"Everything is made out of energy," Felix said, circling Leo. "Me, you, your family, this building. Anything you can think of."
Leo sat in the center of the lab, the Bracelet pulsing faintly under his skin. It had been three days since the implantation. Three days of Felix running tests, checking Leo's integration with the Bracelet. Now, finally, it was time to begin.
"The Bracelet is just like a conduit," Felix continued. "It channels energy from your body and your surroundings and shape to your will. Your altered body has a huge energy reservoir, which is perfect for using the Bracelet."
"If I have a huge reservoir, then where is it?" Leo said, confused.
"It's in your consciousness."
"My consciousness?"
"Yes." Felix moved quickly to a table in front of Leo. "Now let's start with the easiest form of energy manipulation: Telekinesis."
Leo's eyes widened. "Wait! Telekinesis? Like, moving things with my mind? That's real?"
Telekinesis. Moving objects with thought alone. Leo had seen it in movies, read about it in comics. Something impossible. Fantasy. But with the current advancements in technology and physics, he was starting to realize: maybe impossible wasn't so impossible anymore.
Felix placed a pencil on the table. "Concentrate all your will on this, and try to make it move."
"It's easier said than done," Leo laughed nervously, but Felix stayed quiet. He raised his arm towards the pencil, willing it to move.
Nothing.
He tried harder. Still nothing. He focused harder until his face became red, but still nothing happened.
"Stop." Felix instructed. "You are forcing energy out; that's not going to work. Energy flows, you have to guide it, flow with it."
Leo closed his eyes. He focused on the warmth of the Bracelet. It pulsed once, twice, as if encouraging him. After a moment, he felt it. Energy, more like water through his veins. He pointed it toward the pencil, thinking of moving it…
When he opened his eyes, the pencil was in the air.
"It's… It's floating…" Leo breathed, losing focus and making the pencil fall and clatter on the table. "It floated! I saw it! I did it! I really did it!"
"Amazing job, Leo!" Felix congratulated, petting Leo's head. "That's exceptional! Most subject— energy manipulators I supervised at Alphabet took days if not weeks to barely move something."
"Wait, hold on. There are others like me?"
"Well, not technically like you. They rely on external energy reservoirs and heavy machinery, while you can do it with only your body."
"Oh. Okay, I see…"
"Don't look down on yourself, you did an amazing job! You are special!"
"Thank you." Leo stared at the ground. Those words stirred something inside him. Somehow, he felt less scared, but he didn't know if it was a good thing, or a bad thing.
For the next three hours — thirty minutes outside — Leo made exponential progress. He learned too fast, which his body couldn't handle. In just two hours, he was able to master telekinesis completely; an ability that would take other energy manipulators months or even years to master.
"We still have another three hours to go. Let's move on to something harder." Felix said while setting up a giant container in front of Leo.
"Your next milestone is Stereokinesis, a.k.a solid matter state manipulation." Felix explained from across the container. "I want to focus the ambient energy around you, and the one inside you and shape it into a solid. Let's start with something easy; ice. Its atoms have low kinetic energy."
Leo concentrated, face red, brows furrowed, veins almost popping. He tried feeling the energy just like with telekinesis, but the energy disobeyed. A spark exploded at his palm. He stumbled back, hitting his head on the chair behind him.
"Too much energy output," Felix said, placing an icepack on Leo's head. "You miscalculated the energy required for the process, and you drew too much. Your Coni-veins aren't adapted to this much energy yet."
"Coni-what?! What— OUCH!"
"Just stay still. Coni-veins are a high energy state version of your blood veins that do pretty much the same job, just with energy. They are responsible for channeling energy."
"Yeah… I still don't understand."
"No need. Now let's continue." Felix helped him stand up.
Leo continued training, adjusting with each fail. Adjusting too fast. Too fast…
He was able to make ice, then rocks, then various metals. Each harder than the previous. Felix praised with each success, comforted and guided him with each fail. But the unease was still there…
Leo was learning too fast.
Days blended into weeks, then into months. Leo trained at Felix's lab every single day. The basement became his second home. During which, he made exceptional progress in Stereokinesis, so Felix set up the next milestone.
"You're learning faster than I anticipated," Felix stood before a large steel-reinforced tank, built to contain volatile substances. "Now, we are going to move to you next challenge: Ygrókinesis."
"Yeg… Yag… What?" Leo stepped up beside him, squinting at the tank.
"Ygrókinesis. Or simply, liquid matter state manipulation."
"You could have started with that."
"There's no harm in playing mind games from time to time." Felix chuckled; a warm, genuine sound. It eased something in Leo's chest. It was the first time he'd heard Felix laugh. Really laugh.
Maybe he's not so bad after all.
And that was enough.
"Okay, serious now," Felix composed himself, gesturing to the tank. "Liquids, unlike solids, have a chaotic molecular structure. Their atoms move somewhat freely within a confined volume, which means they require more kinetic energy. Hence, significantly harder to create and control."
"Yeah, yeah. So, what should I do?" Leo said, completely inattentive to Felix's explanation.
"Just try to make some liquid, water would be fine." Felix sighed.
