Kai sat uncomfortably outside the principal's office, clenching his fists in his pockets. Next to him, his father, Lucas Ciphera, paced back and forth with an unreadable expression on his face. It had been some hours since the incident at the canteen, and from this, they were approached by the principal himself. Kai was clueless about anything that would occur; the stinging knot in his stomach suggested that it would not be good.

The door to the office creaked open.

"You may come in now," the principal said, beckoning them forward.

Kai followed his father inside, sitting down on the chair across from the principal's large wooden desk. Leaning forward, the man clasped his hands together.

"I suppose you have an idea why you are here," he began, glancing at Kai. "What happened today was… unexpected, to say the least."

Kai remained silent, not knowing how to respond. His father, however, was not inclined to wait.

"My son has no powers," Lucas said bluntly. "Our family has no history of ability users. This must be some kind of mistake."

The principal sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Mr. Ciphera, that may have been true—until today. Believe it or not, Kai awakened his ability in the canteen. The fact that he took down three Super Strength users without a scratch is proof enough."

Lucas protested. "That doesn't make sense. We've never had an ability user in our bloodline."

The principal tapped his fingers against the top of his desk. "It may not be entirely true. An ancestor of yours may have had an ability; it just never resurfaced in your family until now. Powers can skip generations."

Kai's brows knitted together. "So... you're saying I was a late bloomer?"

"Exactly," the principal said with a nod. "Normally, abilities manifest at seventeen. Over a year has passed since that window for you, making your awakening rare, not impossible."

Shifting his jaw, Kai wondered if, a year before, the whole scenario would have been played out differently.

The principal, with a change in tone, said, "Under the circumstances, I am prepared to pardon your actions for today. I understand it was self-defense."

Kai slit his eyes. A little bit of kindness now? The suffering had been ignored for so long by the school, and now he was all of a sudden worthy of protection because of his powers?

Yet he bit his tongue and said, "Thank you, sir."

The principal waved a hand. "In any case, you should see an ability specialist to find out exactly what you have awakened. It is important to be aware of what you can do."

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To which Lucas replied, "We'll look into that."

That said, the meeting was over, and the father and son left the office.

A few hours later, Kai and his father found themselves in Dr. Magnus Vale's small, dimly lit office. The walls were adorned with photographs of successful cases and clippings of testimonials. The ability specialist was quite well known, being skilled in the Appraiser field. The man, possessing the Appraiser ability, adjusted his spectacles as his glance moved from the toes up to the crown of Kai's head.

"I think it's time we find out what we have here," Magnus said quietly as he placed his hand slightly above Kai's forehead.

Faint light erupted from his palm as he utilized his Appraiser ability, and his countenance changed almost instantly as his eyes widened in surprise.

"Incredible..." whispered Magnus.

Kai and Lucas shared glances.

"What is it?" inquired Lucas.

Magnus leaned back, eyeing Kai anew with interest: "Mr. Lucas, I believe your son has a unique ability called Ergokinesis."

"What does that mean?" Lucas curiously asked.

Then, Magnus answered, "It's the power to manipulate energy in all its forms."

Kai blinked. "Energy? As in electricity?"

Magnus smiled. "Electricity, kinetic energy, thermal energy—life force-energy is all you can manipulate."

Lucas's eyes turned dark with worry. "That sounds... rare."

Magnus responded, "Rare? That's an understatement. This kind of talent is comparable to the elite family- the ones who monopolize their power. You are not just some ability wielder, Kai. You are...different."

Kai swallowed hard. He ought to have felt excited, but a discouraging thought had prevented him.

Lucas stood up abruptly. "Then, we can't let anyone find out."

Magnus raised an eyebrow. "You want to hide it?"

Lucas shook his head defiantly, "It would look suspicious if my son, an alleged non-ability user, suddenly developed a power of this magnitude. People will start asking questions—dangerous ones."

Kai looked at his father. "So what now?"

Lucas looked to Magnus. "Can you help us cover it? Say his ability is something clear-cut—like Super-Strength?"

Magnus stroked his chin, deep in thought. "It's not impossible. If Kai plays it smart, he can convince other people that all his powers are enhanced strength."

Kai breathed out slowly. "So I have to lie."

Lucas placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "It's not a lie. It's survival."

Kai nodded. He understood that if word got around about his Ergokinesis, the situation would really change. And not for the better.

From now on, he would have to conceal it from everyone.