Soon it felt as if someone pressed a pause button on the wind, the dust stopped blowing.
Despite the sun still hanging high, the group set up their tents for resting.
Dav went around their campsite with a wooden stick, connecting each stick with his string. Frad accompanied him, and so did Beatrix.
"So you said your string can be split? Say how did you two me-." She kept rambling on and on, which caused the couple to hurry up faster in order to return back.
"Why is your right hand man so talkative?" River asked Sezia, as he was dusting off the dust from his scarf.
She shrugged, "She doesn't like the silence I suppose."
"Doesn't her throat get dry?.." This time it was Reginald turn to ask.
"What can I say, she have been doing this ever since her power evolved." Sezia took a pack of biscuits out and munch on it, "Why are you still wearing that?" She looked at Beatrix who still had her 'mask' on.
Beatrix shrugged, which caused Sezia's eyebrows to twitch visibly. She sat near Sezia, sitting on the foldable chair Otta brought.
Otta pulled the end of Beatrix, causing her to turn and look at her.
"What's up with that technology? Does all tropes in Duerrin also have that." She asked.
"This was originally created by professor Frode, but commander left hand man improved it for our squad." She explained, as the glowing eyes stopped glowing, and she pulled up the hood to her head.
"I've heard of right hand man, but left hand man?" River looked at Sezia.
"They named themselves.." She shrugged, while still munching on her biscuits.
"Do you have a back hand man?" He asked, and Sezia nodded, "What the hell."
"Do you have the blueprint for this?" Otta ignored River and Sezia conversion, and asked Beatrix.
"Yeah, everyone in the squad has it in case he dies." She pulled up the blueprint from her watch, "But I can't understand engineering stuff. You want it?"
"Of course!" Otta's eyes seemed to be shining as she thought of the new technology she could build.
"I can only let you see it, there seemed to be no network here." She said, letting Otta browse the blueprint.
Otta frowned when scanning the blueprint.
"Can you recreate it?" Reginald noticed her expression and asked.
She took a deep breath, and took out her phone.
"Probably." She just muttered.
Kinsei finished his meal, looked at Beatrix who was sitting opposite of him and asked, "How do you awaken your power?"
"Hm?" She closed the hologram from her watch and looked at him, "You haven't awakened?"
He shook his head, "No one here is telling me how they awaken too."
Beatrix stood up and picked her chair, walking towards him and sat beside him, "Because some don't even know how they awaken. If you don't know how you awaken, the chances of you evolving that power is even lesser."
"You know how awakening power works?" He asked, feeling pleasantly surprised.
She nodded, "It's simple, but it's just some people making it too complex." She explained, "The first thing is to find your core, what makes you, you. Awakening is all about going against the core, while evolving is about using the power to find your core again. It's simple as that."
Everyone heard her explanation, and started thinking about it.
"What's my core?" Kisnei muttered, "Damn it I don't know!" He rubbed his hair, "Is my hair my core?" He looked at Beatrix.
"I doubt so. A core is like your characteristics, or your value. People core is build during their childhood. As time passes, many people core changes so they have a harder time remembering what was the core that made them awaken."
She shrugged, "So it's easier to evolve when your young. Many people have already evolved their powers without knowing, because they haven't used their power in a way that fitted their initial core." She briefly summarised the theory behind awakening and evolving.
Kinsei pondered for a moment, "Then do you mind telling us how you awaken?"
"Of course I mind," She said, "I have never trusted strangers I've just met, even if they are commander students."
"Then how did you find out what's your core, at least tell me this?" He asked.
"Well," Her voice lowered, till only Kinsei could hear, "The power awakened can be said to be the opposite of their personality. Who here do you know the longest?"
He replied, "Otta was my classmate."
"Her power is that storage space, right?" He nodded, and she pondered, "Storing things..is she selfish?"
"When I first know her, she did seem like it. But everything she does its because she wants to help." He replied, "She doesn't do something if it doesn't help anyone"
"So at her core, she's selfless." Beatrix smiled, "Get it?"
Kinsei slowly nodded, "But I don't know what's my core. I doubt I'm selfless like her.." He muttered under his breath, "Oh right, is it possible to both awaken and evolve at the same time?" He glanced at her.
"I've never heard of that happening before, but maybe you can be the first?" She glanced at him too, "If you could, I will tell you how I awaken."
He chuckled, "Deal." He raised a fist, and they fist bumped.
Meanwhile when Beatrix and Kinsei were chatting, the rest were having their own conversation.
Dealla asked everyone, "How did you guys awaken?"
Reginald tried thinking, "I think it was when I got angry at my dad for leaving house, at that moment there was suddenly a spark in my hands."
"So does that mean, at your core you always keep things inside?" River asked, which Reginald shrugged not knowing too.
"You can manipulate elements, so at your core were you always so direct?" Reginald raised a brow.
"As if it was that simple." He argued, "How am I going to evolve my powers? By using the elements directly from its chemical compound?"
"Why does it have to be so complex?" Dealla grumbled, "My power was awakened when I was young, so I forgot what was the so-called core.." She mumbled under her breath.
"It's as simple as that," Sezia interpreted everyone's thoughts, "That's the logic behind awakening. But even if you know the logic, are you confident in applying it? There's many selfless people out there, when they became selfish for that brief moment and awakened, why isn't their powers the same? It's because the way they awaken is still different. Their origins also is different."
She started explaining more, "For example, someone who had been hungry all their life, but still gave food to someone else. One moment decided be selfish and eat that food for themselves and awakened. Its different from someone who had always tried protecting others with their own body, than one moment decided be selfish and not protect others.
One of them their power will be related to food, and the other power will be related to protecting."
She glanced at those who were listening, and noticed only Reginald and Dealla didn't understand, they kept looking at the ground with a blank stare.
She clapped her hand, causing Kinsei and Beatrix to look over too, "Its like being given a stick, how you use it differs from others. You could use it as a weapon, or an equipment. Get it?"
Reginald and Dealla had a look of realisation and nodded.
"While evolving is using the stick to suit your needs." She concluded, "Since everyone understands, everyone should try and remember how they awaken their power. The situation and reason. Sometimes evolving powers isn't very obvious, but in the end. If someone asks you what's your power, you are able to give both a summarised answer or a detailed answer."
Sezia stood up from her chair, "Beatrix will keep watch, everyone go rest up."
"Why me?" Beatrix grumbled, causing Sezia to turn her head and stare at her, "Alright alright. Everyone, have a good sleep." She wore a wristband on her right hand, "No one will die as long as I'm here."
"Bold statement." Sezia said as she entered her tent, "Roommates will be the same as usual."
"Your foot better not be on my face." Reginald glared at River as they entered their tent.
"Your face better not be on my foot than!" He followed after, as Kinsei chuckled at their argument.