The next day, Astral and Black Mist woke up at the same time. They rushed out of the room and looked out the window in the living room. There, they saw teenaged kids walking to one place and stopping.

"What do you think they're doing?" Astral asked.

"Dunno. Honestly, this is the first time I've seen this, too." Black Mist placed his midnight-black arms on the windowsill and watched them as they waited for something.

Just then, a big, loud, yellow monster came to the neighborhood. The two were frightened by such a beast, but the children climbed into its open mouth. Inside, there was a person, an adult, grabbing hold of a black wheel.

"What is that thing?" Black Mist asked as he stared at the bus.

"I don't know..." Astral also stared at the bus. "It must be harmless, though. They all go in as if it's nothing."

"It looks a lot like Dad's car except bigger," Black Mist commented.

"Maybe it's something similar to that."

Sarah walked in at that moment, and both boys looked to their mother.

"Mom, what is that thing?" Black Mist asked.

Sarah looked to where he was looking, and she chuckled. "That's just a school bus. It takes children who don't live near their school to there. It's much easier than the parent driving all of his or her children and dropping them off separately."

"Oh," the two groaned, face palming at the same time.

"We're dumb, then," Black Mist laughed.

"I doubt that," Sarah said. "You two are more intelligent than any other person. Not even your father is smarter than you."

Astral smiled at the compliment. "Did Father enhance our abilities to do things?" he asked.

"I'm pretty sure he did. If he didn't, nothing would explain why you two have heighten sensory."

"Oh," the two said again at the same time.

"Then why do I have a hearing defect?" Astral asked.

"What hearing defect?" Black Mist demanded. "Why didn't I know of this?"

"I can't tell which side a sound is coming from," Astral explained. "Honestly, it makes it hard to tell where everybody is."

"Your father overlooked that," Sarah explained.

In the afternoon, the bus came back, dropping off the children, who were happy to get back. They rushed off and ran home.

Marie stopped by the house again and knocked. "Mrs. Smith?" she called. "Are you home?"

Sarah opened the door after making sure that the boys were hidden. "Oh, hello Marie," she greeted, delighted to see the young teenager. "What brings you here?"

"I just wanted to visit." Marie then looked to both sides of her. "I also thought I saw two aliens in your house. I know I shouldn't have checked, but I just had to. I'm sorry, Mrs. Smith."

Sarah smiled. "It's fine, Marie. It's natural to be curious."

Marie smiled in relief. "Thanks, Mrs. Smith. So, is there an alien here?"

Sarah chuckled. "You'll have to find that out, Marie. I might tell you."

Marie laughed. "Okay. I'll wait! Bye, Mrs. Smith!" She skipped to her home.

Sarah chuckled and closed the door. "Boys, she's gone," she called. "You can come out now."

Astral and Black Mist poked their heads around the corner.

"She is?" Astral asked to make sure. "What did she want, Mother?"

"She just wanted to apologize for yesterday," Sarah answered. "Nothing to worry about."

Black Mist floated up to Sarah. "When's Dad coming home?"

"I have no idea, Black Mist. He said in a few days."

Astral gasped as another scene played before his eyes.

Lightning tore through the sky and rain splattered down on the three of them. Astral looked up.

"Is this my doing?" he asked.

"It sure seems that way," Black Mist answered. "Ever since you got the power to control lightning, it's been storming like crazy whenever you got mad, surprised, or sad."

Astral looked at his hands. "It seems so..." His right hand was covered in sputtering fire, and his left had small currents of electricity running through it. "I will need to control it."

"It's pretty cool that you have that ability, Astral," a boy, who was wearing a strange pendant, next to them said. "I wish I could control those two."

Astral chuckled. "With the ability Father gave me, I am able to control any element that has been exposed to me, Yuma. That includes the very air we breathe."

"And now water," the boy pointed out. "You're being exposed to water right now."

"Yes, you are correct. Now I can control water. Thank you, Father." He closed his eyes, silently thanking his dead father.

Black Mist shook Astral harshly. "Astral! Snap out of it!" he demanded.

Astral flinched as he became aware of his surroundings. "M-Mother? Do...do you know about a certain ability Father gave me?"

Sarah and Black Mist exchanged a glance. "Astral," Sarah started. "Maybe your father should be the one to explain this."

Then, John entered. "We're getting close to a breakthrough," he announced.

Astral floated up to John. "Father, I have been seeing strange things, and I heard about some kind of ability I had. Do you know anything about it?" he asked, looking up at his father hopefully.

John sighed. "I knew this would come up." He sat down. "Okay, when you were taken by the government, they tried to kill you with electricity. When Black Mist brought you back, I thought about giving you an ability that would-"

"Give me the power to control the elements I am exposed to?" Astral finished.

"Yes, but in exchange, our future will not be a bright one, and you will get plagued by what will happen later on. Even if you warn us, it will still happen. I decided that you needed to have this ability to protect you, though."

"So...I was seeing what was going to happen?" Astral asked. "I had...no idea..."

"I know it's terrifying, but it was for your own good."

Astral smiled. "I understand, Father." Then, another scene burst into his vision.

"I miss Father..."

"I know, Astral. I miss Dad, too."

"Why...? Why did he have to leave?"

Red fire consumed Astral with small currents of static surrounding that flame.

"Why did he have to leave?" Astral sobbed. He fell to his knees, the events taking its toll.

"Astral, please don't lose control of your emotions," Black Mist urged.

"Father...and Mother...they're gone!"

The flame grew bigger and hotter, becoming blue fire due to the heat.

"They're never coming back! I knew this would happen, yet I could not so anything to prevent it!" Tears flowed down his cheeks. "I'm useless," he whispered.

"No," the boy, Yuma, argued. "You said so yourself that your dad told you that nothing can change the future. You're not to blame."

"Al...Astr...Astral!" John called.

"Huh? What?" Astral shook his head to clear it.

Black Mist wiped some tears away from Astral's eyes. "You were crying. What happened?"

"Mother...and Father...they died..." Astral said, still dazed.

"What did I tell you? Our future isn't nice," John pointed out. "Oh, I nearly forgot." He gave an odd-shaped pendant to Astral, who placed it around his neck. "Give this to Kazuma Tsukumo's son. You can trust him. When that day comes, give it to him."