Back aboard the Starlight, roughly twenty astronomical units away from the licensing station…
BOOOOOM!!
"Dammit!" Kaito yelled out, frustrated.
A small explosion shattered the lantern in front of him, leaving scattering fragments and thin trails of smoke drifting upwards. He clenched his fists, his gears visibly grinded to the max.
"Kaito dear.." Elysia gently called out, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright. Frustration will only make this harder."
He sighed then brushed his hair away from his forehead before he turned toward her.
"There's gotta be another way, right? I'm literally just blowing these things up left and right—I'm getting nowhere."
Her eyes softened a bit out of sympathy before responding.
"There are other ways, but…"
"But?" He asked.
"None of those methods will be helpful for you. With your potential, your power, you're going to need a level of essence control that simpler training just won't provide. At least, not quickly enough."
He groaned and fell backward onto the floor dramatically.
"Great. So I'm basically stuck here blowing stuff up until I figure it out?"
Elysia reached over and picked up another lantern and sat it in front of him.
"This method of training is one of the hardest. But it's crucial—not just to face Elara or to help Aqua... but for your own safety as well, Kaito dear."
At the mention of safety, Kaito stopped his little tantrum and went quiet before sitting up slowly. His eyes lingered on the lantern for a moment before finally speaking.
"...Alright." He finally said, looking up at her with renewed determination.
"If I'm stuck with this method, do you at least have some secret trick or special technique? Something that'll help me actually control my essence instead of nuking every lantern you give me?"
Elysia smiled.
"Well, there is something my sensei taught me back on my homeworld when I was learning to control essence for healing. It might help."
His entire body instantly perked up.
"Really? Okay, I'm listening. What's the secret?"
"I will, but first I need to ask you something important. When you're trying to channel your essence, what exactly do you visualize, Kaito dear?"
Caught completely off guard, he blinked at her confused. He went silent for several seconds as he genuinely pondered the question, scratching the back of his head.
"...Visualize?" He mumbled quietly, more to himself than to her.
After a little while longer, he looked straight into her eyes and dryly said.
"Uh... nothing, I guess?"
Elysia didn't say a single word, instead her eyes rapidly blinked like crazy and her head tilted slightly to the side.
"Eh...?"
Her brain seemed to legit short-circuit, leaving her sitting there frozen, eyes wide and distant. Kaito became confused seeing her like this and began snapping his fingers in front of her face repeatedly.
"Elysia? Hey—Elysia, you good? Elysiaaa? Helloooo?"
Yet her mind was light years away from their conversation at the moment, on an entirely different world with her thoughts.
"Wait, wait, wait… he doesn't visualize anything at all when channeling his essence? That's… that's impossible. Everyone, everywhere, is taught from the beginning that visualizing essence flow is essential, almost needed actually. You can't summon or control your essence without clearly seeing its path within you…"
Memories flashed through her head of all the battles she'd watched him fight in since she met him.
"Has he really been fighting purely on instinct this entire time? Just what… what kind of being are you, Kaito dear...?"
"Elysia!"
She jolted back to reality before locking onto Kaito's worried eyes inches from her face. Her eyes fluttered rapidly as she regained her composure, her pink cheeks blushing red faintly.
"S-sorry, Kaito dear, I'm fine! Just… you know, processing things."
Kaito leaned back and chuckled awkwardly.
"Jeez, you scared me there for a second. Thought you were having one of those 'That's So Raven' visions or something."
"That's… so what?"
"Uh—nothing, it's a human show… don't worry about it." Kaito quickly dismissed, shaking his head.
"So... what was that all about?"
"Oh well… It's just that... nearly everyone in the known universe relies on visualizing their essence flow to properly use it. Hearing you say you don't… well, it caught me off guard, to say the least."
"Huh." He mumbled, scratching his chin processing her words.
"That's pretty cool, I guess, but honestly… that doesn't exactly help me right now. No offense, of course."
Elysia giggled softly and her usual self began to come back.
"None taken, Kaito dear."
She gently clapped her hands together, refocusing both of their attention.
"Okay, Kaito dear, let's get back to it."
