Mateo sighed softly as Celine clung to him tightly like an octopus.
He gently closed the door with his foot, then carefully carried her into the living room.
When they arrived, Mateo and Shenan looked at each other. Both of them couldn't hide the smiles and affection on their faces.
After comforting Celine and helping her calm down, the three of them finally sat down to eat dinner.
The dishes were taken out from the storage space. They were simple, home-style meals carefully prepared by their mother, Mother Zhou.
Even though Mateo had already heard about it, he was still shocked when he saw Celine take out the food from the space.
"This is really unbelievable."
Celine blinked at him, then took out a few crystal cores, put them into a small pouch, and handed it to him.
"Fourth Brother, these are for you."
Mateo took the pouch, opened it, and stared at it for a while. Then he carefully placed it into the pocket of his shirt.
Actually, before Celine came back, he had already tried using a crystal core under Shenan's guidance.
When he first touched it, the powerful and strange energy inside caught him off guard, but his years in the military helped him adjust quickly.
He ended up using up an entire crystal core in a short amount of time.
Shenan said that Mateo absorbed the crystal faster than he, the second brother, or the third brother ever did.
After giving them to Mateo, Celine only had a few crystal cores left.
Thinking about Shenan's surgery, she handed all the remaining ones to him without hesitation.
"Big Brother, keep these just in case."
Suddenly, a new idea popped into Celine's head.
"Big Brother, surgery drains a lot of energy. Do you think, maybe, like Red said, you might develop a power?"
At the mention of the word "power," Shenan didn't respond much, but Mateo suddenly coughed awkwardly.
That made both Celine and Shenan look at him at the same time.
Seeing their curious faces, Mateo hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.
"I think... I might have developed that thing they call a power."
His uncertain words surprised both Shenan and Celine.
To prove what he said, Mateo didn't explain. He stretched out his hand, and before they could react, the bowl that had been in Celine's hand was already in his palm, steady and firm.
Then he stood up again. His body swayed slightly, and in the next moment, he was already on the second floor.
The speed was so fast it made everyone stare in disbelief.
"What is that? Teleportation?!"
Celine couldn't believe what she just saw. She looked at her fourth brother with shock and joy in her eyes.
Suddenly, a flash of memory popped into her head. It was about Eleanor.
Not long ago, Eleanor had absorbed a crystal core. He got so excited that he stomped the ground, and the hard cement floor cracked.
And it wasn't just Eleanor.
Celine also remembered her youngest brother, Minoo.
After using a crystal core, the once-quiet and withdrawn boy became unusually sharp and observant.
And there was also Hogan.
He once mentioned that after General Meng used a crystal core, he became incredibly strong.
Even his two personal guards awakened something called inner power. Their skills improved a lot, much more than before.
One clue after another connected quickly in Celine's mind.
Even though her oldest brother Shenan and her second brother Nimuel only showed signs of healing old injuries and getting stronger, and didn't show any special powers yet
A bold idea started to form in Celine's heart. The abilities caused by the crystal cores might not be the same for everyone. They might actually change depending on the time period the person lived in.
For example, in a chaotic, dangerous, post-apocalyptic world
Crystal cores gave destructive powers like wind, fire, lightning, and even strange mental abilities. Powers meant to help people survive and fight.
But in the ancient world Hogan talked about, during the time of Emperor Qin
Crystal cores gave people strength, speed, and inner power. These matched what people of that cold weapon era could accept and understand.
Now, in today's peaceful modern society, the powers from crystal cores seemed to become softer
They leaned more toward healing the body, awakening inner potential, and improving basic physical traits like strength and speed.
Thinking about this, Celine finally relaxed a little.
Maybe this was a good thing.
She couldn't help but imagine if powers like those from the end times appeared now, it wouldn't be a blessing. It would be a disaster.
Too much power would bring greed and trouble. That was not something she wanted to see.