The Same Cloth

The first thing Leo remembered about lightning was that it was loud.

Not frightening.

Not painful.

Just loud.

The crack of it echoed across the training grounds as a thin blue-white bolt leapt from his outstretched hand and struck the wooden target thirty paces away.

The target exploded.

Leo blinked.

A few pieces of splintered wood fell from the sky.

For several seconds, there was complete silence.

Then someone laughed.

Leo turned.

His father stood at the edge of the training grounds with his arms crossed over his chest. Lawrence was a large man, broad-shouldered and imposing even when he wasn’t wearing his armor. His dark hair was pulled back, and the faint glow of lightning still clung to the metal bands around his wrists.

Beside him stood Leo’s mother.

Corrine had one hand over her mouth.

She was trying very hard not to laugh.

Leo frowned.

“What’s funny?”

Corrine lost the battle.

She burst out laughing.

Lawrence’s stern expression cracked a moment later.

“You were supposed to hit the target,” Lawrence said.

“I did.”

“You destroyed the target.”

“That’s what hitting it means.”

Corrine laughed even harder.

Lawrence rubbed his forehead.

“Technically, he’s correct.”

Leo smiled.

He liked days like this.

There was no pressure.

No clan elders watching.

No instructors comparing him to other children.

Just his parents, a training field, and the simple joy of discovering what his body could do.

Lawrence walked toward the remains of the target.

He crouched beside the shattered wood.

“Your control is improving.”

Leo’s smile widened.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean I’m getting stronger?”

“Stronger?”

Lawrence glanced back at his son.

“You were already strong.”

Leo’s expression became serious.

“Stronger than you?”

Corrine made a choking sound behind them.

Lawrence stared at his son.

Leo stared back.

“One day,” Leo added.

Lawrence finally laughed.

“Perhaps.”

Leo’s eyes lit up.

“Really?”

“Perhaps.”

“Then I’ll do it.”

Lawrence stood.

“Do what?”

“Become stronger than you.”

Corrine walked over and placed a hand on Leo’s head.

“Your father may regret saying that.”

Lawrence smiled.

“I probably will.”

Leo didn’t understand why they were laughing.

He only knew that he had just been given a goal.

One day, he would surpass his father.

One day, he would become the strongest warrior in the clan.

Or perhaps even stronger.

That was how Leo’s childhood had been.

Simple.

Happy.

And full of promise.

Everyone in the clan knew his name.

Everyone knew what he could do.

Every person in their world was born with an elemental affinity. For most people, that affinity determined much of their lives. Families built their traditions around their elements. Warriors developed techniques suited to them. Entire clans became famous because of the power they wielded.

Leo had inherited lightning from his father’s side of the family.

That alone would have made him a talented child.

But he had also inherited fire.

That came from Corrine.

Her family had spent generations perfecting fire techniques, and Corrine herself was considered one of the most talented fire users of her generation.

Leo had both.

And that wasn’t even the strangest part.

When Leo combined the two elements, something entirely different happened.

Plasma.

The first time it had appeared, Leo had thought he had done something wrong.

The flame had become brighter.

The lightning had twisted around it.

Then the two had fused into a blinding sphere of energy that had vaporized the stone target his instructor had placed in front of him.

The instructor had stared at the crater for almost a full minute.

Afterward, word had spread quickly.

Leo was no longer merely talented.

He was a phenomenon.

A child born with three elemental affinities.

Lightning.

Fire.

Plasma.

People began calling him the strongest talent of his generation.

Leo didn’t really understand what that meant.

He only knew that people smiled at him more often.

Except, sometimes, not everyone smiled.

There were those who watched him from a distance.

Those who whispered when he walked past.

Those who became quiet whenever his accomplishments were mentioned.

Leo didn’t notice.

He was a child.

And children tended to believe that adults were telling the truth when they said everything was fine.

His parents never allowed him to become arrogant.

Whenever someone praised his strength, Lawrence reminded him that talent was only the beginning.

Whenever someone praised his elemental abilities, Corrine reminded him that strength without compassion was meaningless.

“Power tells you what you can do,” she once told him while they sat beneath an old tree overlooking the clan’s training grounds.

“Then what tells me what I should do?”

Corrine smiled.

“That part is up to you.”

Leo thought about it.

“What would you do?”

“Protect the people I love.”

Leo looked at her.

“Even if they’re weaker than you?”

“Especially then.”

Leo nodded solemnly.

“Then I’ll do that too.”

Corrine smiled.

“I know you will.”

There were other children who shared his world.

Some were talented.

Some were ordinary.

And some were extraordinary.

Among the latter were two girls who had become Leo’s closest friends.

Celine and Catherine.

The twins were nearly identical in appearance, but their personalities were completely different.

Celine was outgoing, energetic, and rarely afraid to say exactly what she was thinking.

Catherine was quieter.

She listened more than she spoke, and when she did speak, she tended to say something that made everyone else stop and think.

Their abilities were equally unusual.

Celine had been born with an affinity for space.

Catherine had been born with an affinity for time.

Neither affinity had ever been seen at such a level in their generation.

Some people even wondered whether the sisters might eventually become the strongest members of their clan’s history.

Leo didn’t care about any of that.

He liked them because they were fun.

