Chapter 2: Sparks of Power

Levi watched as Jake stood up, stretching his arms out and rolling his shoulders like he was about to dive into something big. The way Jake moved always had a sort of casual confidence to it, like he didn’t need to prepare, didn’t need to second-guess himself. Levi had always admired that about him, but today, it made his stomach tighten with worry.

Jake’s hand twitched slightly, his fingers flexing, as if they were trying to grasp something invisible in the air. The sun cast long shadows over the street, the sky turning from golden to a deepening shade of purple. The evening was creeping in, and with it, a kind of tension that Levi couldn’t shake.

“What are you doing?” Levi asked, standing up slowly, his eyes fixed on Jake’s hand.

Jake didn’t answer right away. His eyes were focused on something in the distance, a look of concentration on his face that Levi wasn’t used to seeing. It wasn’t the playful, carefree look Jake usually had. It was something more intense, more serious.

“You’re about to see,” Jake finally said, his voice low. “I’ve been practicing this for weeks.”

Levi frowned, stepping closer to his friend. “Practicing what?”

Jake turned to him, a grin breaking through the intensity. “My powers, man. I’ve figured out how to control them. How to make them do what I want.”

Levi’s heart skipped a beat. “Control them?” His voice was cautious, and his unease only grew as he processed Jake’s words. He had seen Jake mess around with his powers before—little sparks of energy that flickered in his hands, tiny bursts of light that never seemed to amount to much. But the idea of Jake controlling that energy, shaping it into something bigger… that was new. And honestly a bit scary.

Jake nodded, his grin widening. “Watch this.”

Before Levi could protest, Jake’s hand shot out, and a spark of light crackled from his fingertips. It was small at first, like a flicker of static electricity, but it quickly grew, stretching out from his hand in a glowing arc. The air around them seemed to hum with energy, and Levi could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

“Jake…” Levi started, his voice tense. But Jake wasn’t listening. He was too focused, too caught up in the rush of what he was doing.

The spark danced through the air, twisting and curling like a live wire. It arced toward a nearby streetlamp, and before Levi could blink, the metal pole exploded in a shower of sparks and debris. The ground shook beneath their feet, and Levi stumbled back, his heart racing in his chest.

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“Holy shit!” Jake shouted, his voice filled with excitement as he lowered his hand. “Did you see that? That was awesome!”

Levi’s breath was caught in his throat, his pulse pounding in his ears. He stared at the wreckage of the streetlamp, the twisted metal still sparking and crackling with residual energy. His mind raced, trying to process what had just happened.

“That… that wasn’t awesome, Jake,” Levi said, his voice shaky. “That was… dangerous.”

Jake’s grin faded slightly, and he looked at Levi with a mix of confusion and disappointment. “Dangerous? Come on, Levi, I had it under control. I told you—I’ve been practicing.”

Levi shook his head, still staring at the wreckage. “You don’t know what you’re messing with. That could’ve been… worse. You could’ve hurt someone.”

Jake scoffed, waving him off. “There’s no one around. It’s fine. I’ve got it handled.”

But Levi wasn’t convinced. His heart was still racing, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something had shifted. Something had changed between them in that moment—something deeper than just the burst of power Jake had shown.

“You’re not invincible, Jake,” Levi said quietly, stepping closer to him. “Just because you can do something like that doesn’t mean you should.”

Jake’s expression softened, and for a moment, Levi thought he might listen. But then Jake shrugged, that same grin creeping back onto his face. “You’re overthinking it, man. We’re just having fun. You’re always the cautious one.”

Levi wanted to argue, wanted to make Jake understand the danger of what he had just done, but he could see it in Jake’s eyes—the thrill, the excitement, the rush of power. Jake wasn’t scared. He wasn’t worried. He was… alive in a way that Levi hadn’t seen before.

And that worried Levi more than anything.

“Look,” Jake said, reaching out to clap a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “I get it. You’re worried and scared about something going wrong. But trust me, I’ve got this. I wouldn’t do anything I couldn’t handle.”

Levi’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t say anything. He wanted to believe Jake, wanted to trust that his best friend knew what he was doing. But deep down, Levi knew better. Jake had always been reckless, always pushing the limits, and this time… this time felt different. This wasn’t a game anymore. Blowing up street lights just for fun is a bit different than what they usually do after all.

“I think we should call it a night,” Levi said finally, stepping away from Jake’s grip. “Before you do something else.”

Jake looked at him for a long moment, his grin faltering slightly, but then he sighed and raised his hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright. No more streetlamp explosions. We’ll save that for another day.”

Levi forced a smile, though the tension in his chest didn’t ease. He could still feel the hum of energy in the air, the lingering sense that something had been set in motion that couldn’t be stopped. Jake might have agreed to stop for now, but Levi knew his friend well enough to know that this was only the beginning.

As they started walking back down the street, the quiet of the city settled over them once more. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the sky a deep shade of purple, and the streetlamps flickered to life one by one. But the wrecked streetlamp behind them remained dark, a twisted reminder of what Jake was capable of.

Levi shoved his hands into his pockets, his thoughts swirling as they walked. He wanted to tell Jake how serious this was, how dangerous it could be, but he couldn’t find the words. It was like trying to hold onto smoke—no matter how hard he tried, it slipped through his fingers. He was not sure how could make his friend truly understand the potential consequences.

“I’m gonna figure it out, you know,” Jake said suddenly, breaking the silence.

Levi looked over at him, frowning. “Figure what out?”

“My powers. I know there’s more to them than just sparks and explosions. I can feel it, Levi. It’s like… it’s like they’re growing.”

Levi didn’t respond right away, his mind still stuck on the explosion from earlier. “Growing how?”

Jake shrugged, his eyes distant as he stared ahead. “I don’t know yet. But I’m gonna find out. I’m gonna push it as far as I can.”

Levi’s stomach twisted with unease. “Just… be careful, okay? You don’t know what kind of damage you can do.”

Jake smirked, nudging Levi with his elbow. “That’s what makes it fun.”

Levi forced a chuckle, but the worry gnawed at him, deeper than before. Jake wasn’t just messing around with something small anymore—he was on the edge of something big, something dangerous. And Levi wasn’t sure he could stop him. Wasn’t sure if he even should.