ZET-MAN! (Re-Imagined)

~ Alex's Pov, Half an hour after explaining later ~

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Gwen had given me a pretty thorough rundown of how she got her "magic" powers, complete with the story of the mysterious pendant and the years of practice it took her to get this good. I had to admit, the whole thing was fascinating. She genuinely believed it was magic, and honestly, I couldn't blame her. The glowing symbols, the energy blasts—it looked like magic, sure. But knowing what I knew?

Yeah... she's gonna be crushed when she figures out it's not magic at all. Just pure energy manipulation.

I sighed inwardly. Poor thing. I really hope I'm not the one who has to break it to her.

"I see," I said, nodding thoughtfully, trying to mask my true thoughts. "That's pretty cool, to be honest."

And it was. She had clearly put in a lot of work to get where she was. Her control was solid, her precision was impressive, and those glowing symbols she made? Even I had to admit, they were awesome. For someone her age, she was way ahead of the curve.

But as much as I respected her skill, I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. If we were to face off... if it came down to a fight...

My gut told me I'd lose.

Not because I wasn't strong—I was. My speed, reflexes, and raw power were on a whole different level now, and every day I could feel myself growing stronger. But Gwen? She had finesse. Control. She could keep her distance, hit me from range, and I wouldn't even know where the next strike was coming from.

That's what made her dangerous.

"Of course it's cool," Gwen said, breaking into my thoughts, her tone light but confident. "It's magic." She said the word with so much certainty, it was almost funny. Like it was an undeniable fact.

I forced a small smile, keeping up the act. "Yeah, magic," I said, trying not to let my skepticism show. "You've definitely got it down to a science—err, I mean, whatever you call it."

She shot me a look. "It's not science, Alex. It's magic. You can't explain it with rules and formulas. It's about intent. Willpower. Emotion."

I nodded, pretending to take it all in. "Right, got it. Willpower and emotion."

Gwen seemed satisfied with my answer, which was good, because the last thing I wanted was for her to start doubting herself because of me. As much as I disagreed with her interpretation, I could tell how much this meant to her. Her "magic" wasn't just a skill—it was part of who she was.

And I wasn't about to take that from her.

Still, I couldn't stop my mind from wandering. If it really was just energy manipulation—and I was sure it was—then that meant it wasn't exclusive to Gwen. Maybe her pendant had unlocked her abilities, but what if someone else could learn to do the same thing?

What if I could learn it?

I glanced at her as she stood up and stretched, clearly satisfied with her explanation. Her confidence was obvious, but there was something else there too—something in the way she carried herself.

She didn't realize it yet, but she was only scratching the surface of what she could do.

"You look like you're thinking about something," Gwen said, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I shrugged. "Just wondering how you keep all those glowing symbols straight. Doesn't it ever get confusing?"

"It's called practice," she said with a smirk. "You should try it sometime."

I chuckled, playing along. "Yeah, maybe I will."

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're actually interested in magic now."

"Who wouldn't be?" I said with a grin. "You make it look both fun and easy."

"It's not," she said, crossing her arms. "And even if it were, it's definitely not for everyone. Magic takes focus. Discipline. And a natural connection to mana."

I nodded, pretending to take her half seriously. "Well, I've got focus and discipline down. As for that mana thing... maybe I've got a little of that too."

Gwen rolled her eyes. "Sure, Alex. Keep dreaming."

As she turned and started walking back toward the house, I followed a few steps behind, my mind racing.

Gwen thought she had it all figured out, but I wasn't so sure. If Carter was right—and I trusted him on this—then magic was just a cover for something much bigger. Energy manipulation likely wasn't exclusive to Gwen, and if I could figure out how to tap into it... Ho! Ho! That would definitely be a good thing.

I glanced at her again as she walked ahead, her fiery confidence practically radiating off of her from where I was...

She'd probably say I was crazy for even thinking about it.

But crazy or not, I wasn't going to stop until I figured out what this energy manipulation was all about.

~ Alex's POV ~

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By the time we made it back to the clearing, Gwen was already in full "teacher" mode. She stood in front of me, arms crossed, radiating an impressive amount of confidence for a kid. I had to hand it to her—she knew how to command a room, even if the "room" was surrounded by a patch of woods.

"All right," she said, fixing me with a pointed look. "If we're doing this, you'd better take it seriously."

I nodded, keeping my smirk in check. "Oh, I'm serious. Ready to unlock my inner wizard or whatever."

She groaned, muttering something about me being impossible, but she didn't back down. "Okay, first things first. Magic—or mana, really—isn't just some switch you flip. You don't just decide to use it. It's a connection. You have to feel it around you."

"Feel it," I repeated, nodding as if I didn't already know what she was talking about.

"Exactly. Mana's everywhere—in the air, the ground, everything. If you can focus on it, really focus, you might be able to sense it. That's step one."

I took a breath and closed my eyes, mostly to humor her. "Got it. Sense the magic... energy... stuff."

