Lucas started off by talking about extremely advanced techniques that flew right over Cullen's head, so he had to back up a little.
"Every Gifted can improve themselves in multiple ways. Our physical bodies can be built stronger just like normal humans, except it is almost as if a limit has been broken. You can work out, grow at extremely fast rates, and reach unheard-of heights. Some people can jump ten times higher than I can without even trying!"
Cullen couldn't believe what Lucas was saying.
'Wouldn't the world be obliterated if people like that existed? How are there not repercussions on the earth around them?'
"Apart from our physical strength, other senses can be improved as well. Smell, hearing, and sight will all grow and become essential during fights! Next is your ability. Every ability is different in terms of how it can become stronger. Mine, for example, is pretty straightforward. I have to cultivate in order to increase my max QI and reach new ascensions. Others, like Cullen's, are more confusing."
He turned and looked at Cullen, who was interested in what he had to say.
"Your ability probably can't grow stronger directly. It just wouldn't make sense. Instead, you must improve your mastery over it by experimenting with new things. The more you use it and the more creative your mind becomes, the possibilities will become endless!"
Then, he looked at Flora.
"I expect you already know how to grow that ability. In cases like yours, you usually have to push yourself beyond your max to increase it over time. Taking in and releasing as much of the sun's power as possible will increase how much of it you can use."
Flora seemed to already know this, but still listened to what Lucas had to say. She thought very highly of him.
Lastly, he turned to Henry.
"Siblings of Gifted are much more likely to be chosen. It's unclear why exactly, but there's a good chance you will eventually acquire an ability. The best thing you can do now is prepare and study, which should be easier since you have access to the Academy's resources."
Henry hadn't spoken much since Lucas arrived, or even since Cullen had found them. He clung to Flora their entire trip and only did what she asked.
"Put all of this together, and you will grow to become a well-rounded Gifted! The only thing left will be real battle experience. You both obviously have some already, but the most powerful Gifted have thousands of times more than you."
Lucas lifted his thumb and pointed at himself.
"Just like me! That's how I know that there's an Abomination 50 meters ahead of us, and you two had no clue!"
Cullen, Flora, and Henry all stopped dead in their tracks.
"Wait… What?"
"Just wait here, I'll be right back!"
Lucas bolted forward, vanishing into the thick jungle and somehow avoiding all the vines. Less than a minute later, he returned holding a core.
"It was a wolf with an antenna, so I'm guessing it's the same one as before. Do you need to kill it for your ability to activate, or can anyone?"
Cullen was still processing how strong Lucas really was.
"Um… I'm not sure. I haven't tested that out yet."
Lucas furrowed his brows and looked strangely at Cullen.
"Well, we can figure it out another time. For now, just try to make a compass leading to the center."
He handed Cullen the core and sat down, observing carefully. Flora and Henry were also interested because they had never seen his ability in action.
'I hate to disappoint them, but this might not work. Unlike before, I'm not tracking a person or an Abomination. I also have no clue what the center even looks like.'
Cullen knew that this would be much more complicated than before.
"Can you tell me what the center looks like so I can visualize it?"
Lucas thought for a moment.
"I've never been there myself, but I heard that a small portion of the jungle has been cleared out. All trees and vines have been removed, and small tents and some buildings are set up there. Nobody lives there permanently; it's really just a research center for The Island. There's also a helipad at the center, which is how people or supplies are transported."
Cullen had a picture in his mind, but countless different versions existed.
'I guess I just have to hope'
He closed his eyes and imagined The Island from a bird's eye view. Then, he tried to picture the center as Lucas described it.
He swiftly lowered his dagger into the core, shattering it into pieces easily.
They all waited, staring at the broken core with anticipation, but nothing happened.
'Did I mess it up? Or maybe it wasn't possible to begin with…'
Still, Cullen felt like it should have worked. He could almost feel it being created as soon as he struck the core.
Then, a few seconds later, a stream of darkness flowed through the air from where Lucas had killed the Wolf.
'That's right! Every time I've used my ability, the Abomination has been absorbed into what I've created!'
He watched as the stream entered the core and compressed into an object.
After it finished, a small white compass lay on the ground.
Lucas jumped to examine it, even more excited than Cullen was.
"That's amazing! With your ability, we can turn every Abomination into something useful!"
He held the compass up, and the rest of them gathered around to examine it.
Flora then looked in the direction the compass was pointing.
"That's around the direction we thought the center was, so there's a good chance it worked!"
Cullen had never been to the center before; he didn't even have a clear picture of what it looked like. And yet, he may have just succeeded in leading them to it!
'What are the limits of my power? Could I make something that's not a compass from a Wolf? It probably has to do with its ability, but maybe I could turn it into a GPS, or a more advanced object."
As if he could hear Cullen's thoughts, Lucas spoke:
"As we make our way to the center, we should definitely experiment with your ability. There may be endless possibilities!"
Cullen agreed, but he felt like they were being too carefree at one of the most dangerous places on Earth. He also knew Flora felt the same way.
Still, they put their faith in Lucas.
After a few more days of traveling, Cullen learned many important things about his ability.
First, the Abomination he kills does not have to be above Grade-D. Grade-D Abominations are the only ones without abilities, which Cullen assumed was the Grade Arthur turned into. He had no specific ability, yet Cullen still turned his hard skin into a dagger. Similarly, a bird-like Abomination on The Island was also Grade-D. A large raven that spent most of its time near the canopy. Once Cullen killed it, it left behind a simple quill pen.
That's another thing that Cullen learned: if he didn't control his ability, the result wouldn't be that great. After testing around, he found that the quill pen was an ordinary pen with no special qualities. After they caught another Raven, he focused on its sharp talons and tried making a weapon. The result was a small throwing dagger with fragile durability.
On top of that, Cullen still had to orient his creations around the Abomination he killed. After they captured a third Raven, Cullen tried to turn it into a sledgehammer. Obviously, this made no sense considering the Abominations' qualities. The result was a grotesque pile of remains that made him vomit.
Secondly, he had to be the one who broke its core. They tested that on another Wolf. Lucas caught the wolf and broke its core in front of Cullen, but he couldn't create anything from it.
Aside from the Raven and the Wolf, they found three more types of Abominations.
One of them was, well, indescribable. It looked nothing like anything Cullen had seen before.
They called it the Withered Plant. It was around three meters tall and conical-shaped, with black, peeling skin. Around the base, it had many eyes that peered deep into its surroundings. It was unclear how it attacked its enemies, but the eerie feeling one got by looking at it may have something to do with it. It almost felt wrong—like it shouldn't exist. It was hard to pay attention to it, much easier to pretend it wasn't there.
It wasn't hard for Lucas to kill, but Cullen had no idea what to do with the core. So, they decided to keep it and wait until they found another Withered Plant to experiment with.
Another Abomination they called the Ghost Monkey. Lucas said that this one was probably a Grade C, but possibly a Grade B. Although it wasn't that dangerous, it was just tough to catch, which was especially frustrating for Cullen since he desperately wanted its ability.
It was a small monkey with devastating attack power—for normal humans, that is. Flora and Cullen could dodge or block its attacks with relative ease. The problem was its ability.
It could make its body, or part of its body, intangible.
So whenever Cullen attacked, his weapon went right through and opened him up for a counterattack. Even Flora's light beam went right through the Monkey. Once Lucas got involved, it simply disappeared into the ground and ran away.
Cullen swore that he would catch that monkey.
Lastly, there was one more Abomination…