The Bunker was quiet the following morning. None rose, the early morning sunlight only known from the early morning news in the cafe.
The training room door was closed. It's gravity set to a simple two times normal. Takabi sat criss cross in front of Frannie and Shine, both girls dressed in sports bras and easy to breathe flexible black pants. Both, unused to holding double their weight, struggled to adjust at first. After a while, Shine relaxed, her eyes locked on her brother.
Frannie gripped her knees, muscles tensed and strain, but she refused to quit.
"I know it's early you two, but I figured this would be the best time to hog the room."
"It's fine… Takabi…" Frannie took breathes. "We've been here for almost half an hour already. I think… We can move ahead."
"Yeah," He said, scratching his cheek. "I'm new to this teaching thing, so I'll do what I can. Anyway, I'm gonna start from the basics." He paused, took a deep breath and unfolded his arms. With his fingers, he willed a thin cloud of magic into the air. It swirled around the girls, floating in front of them and forming the word Mana.
"Mana, is the key to magic. No Mana, no magic."
"Mana. Like, that stuff from Wizard games," Shine asked.
"Sort of. Mana is, basically, the spiritual life force of anything that is alive. You, me, animals, trees and grass, hell, Stars and planets as a whole. Mana exists in any and everything, and we have the ability to channel it. Some easier than others. Dragons or Fallen Angels for example. Using Mana means you're aware of the energy inside of you."
Frannie nodded, but Shine scratched her head. She knew what he was saying, but it felt like she already went through these kinds of lessons.
"Mana creates what we all can call Magic Spells. The spells take shape into anything we want, and it's very rare for humans to do." The word in the air vanished.
Takabi stood up, igniting his finger in flames. "You can't hurt yourself with your own magic. For example, I can ignite myself, and won't be burned. Your Mana is an extension of yourself to a degree. It recognizes you as its home, its source. Mana can be a weapon, but it's dumb to think of it that way."
"So what is Mana to you," Frannie asked, her eyes locked on the flames he was producing. She was fascinated by the lack of smoke his fire gave off.
"Mana is… Mana is me. Magic is a method of being different. Seeing myself as someone who isn't so different, down here at least." He snuffed the flames and sat back down. "Once you awaken your inner Mana, it resonates in the air. It's what allows others, like me, to sense where you are."
"Sense? So what, you can sense exactly where I am from a Mana signal?" As Shine spoke, a slow realization settled in her mind. She looked down, squeezing her knees tightly and bit her lip. She was the reason he appeared that day, she knew that much. She had ignored Takabi, somehow called upon her powers and gave away where she was.
She put Frannie, and her school, in danger. If Frannie had died that day, or someone else got hurt, it would be entirely her own fault.
"It's complicated. I had to learn all this through actual battles." He crossed his arms, lowering his tone. "Sensing Mana, raising it inside, and empowering yourself is all the basic steps to learning to control it. It's going to come easier to you, Shine, you have this stuff locked away subconsciously. Frannie, it's going to take a lot to bring the Mana out from inside of yourself, but you should be more exposed to it physically. That's why we're here now. This room is like the Canyon. You both know about that place, right?"
Frannie shook her head.
Shine nodded, then looked at her blonde friend. "The Canyon is where Takabi got a crash course in his abilities. Mia told me all about it, and she honestly wouldn't stop. Said the place would crush you with its ever growing Magic pressure."
"Basically. Most of my bones gave out, and I barely could expand my lungs. It felt like hell, and I surely would've died if not for my healing." He closed his eyes. "This room is sort of like that. We use a machine to regulate and control how much magic gets pumped into these walls. For newcomers, we start light. For people like Garuga… Well…" He chuckled at first, but his face slowly turned to one of shocked fear. "That guy is a complete monster…"
"Why," Frannie asked. "How much can he handle?"
"More pressure than a black hole."
Both girls sat in silence, then broke into a doubtful laugh. When they saw Takabi's face, their laughs ceased, and they said, "Get the fuck out."
"I wouldn't lie. The Dragons are absolutely no joke. Even me, compared to them, I won't stand a chance. At my best, I can handle around four hundred times normal."
"THAT'S RIDICULOUS!"
"Of course, that only factors how much magic pressure I can withstand, and not exactly how much strength and power I have. It's a bunch of measuring tools. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes, with various degrees of power. You need to be ready for any and everything."
