Ability Training

She gave her brother her sweetest smile, answering his questioning gaze: "You said that physical fitness is just as important to train. Also, I am quite cold from standing around all day. As there's still some time until dinner, we'll run a short lap," she said, already falling into a jog and pulling Luke by his arm. With her running off like that, neither the youth nor her brother had a chance to object.

"Alright, but stay close and come inside immediately after the lap!" Ethan called after her, to which she only waved in return, signaling she had heard him.

Shaking his head with a smile, Ethan turned and headed to the farmhouse. "Rose has really changed," he said to Andrew walking at his side.

"Indeed," Andrew agreed, deep in thought.

After having run through the grass for about fifteen minutes, Rose began to struggle. With her untrained body already aching and out of energy, she slowed down as soon as they passed the slope and were out of sight.

She braced her arms against her sides and caught her breath. Luke was slightly better off, sweat glistened on his forehead.

"Rose, what did you want to discuss about my ability?" Luke asked his eyes shining in anticipation.

Rose lifted a finger, gesturing for him to wait a minute. It took her a while to calm her racing heart. Noticing the awful state of her eighteen-year-old body, she could only shake her head and wholeheartedly agree with the urgency to train.

Looking around, she thought for a moment, then pulled him towards the forest edge. They didn't venture deep, just a few meters so they could see anyone approaching over the slope while remaining out of sight. Then she took out the alien device. No sooner had it appeared than Zen flickered into view before them.

"Boss, how can I be of service?" He made his usual bow and glanced at Luke.

"I have a question, and I hope you can answer it," she said, her eyes narrowing in warning for him to think carefully about what information he could provide, even if restricted.

Zen flashed her a wry smile. "Please ask away, Boss. I'll do my very best to answer you."

That would be better for you...

"Is there a way to train one's ability?" she asked straight away.

"I am not sure I understand your question, Boss. What do you mean by 'train'?"

Here we go again…

"I mean, is there a way to strengthen one's ability?" she rephrased her question. Zen's eyes lit up with understanding. He exhaled in relief, apparently allowed to share at least this information.

"Indeed, there are ways to strengthen one's ability through practice and use. The more frequently and intensively you utilize your spirit force, the stronger it becomes over time. Additionally, consuming spirit liquid can provide a significant boost, though it's quite rare and valuable," he answered.

That's exactly what she had guessed. Thinking back to her former life, it had been strange. In her previous life she had never gotten any spirit liquid. As she had never again entered a portal, and with her and her brother being rather weak and on the lower end of the pecking order, there just hadn't been any opportunity. But even without it, as time passed, she felt her ability strengthen. The time span she could stay invisible lengthened considerably the more often she used her ability, especially if she exhausted her spirit force while doing so.

"What does that mean?" Luke asked, confused by their discussion.

"It means there's a way for your fire ability to grow stronger," Rose explained. "Right now, the flame you can conjure is small, and you can only keep it active briefly. By training, you'll be able to create larger flames and use your ability for longer periods."

"Really? Awesome!" Luke exclaimed urgent to get started. "Then how do I do that?"

"Simple. Just use your ability."

"Eh?"

Sighing, Rose explained in detail: "To activate your ability, you need something called spirit force. Imagine it as a well of water inside you. Each time you use your ability, water from this well is consumed. Once it's empty, you can't use your ability anymore." She decided not to mention overusage and life force for now. "This well refills naturally over time. With each use, the amount replenished grows slightly, leading to your ability becoming stronger."

Though not scientifically precise, Rose tried to explain it as best she understood. She noticed Zen frowning, pondering, and nodding at the side—not particularly helpful. Luke appeared to be considering her words carefully.

"I think I get it," Luke said. "It's like training our bodies, right? The more we use it, the better we get."

Rose smiled. "Exactly. That's why we'll do this ability training every day, along with learning survival skills and physical training. And we're starting right now."

"We?"

"Yes, I will also train. As you correctly mentioned before, I also have an ability - which is speed." She decided to take the leap and tell Luke. Also, it was impractical for her to continue to hide it from even him. 

"That`s how we were able to run so quickly from that giant worm and ascend that slope!" he exclaimed.

Rose nodded. "It might not be as impressive as you fire ability, but it might save our lives. You can start by conjuring the flame and keeping it active for as long as you can. Once it distinguishes your training for today is over, as simple as that."

"And what about you?"

"I'll run in circles until I reach the same point," Rose explained. She wasn't particularly looking forward to setting her already aching body in motion again and felt a twinge of envy towards Luke, who could stand still for his training.

They immediately got started. As their abilities were still quite weak, it didn't take long for them to finish their training. Both were completely spent in less than five minutes, which clearly demonstrated the small size of their spirit force pools.

Exhausted they pulled their tired bodies back to the farmhouse.