"Ruby has powers too," she said calmly, eyes still closed like some kind of sage.
"And I too have powers," she added.
As she opened her eyes, both irises began to glow a soft, dim blue. In front of her right eye, circular patterns started forming midair—layered, glowing rings, each one spinning, floating parallel to one another.
Then, suddenly, a rectangular blue glowing panel-type thing appeared. Just out of nowhere—floating in the air. Judging by everyone else's faces, I wasn't the only one seeing it.
"Grandma, you have superpowers too?" Stacy blurted out and jumped up as she stood at the center of Mom and me.
On the floating screen, a bunch of info was displayed.
Stacy leaned closer and started reading out loud.
---
RUBY JENSEN
Level: 1
Class: Ice Mage
Elemental Affinity: Ice
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 32
Agility: 15
Intelligence: 50
Stamina: 55
Luck: 15
COMBAT STATS
Health Points (HP): 200 / 200
Mana Points (MP): 100 / 100
Resistance: 90
SKILLS
Ice Lance (Tier 2)
The skill holder summons sharp, pointed spikes of ice from the ground or air and launches them at enemies with precision and force. The spikes can pierce armor and cause piercing cold damage, often slowing down the target's movement on impact.
Mastery: 0%
Frost Barrier (Tier 3)
Locked
UNIQUE SKILLS
Locked
---
When she finished, everyone crowded around the floating screen to read for themselves.
Suddenly, my daughter threw on a random detective-style hat and pressed a finger under her nose like a fake mustache. In a mock-deep voice, she announced, "If my deduction is correct, this is a stat window—and only a special few—"
Bonk! Ruby flicked her on the forehead.
"Just tell us what you know," she said, deadpan.
Stacy rubbed the spot she got flicked. Then she glanced at the screen again and straightened up like she was presenting to a class.
"Well, it's kinda like a game Dad and I play," Stacy said, pointing at the 'Attributes' section on the glowing screen.
"These numbers? They're... your character stats. Like, strength is how hard you punch stuff. Agility's how fast you can dodge, like—'whoosh!'" She waved her hand dramatically.
"Intelligence? That's like... magic brainpower. And mana is your fuel for casting spells and stuff."
She shrugged like it was all common knowledge. "Basically, the higher the number, the cooler your powers. It's like an RPG—but, you know... real life. Which is kind of insane."
And just like that, she ended her explanation with a proud little nod.
"It's just like Stacy said. The stronger the stats, the stronger the person overall," Mom added.
All the girls were glued to the panel, eyes darting across it as if deciphering an ancient code.
"What are these 'Skill' and 'Unique Skill' sections?" Clare asked, leaning in closer.
Stacy opened her mouth to answer, but Mom cut in, brisk as ever. "Let's take this to the backyard," she said, then glanced at me—checking if it was safe.
Everyone turned toward me.
I hesitated. The concern must've shown on my face.
My wife leaned in and asked Mom, "Is this going to help us understand more about... whatever this power thing is?"
My mom nodded.
I sighed and gave her a small shrug. She turned to me with bright eyes and nodded eagerly—like a cute squirrel.
With a reluctant nod, I headed out first and did a quick check around the neighborhood.
In the Backyard.
We all stood on the grass while Mom gave instructions.
She pointed to a clear patch and said to Ruby, "Look at that empty spot and say, 'Ice Lance.'"
With a wave of my mom's hand, a panel appeared in front of all of us, once again displaying Ruby's stats.
Ruby did exactly as instructed.
"Ice Lance."
woosh
A cold breeze passed... but it wasn't from the spell.
Nothing happened.
Mom's lips twitched. "We might have to wait a bit... maybe."
One minute passed. Still nothing.
All eyes slowly turned toward Mom.
Her face flushed redder with each passing second.
"Maybe the server's lagging?" A small voice piped up from behind, probably Sofia.
Stacy snorted, trying and failing to hold in her laughter.
