Sophie's direction. But Kane and Liam were quick to drag him out of the building before he could dive deeper into his awkward attempts at conversation.
As the boys stepped outside into the warm morning sun, Leo let out a dreamy sigh. "Did you guys hear that? She said I'm funny!"
Kane rolled his eyes, laughing. "Yeah, that's great, man. Now can we focus on the fact that we might have abilities?"
Liam patted Leo on the shoulder. "We'll celebrate your 'funny' achievement later. For now, let's figure out what the prism did to us."
With that, they made their way toward the park, ready to unravel the mystery of their newfound abilities.
—---------
The boys strolled toward the park, the cool morning breeze brushing against their faces. Normally, they would have taken their skateboards, zooming through the streets with reckless abandon, but today wasn't a day for distractions. They were too focused on what had happened the night before.
"Why didn't we bring our boards again?" Leo asked, glancing down at his feet.
"Because the last thing we need is you flying into another tree," Liam replied, smirking. "You know, after your last attempt at impressing Sophie."
Leo grumbled but didn't argue. He knew Liam had a point. There was too much on their minds to worry about staying balanced on a board.
The park was peaceful this time of day. The trees, tall and imposing, provided a canopy of shade over the wide grassy area. Families were scattered across the field, children laughing as they ran around or played with small balls. A few benches lined the perimeter, but the boys headed straight for their usual spot—a large oak tree, its gnarled roots twisting out of the earth, providing the perfect resting place.
They sat down in a circle on the bare grass, backs leaning against the sturdy trunk. Kane absently ran his fingers over the tree's rough bark, lost in thought.
"So, how exactly are we going to figure this out?" Leo broke the silence, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, it's not like we can just, I dunno, ask if we've got abilities."
Liam folded his arms, narrowing his eyes in thought. "I've been thinking about it. You remember the prism, right? The way it felt?"
"Yeah," Kane nodded. "Like a jolt of energy. But that doesn't explain why it happened. Or how."
"Well, hear me out," Liam said, his voice calm and logical as always. "What if the prism was an Essence stone?"
Kane raised an eyebrow. "An Essence stone? You mean like the ones people use to draw out energy with the help of power hubs?"
"Exactly," Liam said, nodding. "But instead of needing a hub, maybe we were able to draw out the energy directly from it."
Leo blinked, looking between them. "Wait, you're saying we got zapped with abilities because we touched an Essence stone? Without any tech?, that's impossible, scientists say it's impossible."
"That's the theory," Liam said with a shrug. "It's possible the energy reacted to us. It might explain why we're feeling stronger. But we need to test it."
Kane stared at the ground for a moment before looking up. "If that's true… maybe I can bring up that screen again."
Leo's eyes widened. "You mean the system thing? That weird screen you saw?"
"Yeah," Kane said, concentrating. "I don't know how I did it last time, but… maybe if I focus…"
He closed his eyes, trying to feel that same surge of energy from the night before. He pictured the screen in his mind, willing it to appear. But after a few minutes, nothing happened. The space in front of him remained empty.
Kane let out a frustrated sigh, opening his eyes. "Nothing. It's not working."
Leo, who had been half-paying attention, was now staring off at the children playing in the park. A group of boys kicked around a soccer ball, laughing as they tried to outmaneuver each other. His mind drifted, wondering what it would be like to not have a care in the world, to just play without worrying about Essence stones, systems, or weird powers.
Meanwhile, Kane and Liam were still deep in conversation, their voices growing more animated.
"There's gotta be another way," Kane said, frowning. "We can't just give up because I can't bring out the screen."
"We won't," Liam replied, his tone sharper now. "We need to be methodical. Maybe it takes a trigger—a certain situation or emotion."
"Or maybe we just haven't tapped into it fully," Kane countered. "What if it's like muscle memory? The more we push ourselves, the more it'll reveal."
Liam considered that, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "That could work. But we need to test it in a controlled way."
At that moment, they both fell silent, turning their heads in unison to look at Leo. He was still watching the kids play, completely unaware of the sudden shift in their conversation.
Kane and Liam exchanged a glance, identical mischievous smiles creeping onto their faces.
Leo, finally sensing the quiet, glanced back at his friends. He froze when he saw their expressions.
"Uh… guys?" he asked slowly, already getting a bad feeling. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Kane's grin widened. "You know exactly why."
Leo's eyes narrowed. "No. No way. I know that look. That's the look you two get when you want to make me some kind of test subject. It's not happening."
Before he could protest further, the scene changed in an instant. Leo found himself standing near a large tree on the other side of the park, his heart pounding. He looked around in confusion, realizing that Kane and Liam were now a few feet away from him, each holding a stone in their hand.
"Guys, no!" Leo protested, holding his hands up in defense. "This isn't what we talked about!"
But it was too late. Kane and Liam had already made up their minds.
"We're just testing your reflexes," Kane said, his tone almost casual.
"Yeah," Liam added with a grin. "You said you felt faster. Time to prove it."
Leo's eyes widened as he glanced between them and the stones in their hands. "You're actually going to throw those?! At me?!"
Kane and Liam nodded, their smiles widening.
"Ready, Leo?" Kane said, tossing the stone up and down in his hand.
Before Leo could make another protest, Kane took aim, and the first stone went flying.