Morning arrived slowly.
The storm had finally passed.
Sunlight pushed through the clouds.
The world looked normal again.
Unfortunately, none of them were.
Zeven hadn't slept.
Not really.
Every time he closed his eyes he saw the black lightning.
Every time he looked at his hands he remembered the feeling.
The power.
The energy.
The impossible.
It was still there.
Waiting.
Silent.
Hidden beneath his skin.
He could feel it.
And that terrified him.
The house was unusually quiet.
When Zeven entered the kitchen, he found Matthew already awake.
Sitting at the table.
Drinking coffee.
Looking exhausted.
Matthew raised an eyebrow.
"Sleep?"
"No."
"Same."
A few minutes later the others arrived.
Dak looked like a corpse.
Kael looked annoyed.
Ozias looked thoughtful.
Nobody seemed rested.
The silence lasted almost thirty seconds.
Then Dak slammed both hands on the table.
"Alright."
Everyone looked at him.
"We're testing it."
Matthew sighed.
"Testing what?"
Dak pointed directly at Zeven.
"Him."
Silence.
"We need answers."
"We have a human thunderstorm sitting in front of us."
"And nobody is asking questions."
Ozias nodded.
"For once."
"I agree with him."
Kael nearly choked.
"Those words should never exist together."
Dak smiled proudly.
"Write down the date."
Even Zeven laughed.
And for the first time since awakening...
Things felt normal.
Almost.
A few hours later they found themselves deep inside the forest.
One of their usual places.
Far away from people.
Far away from roads.
Far away from questions.
The perfect place to do something stupid.
Which meant Dak loved it.
"Alright."
"Shoot lightning."
Zeven stared at him.
"That's your plan?"
"Yes."
"Just shoot lightning?"
"Correct."
"Amazing."
Dak bowed dramatically.
"Thank you."
Kael picked up a rock.
"Focus."
He tossed it toward Zeven.
Instinctively Zeven caught it.
The stone exploded.
CRACK.
Dust fell to the ground.
Everyone froze.
Zeven stared at his hand.
The rock was gone.
Completely gone.
Dak slowly blinked.
"Well."
"That's concerning."
For the next hour they tested everything.
Strength.
Speed.
Reflexes.
Endurance.
And every result was ridiculous.
Zeven ran faster.
Jumped farther.
Hit harder.
Reacted quicker.
He wasn't human anymore.
Not completely.
The realization settled heavily over the group.
Nobody said it.
But everyone thought it.
Then came the lightning.
The real test.
The one everyone feared.
Zeven stood in the middle of a clearing.
Trees surrounded him.
Wind moved through the branches.
The others stood several meters away.
Just in case.
Zeven closed his eyes.
Nothing happened.
He focused harder.
Still nothing.
Minutes passed.
Frustration grew.
"Maybe I can't do it."
Matthew shook his head.
"You did it last night."
"Yeah."
"Accidentally."
"Then stop trying."
Zeven looked at him.
Matthew shrugged.
"Every time it appeared."
"You weren't thinking."
The words lingered.
Zeven remembered the bathtub.
The storm.
The fear.
The emotion.
Not concentration.
Emotion.
Slowly he clenched his fist.
He thought about the pain.
The confusion.
The fear.
Nothing.
Then he remembered something else.
Matthew flying backward.
The possibility that he had hurt him.
A sharp feeling exploded inside his chest.
And suddenly...
CRACK.
Black lightning appeared.
The forest went silent.
Tiny arcs danced across his arm.
Alive.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The power crawled over his skin.
Growing stronger.
Growing unstable.
And for the first time...
Zeven realized something.
The lightning wasn't responding to his thoughts.
It was responding to his emotions.
The stronger he felt.
The stronger it became.
Which meant something very dangerous.
If he lost control...
The lightning would too.
And somewhere beyond the world they knew...
A pair of unseen eyes finally turned toward Earth.
The black lightning slowly disappeared.
