The afternoon sun cast a golden glow over Jonathan's backyard as he and Thomas sat outside, engaged in casual conversation. Their moment of peace was quickly interrupted when Xavier suddenly shot past them, his movements erratic as he chased after Violet and Jason, who hovered in the sky.
"This isn't fair! I can't fly!" Xavier huffed in frustration, teleporting sporadically in a futile attempt to catch up with them.
Thomas arched a brow, watching the boy's antics with interest. "I was wondering what your son's abilities were when I noticed he was gifted," he remarked, turning to Jonathan. "Is teleportation his power?"
Jonathan scratched the back of his head, looking mildly uncertain. "Honestly, I don't know myself."
Aleksander, who had been observing quietly, interjected. "I've seen him manipulate gravity around objects. So I wouldn't say his abilities are limited to teleportation."
Thomas folded his arms. "That's... strange."
Aleksander's next words piqued Thomas's curiosity further. "One thing I've confirmed about Xavier's abilities is that he can manipulate vectors."
Thomas tilted his head. "Vectors? You mean, like, direction and magnitude?"
Aleksander nodded. "Yeah. Try hitting him with something."
Without hesitation, Thomas lifted a finger and conjured a small orb of energy at its tip. He flicked his finger forward, launching the energy ball toward Xavier.
In an instant, the attack rebounded off an unseen force, shooting back at Thomas with terrifying speed. He barely sidestepped it in time, eyes wide with shock.
"What the hell was that?!" he blurted out.
Aleksander smirked. "An invisible vector barrier."
Thomas let out a low whistle. "That's incredible."
Aleksander shrugged. "It is, but he can't control it yet."
"Wait, what? Then how did he just do that?" Thomas asked, bewildered.
"It's not him," Aleksander explained. "His subconscious and those celestial eyes of his do the calculations for him."
To demonstrate, Aleksander casually tossed a piece of paper toward Xavier. The flimsy sheet floated and lightly tapped the boy without any resistance.
Thomas frowned. "What are you doing?"
Aleksander smirked. "His eyes and subconscious analyze everything that comes toward him. If it's not dangerous, the shield doesn't activate."
Thomas's expression shifted to one of amazement. "Ahh, I get it now."
Aleksander continued, "But his shield has three major weaknesses. First, he can't deflect objects without a vector. Second, if he overcalculates, his brain will overheat and the shield will deactivate instantly."
Thomas raised a brow. "That's an odd weakness."
"Tell me about it," Aleksander muttered.
Thomas narrowed his eyes. "And the third?"
Aleksander's grin widened. "The shield activates automatically, meaning it reflects everything. If you time an attack right, reversing its vector on impact, the field will pull the attack toward him instead of deflecting it. In other words, you can turn his own defense into a weakness."
Thomas let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "I shouldn't be surprised that a monster like you figured out a counter to someone's ability."
Aleksander laughed. "To be fair, it's extremely difficult to pull off and requires insane precision."
Thomas crossed his arms. "Still, I bet you've found other ways around it, haven't you?"
Aleksander grinned mischievously. "Of course."
Thomas sighed. "You freak of nature."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Aleksander replied smoothly.
Thomas glanced at Xavier. "I'm guessing his core is the same stage as yours?"
Aleksander shook his head. "No, he's still at the beginner's core."
Before Thomas could respond, a sudden explosion erupted in the distance. A flash of blinding light filled the sky, followed by a deafening shockwave. A massive mushroom cloud rose high above the nearby mountains, blotting out the sky for a brief moment.
Charlotte gasped as the force of the blast sent a powerful gust of wind through the yard, making her hair whip wildly.
Jonathan staggered, shielding his face. "What the hell just happened?!"
Thomas blinked in realization. "Oh... that must be the energy beam your son reflected earlier."
Jonathan whirled around, eyes blazing with anger. "Are you insane?! Why would you fire something that dangerous at my son? Were you trying to kill him?!"
Thomas held up his hands. "Hey, I didn't put that much power into it!"
Aleksander, who remained completely unfazed by the wind, casually chimed in. "Oh, I forgot to mention—any attack thrown at Xavier gets reflected with even greater velocity and power."
Thomas's face twisted in horror. "How the hell do you forget something that important?!"
Aleksander simply shrugged.
As the dust settled and the winds died down, Jonathan dusted off his clothes and sighed in exasperation. "You gifted people drive me crazy with how reckless you are."
Aleksander lowered his head slightly. "Sorry, Father."
Thomas sighed as well. "Yeah, my bad. I didn't mean to put anyone in danger."
Jonathan shook his head. "No need to apologize. Just try not to get carried away when using your abilities."
Aleksander nodded. "Understood, Father."
Thomas chuckled and slung an arm over Jonathan's shoulder. "Come on, lighten up. How about I buy you your favorite meal?"
Jonathan let out a small, reluctant smile. "Alright. I'll take you up on that."