Chapter 15: Push-ups

Now that I notice Ivaar's aura is green while mine is yellow when I imagine it, I wonder if it's still yellow when it comes out of my body. I have to open my eyes for once to check.

He seems to be holding on well; he should be able to pull off a push-up with his aura before long.

"Ivaar, you can stop now. You have successfully completed the first exercise of the day. I will revitalize you with my aura, but you will still need to rest for a few minutes."

"Tell me, Ivaar, what image do you have in mind when you want to manifest your aura?"

"I don't know. I think of an equation where my body is the constant and the aura is the unknown, giving the result I want."

"Well, that's all very brainy. Mine seems to be a bit gruff in comparison."

"Don't compare your images too much, Mickael. I told you that your affinity or talent with the aura doesn't have that much bearing on the path you want to take, but it is still representative of your way of thinking. So don't try to reproduce the same method as Ivaar, because it probably won't fit. Even if you did manage to shape an aura, it would be much less powerful."

"It is time to resume training. You have managed to do a push-up with your aura, meaning you've successfully used your aura with your upper body. Now, we're going to do the same with the lower body. You're going to do squats until you manage to use your aura for one."

This should be quicker than earlier as they still have the feeling of the first exercise fresh in their heads.

10:30 AM:

"You've already completed the second exercise, so we're going to move on to the third before we take a break for lunch. For this third exercise, you'll have to do a burpee — a push-up followed by a squat while standing up."

"For this exercise, we have to do the first and second exercises in a row. It shouldn't be too difficult."

"You're right. We're not going to struggle on this one, Mickael."

11:00 AM:

After 30 minutes of unsuccessful attempts, Nargomedov interrupts Mickael and Ivaar.

"What's the matter, kids? Can't you do the first and second exercise in a row?"

"I don't understand. We managed to use the aura on the upper and then the lower body, but using it on both at the same time seems impossible."

"You're not far off the mark, Mickael. It's not impossible, but to achieve it, you'll need either a greater amount of aura to apply a level 1 aura to your whole body — because at your current level, you're stuck with half your body at level 1 — or a better mastery of your aura to move it from your upper to your lower body in the allotted time of the burpee. Do you want to stop?"

That old fart knew we wouldn't be able to pull this off from the start. What a bastard.

"No, I want to continue."

"I don't want to stop either."

The sun hung low on the horizon, casting long shadows through the trees. Mickael and Ivaar sat quietly, their backs resting against the rough bark of an old oak, chests rising and falling with heavy breaths. The day's training had been grueling, their bodies pushed to the brink, yet neither spoke of the pain. Instead, they watched the sky, painted in hues of orange and purple, a quiet understanding passing between them.

Mickael broke the silence. "We're getting better. I can feel it."

Ivaar nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Yeah. Bit by bit."

As the silence settled once more, they began to notice something different. The forest around them felt alive in a way they had never sensed before. Mickael closed his eyes, focusing on his breath, and felt a faint pulse — a rhythm that wasn't his own. The trees seemed to hum with energy, each leaf and branch resonating softly in the breeze. Ivaar shifted, eyes widening as he too sensed it: the pulsing life of the trees, the faint energy swirling in the wind. The aura of nature itself.

"Do you feel that?" Mickael whispered.

"Yeah," Ivaar replied, eyes darting around the park. "It's... beautiful."

The two boys sat in silence for a long moment, letting the sensations wash over them. The gentle rustling of leaves became a song, and the breeze that brushed their skin felt almost like a whisper of encouragement from the world itself. For the first time, they understood that aura wasn't just something within them — it was all around, woven into the very fabric of life.

Nargomedov, watching from a distance, nodded in quiet approval. Their senses were sharpening. Soon, they would no longer just wield the aura — they would understand it.