Apocalypse Days: I Rule with Foresight and a Powerful Son
Chapter 159

Chapter 159: 159

Winter barely had time to blink before the dimly lit room reappeared around him, solid and unmoving. The strange, boundless vastness of Leo’s pocket space faded like a dream, but the thought of what he’d seen lingered in his mind.

Winter took a slow, steadying breath as the last of the disorientation faded. Coming out of Leo’s pocket space was... an experience. He exhaled slowly again, grounding himself, his eyes flicking to Zara, who stood with arms crossed, watching him carefully.

"You good?" she asked, her tone light but tinged with concern.

Winter nodded, rolling his shoulders. "Yeah. Just... needed a second to reorient."

At their feet, Leo sat with his chubby legs splayed out, tilting his head curiously as he watched the two of them. His tiny hands were resting on his knees, his round cheeks puffed slightly in concentration as if trying to understand what they were talking about.

Zara let out a small chuckle. "Takes some getting used to, huh?"

"That’s one way to put it," Winter muttered, running a hand through his hair. "It’s not just the space itself—it’s what’s inside."

Zara raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Oh?"

Winter crouched slightly, glancing at Leo, who busied himself with his fingers, seemingly uninterested in their conversation.

He turned back to Zara.

There was normal stuff—food, clothes, some basic medicine, bandages. But there was also military-grade rations, weapons, survival kits." He hesitated, then added, "And a door Leo’s never opened before."

Zara’s expression flickered with recognition. "The military stuff was probably from the cache in City B. Leo had been running around before he came to meet me—he could’ve unconsciously put things in his space because he saw me packing my bag."

Winter exhaled a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "This is crazy. We have a whole walking bunker."

Zara hummed, nodding knowingly. "That’s why I wasn’t too worried when we had to evacuate without our supplies." She grinned. "Leo’s pocket space is practically an entire base by itself."

Winter exhaled sharply, processing the implications. "But that’s not normal, is it? I mean, I get pocket spaces are rare, but they shouldn’t be able to do... that. This isn’t just storage—it’s more like time-space manipulation."

Leo’s ability wasn’t just about putting things away. If food wasn’t spoiling in there, then time wasn’t passing the same way inside his space. That meant his power wasn’t simple spatial manipulation—it had to be something connected to time, too. That could explain why Adrian’s people had flagged him.

Zara’s smile faded. She looked down at Leo, her expression softening with a mix of pride and wariness. "You see why I’m so damn careful about keeping his abilities secret?" She let out a sigh. "If the wrong people found out, they’d work him to the bone. And he’s just a kid. He wouldn’t even know better."

Winter followed her gaze. Leo had found something to nibble on, his small hands clumsily gripping a foil-wrapped meal.

"Hey, what’s that?" Zara asked, her voice sharper now.

Leo blinked up at her, his chubby fingers tightening around the package. His guilty expression was almost comical. Slowly, he held up the item—a vacuum-sealed protein bar.

Zara sighed, kneeling in front of him. "Leo, you have to let me check what it is before you eat it. Even if it came from your space, okay?"

Leo’s lip jutted out in a small pout, but he nodded morosely, dropping the bar into her waiting hand. "Okay."

Winter smirked at the exchange, but his amusement quickly turned to something more complicated when Leo crawled over and plopped himself directly into Winter’s lap, pressing his small face against Winter’s chest.

Winter sat there, a little stunned, as Leo curled against him, still sulking.

Zara raised an eyebrow, then turned her gaze to Winter, an amused glint in her eyes. "Really?"

Winter, still processing, barely managed to suppress a smug smile. "I didn’t do anything. He came to me."

Zara rolled her eyes. "Don’t turn my kid against me."

Winter chuckled. "Wouldn’t dream of it."

Zara rolled her eyes, but there was warmth behind it. "Traitor," she muttered to Leo, ruffling his hair.

Leo just giggled and snuggled further into Winter’s hold.

They decided to share a meal together, sitting in a loose circle on the floor. The atmosphere felt oddly... normal. Comfortable, even.

Leo eventually crawled back into Zara’s lap, contentedly leaning against her as he nibbled on a ration bar. But once the meal was over and Leo’s energy spiked again, they decided it was time to test a few things.

