It wasn't an unexpected answer, but something about it surprised X nonetheless. Maybe it was his reaction; he felt both disgusted and vindictively satisfied, emotions that didn't exactly complement each other very nicely. Life as a reader could be an adventure.

Devin was wrong. Someone else did get hurt; and yet, X couldn't quite bring himself to care.

He lifted the wooden sword he carried, one fist wrapped around the hilt and the other tapped lightly on the side of the blade. A second later, the sword cracked -- once, twice, and then splintered altogether.

"That's my talent," X said with a wry smile. "Glass, and wood, so far."