"Can I try something else now?" Lux asked.
Hunter grinned. "Of course you can."
Lux tried to pick up the punching bag, but failed miserably. He tried to jump over the bag, but he missed completely. He dropped to the ground with a thud.
Hunter walked up to him. "Your body doesn't know how to control the energy properly. And you aren't used to using it yet, either. That's why you keep falling flat on your face."
"But...how could I possibly get stronger than that?" Lux asked.
"Just keep practicing, and you'll improve."
"But..." Lux trailed off. He wanted to ask how Hunter had become so strong himself, but he decided against it. After all, he didn't really want to know.
Hunter led him into a gym.
It was dark inside and cold.
Except for their footsteps echoing off the walls, there was no sound.
They walked past a large mirror.
Hunter stopped and stared at the reflection of his own face.
Lux followed his gaze. "That looks nothing like me!"
Hunter smiled. "And that's exactly why we look so good."
Lux shrugged. "Why don't we practice then?"
"Sure," Hunter said. They walked around the room for a few minutes before they noticed a door at the end of the hall. It was closed tightly.
Lux knocked on it.
Hunter pushed open the door. "Welcome. Here, you will learn to harness your powers safely. I'm going to show you how to make yourself stronger."
Lux stepped through the doorway. Lux walked into a small room where metal pipes protruded from the wall. The room also featured mirrors, albeit made of glass rather than silver.
Lux frowned. "How am I supposed to fight with these things?"
"You won't be fighting with them. These are your training tools. Use them wisely. Only use the ones that you need."
Lux saw a strange machine sitting in the middle of the floor. It was a box about 3 feet tall, and half that thick black mesh covered the top of the box.
"What does it do?" Lux asked.
"Don't touch it," Hunter said quickly. "Not unless you're sure you can handle it."
"Handle it?"
Hunter nodded. "The device emits an extremely powerful burst of light and heat when activated. It will burn anything in its path instantly."
"What kind of creature needs a weapon like that?" Lux asked.
Hunter gave him a reassuring smile. "A warrior needs weapons to match his strength."
"Well, let's see this thing work."
Hunter pressed a few buttons on the device's side. Suddenly, the lid flew open. A blinding flash of light shot across the room.
Lux screamed. The light blinded him for a second, but it left behind an afterimage that burned into his eyes. His head throbbed. He squinted his eyes shut.
When he opened his eyes again, everything was back to normal.
Except the box was gone.
Lux blinked, trying to adjust his vision. Then he gasped. A giant pile of ashes had replaced the box.
"What happened to the box?"
"It didn't consider you worth holding its power, yet."
Lux took a step forward. He picked up a handful of ash and rubbed it between his fingers. He held it up to the light. The ashes were warm to the touch. But they weren't hot.
He put the rest of the ashes on the floor.
"This is what you must become. This is what I became."
"Ashes?"
"Go take a shower. You smell terrible."
"Why? What did I do wrong?"
"Nothing. You simply needed a reminder. Now, get out here."
He went to the locker room and washed off the dust and sweat. Upon finishing, he discovered Hunter waiting for him outside the showers.
It seemed like Hunter was really telling the truth about controlling everything within his turf. It had everything he needed.
It was like a different world entirely.
"All right," Hunter said. "Let's go for a run."
Lux sighed. "I thought you were just going to teach me how to use my powers."
"No, no. We've got a lot more work to do. Come on."
They jogged down the street together.
After running for almost 30 minutes, Lux began to tire.
His legs ached.
Sweat poured off of him.
"Keep pushing through," Hunter said.
Lux grunted.
"If you push hard enough, you'll start to feel something else."
Lux slowed. "What?"
"Your body will begin to change. Your muscles will grow larger. Your stamina will increase. Your senses will sharpen. And your skin will begin to glow."
"Glowing?" Lux repeated. "Like a firefly or something?"
"Nah, I'm just kidding. Move it dumbass."
Lux shook himself free of the fog clouding his thoughts and kept running.
***
Lux ran for another hour until he finally collapsed onto the ground. He lay there, panting. Every muscle in his body hurts. He could barely move.
But he couldn't stop moving.
"That was great!" Hunter yelled as he sprinted past.
Lux struggled to stand.
"Yeah, keep working hard. That way, we can get out of here sooner. Are you ready for our next lesson?"
"Yes," Lux replied weakly. "Please. Just give me a minute."
He leaned against a nearby tree, trying to catch his breath.
Hunter walked over and kicked him in the leg. "Get your ass up! I want to show you something cool."
Lux groaned. "Fine."
He pushed away from the tree and followed Hunter back inside.
Once they reached the training room, Lux noticed that there were now two boxes standing side-by-side on the floor. One was white, with a silver ring around the bottom. The other was black, with a dark red ring around the bottom.
Both looked exactly the same.
Hunter grabbed one of them. "This is called a shield generator. It allows us to create shields of force that protect us from all kinds of attacks."
Lux peered at the box. "How does it work?"
"You have to press this button. See?" Hunter pointed at the top of the box. "Then you need to
focus on a specific target. Say you want to make a shield around yourself."