Ruby raised an eyebrow, twitching. "How long am I supposed to keep my hands like this?"
Mom let out a long sigh and muttered, "This was supposed to be dramatic..."
She turned to Ruby. "Do you feel anything in your body? Like... energy, pressure, tingling?"
Ruby shook her head.
Mom put one hand to her chin in her signature 'thinking pose.' "Maybe you need to concentrate. Try imagining something sharp and icy—like a needle. Think about forming it with your energy."
Ruby twitched slightly. Her fingers flexed, eyes narrowing in focus.
"I felt it," she said quietly.
A soft glow shimmered in the air in front of her hand.
Then—without a sound—a long, sleek shard of ice formed midair. It was at least sixty centimeters long, narrowing to a deadly point. The surface was smooth, almost transparent, and it floated upright, motionless, floating in front of her palm.
Everyone leaned in and gasped.
Ruby, grinning wide with joy, turned to look at me—just as the massive ice spike suddenly pulsed with energy.
Without warning, it launched into an arc straight toward my face.
"Shit!"
Thanks to my recently awakened reflexes, I ducked just in time.
The ice lance whooshed past, burying itself in the fence with a heavy thunk.
My wife said, "Oops," not quite appearing guilty.
Mom didn't even flinch. "That's how you hit a target," she said casually. "Might need a little more control though."
I stared at both of them, dumbfounded.
They stood there in identical thinking poses, nodding to themselves like they were watching a science experiment, not an attempted ice-skewering.
Stacy clapped her hands. "Okay! We've seen Mom's power—now it's my turn!"
She bounced excitedly in place, visibly jiggling her assets even through her baggy clothes.
"Only your father, your mother, and I have powers," she said, a bit guiltily.
Stacy froze mid-bounce.
"W-What."
Sofia blurted out, clearly panicking after seeing Stacy's disappointed face.
"W-Well! The important thing is learning more about these powers, right? I-I mean, maybe we can gain them in the f-future, too?"
It came out in one long breath—a full sentence and a half longer than she usually dared.
Clare reached over and gently ruffled Stacy's hair, trying to soothe her.
"Don't worry," she said with a small smile. "You never know what's possible yet."
Then Mom stepped closer to Stacy and bent slightly to her level.
"Well," she said gently, "I'm still experimenting. We'll need to do a few tests in the future... but I do know at least one guaranteed way to gain these abilities."
She glanced sideways at me—eyes gleaming a little too suggestively.
I tilted my head, thinking, what could she be suggesting?
Stacy blinked. "Wait, what kind of test are we talking about?"
Sofia looked at Rub.
"That is... until we figure things out," she added, sounding guilty—but hopeful.
Trying to steer the mood, Mom clapped her hands once. "Now! It's my dear son's turn."
I blinked. "Wait—what about me? I can do that too?"
She nodded. And just like before, a glowing panel appeared midair—this time with my stats projected for everyone to see.
Before I could even process it, a shout came from Stacy.
"Holy fuck—shit—WTF are these stats?!"
"Language," Ruby and I said in perfect unison.
---
JUN JENSEN
Level: 6
Class: Brawler, Ice Mage
Elemental Affinity: Ice
ATTRIBUTES
Strength: 680
Agility: 560
Intelligence: 100
Stamina: 800
Luck: 26
COMBAT STATS
Health Points (HP): 28200 / 28200
Mana Points (MP): 16000 / 16000
Resistance: 175
SKILLS
Ice Lance (Tier 2)
The skill holder summons sharp, pointed spikes of ice from the ground or air and launches them at enemies with precision and force. The spikes can pierce armor and cause piercing cold damage, often slowing down the target's movement on impact.
Mastery: 0%
Magic Punch (Tier 3)
The skill holder channels magical energy into their fist, enhancing the power and impact of their punches. Each strike delivers both physical and magical damage, allowing the punch to break through defenses that normal strikes can't.
