The day had barely dawned, and the first bluish hues appeared on the horizon, contrasting with the darkness that still lingered inside the house. Cael, in his twenties and with his usual introspective expression, sat on the sofa, immersed in the glow of his laptop. He hadn't used it in months. An old model, a veritable "transformer" modified by Cael with parts and cables that looked like a technological work of art.
Cael navigated the dark web, a digital underworld he mastered, searching for information about his mother, Carolina Seraphyne. Much of the information was already available on regular websites, while other parts were just rumors. But many of these rumors pointed to a single fact: Carolina Seraphyne had changed her identity. Nothing he didn't already know, but no conclusive proof of his mother's connection to the missing senator. Nothing beyond the similar face that haunted him.
He decided to leave that research for another day. The subject was too heavy to delve into alone. That's when he hears someone coming down the stairs. It's Maya.
She stops on the last step, her thin, slender body covered by an oversized sweatshirt that made her look even more fragile. She comes face to face with Cael, who has his back to her, still seated, and can't help but feel ashamed of what happened that morning. The silence between them, once comfortable, was now a burden.
"Did you sleep well?" Cael asks, surprising Maya, his voice low and neutral, without turning around.
"Yes..." she replies, her voice still hoarse from crying. "Look... I'm sorry about yesterday. I... I don't know what came over me," Maya tries to explain, the shame evident in her voice.
"There's no need to explain. It's normal for dualists who awaken their second power later in life to also experience a kind of 'berserk' state. You don't have to apologize," Cael explains, his voice still dry, trying to be practical and technical to avoid the emotional weight of the situation.
"That wasn't it..." Maya insists, taking a hesitant step toward him. "It was about me hiding... about... you know." She says, her voice almost inaudible, unable to verbalize the trauma.
"No need to apologize. I pushed it a little too hard. I didn't know it was that serious," Cael says, the words coming out as a formality.
I know why you did it. I went too far that day... I shouldn't have done what I did.
"I agree," Cael says dryly, the word like a cold blade. He finally turns his head and looks at her, his deep dark brown eyes showing a weariness that the early morning of struggles and confessions has cost him.
Maya shrinks back, Cael's expression affecting her more than any words. She remains silent for a few seconds, her hands nervously clenching the hem of her sweatshirt.
"Forget about it. Pretend it didn't happen," Cael says, turning to his laptop, closing the subject as if it were a computer file.
Maya felt a tightness in her chest. "Pretend it didn't happen"? After everything? The outburst, the crying, the confrontation, the truth laid bare? For him, was it really that simple? She realized he was trying to protect himself, not her. The fear of dealing with his own pain was what drove him. Cael's coldness hit her harder than any punch. She couldn't pretend nothing happened.
"I don't know if I can... I don't want things to go back to the way they were," Maya says, a hint of melancholy in her voice.
"That won't be possible," Cael says.
Cael's dry tone makes Maya feel a little downcast.
"It's pure logic that things will be different. What I was suggesting was that we forget about these problems. Stirring them up even more won't help," Cael concludes.
"Seriously?" Maya asks, letting her surprise show, and a glimmer of hope in her emerald-green eyes.
"Yes," Cael confirms.
Maya can't contain her emotion and moves to hug Cael, but before she can touch him, her body is stopped in mid-air by telekinesis.
"Don't exaggerate," Cael says, his voice slightly restrained.
Right after Cael said that, Nina arrived in the room, still sleepy. She approached, her long, straight black hair in a childish tangle, and hugged Cael.
"Hey! Why can Nina do it and I can't?" Maya asks him, pouting, her sadness mixed with comical jealousy.
"You didn't take a shower," Cael says, as he sets Maya down on the ground.
"Nina doesn't either. And I don't stink," Maya says, discreetly sniffing herself. She notices Cael fiddling with something. "What is this monstrosity?"
"My notebook," Cael replies.
"This looks Jurassic. Is it what? Ten years old?" Maya asks, with a slight tone of skepticism.
"Fifteen," Cael replies quickly.
"Fifteen??? How is that still working?" Maya asks him again, quite surprised.
This model came with the ASD Rayven 9 processor.
— I know... the one that caught fire.
"Yes... But it was too powerful for the cooling system that existed at the time, which is why it caught fire. ASD recalled all the notebooks and processors it had sold and refunded the customers," Cael recounts, his voice both technical and informative.
"Wait. Wasn't ASD that computer company that went bankrupt? I thought it went bankrupt because of the creation of cyberspace," Maya says, looking confused, her mind trying to connect the pieces.
