The day the king vanished was the

day when the gods began to

rampage. The earth broke in rifts,

and smoke grew from trees. It was

the last of days.

Laura stood in front of her door. She was standing below the roof of her porch. The structure was made out of mostly wood. Ludwig was behind the balustrade, looking at the house.

It was a fairly average house when it came to design. Although somewhat small. It had a tilted roof with clay tiles. They had an orange-brownish color to them. Below the ceiling were the two floors of the house. They had various windows on both levels. The exterior walls were painted white, having some spots which revealed the need for a new coat. The lower floor had a gray garage door to the left of the entrance where Laura was standing. The general shape of the house consisted in the common cuboid of suburban houses.

The only special feature that the house had was the grass and tiny forest around the back. Contrary to the road on the front. It was a quiet place. Well, as quiet as it can get in the city. Laura sometimes strolled through the forest. Hearing the birds and waving treetops accompanied by the distant horns coming from the streets. It was pretty calming.

The house itself was in the outskirts of the city. Away from it.She hadn’t had problems with transportation. The majority of the time she would put on her suit, go to the forest and fall to the Ataki Tower or where she needed to go. For non-heroic activities, she would just grab the bus or subway. Or even go walking. There was a supermarket nearby.

Laura inserted the key and opened the door.

“And here we are,” she said.

The floor of the interior consisted of smooth and bright wooden tiles. She walked into the living room, which was directly in front of the entrance. In the short hall in between there were two doors. One to the left, which led to the bathroom. And the other to the right, behind it being the kitchen.

The living room had a TV with some consoles next to it, a coffee table, and a couch behind it. There were also curtains covering some windows and a glass door at the furthest wall from them. The room wasn’t enormous in any way. But it had plenty of space to not feel constrained.

The living room itself covered the right part of what it was in front of them. The left part belonged to a staircase and a single door.

“There isn’t much. But I think you’ll like it.”

Ludwig went to the living room and pushed away the curtains, revealing the forest and a small field of grass.

“I already do,” he said.

Well, that was one thing less to worry about.

“Want me to show you upstairs?” Laura asked.

“Yeah, sure. Why no-,” he paused when he turned around and saw her face. “You know what? I think I’ll explore a little on my own.”

He began going up the stairs.

Laura saw him ascend as her hands burnt with pain.

He had given her an opportunity.

“Ok. I need to go. Someone from work just called me and he needs me to see some things. Are you okay?”

He turned around.

“Sure. Don't worry about it.”

“There’s some pizza left on the fridge if you get hungry. The kitchen is over there,” she said pointing at one of the doors of the short hallway. “You can watch TV or use the computer upstairs. The door on the second floor and at the right end is the bathroom. And if you need something use the phone next to-”

“I’ll be fine. Just go already.”

She smiled at him.

“I’ll be back in an hour or two.”

She waved at him and left his field of view. Laura waited until she heard him walking on the second floor. She quietly approached the door next to the staircase.

Laura opened it.

She saw her costume hanging on a coat rack. She then grabbed it with the hand which had fewer broken fingers and went to the backyard. She began putting it on and she fell to the forest. Moments later, she emerged from the tree tops with the suit already on. Falling to the sky.

Laura gently stopped and stayed suspended in the air. It was a little trick she had learned when she had begun experimenting with her power. Basically, it consisted in changing the direction of the gravitational pull between two opposite directions. The complicated part was that both pulls had to be exact. Not too short, but also not too long. It had proven to be a difficult technique. But worth it nonetheless.

She then began falling forward. Towards the Grassland Hospital.

(I hope Doc isn’t asleep.)

—-----

Ludwig had gone to the kitchen.

He wasn’t really hungry. But being held somewhat at gunpoint brought thirst quite easily. That was also true for wanting to go to the bathroom. But he had already relieved himself.

He was thinking about the feeling he had felt earlier in the morning and just before Laura left. Although, the latter one had been different.

He hadn’t felt anxiety coming from his sister. It was more similar to desire. As if she was craving to do something. But as in, really wanting it.

Ludwig supposed it had been something very important. At least for her. But he didn’t give it much thought.

He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

The house was a little bit small. But he didn’t care. It felt cozy.

“Ok. Let’s see what’s there to find,” he said to himself while going upstairs.

Once in the upper hall, he looked around.

Ludwig saw five doors. Four of them closed. The only opened door corresponded to the bathroom. He was the one who left it open.

The bathroom had been bigger than what he had expected. But there wasn’t much on it. It was decorated with black clean tiles, a mirror, and a tiny plant in a pot which was above a piece of furniture.

