"'Outing'' with Grandma

It was a new day, a new beginning. The sunset opened like a beautiful flower blooming gently and calmly. Thus, Olavo, lying down, woke up with the rooster's crow and noticed that the touch he had felt on his shoulder the previous day was no longer there. He seemed worried, as if it was all just a bad dream. Perhaps that was what he wanted to believe, but it wasn't true. He tried to convince himself many times that it wasn't real, but he was denying the inevitable. Why was all this happening to the poor six-year-old child? 

He ran outside, his vision dazzled by the bright sunlight. There was his grandmother, holding a rosary, sitting in a rocking chair, and she turned, giving a small smile. 

— Are you already awake, my grandson? Don't forget the blessing, it should always be with the right hand — said the woman, happy just to see her grandson awake. 

— Blessing, grandma... What happened yesterday? — the boy asked, worried, and extended his left hand to his grandmother, but quickly realized his mistake and switched to his right hand. 

— Simply, everything you saw is the pure truth, my grandson... You are the one chosen by the stone and you must fulfill your duty — she got up from the rocking chair, placing her hands on the boy's shoulders. — There is much you still don't know and are too young to understand. For now, I think I can explain only the basics... Let's speed up the process, shall we? How about having your breakfast first? — She quickly took the boy's hands and led him to the kitchen, seating him in a chair while she started to boil water for the powdered milk. 

— I wanted to help you, grandma, I'm sorry. I'm a terrible grandson... — he said, disappointed with his own actions. 

— Oh my God, Olavo, don't say that! You are my grandson, I was the one who told you to go inside, remember? I'm the one to blame for all this, so don't feel guilty for something that isn't your fault — Hearing this, she quickly went over to her grandson, squatting down and touching his hands to appreciate the boy's concern for the family. 

— But family always has to protect each other, right, grandma? — He turned, already with tears in his eyes, about to cry. 

— I know how to cheer you up, my dear grandson! Let's go to the "Stone of Saint Joseph," you will like it there and won't be so sad... Oops, I can't forget the boiling water! — After speaking, she quickly went to the stove, turned off the heat, poured the milk into a small cup, added the powdered milk, and filled it halfway with water, completing the rest with coffee. Then, she took a cake out of the oven, cut a piece, placed it on a plate, and with a small smile, touched the boy's head. — Let's enjoy every moment we have together before you become a delinquent teenager — She gave a smile and then a laugh, joking with the boy. 

— Grandma! — The boy laughed along with his grandmother. That moment seemed special for both of them. Even though it was just a small laugh, it marked their good relationship.

Thus, Olavo quickly ate the cake and drank the coffee, as after talking with his grandmother, he expressed happiness and excitement to see what "The Stone of Saint Joseph" would be like. He ran, grabbed a bag, put in a water bottle and a container with soap and water to blow bubbles. He left the house with a radiant smile. 

— Let's go, Grandma! I'm eager to see this Stone of Saint Joseph. Are there many children there? — he asked, jumping with excitement. 

— Calm down, it's just an ordinary walk, we have a lot to talk about. And no, there are no children — she replied with a smile. Getting up from the rocking chair, she held her grandson's hand and they began walking towards the Stone of Saint Joseph. They followed a trail away from Olavo's grandmother's house, and he was already a bit impatient with the delay.

— Grandma, are we close to the Stone of Saint Joseph? — Olavo was panting and sweaty, like a thirsty dog. 

— Yes, we are. By the way, what do you know about Spiritual Energy, my grandson? — she asked, seeming unsure about the child's supernatural abilities. 

— Middle Olavo said that Spiritual Energy is something difficult to use, that nowadays it's rare for someone to have spiritual energy, but those who are more likely to have it are those who pray to a God and come from a religious family — he replied, recalling the events with the Fire Wolf, saying he read it in books. 

— Well, those books are completely outdated — she firmly stated. 

— Why would they be wrong, grandma? — the boy asked, curious. 

