Magni raised his hand, though he didn't know if he could do it, and thought about that moment. He imagined a lightning bolt coiling around his hand. He remembered the anger from that moment. At the same time, he was trying to control it. Lightning and thunder coiled around Magni from his fingers up to his arm. He had succeeded. He had managed to use his Cosmyth. In the dim lighting of the house, the lightning created a very pleasant sight. Beside Thrud's astonishment, his mother's face held a different expression. Although Magni couldn't make sense of this expression, an inner voice told him this wasn't the first time his mother had seen this.
Demeter, "Magni... We need to talk."
"About what?"
"About your father."
Thrud, "Mom, what are you going to talk about my father?"
"Daughter, go up to your room. I'll explain everything to you later," she said and sent Thrud to her room. Magni sat on the grey sofa in the middle of the living room. His mother took off her kitchen apron and placed it on the counter. She came to the living room and sat next to her son. She took Magni's hands into hers.
"Magni, I actually lied to you..."
"What, about what?"
"About your father. Your father was actually a Cosmyth user. Your father commanded lightning and thunder, just like you. Looking at you now, I realized again how much you resemble your father. I hope your fate is better than his."
"You never told me why my father left."
"Your father didn't leave, Magni. He sacrificed himself," she said and took off the heart-shaped gold necklace she had worn for years.
She held the necklace out to Magni. He had asked his mother what this necklace was before, but his mother had always just brushed off his questions. When Magni opened the locket, he felt as if he saw his own future self 20 years later. He saw his father, his long red hair tied in a bun, with a long, braided beard. He had dark blue eyes, just like his own. His mother, Demeter, was embracing his father in front of a snowy house.
"You look so happy in this photo, what happened? Why did my father sacrifice himself?"
"A few days before you were born, the gods came to our door."
"The gods! Did you see them?"
"No, your father told me to take you and run away."
"Then why didn't you tell me these things before, Mom?"
"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would want to take revenge on the gods."
"You were right, my father isn't with us now because of them! Isn't it natural for me to want revenge?"
"It is, but the gods are beings far beyond your imagination. No human has ever even touched them."
"Alright, Mom... I'll give up my desire for revenge for your sake. I don't want to lose you too."
"Thank you, son."
"Wait a minute? You kept saying 'your father,' so are Thrud and I not—"
"Yes, you are not siblings. You don't have a blood connection. She was originally my friend's daughter. When the gods attacked, I heard crying while running. That sound was the voice of Dagmar's daughter, Thrud. Dagmar was crushed under their house but had managed to get Thrud out in front of the house with difficulty. I couldn't leave her there. So I took her with me. The two of you would be like twins. Your red hair, your dark blue eyes. This was true if you resembled your father, of course."
Thrud came out from under the stairs and entered the living room. In a sad tone,
"You're not my mother?"
Her eyes welled up with tears; she had no blood connection to the woman she thought was her mother all these years. Not with her, nor with the man she thought was her brother. Thrud stammered,
"I-I need some air."
"Thrud! Wait, sweetie!"
Thrud, tearful and trembling,
"No, I can't take any more. Please, Mo—"
"Thrud, I'm still your mother, I raised you. I never separated you from my own son. Don't, don't go!"
"I'll be back in an hour or two (sniffs). I'll do my homework when I get back. Don't bother me," she said and closed the door as she left.
Magni hugged his mother.
"You did the right thing, Mom, don't worry. Thrud will understand soon too."
"Ah, I didn't want to upset her. I just wanted to do the best I could and be a mother to her too."
"Don't worry, Mom. Thrud just, how should I put it... didn't expect this. You are still our mother. She'll pull herself together soon. Let's give her some time," Magni said.
"I'm going up to my room too. I need some rest."
Magni went up to his room, changed his clothes, and lay down on his bed. A little sleep would do him good. He fell asleep not long after putting his head on the pillow. It was a peaceful sleep. Until he had a dream. In his dream, he saw the moment he attacked Sol. He didn't actually remember exactly what happened at that moment. His subconscious was making him relive it. He was experiencing the fight from the beginning. The moment he suddenly lunged from where he was and hit Sol. His struggle with his teacher, Aidoneus. Everyone gathering and stopping him together. After seeing all this, Magni woke up to his sister yelling at him.
"What the hell is going on! Why are you yelling?"
"Look at the wall, idiot!"
Magni got out of bed and looked at the wall. There was a huge hole in his room's wall. One of the bedposts was broken, and the nightstand next to the bed had smashed into the bathroom door.
"What happened here?"
"What happened? You were punching left and right in your sleep. I tried to wake you up, but I couldn't even get close to you!"
"You couldn't get close? Was it that bad?"
"You punched a hole through the concrete wall right in front of my eyes, you threw the nightstand, which is almost as big as me, with one hand and smashed the door. Sorry, but I have no intention of dying."
"Sorry, I didn't do it on purpose."
"Maybe I should tell Mom to lock you in the basement."
"Did you make up with Mom?"
Thrud's face fell,
"I wasn't on bad terms with Mom... Magni. What would you do if you were in my shoes? She is my mother, the lack of a blood connection doesn't matter. She raised me. I never realized that I wasn't her biological daughter all these years, and I couldn't have. If my biological mother were alive, maybe she wouldn't have been such a wonderful mother. She loved me unconditionally. She didn't treat the two of us differently."
"I'm glad to hear you say that."
