"Let’s go ahead and see how your abilities affect the energy reserve now," Jade suggested, intrigued by the potential insights this new line of inquiry might offer.
Rosa nodded and pushed herself back to her feet. The sparring had worn on her, but she still moved easily.
She took a moment to hydrate, consuming tea water from another bottle before discarding it, a small ritual to prepare herself for the demonstration.
With a deliberate action, Rosa clapped her hands together, closing her eyes in concentration. Jade observed intently as the air around them began to shift, giving way to shimmering lines of light that materialized around Jade from all directions.
The sight was mesmerizing, a display of Rosa’s control and the tangible manifestation of her power.
"This is my most basic application," Rosa explained, her eyes now open, revealing a depth of focus and understanding. "In a way, it’s a lot similar to spider webs and takes very little effort to start.
But clapping my hands together makes it easier to summon them faster because I believe the heat in my hands combining speeds up the process."
Jade nodded, absorbing the explanation as she watched the lights slowly fade away. She then assessed Rosa’s energy levels, or ’points,’ as she decided to refer to them. "330 now, so that basic attack dropped you by 20 points."
"Points?" Rosa echoed, a hint of confusion in her voice. The term was unfamiliar in this context, prompting a need for clarification.
Jade, rubbing the top of her head in a gesture that seemed to blend thoughtfulness with a touch of humor, elaborated, "Yeah, a bit easier than saying energy levels over and over again. I think just calling them points for short is better for conversations."
"But moving on a bit further," Jade transitioned, her curiosity now leading her towards one of the weapon racks in the training area.
Her movements were deliberate, each step carrying the weight of her recent discoveries and the burgeoning understanding of her own abilities.
"I think I have a decent idea of how my power works and why I was able to blow the chest open on that creature."
Jade continued, quieter now. "In reality, I shouldn’t have been able to do that to a creature that had me outclassed in power and years of fighting." She paused, still bothered by how impossible it should have been.
"If it wasn’t for these eyes, I would have never seen that path open up, but after the nightmare I had, the way I have been able to affect things..."
Before she could fully explain, Rosa cut in with blunt certainty.
"You can deconstruct all material things, right?" The interruption came from careful observation, not impatience. Rosa had been piecing together the clues alongside her.
Jade, taken aback by Rosa’s blunt summation, couldn’t hide her surprise. "Wh-why did you have to cut me off?
I was building up to that!" Jade’s protest came light, because Rosa had clearly been paying attention.
"Well, at least that’s what I’ve summarized so far," Rosa stated, a slight smile playing on her lips.
Jade, still cradling the gun in her hands, concentrated deeply, channeling her energy into the weapon. As she did so, the metal began to respond, shifting and contorting in a display of her unique ability.
Inside, the coils warmed and morphed, transforming the gun under the influence of her power.
With her eyes closed, focusing intently on her task, she shaped the metal into a ball. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she launched it towards a training dummy.
Upon impact, the deformed metal, now infused with energy, wrapped around the dummy, embracing it in a metallic hug.
"Woah, that actually worked," Jade thought to herself, surprise and satisfaction cutting through her fatigue. Glancing upwards, she noted the drop in her energy bar from 50 to 45--a small price for a successful demonstration of her power.
Rosa, equally astonished, approached the dummy, prodding the metal that now ensnared it. "Whenever I think I’ve seen everything, I get surprised.
But still, I’m shocked this ability worked on that creature," she remarked, her voice a mixture of awe and disbelief.
Jade, turning to Rosa with a thoughtful expression, acknowledged the crucial role of their teamwork.
"Yeah, though it was only made possible thanks to us working together and breaking that red gem on its back." Jade wanted that part remembered too. The win had belonged to all of them.
As Jade was about to propose their next course of action, a sudden interruption cast their plans aside--a red light flared above them, painting the training area in an heavy glow.
Rosa straightened. "Another creature spawning already?" Surprise sharpened into readiness, as if her body had decided before her thoughts could catch up.
Jade, her attention fixated on the red light illuminating the ceiling, watched as it pulsed for an agonizing five minutes before finally ceasing its alarm.
The silence that followed was almost as startling as the light itself, a momentary pause in the routine of their day.
Shortly after the light extinguished, an announcement broke the silence: "Yui Sandere & Xui Bai, please report to the dispatch area." The directive, clear and impersonal, left a trace of curiosity in its wake.
"Huh, who are they?" Jade inquired, her knowledge of their fellow inhabitants not yet comprehensive. With so many individuals coming and going, each with their unique abilities and backgrounds, it was challenging to keep track.
Rosa, taking a moment to gather her thoughts, provided some context. "Believe Yui is some noble’s daughter, and she can use some sort of water manipulation. Xui Bai uses a sword, but I’m not exactly sure what he does.
But he’s very good at slicing." Her explanation painted a picture of two capable individuals, each with their distinct style and contribution to their collective efforts.
Jade, her curiosity piqued, tapped a finger under her chin in contemplation. "I see, I really got to get to know all these people."
After dedicating another two hours to their rigorous training regimen, Jade collapsed onto the mat, a tangible manifestation of her exhaustion. Glancing upwards, she took stock of her dwindling energy reserves, now teetering at a precarious 5 out of 50.
Turning her gaze towards Rosa, she noted her friend had fared slightly better, with her energy levels standing at 20.
In a moment of quiet reflection, Rosa, with her gaze fixed on the ceiling, shared a poignant admission. "It’s nice to have a friend again, to be honest," she murmured, the soft glow of the lights above casting a still halo around her.
A single tear ran down her cheek before she could wipe it away.