50 Awakening

The students had a hard time believing the extent of Zed's powers. He was a student like them, and yet, on a completely different level! The very thought of how a mutant with the ability to control fire can manipulate the element of ice terrified them. 

"He is a monster!" Alex shook violently as he remarked.

"How can a slum insect have such power!?" Jamie wondered.

****

"Jessica, now you have to learn that the power of healing can create destruction you never imagined!" Zed took in a deep breath and crouched down, "Life and death always coexist and same goes for creation and destruction!"

Zed touched the grass on the ground. He absorbed the heat and warmth from the ground. Icicles started appearing on the ground surface and the grass turned listless.

"Fire is known as an element of destruction but in small amounts, it is the element of life!" Zed raised his head and looked at Jessica.

She nodded in understanding. Fire in the form of heat was vital to the living beings.

Zed released the heat he has absorbed back to the ground. The grass soon regained its healthy luster.

"Everything is about knowing just when the power of life turns into death!" Zed released fire from his hand and the grass started withering away.

Jessica understood what Zed wanted to tell her. Earlier the grass was dying because it lacked warmth. Now it was dying because the heat it absorbed was far beyond its handling capacity!

"Do you realize what I wanted to tell you?" Zed rose to his feet.

"If I use the power of healing beyond the handling capacity of an individual then it would result in..."

Jessica didn't dare believe her guess. Ever since she was little, she never used her powers beyond the required limit.

Felicity could understand her predicament so she stepped in and said, "You never experimented your powers as such because of your parents and teachers' conditioning. I'm sure they would have told you that your job was done after you have healed an injury, so you never tried experimenting on what will happen if you used your powers even after the injury was healed."

"Have you tried your ability on someone who has no injury or wound?" Zed asked her.

"No."

Jessica felt incompetent for not realizing such a basic thing.

"You don't have to feel bad," Zed smiled and said, "Your thought process has been influenced by others from the very start so it is not surprising for you to not experiment."

She looked at Zed in surprise.

"The only way for you to become what you want is to never let the thoughts of others matter to you," Zed concluded.

"I understand," Jessica replied with a smile. 

---------

"You sure are an expert in selling crap," Ryan thundered.

"Hmm?"

"Jessica, you think your ability will work in the way Zed claimed? If you think so then you are stupid!" Ryan said with scorn. If using healing power for destruction was so easy then wouldn't the world government know? Ryan was sure Zed was just selling nonsense and captivating a stupid girl.

Sure Zed might be talented in his own ability but that didn't mean he was an expert in teaching others? Could he know more about abilities then the teachers?

Zed smiled. In this world, very few would dare to claim they have more expertise than him in the field of mutant research!

Based on the report Claudia has sent, he was able to judge that Jessica could use her ability for destruction.

But there was an obstacle blocking her path.

Her ability wasn't fully awakened! So even if she tried her best, she wouldn't be able to use her ability for destruction. Just continuously releasing her healing ability on a target won't result in anything.

The only way to solve this predicament was to stimuli her powers from outside. World Government, aristocratic families, and mystic organizations had the equipment to carry out this process but not Royal Heart Academy.

Luckily for Jessica, she has met Zed.

"Jessica, regenerate the grass I burned," Zed ignored Ryan.

"Yes," Jessica crouched down and put her hands above the grass. From her palms, streams of white light flashed, wrapping the burned grass. In no time, the grass made a recovery.

"Continue to use your power," Zed instructed. Jessica nodded.

Everyone's attention was on her. The students didn't dare believe her ability wasn't trash.

Five minutes went past, but the grass remained the same. Ryan released a sigh of relief and the same went for others.

"I knew it! She was trash!" Alex remarked.

"Zed was spouting nonsense!" Jamie loudly added.

Jessica continued using her ability but deep inside she felt nervous. It has been a long time, and yet, nothing was changing.

Was Zed really wrong? No! It didn't matter! He has already helped me enough!

The entire time Zed had his eyes closed. He tried to recover from his fatigued state.

A minute later, he opened his eyes and a tinge of gold appeared in his blue pupils. A burst of invisible, golden flash rippled out from there and stabbed into Jessica's heart.

"Argh!" Jessica suddenly felt her blood boiling. It was as if hot oil was mixed with her blood. She didn't stop using his her ability, even though the pain was literally heart-wrenching.

"What is going on?"

"Why is her body sweating?"

"Hang on! The grass is changing!"

The grass mutated! It expanded and reached the size of a size, and then, just as quickly, it started decaying.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Ryan couldn't believe his eyes. How can the grass grow so suddenly and then decay?!

*thud*

Zed fell on the ground. His face pale and droplets of blood dripping from his facial orifices.

"What happened?" Felicity quickly gave support to Zed.

"Don't worry," Zed wiped the blood with the back of his hand, "Using the fire domain took a heavy toll on my body."

Felicity didn't find his excuse plausible since he has never suffered such consequences before. Not to mention, why will he suffer now even though he used the domain ten minutes ago?

"Let's go to the hospital," Felicity said.

"I have just overdrawn myself so don't worry," Zed tried to calm her.

Jessica quickly arrived next to Zed. She has no time to take joy in her newfound ability after seeing his condition.

"Please allow me," Jessica put her palms on his face. His body quickly absorbed the white light like a sponge absorbing water.

She then sensed the injuries he has suffered and that made her stunned.

"You have internal injuries!" Jessica exclaimed.

He has paid such a heavy price when he summoned the fire domain?

"Thank you."