***
"Is this....proper?" asked Nicholas with an unsure look on his face. He faced Camille, the friendly neighbourhood translator who stood by the side before shifting his gaze to the other person who looked on with a straight face.
He then gazed at the adorable little girl standing before him. She wore a black and white dress as well as tiny, black converse tennis shoes.
She looked no older than five years old, shoulder length chocolate brown hair on her head with big, round jade green eyes on her face.
She had large cheeks that would make anyone want to just pinch them. Nicholas had also thought of doing the same when he saw the little girl, but her mother who stood at the far end of the room, watching her daughter with stern eyes made him refrain from doing so.
"That's not something you of all people should be asking," said the middle aged man in a sleeveless shirt beside him.
He had a gruff look to him as he observed Nicholas.
"Come on, man. I didn't choose to have this innate ability," said Nicholas to the man.
"Just do it," said the middle aged man. "We can't have the girl here all day. It's almost lunch time. She has to go eat soon. Don't forget there's tens more kids you need to practise with."
"Right, right," said Nicholas as he looked ahead of him.
He was in the Hand to Hand combat course field.
It wasn't simply a large room with tough and large dolls that one would just punch and kick to their hearts content. That was merely the test for damage output.
The actual training was done through the assigned Invigorated. Though other obstacle courses existed, they were built for engaging mobility, flexibility and the likes, which were integral to combat.
However, Invigorated would train according to their innate abilities, which was different from the first physical exercises that were done during the first two weeks with Astrid, Sandra and Josh.
Nicholas was supposed to explore his innate ability. Daddy.
Inspired by his passion to be the father figure, the head of the house that could be relied on.
What he knew so far was that as long as a female was behind him, he could gain incredible strength through a large summoned avatar.
The younger they were, the stronger it was. However, he had only used it thrice; twice during his time alone after the apocalypse and during the attack on Safe Zone 4. He had been unsure of what that avatar could do and hesitated using it especially in the presence of children.
Now, he was looking at the large doll in front of him. It's faceless head and large accurately represented limbs were intimidating.
He got on his knees and faced the little girl.
"Hey there, what's your name?" he asked as he wore the most amiable smile he could muster.
The little girl blinked and shifted nervously.
"Manaia," she said in a low voice.
"Wow. That's a beautiful name. I need your help Manaia. Can you help me?" he asked.
Manaia shifted nervously again before looking at her mother who nodded her head, though with a worried look on her face.
She looked at Nicholas for a split second and then looked on the floor and nodded.
"Thank you. You're very brave, Manaia," Nicholas said as he resisted to age to carry her with her cheeks. "All you have to do is stand behind me. That's all. That scary uncle over there will be watching over you. Don't be scared okay?"
Manaia nodded.
The man in the sleeveless shirt narrowed his eyes.
Nicholas took a deep breath.
He closed his eyes and grit his teeth secretly. He had been resisting the urge to embrace the little girl as she reminded him of the moment when his own daughter had come to his rescue during the apocalypse only to die a cruel death.
That memory clung to his head everyday.
'Don't worry, Lara. Daddy will be brave, just like you,' he thought as he gazed the tall doll again.
Manaia stood behind him nervously, her hands clasped together like her life depended on it.
Shortly afterwards, streams of bluish, whitish energy started to come out from Nicholas' body and gather around above him!
Nicholas stood still and focused.
The energy moved in the air, coagulating into something huge that towered over the everyone with the same bluish and whitish hue that inspired all to think that it was beautiful.
Slowly it began to take shape. Arms were formed, a broad chest and shoulders. Lastly, was a head with dancing sky blue hair that pulsed with strands of white energy.
It glowed in the room, it's figure turning hazy where it connected to Nicholas such that it didn't look to have a lower body.
It's chiselled features made it look handsome, its broad back giving off a reliable feeling.
It's face was similar to Nicholas' as it floated silently in the air.
Nicholas was perplexed.
This avatar was different from the one he summoned during the attack on Safe Zone 4. He remembered that one to have been a hazy and red all over. The ones he summoned prior to that....well he didn't know what they looked like as he barely had the energy to use it at the time. Besides, it had been a life or death situation where he could hardly focus on anything else.
While revelling in the feeling of this avatar. He laughed.
However, the avatar behind him..... guffawed which released a tremendous sound wave that travelled through the air and blasted everyone's ear drums!
As the user, Nicholas was unaffected but he was alarmed when he remembered that there was a little girl behind him!
He suddenly turned only to find Manaia clapping her little hands with a smile on her face.
She was even jumping up and down while Camille and the other man held their ears as they gritted their teeth.
Nicholas was shocked.
He kneeled and checked on Manaia.
"How are you feeling? Are you hurt?" he asked to make sure.
Manaia laughed.
"Woow...that was cool. Is that another you, uncle?" she asked in a jovial voice.
Nicholas somehow felt embarrassed. The image of a gigantic figure of him with a gladiator physique didn't quite fit his mental image of himself.
"Yeah it is," he replied as he looked at the four meter tall avatar above him that actually smiled as it looked down on the little girl.
Manaia looked at it and waved.
It waved as well.
'What the heck is going on here?!' he thought.
"Giant uncle makes me feel happy and safe," Manaia as she giggled.
'She also wasn't affected by the sound like me,' Nicholas thought.
As he shifted his gaze between the two, he felt a cold sensation on his arm which prompted him to look at was happening.
A sky blue mark appeared!
It looked like a simplistic vector drawing for a flame, tattooed to his inner arm!
'What the hell?' he thought.
"Well, well, well. And here I thought your ability was a simple discounted rehash of a generic strength based-"
"English man!" barked Nicholas to the man at the side.
"Your ability is more layered than I thought," the man said. "I won't be bored out of my mind as we explore its possibilities."
"You would love that wouldn't you, Derrick?" said Nicholas with a sigh.
"Of course. I'm an intellectual. What else makes us happy other than dissecting and bringing to light the hidden facets of all questions?" replied Derrick with a grin.
He looked at Manaia. He was sure she had something to do with the change in the avatar and the mark that appeared on his arm.
She seemed to enjoy interacting with the avatar, though it freaked the hell out of him as the user.
'Ana gave me her trade mark look of concern when she witnessed that avatar. Manai seems genuinely entranced by it. Is it because she's a child?' he thought.
Children were the best suited for the ability from what he had analysed from the limited data he had. He was not a great analyst but he thought it was accurate. For his ability to work, the person behind him needed to be afraid or in distress. Manaia was feeling nervous so perhaps it counted as distress?
However, thinking that he'd need to take a little distressed girl on his back on every mission didn't bode well with him. No one would agree anyway.
"Thank you, Manaia. You really helped me a lot," he said.
"You're welcome, uncle," she said with a smile before looking at the giant avatar and waving again. "Goodbye Giant uncle!"
'So cute. I'll kidnap her and raise her on another planet,' he thought as he looked at the rushing little girl.
"Well, then. How about we invite in the next little ones?" said Derrick.
Nicholas sighed and looked at the flame mark on his arm again.
"Sure. Let's get to the bottom of this."