Ludwig said he wanted to explore. Of course, he had said that to let his sister go do what she needed it to. But he was genuinely curious about the house. He decided to begin with the pair of doors closest to the bathroom. Specifically the one on the left. He drank some water and left the bottle on top of a flat surface on the staircase railing.

He entered the room.

Ludwig saw a closet next to a queen size bed at the left side of the room. A plant stood over a bedside table and to the left of a laptop. The green and red colors from the former one contrasted the light blue paint that covered the walls. So far, this and the bathroom had been the only rooms with walls painted with anything other than white.

He walked in deeper, looking at the right side. Ludwig saw a closed window in the furthest wall from the entrance. He also saw a wide and black cabinet in front of the bed with some photograph frames above it.

Ludwig got close to it and gazed at the pictures.

He saw a younger Laura with a trophy in her right hand whilst a violin on the left one. A big smile decorated her face, showing all her teeth while she had her eyes closed. He then saw a more mature Laura next to a tall man with white gray hair and a brown beard. They were both smiling and putting bunny ears on each other. The last picture that Ludwig saw was one where Laura was kissing another woman. She had blonde hair and round glasses. Behind them was a big water fountain with a statue on top of it.

It felt like he knew the woman as well, but he couldn’t put a finger on her face.

Ludwig smiled and left the room. He was pleased.

He closed the door and headed over to the one in front of Laura’s room. He entered and was greeted by a small room. The left side only had a long and narrow desk. Stripped with any decoration. On the right side was a twin sized bed with a lot of posters on the wall. They varied quite a bit. Some had boxer or UFC fighters on them. There were also posters with videogame characters and bands on them. He eyed them until he recognised something.

Black Anima. That was a good game.

Ludwig hadn’t really been a videogame fan. Sure, he enjoyed playing them. But in the end he preferred books. Or even comics.

Wait. If superheroes were now real, did that mean that superhero comics were realistic literature?

Ludwig gave it a bit of thought as he turned around and left what he guessed was Jonna’s room.

He walked to the other pair of doors. Located on the opposite side of the corridor. He decided to open the one on the right first. He peeked through the door and saw an almost empty room with a pillowless bed. He closed the door.

That meant there was only one room left.

Ludwig opened the last door. He entered a room which seemed to be used as both an office and a bedroom. It also was the biggest room from the five that were on the second floor.

The middle and right sides of the room were occupied by bookshelves and some tables with work supplies and paper. The bookshelves were filled with books, having some photographs frames scattered around them. Below the central desk was a computer while on top of it were a wide monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse.

The left side of the room belonged to a twin sized bed with green and neatly folded sheets. To its left was a squared and small window.

Ludwig walked to the bookshelves. He saw a multitude of known names. Books he had read from his father's library. He then gazed at the frames.

He saw his father and mother.

His mother, Luz, was a beautiful woman with brown long hair and darkened skin. Her face had a light oval shape to it. Her brown eyes and always persistent smile. Her presence. She had been a very charming person. Laura was very similar to Luz. Even though Luz was a bit shorter from what he remembered.

Luz was holding a newborn Jonna between her arms.

His father, Alexander, was next to her with an arm over her shoulder while patting a five-year-old Laura in the head with his other hand. He was a tall man. His red long hair and red beard brought color to his somewhat pale face. Accompanied by his light green eyes. His face had more of a square like shape. His figure was strong. Yet his presence was warm at the same time.

A fifteen-year-old Ludwig was in the gap between his parents. Smiling with his eyes closed.

Unaware of what would happen.

A tear dropped on the frame.

Ludwig left the picture in its place and returned to the middle of the room.

“Welp, I think it’s time to research what I have been missing these past years,” he said, still retaining some tears.

He pressed a button on the computer. Ludwig was surprised by the speed at which the PC turned on. It looked like the latest models he remembered. Although, those models were probably now obsolete. Or at least very old.

Ludwig sat on the chair in front of the computer’s screen. He was ready to type. But there was one inconvenience.

What did he want to search for?

Ludwig sat there and thought hard. Something about the president? Maybe music? Did his favorite author finish writing his main saga? He should maybe research Expansion Valley. Or the global situation. Maybe search for the latest and juiciest topic. What would that be? Superhero drama?

He grabbed the water bottle and drank from it. He left it next to the keyboard. Ludwig continued thinking.

He then laid his eyes on the bottle.

Ludwig turned around on his chair and looked at the floor’s hall. Specifically at the area in which he had left the water bottle.

He hadn’t taken the bottle with him to the room.

