Chapter 113: Awakening

Artificial morning light spilled through the metallic blinds of Arthur's quarters aboard the Dreadnought. He sat up with a groan, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

After a quick shower and a bite of protein-packed breakfast that promised 100% of his daily nutritional needs, he activated his datapad. He needed to contact Admiral Kane to discuss how to go with disseminating the knowledge of Chi Cultivation.

A second later, a holographic image flickered to life, revealing Admiral Kane in his navy-blue officer's uniform, arms folded, eyes sharp.

"Arthur. You're up early," Kane said, raising a brow. "Something on your mind?"

Arthur didn't waste time. "Yeah. There's something I need to discuss. It's about a technique, one that could change the tide of this war."

Kane's brow furrowed. "Go on."

Arthur took a deep breath, choosing his words carefully. "I've been using a method of cultivation…It's called Chi Cultivation. It's the reason I've been stronger than most of the ECHO operatives. Until now, it was a... closely guarded secret."

Kane's hologram leaned forward slightly. "And you're telling me this now because...?"

"Because the Chimerians are getting stronger. If I keep this to myself, it might cost more lives. But I'm not disclosing its origin. I'd prefer to keep that part... private."

Kane paused, expression unreadable. "You know the higher-ups will ask about the source of the information."

Arthur shrugged. "Just tell them it's a family technique from my previous world. It is the reason for my abilities. I didn't disclose it earlier because, well, it was personal and a secret. But now I'm willing to share…for the greater good."

Kane sighed, running a hand through his graying hair. "You know that won't fly with everyone."

"I don't care what they believe," Arthur replied, voice firm. "Let them think what they want."

A brief silence lingered before Kane gave a faint nod. "Alright. I'll spin it. The General and I will handle the procedure. You just keep doing what you do best, kicking ass and saving humanity." 

"Alright I will send you the data and a demonstration on a secure channel." Arthur then ended the call with a soft beep. He leaned back, exhaling. One hurdle down.

…

A few minutes later, he stepped out of his room and spotted Samir tapping away on a holographic console, fingers flying faster than most people could blink.

"Where's everyone else?" Arthur asked.

Samir didn't even look up. "Still in their rooms, probably catching up on sleep. We were up pretty late last night."

Arthur gave a small nod, then waited.

Soon enough, Leo emerged, yawning like a bear, followed by Elena, who was stretching her arms and mumbling something about caffeine. When all three stood before him, Arthur straightened.

"I have something important to tell you," he said. "Follow me."

They exchanged curious glances but complied.

…

Inside the gravity chamber, the door hissed shut behind them. The air inside was thick with tension, like the room itself knew something monumental was about to go down.

Arthur turned to face them.

"Do you trust me?"

Elena blinked. Leo and Samir raised a brow.

But in the end, they answered in unison.

"Of course we do."

Arthur nodded slowly. "Good. Then it's time you knew why I'm... different. Why I am stronger than any ECHO."

He raised his hand, and golden energy began to dance across his fingers, crawling up his arm like living fire. Their eyes widened seeing the spectacle before them.

"This," Arthur said, "is Chi."

Elena let out a quiet, "No way..."

Leo's jaw dropped. "That's like…straight out of a comic book!"

Samir pushed his glasses up. "And you're telling us you've been using this the whole time?"

Arthur chuckled. "Yeah. And I want to teach you all. We're going to need every edge we can get against the Chimerians."

He tapped a few commands on his datapad and sent them the Chi Cultivation manual.

"All of you…read it. Memorize the first part for now. This is step one."

All of them got excited hearing that. And Arthur was glad they didn't question about its origin.

They dove into it without protest. All of them are cream of the crop, as they were selected from the best of the best candidates. Their brains are sharp from years of military training and battlefield experience. It took just thirty minutes for them to commit the complex pathways and breathing techniques to memory.

Arthur stepped forward. "Okay. Step two is... the hard part. I need to activate your Chi manually by channeling mine into your bodies."

Samir blinked. "Wait…just that is enough?"

Arthur nodded. "Yeah. But it's going to hurt like hell."

Leo rolled his shoulders and gave a cocky grin. "Who is afraid of a little bit of pain? Let's get it over with."

Arthur smirked. "Alright. Sit down. And grit your teeth."

Leo did as told, sitting cross-legged. Arthur positioned himself behind him, placed a hand on Leo's back, and exhaled slowly.

A golden glow burst from Arthur's palm and slithered into Leo's body like liquid fire. Leo's eyes widened instantly.

"Ohhh... sh*t…!"

He groaned, teeth clenched, fists trembling. Sweat poured down his forehead as the energy pushed through him, forcing dormant meridians open, blazing a path through muscle and bone.

Ten minutes in, he broke. Screaming.

Elena and Samir watched, pale and silent. Thinking how they themselves will have to go through that. Still, Arthur didn't stop.

After a grueling hour, Arthur pulled his hand back.

Leo collapsed onto the floor, panting, drenched in sweat.

"You good?" Arthur asked.

Leo slowly stood, flexed his arms, and grinned. "Bro. I feel like I could punch through a mountain."

Arthur laughed. "Yeah, don't get too cocky. That's just the high, due to suddenly gaining strength your body is not used to."

Then came Samir's turn.

Same process. Same pain, but with different swear words.

And then it was Elena's turn.

She crossed her arms. "Boys. Out."

Leo blinked. "Wait, what? Why…" He wanted to say something but Elena's glare silenced him.

They shuffled out, muttering about how it was unfair as Arthur was still there.

An hour passed. When Arthur opened the door, Leo and Samir saw Elena standing inside, golden light flickering around her like embers. She looked calm and powerful.

