Trickster of the Butterfly

Chapter 20- Break

The Christmas vacation wasn't wasn't anything short of exciting for Michael (or any student actually).

The Randelo family went out of town for the holidays, to an aunt's house in Bulacan. They were going to have huge family reunion there with all their relatives on Christmas day. It was also a nice and less-polluted place for Michael to work-out.

Michael wasn't kidding when he was going to improve his stamina and endurance so he could use his powers more efficiently. He's been having his daily exercise routines for nearly two weeks straight now and results were looking good. Drowsiness was less of a problem whenever he stopped time and he could produce light tendrils from his hands and remain awake but a little heavy-eyed. Time slow never really became a problem since it didn't seem to drain him at all. Yesterday, he pulled from a time portal a ninjato, a ninja's short sword, but even that didn't knock him out.

Michael was much more confident going anywhere now. If any of those gangsters would try to attack again, he had the option of slowing down time, and bringing out his ancient weapons to fight them off. He even named his steel baton and Roman dagger as "Cause" and "Effect" respectively, just because it sounded cool. His ninja sword was a little too dangerously sharp to bring around anywhere so he asked his dad to keep it for him somewhere safe. Sure it was weird how he got that thing but he told his father he got it from an old friend and needed it kept safe, which was technically true and enough reason for his dad to just go with it. Ezekiel saw it once and even played with it but Michael scolded him for using it.

"Next time na lang, masyadong delikado 'to," he told him and he gave it reluctantly.

Other than the planned Bulacan reunion, the exercising, and the power enhancing, Christmas vacation was also a time for Michael to bond a bit more with his brothers. He had to admit he was spending more time in school and friends more than he was with his family. Going to church in Bulacan and having fun worshipping God with fellow Christians was also a highlight for the vacation.

He didn't stay disconnected from his pals from school, though. Facebook did all the wonders. He still had time to talk to them in their group chat almost everyday. Everybody was out of town for the holidays too. He found it kind of cheesy that he kept missing his friends, but come on, it's just two weeks away from them, it's not the end of the world.

What troubled him though, was the goon's warning back at Pasko sa Pamantasan. Apparently, the modus he took down had a vendetta on him and his friends might also be their targets. He thought he was maybe just thinking a little too negatively but the visions he had at the hospital may be drawing near.

Sarah, Joy, Alora, and Hera. No, God will protect them. Michael trusted God will protect his friends.

For the meantime, he'll just have to be ready to face whatever was going to come their way. Also, a big family reunion was a huge opportunity to share the Gospel to them all, so he'll get busy with that first.