The training area was quiet during the afternoon period, which made it the best time for Ezra to guide Gena. Only a few groups were scattered around the yard, along with some solo trainees keeping to themselves. The wide stone ground echoed softly with footsteps and controlled breathing.
"I'm getting tired," Gena whined, her voice muffled as she jogged around the yard. She was panting hard now, her steps uneven. A nose mask covered most of her face, and a cardigan hung loosely over her shoulders, the hood pulled low. Black shorts clung to her legs as sweat soaked through.
"And it's getting hot because of these clothes," she added, sighing heavily. "All because I don't want people seeing me with you."
"Stop complaining," Ezra replied dryly as he jogged behind her. His breathing stayed steady, though sweat ran down his temples and soaked into his cardigan. Unlike Gena, his face was uncovered. He wore long black joggers, his steps controlled but heavy.
"How many more?" she asked again, dragging her feet.
"Six more," he answered without slowing.
"What?!" Gena panicked, glancing around at how massive the training ground really was. "We've only gone halfway around this place four times! I don't want to do this any more!" She nearly cried as she jogged.
"You think I like doing this too?" Ezra said, his face pale as he forced himself to keep pace.
I had to drag myself over and over just to get used to jogging like this.
I still remember how many times I collapsed from fatigue.
He pushed the memory aside and spoke again. "Don't worry. The more you do it, the more your body adjusts."
"That's easy for you to say," Gena groaned.
Ezra stared at her for a moment while she kept whining. Then he sighed, increased his speed, and tapped her lightly on the back as he passed.
"Pick up your pace," he said coldly.
Gena froze for half a second, a chill running down her spine. "Eh?!"
"If I catch up to you again," Ezra said, glancing back with a thin smile, "it won't be a tap next time."
"Ahhh!" Gena yelped and immediately sped up, jogging with everything she had left.
A few people nearby glanced over, drawn by her shout. Some slowed their training for a moment.
She's got it rough, they all seemed to think.
Two and a half hours passed.
Gena dropped to the floor on her hands and knees. Her arms shook so hard they almost gave out. Sweat ran down her face and neck, dripping onto the stone beneath her. Her clothes were soaked through. She tugged at her cardigan, fingers weak, then only managed to pull the zipper halfway down. Her inner top stuck to her skin, clinging no matter how much she moved.
"I'm finally don…" she said with a weak smile.
Her stomach twisted.
She leaned forward and vomited onto the floor.
Ezra stood nearby, chest rising and falling as he wiped his face with a white towel. Sweat had darkened his collar. He picked up a bottle of protein shake and drank. His face stiffened halfway through, jaw tightening.
I still can't get used to this.
He lowered the bottle and handed her a cold bottle of water.
"Take it."
"Thank you," Gena muttered.
Her hands trembled as she reached for it. She fumbled with the cap, dropped it once, then finally twisted it open. She drank too fast. The water rushed down her throat and she started coughing, her body jerking with each breath.
"Be careful," Ezra said, starting to stretch his arms. His joints cracked, one after another. "You don't want to kill yourself with water."
Gena rolled onto her back and stared at the sky, chest heaving.
"So… this is how you train, Ezra?"
"Yes," he replied. Then he added, almost casually, "But this is just the warm-up."
"Huh?" She turned her head to look at him. "Warm-up?"
She laughed. Not softly. It was the kind of laugh that came out wrong, like she had lost her mind.
"Just kill me," she said between breaths. "I'm not doing this again. No. Never. Never again." She shook her head over and over.
"Stop complaining," Ezra said. He tossed her towel onto her face.
She groaned but didn't push it away.
"You know how far behind we are physically compared to the others," he continued, standing over her. "There's no time to take things slow. If we want to survive this Trial, this kind of training is the minimum."
Gena slowly pulled the towel off her face.
So that's what makes you different, she thought.
A small smile crept onto her lips.
"What's making you smile like that?" Ezra stared at her dryly.
"Nothing," she said quickly, forcing herself to sit up. Her arms shook as she did. "I just realized how amazing you are again. You and Lady Vera, of course."
"You overrate me," Ezra replied, his tone flat.
She wiped her face, then glanced up at him.
"Speaking of training… you've already thought about your Alchemy strategy, right?"
"Yeah," Ezra said. "I'm planning to pay for the seclusion room."
"Ehn, that fast?" Gena pouted. "Lucky you. You've got enough points to spend like that. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do anymore. Everyone's busy guarding their own plans. I can't even ask for advice." She sighed.
Ezra folded his arms.
"That's because an Alchemist's strategy decides how they fight."
"I still don't get it."
Gena tilted her head, brows pulled together.
"You know Cognis is like a battery," Ezra said, trying to keep his voice calm. "That's how I see it."
"How is it a battery?" she asked, still lost.
Ezra sighed. He lowered himself and sat on the floor in front of her, legs crossed.
This is going to take a while…
He sighed again.
Gena noticed and frowned. She knew that look. The one he had when he thought she was hopeless.
"The reason Cognis is measured in percentages for each Alchemy rank," he began, "is because the amount you can use is limited at every level."
He reached down and dragged his finger across the dusty floor, drawing a circle. Then he added small dots inside it.
"Now imagine this circle is your star," he said. "And these dots are your Cognis."
Gena leaned forward; eyes fixed on the drawing.
"If you use Cognis to reinforce your body…like your legs to move faster…some of these dots disappear." He wiped away a few.
"If you then use Alchemy to create a revolver, like Priscilla did, more dots disappear." He wiped more away.
"And if you keep doing that without stopping…" He brushed the floor clean. "You end up with nothing."
Gena's eyes widened a little. She nodded slowly.
"But that's what we avoid as Alchemists," Ezra continued. "That kind of usage is reckless. It makes you an easy kill. Worse, it could damage your brain." His finger paused. "That's what almost happened to Priscilla that led to her nose bleeding."
"So…" Gena said slowly, sitting back. "That's why we need to use Cognis carefully in a fight. To stop it from running out too fast."
"Yes."
She tapped her chin. "But I still don't get why everyone is so secretive about their Alchemy strategies."
Ezra stood up and stretched his arms over his head.
"That's because not all Alchemy uses the same amount of Cognis."
He looked down at her.
"For example, creating a full revolver takes a lot of Cognis. That's why most Novice Alchemists avoid doing it unless they have no choice. But making bullets alone uses very little."
He lowered his arms.
"The bigger and more complex the formula is, and the more materials it needs, the more Cognis it consumes."
"Oh…" Gena murmured.
"And even when two Alchemists use the same Alchemy," he added, pointing at her, "the amount of Cognis they need can still be different."
"Ehn?" She frowned, clearly annoyed. "Why would it be different? We're all around the same level. Are you saying there's still unfairness even among people of the same rank?"
Ezra rubbed his chin, eyes lifting as he thought.
"I think the main difference shows when someone becomes a Full Alchemist," he said slowly.
"Tsk." Gena crossed her arms. "You're not even sure."
"I just entered the path of Alchemy too," he replied, glancing at her. "Of course, I don't know everything."
He paused, then added, "Alchemy is complicated. That's why it takes years to rank up. It keeps growing. New knowledge is always being researched."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I even heard that in the Ashenlocke family, Gun Alchemists grade Guns made by people of the same rank."
Gena stared at him quietly, letting everything sink in.