The lab lights flickered softly as Chris stood inside a reinforced chamber. The room was lined with thick steel, and Elara stood behind a control panel, arms folded, emerald eyes narrowed with scientific precision.

“Alright,” she said, voice crisp. “Strength test. Go.”

Chris cracked his knuckles and walked up to a thick metal pillar.

He took a breath.

Then he punched.

BOOM.
The room shook slightly as the pillar bent inward. A digital counter blinked wildly.

Elara raised an eyebrow. “Okay... not bad.”

They moved on.

Speed. Durability. Reflexes.

Chris leaped across platforms, ran through high-speed simulations, took hits from robotic arms. All of it—fast, intense, exhausting.

Until finally—his knees buckled. His breathing grew heavy. A soft glow faded from his eyes, and suddenly—he was ten years old again. Thin. Small. Sweat dripping down his forehead.

He collapsed to the floor.

“...Guess I have a limit,” he mumbled.

Elara walked in and helped him up. “That’s good. Means you’re not a god yet.”

She helped him sit as machines whirred and processed the test results in the background.

“The data is uploading,” she said, watching a screen. “While we wait… anything you want to do?”

Chris blinked, still panting. “...Yeah. I wanna go to the amusement park.”

Elara turned and looked at him like he had grown two heads. “You just destroyed steel with your fists and now you want cotton candy?”

Chris grinned. “Why not? I am still a kid. Kinda.”

Later that afternoon, the two walked through a bustling amusement park. Children laughed, rides roared, and the smell of popcorn and sugar filled the air.

Chris, now in normal form, wore a hoodie and jeans, occasionally glancing up at Elara. Her long black hair caught the sunlight as her emerald eyes scanned the crowd with that same cold precision—even here, in a place filled with joy.

But she still looked... breathtaking.

They stopped by a ring toss game, and every time Elara leaned forward to play, men nearby paused, stared, whispered.

“She’s gorgeous,” one guy muttered to his friend.
“You think that’s her son?” another asked, pointing to Chris.
“Maybe a nephew?”

Chris rolled his eyes.

“I’m gonna use the bathroom,” he said.

When Chris came out, he saw them—three guys trying to talk to Elara. One held a stuffed bear. Another was flexing. A third was just... standing there awkwardly.

Chris narrowed his eyes.

He ducked behind a booth, took a deep breath—and transformed. His body surged with energy, and within seconds, he was tall, muscular, and confident. His clothes shifted too—thanks to a special outfit Elara gave him that adapted with his body.

He walked up, smooth and calm, and stood beside Elara.

“Sorry, boys,” he said with a cocky grin. “But she’s taken.”

Elara blinked, shocked at first—then a slow smile spread across her lips.
She wrapped her arm around his. “Yeah,” she said playfully. “Taken.”

The guys stared, jaws slightly open. One mumbled, “Bro’s so handsome…” before they awkwardly walked away.

Chris smirked. Elara just shook her head.

Later, as the sun dipped low, they rode the Ferris wheel together.

The wind was soft, the lights below glowing in every color.

Elara burst out laughing, nearly choking on the cotton candy she was eating.
“Oh my god,” she snorted. “‘Sorry boys, she’s taken’—was that your idea of a tough guy voice?” She dropped her voice in a dramatic fake baritone. “‘This is my girl.’ I can’t breathe!”

Chris groaned and hid his face. “Okay, okay! Stop laughing already!”

Elara wiped a tear from her eye. “I didn’t know you had such a flair for drama.”

Chris smiled sheepishly. “Just didn’t like the way they were looking at you.”

Elara looked at him, amusement softening into something more thoughtful.

“If only you were a little older...” she said, half-teasing.

Chris smiled, watching the stars blink above them.

“Maybe one day.”