God's Garden - Mighty Brothers XX 2

Any time that Norvin ate some of the meat from creatures he killed in the garden, a small change would be made in his record underneath the Sovereign Series of information. Currently, wind, fire, ice and gravity were listed underneath the subsection of Sovereign's Control. The words wind and gravity now had a '+2' following behind them.

Norvin had harvested what was left of the Gale Howler that had been ripped in half and the black cow that he had sniped, which the record had labelled as a 'Graviton Bovine'. After grilling the Howler the same way he had the first night he arrived in the garden, Norvin checked on his record, specifically to see if there were any changes to be found. To his surprise, the word wind had that +2 appear behind it. 

A feeling of complete relaxation and satisfaction had accompanied this meal the same way it had the first night too. Echo had noted that the Norvin's genes had been slightly strengthened with every bite of the wind infused wolf that he ate. 

The same feeling of growth through consumption followed for the fiery bat and the icy shark-like beast he had consumed. Norvin had been curious whether he could reap benefits only once from each creature he killed until he had eaten enough of the Graviton Bovine to see that +2 show up.

Norvin had noticed his physical capabilities rising steadily, his base battle potential had risen from D to D+ when he checked out his stats via Cosmic Catalogue. Echo's informational explanations had once again came in handy, he filled Norvin in about how supers gained strength. It could be done through fighting and killing powered enemies; it almost counted as experience like a videogame, to notice the effect however, one would need to slay many, many other super beings. 

Another way, was through eating the meat of a creature within the Meta class of supers, which, outside of God's Garden, did not happen very often, due to most races morality. Energy storage capacity within ones cells was one more key way to raising battle power and grade. 

One simply needed to practice with their powers, move energy around their body by utilizing some of the many energy training techniques that various individuals and factions had invented throughout history.

As this was performed, a supers body would slowly be able to store more and more energy in each and every one of their cells. In turn, each cell would become tougher and more developed. The body would become stronger, speedier and more resilient.

Traditional sparing and training also slowly helped improve not just technique but levels of power in those same cells. This was especially true for Pugilists. 

The beings that weren't able to do any of these things were those whom hadn't unlocked or awakened a super class, which was the majority of every population in every realm; in fact, this was the cause of conflict between supers and non powered members in many civilizations.

Norvin had actively been doing all the above for the last several months and had felt that his strength, speed and endurance had all moved up to a slightly higher peak. He had been practicing with his psychic abilities every morning after breakfast, mostly the skill 'Mind Blade' as he absolutely loved the obsidian colored sword handle he had created. 

After practicing his class abilities, he would go for a run through the forest, trying to use only his physical prowess to leap from tree to tree, he would often times use parkour maneuvers that he had watched online. The first couple days of pretending to have Yoda on his back ended with a few slip ups, leaving light bruises until his superhuman muscle memory started to come into play. 

Eventually Norvin was able to gauge the vast distances he had been leaping precisely, he learned exactly how much power to put into gripping tree limbs without breaking them while using them to further his momentum as he flew by. Norvin had even gained mastery over landing after a large jump or fall. 

There was a particular cliff face near his cave that suited fall training perfectly. It was a rocky outcropping about a mile away from his base that was full of ledges and had many vines creeping across its slightly sloped surface.

It wasn't the tallest spot in the forest but if any normal human fell from the top, they would definitely not survive. 

The first couple times that Norvin jumped, he had been filled with a near panic, enhancing the normal feeling of falling dramatically. Norvin hadn't been in any danger however, a D Grade super would be bruised at most falling from a height like that. 

Norvin had stood at the edge of the cliff, surveying the sprawling expanse of God's Garden below. The vibrant flora and fauna seemed to hum with a life of their own, each creature and even some plants pulsating with untapped Meta energy. He had taken a deep breath, filling his lungs with the crisp air, heightened by the essence of the strange wilderness. This deep exposure to nature always reminded him of his place within this new cycle of life and power if Echo didn't, a lesson he had come to cherish during his time in the garden.

With determination etched on his face, Norvin had turned away from the beautiful horizon and faced the edge of the outcropping, ready to push his limits further. The mental rehearsal was a staple of his training—visualizing his jumps in his mind before executing them. Echo had emphasized the importance of mental focus in honing not just his psychic abilities but his physical performance as well. "Your mind and body are one," Echo had told him frequently, his voice echoing like a mantra in Norvin's thoughts.

With a sudden rush of adrenaline, he had bounded off the edge, the wind whipping past him like a living entity. For a brief, time-suspended moment, he floated in midair—a thrill coursing through him. He let the gravity of his surroundings guide his descent, each muscle engaged, fully aware of the power he was in possession of.

As he plummeted, Norvin's instincts had kicked in. They had sharpened remarkably over the last few months, a testament to the pairs rigorous training. He concentrated on the timing; while a mere mortal would surrender to panic, Norvin embraced the anticipation. At just the right moment, he extended his body, reaching out to grab a protruding vine. His hands closed around it with the precision of a finely-tuned machine, and he swung gracefully, redirecting his momentum to the side.

The landing was soft, absorbing the shock with an effortless roll, rising to his feet with even more confidence. He couldn't help but smile, the exhilaration pumping through his veins. Each leap from the cliff had gradually transformed from a test of courage into a fun exercise, an pleasant expression of his evolving strength. This training had taught him more than mere physical prowess; it had instilled an unwavering confidence that was easy to recognize in his eyes.

With each subsequent jump, he had tested different techniques. Sometimes he would use only his legs and hands, propelling himself higher and farther; other times, he would incorporate his psychic abilities, pushing and pulling the energies around him, ensuring a safe and controlled descent. The cliff had become his personal arena—a place where his self-imposed challenges unraveled like string, and he could weave them into mastering the art of the descent.

