A Leisurely Walk Back Home
Hurrying away from the building, Felix continued to drag Adam by the arm.
"Hey- wait! Felix!" [Adam]
"Not now, Adam. We need more distance." [Felix]
Unsure whether or not to resist, Adam went along with him. After traveling until they were halfway home, they took a short rest at a nearby convenience store.
"...I think we're far enough now." [Felix]
Breathing a sigh of relief, Felix released his grip on Adam.
"So… mind telling me why you did what you did?" [Adam]
"...Let's grab something to eat before we talk." [Felix]
He entered the store alone and came back within minutes. In his hand held two sandwiches, one being ham, and the other being tuna.
"Pick one." [Felix]
"Tuna." [Adam]
"Thought you'd say that." [Felix]
He tossed Adam the tuna sandwich, and leaned against the building.
"Now that we're probably out of range, I can finally say you're welcome." [Felix]
"Uh…" [Adam]
"I covered for you by pretending your ability was mine right? You're welcome." [Felix]
"Oh… Thanks. But why did-" [Adam]
"Why did I drag you out? Judging from the way they were reacting, they were going to try to make you use Spatial Manipulation. Except that you don't actually have it." [Felix]
"Then why did you take us so far away to talk about it?" [Adam]
"It's simple." [Felix]
He bit into his ham sandwich and pointed to his ears.
"Vamp's ability is blood manipulation. A level 7 ability. You know that much right?" [Felix]
"Yeah?" [Adam]
"Have you ever read the heroes magazine?" [Felix]
"Multiple times, yes." [Adam]
"Then you remember Vamp's ability and his skills, correct?" [Felix]
"Uh-huh. He strengthens his body by manipulating his blood flow. He can also harden his opponents blood if he comes into contact with them as well." [Adam]
Felix nodded his head, confirming Adam's words.
"Mhm. But think about it. If he can strengthen his body, then he can strengthen other parts. That includes his ears." [Felix]
After hearing those words, it began to click.
"...If he strengthened his ears, then he could hear us from afar?" [Adam]
"Bingo." [Felix]
"But wouldn't all the outside noise get to him?" [Adam]
"People can cancel out sounds you know. It's like when you focus on something so much that you don't even notice your surroundings." [Felix]
"...Makes sense." [Adam]
Pondering the possibilities, Adam slowly bit into his sandwich.
"By the way, you know what time it is?" [Felix]
"Dunno. Give me a sec." [Adam]
He reached into his pocket and turned on his phone. After seeing the numbers on the lock screen, the color drained from his face.
"Bro… I think we have to go." [Adam]
"Hm?" [Felix]
"We have an hour until Aurora's training starts." [Adam]
Felix did not react well to that. Almost choking on his food, gears churned within his mind. Felix immediately calculated the time it took for Vamp's car to drive them to the office, and began converting it to the time meant for walking.
"If we walk… I don't think we're going to make it." [Felix]
"We won't know until we try! Hurry up and eat!" [Adam]
The two quickly finished up their sandwiches and left in a hurry. They feared what would happen if they were late to Aurora's training.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
"You're… LATE!!" [Aurora]
By the time they arrived home, Adam and Felix were drenched with sweat. They leaned against the front door, completely exhausted.
"By… Haah… How much…?" [Adam]
"Three minutes…" [Felix]
The two collapsed at the front door. Their breathing had become ragged from running, and Felix's mana from warping.
"We didn't even start yet, and you two are already out of gas. What am I supposed to do with you guys…" [Aurora]
Hearing the commotion from the front, Vivian appeared from behind Aurora.
"Wha- What's happened?! Are you two okay?!" [Vivian]
She rushed to their sides, but was unsure of what to do.
"I need a towel! Wait no! Maybe water?!" [Vivian]
"Vivian calm down. They're just tired." [Aurora]
She tried to pat Vivian's shoulders to calm her down, but it was quite difficult due to lack of height.
"I can handle this, go back to whatever you were doing." [Aurora]
"Are… you sure?" [Vivian]
Aurora puffed her chest with confidence, but was met with Vivian's expression of unease.
"If… you say so…" [Vivian]
Hoping that Aurora would keep her word, Vivian returned from whence she came.
"Now that she's gone... Adam, Felix. Get up." [Aurora]
"Ugh…" [Adam]
"Do we have to…?" [Felix]
They groaned on the ground, refusing to move an inch.
"If you don't want me to break your knee-caps, stand." [Aurora]
She crossed her arms and released an intimidating pressure, forcing the two to pick themselves up.
"Good." [Aurora]
Snapping her fingers, their surroundings vanished.
"Zone." [Aurora]
"Back to the white space again…" [Felix]
"And another day of getting thrashed…" [Adam]
They slumped forward and sighed. They had a clear lack of motivation.
"Don't be such a baby. It's not that bad." [Aurora]
"You literally kicked me in the face." [Felix]
"Yeah, and?" [Aurora]
"The minimum that I can remember is at least twelve times. And I'm supposed to have photographic memory." [Felix]
"Fine… This time I'll lighten up the training." [Aurora]
"Thank god…" [Adam]
A feeling of relief washed over them, but the training was yet to be over.
"I've decided… for our next exercise, you don't have to move.." [Aurora]
("Hm, nice.") [Adam]
"Hold up, this is Aurora we're talking about." [Krino]
("Oh...") [Adam]
"It's just going to hurt a lot." [Aurora]
("OH… NO.") [Adam]