章 11: Magic?

~ Omniscient Pov, The Next Day ~

The early morning air was cool and crisp, a faint mist lingering over the dew-covered ground. The only sound breaking the silence was the steady rhythm of Alex's breaths as he pushed through his final set.

"4998... 4999... 5000!!"

Alex shifted his weight effortlessly, balancing on the tip of his index finger for a moment before flipping back onto his feet. He wiped the faint sheen of sweat from his brow, though it was more from the humid air than exertion.

He glanced at the holographic clock hovering nearby, its soft blue numbers reading 5:00 AM. A grin spread across his face. Perfect timing, he thought.

His eyes drifted to the bed across the room where Ben was still fast asleep, sprawled out beneath his covers. His steady snores filled the otherwise quiet room. Alex just chuckled softly. "You're missing out, lazybones," he muttered, shaking his head.

For Alex, this was the best part of his day. The world was still, the demands of the day hadn't yet begun, and his body was well primed up, buzzing with energy he was only just beginning to understand as of late...

As he stretched, his muscles rippled in perfect synchrony, their definition far beyond what a teenager's body should've been capable of. His physique had changed drastically in just a few months—leaner, denser, stronger. He couldn't quite explain it, but every movement felt easier, more precise, as though his body were a finely tuned machine that suited his every need.

He looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers. The calluses he'd once earned through countless push-ups and pull-ups were gone, replaced with skin that seemed to heal overnight. He barely felt fatigue anymore; even when he pushed himself, his recovery was almost instantaneous. He was glad for that.

"Alright, time for the run," he mumbled, grabbing his shoes.

~ Outside, Moments Later ~

'Mhmm, nothin' beats this...'

The world outside was drenched in the soft glow of pre-dawn light... Alex stepped onto the dirt path that snaked through the woods, his bare feet brushing against the cool ground. He bent down, tightening the laces of his running shoes, and took a deep breath.

This wasn't just a jog anymore—it was a ritual for him at this point.

He took off like a shot, his feet barely making contact with the earth as he ran. Each stride felt effortless, his body moving in perfect harmony with his surroundings. The trees blurred past him, their branches swaying in the gentle morning breeze... He loved morning like this

His mind wandered as he ran, a thousand thoughts flickering in and out of focus. He thought about last night—about Max and Carter's hushed conversation when they thought no one else was listening. He hadn't caught all the words, but their tone had been serious, almost fearful, 'What were they so worried about?' He thought.

And then there was the way they looked at him after that, like they were watching and waiting for something to happen. It wasn't just concern—it was definitely something deeper than that, something they weren't planning to say out loud, at least not yet.

Instead, he pushed much harder, his speed increasing. The forest air rushed past him, cool and invigorating. Despite the growing tension around him, he felt alive out here, as though the act of running itself was helping him unlock some hidden potential.

At one point, he stopped abruptly, skidding to a halt in a clearing. He crouched down, pressing a hand against the earth. He had already ran hundreds of miles at this point...

The ground beneath him felt alive, every grain of dirt registering in his palm. He could sense the vibrations—subtle, faint tremors he couldn't have noticed a few months ago. He closed his eyes, his senses suddenly sharpening.

A squirrel darted up a tree nearby, its tiny claws scraping against the bark. The faint rustle of leaves above told him a bird had taken flight. He could feel it, all of it...

He opened his eyes, his breathing extremely steady.

'Ok... What the hell is happening with me?'

~ Back at the House ~

The sun had started to rise by the time Alex returned. His morning run had stretched longer than he intended, but he felt no real fatigue, only a faint vibrations in his veins. He stopped by the porch and leaned against the railing, catching his reflection in the window.

He barely recognized himself anymore... His face was much leaner, sharper, and his once-skinny arms now carried a wiry strength. His legs, clad in running shorts, were relatively thick, powerful and sinewy, built for speed, power and endurance.

Ben stumbled onto the porch moments later, still groggy and rubbing his eyes. "You're insane," he muttered, eyeing Alex's sweat-slicked frame. "Who wakes up at 5 AM on purpose?"

Alex smirked. "Some of us like to use our mornings for more than sleeping."

Ben rolled his eyes and stretched, his joints popping audibly. "Whatever. I'll still beat you at sparring later."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "You can try," he said, his grin widening.

Ben shrugged, heading back inside to hunt for breakfast. Alex remained on the porch, his smile fading as his thoughts turned inward again.

He flexed his hand experimentally, clenching it into a fist. His strength was growing every single day, but so were the questions. Whatever was happening to him wasn't natural, which was obvious; However, he was feeling as if his growth was getting, better. And judging by the looks Max and Carter had been given him, Alex was pretty sure they definitely knew more than they were letting on.

*Sigh~*

Fwish!

Woom!

'Huh?' Alex could hear faint sounds coming from the back of the house, which was interesting, since he doesn't recall his senses being that keen, but he digressed for now, opting to ask his little friend instead, "Hey Ben, you hear that?"

Ben shrugged as he grabbed a piece of toast, his expression a bit nonchalant. "Nope, didn't hear a thing. Maybe it's just the wind."

Alex narrowed his eyes, his senses still and literally prickling with awareness. 'The wind doesn't sound like that.' he thought. He could still hear it faintly—soft, rhythmic, and… off. It wasn't the random rustle of leaves or the distant chatter of birds. It was almost deliberate, melodic, as if someone were weaving sound itself into patterns.

Ben was already halfway through his toast, his attention fixed on rummaging through the fridge. Alex sighed and stepped off the porch, curiosity pulling him toward the back of the house.

~ Behind the House ~

Alex rounded the corner, his curiosity growing with every step. The faint sounds he'd heard earlier—the fwoosh and woom—were much sharper now, carrying that almost rhythmic quality to it. As he approached the clearing, he crouched low, instinctively staying hidden.

What he saw made his jaw drop.

Gwen stood in the center of the clearing, her back to him, moving her hands in graceful, deliberate patterns. But it wasn't the movements themselves that stopped Alex in his tracks—it was what was happening around her.

Glowing symbols, intricate and otherworldly, floated in the air, shifting and pulsing with a life of their own. They weren't static; they moved as if responding to her gestures, each stroke sending trails of shimmering light into the space around her. The energy danced in the air, forming shapes Alex couldn't understand, but they felt... purposeful.

His heightened senses picked up more than just the sight of it. The air itself felt charged, like standing near a power line, and every time Gwen completed a motion, a faint vibration hummed through the ground.

"What... the hell?" Alex muttered under his breath, his voice barely above a whisper. He was genuinely surprised. He never saw it up close before, he had heard carter telling him that Gwen could use magic, but later explained that it wasn't magic in the truest sense either.

The sound of his voice must have carried, because Gwen suddenly stiffened. The glowing symbols vanished instantly, leaving only the faint scent of ozone in the air. She spun around, her eyes wide with surprise—with even a hint of fear.

"Alex?" she said, her voice pitched slightly higher than usual. "What are you doing back here?"

"What am I doing here?" Alex took a step forward, his eyes still fixed on the spot where the symbols had been. Even having been warned prior, was still incredulous... "What are you doing here? And what was all that—glowing, buzzing... stuff?!"

Gwen Sighed... Knowing what this meant.

"Alright... This is going to be a little long of an explanation..." She said.

Alex smiled, "If it ends with me learning what ya' just did, I'm all ears lil miss."