"Alright," Winter said, standing up and stretching. "Let’s see what else this kid can do."

Zara shifted, her expression turning serious. "Yeah. We need to know his limits before we get into another situation where we have to rely on this."

Winter turned to Leo. "What do you think, buddy? Wanna try something cool?"

Leo’s eyes sparkled. "Cool?" He clapped his hands excitedly, clearly happy to be the centre of attention. "What are we doing?"

"First test," Winter started, crossing his arms. "Can you try taking both me and your mom into your space at the same time?"

Zara exhaled, scooping Leo up into her arms. "Let’s find out. Can you do that baby?"

Leo’s nose scrunched in concentration. A ripple of energy pulsed through the room, bending the air around them.

For a moment, Winter felt weightless—like gravity itself had been suspended. He blinked and found that he was in the space, Leo beamed at him, clearly pleased with himself.

Then, without warning, the space cracked.

A sudden force yanked at him, twisting his insides, and before he knew it, he was flung backwards. He landed on the floor with a hard thud, gasping as reality snapped back into place.

"Zara?!" he called, half-panicked.

There was a slight ripple in the air, and suddenly, Zara reappeared—Leo clutched tightly in her arms.

She let out a breath of relief, quickly checking over Leo. "You okay, baby?"

Leo nodded, his face scrunching. "Mhm!"

Zara sighed in relief, adjusting her hold on him.

"I’m fine too," WInter called from his spot on the floor.

Zara rolled her eyes and knelt beside him.

"Well. That answers that. He can only hold one person at a time."

Winter sat up, rubbing the back of his head. "Yeah, and if we try to push that, it kicks us out. Good to know before we attempt something risky."

Then another thought struck him.

"The last time Leo went into his space—during the attack on the base—you asked him to come out," he said, looking at Zara.

Zara nodded. "That’s because I can’t move with him inside his space. If I’m in one place and he disappears, when he comes back, he’s still in the exact same spot."

Winter frowned. "So if you were in point A and moved to point B while he was inside, he wouldn’t appear in point B with you—he’d still come out in point A?"

"Exactly."

Winter’s eyebrows shot up. "That’s... actually really important to know."

Zara nodded in agreement, tickling leo’s stomach as she waited for winter.

Winter thought for a moment. "Let’s test it."

He reached for Leo, and the baby easily transferred to his arms. "Alright, buddy. We’re gonna try something fun."

Leo giggled, already enjoying the game.

"Okay, Leo," Winter said, stepping to the centre of the room. "Go into your space."

Leo closed his eyes, and in a blink, he was gone.

Winter immediately walked to the far corner of the room, turning back with a smirk. "Alright, Leo. Come out now."

A second later, Leo reappeared—exactly where he had vanished from.

Mid-air.

Zara reacted in an instant, lunging forward and catching him before he could hit the ground.

Leo giggled wildly in her arms, clapping his hands. "Again!"

Winter and Zara both exhaled, catching their breath.

Zara shot Winter a look. "I don’t know whether to be impressed or terrified."

Winter let out a laugh, shaking his head. "Bit of both, probably."

Leo wriggled excitedly. "Again!"

Zara sighed, shifting him in her arms. "Let’s take a break first, kiddo."

Winter smirked at her as he walked over to them. "I don’t know, Zara. Maybe you’re getting old."

She shot him a glare. "I will actually throw you."

Winter laughed. "I’d like to see you try."

Leo giggled between them, clapping his hands. "Throw me! Throw me!"

Zara groaned, rubbing her temple. "Not you, Leo."

Leo only giggled harder, clearly having the time of his life.

Winter, still grinning, leaned in slightly. "But seriously," he said, glancing at Zara. "This is a lot bigger than we thought. If Leo’s space doesn’t just store things but also ignores time, and if he can control when and where he appears, then—"

"He’s basically got a built-in escape plan," Zara finished, her expression turning thoughtful. "But only if we use it right."

Winter nodded. "Yeah. And only if he doesn’t get stuck mid-air again."

Zara sighed. "One thing at a time."

Whatever else happened next, one thing was clear—this kid was only going to get stronger. And with the right training, his ability could change everything.

For better or worse.

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