— Spiritual Energy can be obtained through faith, not by asking God. We should focus on God not for the sake of gaining power, but out of love, because we know He died on Calvary's Cross and we are the ones who shed His blood. He is right, religious families who renounce the world to live by faith have a higher chance of being born manipulating spiritual energy, but that's not a certainty. For example, in a large family, everyone goes to a temple to worship a certain God and possesses spiritual energy, but they don't know how to manipulate it. That requires acts of faith. If someone is born into that family and doesn't believe in any God, they can still have spiritual energy because they grew up with those principles, but not the manipulation of it, due to the lack of faith. In today's world, people are more concerned with material things, which are fragile and can disappear with a breath. But you are different, you came to change that. You were chosen by Israel, isn't that good? Oh, we have arrived! — 

Thus, they reached their destination. She took a rosary from her pocket and put it around her neck, kneeling before a stone facing the sky. It was the highest point of the farm, and a small statue of Joseph, father of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, held a baby in his left arm. Olavo sat on a small wooden bench, confused and scared. It was a lot for a child to understand.

After thirty minutes, the boy was about to fall asleep on the bench when his grandmother poked him with a twig and said:

— Come on, Olavo, wake up. We will start training, but first I have a question: what happened when you ate the stone? — She sat near his head, giving him a head rub.

— Some clones just appeared, like, kaboom! And my friend fainted. These clones are very similar to me, like twin brothers! — he said excitedly, trying to describe every detail. 

— Now it's my turn, grandma. How did you and other people find out that I ate a stone? No one saw it except me and my cousin Brenda — Olavo asked, curious, bringing his face closer.

— Well, my grandson, even before you ate the stone, people with Spiritual Energy could already sense its presence, as it seems to be made of a material that would give someone the ability to have infinite spiritual energy. But I know that's impossible, only God has infinite spiritual energy. When the stone fell in Nova Olinda and you ate it, everyone, even for a brief moment, could see its structure, like an aura — the lady explained.

— I'll pretend I understood something you said... — Olavo thought.

— Well, can you make the clones you mentioned appear? — the grandmother asked, placing her hand on the boy's shoulder.

— I think so. — He closed his eyes and, applying a sort of "mental force," the group of clones appeared before the boy and his grandmother.

— Olavo, come on! I was doing my curls — said the girl with a satin cap and a gray dress with blue stripes, annoyed. Her name was Olava, and her spiritual power was Water Manipulation.

— It's been a long time since we were all together, haha! — said Middle Olavo, called so because he looked like Olavo from six months ago. His spiritual power was the creation of spinning lunchboxes.

— Hello, Olavo, are you ready for us to start fighting? — This was Olavo X-Esper, a boy with straight hair, covered by a dark red cloth that reached his feet. His eyes were black with white pupils, and his spiritual power was Insect Manipulation.

— Let's get straight to the point — said Olavo X-Spi, completely identical to Olavo X-Esper except he had a dark cloth covering his body and purple grape-like pupils with a melancholic look. His spiritual power was the summoning of a Sacred Weapon, Skofnung!

— Ugh! How you all stress me out, just say what you want, Olavos! — exclaimed Angry Olavo. His eyes were red like fire, he was shirtless and had the same build as Olavo, but with a more defined abdomen. Bands covered his wrists to prevent accidental burns. He wore black shorts and leather sandals. His spiritual power was the creation and manipulation of infernal flames.

"Guys, relax. I want you to meet my grandma. Her name is Fátima!" Olavo said, standing up excitedly to see all his friends gathered. He had short hair and wore a t-shirt with a picture of a cheerful dog holding a bone in its mouth. His shorts were green and short, and his spiritual power was unknown.

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. It seems you are quite different from each other, huh? Haha!" Fátima was an elderly woman with white hair tied back, wearing a light pink dress with small blue roses as a pattern. Her eyes were honey-colored, and her spiritual power was the manipulation and creation of fireflies.

"Oh, Grandpa Fábio, is that you?" Olava said, her mouth wide open and looking very happy as she approached to examine Fátima's face.