Ludwig caught a glimpse at something orange as he got up from his chair. He looked at his hands and saw three threads coming from them, each one having a different color. Orange. Purple. And red.

Ludwig still remembered what had happened in the clothing shop’s fitting room. He had seen a thread coming from his forehead, but he hadn’t thought about that much. He had discarded the event as a trick played by his imagination and anxiety…

Were they? Did the accident turn him delusional?

He needed to confirm his doubts.

The threads were waving like leaves during a windy day. Ludwig clenched his fist and tried to use that ‘new’ muscle he had felt in the fitting room.

The threads moved. They were tiny and dull movements that didn’t follow any direction Ludwig told them to, not at all similar to the ones they were just doing. Ludwig tried to make smoother and more elegant movements, but failed in the end.

He had just grabbed a water bottle fifteen feet away, or…

He searched for a metric conversion.

… Four point five meters away! And the motion had had a natural flow to it. It had felt as if he was reaching for something with his right hand.

Maybe that was it.

Ludwig undid his fist as he gave out a small breath. He then concentrated on the stapler that was on top of one of the tables in the room. He moved his arm as if he was going to pick it up, except that he tried to use his ‘new’ muscle with the movement.

The strings flew towards the stapler at an incredible speed, touching it. But they also knocked it over, throwing it on the floor.

He would need more practice.

But at least, this time they had followed Ludwig’s command. He played with them a little more.

He was making slow swings at a pretty consistent pace. He also tried to give each thread a different movement, but that proved to be too difficult at the moment. Every time he tried it, the threads would come to a dead stop. He didn’t know why he was hoping to already be able to control the threads. They had manifested less than four hours ago.

And, did that mean he was a… Superhuman? Metahuman? Parahuman? A blessed one?

He looked once again at the threads before sitting on the chair. He began typing.

‘What are people who have superpowers called?’

‘Potens, also known as super powered individuals, appeared fourteen years ago. Although, there’s some evidence that could make them even older. They…’

So, Ludwig was a… Potens? Why potens?

‘Why are super powered people called potens?’

‘The term potens comes from the latin term, “potens" or "validus”, which translates to power or powerful. Meaning these individuals would be “powerful people” or “people with powers”. On another note…

Ludwig looked at the threads, which were waving once more above the keyboard.

‘How do I know if I have superpowers?’

‘There’s no real evidence which leads to the reason why people become potens. It was believed that high stress situations were the trigger events for this occurrence. But several studies show that’s not the case. And it’s not like powers immediately manifest the moment they’re developed, we at least know that thanks to the shared experiences of many potens. Although we can trace…’

Great. No one knew how potens were made.

Ludwig began to focus on the fact that he had grabbed a water bottle with his threads. Could he do more? A power that only lets people grab water bottles would be pretty petty. What could he do? Were potens limited in any way?

He began typing once again.

‘What can potens do?’

‘It was revealed in 2038 that the Ataki corporation, the biggest potens-related agency in the world, used a classification of powers when facing supervillains or super threats in general. The chart was also made public soon after its existence was revealed. It contains sixteen different classes to categorize potens.’

It wasn’t the exact answer he had wanted, but he would take it.

Ludwig studied the different categories. He ended up with the conclusion that he belonged to one of four categories:

‘Mutant. A potens able to modify and change his body’.

Maybe he was creating the threads by some kind of synthesis. Which would explain the reason why the strings had the sense of touch and he could control them as if they were a part of his body.

‘Materializer. A potens able to create some type of matter’.

He would be creating threads with his power. Although he wasn’t sure about this category. Sure, he was able to create threads, but why only threads if it were the case? And how was he able to control them?

‘Ixin. A potens able to materialize Ixanite’.

Ludwig didn’t know what Ixanite was. But it was another possible category. Similar to materializer.

And the last one.

‘Telepath. A potens able to communicate through his mind to others and able to read other people’s mind’.

This category didn’t have anything to do with his threads. But he couldn’t discard the fact that he was able to detect his sister's emotions.

Before making any rushed conclusions, he decided to search what Ixanite was

‘What’s Ixanite?’

‘Ixanite is the special element or material exclusive to some of the abilities attributed to potens. Due to its steel-like durability, thermal and electrical conductivity, and an elasticity somewhat inferior to the average spider silk, Ixanite has seen a lot of trials for commercialization. It’s necessary to say that, despite this, almost every attempt has ended up being a failure. This is due to the fact that Ixanite is not only very rare, the potens who makes Ixanite which stays and doesn’t need its constant supervision is even rarer. The scientist who discovered Ixanite, Savvria Ixen, said that…’

Ixanite, huh? That would explain the flexibility and why it felt like a metal cable. Still, it didn’t mention that potens were able to control it.