"What is cyberspace?" Nina asks, looking at Cael, her large, expressive eyes focused on him.
"Cyberspace is a compact dimension that carries all the information and data in the world. It's also where all devices, regardless of which company manufactured them, meet to exchange data and interact, creating a global technological ecosystem," Cael explains, his voice returning to its more technical tone.
"Cael, I think you've overburdened Nina..." Maya comments, seeing the girl's confused expression.
Cael looks at Nina, and she seems to have overheated her brain, her little mouth in a small "o" and her eyes slightly vacant.
"It's the home of the internet," Cael simplifies, even if that explanation is partially wrong, but it's enough for Nina.
"I understand!" Nina says excitedly. Cael pats Nina's head.
"Okay. Getting back to what I was saying. The creation of cyberspace forced several companies from different sectors to integrate into a single point. On the one hand, this meant that companies couldn't create their own ecosystems; on the other hand, it made them more creative in order to retain customers," Cael continues his explanation.
"Okay, but... what does this have to do with your notebook?" Maya asks.
— I'll get to that eventually. During the early years of cyberspace, some companies still tried to resist it. One of them was ASD. Cyberspace could process data better than the processors of the time, which meant that even with weaker processors, companies like LETNI, VIDIA, and Hypertech, which had embraced cyberspace, had products with better performance than ASD's, even if their processors were less powerful. ASD's last card was the Rayven 9, which promised to have processing power equal to its competitors, without depending on cyberspace. The problem is that the executives were in such a hurry to give an answer to the market that they forgot to test the processor beforehand. Some say that the engineers had warned the executives, but were completely ignored. Regardless of the truth, the damage was already done. The processor exploded, some human customers suffered lasting effects, which led ASD to recall all its products containing the Rayven 9, refund the money, and compensate the injured humans. All of this was costly for ASD, and even with the relaunch, reducing the power and embracing cyberspace, consumers no longer trusted the brand, leading to their bankruptcy. — Cael explains, the story sounding like a tale of technological failure.
"Okay, I understand. They reaped what they sowed. But then why do you have a laptop with a Rayven 9?" Maya asks, even more curious.
"ASD's promise wasn't empty. The Rayven 9 really is very powerful. In fact, it's more powerful than they thought. The problem was the cooling system. They would have to submerge it in liquid nitrogen for it to have a good operating temperature. Well, that was before they created the Eternal Frost liquid. The temperature is so low that it's capable of freezing almost anything instantly," Cael explains, his voice now with a touch of fascination. Nina lets go of Cael and heads towards the kitchen.
"Isn't Eternal Frost for military use?" Maya asks, confusion on her face.
"It's not prohibited for civilians, it's just not commercially available because the military keeps its formula secret. But I came close to creating one, and it's serving me well," Cael says, and this surprises Maya with how much of a genius he is.
"You created an Eternal Frost? Inside your room?" Maya asks him skeptically.
"It's not Eternal Frost, but it's something close. I put it in a special liquid cooler that I created. It needs to circulate very quickly throughout the system, otherwise it freezes everything. Of course, during use. When I'm not using it, it's stored in a container specially made for it. But, because of the materials I use for cooling, every time I finish using it, I have to change the entire cooling system. The high circulation speed of the liquid only delays the inevitable and allows me to use the computer for at least an hour."
"What have I been missing all these years? Since when are you a genius?" Maya asks, her voice heavy with a mixture of admiration and regret.
"Since the day I was born. I was just too busy trying to be normal," Cael replies, a hint of irony in his tone.
Suddenly, a loud, childlike voice is heard coming from the kitchen.
"Guys! What happened to the kitchen wall?" It was Nina, quite surprised by the hole in the wall, a very visible consequence of last night's fight.
Cael and Maya go to the kitchen, he with his usual calm demeanor, and she, quite nervous, the blush still visible on her cheeks.
"What happened to the wall?" Nina asks again, putting her hand on her hip and making a mischievous face with a very cute pout.
"She looks cute when she wants to seem mature. Wait. Why did I think that?" Cael thinks, a pang of unease running through him before he pushes the thought away.
Maya looks at Cael, as if asking what to do.
"They were..." Maya was about to tell the truth, but Cael ran her over.
"They were goblins," Cael said, in his usual monotonous tone, which made it seem like the absolute truth.
"Goblins? I knew it! They're so evil!" Nina says, crossing her arms and pouting angrily, completely convinced by Cael's story.
