Sunlight streamed through the windows like it was trying to wake him up by force. Axel Martín groaned and buried his head under the pillow. Outside, the streets of Nueva Austral were already coming to life, but he clung to his last day of freedom like it was gold.

  “Axel!” his grandmother’s voice rang out from the kitchen. “You’re gonna miss breakfast if you don’t come down!”

  “Not hungry, old lady… lemme sleep…” he mumbled.

  “Come, or I’ll eat your breakfast myself, Mr. Laziness,” added his sister Anastasia from the hallway, with that tone of a Latin mom disguised as an older sister.

  Axel sighed and got up reluctantly. He laced his fingers and stretched… but as he tried to open his door, the handle came off in his hand.

  “Are you f*cking kidding me, again?!” he said, staring at his hand and then at the doorknob like it was the metal’s fault.

  “You broke another door, you brute?” came the deep voice of Hernán, his brother-in-law, followed by laughter. “You really need to learn how to control that crazy hand strength, ya wild gorilla.”

  “Shut up! That rusty knob needed replacing anyway. I did you a favor,” Axel muttered, walking downstairs with the knob hidden in his pocket.

  In the kitchen, the smell of toast and cheap coffee greeted him like a warm hug. His grandmother, Luisa, was pouring black tea while Sofía —his six-year-old niece— was trying to levitate a spoon. Without much success.

  “Sofi, don’t watch so many superhero shows,” Anastasia told her, ruffling her hair. “You’ll end up disappointed when you realize you can’t fly or crush rocks with your hands.”

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  “My Uncle Axel is gonna fly,” Sofía said confidently, looking at him like he was her favorite hero.

  “God, I hope not. This idiot would probably snap his spine trying to jump off a building. Sometimes his stupidity amazes me,” Anastasia huffed, crossing her arms. “Going to that Academy is dangerous. You have no idea what you’re getting into. It’s probably more than you can handle!”

  “They train me, I get strong, I go out and punch ugly stuff… isn’t that how it works? I’m not a kid anymore, I can take responsibility for my life,” Axel replied, sitting down and grabbing a piece of toast.

  “Such a mature vision for a half-developed preteen like you,” Hernán said sarcastically, sipping his cup. “Look, if you need help not destroying the school on day one, I could give you some self-control tips. Like, maybe stop using that hand so often for those kinds of things.”

  “You giving me advice? You threw your wife’s motorcycle out the window the day your powers awakened! I think you should ask your superiors for advice before lecturing me. But as a special favor, I’ll give you one: stop wearing tight shirts,” Axel said with a mocking grin.

  “What the hell’s that supposed to mean, you little punk?” Hernán grumbled, accidentally breaking his cup.

  Luisa smiled softly as she watched the scene. She didn’t say anything, but her warm —and slightly sad— gaze said it all.

  “What are you two idiots doing?! Hernán, another broken cup?!” Anastasia snapped, striking her signature “angry teapot” pose.

  “Are you coming with me to the Academy entrance?” Axel asked his older sister.

  “Of course,” Anastasia replied. “I wouldn’t miss the start of your madness for anything.”

  As everyone went back to their routines and Axel finished his breakfast, the spoon Sofía had been trying to move… floated a few centimeters before falling.

  “I did it! Mom, did you see?!”

  Axel laughed and looked at his own hand. He felt something stirring inside him, like a hidden current. Something he didn’t understand yet… but soon —very soon— it was going to change everything.