Training Shadows

The resistance's underground base beneath Neo-Tokyo was a maze of corridors and hidden rooms. 

In a dimly lit training room filled with all sorts of equipment, Leo sat alone, staring at his hands. The black veins and the symbol which he had had on him for over 5 years now were gone. It felt weird to him, he felt unnaturally calm, as if everything that has been happening to him was normal. 

Awakening powers, and at a late age at that, being transported to the shadow realm, fighting those shadow creatures, confronting the warden and joining the Resistance, all these events should have left a normal person traumatized, a strong-willed person like Leo worried, but for some reason, calmness was the only thing he could feel. But a calm mind provokes good ideas, and he knew what he had to do.

Leo stood up from the bench and walked to the center of the training room. The floor was lined with shock-absorbing panels, the walls reinforced with some kind of metal he couldn't identify. Scattered around the room were training dummies, weights, and various pieces of equipment designed to help Awakened control their abilities.

He closed his eyes and focused inward, searching for the shadow energy he had wielded in the Shadow Realm. It felt different now, more distant yet somehow more integrated with his being. When he opened his eyes, the lights in the room seemed to dim slightly.

"Come on," he whispered to himself, extending his hand toward one of the training dummies.

A thin whip of shadow extended from his palm, but quickly dissipated before reaching the target. Leo frowned and tried again, concentrating harder this time. The shadow grew more substantial but still lacked the solid form it had possessed in the Shadow Realm.

In a large monitoring room adjacent to the training area, full of computers, holographic displays, sensors and monitoring equipment, Neo and Kaori stood watching the special equipment that analyzed Leo's abilities as he trained. 

Neo checked at her H-phone that seemed to be loading data collected from Leo into something.

"At this rate we'll know how his abilities work soon," she said to Kaori. "We've already established that he's an E-ranked awakening based on the amount and purity of the Lumina cells in his body."

Kaori's eyes narrowed as she studied the readings. "E-rank isn't impressive. Most children develop abilities at that level during their first awakening."

"You know the Ability Classification System as well as I do," Neo countered. "F to S-class rankings based on number of specialized cells and capability assessments. F-Class with basic, low-level powers with minimal impact then all the way to the S-Class with reality-altering abilities, the strongest known powered humans."

"I know what the classifications are," Kaori said with irritation. "What I'm saying is his development is unusual. Lumina cells typically awaken before someone turns sixteen, not in adults."

Neo nodded in agreement. "Lumina cells are special cells that were created in human biology when the green light came down from the sky in 2040."

"But his are shadow-based," Kaori added, her voice quieter now. "Something that has no written record."

They turned their attention back to the monitoring equipment as Leo continued his attempts to control the shadows.

Neo calibrated a drone to create holograms that would create a random scenery, and used other drones to act as attackers. This was a smart use of Augmented Reality after it and Virtual Reality's advancement in the years 2054 and 2049, respectively, all this to help in training and get other types of experiences.

The training room transformed around Leo, the plain walls and equipment replaced by the holographic image of a ruined city street. Leo's eyes widened slightly at the sudden change, but he quickly adapted, his journalist instincts kicking in as he assessed the new environment.

"Your objective is simple," Neo's voice came through the room's speakers. "Defend yourself against the drones. Use your abilities if you can."

Leo barely had time to acknowledge the instruction before three drones darted out from behind a holographic building. They were small, no larger than basketballs, but moved with surprising speed. 

One of them fired a harmless low-powered laser that hit the floor near Leo's feet, leaving a small red mark to indicate a hit.

"Hey!" Leo shouted, jumping back. "A little warning would've been nice!"

"Your enemies won't give you warnings," Kaori's voice replied coldly.

Leo gritted his teeth and focused. The calm that had been with him since returning from the Shadow Realm turned into something more useful - clarity. As another drone swooped toward him, he reached out instinctively.

This time, a shadow whip extended from his hand, similar to what he had done in the Shadow Realm, except this one was slower, the shadows were less solid and seemed somewhat soft. But regardless of this, when it touched the drone, the machine faltered mid-flight and crashed to the floor.

"So it also drains energy... quite an interesting ability indeed," Neo said while jotting down something on her H-phone.

Leo stared at his hand in surprise, then at the fallen drone. The shadow whip had dissipated, but he could still feel the energy tingling in his fingertips. He turned to face the remaining drones, which were now circling him cautiously.

He extended both hands this time, focusing harder. Two shadow whips stretched out, thicker and faster than before. The drones attempted evasive maneuvers, but Leo's shadows tracked them, wrapping around the machines and causing their lights to flicker and die before they fell to the ground.

In the monitoring room, Neo and Kaori watched as the readings on their screens spiked dramatically.

"Energy drain confirmed," Neo said. "His shadow abilities seem to absorb electrical and potentially other forms of energy. But look at his own readings."

Kaori leaned closer to the screen. "His Lumina cell count is increasing. Impossible."

"Not impossible," Neo corrected her. "Just unprecedented. The shadows aren't just draining energy, they're converting it, feeding his own Lumina cells. If this continues..."

"He won't stay E-ranked for long," Kaori finished, her face grim.