Nico stumbled into the house, the dull ache in his muscles intensifying with each step. His parents were waiting in the living room, both looking concerned the moment he crossed the threshold.

“Nico, what happened to you?” his mother asked, her voice tight with worry. She stood up, rushing over to him, her eyes scanning the bruises and the way he walked gingerly, wincing with every movement.

His father followed suit, his brow furrowed. “You’ve been looking worse every day, son. Is something going on at school?”

Nico grimaced, trying his best to brush past them. His body ached, his mind was spinning, and the last thing he needed right now was another barrage of questions. “I’m fine,” he muttered, not even looking up.

“Fine?” His mother’s voice rose in disbelief. “You look like you’ve been in a fight! You can barely walk! Nico, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, Mom!” Nico snapped, his frustration boiling over. “Just leave me alone, okay?”

His parents exchanged a worried glance, but before they could say anything more, Nico pushed past them and headed upstairs, taking the steps two at a time despite the searing pain in his legs. He slammed the door to his room shut, leaning against it as he caught his breath.

Great, he thought bitterly. Now they’re going to think I’m getting into fights or something.

He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion settling in once more. His body felt like a lead weight, the toll from using his power still fresh and heavy. He crossed the room, throwing himself down on his bed with a groan, the mattress creaking under his weight.

Nico stared at the ceiling, his thoughts racing. Everything was changing too fast—his newfound abilities, the fight with Kyle, saving Jenna. And now his body was paying the price for it. He knew he had to start training, but just thinking about it made him feel even more exhausted. He was barely holding it together as it was.

His eyes drifted to the mirror on the wall. Reluctantly, he pushed himself up and walked over, standing in front of it.

There he was—Nico Wagner. Overweight, unathletic, and still bearing the bruises from his recent battles. He knew exactly how much he weighed: 90 kilograms. His stomach protruded, his arms were soft and lacking definition, and his face was round, framed by messy hair.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

He touched his reflection, his fingers tracing the outline of his body. His mind drifted back to the fights—how he had moved with the grace of a trained fighter, wielding powers that weren’t his. But that was only for five minutes. The rest of the time, this was who he was. Just a fat, out-of-shape kid with a strange power he didn’t know how to control.

A bitter taste filled his mouth as he turned away from the mirror. It didn’t matter how strong he felt in those five minutes if he couldn’t do anything beyond that.

The hours ticked by, and Nico found himself lying in bed, his mind still replaying everything that had happened. A dull throb pulsed in his legs, and he knew it would be a few days before the soreness went away. He wasn’t built for this—not yet. But he had no choice. He needed to find a way to handle his power.

His phone buzzed suddenly, pulling him out of his thoughts. He grabbed it off the nightstand, blinking at the screen.

It was a message—from Jenna.

Nico’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t expected to hear from her, especially not so soon after what had happened. He hesitated for a moment before opening the message.

> “Hey, Nico. I just wanted to check in. How are you feeling? I know you’re probably sore after last night… I still can’t believe you fought those guys off. That was incredible. Anyway, I was wondering if maybe we could hang out sometime? Just as friends. Let me know what you think.”

Nico stared at the message, his mind going blank. Hang out? With Jenna? She wanted to be friends?

A strange mix of emotions welled up inside him—confusion, excitement, and a gnawing sense of dread. His hands shook slightly as he held the phone. He didn’t know how to respond.

It wasn’t that Jenna was a bad person. She was kind, and she had even shown concern for him earlier that day. But the thought of getting closer to her—or any girl, for that matter—made his chest tighten with anxiety.

His mind flashed back to middle school, to the event that had shaped how he felt about talking to girls. He clenched his jaw, shaking the memory away before it could overwhelm him. No. He wasn’t ready to deal with that. Not yet. Maybe not ever.

Nico glanced back at the message, his thumb hovering over the reply button. The logical part of him knew he should respond. Jenna wasn’t like the people from his past. She was reaching out, trying to be kind. But the emotional part of him—the part that had built walls around himself for so long—was screaming for him to back off, to avoid the risk of getting hurt again.

Minutes passed, the screen glowing in the dark room as he wrestled with his thoughts. His fingers typed out a response, then erased it. He typed again, only to delete it once more. Every reply felt wrong. Too casual, too awkward, too revealing.

Finally, he settled on something simple, something safe.

> “Hey, I’m doing okay. Thanks for checking in. We’ll see about hanging out sometime.”

He hit send before he could second-guess himself, then tossed the phone onto his nightstand, exhaling a long breath. His heart was still racing, his mind a whirl of conflicting emotions.

Why was this so hard?

Nico knew the answer, but he didn’t want to face it. Jenna was trying to be friendly, and he was too afraid of what might happen if he let someone get close again. It was easier to keep people at a distance, easier to stay in the background. Less painful that way.

He turned onto his side, pulling the covers over his head, his mind still churning. Tomorrow was another day, and he would have to deal with the consequences of his powers, his sore body, and the questions from his parents. But for now, he just wanted to sleep and forget.

Forget the bruises, the fear, and the walls he had built around himself.

Because, deep down, he knew that even with all the power he had gained, there were some battles he wasn’t ready to fight.

Not yet.