Silence remained.
The clearing felt different now.
Heavier.
The air still carried the scent of burned wood.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The five boys stared at the black marks carved into the ground.
Proof.
Real proof.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't some strange illness.
This wasn't imagination.
The power was real.
Dak was the first to speak.
As usual.
"Well."
He pointed toward the destroyed patch of earth.
"I officially take back every joke I've ever made about you."
Zeven raised an eyebrow.
"Every joke?"
Dak thought for a moment.
"Most jokes."
"That's better."
A few laughs escaped the group.
The tension eased slightly.
Only slightly.
Because the reality remained.
Zeven had changed.
And nobody understood what that meant.
Matthew looked toward the blackened ground.
Then toward Zeven.
"You noticed it too, didn't you?"
Zeven already knew what he meant.
"The emotions."
Matthew nodded.
"The stronger you felt something..."
"The stronger the lightning became."
The smile disappeared from Zeven's face.
He remembered the feeling.
The fear.
The anger.
The panic.
The lightning hadn't listened to commands.
It had listened to him.
To what he felt.
That realization was dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because Zeven wasn't exactly known for being calm.
Dak suddenly laughed.
"Oh we're doomed."
"What?"
Asked Ozias.
Dak pointed dramatically at Zeven.
"Brother gets angry because somebody looked at him wrong."
"Now imagine angry lightning."
Nobody answered.
Because unfortunately...
Dak had a point.
Even Zeven couldn't argue.
Kael crossed his arms.
"You need control."
"I know."
"No."
Kael shook his head.
"You REALLY need control."
The seriousness in his voice surprised everyone.
Especially Zeven.
Kael rarely sounded worried.
Yet now he did.
The group slowly began walking back through the forest.
The conversation never really stopped.
Ideas.
Questions.
Theories.
None of them had answers.
Only possibilities.
As they crossed a small stream, Dak suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
A grin slowly appeared on his face.
The kind of grin that usually meant trouble.
"Oh no."
Matthew sighed.
"Oh yes."
Dak pointed toward the river.
"No."
Said Ozias immediately.
"Absolutely not."
Dak ignored him.
His eyes locked onto Zeven.
"Jump it."
Silence.
Then Kael started laughing.
Matthew shook his head.
Ozias covered his face.
And Zeven smiled.
The old Zeven smile.
The dangerous one.
Dak pointed again.
"Do it."
The river wasn't enormous.
But it wasn't small either.
Nearly ten meters across.
Fast moving water.
Sharp rocks below.
Definitely not safe.
Which was exactly why they were considering it.
"You're an idiot."
Said Matthew.
Dak grinned.
"Correct."
Zeven looked at the river.
Then at Dak.
Then back at the river.
A challenge.
The one thing he could never resist.
"Oh no."
Matthew muttered.
"He has that look."
"What look?"
Asked Ozias.
"The stupid look."
Too late.
Zeven was already walking backward.
Preparing.
Dak began laughing.
"YES."
"NO."
Shouted Matthew.
Zeven sprinted forward.
The ground exploded beneath his feet.
His body launched through the air.
Far higher than expected.
Farther than expected.
Everyone's eyes widened.
For one glorious second it looked perfect.
Then Zeven realized something.
He had jumped way too far.
"Oh."
Was all he managed to say.
Before crashing directly into a tree.
BOOM.
Leaves exploded everywhere.
Silence.
The four boys stared.
Then Dak fell to his knees laughing.
Matthew doubled over.
Even Ozias couldn't stop smiling.
Kael nearly choked.
A branch slowly fell from above.
Landing directly on Zeven's head.
Nobody survived after that.
The entire forest echoed with laughter.
For the first time since the awakening.
For the first time since the bathroom.
For the first time since everything changed.
They felt normal again.
Not because the fear was gone.
Not because they understood what was happening.
But because they were together.
And as long as they were together...
Maybe they could face whatever came next.