Night Training

"Again!" Mr. Reed thundered, his deep voice tearing through the atmosphere with ferocity.

Logan stumbled and fell as he struggled to move forward under the intense gravity in the surroundings. A whitish golden fog suffused the air, making the gravity around ten times the original.

This was Logan's daily training, and no one would believe that it was his own father conducting the training.

Logan knew his father wasn't trying to punish him, or doing all these because he was a failure. He was only doing it to make his care and affection known, even if others saw it as a twisted love.

Like father, like son, they say. Only Logan and Cole understood themselves.

Logan huffed, his gray eyes bloodshot from the torment, but deep within, there was a flicker of determination, an undying ember embodying his defiance to remain weak.

He rose to his feet, stomping so hard that the ground beneath him caved in, a web of cracks slithering in all directions.

Logan let out a low bellow and slowly pushed up. A white aura of energy gushed out of his body, roaring around his form and flickering like burning flames, a literal manifestation of his resolve.

His gravitational energy pushed against his father's, a clash of dominance occurring immediately. Logan pushed hard, his whitish energy beginning to spiral around him fiercely and fight harder.

Time passed, and the billowing storm of energy grew more intense, its gravitational force clashing with its whole strength.

A vein in Logan's eye ruptured, but he didn't stop. A feeling of weakness crept into him, whispering of the allure of sleep, but he banished that thought. Even when his legs quivered, and his back busted, he remained standing through sheer will, his gravitational energy holding him up. He gritted his teeth so hard his gums bled, forcing himself to stay awake.

Ten minutes later, he collapsed, having spent all his energy, both physical, mental and magical.

Mr. Reed canceled his powers, sucking in the fog of gravity that he released in the area.

"He's improved," he spoke, a smile blooming on his face. "Though not by much."

And with that, he picked up his son, leaving the courtyard and taking him into the mansion.

***

Logan's eyes opened up, and he saw his sister's teary face hanging over his.

"Mom?" Logan said, his face scrunching up in frustration as a tear dropped on his face. "Why's Layla in my room?"

There was the sound of footsteps approaching, and a beautiful woman with striking green eyes and long brown hair, who looked to be in her early forties, stuck her head through the door.

"Come on now, Layla, your brother needs rest," Mrs Reed said, gesturing for the little girl to come towards her.

Layla shook her head and jumped on her brother's chest, causing Logan to cough out all the air in his lungs.

Mrs. Reed laughed, watching the 3 years old girl smiling with tears in her eyes, staring at Logan earnestly.

Logan frowned, then sat up suddenly, catching his little sister just before she fell.

He carried her towards his mother and handed her over gently, a contrast to the frown on his face. Then without further ado, he walked back to his bed and lay down.

"You really need to take it easy on her, Logan," Mrs. Reed said, rubbing Layla's head gingerly.

Logan sighed. "This is the seventh time she's woken me up, and I need to sleep!" He said exasperatedly.

"Well, that's your problem," Mrs. Reed said before making off with Layla, both of them giggling at Logan's frustration.

Logan sighed again, this time more deeply. He didn't hate his little sister or anything like that, it was just that she was too mischievous, with him being collateral damage most of the time.

Layla had been searching for something and had wandered all the way into his room, only to find him lying on the bed. She tried to get his attention to help her get whatever she was searching for, and not getting a reply, she began to cry silently, waking Logan for the seventh time that day.

Logan finally sat up after an hour. It was evening already, and it was almost time for him to resume his night training. His father was dedicated to making him stronger, and Logan was no less motivated.

The afternoon training he received occurred once a week, but the night training took place every night. It was time to take down some bad guys in the dead of the night.

Logan washed his face and changed into his training attire, a sleek black jumpsuit that hugged his muscular physique. He made his way to the courtyard, where his father was already waiting for him.

Mr. Reed nodded in approval as Logan approached, his eyebrows knitted in focus. "Tonight, we'll be focusing on stealth and agility. Your gravitational manipulation skills are improving, but we need to work on your finesse."

Logan nodded, his eyes locked on his father's. He knew his father's training methods were unorthodox, but he also knew that they were necessary and actually worked. His father was preparing him for a world where the strong survived and the weak were exploited.

Mr. Cole Reed handed a watch over to Logan, and Logan immediately put it on, assessing its interface and bringing up a holographic display of a partly demolished building.

"That's the base of the Red Viper's Gang," Mr. Reed said. "They're notorious for attacking shops and stores with Red Vipers to scare away the people prior to robbing the place clean."

"Take them out without being noticed by more than two people," Mr. Reed said.

Logan nodded, his eyes scanning the holographic display. He could see the layout of the building, the location of the Red Viper's Gang members, and several possible entry points.

"I'll get it done," Logan said, his voice dripping with confidence.

Mr. Reed smirked, his dull gray eyes flashing with pride for a second. "I know you will, but remember, stealth and agility are key… Don't let them know you're coming."