Zaeryn slid the door open silently, careful not to wake Ravena and Aeris, and stepped out into the cool, pre-dawn air.

The night air of Sector 7 hit his bare chest, refreshing after the stifling warmth of his bedroom. It was 3:00 AM the witching hour and the world was painted in shades of deep blue and silver.

He adjusted the Vitae Harmonizer. The obsidian stone hummed against his pulse, a silent reassurance that he wouldn't burn himself out tonight. He needed that safety net because he planned to push his limits.

He walked to the edge of the patio, looking out over the darkened garden.

'System,' he thought. 'You said Leia might have an S-Class ability? You're sure?'

The response was immediate, clinical text scrolling across his vision.

[AFFIRMATIVE. TARGET: LEIA. DETAILED ANALYSIS SUGGESTS HER SECONDARY ABILITY, THE VITAE SIPHON/NECROTIC FLAME, POSSESSES EVOLUTIONARY MARKERS CONSISTENT WITH S-CLASS POTENTIAL.]

Zaeryn let out a sharp breath. "Of course she does. The one person who wants to strangle me is a walking goldmine."

He pushed the thought of Leia aside. He couldn't bond with her if she wanted him dead. Right now, he has new toys to play with.

He stretched, hearing his joints pop. He felt remarkably good. Usually, waking up at 3:00 AM meant grogginess and regret, but the Vitae humming in his veins acted like a double shot of synth-caffeine.

He glanced at his wrist. The Vitae Harmonizer sat dark and unobtrusive against his skin, the obsidian stone cool to the touch.

"Alright," he murmured, rolling his shoulders. "Let's see what Tier 2 feels like."

He stepped toward the center of the decking to avoid accidentally blowing out a window. He pulled up the mental file on the abilities from Ingrid.

'System, list active abilities from Source: Ingrid.'

The text scrolled across his vision, glowing faintly.

[Active abilities (Source: Ingrid)]

[1. kinetic repulsion ( F)]

[2. sensory jolt ( F)]

[3. concussive blast ( F)]

[4. kinetic rupture ( F)]

Four new toys. And unlike the struggle he'd had with other abilities when he first mimicked them, he felt a strange affinity for these. Maybe it was the nature of the bond. Ingrid was intense, direct, explosive. Her powers likely followed suit.

"Let's start simple," he decided. "Concussive Blast."

He raised his right hand, aiming at an ornamental boulder in the garden twenty feet away. He didn't know how to activate it. He sighed and imagined a blast shooting from his palm.

Nothing happened.

He tried several more times with no result. Just when he was about to give up

'BOOM.'

A focused beam of energy laser-like but thicker, heavier erupted from his palm. It slammed into the boulder and turned the heavy stone into a spray of dirt and fragments.

Zaeryn stared at the empty space where the boulder had been. He hadn't expected his F-class ability to be that powerful. Powerful enough to obliterate rock on his first successful try.

He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. "Okay. That had a kick."

The Harmonizer on his wrist didn't even flicker red. It was doing its job, regulating the flow so he didn't burn out after one shot.

"Again."

He fired another blast, then another, alternating hands. 'Thud. Thud.' He moved his feet, incorporating the Combat Instincts he'd unlocked. He imagined Leia charging him dodging her fire, slamming her back with a blast of force.

"Now for defense," he murmured. "Kinetic Repulsion."

This one felt different. Instead of projecting outward, he had to push in all directions. He closed his eyes, imagining a bubble expanding from his skin.

Like with Concussive Blast, it didn't work on the first try. But after about twelve minutes of failed attempts, he finally managed it.

He tensed his core and released.

A shockwave of force erupted from his body in a 360-degree burst. The water in the pool violently rippled away from him, splashing over the far edge. A nearby lounge chair skidded backward with a screech of metal on stone.

Zaeryn grinned, chest heaving slightly. A "get off me" button. Perfect for when he got swarmed or when a certain redhead tried to grapple him.

His thoughts shifted to the two remaining abilities. Sensory Jolt and Kinetic Rupture. One of those was probably the most deadly.

"Kinetic Rupture sounds dangerous," he mused. "Maybe I save that for a specialized training facility. Don't want to crack the patio foundation."

He spent the next hour drilling the basics. He combined Kinetic Acceleration with Concussive Blast dashing forward in a blur and unleashing a point-blank impact on the air. The synergy was clumsy but potent. He felt faster, hit harder.

Sweat slicked his skin, cooling in the early morning air. He felt alive.

He stopped, breathing hard, hands on his knees. The Harmonizer was glowing steady amber now, warning him he was pushing the safety limits.

"One more thing," he whispered. "Sensory Jolt."

According to the system, it was a psionic burst to disorient senses. He couldn't test it on a rock. He needed a living target.

He scanned the garden. A night-bird perched on a low branch, watching him.

"Sorry, little guy," Zaeryn muttered. "For research."

He focused his will not on force, but on a sharp, mental spike. He projected it toward the bird.

Zzzzt. The bird squawked, flapped erratically, and tumbled off the branch. It caught itself inches from the ground and flew off in a zigzag, clearly dizzy.

"Effective," Zaeryn noted. In a fight, that split-second of confusion could mean the difference between getting hit and landing a knockout.

He straightened, wiping sweat from his forehead. He had an arsenal now. A real one.

He looked at the sky, where the first hint of dawn was bleeding into the purple night.

Just then, a soft, rhythmic clapping cut through his thoughts.

Zaeryn spun around, bringing his hands up, instinct flaring. Only to realize that it was Mireille clapping.

Mireille leaned against a pillar near the house, her silhouette dark against the shadows.

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