Leo's mind raced as he saw Kane and Liam taking aim, stones clutched in their hands. How did I get here? he thought. These are the guys I could proudly call my brothers. And here they are, hurling rocks at me like I'm some target practice dummy!
As the first stone flew, Leo ducked just in time, his mind a mix of fear and disbelief. I don't know what's crazier—that they're actually doing this, or that I agreed to it in the first place! He dodged another stone, barely keeping his balance. "Testing reflexes," they said. Right! If these so-called 'brothers' knock me out, who'll explain it to Sophie?
With every rock they tossed, Kane and Liam looked like they were trying to help him "unlock" his powers, but Leo wasn't feeling anything remotely powerful—just pain.
"Are we sure this is working?" Liam asked, a little skeptical after seeing no improvement in Leo's reflexes.
"Nope! But I'm feeling pain everywhere, so thanks for that!" Leo grumbled, rubbing his shoulder where the last stone had hit.
Kane's shoulders slumped a little as he looked down at the ground. "Maybe the prism didn't do anything special to us, after all."
They turned and began heading back to their usual spot by the oak tree. The disappointment in Kane's steps was obvious, and for a moment, even Leo felt bad for not living up to their high expectations. But as they reached the tree, Liam's face lit up with an idea—something terrible, yet oddly tempting.
He kept his plan to himself, staying quiet as they walked. Kane led, with Liam in the middle, and Leo—still nursing his bruises—dragged his feet at the back. Then, without warning, Liam whipped around, his expression sharp as he hurled another stone directly at Leo.
This time, it was different. No playful toss or easy lob. The stone whistled through the air with full force.
Leo's heart stopped. They were just fooling around, right? No way Liam would actually throw one this hard— His mind reeled as he saw the stone speeding toward him. Everything around him seemed to slow down, Kane turning back, his shout echoing, "Liam, are you crazy?!"
The sound faded in Leo's ears as his eyes zeroed in on the stone. He could feel it—some strange, electric spark deep inside him, something stirring awake, like a hidden instinct. And then, in an instant, it was as if his senses sharpened, his vision honing in on the stone with a surreal clarity. Golden light flickered across his eyes, casting a glow over his normally brown irises.
With a fluid, almost effortless motion, Leo dodged the stone, feeling a rush of power pulse through him as he sidestepped out of harm's way. He glanced up, catching the wide-eyed looks on Kane and Liam's faces. For once, they were speechless.
Kane broke the silence first. "Dude…how did you do that?"
Leo opened his mouth to answer, but before he could get a word out, Liam chimed in with a learned tone, his gaze fixed thoughtfully on Leo. "It's possible that the sudden threat of real danger triggered an adrenaline spike, amplifying Leo's instincts and allowing him to tap into a hidden reflex. In high-stakes situations, fear and survival instincts tend to engage abilities in ways that simple practice can't. Essentially, it's the presence of an imminent threat that unlocks the potential we might otherwise be unable to access." Liam adjusted his stance, looking quite pleased with his analysis.
Leo stared at him, not entirely sure what Liam had just said, but happy enough to bask in the fact that he'd finally done something impressive. "So… I'm faster than I thought?" he asked, still grinning at the memory of his golden-eyed dodge.
Kane and Liam exchanged excited glances, both nodding. They'd found the key to unlocking their abilities, and now it was just a matter of doing the same for themselves. The realization had them all grinning.
But as they considered their next steps, Leo's smile twisted into something altogether mischievous. He crossed his arms, an eyebrow raised. "Now, boys… there's still the matter of testing your abilities. You got to throw rocks at me; now it's my turn to help you 'unlock your potential.' And trust me…I have plenty of ideas."
Kane and Liam both took a step back, glancing at each other with a tinge of nervousness. This time, it was their turn to worry as Leo's evil grin widened, a whole list of payback methods already forming in his mind.
______
The rest of the day was one of Leo's finest hours—or at least, he thought so. He had lined up a series of "exercises" that he claimed would unlock Kane's and Liam's abilities. First, he had them attempting to dodge mud clods he was gleefully flinging their way while pretending to be a mysterious villain named "Mud Master."
"C'mon, Kane, this is life-or-death stuff! Use your power or get mud in the face!" Leo cackled, sending one mud missile after another. But the most Kane got was a lot of grime and a bruised ego.
Then came the "Killer Ladder" exercise. Leo made them climb an old, wobbly ladder while he threw softballs at their backs. "If the fall doesn't bring out your power, then I don't know what will!" he shouted. It didn't. It just left them with sore backsides and the certainty that Leo had a twisted imagination.
By late afternoon, Leo's antics grew wilder—and a little more dangerous. He tried throwing sticks, balancing bricks precariously over their heads, and even challenging them to dodge imaginary "laser beams" he created by swinging sticks around. Yet, despite all the madness, nothing had worked to bring out their abilities. Liam's theory was that their brains recognized Leo's ridiculous ideas, so there wasn't any real threat involved. Without that genuine fear, nothing could unlock their latent powers.
In between the chaos, they took breaks to rest, sprawled out on the grass and brainstorming for ideas. But each attempt only led to another failure and a whole lot of laughter. Eventually, the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the field, and they realized it was time to head home. Mrs. Elduige, their ever-watchful guardian, had given them a strict evening curfew, and none of them dared push her limits.
As they strolled back toward their part of Veridan, they turned down a busy street that stretched along the heart of the city. Here, buildings loomed on both sides, adorned with sleek tech displays and glowing signs that created a warm, electric hum in the evening air. Despite the advancing night, the street was alive, filled with people who seemed just as vibrant as the city itself.
Amid the crowd, three kids on skateboards zoomed into view, each of them using their abilities to enhance their tricks. One kid had jets of water propelling him forward, his board skimming the ground as though on a liquid highway. Another used bursts of air to lift himself a few feet up, spinning in mid-air before touching back down. The third skateboarder, a girl, created short flashes of electricity beneath her board, gaining an insane burst of speed with each spark.
The three boys couldn't help but join the crowd that had stopped to watch, eyes wide as the skaters leapt, spun, and zoomed through the air. For a moment, Leo forgot his day of pranks and simply admired the ease with which these kids wielded their powers. "Man, imagine what we could do if we had that kind of control," he murmured.
Just as the girl went to pull off a complicated mid-air twist, she miscalculated her landing. With a crash, her board spun out, hitting a pole that was sent barreling toward Kane, Leo, and Liam. The world seemed to slow again, but this time it was Liam's turn. He felt a familiar, golden spark in his vision, a strange sensation flickering inside him. Instinctively, he threw up his hands, and for a brief moment, a kinetic field formed around him—a nearly invisible shield of energy. The pole slowed in mid-air before landing harmlessly a few feet away.
The boys stared, jaws dropped, but the bystanders around them didn't seem phased. Just another day in Veridan. Powers like these were commonplace, after all.
As they resumed their walk home, each of them was grinning from ear to ear, recounting the day's successes and failures. Kane was especially quiet, but Leo clapped him on the back. "Don't worry, Kane. Tomorrow, it'll be your turn to unlock whatever amazing ability you've got."
"Yeah," Liam added with a chuckle. "Just… maybe no more 'Mud Master' routines, alright?"
Laughing together, they ambled back home, heads full of plans for the next day. They were bruised, exhausted, and hadn't quite achieved what they'd hoped for, but they were closer than ever. And that small taste of power made them all the more determined to find out what Kane could really do.