Point-of-View: Zoraiz Rafayet
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Okay, this is getting tougher, or rather, I'm starting to get a bit too mentally fatigued to properly focus on it. It'd been about three hours since Tara had stopped training us, and it was currently around midnight here.
My body still didn't feel all that tired though, maybe it's confused by all the hopping from various time zone to time zone. I was in America, then in India, and now in Antarctica, of all places.
Still, though, despite my mental fatigue, I didn't feel like stopping. This feeling, I like it...it's hard to put into words, but I just...I just feel so alive right now. This sense of effort yielding progress and success...it's addicting.
Gotta say, though, this contrast between my mind being worn out while my body isn't all that tired, it's a strange sensation. I was currently taking a twenty minute break, just to rest my mind a bit. As I sat on the floor, I tugged my hoodie off and tossed it to the side with a tired sigh, taking off my shoes too.
After Tara left, I asked Mike and Kiyana about everything I wanted to know regarding this training, and after that, Mike suggested that I move to the training room that's farthest from the living quarters, to keep my Aura from bothering anyone.
And I've been going at it since then, but my progress was a lot slower than before. With Tara's pressure pushing down on me, it was a lot easier to get the hang of controlling my Aura, but without any external pressure to push back against, this is really tricky.
It's like I was just learning to walk, when suddenly, before I could finish, I was being made to learn how to walk in zero gravity. I have to be a lot more precise, careful and methodical now, since her pressure isn't there to keep mine in check anymore.
But I definitely was making progress, and with each bit of advancement, I got a better sense and understanding of how my Aura works...the way it flows, fluctuates, what causes it to lose stability, and so on. I also had a clearer picture of the capacity of my Aura.
Mike said that tomorrow, we'll be measuring our Aura capacities, to find out exactly how much Aura we so-called Outliers possess. Based on my rough estimate of my capacity, and thinking back on the amount of pressure exerted by Tara's fully unleashed Aura...I'd say that I possess enough Aura to double hers, plus maybe a tiny bit more.
When she left and said that she was done, I'd say that I was more or less at fifty percent control. And right now, I'd say that I'm at around...sixty-five percent, maybe? It's hard to estimate precisely.
Alright, that's enough of a break, time to get back to it! Heh, I don't think I've ever felt so...motivated before, it's weird. I know that I should probably go sleep and pick this up again tomorrow, but...I just don't want to stop.
No, at least not until I've fully mastered this. I'm starting to get the hang of doing this on my own, without a external pressure to assist...once I get used to it, my progress should speed up quite significantly.
This whole Meta-Human thing really is like a video game...I bet that this is what it feels like to grind levels in games, I've never had the time to play those kind of games, so I haven't experienced it myself.
Right now, all I can focus on is mastering these powers...but after I'm done with this, I think I'd like to spend some time relaxing and doing normal stuff like playing games or watching movies. Yeah...that sounds nice...
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Point-of-View: Inoka Fonseka
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Well, this is an annoying feeling...I just woke up, and my body feels fully rested and refreshed. But my mind still feels kinda groggy and cloudy, the effects of yesterday's training yet to fade. Man, that was really rough.
What's more, I slept for quite a while, about thirteen hours, more or less. It was currently a little past 11:30 AM, I'd woken up about twenty minutes ago, grabbed a quick shower, and was now back in bed, because like I said, my mind is still totally worn out.
What should I do? I've been watching some random YouTube clips and stuff, but I'm still bored. And I could also feel a craving for some cigarettes...I don't think I'm an alcoholic, but I'm definitely a chainsmoker, and I haven't had a smoke since I was kidnapped.
I guess I could go find Kiyana and ask her if they have any cigarettes here, but at the same time, I was also trying to go for a long as possible without a smoke...the reason was nothing more than shallow self-gratification.
I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't addicted...even though I knew full well that I am. It is nice that I don't smell like dirty smoke, and my throat feels a lot clearer too, but I just feel so restless and jittery.
My ears then perked up as I heard the sound of a door opening...oh, sounds like one of the other two are up, maybe I'll try hanging out with them. Both of them definitely have their issues, that much is obvious, but they don't seem like they're particularly bad people, and since we're in the same boat, it won't hurt to socialize.
I rolled off the bed with a sigh and stood up, before heading for the door and opening it, nearly bumping into Alexis as I walked out and shut the door behind me.
"Wha-...hey, watch it," She grumbled, as I narrowly avoided her.
She looks really annoyed...it's probably the mental fatigue, I would assume. I'm not in the best mood either, though my withdrawals are a part of that. I'll avoid provoking her...
"Sorry, my bad. You just waking up?" I asked her.
"Hm? No, I woke up a while ago, but my head feels awful," She frowned with a look of irritation, before narrowing her eyes suspiciously at me, "Hey, how come you walked out of your room literally right after I left mine, huh?"
Wow, she's kinda paranoid, isn't she? Though, well, I did leave my room now because I heard the sound of her door, but to be fair, I didn't know it was her, it could have easily been Zoraiz for all I knew. Making an excuse will only make me look guilty, so I'll be direct instead.