After several more successful leaps, Norvin had decided it was time to push his own limits again. He focused on his surroundings. The cliff was full of small ledges, perfect for practicing precision jumps. His objective was to leap from one ledge to another, each descent and ascent incrementally getting more daring. The thrill of testing his boundaries filled him with a reckless exhilaration, the very essence of what it meant to be alive in this remarkable pocket dimension.

Norvin had been comparing himself to a certain orange and black clothed shinobi the whole time, before each drop he would shout: "I'm not gonna run away, I never go back on my word! That's my nindo, my ninja way!" Much to Echo's annoyance.

He steadied his breathing, his chest rising and falling with subdued excitement. "Here we go, ninja way..." he muttered, adrenaline surging. With a final push, Norvin launched himself at an elevated ledge, aiming for the next one just out of reach. Time slowed as he soared through the air, and for the first time in a long while, he was not just a super in training; he was an artist, composing a symphony of movement.

And then, disaster struck.

He miscalculated the distance, his fingertips brushing against the edge of the next ledge instead of securing a grip. Instinctively, Norvin twisted mid-air, channeling every ounce of his psychic energy to redirect his momentum. He hit the ground with a thud, rolling to diffuse the impact. Pain jolted through him—nothing serious but a reminder of his humanity buried amid his growing power. He lay there for a moment, catching his breath, feeling out the sting in his shoulder and the thumping in his chest. "Ugh...Damn nindo. That hurt."

"Never let fear, nor failure cloud your judgment, ninja boy." Echo's voice echoed in his mind, offering support while also mocking him, as he tended to do from time to time.

Rising slowly, Norvin brushed off the dirt and reflected on the fall. Mistakes were part of progress, he reminded himself. Each success and failure brought him closer to his true potential—not just as a psychic but as Norvin, the Cosmic Curator.

Treating the forest like an obstacle course, repeated tumbles from the cliff and prior sparring sessions had brought Norvin and Echo to their current state. Flashing through the trees, clashing back and forth as the 'Mighty Brothers XX' from Kamen Rider Ex-aid. 

The current Norvin was literal leaps and bounds above the him when he had first arrived in the garden. 

...

Norvin deflected a straight right from Echo, then the follow up left was also pushed away. Norvin pushed forward towards Echo as he deflected the fist, rotating his left arm up using the momentum of the blow to press his own left into Echo's right arm. He slid his forearm forward along Echo's and rotated his arm again until it was straight, forming a fist right as it reached Echo's helmet.

Echo swung his head back at the last moment, receiving a tiny portion of the punch, Echo used the force to push himself into a backflip, as soon as he became horizontal he lashed out with both feet, attempting to land both of them in Norvin's gut. 

"Yah!"

Bang!

Norvin managed to move his right arm diagonally across his midsection, blocking the dual kick. Echo flew backwards, finished rotating just before landing and skid back several meters. The force of the double kick pushed Norvin back the same amount of distance as well.

Both of them settled into their fighting stances, looking at each other for several moments before standing straight and walking towards one another.

'Not bad, let's call it a day there.' Norvin nodded his head in response to Echo's mental message and raised his hand for a hi-five, which Echo was happy to meet, the clap of their palms connecting was quite loud, raising as much dust around them as their earlier clashes did.

Norvin and Echo both closed the lever on the belts they were wearing, and pulled a small cartridge out from a mounting slot on each respective belt.

CLICK AND CLOSE!

CLICK TO SAVE!

The belts both called out a few phrases as Norvin started to release his transformation. 

Both Norvin and Echo glowed gold, orange and blue, distorting and turning into what could best be described as a 'digital cloud' of color in the shape of a human. The orange and blue eventually turned into gold as well.

Norvin's body finally came clearly into view, becoming solid and the golden energy left floating around traveled through his body back into the Holodex on his wrist.

"So? What do you think about having your own body to control?" Norvin posed the question to Echo while rolling his shoulders and moving his neck side to side.

"Almost as good as controlling your body."

Norvin paused with the neck stretching for a moment and rolled his eyes.

As dusk began to settle over God's Garden, painting the sky with strokes of purple, red, green, silver and gold, Norvin felt the thrill of the battle-filled day settle into him. He was growing, evolving not only in application of his abilities but in energy and power. The stars in the sky over the garden always seemed weirdly blurry but those five orbs providing light were always clear when they were overhead.

Norvin had already guessed that their distinct colors coordinated with the doorways at the center of the clearing where he had entered the garden initially. Echo had confirmed this and went on to explain that the 'film' Norvin noticed dulling the stars was actually a barrier between the different universes.

The only other objects in the sky that could be noticed were the occasional 'summersault' clouds, flying around and chasing each other. Speaking of clouds, Norvin hadn't seen the thunder and lightning manipulating Stormchaser or either of the fiery beasts from the clearing for that matter. He had been meaning to hunt them down as a food source and to enhance his resistances. 

Norvin took a deep breath, activated inventory and pulled out a chunk of steaming steak wrapped in a leaf. He was hungry after all that fighting, the thought of roasting that giant thunder chicken had also made him drool a little bit.

"Tomorrow, I'll go even harder."

"Sounds good, kid."

Norvin smiled at the response from his constant companion.

Filled with purpose, he began the walk back toward the cave while munching, the five suns dipping below the horizon, readying himself for the next day of training and further explorations with Echo. 

Norvin got cozy in his sleeping bag, at the same time Echo prepared to activate the skill 'Imagination Station'. Many of the lower end entries had been filled up at this point. Echo started charging up some of the more impressive selections while the tired Norvin slipped into a deep slumber.