Arthur looked at them, "Alright," he said, "all of you, let's get to work."

Over the next few hours, he guided them through basic Chi manipulation. How to focus their breathing. Feeling the energy move, mold, and flow.

"This is just the beginning," Arthur told them. "What you've done today is just the starting, the more you practice the stronger you will get."

Leo cracked his knuckles. "I'm all in."

Samir nodded, his eyes gleaming. "So much data to analyze... I love it."

Elena just gave Arthur a look, something between respect and curiosity.

And Arthur, standing in the middle of his now-powered-up squad, felt something rare.

Proud. Like a father seeing his kids grow up.

…

The gravity chamber dimmed, its artificial field intensifying slightly to simulate real-world resistance. Four of them got ready for a quick sparring match.

Arthur stood in the center of the chamber, arms folded across his chest. His stance was relaxed, and his expression calm.

"Alright," he said, rolling his shoulders. "You've got your Chi. You've got the basics. Time to see what you can actually do with it." He paused for a moment and said, "This fight will be recorded as a demonstration to convince the higher ups to let the ECHOs start practicing it.

All three of them nodded, showing they have no problem with it.

Leo cracked his neck. "So, we go one-on-one?"

Arthur smirked. "Nope. All three of you, at once."

Samir blinked. "You want us to gang up on you?"

"Pretty much."

Elena raised an eyebrow. "You're holding back, right?"

"I'll use just enough power to keep things interesting," Arthur said, taking a step forward. His aura flared, faintly, but enough to send a tremor through the floor. "Let's dance."

There was no countdown, no warning. Leo launched first, as expected.

He shot forward, Chi surging through his legs in a yellow-orange glow. He closed the distance in a blur, fist aimed squarely at Arthur's jaw.

Arthur tilted his head slightly, the punch missing by inches. In one fluid motion, Arthur grabbed Leo's arm, pivoted, and tossed him over his shoulder like he was made of pillows.

Leo hit the floor with a grunt but rolled back up, undeterred. "Okay. That was rude."

Samir came in next, fast and low. He went for Arthur's legs, aiming to sweep him off balance.

Arthur jumped just high enough to avoid it, and slow enough for them to believe they had a chance. Mid-air, he twisted and landed behind Samir, tapping the back of his head.

"You need to commit," Arthur said. "Chi strengthens intent. If your heart's half in, your strikes will be too." But he didn't go hard on them as they still need greater mastery of using Chi to augment their senses.

Samir scowled, wiping a bit of sweat from his brow. "I'm committed. I just didn't want to dent the floor with your skull."

"Oooh," Leo jeered from the sidelines. "That's the spirit!"

Elena didn't wait for the chatter to settle.

Her aura flared, chi forming a golden glow around her. She moved like a specter, fast, graceful, and dead silent. She used chi on her hand, and punched toward Arthur's side.

Boom!

Arthur blocked it with his palm. "Good, but faster..."

Elena pivoted mid-sentence, sweeping his legs with a low, spinning kick.

He caught her foot under his boot, flipped her, and gently pushed her midair with a burst of Chi.

She landed on her feet, skidding back.

"You were saying?" she huffed, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Arthur laughed. "Okay, that was decent."

The three of them regrouped, circling him like wolves. Their Chi flared brighter now, syncing, building a rhythm.

"Again," Arthur said. "Hit me like you mean it."

This time, they did.

Leo went high, aiming for Arthur's head with a flurry of fists. Elena swept low, her fist punching toward his knees. And Samir lurked around to take advantage of any slip ups.

Arthur parried Leo's barrage with precise blocks, no wasted movement, each deflection guided by barely a flick of his wrists. Elena's punch met his shin, only to be stopped by a flash of Chi reinforcement at the last second, sending a sonic boom throughout the chamber.

Samir took the chance when Arthur was busy defending the two of them, and approached from behind.

Arthur leaned forward, and raised his left leg at his back to block the blow. Samir's chi enforced punch collided with his feet and the chi fizzled out.

"You're overcharging it," Arthur said. "Chi isn't just brute force, it's also about control. You're trying to punch a hole in a wall with a hammer made of glass."

Leo came in from the side, aiming to tackle him.

Arthur shifted just slightly, grabbing Leo's collar mid-lunge and redirecting him into Samir like a bowling pin.

Both hit the wall with an oof.

Arthur turned to Elena.

She stood still, fists raised. Sweat glistened on her brow.

Then she vanished.

He felt her behind him before he saw her. She was faster now, her Chi was syncing better, more natural.

Her fist came for his head.

Arthur ducked, elbowed her lightly in the ribs, spun, and tapped the center of her back with two fingers. Her Chi sputtered, breaking her stance.

"Better," he said, catching her before she fell. "Still predictable, though."

She glared at him, breathless. "You make it look so damn easy."

"It's not. I've just had more time to practice."

The spar went for another few rounds.

They all collapsed in a loose circle, panting and sweating. The spar had gone on for almost two hours, and though Arthur never once broke a sweat, he knew when to stop.

"You've all got potential," he said, sitting cross-legged. "Your Chi is still unstable, but with enough practice you will get the hang of it, give it time. Right now, it's like you're holding fire with bare hands. Eventually, it'll become part of you."

Leo wiped his forehead. "How long did it take you to master it?"

Arthur chuckled. "Still working on it."

Samir groaned, flopping back on the floor. "If that was you holding back, I never want to fight you for real."

"You won't," Arthur said. Then smirked. "Unless you want to visit the hospital."

They laughed…tired, sore, but with a newfound way to move forward to.

***

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