She adjusted herself into a more comfortable position beside him, folding her hands neatly in her lap.
"Think of it like this–your body is a planet, and your essence is like the water that flows across it."
Kaito raised an eyebrow, not skeptically but instead intrigued as she continued.
"Imagine your essence reserves as an ocean—vast and deep, but all centralized in a set location. To utilize that essence, you need to visualize channels, like rivers and streams, that guide the water from the ocean and spread it smoothly across the land. You must visualize the flow clearly from its origin to its destination."
His gaze turned contemplative as he subconsciously repeated under his breath…
"An ocean… with rivers and streams flowing through my body… guiding essence to where I want it."
Elysia smiled seeing him trying to grasp the imagery.
"Exactly. You've been pushing out your essence violently—like waves crashing against rocks. Instead, try guiding it gently, like the smooth currents of a river."
He exhaled, then repositioned himself in front of the lantern and hovered both of his hands above it. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate.
"Feel the essence within you." She whispered out.
"Visualize its path clearly and guide it, Kaito dear."
His breathing steadied after a moment and then he felt a sensation, something he'd never truly paid attention to before—a calm yet immense ocean inside him.
"Th–that must be it! That's my essence reserve." He thought to himself.
Slowly, he visualized channels forming and branching out from it. Purple essence flowed from his chest, moving toward his shoulders, then down his arms, and finally collecting into his palms.
This time, his essence didn't flare recklessly like wild flames. Instead, it flowed smoothly, almost gracefully, like a gentle river of purple water. The lantern trembled ever so slightly, glowing softly at first before gradually brightening. Elysia's eyes widened and an excited smile began to break across her face.
"That's it, Kaito dear! You're doing amazing—just like that!"
Despite his progress, the strain was visible all over his body. Sweat ran down his forehead, veins bulging through his skin on his temples with his jaw clenched to the max. Still, the lantern began to vibrate slightly more, slowly rising centimeters off the ground.
His hands trembled from exhaustion, and suddenly, he gasped, losing his concentration. The lantern gently settled back onto the floor, and he collapsed forward, both hands on the ground breathing heavily.
"Huff… huff…" He opened his eyes, barely catching his breath, and immediately looked toward Elysia.
"How'd… I… do?" He asked between breaths.
"Did it… at least get off the ground?"
Elysia had a huge warm smile on her face and placed her hands together delightedly.
"You did fantastic, Kaito dear! It barely lifted, but that's a huge step compared to everything you've done up until now."
His face twisted into a… 'conflicted' expression, unsure if he should take that as a compliment.
"Uh… thanks, I guess?" He tried to sound calm, yet he couldn't hide the quiet rumble of pride building inside him. After a moment, he turned back toward her.
"Really, though, Elysia—thanks. Your explanation made things click. I'm sorry for getting so frustrated earlier. I just…"
"There's no need to thank me yet, Kaito dear. You still have plenty of work to do, so try not to get ahead of yourself, okay?"
Kaito's cheeks began to get red and warm as he quickly nodded, looking back at the lantern.
"Right… of course."
Just before he gave it another go, a stray thought came across his mind. He hesitated for a second before glancing back toward her.
"Hey, wait… I just thought of something. We're doing all this training for essence control, but I don't even know how to trigger or conjure this adrenaline thing inside me willingly. Isn't that something I should figure out first?"
Elysia giggled softly, playfully shaking her head in a somewhat disappointing way.
"Kaito dear, didn't I just tell you not to get ahead of yourself?" She gently placed a hand on his cheek, softly rubbing and pinching it.
"Learning how to intentionally produce adrenaline is part of the second phase of your training. There are specific ways to trigger your body's response, but we aren't quite there yet. For now, just focus on mastering this essence control method first, alright?"
Kaito sheepishly laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Yeah… sorry. Guess I'm just overthinking things… again."
Elysia gave him a patient, understanding smile.
"It's okay. Overthinking shows you care deeply about this, but one step at a time, Kaito dear."
He nodded, feeling a bit calmer before taking a breath and turning back toward the lantern, eyes determined.
"Alright, I'm ready to give this another shot."
