Unleashing Hidden Potential

Chapter: 22

The Next Day

Adrian awoke to the gentle rays of the morning sun filtering through the curtains. He stretched, feeling the residual warmth from the previous day's events. Curled up against his chest was Sigurrós, and behind her was Anafabula, who was awake and staring at him.

"Morning, Ana."

"Morning, Adrian."

Adrian carefully disentangled himself from the cozy embrace, making sure not to wake Sigurrós. He slipped out of bed and stretched again, feeling the slight tension in his muscles from the previous day's training sessions. He looked back at Anafabula, who was now gently brushing Sigurrós's hair with her fingers.

"We have a busy day ahead," Adrian said, his voice low. "I plan to start training Sigurrós today."

"Can you train Sky as well?" A familiar voice asked from the door.

Adrian didn't bother to turn around. "You know you can knock, right?"

Elena chuckled softly. "I know, but I figured I'd save time. So, can you?"

Adrian nodded. "Of course. The more, the merrier."

Sky bounded into the room, her energy palpable even this early in the morning. "Yay! Thanks, Uncle Adrian!"

"Alright, let's get started," Adrian said, ruffling Sky's hair affectionately.

Anafabula gently shook Sigurrós awake. "Time to get up, sweetie. Today is a big day."

Sigurrós stirred, rubbing her eyes and smiling sleepily. "Morning, Dad. Morning, Ana."

Adrian smiled back at her. "Morning, princess. Ready for some training?"

Sigurrós nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! I want to get stronger."

After a quick breakfast, they headed to the training room. Knowing the room wouldn't be enough, Adrian clapped, and the room faded into a large plain.

"Alright," Adrian began, looking at the vast expanse around them. "Today, we'll focus on enhancing your control and creating some new techniques."

Sky bounced on her toes, excitement radiating from her. "What are we going to learn first?"

"We'll start with the basics," Adrian replied. "Understanding and controlling your existing powers is crucial before we move on to anything new."

Sigurrós and Sky both nodded, their expressions determined.

"Alright, but first, I'm going to separate Sky from you a little bit, Sigurrós."

"Why?"

"Your ability is very dangerous around Sigurrós at the moment," Adrian explained. "So..."

Adrian's shadow expanded as an identical copy of him rose from it.

"Wow."

"Cool."

"This is a body double I will be using to train both of you."

The body double led Sky away.

"Alright, let's get started."

With the Body Double 

"Alright, Sky, can you show me what your mother has taught you so far?"

Sky nodded eagerly, her eyes bright with excitement. "Sure, Uncle Adrian! Mom taught me how to use End manipulation a bit."

"I am aware. Can you show me how she taught you to use it?"

Sky nodded and turned to a forest behind her. She pointed to the trees. "Die," she commanded. In that instant, all trees in the forest 'died.'

"I see, so you can use the base ability. Okay then, let's start with that. I will be creating various things that I'm going to want you to 'kill.' Understand?"

"Okay!"

"Good."

The double watched as Sky focused her energy on the designated targets, her young face scrunched up in concentration. The ability to manipulate End was a dangerous one, and he would know since he had access to the ability himself. The double started to create various living and non-living items for Sky to practice on. A small sapling appeared first, followed by a collection of rocks and a few animated golems that mimicked living beings without actually being alive.

"Start with the sapling," the double instructed. "Focus on ending its life."

Sky nodded, her eyes narrowing as she concentrated on the small tree. "Die," she whispered, and the sapling withered instantly.

"Good," the double praised. "Now, try the rocks. They aren't living, but you can still affect them."

Sky focused on the rocks, her brow furrowing in concentration. "Die," she said again, and the rocks crumbled into dust.

"Excellent," the double said. "Now, the golems. These will be a bit trickier since they mimic life but aren't truly alive. Concentrate and feel for the essence of their existence."

Sky took a deep breath, centering herself. She extended her hand towards the golems and repeated her command, "Die." The golems shuddered and collapsed, their animated forms dissolving into inert matter.

"You're doing very well, Sky," the double said, smiling. "Keep practicing. I'll increase the complexity as we go."

Meanwhile, Adrian focused on Sigurrós.

"Alright, Sigurrós, time to pick up from where we left off."

Sigurrós nodded and started to warp the reality of the area around them, but something was wrong. It wasn't as fast or as precise as it normally was—it looked and felt like something was blocking her reality warp ability. The frown on her face proved Adrian's thoughts correct.

"Dad, something is blocking my powers."

"Yeah, I noticed." 

Adrian's eyes started to glow blue as he looked at her. It didn't take him long to find the issue.

'What? It's already activating? It's barely been a day.'

"Sigurrós, can you hold still for a moment?"

Sigurrós nodded, her expression a mixture of curiosity and concern. Adrian placed his hands on her shoulders, his eyes shifting silver as he delved deeper into the mysterious blockage. As he focused, he could sense two new, powerful abilities awakening within her—Origin Manipulation and Supernatural Manipulation.

'Oh, Origin Manipulation and Supernatural Manipulation are two interesting abilities indeed. She's a perfect counter to Sky now.'

Adrian carefully guided the awakening process, ensuring Sigurrós's safety and stability. As he finished, he sensed an energy spike from Sigurrós. Realizing what it meant, he jumped back, and then there was an explosion of white and red energy released from Sigurrós's body. The explosion rippled through the air, creating a mesmerizing display of colors. Adrian shielded his eyes momentarily before looking at Sigurrós, who now stood in the center of a swirling vortex of power. Her eyes glowed with an intensity that Adrian knew all too well.

"Sigurrós, can you hear me?" Adrian called out, his voice steady despite the swirling energy.

"Yes, Dad," Sigurrós replied, her voice echoing with a strange resonance. "I can feel it. The new powers... they're overwhelming."

"It's okay," Adrian reassured her. "You need to focus on controlling them. Remember what we talked about—control is key."

Sigurrós nodded, her expression determined. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, centering herself. The swirling energy began to calm, slowly retracting back into her body. Adrian watched closely, ready to intervene if needed, but Sigurrós managed to contain the energy on her own.

"Good job, Sigurrós," Adrian said, a proud smile on his face.

"Dad, what was that?"

"Congratulations, princess, on your new powers."

Chapter 23: End