"Well, I was really bored and restless in my room, and then I heard you open your door, so I thought that maybe some company would help distract me. I didn't know whose door opened though, so it's not like I was waiting for you specifically or something," I replied honestly.
Probably could've done better, why'd I word the last part like a tsundere?
"Hm...that's fair enough, I suppose. I'm headed to the cafeteria," She responded, before heading in that direction.
The way she said that, I think it's okay if I tag along. She's kinda prickly, but I can handle that much. We entered the cafeteria, which was mostly empty, and the few that were there gave us dirty looks. We then walked up to the counter, the person behind us frowning as we approached him.
The cafeteria is open for twelve hours each day, and each person is allotted a maximum of three meals plus either a dessert or a drink. Regarding the meals, they're packaged goods, so not exactly freshly made, but decent enough quality. The desserts are small cups of stuff like fruit salads or chocolate mousse, while the drinks range from sodas to juices to beer.
"I'll take the beef with cream cheese pasta and an apple juice," I requested, after looking through what was available.
"How do you eat pasta for breakfast? It's way too heavy," Remarked Alexis, before placing her request, "I'll have a turkey sandwich and...a beer."
Her tone wavered at the last bit, she's definitely never drank alcohol before...
"Hm...how old are you?" Inquired the guy at the counter, narrowing his eyes at her.
"I'm, uh, twenty," She blurted out.
"Tch...since you're underage, pick something else," He replied irritably.
"Oh, come on, are you really going to let the laws of regular human society dictate your standards?" She countered hopefully.
"Harmony law states that the legal drinking age is eighteen. Pick something else or leave."
"...fine, give me a strawberry yogurt," She muttered in defeat.
...
"If nothing else, I certainly can't complain about the free food," I remarked, as I finished up my breakfast.
"Again, how you're able to eat something as heavy as pasta for breakfast, I just can't understand," She responded with a shake of her head, "But, yeah, the food here's good...I hate to say it, but honestly, the last couple of days have been a huge step up from the way my life was before."
"Yeah? Same here, actually. Hm, if the next Outlier is someone who had a fulfilling life before coming across a Meta-Orb, I'll be interested to see how they react if and when they're apprehended. For a group of kidnappees, the three of us haven't really complained all that much...and the reason is obvious, because all of us had such shitty lives prior to this that we have no reason to go back to them. At least, that's how it is for me," I remarked wryly.
"Me, too...I literally tried to run away from home, the same day I found the Electro Meta-Orb."
"I wonder how many of the other Meta-Orbs have been found so far...," I mused, as I picked up the empty containers and headed for the trash can, Alexis following suit.
"Won't they all have been found by now? All of us came across ours pretty much immediately," She pointed out.
"Yeah, but it depends on where they land...some of the orbs might've fallen into the sea or in the middle of a jungle or something, in such cases, there's a good chance that they'll never be found," I responded objectively.
"Oh...when you put it that way, I suppose it all comes down to chance."
"Exactly."
As we tossed the empty containers into the trash, Mike then walked into the cafeteria, appearing to be looking for someone, before spotting us and jogging over with a wave...
"Hey, you two, have you seen Zoraiz? I wanted to speak to him about how much progress he's made with Aura control, but he's not in his room. Then I thought, 'hm, maybe he hooked up with one of the other two last night', but your rooms were empty too."
"That was you first thought?" Frowned Alexis, looking annoyed.
"Maybe he woke up earlier and went to a training room or something," I added with a shrug.
"Oh, good point. Mind helping me search? This place is pretty big," Said Mike, before adding with a stifled laugh, "Heh, that's what she said."
"Why is it that everytime this guy opens his mouth, I want to punch something?" Muttered Alexis, her right eyebrow twitching in annoyance slightly.
"Understandable...anyway, I don't have anything better to do, so, sure, I'll help you look," I spoke up.
"Yeah, fine, me too," She relented reluctantly.
We then began searching, though instead of splitting up, we simply divided each area into three and searched that way. Before long, we made it to the area with the training rooms.
Most of them seemed to be unoccupied, and I certainly couldn't hear any noise coming from inside. But, then again, if all he's doing is working on his Aura, then I guess he won't be making much of any noise.
Mike headed straight for the one that was farthest back, without bothering to search the other ones...oh, right, I remember, yesterday he told Zoraiz to use that one to keep his Aura from bothering anyone. I'd been so mentally worn out at the time that I almost forgot about that.
"If he's not here, then I think a bit of panic will be appropriate," Mumbled Mike, as he nervously opened the door.
"Oh, you mean that maybe he already mastered control of his Aura and then managed to escape?" I inquired innocently, in an attempt to fan the flames of his rising panic and anxiety.
But alas, a second later, his fears were alleviated. Because as he pushed the door open, we saw that it wasn't empty. A pair of shoes were sprawled across the floor, and a hoodie was crumpled up by the wall. And in the middle of the room, was Zoraiz, fast asleep...
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