Clive was out for his morning jog when he decided to rest under the shade of a tree. He sat for a few minutes before a flicker of light caught his eye. There is something instinctual when you see a fire that brings on a little bit of anxiety and dread. Clive was feeling that for just a moment until he saw that it was a person with a fire power that was probably just practicing their skill. It didn't look like a very powerful skill so Clive felt comfortable sitting in the shade of the tree to practice his own skill.
In his own experience, using his shadow skill was a lot different from other skills. People with water powers needed to create a fluid motion like a river or a stream to manipulate the water even with their skill. Those with fire powers have a more direct approach to their skills where it is more "point and fire". His skill required that he stand or sit in an almost meditative state. He would then mentally project out how far he wanted the darkness to go then activate his skill [Blackout] to fill that space with darkness. While he was inside he could see everything in the darkness as clear as day but anyone else no matter if they were inside or outside would not be able to see what was happening. The skill does have limitations like how large of an area can be affected and while inside the dark zone, sight is the only sense affected. His dream was to create a space that was almost like a void where no light or sound exists and the darkness is palpable enough to restrict the movement of others inside. For now, he would settle for expanding his range while his skill continued to level up. He has had his skill for a few months now and it was already lvl 2/5 with his stamina at 75 so he felt that he was making great strides.
Creating a blackout during the day is most difficult so he was limited to staying hidden underneath the tree while he practiced. Every now and again he would look up and the guy practicing his fire power and Clive was starting to notice subtle changes. It looked like the fire was getting brighter or maybe even spreading! It would only last for a few seconds before the flames went out again but there was definitely a progression. He watched as the fire kept getting bigger and bigger each time the person would rest in between activation. Finally there was a drastic change! The fire seemed to be a much brighter reddish-yellow and it was actually touching his hand. It was as if he activated a completely new skill altogether. It wasn't completely unheard of to have multiple skills- especially with the right amount of money. It was just so shocking to see the difference between what started as a weak skill to this that Clive couldn't look away. Suddenly this guy turned towards his direction so Clive created a small shadow next to the tree rendering him completely hidden.
'Did he see me?' Clive thought as he began to realize something. 'Is that... Vince?!?'
As far as Clive knew, Vince had just activated his skill a few days ago and it was a weak one at that. How was he able to progress so quickly to possibly even develop a new skill? Even if it is a manipulation of his first skill it should take months for a noticeable change to occur. Clive decided he couldn't just sit and watch anymore. After all, they are friends so he doesn't have to hide in the shadows.
"Vincent?" Clive called out as he was walking in Vince's direction.
"Oh hey Clive! What are you doing here? I mean- I know you live close but what are the chances we bump into each other again?"
"Well it is Thursday at 11 in the morning so I assume any reasonable person would be at work. I was just going for a jog to break up my workday."
"I guess that makes sense, I came here to train so I don't look completely useless next to you and Jenn on Saturday." Vince Said.
"About that- how long have you had your skill?I happen to notice that our entire had was on fire when just yesterday you could only generate a flame. Did you just catch yourself on fire?" Clive asked.
Vince laughed out loud as his face turned red slightly embarrassed.
"No! I did not catch my self on fire! I had the idea of building up more and more fire on my one hand and I managed to create a new skill." Vince said proudly.
Vincent audibly said "Flaming Fist" and his skill activated so he could show Clive.
Clive was completely shocked to hear these words and even see the new skill in action.
"I have to go." It was all Clive could say as he walked away. He was feeling a lot of emotions at the moment: jealousy, admiration, maybe even a little excited? It was all too much to bear in one moment so he felt it would be better to think about it on his own. If Vince could achieve that in a single day, why couldn't he?
His goal before Saturday was to upgrade his skill or create a new skill. Jenn was far more developed than the both of them but clearly Vincent was quickly progressing to her abilities. Clive was inspired to take his power to the next level.