— Aaahhh! You're so cute, Nina! — Hana exclaims, immediately hugging Nina. — It's so nice to wake up and get a dose of cuteness in the morning.
"When did you get here?" Maya asks, surprised by Hana's sudden appearance.
"She had already gone downstairs before Nina woke up. She just listened to our conversation hidden in the hallway," Cael answers for Hana, who blushes , her amber eyes widening slightly at the thought of Cael noticing.
"Besides... You seem happier than usual. What happened?" Maya asks again, noticing the slight glint in Hana's eyes.
"Nothing. I'm just happy that my two children finally sorted things out. Now, that issue is over. Now, we'll have to figure out a way to clean up the mess the goblins made," Hana says, giving a slight wink that Cael and Maya understand.
"I'll call someone to fix it," Cael suggests.
"And how are we going to pay for it? I don't even know if my savings will be enough for a kitchen renovation," Hana says, her worry evident in her voice.
"You're not going to pay anything. I'm going to pay," Cael says, his tone cold but firm.
They all look at Cael, a little surprised.
"I might even question where you'd get the money from, but after you created an Eternal Frost inside the room, I don't doubt anything anymore," Maya comments, a slight smile on her face.
"I thought about asking too, but you're the one who pays the household bills. But are you sure? Won't it end up being too expensive?" Hana asks.
"That I don't know," Cael says.
"What?" they all say in unison.
"I've never done a renovation budget. I don't even know how much the builder, or the company that's going to do the renovation, is going to charge," Cael says, in his usual cold tone.
"Well... that's true," Hana says. "But let's forget about that for now. I'm going to make breakfast."
"There's no gas," Cael warns, his neutral voice cutting off Hana's attempt.
"What do you mean?" Hana asked, surprised by the information.
"The... I mean, the goblins, when they broke through the wall, also damaged the gas pipe. Because of that, I had to seal it to prevent a leak," Cael explains.
"Evil goblins!" Nina exclaimed.
"So, what do we do?" Hana asks.
"I've already ordered breakfast," Cael says.
Right after Cael said that, the doorbell rang.
"Wow, that was fast," Maya commented.
"I already asked, shortly before you woke up. Actually, he's two minutes late," Cael says.
Time passes and the four of them are having coffee at the dining table, the smell of scrambled eggs and bacon hanging in the air. The scene, despite the hole in the wall, seemed the most normal thing in the world, which was the strangest thing of all.
"Cael, you mentioned that dualists tend to go into a berserk state when they awaken their second power. I don't remember learning that in school," Maya comments, her technological curiosity overcoming her trauma.
"You didn't sign up for that class. It was a small class, since nobody's interested in the mysteries of superpowers," Cael says.
"Ah. So that was the name of the class. But explain more to me. Now I'm curious," Maya asks, resting her chin on her hand.
"What I can tell you is that not all dualists enter a berserk state after awakening their second power. Only those dualists who awaken a mystical-class power do," Cael explains, his voice becoming more technical.
"What do you mean? Mystic class?" Maya asks, showing considerable curiosity.
Nina and Hana also start paying closer attention to what Cael is going to say.
"Well, in our society, we're usually separated into three types: humans, those who possess powers but whose bodies are fragile; Superhumans, those who possess powers and more resilient bodies; and mutants, but they're not the focus of this discussion right now. We, the Superhumans, because we have more resilient bodies, have stronger powers than humans, and therefore, throughout our existence, our powers have evolved, as if nature were testing our limits. That's how, after centuries of evolution, the first Superhumans emerged with powers that science, at least that of the time, couldn't explain. These powers fell into the Mystic class, a class created for powers that didn't yet have an explanation of how they worked. These Mystic class powers cause a kind of berserk state in dualists, triptychs, and prismatics." Cael was about to continue the explanation, but is interrupted by Nina.
"Wait! What are these dualists, trip...trip...triti...ah, those names you mentioned. What are they?" Nina asks, her curiosity piqued, and the difficulty in pronouncing "triptych" makes Maya and Hana barely hold back their laughter.
— Dualists are those who possess two powers. Triptychs have three powers. And prismatics have more than three powers, possibly four or even hundreds of powers. — Cael explains.
"Does anyone have hundreds of powers?" Nina asks, with great enthusiasm and curiosity.
"No. It never existed. There are only records of two prismatics in history, and they didn't have more than five powers. But science says it's possible for someone to be born with hundreds, although it has never happened. And, currently, we have at most a few triptychs," Cael explains.