"Yes, Sir," They said proudly.
Takabi stood, stretching wide. "That's the gist of it all anyway. We're going to run battle drills. Both of you, come at me as if you're trying to kill me."
The room changed significantly. No longer did they stand in a glorified weight room. Now, they were in a clear field. The sun overhead gave light, but no heat. Air was present, but it was thinner than normal. The girls took long, deep breaths just to get the minimum amount of air they needed to function.
"As if to kill," Shine repeated. "Isn't that a little much?"
"If you don't, you'll both die."
He moved between the two, both his knuckles striking their cheeks hard enough to momentarily knock air from them. They coughed and wheezed, gasping for breath before picking their heads up. "I… Didn't he even see you move."
"Sense me. Channel the Mana inside and widen your senses. Feel me out, what I may do next, who I'm going to attack."
They took his words to heart, and slowly rose to their feet.
Shine closed her eyes and focused. She recognized the idea of Mana, the feeling of using magic. Everything in her muscles were tense and relaxed at the same time.
A spark. Small, but vibrant in her core. Takabi picked it up quickly, aiming his palm at Shine and releasing a blast of magic. It struck the girl and she hit the fake soil, holding her stomach. Again, she stood, not letting it phase her.
Takabi charged at her, flames surrounding him entirely. When he went for another strike, he sensed a second signal. He craned his head aside, Frannie soaring past the both of them and sliding fast.
She dug her fingers into the floor, turning around, then running back at the two. She had a fire in her eyes. A strength, something more powerful than Takabi anticipated. He hopped back from Shine, his sister opening her eyes and releasing a breath of magic from her throat. He slapped it, sending it soaring aside into the air. Frannie rushed after the blast of magic, her arms stretching to her sides.
She did it. Somehow, she tapped into her Mana, and was controlling it very well. She was aware of them both, could feel out their intentions, and counter accordingly. Her palms shot forward, magic ripping up from the fake soil and soaring at Takabi.
The boy narrowed his eyes and vanished in a flicker. Frannie blinked, losing focus at his display of speed, just enough for him to slip behind her and strike the back of her neck. She dropped to the floor unconscious, but breathing.
Shine rushed at Takabi, magic filling her veins. Before, she would collapse from using all of her strength, but she currently got the idea to distribute it all throughout her body.
Raise her Mana inside, and let it empower her. His words to them both, and she was going to use that. With a swing of her palm, a wave of magic light swallowed Takabi, and an explosion erupted and shook the fake arena. The smoke cleared, and Takabi was nowhere to be seen. Frannie had been unharmed, so that was a good thing in Shine's mind.
From the trees, flaming stars rushed at Shine. She spotted it and quickly dodged, her body treating the stars if they were volleyballs. Smaller, they would've been a lot easier to avoid if not for their immense speed. Takabi threw harder than anyone Shine ever played against. That fact alone, she knew he was trying to avoid hitting anywhere fatal.
One of the stars whizzed past her head, catching her cheek and drawing a bit of blood. She grit her teeth in frustration, then noticed something. The star that connected was hanging in the air behind her.
After a couple moments, it split into a shower and came at her from all angles. Each star placed a light cut, and any that penetrated her flesh only burrowed so deep. Before she knew it, she was on the floor struggling to stand as Takabi approached. She looked up, and he gave a soft smile before offering her a hand.
The room shifted back to the weight room, and the gravity had been normalized. Shine took his hand and stood, the stars fading into nothing. Her wounds sizzled and steamed, shutting tight as if they were never there. Her eyes were wide, and she looked at her brother who smiled.
"Healing. It works wonders."
He moved over to Frannie and sat her up. The blonde stirred faintly, rubbing her head and groaning. "Wha… We win?"
Takabi stood and tossed them towels. "Go wash up and get breakfast."
"Sure." Shine watched him open the door, then blurted out, "Can you take us shopping?"
Takabi looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. He was quiet for a little while, the silence leaving a strange sense of tenseness in the air.
"Sure, we'll go at noon," He replied suddenly, then left.
Frannie stood and looked at Shine. The two locked eyes and began to giggle.
A first session. It felt light, and somehow they both got a good grip of the concept of Mana. Proud of themselves, they left the gym and headed towards their own needed showers.