Over the months, Leo had developed what he generously called "techniques" for energy manipulation. He'd started by drawing just enough energy from inside and around, then imagining what he wanted, and voila. It almost worked every time. Almost.
But liquids are no joke. Water was easiest. Simple structure, lower temperature, no complexity. But he wasn't done yet.
Next were oils. Switching from polar to nonpolar molecules. No significant energy change, just the way to handle it. Leo managed to create all sorts of oils and compounds, but it drained him. He didn't know why, and neither did Felix.
"Interesting," Felix murmured, making notes. "The energy cost shouldn't be that high..."
Next, Felix set up a heat-resistant container for his next challenge: Lava. Or generally high energy liquids.
Leo reached for energy, but it wasn't enough. He reached deeper, and deeper, drawing every joule he had in store. His veins burned. His brain lagged. A faint light formed at the palm of his hand, then…
CRAACK!!
Everything went white. Then yellow. Then red. He was sent flying until his back smashed against the wall with a sickening crack. His arms were burnt, his ears ringing, his eyes flashing colors. Felix rushed to his side, shouting for him to stay with him, but Leo heard everything as if he was underwater.
Eventually, Leo woke up. He found himself on the couch near the door. His arms were bandaged, and his head too. Felix saw him and came to him.
"How are you feeling?" Felix asked, a hint of care and something warm in his voice.
"What happened?" Leo tried to sit up. Pain lanced through his ribs. He gasped, falling back.
"You drew too much energy, too quickly. Your Coni-veins couldn't handle it, so it went out in an explosion. Like if you were trying to push a camel through a garden hose. Next time, take your time drawing energy, no one is running after you… well, techni—"
"Don't worry, I understand."
Felix stared at Leo for a moment, then stood up. "That's enough for today. Go home. Have some rest."
Two months passed since Leo started training. Each day surpassing his limits, improving and getting stronger so he could protect his family and friends. Each day, their worried faces haunted him. He wished he could tell them. Could explain everything. Let them help him, be by his side. But he would risk their lives. Risk everything. He lost them when he slept, he couldn't afford to lose them again.
"Amazing job!" Felix congratulated one day, after Leo managed to create a whole liter of acetic acid — basically concentrated vinegar — "I think we can move on to the next stage: Gasakinesis & Plasmakinesis."
"Let me guess. Gas manipulation and… Plasma manipulation?" Leo said, drying his face from all the sweat.
"Exactly," Felix affirmed. "Because Plasma is just ionized gas, we can somewhat combine them into a single stage. Just one is more energy- intensive than the other."
"Cool! So, what do I do?" Leo said excitedly. It was the first time he felt proud of himself since he woke up. All thanks to Felix.
"We can start with simple gases. Try oxygen, or nitrogen."
Gases were the hardest by far. To him at least. No matter what he did — what "technique" he used — he always failed.
It wasn't because of its energy input or output, but rather with his consciousness. He couldn't process gases or plasma the same way he did with other states, as if his mind was scared of them.
When Leo was just six, he was playing with his friends, Liam and Betty. Liam brought some fireworks "illegally", and Leo was the first to try them. But it was a mistake. The flames engulfed him as the fireworks shot up into the sky. He wasn't hurt, but his mind was. Fire is plasma, and Leo doesn't remember that.
Still, after near death attempts, he was able to guide air, or make some light gases, and some tiny low-temperature flames. But it wasn't anything impressive.
Felix noticed that, and every time, he comforted Leo, reminding him of the great progress he had made, and that he would be able to save the world.
…
Months passed, and Leo still struggled with Gasakinesis and Plasmakinesis. But not like before.
His pride grew every day. With each success, he was getting closer to his goal. The same thoughts circling in his head.
I can create matter! That's soooo coooool!!
THIS IS SO UNREAL! I'm making great progress.
I might be able to save them after all… maybe…
But lately, he noticed something off. Felix was acting a bit unwell.
Leo brushed it off at first, thinking that he was just sick or because of his age, but something told him that there was more to it.
"Are you okay? You seem… sick," Leo asked during one of the training sessions.
"I'm fine." Felix waved a hand dismissively. "Just tired. Been working on something lately."
"Maybe you should take a rest. We can skip training if you want—"
"No. We can't." Felix interrupted, his voice sharper than intended. "We can't afford to skip."
"But—"
"Do you think Alphabet is going to wait for you until you're ready? This isn't some movie or fiction where the villain waits for the hero. This is real life. And it's crueler than you could ever imagine."
His words left Leo speechless. Something is definitely wrong. But what is it?
"That's enough," Felix said at the end of that day. "Go home. Next week, we will take a look at your next milestone: Pure Energy."
Leo perked up. "Pure Energy?"
"Yes! But I'm not going to explain now, that's for another day to come. For now, you can go rest."
Leo left the lab with a mix of pride and unease. His smile reaching his eyes — no, his eyebrows — and the Bracelet under his wrist pulsing with warm comfort and encouragement.
Pure Energy, he thought. I'm wondering what it could be?But nevertheless, I am going to master it.
For my family… for Betty…