At the dining table, the atmosphere was tense.
John, sensing the mood, asked,
"Amber, what happened here?"
Amber tilted her head and replied,
"They're upset… because Alex went on vacation without them."
John nodded. "Kids, the food's getting cold! It's your favorite—chicken cheese roast!"
Still, no response from the kids.
"How about we take a little tour ourselves?"John suggested, forcing a smile.
Ben, Gwen, and Athina stared at him blankly, deadpan. John awkwardly sat down.
"We've got training to focus on. No delays," Sam said firmly.
"Yeah. We've got a mess to clean up at school,"the three muttered in unison.
Sam, chewing his food, asked,
"Who… who's causing trouble?"
"Miss Avery. She's asking where Alex is," Athina said.
Sam sat back down and resumed eating as if nothing happened. Everyone stared at him.
Ben narrowed his eyes."Wha's going on, old man? They said it was your school, right?"
Sam nodded. "Yeah… but they're people we don't want to mess with."
John shot Sam a questioning look. Sam wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and gripped his fork tighter.
"John, you remember what happened when we messed with those ladies..."
John nodded, whispering,
"What? Did you cheat on her? Is she your ex?" He grinned.
Sam looked grim. "No! She loved me—and she was dangerous. I could've fallen for her... but I had my sanity."
Amber pulled her chair closer and whispered,
"Did she drug you or something?"
"Come on, Amber! No! She was a good girl," Sam said quickly.
Amber raised an eyebrow."Then what's the problem? Some kind of unresolved female drama?"
sam suddenly stood, flustered.
"Not that! I already have someone I want to spend my life with—but she wouldn't stop asking me to be her lover!"
John grinned. "Alright, alright. I'll go talk to her."
"No! Don't, Sam warned sharply."Just let it go."
John turned to Ben. "Did she ask anything else?"
Ben replied, "Yeah. She wants to meet Alex... and his parents."He smirked.
"Guys, how about we pull a fast one and disappear for the next two days?"
Ben stood and yelled dramatically,
"Old man! She's going to roast us alive—do something!"
Sam nodded, pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket, and began scribbling something. Amber leaned in.
"Sam, are you nuts? That"ll just make her angrier."
"That's the plan,"Sam replied with a sly smile.
John raised a brow. "you sure?"
Sam nodded, folded the paper, and slipped it into Ben's pocket.
"Don't open it. She can read minds."
Ben's eyes widened."That's... disturbing."
"Yeah",Sam said flatly."It's worse than you think."
Ben blinked."So Alex really left with his father?"
Sam nodded. "When it comes to adventure, Xander's unstoppable. He just picks up and goes. Luckily, he left a timer for the journey."
Amber asked, "What about food and medicine?"
Sam laughed. "I'm sure he's got it covered."
He walked upstairs and shut himself in his room.
Gwen and Athina quietly went to their rooms and slept.
Later, when Alex entered his own room, his eyes lit up. There it was—
the brand new ESR-3 Pro Racing Simulator—a full-motion, jump-suspension car simulator.
"Wooow! This is the latest model—with jump suspension!"
He dropped onto his bed. Okay... we forgive him—for now. I'll try it later. Sleep comes first."
Within moments, he was out cold.
The next morning, they woke up, got dressed, scarfed down breakfast, and headed to training.
On the training field, Sam unleashed hell.
Laps with weights. Endless running. Intense drills.
By the end, they were soaked in sweat, barely able to move.
Ben collapsed on the ground, staring at the sky.
"You really think Alex could handle this? He's still healing."
Gwen nodded.
"We've got enhanced strength—and we're still gasping for air!"
Athina added, "He wouldn't last through this kind of training."
Sam overheard and approached.
"His condition is... unique. Like a child with no limits."
"Aheyyy," the three groaned.
"What? Don't you get it?" Sam asked.
"No", Ben said.
Ben picked up a glass. "Look. This is a glass, right?"
Everyone nodded.
He started pouring water into it.
"When you pour water, it fills. But if Sam keeps pouring…"
"The water overflows," Gwen said.
"Why?" Sam asked.
"Because the glass has a capacity," Ben answered.
"Exactly". Sam nodded. "But Alex... doesn't have a glass."
"You're saying... he has no limits?" Gwen asked.
Athina frowned. "Aren't we all the same?"
Sam shook his head.
"Your energy is balanced—light and dark in harmony. You use both."
He smiled. "Your bodies accepted the Brave Light. That's why you're bound to its powers. That's your limit."
He looked upward.
"But Alex rejected it. He sensed something impure. Subconsciously, he pushed it out. His blood rejected darkness—and absorbed only light."
"He's only half awakened… yet he's stronger than most."
Gwen looked puzzled."Why? What happened to him?"
Sam chuckled.
"He's the most dangerous entity in the entire universe. That's why we hid him—maybe because of his bloodline... maybe because of fate... or maybe because he was raised in Heaven."
Ben asked,"Then why can't we heal him the way you healed us?"
"Because Alex is a hybrid of supreme gods. His bloodline runs two generations deep. If Brave Light fuses with his lineage, it forms something far greater—the kind of blood that once birthed stars."
Ben frowned."What does that mean?"
Sam stared into the distance.
"There's a prophecy:
'A child raised by the purest of lights, molded by darkness.
He who will shake the war fields of the divine.
His bond will either forge or destroy the chaos in all legions.
He stands between the First... and the Stronger.'"
Athina crossed her arms. "That sounds like nonsense."
Sam laughed.
"We thought so too. The Order assumed it referred to some kid born with a strong light stigma.
They were blind to the obvious.
The purest light —was Olympus itself."
Ben asked softly, "If that's Alex... what's going to happen to him?"
Sam's eyes narrowed.