"What do you mean, Grandpa Fábio? It's Grandma F-Á-T-I-M-A!" shouted Angry Olavo, pinching Olava's cheek.

"I didn't know I had so many grandkids... But changing the subject, I noticed that all of you can control the flow of spiritual energy within your bodies, except for Olavo. That's why so many villains are showing up looking for the stone, because they can sense its energy in him, determining his location." Fátima stood up and pointed to her grandson.

"You mean like this?" Olavo X-Esper took Olavo Midle's notebook, who was jotting down everything Fátima was saying, making him furious. Esper drew a stick figure with an aura made of insects like mosquitoes, ants, and bees.

"Yes, exactly like that," confirmed the elderly woman.

"Nosy, you made these disgusting insects stay on my notebook!" said Olavo Midle, hitting the notebook on Esper's head, killing the insects on the page.

"Look what you've done, you've killed the poor insects! It had to be the nerd!" Olavo X-Esper stood up angrily, pointing his finger at Olavo Midle's face.

"Finally, someone who agrees with me. Once, I asked him to practice swimming and he said: 'I can't right now, I'm looking for more information in the library,'" retorted Olava.

"And I really was looking for information. I'm not a nerd, I just like learning new things!" shouted Olavo Midle.

"Shut up, you nerdy egghead, your voice is annoying," shouted Angry Olavo.

"Honestly, can't you guys just shut up?" asked Olavo X-Spi, receiving a resounding "NO!" in response.

They continued bickering and arguing. Olavo X-Esper almost shoved a dead bee down Olavo Midle's throat. Olava rebutted all the "nerd's" arguments. Olavo X-Spi complained that he was fed up, while Angry Olavo pulled the whiner's hair to make him stop talking.

"Uh... Guys, can you please stop?" asked Olavo, nervous about the situation.

They didn't listen. Tired, Olavo shouted angrily.

"Stop it!" His shout echoed throughout the farm, causing a gust of wind that almost made everyone, except Fátima, fall from the highest point of Pedra de São José. Quickly, Fátima created several fireflies to hold the Olavos.

"Wait... This gust isn't normal. It was caused by something... Yes, this is your spiritual power, Olavo! The wind! It was released when you got angry because your body released an extra charge of adrenaline into your bloodstream, stimulating your heart, where the stone is," Fátima reasoned.

"But wouldn't it make more sense for the stone to be in the stomach?" asked Olavo Midle, curious.

"Nerd... I don't even know what a stomach is," said Olavo X-Esper, picking his nose.

"It would make sense if the stone weren't spiritual or magical. Considering science and the spiritual world, the stone adapted and followed the flow of the nervous and circulatory systems, passing through the neck alongside the throat and extending to the chest, where it innervates the heart. The nervous system, through the transportation of blood by the veins, facilitated the process. Adapted to Olavo's child body, it is approximately within the heart, the size of a walnut."

"Oh, I see," said Olavo Midle, writing in his notebook.

"Can you stop taking notes for at least two minutes?" asked Angry Olavo, pulling the boy's hair.

"Please, don't start again. We're here for a purpose. If you continue like this, you'll only hinder us. If you're not going to help, go away and leave those interested in why we were summoned here," said Olavo X-Spi, with a neutral expression.

"Ugh, this time you're right, Emo Olavo," admitted Angry Olavo, embarrassed.

"Well, in most cases, controlling the spiritual flow would take a week, and awakening the spiritual power a month. But Olavo will stay here until Sunday, as he has school on Monday. I can't afford daily transportation to Nova Olinda, so we have today and tomorrow to make my grandson awaken and control his power. There's one condition: no breaks. You will train with him and aim to make him fall. Several fireflies are scattered, providing healing for tiredness and fatigue, but there are only a few, about four. The training will start in two minutes!" Fátima turned her back, disappearing and transforming into several fireflies.

"My grandma must be joking..." said Olavo. He realized the other Olavos were no longer there. They took what she said seriously!

"Oh man... I'm so screwed," Olavo made a tired child's face