"Great," Nina says, her voice filled with admiration.
Cael gets up, his breakfast seemingly forgotten on his plate.
"By the way, Nina. You have a test on Monday. I need to train you, since you can't control your power," Cael says, then heads for the stairs to go to his room. "Let me know when you're done eating."
Hana and Maya exchanged glances, a mixture of surprise and joy. He, the man who had always been closed off and reluctant to interact, was now voluntarily offering to train his younger sister. They were finally becoming a real family.
More time passes. The backyard still showed marks from last night's battle: the kitchen wall with an irregular hole, the tiled floor with spiderweb-shaped cracks, and the grass trampled in several places. Cael and Nina are in the center of the yard. Maya and Hana decided to observe the training, since it's not every day you see Cael teaching someone.
Nina is wearing a different outfit than usual for training: a light red tank top and practical, loose gray sweat shorts. Her black hair is tied in pigtails, a hairstyle Cael helped her create. She's a miniature fighter, with a glint of excitement and nervousness in her eyes.
"I want you to show me your power," Cael asks, his voice monotonous and serious.
"But it's going to hurt," Nina says, a little apprehensive.
"You won't get better if you don't let it hurt a little," Cael states. Even with his cold tone, his words are firm, like those of a mentor who knows the importance of pain for growth. This filled Nina with courage to face this barrier. She truly wants to get better and wants to honor her brother's effort, who stopped everything to teach her.
Nina prepares to launch her optic blast.
"Throw it at that tree," Cael said, pointing to the tree about five meters to Nina's right. It was the same tree Cael had broken with the impact of his body the previous night.
Nina nods and aims at the target. She hesitates for a few seconds, but finally decides to do it. She takes a deep breath, places her feet parallel, and aims at the tree. Her eyes glow an intense ruby red just before she unleashes the blast. A burst of intense red energy shoots across the yard towards the tree, leaving a trail of destruction. Nina can't withstand the force of the recoil and is thrown back, falling on her back to the ground, still with her power active. With that, Nina's optic blast pierces the sky, piercing the clouds like a red pillar rising to the heavens. Maya and Hana are very impressed by what they have just seen.
"It's much stronger than I thought. I never imagined a six-year-old child could have so much power. Without instruction, this power will end up hurting her," Cael thinks.
Nina manages to stop her blast, but she's still on the ground. Maya and Hana try to help her, but they are stopped; their bodies won't move. Again, Cael uses his power to paralyze them both. Nina, with difficulty, gets up.
" There," she says, as she stands up.
"You have no basis for comparison," Cael remarks.
"I know... I've never trained before," Nina says, looking a little downcast.
"That's not what I was talking about. You left your feet parallel, which leaves you without a stable base. You need to place one foot slightly behind the other," Cael explains, as he approaches Nina.
"Which foot?" Nina asks.
"The one in front is the most stable; the one behind needs to be a support. Both need to be firm," Cael instructs, and Nina follows Cael's command.
Nina decides to put her right foot forward and her left foot back. Cael corrects the position with his telekinesis, improving the angle.
"You also need to bend your knees a little. You'll need to lower your center of gravity to improve your stability." Cael tries a more technical explanation, but remembers that Nina doesn't know what "center of gravity" is. "Just lower it a little."
Nina ducks down, but she ducks down too low. Cael corrects her with his telekinesis.
"Don't throw it all at once, throw just a little. When you feel it's going to fall, stop, steady yourself again, and throw it again. Got it?" Cael instructs Nina, who nods in agreement.
Nina prepares herself once more, this time following Cael's instructions. She takes a deep breath and launches the blast in the same direction as before. This time, the duration was short, only a few seconds, but she was still dragged a few centimeters back, though not knocked down.
"That's it! Good job, Nina!" Maya exclaimed, having broken free from Cael's telekinesis. Hana clapped her hands, very excited.
"You surprised me. I didn't think you'd catch on so quickly," Cael says, placing his hand on Nina's head in a gesture of affection.
Nina laughs, flattered by her brother's compliment.
"She really caught on to the idea very quickly. I thought she was going to unleash the optic blast for longer." Cael thinks.
"Very well, Nina. Now, you need to rest," Hana says, concern evident in her voice.
"No. I want to learn more!" Nina says, very enthusiastically.
"Well, we haven't even had thirty minutes of training. Maybe I could teach you how to fight," Cael comments, a slight smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"I don't know if I agree with that. She's very young, I don't know if more intense training is good for her," Hana expressed her worried opinion.