"Fate is never kind to the strong. It breaks them. Crumbles them.
But from those ashes... a hero rises."
After they got into the car, heading to school, they all fell asleep during the ride.
The car suddenly stopped with a hard brake, jolting them awake. They groaned and stepped out slowly, dragging themselves to the washroom. After freshening up, they headed toward the classroom.
As they opened the door, Miss Avery was already staring directly at them.
Ben chuckled nervously, "Here comes another crazy day waiting for us."
Gwen whispered, "Ben… did you bring the letter?"
Ben pulled the note from his pocket and held it tight. The trio approached her like soldiers walking into enemy fire.
She stared them down. "Where is Alex?"
Ben silently handed over the paper. Miss Avery unfolded it, read it quickly—and her face turned red like a volcano about to erupt. She crushed the note in her fist, rolled it into a ball, and shoved it into her pocket.
Struggling to keep her composure, she hissed,
"Tell him… I will end him the second I see him."
A chill ran down their spines. Wordlessly, they walked to their seats and sat down.
Ben, Gwen, and Athina stared blankly at the board. While Gwen and Athina tried to pay attention, Ben started dozing off mid-class.
After school ended, they went straight into their evening training session. The drill that day: swordplay and elemental magic. It was brutal. They were pushed to their limits until every move was flawless.
By 7 PM, training ended. They returned home exhausted. After cleaning up, they gathered at the dinner table. The same heavy silence settled over them.
Ben finally broke it. "Old man, what did you write in that letter?"
Sam chuckled,"Better if you never know."
Ben shrugged and kept eating. "So, what're you writing for tomorrow? Just a nice 'Hi, how are you' ?"
Sam just nodded and began scribbling something new on another paper. John peeked over, took one look, and burst out laughing.
Amber shook her head, "Come on, Sam… that's too cruel."
Sam grinned, "Relax. She'll just keep an eye on him. No big deal."
Ben took the letter and stuffed it into his pocket. Later that night, he flopped onto his bed. "Damn… training wrecked me." He was asleep within seconds.
Next Morning:
They trained early at dawn, then rushed to school.
As they walked in, Miss Avery was already waiting, arms folded, eyes locked.
Ben took a deep breath, pulled the note from his pocket—along with a flower he had picked from the college garden. Smiling nervously, he handed both to her.
She glanced at the flower, then opened the letter.
As she read, her face slowly turned crimson again. With practiced control, she folded the letter and pocketed it.
Raising her head, she smiled sweetly—but her eyes glinted with fire.
"So... who is sam's disciple by the way ?"
At that exact moment, Ben realized—he was utterly screwed.
Right on cue, Athina and Gwen spun toward him like tattletales who'd just smelled trouble.
Ben pointed an accusing finger.
"Traitors! You didn't even pretend to stall! I thought we were friends!"
Ben stepped forward with a nervous grin and a dramatic flair.
"Nice to meet you, madam! My name is Ben Brave Light Xander—disciple of Sam Brave Light Xander!"
Avery raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed but amused.
"Like master, like disciple... Never lower your head when introducing yourself."
Ben straightened up quickly, smiling wider.
"It's truly an honor to meet you!"
Avery gave him a small smile in return.
"Good. Now, Ben—if I don't see Alex and his parents in class by tomorrow..."
A tense silence dropped like a stone between them.
"...you all be dead in my hands."
Ben gulped and nodded, slowly walking back to his bench.
"Damn... one wrong move and I'm toast. Why is it always me?"
They took their seats. Gwen and Athina were focused on the board, listening to the class. But Ben? He couldn't even close his eyes.
He peeked up—and there she was. Avery. Staring. Right at them.
"Guys", Ben whispered, wide-eyed. "I think I'm hallucinating. Is she actually watching us? Or is my soul just panicking on its own? I swear, I'm getting chills."
Gwen didn't even look up.
"Come on, Ben. She's totally staring at us."
Athina added casually,
"Correction: she's mostly staring at you."
Ben stared blankly at the board.
"Damn that old man... he's ruined my peace."
They kept pretending to follow the lesson, but the classroom couldn't hold their nerves for long. After lunch break, it was time for combat training.
That afternoon, students were split into groups, each trained by retired military officers, seasoned hunters, or veteran soldiers—some with lieutenant ranks and above. Each group got personal mentorship.
Ben, Gwen, and Athina were under the guidance of a retired military general who had been training them personally for the past three days.
He taught them military strategy, hand-to-hand combat techniques, and most importantly—discipline.
He had taken a liking to Ben, impressed by his stubborn persistence.
After their session ended, the general clapped his hands together.
"Alright, you three. I've got some news."
The trio turned toward him, curious.
"Starting tomorrow, you're getting a new counselor."
Gwen frowned.
"Wait, why are they changing our counselor, sir?"
The general let out a hearty laugh.
"Because you're about to be trained by someone truly legendary—someone I respect more than most."
Athina rolled her eyes, skeptical.
"Seriously? Then I have to meet this guy."
The general nodded with a grin.
"You won't regret it. But you might go a little crazy. He's a genius... but lazy. Complicated to handle. He normally wouldn't bother with students like you—so I'm wondering..."
He leaned in, narrowing his eyes.
"Did any of you do something... entertaining?"
Athina and Gwen slowly turned to Ben with suspicious eyes.
Ben held up his hands, already defensive.
"No way! I don't even know the guy! Why would I—wait..."
A name struck him like lightning.
"Alex."
Gwen and Athina groaned in sync.
"Alex. That chaos magnet."
The general grinned.
"Tell me, Ben—what rank did you give this... friend of yours?"
Ben chuckled sheepishly.
"he is Captain Rambo of our Squad!"
The general burst into laughter.
"Ahaha! Now that's an interesting kid!"