"Don't call it 'stuff,' Alex," she said sharply. "Focus. Clear your mind. Stop thinking so much and just... feel." I needed to stop being such a Douch-bag at this point, but one's got to admit, it was hella fun.

Focusing, I inhaled deeply, letting the sounds of the forest wash over me... At first, I didn't feel anything really—just the cool air brushing against my skin and the faint rustle of leaves. But then, something shifted in me. It wasn't obvious at first, but it was there—a faint hum beneath the surface, like static electricity or the low buzz of a power line...

'Was this what she was talking about?' It felt unusually natural to pull, like it's always been there, but weak...

"Umm... Do you feel anything?" Gwen asked, her tone skeptical.

I opened my eyes, keeping my expression neutral. "I-I think so... What's next?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You're supposed to focus on that feeling. Hone in on it. If you can pull it toward you, that's step two. Most people can't even get this far without weeks of practice, though, so don't—"

Before she could even finish, I held out my hand, mimicking the motion she'd shown earlier. I didn't overthink it—I just focused on that hum I felt inside of myself, on the strange yet familiar energy I could feel around me, and inside of myself.

And then, it happened.

Zzzz~

I opened my eyes, faint glow started to flicker and dance around my fingers, a deep shade of crimson and while faint at first, it was growing brighter by the second.

Gwen's eyes widened. "What the?—Alex!?"

I looked at my hand, genuinely surprised for once. The glow wasn't just light—it was warm, alive even, almost like it was responding to me. I glanced at Gwen, whose jaw had officially hit the floor. I don't think I was supposed to do this, without external help, at least not within the first few minutes of practicing.

'Is this is what a genius feel like? It isn't too bad, feels good even.' Really good. But, I had to play dumb still, for now...

"So, uh..." I said, smirking. "Is this step two?"

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"That's... that's impossible," Gwen stammered. She stepped closer, staring at the energy in my hand like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "How are you doing that? You shouldn't be able to—"

"I guess I'm a fast learner," I said with a shrug, though inside, I was just as surprised as she was. I hadn't expected it to work so quickly—or so easily. I had great development overall though, but to see my talent extended towards energy manipulation was definitely something good.

Gwen shook her head, muttering to herself. "No, no, this doesn't make sense. You-You're not connected to mana—you don't even have a conduit or anything! How are you—"

"Guess I've got a natural talent," I said, cutting her off before she spiraled. I waved the glowing energy around, testing how it moved. It followed my motions like a ribbon in the wind, responding to my thoughts almost instinctively, although it wasn't much it responded to my command like if it was a limb...

Speaking of control, I can sense Gwen's energy, hers was violet, while mine was a dark crimson... A bit Interesting, but that doesn't really matter in the long run to me, what really got me curious was the fact that I could feel just how much mana she had compared to me.

If I had a scale, I would be a 1, while she would roughly be a 7, or more. So yeah, definitely more impressive...

"Stop showing off," Gwen snapped, but there was a flicker of awe in her voice.

"Hey, you're the one who said I should take this seriously," I said, grinning. "So... what's step three?"

Gwen hesitated, clearly trying to process what just happened. "Step three is... channeling it into something. A spell, a shield, whatever. But Alex, this isn't normal. You're not supposed to be able to do this on your first try!"

I figured, "Guess I'm special," I said lightly, though my mind was racing. If Gwen had struggled to master this, why was it coming so easily to me? I was genuinely curious at what was it about me that made this feel so... natural?

"Okay," she said, regaining her composure. "Fine. If you're really that good, let's see you do something with it. Try making a shield—just focus the energy outward, like you're wrapping it around yourself."

I nodded, closing my eyes again. This time, I didn't even have to search for the energy—it was already there, literally buzzing beneath my skin. I imagined it spreading out around me, forming a protective barrier.

When I opened my eyes, a faint, translucent shield surrounded me, shimmering like glass.

"Are you kidding me?!" Gwen said, throwing her hands up in disbelief.

"Pretty cool, right?" I said, tapping the shield experimentally. It felt solid, like a wall of reinforced air.

"This isn't fair," Gwen muttered, pacing back and forth. "It took me months to make my first shield. How are you doing this in five minutes?!"

I shrugged, letting the shield dissolve. "Like I said—natural talent."

She stopped pacing, fixing me with a sharp glare. "Don't let this go to your head, Alex. Just because you can do this doesn't mean you understand it."

I held up my hands in my defense, "Relax," I said, holding up my hands even further this time. "I'm just getting started. Besides, you're the one teaching me, remember?"

Gwen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Fine. But if you start showing off and calling yourself a wizard, I'm out."

"Deal." I said, grinning.

As she started explaining the finer points of mana control, I couldn't help but feel a bit of excitement. Whatever this energy was, it wasn't magic, obviously. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that I could use it, and do it well.

And if I could figure this out in five minutes? Who knew what I'd be capable of in a week, a month or even a year?

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END