"She's a superhuman. Even though she's young, she's already stronger than most adult humans. Besides, it won't be intense. I've had some ideas on how she can use her powers efficiently in combat. It'll be simple," Cael explains.
Despite some reservations, Hana accepts Cael's decision.
"So, what do I have to do?" Nina asks.
"Did you notice that your power still pushed her back, even with a firm base?" Cael points out.
"Yes!" Nina confirms, nodding affirmatively as she answers.
"So, how about you use that to your advantage?" Cael suggests.
Nina looks at Cael with a confused expression, her face furrowed in disbelief.
"If you can control the power of the bursts, you can control how much you want to slide. Understand?" Cael explains.
"Yes!" Nina exclaimed enthusiastically.
Maya approaches Hana and says:
Did she really understand? I thought it was too technical for a six-year-old.
"I don't know... Cael seems to have seen something we didn't. Let's just observe for now," says Hana, who then observes Cael and Nina more closely.
"Let's see if you really understood." Cael uses his telekinesis to grab a ball of dirt and throw it at Nina. She can't dodge and gets hit, getting a little dirty.
"Hey! Why did you do that?" Nina complains, a little annoyed.
"If you don't want to get dirty, you'd better dodge," Cael says, with several little balls of dirt levitating around him, looking like a video game boss.
He throws another dirt ball at Nina, who jumps to the side to dodge it. Cael stops the dirt ball in mid-air, causing it to hit Nina.
"Use your power to deflect it; the evaluation you'll get at school will be about your powers, not your physical conditioning." Cael says, throwing another dirt ball towards Nina. This time, Nina uses her optic blast and hits the dirt ball, destroying it. But she is thrown backward, having forgotten about her base.
She gets up, determined, and another dirt ball comes towards her. She takes a stance and hits the dirt ball, destroying it once again, and going back a little, but not falling. But it seems Nina understood something. Cael throws another dirt ball towards Nina, who, to everyone's surprise, doesn't aim her blast at the ball, but at her left side, making her slide to the right, dodging the ball thrown by Cael.
Everyone is very surprised, but Cael shows a small smile of pride for Nina.
"Very well. Now that you understand." Cael raises a few more earth balls. "If you can touch me, dodging all the balls with your power, I'll take you to the amusement park after your evaluation on Monday."
"Seriously?" Nina asks, very excited.
"Yes," Cael confirms.
"Good luck, Nina!" Hana says.
Nina gets ready. She can't help but express a certain excitement, but she focuses on what she has to do. Cael starts throwing the balls, but now he throws them more than once. She manages to dodge some, but is hit by others and she stops, as if she'd lost the game. Even with her stopped, Cael hits her again.
"Why did you stop? Even if you get it right, the game only ends if you give up. Do you want to give up?" Cael says, even provoking Nina a little, and testing her as well.
Nina raises her head and prepares herself, a flame of determination in her eyes.
"I'll assume you want to continue." Cael raises a few more balls of dirt.
He continues this "training" with Nina, throwing the balls while she tries to dodge them. She fails several times, but with each new attempt, she manages to dodge more balls and get closer to Cael. But at one point, when Nina is 5 meters away from him, Cael decides to increase the difficulty by increasing the speed at which he throws the balls.
Even so, Nina doesn't give up. She tries and persists for quite some time, until she collapses exhausted on the floor, breathing heavily.
"Okay. Let's take a break," Cael says.
"No!" Nina exclaims. "I'm not going to give up!" Nina says, still very breathless.
"It's not giving up, it's a pause. Besides, it's almost lunchtime," Cael comments.
"I've already ordered lunch. It should arrive in twenty minutes," says Maya.
"Great! Go ahead and take a bath with Nina." Hana says, a mischievous smile on her face.
"What? Why do I have to shower with Nina?" Maya asks.
"Because I know you didn't shower this morning, and if you leave it for later, you'll end up going the whole day without showering," Hana explains.
Maya looks at Cael, expecting some kind of defense, but Cael simply turns his face away.
"Hey! You should defend me!" Maya exclaims.
"And you should take a shower," Cael replies.
Cael's response makes Hana and Nina laugh. Maya ends up losing the argument and joins Nina to take a bath.
"I'm going to take a bath too," Cael says, turning and heading towards the forest.
Hana decides not to say anything, since she knows there's a waterfall deeper in the forest. She decides to go inside, sit on the living room sofa, and watch television while she waits for lunch to arrive.