"Anyway, forget this topic; what are we going to do about the wall and the door?"
"No idea comes to mind. The government was giving scholarships to students. Maybe we can repair these with that money."
"I hope they give a good amount."
"Anyway, I'm starving. When will dinner be ready?"
"Come on, I was just coming to wake you up for dinner anyway."
Thrud had taken only a few steps when Magni accidentally used his Cosmyth again. He shot down the stairs with lightning speed from where he was. He tumbled head over heels and hit his back against the wall. His mother panicked,
"Magni! Are you okay? You hit yourself so hard. Should we go to the hospital?"
"Ah, I'm fine. I'm okay, Mom, don't worry."
"Was this Cosmyth thing that powerful? I guess I don't have to worry about you hurting yourself anymore."
"Haha, I guess so. But I still can't fully control it. By the way, Mom..."
"Yes?"
"I destroyed the wall in my room and the bathroom door..."
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
After a slightly heated argument, the family sat down to eat. They researched how much scholarship money Magni would receive from the school. 50,000 drachmas per month. Drachma was the currency of the Greek region. For example, if Magni saved this money for 4 months, he could buy an average car. It was a very good amount. Demeter, relieved,
"At least repairing the wall won't be a problem. Magni, maybe you should stay in the school dorm until you learn to control your power?"
Upon this, Magni said,
"Actually, that might not be a bad decision. After all, I have a dangerous power. I'll talk to Teacher Aidoneus tomorrow. Let's see if he'll let me stay in the dorm."
The family chatted and ate their dinner. Magni told his family about his day. Thrud was slightly jealous. After dinner, the family moved to the living room and sat down. Magni was messaging Urania. They got along well. Magni told her about the wall and the door. Urania asked if he and his family were okay. After talking a little more, Urania asked Magni about his father. She had never heard him mention him. Although Magni now knew the truth about his father, he didn't want to tell her what happened. He had a feeling inside that something bad would happen if he told the truth. So, he said he never knew his father and that he died in an accident before he was born. Urania said she was sorry to hear that and that he could call her if he ever wanted to talk. Magni thanked her for her kind attitude.
The doorbell rang unexpectedly. They weren't expecting anyone. Magni got up to see who it was. When he opened the door, two men in suits greeted him. Newly ironed suits, neatly combed hair, and a few files in their hands. The man on the right, who was taller than the other, asked,
"We came for Mr. Magni Hyperaspis. Is he inside?"
"I am Magni Hyperaspis. What is it?"
The two men scrutinized Magni from head to toe with their eyes.
"May we come inside, with your permission?" the shorter man asked.
"Of course."
The men in suits entered the house. They introduced themselves to the family and stated the reason for their visit.
"We are from the Scandinavian Embassy of the Greek Region. Mr. Hyperaspis, we received notification from your school that you are a Cosmyth user. As a result of being a Cosmyth user, you have been promoted to high-level citizen status worldwide. Congratulations."
"High-level citizen?"
"Yes, sir. Worldwide, Cosmyth users are very valuable treasures. Therefore, unlike normal citizens, you have superior rights."
"What kind of rights are these?"
"Firstly, in court cases, your side has priority. Your cases are concluded much faster than normal. Tax reduction, free and visa-free passage to every region. Your hotel expenses being covered by the World Union, and many other rights. In short, Mr. Hyperaspis, you are no longer an ordinary person. You are one of the government's most powerful weapons. In the event of a possible war or mythical creature attack, you will be expected to intervene as a member of the Cosmo Team," he said.
He handed Magni a new ID card with all sorts of information about him on it. His name, surname, Cosmyth, height, weight, blood type, and address. On the back of the ID card was written "World Union / Cosmo Team - 1st Class." Magni put his ID card in his pocket. After signing dozens of documents, the men in suits wished them good evening and left the house. Thrud,
"Wow, my brother became a high-level citizen," she said with a teasing attitude.
Magni tried not to show that he was annoyed by her attitude. Demeter said to Magni,
"I hope this high-level citizenship isn't what I think it is."
"Why?"
"High-level citizens can do whatever they want. Governments have no right to intervene. Since the gods set this law, no one can do anything about it..."
"Anything? Like what?"
"You can kill people if you want, you can make them your slaves. Of course, the gods might not approve of this attitude and could take your Cosmyth away from you. This has happened before. Magni, you wouldn't be like them, would you?"
"What! No, why would I want to kill someone?"
His mother placed her hand on her son's cheek, saying,
"I raised very good children."
Thrud became emotional. She was trying hard not to cry. Both hugged their mother. Magni said he would go outside to test his powers. After Demeter cautioned him not to be too late getting home, Magni went outside. Their neighborhood was set up on a long, empty road. He tightly laced his shoes, looked up, and gazed at the road that seemed to have no end. He focused his attention on his legs. He prepared to run. He felt the asphalt under his feet electrifying. He started running. He was so fast that it took only a few seconds to break the sound barrier. He tried to jump. The force he applied to the ground cracked the concrete and launched him into the sky. He could see almost the entire region. Magni suddenly panicked. He lost control of his Cosmyth. He went into freefall. The only person who could save him was himself. He had to focus. He had to concentrate. He was approaching the ground faster and faster. If he couldn't do it, his Cosmyth wouldn't matter much. He imagined himself being coiled with lightning. Seconds before crashing into the ground, he used his Cosmyth and protected his body.