Chapter 22: Talents

Inside Derek's room, he and Lucas were playing a video game. They finished a round, and then Derek turned to Lucas.

He said, "So, did you fix everything with Auntie Sienna?"

Lucas replied, "Yeah, we made up. She even said that she will start training us from tomorrow morning."

Derek asked, "What kind of training?"

Lucas answered, "Physical training. Apparently, both of our Innate Talents are physical. Oh, and Noah will be joining us as well."

Derek said, "But he's not a part of the Student Council."

Lucas exclaimed, "That's what I said! But Mom said that she would take care of it."

Derek replied, "Well, if Auntie Sienna says that she'll take care of it, then she probably will."

The boys then continued playing. They had Mrs. Z's amazing lasagna for dinner, and the next morning, Sienna told them that they would be going somewhere. On their way, they stopped by the Academy and picked Noah up.

Lucas asked, "How? I haven't given the Dean any letter yet."

Sienna said, "Well, I thought that it would be much faster if I just messaged her."

Half an hour later, they reached a high-rise building.

Sienna said, "Let's go."

They walked to the entrance, and the guards greeted them. But when they saw Lucas, it was as if they had seen their dead ancestor's ghost. They were about to say something but were stopped by a glare from Sienna.

Sienna led them to the elevator, and they went to the 13th floor. When they walked out of the elevator, the boys realized that they were in a gym.

Sienna said, "There are some gym clothes in your size in the locker room. Go and change."

The boys nodded and went to the locker room. Just as she had said, they found gym clothes in the perfect size.

While they were changing, Noah said, "This looks like a really nice gym. But why is it empty?"

Derek said, "You know, I was also wondering the same thing. It's as if it is Auntie Sienna's personal gym or something."

Lucas said, "I'm just as lost as you. It is my first time here as well."

Noah said, "I'll guess we'll find out."

Lucas and Derek nodded, and the trio walked out of the locker room. Sienna was waiting for them. She had also changed.

She said, "So, I already told you guys that I'd be training you because of your Innate Talents, right?"

The boys nodded.

Sienna said, "But do you know the reason? I mean, you're already plenty strong for kids your age even if you will awaken physical Innate Talents. So how would strengthening your bodies even more be helpful?"

Lucas had an idea, but he waited for Sienna to continue.

Sienna said, "The Talents that we awaken, both Innate and Grimoire, affect us greatly. These Talents can be considered as a manifestation of our heritage and luck, so they change us—no, they transform us. Talents can be categorized into four broad categories depending upon their cost: Physical, Mental, Mana, and finally, Special. They use physical strength, mental strength, mana, or something else entirely for their activation."

Lucas asked, "Something else?"

Sienna nodded and said, "There are some Talents that need special resources for their activation. And yes, there are Talents that fall into multiple categories. Anyways, when we awaken, our Talents affect us in two ways. 

First, is the Strengthening. This doesn't apply to Talents in the Special category. Basically, the Talent will permanently strengthen the category that they belong to by a minimum multiplier of 2. Physical Talents are special in this way because you can strengthen your physique before you awaken, but you can't increase mana or mental strength. At least not actively. 

The second is Reflection. Your Talent will reflect into its category. For example, if someone has a spatial mana Talent, their Mana Centre will have much more space than it appears to have. Or if someone has an agility-based Talent, their leg and core muscles will develop significantly. So now, do you understand why we're here?"

The boys nodded, and Noah said, "So that we can strengthen our physiques as much as we can before we awaken to benefit the most?"

Sienna answered, "Exactly. Do not underestimate Strengthening. A 2x multiplier is the minimum. It can be 3x, 4x, or even 5x. The highest recorded multiplier is a whopping 8x. Can you even imagine what levels your physique would reach after an 8x multiplier?"

The boys had expressions of awe on their faces. What if they could have an 8x multiplier? No, why stop at 8x? Records are made to be broken. They would achieve a 9x or even a 10x multiplier. But Sienna's next words poured a bucket of cold water on their dreams.

She said, "Wake up to reality. Only one person achieved the 8x multiplier. And even that was barely. It would be an extremely fortunate thing if you guys got a 5x multiplier. But you will definitely meet geniuses with 6x multipliers. And the only way to beat them is to make your base physique so strong that even a 3x multiplier will put you in the same league as them."

Lucas asked, "But wouldn't that be virtually impossible?"

Noah and Derek also seemed to agree with him.

Sienna chuckled and said, "You all grossly underestimate the human body and your own potential. With the right resources, you'd be surprised by the heights that you can reach. Not to mention, there is a lot of energy from all the Veria Potions you have been drinking left in your bodies."

The boys looked confused. Sienna was even more confused when she saw the boys' expressions.

She asked, "Didn't they teach this to you?"

Lucas asked, "Mom, what are you talking about? Even if it's something that they haven't taught us, I would have read about it in the library."

Sienna said, "Your bodies can't digest or process potions, even Mortal Grade ones, without mana. You need an adult to help with the refining. You can't even excrete it. All that mana is just hidden in your bodies. Wait."

Sienna stared at the boys, and her eyes glowed slightly. The boys' hair rose as they felt like they were being stared at by an apex predator.