A Gray World

A/N: Enjoy chapter

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[A Year later]

"F-five." Beads of sweat dripped from his chin, Felix grunted, strapped to several resistance belts, he pushed against the ground.

"Six." 

The news of his condition had been devastating to his parents. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Felix's life had changed overnight.

From his usual playground shenanigans, binging shows, and watching Heroes on tv, to exhaustingly extensive physical, mental and emotional therapy.

In a sense, all excessive stimulants had been removed from his life. His parents opted for a far more conservative approach to his condition. After many consultations and plans, they had decided to confine Felix to certain parts of the house.

For fear that his growing power would cause problems, constrictions and rules were put in place.

His only company were certain staff at home and his family, he couldn't go outside, to the extent that he was switched to a homeschooling program. Tutors would visit him everyday, ensuring he made the most of his time.

At the age of five, Felix felt the color drain from his life. The world seemed, bland, monotonous and tedious. Each day, he would wake up, machines hooked up to his body, lathered in wires and needles. 

Forced to push his body to the limits, in the hopes of balancing his condition, forced to suppress his emotions. 

He felt hollow. 

"Seven." Sudden cracks resounded as his joints popped, his arms stiffening. Felix felt his shoulders tremble as he stopped resisting. The bands slammed him to the ground.

He gasped for air, head on the floor as he slowly unclipped the belts holding him down. 

"Finished?" A man stepped forwards. 

Felix wiped the sweat off his face as he nodded. Adam, a personal health care assistant his father had hired to monitor every detail, and ensure that he could safely stick to his routine.

Adam nodded in response, "Your tutor is waiting in your room, please get ready." He informed.

Following his words, Felix swiftly shuffled to his room to continue his day. Naturally, he found study easy, but his father knew that.

To compensate, Felix was assigned to study various languages. Ranging from Spanish, French and Japanese. Mastering three languages was difficult in one life-time. 

Luckily for him, as Felix aged, his mental faculties grew refined. It was only a matter of time before he could even master ten languages completely. 

The only downside, was that the bright mischievous boy within him was nowhere to be seen. Contrary to their expectations, Felix had adapted, almost too well.

He didn't complain, neither did he throw tantrums. Felix knew what his parents did was for his own good. Logically, he couldn't overrule their decisions, as they were  but a proxy to his own benefit.

Felix had changed, he gained the love of seclusion, solitary at most times, remaining alone in his room, reflecting deeply at his own fate.

He did join his family for meals, but the radiant personality and smile had faded. His mother thought the worst of it, thinking that Felix had become too detached.

At this, the boy could only smile bitterly, "It's okay." He reassured.

But was that what he truly thought? Was that his maturity speaking? Felix felt estranged within himself. At one side was a raging torment of emotions, threatening to rush out.

On the other, was his rock solid mentality. He was too strong mentally to breakdown. It was indeed a double edged sword, even if he wanted to cry, Felix's mind wouldn't allow it. It didn't see reason in doing so.

Wasn't he supposed to suppress everything? Why would he let go now.

It was an internal conflict. He felt fragile. Brittle like a glass doll. He felt like nothing mattered, no purpose remained in his life. It was a mundane cycle of eating, training and sleeping.

Perhaps the only thing holding him together was his family. He would give anything for them. The moment his mother smiled at him, he felt his chest ease up, he couldn't bear to betray her expectations.

His father, a man who he respected a lot, had done so much for him. Felix had personally seen him scour the hospitals for good therapists and tutors, spending a fortune on his care. Could he really bear to disappoint that man?

"No, I will stay focused." Felix mumbled to himself, resolutely vowing to follow his training. His mind rejoiced fulfilling his duty.

But inside he still felt empty. Like a candle snuffed out for burning too bright. 

His only form of comfort was that he would occasionally sneak out to his Dad's computer and watch a few clips and highlights of Heroes. Of course, ensuring that his mother never found out.

As for his father? Felix had realized early on that his father would occasionally leave his computer unlocked. He knew it wasn't out of negligence or forgetfulness. 

But rather, he felt his father was a kind man, allowing him to follow his passion, albeit in secret.

His secluded life went on, Felix trained, studied and learned to control himself. 

However, despite following his so called perfect routine, there were bound to be uncontrollable factors. 

Felix's improving strength made it hard to refine his control, essentially, the growth was very unusual. 

At certain times, weeks would pass and he would be completely in control. Whereas at odd times, he would become a walking hazard, unable to hold a cup of water without cracking the glass.

Fear gripped his life, he was reluctant to touch anything at all. Afraid that it would shatter in his hands. Naturally, the team of doctors monitoring him day and night, came to a conclusion.

The only way to control his strength was to exert it. 

"Aren't the workouts enough?" Lucas chimed in as he faced Dr.Lindsworth, Felix meekly sat beside him, a dull look on his face.

"Weight training and functional strength are quite different. Typically, the workouts train isometric strength, allowing him to gain a better understanding of his limits. But they can't help him fine tune it." Dr.Lindsworth answered.

"What other training do you suggest?" Lucas replied, a slight frown visible on his forehead.

"Contrary to expectations, martial arts are a great way to exercise control." 

Felix's ears perked up, for a second, his eyes glistened, flashbacks of heroes skillfully dispatching villains raced in his mind.

Lucas contemplated, "We can consider it, but I wouldn't want to overburden him"

Immediately, Felix chimed in, "I will do it."

The two men were startled at his quick response, sharing an astonished glance. Felix would often find no purpose in choosing his own training, and just went with the flow. 

He looked to his father with sincere eyes, "Please, let me do it."

Lucas smiled lightly, "Let's search for an instructor."

Felix's eyes glittered, imagining what kind of teacher he would have.

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