On the opposite end of the training room, Kaeline stood silently in front of Finn. He shifted uncomfortably under her stare, sweat rolling down his temple.
"So, sensei… Earlier you mentioned something about my mentality holding me back. What exactly did you mean by that? And what kind of training are we gonna be doing to fix it?"
Kaeline remained silent for a moment longer, as if she was carefully weighing her next words.
"Our reality, our very existence, begins with our mind. Your thoughts dictate your existence. If you see yourself as weak, then weakness becomes your reality. If you believe yourself unworthy, you create your own limitations. Tell me, Finn, how do you see yourself?"
Finn hesitated then swallowed the lump in his throat.
"I—I'm not sure…"
Her steps halted abruptly and her eyes sharply turned toward him.
"Precisely. Your uncertainty is a poison. You question your potential, you doubt your strength… Your very thoughts imprison your growth."
She turned her entire body to him.
"I once walked that same path… When your own mind betrays you, it becomes your greatest enemy. To conquer this enemy, you must first acknowledge it."
Finn looked down, gripping his shirt tightly.
"Acknowledge it…?"
"Yes. Recognize your fear, your weakness, your insecurity. Accept these feelings, and only then will you be able to transcend them. Your existence isn't merely physical, it's also shaped by your beliefs. To truly master yourself, you must first master your thoughts. Believe you are strong, and strength will become your reality."
Finn took a deep breath, nodding hesitantly as he absorbed her words.
"I'll try, sense–"
But before he could fully annunciate his words, Kaeline vanished from his sight and in a blur, she was instantly in front of him, her fist plunging deep into his gut.
"—GAH!!"
Before he could even register the pain properly, she spun and delivered a powerful kick that landed square on his temple, sending him hurtling across the room. The sound of his body smacking the wall boomed throughout the entire room.
On the opposite side of the room, Kaito stopped and turned, eyes wide with shock.
"Her body movements… What the hell…? That's not the type of movement someone trains with. She's going to actually kill him!" He muttered in disbelief, halfway on his feet.
Elysia gently squeezed his arm, pulling him back down.
"Kaito dear, it's alright. Kaeline's methods may look cruel, but they're essential for someone like Finn. Trust me. You must focus on your own training—we don't have much time left until we reach the station. Please trust me on this."
Reluctantly, he forced his eyes away.
Finn trembled uncontrollably, desperately attempting to prop himself up on his elbows. His mind swirled chaotically, unable to fully grasp what had just transpired as he was unable to register her movement.
"W-why… am I on the ground…? Oh… right… we started training…? Did we start…? Why am I in so much pain… it—it hurts… it hurts so badly…I wan—"
His thoughts were interrupted as another Kaeline appeared—one of her shadow clones—harshly grabbing a fistful of his hair and yanking him upright, forcing him onto his knees. Finn let out a pained cry, his vision blurred by tears, barely able to make out the real Kaeline slowly walking toward him.
She stopped inches from his face, her voice cold.
"Does it hurt, Finn? Does this make you uncomfortable? Good. Pain is the crossroads every star traveler must confront. Most face it once and spend their lives fleeing from it, terrified of discomfort. They never grow, never reach their potential, because they run… just like you did from your world and people."
Kaeline's clone hoisted him even higher, forcing him to stare directly into her merciless eyes.
"You run from your fears. You hide from pain, from discomfort. But that's precisely why you fail to grow. To reach your potential, you must learn to find comfort in discomfort. You must welcome pain—embrace it as an ally, not as your enemy."
Without another word, she drove her palm firmly into his chest. His body convulsed immediately and an agonizing surge of pain rippled through his chest as his heart began to beat erratically. His vision tunneled in and out. Everytime he attempted to take a breath, it was as if his lungs didn't inflate, not taking in any air at all.
Her clone released its grip, letting him collapse limply to the cold floor. He laid there, barely conscious and his heartbeat wildly unstable.
"M-my heart… feels like it's gonna explode… Th-this can't… be training… I don't want… this pain… it hurts so much… I'm scared… please… Kaito… Elysia… someone… help me…"
Finn's consciousness slowly faded as his eyes slowly closed shut.
"Am I… going to die?"