Mastery: 5%
UNIQUE SKILLS
Hidden
HIDDEN PANEL
---
Stacy blinked, then quickly muttered, "Sorry. But seriously, can you blame me?! Just look at this! Compared to Mom, this is insane."
Everyone leaned in, now fully glued to the screen.
I blinked at the screen. "Is it really that great?"
A sharp clap cut through the moment. "Now, now, let's not get distracted," Mom said, stepping forward.
"First of all—yes, it's very impressive. The main reason is his unique skill. It doubles the stat gain every time he defeats a monster."
That made everyone pause.
Mom continued, gesturing toward the panel. "This unique skill has a lot more quirks, but as you can see, several sections are still blurred out. I can't access those, probably due to the restrictions of my unique skill."
She turned to me. "Now, look at your skill section. You've got a familiar one—same as Ruby. 'Ice Lance'."
"I do?" I leaned in, squinting. Sure enough—there it was.
Same name. Same description. Same spell.
I stepped back into position. "Do I need to say it out loud, or...?"
Mom shook her head. "Let's try without saying it. Just visualize it. Picture the ice forming. The shape. The direction".
So I did.
And it happened almost instantly.
A cold wind brushed past me, sharp and sudden, and before I could even fully register it, the air filled with glowing blue spears.
At least twenty Ice Lances hovered around me in a slow orbit.
"...Wow," came a voice from behind me. Quiet. Awestruck.
Suddenly, I felt a bit guilty for being jealous earlier. Ruby's reaction to her powers had been pure joy.
"Now," Mom said, her voice firm but excited, "try to focus where you want to attack."
That... was a bit of a problem.
There were so many lances hovering around me, I didn't exactly have a target. I picked a spot just above the backyard fence and focused.
With a thought, I released them.
Woosh!
All twenty Ice Lances shot forward, streaking across the sky in perfect formation before vanishing.
This time, I clearly saw the pride in Mom's eyes—the kind of look someone gives when they feel accomplished, even though I was the one casting the spell.
Clare and my daughter let out a squeal, hugging each other and jumping up and down. "That was so cool!" they shouted in sync.
Even my older sister, Sarah—who's usually more composed—looked stunned.
Sofia, standing off to the side, had a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
I turned to look at Ruby, expecting maybe a hint of disappointment.
But there wasn't any.
Instead, her eyes were gleaming—not with sadness, but with something sharper.
My mom, as always, clapped her hands together.
"Now that we've completed the main experiment," she said, "we need to make some plans for the future."
Her voice shifted, more serious now.
"As you can see, powers like this don't just exist quietly. If they've appeared here—in our family—then the world has either already started changing... or it's about to. Fast."
Everyone was listening closely now.
"With this kind of power spreading on a larger scale, we need to stay cautious. The truth is, people will want to use, control, or fear abilities like this. So we need to be prepared—physically, mentally, emotionally."
She looked around at each of us, eyes settling finally on me.
"What matters most is that each one of us can gain powers like this. In fact, we may have to. Not for fun or to show. But because the time might come when we have no choice but to act... and do things we never thought we would."
Her gaze softened.
"But if we face it together—as a family—we'll be okay."
Then she turned to me. "Just like Ruby said... you don't have to shoulder everything on your own. Learn to rely on us."
She paused.
Then she suddenly grinned, switching back to her usual self.
With a sudden hop, she bounced—her chest jiggling in a way that almost defied physics. Definitely the largest in the group.
"Whew! That got serious for a second, huh?" she chirped. "Anyway—who's hungry again?"
Clare said, "But we just had it."
"I don't know," Mom said with a shrug. "I feel a bit hungry."
"Yeah, me too," Ruby added, casually.
We all laughed.
We walked back inside, chatting casually, already tossing around ideas... making plans for the future.
A/N:
Sorry I couldn't upload the chapter. I wasn't feeling well due to a mild cold and an upset stomach. I'll likely start uploading again next week.