The scent of warm herbs and leftover porridge still lingered faintly in the hall as Xavier and Alvin made their way downstairs, hands occasionally brushing, glances exchanged with unspoken affection.
Alvin had cleaned up and changed into his usual loose robes, but his hair was still slightly disheveled. He didn't care. Not after everything that had happened the night before. Xavier, in contrast, looked freshly awakened in every sense of the word—his robe replaced with black tactical pants and a snug long-sleeve shirt that probably belonged to Alvin, though it fit too well to complain.
As they turned the corner into the main living space, a buzz of excited chatter met them like a wave.
Everyone was awake.
And not just awake—lively, thrilled, chaotic.
Luis was animatedly waving his hand around, a golden light forming into a thin whip that cracked midair, while Jax kept launching small gusts of wind from his fingers, accidentally flipping throw pillows and tablecloths.
Daniel was scribbling into a thick notebook, muttering, "Temperature consistent, no mana drain… subject exhibits full control over limited combustion…"
Sasha was hovering slightly above the floor. Literally. About six inches in the air, her slippers gently swaying as her hair billowed unnaturally around her.
Alex, meanwhile, had one arm extended—and the entire family coffee table was floating beside him.
The children were in a circle, squealing and showing off. Lily had little green sprouts bursting from her fingertips. Diana was forming small, fragile-looking butterflies made of frost. Leo was surrounded by a faint aura of iron-hard skin, and Ash had stopped blinking entirely while a translucent barrier glimmered in front of his body.
Even Alice, still sitting cross-legged on a cushion, was calmly holding a single glowing crystal in her palm—it hovered silently, turning with precision.
The room was filled with color, energy, movement—and the occasional blast of wind or spark of light.
Xavier blinked.
"…Did we walk into a circus?"
Alvin snorted. "A very undertrained one."
That was when Alex noticed them and turned, a wide smile on his usually stoic face.
"Ah, look who decided to join the land of the living," he said, still levitating the table like it was an apple.
Alvin raised an eyebrow. "Should I applaud or call for a backup healer?"
Sasha floated down gently and landed on her feet, arms crossed and eyes bright. "They all woke up with powers, Alvin. Every single one of us. Some of the kids fainted again when it happened, but now—look!"
She gestured.
And chaos resumed.
Xavier stepped forward slowly, taking it all in.
Even Natasha, standing in the far corner, looked sheepish as she summoned shimmering pink threads between her fingers. "I… don't know what this does. But it's pretty, right?"
Alvin sighed and rubbed his temples.
"Alright, you enchanted lunatics. Everyone shut up and sit down before someone explodes."
They all turned, blinking.
Alvin strode to the center of the room like a professor entering a lecture hall. "You're all excited. I get it. New powers. Evolution. Sparkles and floating furniture. Fantastic."
He turned to face them all. "But let me make one thing clear: if you don't learn control, the next thing you'll do is blow this entire mansion to rubble. And I'll have to start living in a cave again."
Everyone went quiet.
Even the butterflies of frost around Diana stilled in the air.
Xavier coughed into his fist, trying not to smile.
Alvin walked over to the kitchen island and jumped up to sit on it, crossing his legs. "Now. Before we get into training schedules and who's banned from touching the antique vases—let's get a head count. One by one. Tell me what you can do."
He pointed at Luis first.
Luis perked up. "Light whip! I can manifest it and control its shape."
"Elemental manipulation—light subtype," Alvin nodded. "Useful. Try not to accidentally blind anyone. Next."
Jax raised his hand. "Wind. Gusts. I can do tiny tornadoes."
"Air affinity. Control is key. Do not whirl yourself off a cliff."
Daniel spoke up next. "Combustion-based bursts. Not full fireballs, more like—detonations the size of a fist."
"Localized ignition. Dangerous. We'll need to check if you have cooldown time."
Alice held up her hand. The crystal orb hovered again, slowly spinning.
"I can feel locations through this. And people… their presence. It's like echolocation but sharper."
Alvin's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "Sensory enhancement with mana-linked projection. Very rare. You'll be our radar."
Alex levitated the table again. "I can manipulate objects with my mind. Doesn't seem tied to weight."
"Telekinesis. Classic. Do not try lifting anything heavier than a truck for now."
Sasha smiled. "I levitate myself. And maybe others, if I touch them."
"Gravitational suspension. Floaty grandma. Noted."
Natasha held up her glowing pink strings. "No idea what this is."
Alvin walked over and touched one gently. The moment his fingers brushed it, a wave of emotional memory hit him—pain, fear, love. He yanked his hand back.
"Memory threads," he muttered. "You can extract and bind emotion into form. That's dangerously unstable. Do not use it unsupervised."
She gaped. "I can what?"
"Later."
Then came the children.
Lily: "I made plants grow from a crack in the wall!"
"Botanical summoning. Basic green affinity."
Diana: "Ice. Like… butterflies?"
"Cryo manipulation. Focus more on form. You're leaking too much essence."
Leo: "I don't get hurt. Like my skin got hard."
"Reinforcement affinity. Good for tanking."
Ash: "I don't blink."
Everyone blinked at him.
Then a barrier formed in front of his face again.
"Ah. Instant defense field. Passive shield activation. That's… fantastic."
Yiso floated slightly. Not like Sasha, more like she was walking without gravity.
"Buoyancy manipulation," Alvin murmured. "You might be able to shift mass. Intriguing."
Mina: "I see little sparkles."
Everyone stared.
She giggled. "They're fast! I follow them and then something fun happens!"
Alvin stared hard. Then his eyes widened. "You… you're following probability strings. That's chaos logic. She's… guiding herself toward favorable outcomes."
Xavier finally spoke. "So… she's lucky?"
"Unnaturally so."
Mina giggled again. "I found a chocolate bar under the couch!"
Xavier whistled lowly. "We're keeping her."
Alvin raised a hand. "Alright. You've all got powers. And no one's dead yet. That's good."
He stood.
"Now we begin phase two. Training. Discipline. Understanding your limits."
He pointed at Daniel. "You'll help me organize skill tests."
Then at Natasha. "You'll make sure the kids don't light each other on fire."
Luis raised his hand. "What about me?"
"You'll mop if someone pukes."
Luis: "...Fair."
Xavier chuckled and leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "And me?"
Alvin's eyes gleamed. "You? You're sparring with me."
Xavier's smile grew. "Thought you'd never ask."