The moment the front door clicked shut behind Sarah, a collective sigh of relief escaped Jake and Katy. The tension that had filled the kitchen and living room dissipated like mist, leaving behind a lingering sense of exhaustion. Katy sank onto the sofa, running a hand through her hair, her shoulders slumping. Jake, still standing by the door, let out a long, slow breath.
"That was… close," Katy whispered, her voice a little shaky. "Too close. She almost had us, Jake. The dragon, the chime… my flimsy excuses. She's smart, Jake. Really smart."
Jake nodded, walking over to sit beside her. "I know. My heart was pounding. I didn't think she'd buy the 'fancy alarm clock' and 'super tiny fans' story." He chuckled, a nervous, almost disbelieving sound. "Good thing I remembered that 'cubic power' thing. Gave her a new rabbit hole to fall down."
"Yeah, you were good," Katy admitted, a grudging respect in her voice. "Quick thinking, Aethelred." She nudged him playfully. "But seriously, Jake. What was that? The dragon? Lyra's chime? Your powers are supposed to be confined to your room. What happened?" Her voice held a mix of relief and genuine concern.
Jake frowned, his earlier amusement fading. "That's what I'm trying to figure out, Katy. When I first got the powers, everything I created vanished the moment it left my bedroom. The calculator, the diamonds… it was always strictly confined to that space. But lately…" He trailed off, looking around the living room, as if expecting a spontaneously manifested teacup to float by. "I've been noticing it too. Little things. A book appearing on my desk that I didn't put there, a light switch flickering when no one touched it. I thought it was just my imagination, or maybe a dream bleeding through."
"It's not your imagination," Katy confirmed, her voice serious. "The origami dragon was definitely real. And it flew right out of your room. And I heard Lyra's chime all the way in the kitchen. Your 'locus' of power, whatever it is, it's… expanding. It's not just your bedroom anymore. It's the whole house, isn't it?"
Jake nodded slowly, a profound sense of unease settling over him. "I think so. I've been so focused on separating Aethelred, on containing the 'god complex' to the realm, that I didn't even consider the physical boundaries of the power itself. It's like… by trying to make Aethelred more stable within the realm, the power itself became more stable and pervasive outside the realm, within my immediate environment."
"So, the more you try to control it, the more it spreads?" Katy mused, her investigative mind already trying to map the paradox. "That's… terrifying. And ironic. What if it keeps expanding? What if it goes beyond the house? What if it affects Mom and Dad?" Her voice rose with alarm.
"I don't know," Jake admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know the rules of its expansion. Is it tied to my emotional state? My concentration? Is it a natural progression of the Cubix Power itself, as it strengthens?" He looked at her, his usual dorky worry returning, unmasked by Aethelred's detachment. "This is why we need to understand it, Katy. This is why our research is so important. We can't have glowing dragons flying around when Mom's making breakfast."
Katy nodded, her expression grim. "No, we definitely can't. And Sarah's getting suspicious. She's smart. She's not going to let that 'cubic power' thing distract her forever. We need answers, fast."
A beat of silence passed between them, filled with the quiet hum of the house, now potentially a giant, invisible laboratory of impossible phenomena.
Then, a small, almost imperceptible smile touched Katy's lips. "You know," she began, her voice softer, a hint of amusement in it, "there is one good thing about your powers expanding beyond your room."
Jake looked at her, confused. "What?"
Katy leaned back against the sofa, a contented sigh escaping her. "My bed."
Jake blinked. "Your bed? What about your bed?"
"It's bigger," Katy stated, a triumphant grin spreading across her face. "Like, noticeably bigger. I thought I was imagining it at first, or maybe that Mom had secretly bought me a new mattress, but it's definitely expanded. It's almost a king-size now. And it's so much more comfortable." She stretched out her legs, a picture of pure bliss. "You wished for your bed to be bigger, right? Way back when this all started?"
Jake stared at her, then a slow, incredulous smile spread across his own face. "I… I did. That was the very first wish. I just wanted a bigger bed for myself." He had been so focused on the grand scale of his powers, on the realm, on the demi-gods, on the looming threat of his god complex, that he hadn't even considered the mundane, lingering effects of his earliest, most innocent wishes. The power had expanded, and with it, the scope of his initial desire.
"Well, thank you, Aethelred," Katy said, closing her eyes in contentment. "For this, I forgive you for almost exposing us to Sarah. This is glorious. I can actually stretch out now without my feet dangling off the end." She chuckled softly. "So, your powers are expanding, but at least they're expanding in a way that benefits me personally. That's something, right?"
Jake laughed, a genuine, human laugh, the sound warm and full. The tension in the room eased considerably. The fear of exposure, the worry about the expanding locus, was still there, but for a moment, it was overshadowed by the simple, absurd joy of a bigger bed.
"Right," Jake agreed, shaking his head in amused disbelief. "At least there's that. So, the Cubix Power: unpredictable, potentially dangerous, but also capable of giving you a better night's sleep."
Katy opened one eye, a mischievous glint in it. "Exactly. Now, about that research. If your power can expand to my bed, what else can it do? And how do we control it before Mom finds a spontaneously manifested swimming pool in the living room?"
Jake nodded, his expression turning serious again. The brief moment of levity had been a welcome respite, but the urgency of their situation remained. "You're right. We need to figure out the mechanics of this expansion. Is it tied to my emotional state? My subconscious desires, like the Dream Garden? Or is it just a natural progression of the power itself, as it strengthens and stabilizes?"
"And the 'cubic' individual," Katy added, her voice dropping to a whisper. "If they know about localized reality manipulation, maybe they know about this expansion. Maybe they can help us understand it. Or maybe they're the reason it's happening."
Jake looked at the portal, then around his room, then out towards the rest of the house. The boundaries were shifting. Their secret was becoming harder to contain. But they weren't alone in this. They had each other. And a growing list of impossible questions that desperately needed answers. The summer holidays, once a time for relaxation, had transformed into a frantic, exhilarating race against the unknown. And somewhere, out there, someone was watching, waiting for them to make their next move.