Mia sat nervously on the living room couch, the sound of his father’s voice booming from the other side. His heart raced, his small hands twisted in knots as he hesitated, unsure if he should stay or go.

“I was hoping I wouldn’t have to deal with this again!” Aisuru's voice echoed in the hall, filled with frustration and anger. Mia flinched, his eyes wide with fear. The next moment, his dad appeared in the doorway, his face flushed and his breath ragged.

"You don't understand the trouble this is going to cause, Mia!" Aisuru shouted, pointing directly at his son. His hands were shaking as he tried to contain his fury, but the fear in his eyes was unmistakable. Mia gulped nervously, a lump forming in his throat. His eyes watered as he fidgeted with his fingers. His voice was barely above a whisper. 

“W-what’s wrong…?” Aisuru paused and ran a hand through his hair, pacing back and forth. 

"I can't believe this is happening... this... this ability of yours." He paused, taking a deep breath, and his voice lowered but still carried a harsh edge. 

"Abilities like that... they’re dangerous. And they’re passed down, Mia. From me, from your mom, from... others." Mia’s small face crumpled in confusion. 

“B-but... I didn’t do anything wrong...” he whispered, feeling his throat close up as tears threatened to spill. Aisuru’s hands clenched into fists at his sides.

“No... you didn’t do anything wrong, but you don’t understand what you’ve gotten yourself into." His voice cracked, the weight of his words falling heavily on Mia’s small shoulders. 

"Your mother... She died because of her ability. And now... now you’ve got powers too, and I can’t—I can’t lose you the same way.” Mia's face paled, his eyes wide as he processed his father’s words. He didn’t understand it all, but the fear in his dad’s voice was enough to make his chest tighten. Aisuru stopped pacing and collapsed onto the couch, his face buried in his hands. 

“I never wanted this for you, Mia. I hoped—no, I prayed—that you’d be lucky enough to not inherit anything. I thought if you didn’t have the ability, you'd be safe... But now I... I’m just… scared for you.” Mia stood frozen in the doorway, tears welling up in his eyes. 

“Dad... I... I don’t want to hurt anyone,” he murmured softly, his small voice barely audible through the silence. Aisuru’s head snapped up, and his eyes were filled with a mix of desperation and sorrow. 

“I know you don’t, buddy. But it doesn’t matter. They’ll come for you—whether you want it or not. The Government, the agencies... they’ll want to use you. They’ll want to control you.” His voice was shaky now, the panic setting in. 

"And I… I just can’t lose you like I lost her, Mia. I can’t watch you get dragged into that world." Aisuru took a shaky breath and wiped his eyes, realizing the weight of what he had just said to a six-year-old. 

“I’m sorry... I shouldn’t have said that to you. You’re just a kid... You don’t deserve any of this.” Mia sat silently, his body trembling as he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. 

“I’m scared too…” he whispered, barely able to form the words through his sobs. Aisuru’s heart broke at the sight of his son, and he rushed to his side, pulling Mia into a tight embrace. 

“I’m sorry, Mia. I’m so sorry. I never wanted to make you feel this way.” Mia buried his face in his dad's chest, the tears flowing freely now. Crying loudly as bright blue flames explode from him.

“I don’t want powers... I just want to be with you, Dad.” Aisuru held him close, despite the flames and his own tears slipping down his face as he whispered, 

"I know, Mia. I know. I just... I don’t know how to keep you safe from all of this." The two maintained their hug as the blue flames slowly dulled. ‘Where did the blue fire come from… I thought his ability was like shockwaves or something based on what the principal said… oh great’ Mia tightened his grip on his dad.

“W-What… now… dad…?” Aisuru returned Mia’s tight hug and sighed in silence for a moment.

“No one knows buddy… no one knows… there’s a chance the AWA will set out to add you to their ranks since that’s yearly… but it’ll be a while before that happens, so… uh… enjoy every moment here in America while you still can” Mia looks up.

“The… AWA?” Aisuru nods.

“The Awakened World Agency…” Aisuru picks Mia up and sits him on the couch.

“Abilities only started showing up a good few generations ago… and are passed down genetically… so I was hoping you wouldn’t have one…” Mia silently looks down and nods as Aisuru continues.

“But once Abilities started showing up, the world went downhill into chaos… so the governments of the world set up a school and agency to create Government agents sent out to stop those bad guys and save the general populace” Mia perks up a bit.

“Like comic book superheroes!” Aisuru nods.

“Yeah, exactly… Well, I better throw some lunch in the oven, okay? My phone’s over on the coffee table if you wanna search up videos… but do try and stay away from being noticed by the AWA because once you’re recruited… you can’t decline them since it is Government run…” Mia watched his dad leave silently and then looked down at his dad’s phone.