"Weird. So, was that story true?" Yushi asked.
"It was," the instructor replied, moving forward.
He seemed normal… why did they capture him? Yushi glanced behind her.
"Now, you are going to learn how to use…" The instructor paused, glancing at Yushi.
"What are you, a Light or a Darken?"
"Darken," she replied.
"Stand right here then." The instructor stepped behind her, placing both hands on Yushi's shoulders.
Yushi couldn't help but notice the other children, who were doing small things making sparks, moving leaves while she remained in place.
"Also, which domain?" the instructor whispered.
"Pink."
"See that water bucket?" She pointed to one a few steps away.
"Yes."
"Point your palm at it."
Yushi lifted her hand, pointing at the bucket as instructed.
"Now, sense the soul energy."
"Okay." She closed her eyes, trying to block her vision to better sense the energy.
"Don't close your eyes."
"But I can't sense it effectively without closing them," Yushi said, turning around.
"You're on the wrong grounds," the instructor stepped back.
"But Mrs. Kiyo told me to go to the stairs, I did, and now I'm here," Yushi replied.
"You have to go to the Training Grounds first. Then you can come here."
"Okay… but where is it?" Yushi asked, confused.
"Mrs. Kiyo probably forgot to tell you. The Training Grounds is where the books are placed," the instructor said, looking away as if trying to recall the exact location.
"After the stairs you came up, there are more stairs forward. They lead to the Training Grounds," the instructor explained, turning back to Yushi.
"Okay, I'll go there then…" Yushi began moving out.
She left the Gifted Grounds, climbing the stairs quickly.
"That light was normal… but the instructor called him mentally unstable. Why?" Her right hand rested on the wall as she ascended.
"Whatever… weird."
She stopped at the top, breath uneven, palms resting on her knees.
"Everything was weird there." She straightened and moved forward toward the Training Grounds.
Her eyes landed on a girl coming out from a room that had a green door.
"Hey!" the girl called.
Who is she? Yushi approached, letting the girl close the distance.
"Are you going to the Training Grounds?" the girl asked, stopping in front of Yushi.
"I am. You too?" Yushi replied.
"Yes. And you know, I was stuck at the sense level for almost two months. It was quite boring," the girl said, walking alongside Yushi.
What? I did it in just a few weeks. Yushi looked at her in shock and suspicion.
"Your name?" Yushi asked.
"Vina Soven. What's yours?"
"Yushi Hana. So, is this the way?"
They turned toward the stairs. Yushi remained suspicious, wondering if this might be another wrong path.
"It is," Vina confirmed.
They descended, though Yushi's legs were tired from walking endlessly.
She lifted her gaze. The area resembled a forest: trees, green grass, and children doing drills with eyes closed.
"We will train here. So, we can sense the energy even with eyes open," Vina explained, moving ahead as Yushi followed.
Glancing around, Yushi noticed the children were much older than her.
"Won't they hit themselves on the trees?" Vina asked, pointing at some of the children running blindly.
"They're running in lines. Perhaps they've been here a long time, so they know where to go," Yushi replied.
Their eyes landed on the instructor, who was making other children do push-ups, pushing them hard despite their struggle.
"There's the instructor. Let's go," Vina said, rushing toward him. Yushi followed.
As soon as the instructor saw them, he turned.
"New lazy slacks who don't want to make their butts work!"
Yushi and Vina straightened, tightening their muscles to appear overly professional.
"Now, do high knees with eyes closed while trying to sense the energy. I don't care if you're Darken or Light," he instructed seriously, then turned back to the children still struggling with push-ups.
"The energy inside you alone won't help. You need to be physically strong too!" he shouted, ignoring their exhaustion.
Yushi and Vina began the high knees exercise.
"Don't do it on my head!" the instructor yelled.
Startled by his aggressiveness, they moved farther away.
"Is there only one instructor here?" Yushi asked.
"There will be more. The area is large and surrounded by trees… but how are there trees here?" Vina replied, scanning for others.
"Why are you standing there? Do it!" the instructor shouted.
"We're doing it," they said, closing their eyes. They tried to sense the energy, but as they began the high knees, they lost it and stopped.
"It's gone," they glanced at each other, silently hoping one would ask the instructor about it.
"I lost it too," Vina admitted.
"I'm not asking him. Let's go to another instructor," Yushi replied, shaking both hands in denial.
"But if we move, won't he shout at us again?"
"I don't know. We should sneak before he sees us. He's busy scolding the others," Yushi said, wary of the instructor's temper.
"Okay," Vina agreed. They moved quietly, barely letting their toes touch the grass.
"There," Yushi pointed at a woman making children do jumping lunges and various squats. They were gasping heavily but continuing nonetheless.
"Miss," Yushi called as she approached.
The woman turned.
"You came here. I guess he scolded you. And it's Mrs., not Miss," she corrected.
"You already know what to do, right? So, do it."
"But why am I losing focus on energy when doing high knees?" Vina asked.
"That's normal. You're doing two things at once instead of only focusing on energy. Keep practicing, and soon you'll sense it even while moving." The instructor explained.
Vina and Yushi immediately resumed the high knees, eyes closed, fully motivated though Yushi moved slower, her legs already fatigued.