And because Celine always challenged him.

“You’re cheating.”

Leo stared at her.

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You used lightning.”

“Yes.”

“We’re supposed to be sparring without using elemental abilities.”

Leo looked toward Catherine.

“Did we agree to that?”

Catherine shook her head.

“No.”

Leo turned back to Celine.

“Then I’m not cheating.”

Celine crossed her arms.

“You knew I wasn’t ready.”

“You said you were.”

“I changed my mind.”

“That isn’t my fault.”

Catherine sighed.

“You two argue like an old married couple.”

Celine immediately turned red.

Leo blinked.

“What’s an old married couple?”

Catherine smiled.

“Nothing.”

“It doesn’t sound like nothing.”

“It isn’t important.”

Celine glared at her sister.

“You’re terrible.”

Catherine smiled innocently.

Leo looked between them.

He still didn’t understand.

He would eventually.

For now, he simply returned to training.

Celine watched him for several seconds.

Then she smiled.

“You know, Leo…”

“Yes?”

“When we’re older, we’re going to get married.”

Leo nearly dropped his training sword.

“Why?”

“Because our families decided.”

“Oh.”

He considered this.

Then he shrugged.

“Okay.”

Celine stared at him.

“That’s it?”

“What else am I supposed to say?”

“You could at least act surprised.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re getting married!”

“Okay.”

Celine’s face reddened again.

Catherine laughed.

Leo looked confused.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Catherine said.

Celine muttered something under her breath.

“What?”

“I said you’re an idiot.”

Leo smiled.

“You’re still marrying me.”

Celine’s mouth fell open.

Catherine burst into laughter.

Leo grinned.

He liked making them laugh.

He liked his life.

He liked his family.

He liked the feeling of knowing that tomorrow would probably be just as good as today.

He didn’t know that childhood never lasts.

He didn’t know that promises made by parents could be broken by death.

He didn’t know that jealousy could become hatred.

And he certainly didn’t know that the greatest danger to his future would not initially come from some powerful beast or enemy clan.

It would come from inside his own family.

For now, Leo was simply a boy with too much talent and too little understanding of what that talent would eventually cost him.

That evening, Lawrence found him sitting outside their home.

Leo was staring at his hands.

“What are you thinking about?”

Leo looked up.

“Plasma.”

Lawrence sat beside him.

“You’ve been practicing it again.”

“Yes.”

“How did it go?”

Leo hesitated.

“Bad.”

Lawrence raised an eyebrow.

“I heard there was an explosion.”

Leo looked away.

“It was a small explosion.”

“Your mother said the training shed is missing a wall.”

“It was already a weak wall.”

Lawrence laughed.

Leo smiled.

Then Lawrence became serious.

“Leo.”

“Yes?”

“You have extraordinary abilities.”

Leo nodded.

“I know.”

“But that doesn’t make you special.”

Leo looked confused.

Lawrence continued.

“There will always be someone stronger. Someone faster. Someone with more experience.”

“Then I’ll train harder.”

“I know.”

Lawrence placed a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“But remember something more important.”

Leo waited.

“The strongest person isn’t the one who can destroy the most.”

Lawrence looked toward the setting sun.

“It’s the person who can carry the most responsibility without allowing power to change who they are.”

Leo thought about his mother’s words.

Protect the people you love.

He nodded.

“I understand.”

Lawrence smiled.

“I’m not sure you do.”

“I will.”

“I know.”

The two sat together quietly.

Neither noticed Corrine standing in the doorway.

She watched them with a smile.

For one brief moment, the entire world seemed perfect.

A father.

A mother.

A son.

A future.

And somewhere beyond the walls of the clan compound, the first threads of that future were already beginning to unravel.

There were people who looked at Leo and saw a threat.

People who looked at Lawrence and saw a position they wanted.

People who looked at Corrine and saw a powerful bloodline they could never possess.

And there were people who believed Leo had been given too much.

Too much talent.

Too much attention.

Too bright a future.

Among those people was Lawrence’s younger brother.

Lance.

He watched from a distance as Leo trained.

His expression was unreadable.

Beside him stood his two sons.

They were talented.

Strong.

Promising.

But every time the clan praised them, someone eventually mentioned Leo.

Leo was younger.

Leo was stronger.

Leo had three affinities.

Leo was the future.

Lance said nothing.

He simply watched.

Leo looked up at that moment.

Their eyes met.

For a brief second, Lance smiled.

Leo smiled back.

He didn’t know why his uncle’s smile felt different from everyone else’s.

He didn’t know that Lance had already begun comparing their futures.

He didn’t know that admiration had already become resentment.

And he certainly didn’t know that the life he believed was guaranteed to him was not guaranteed at all.

For now, he was still the boy everyone called a genius.

Still the son of Lawrence and Corrine.

Still Celine’s promised husband.

Still Catherine’s friend.

Still surrounded by people he trusted.

Still certain that his parents would always come home.

That certainty would not survive the year.

And when it finally broke, Leo would discover just how fragile a family could be.

He would also discover something else.

Sometimes, the people who lose everything are the ones who eventually find something worth more than what they lost.

But that lesson was still years away.

For now, Leo was simply thirteen years old.

And he was determined to become stronger than his father.

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