Nevertheless, it also didn’t mention that potens weren’t able to control it.

Ludwig scratched his head. The threads waved in front of his face as he did so.

The research had given him quite a bit of information. It didn’t give him a ton of clues on what his power could do. But he would take the little amount he got over nothing.

Ludwig then leaned on his chair. The seat moved its back to accommodate Ludwig’s movements.

(Why do I want to know?), he thought to himself.

Was it just curiosity? It was normal that he would test and experiment with it. But to the point of knowing its limitations when he had just gained it…

Wait. Did he? The information he had found said that powers didn’t manifest instantly. And he had regained consciousness only a couple of days ago. Did Ludwig gain his powers while he was asleep?

Another thought struck him.

Did he already have his power before the car accident? Could he have been able to avoid it?

He was nervous for no apparent reason. He forced himself to calm down.

And what if that was the case? It wouldn’t really change anything. It was impossible to know if he would have been able to avoid the accident with his power. It had already happened. He needn’t to torture himself with that kind of thoughts...

Right?

A door on the floor below clicked open.

“Ludwig! I’m back,” said Laura from the first floor.

Ludwig got up from his seat. He grabbed the mouse and closed all the windows. He began walking to the stairs when he remembered the threads flowing from his hand like waving strains of hair.

He looked at them. It was too soon to know what to do with them. With his power.

For the time being, he decided to keep it a secret. He could tell Laura about it on a later date if he felt like doing so.

Ludwig took a breath of air and focused on his strings. He ordered them to retract. Yet, they didn’t move a bit. He tried again just to see his effort compensated with a tiny movement.

He heard footsteps coming from the stairs.

“Ludwig?” Laura asked.

He shut the door.

Anxiety sprouted from within him. Okay, okay. If pulling it in wasn’t working, maybe pulling it out did.

He tried.

The threads moved. They extended a foot longer.

“Shit,” he unconsciously voiced.

“Ludwig?” Laura asked from the other side of the door. “Are you okay?”

He tried another radical movement, which was answered with the strings sweeping around the bookshelves. Knocking a frame of the piece of furniture.

The door began to open. Ludwig looked at it closely while his threads were going haywire in the room.

“Ludwig! Are you okay?” She asked slowly and louder than before.

Ludwig looked at her face, then at his hands. The threads had disappeared.

“Uh… Yeah. I’m fine,” he saw the frame on the ground. “I just… Knocked it over by accident.”

He pointed at the picture.

“Ah.”

Ludwig crouched to pick it up. Once he had it on his hand, he recognized the man in the picture.

There were three people in the photograph. Ludwig was located in the center of it. Ludwig’s father, Alexander, this time with his hair tied in a bun, was to Ludwig’s right. And the other man, located to Ludwig’s right, was Nelson Collman.

Nelson Collman had been a close friend to the family. He had been Ludwig’s father’s best friend. He also had been Ludwig’s teacher throughout the majority of highschool.

Professor Collman had been an inspiring man. He was also responsible for Ludwig’s addiction to books. They would stay behind after the day had already ended to talk about the newest recommendations Professor Collman gave Ludwig when he was a teenager.

That was now fifteen years ago.

For Ludwig it felt like three months.

Laura approached her brother and put her hands on his shoulders.

“You’re looking at Nelson?”

“Yeah,” he said, pausing for a moment afterwards. “I hope he’s doing well.”

“Yes. He told me he’s been having a ton of fun.”

Ludwig looked at her.

“Do you keep in contact?”

“Yeah. I had coffee with him last week.”

Ludwig raised an eyebrow.

“He teaches in a highschool nearby.”

“Oh,” Ludwig said, surprised.

Laura looked at her brother’s face. Then at the room around them.

“Wanna visit him? I’m sure he’s still in school. And it isn’t very far from here.”

“Sure.”

“Great. I’ll wait for you downstairs,” she began to march towards the stairs.

“Laura?”

“Hm?” She answered, turning her head.

“This was dad’s office, wasn’t it?” He asked while looking around the room. “Why did you keep it?”

Laura took a step backwards. Looking at the ground.

Ludwig felt a bit of sadness coming from her sister.

“I don’t really know. It just feels too early.”

There was a long pause.

“Let’s get going,” Laura said, interrupting the silence. “We still don’t want to be late. I bet he still has a life after all.”

Ludwig looked at the room one last time before leaving. Closing the door behind him.

(Maybe I would have been able to avoid it.)