EXISTENCE

CHAPTER 20: They Call Him Demon

"Gabriel. What are you doing?"

The silver-haired boy turned around. "Oh, Dad." He smiled. "Look what I have!"

In the boy's hand was a gun, the very same gun his father used.

"What are you doing with my gun?" The man reached for the weapon, pulling it out of his son's hand. "I don't want to see you playing around with my weapons, son -"

His hand felt empty all of a sudden.

He brought his hand back in front of him and stared; the hand was empty, save for a couple of particles spreading from the open palm. He looked back at his son, whose head was tilted with confusion.

"...Am I not supposed to do that, Dad?"

The man smiled. "Sorry about that, mijo. I thought for a second you had my real gun there. I'm impressed with you. How were you able to make it look like that?" 

The boy shrugged. "I can't really explain it. I just imagine it...I've seen your gun so many times. I think about it, and," the gun reappeared, in an instant, within his open palm, "it's there."

The boy's father placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know Gabriel, we're learning every day just how strong these powers make us. We've come to realize that every little detail we can create when using our powers is a symbol of just how strong we are." He held the boy's small hand in between his own, carefully examining the firearm. "You've not only managed to make a weapon, but you've created something so intricate." He went wide-eyed. "You even have the long scratch on the barrel." He rubbed his son's head. "You must be really strong, son. Have you been training?"

The boy nodded. "With Juan, Adam, and Mr. Tarek." He gave a light smile. "It's fun, but it's also hard."

"I see," responded his father. "How strong are your friends?"

The boy looked up in thought for a minute. "Well, Juan's pretty tough. He's kinda like a ninja." He looked down. "Adam... I don't know. He's still trying to learn how to make a sword. This whole time he's been using a wooden sword Mr. Tarek made for him. We keep telling him to make something else, but he just wants to make a sword. I don't get it."

The man laughed. "Kid takes after his father, I suppose."

"Huh?"

He looked at his son. "Tarek's first weapon he ever managed to materialize was a sword. I think his kid wants to do the same thing."

"Yeah, but-"

Cutting him off immediately was the sound of a ringing cell phone. The man pulled his phone out of his pocket and answered. "Antonio speaking," he answered firmly. "Another burglary? Right. We'll get right on that." He turned off his phone and looked to his son. "Sorry, mijo, but your dad's got another robbery to bust." 

The boy's face lit up. "Can I come with you?"

"Absolutely not."

"But, Dad!"

"Gabriel," Antonio stated, "I can't put you in a situation where you could easily be killed. I'm the police chief. If I get called into something, it's more than likely dangerous. Stay here. Play with your friends. What kind of father would I be if you were to get shot?" He reached over to the table and picked up a black cloth, tying it around his left arm. "Now be good, okay? Juan's at Tarek's house. Go play with your friends." He holstered his gun. "I'll be back in time for dinner, okay?"

Gabriel nodded, sulking. "Fine."

A week had passed since then. A lot had happened too - Adam even managed to make his sword appear for the first time. After that, the three boys began fighting with each other again, practicing learning how to use their weapons. They had a grand dinner at Rym's house, laughing and playing together like the group of friends they were.