After that brief conversation with Juba, the two returned to training, and the last few days settled into a rhythm once more. They didn't need to go back into the forest to hunt for a cave, although he had gotten the job of making food for the two after training. Of course, Juba was a picky eater, and he didn't like vegetables. Charlotte didn't lose anything while feeding him since his new home was always stocked up on food. Besides, without Fang around, he had to make a new friend, and Juba seemed to be in the same boat.
He did get to talk to Iza a few times while walking to the school; usually, a simple "Hi" was the most they managed to get. Other students tried talking to Charlotte; the conversations didn't last long. Most were just curious about his ability; once that curiosity was sated, they left.
He did catch quite a few trying to talk with Juba when he wasn't around, and Juba refused to tell him what they said. "I don't disrespect my client's privacy." as he so elegantly said.
He had gotten pretty good at turning off and on his ability and controlling the output. He used the image of a forge for the output, and the amount of output depended on how hot the forge was. Juba had also gotten much better at using his wind attacks. He could launch attacks that hurt him much quicker, which, while annoying, was manageable.
Juba was quite adaptable. After being blinded too many times, he started fighting with his eyes closed. From what Charlotte understood, he used the wind to find his location, whatever that meant. Still, the only thing holding him back was a lack of motivation. He gave up too quickly. As soon as Charlotte managed to pull him down from the sky or close the distance, he threw in the towel.
Charlotte was wearing gauntlets to block the wind attack that came his way, and he used a tree as a footstool to jump at him. Juba formed the familiar wind barrier around him as he landed his blow. It would deviate his attack, sending him flying back to the ground. The wind he used for the barrier would gather and slam into his back like a battering ram.
Hitting the ground with the momentum he had built up hurt more than the attack that hit him in the back. He quickly rolled to the side as a slash hit the ground where he had landed; while moving, he grabbed a few rocks and tossed them back up at him. They stopped in the air and hit the ground as he slowly floated back down.
"Alright, I'm gonna call it there. I'm dying of thirst and exhausted." Juba said overdramatically, scanning the trees before going under the shade. He pulled out a waterskin and took the equivalent of a small sip before relaxing.
"Well, if we are gonna take a break. Can we talk about what I gotta do next to train?" As soon as the words left his mouth. Juba groaned and slid down the tree, closing his eyes.
"Do you ever just take a break and relax? If I keep doing all this work, I will end up with wrinkles," Juba whined. Charlotte reached for his waterskin and poured the rest of the water on his face.
"....that was honestly kinda refreshing. Do it again." Juba handed him their water skin, and Charlotte dropped it on his face. "Ow....alright, you wanna learn something? I'll teach you something."
"Your next lesson is simple: creating an object of light. Do anything; I recommend doing something you know well. The more you know the item, the easier it will be to manifest. Try making the general shape with your Chi. Also, it can't be connected to you. Since you can see your Chi, that should be easier?" Juba didn't sound sure, simply shrugging.
"Alright, you can take a break while I work on this. You better focus as soon as I get it done, though." Charlotte tried to separate a bit of his Chi from himself in the shape of a hammer; what better item than the one he had used for years? It was easy to shape into the object, but as soon as he tried separating his own, Chi fought against his wishes, not wanting to split.
He tried starting small and separating a small ball of Chi; it worked, but the sensation was strange. He was aware of it but couldn't control it, and soon enough, it split apart and disappeared.
"This is quite difficult. How exactly do you control it, or rather separate it?" Charlotte asked, only to find that Juba had fallen asleep. Charlotte wanted to wake him up but kept trying to do this himself. He couldn't rely on such an unreliable teacher.
He kept shrinking the amount of Chi he split from himself until he could finally control it once it separated from the rest. It was almost as small as a speck, but it was working. He could move it around himself, and turning on his ability made himself glow with light and the speck. Although sadly, it couldn't be seen. He had to learn how to focus his power on a separate part of himself, and he could understand it in tandem with controlling Chi, who was separated from himself.
He turned his power off and increased the amount of Chi he separated from himself. Starting small was a good idea; he had gone from a speck to the size of a coin. It was just a matter of exerting himself and his will. However, how was he supposed to create an object out of light? From the little test he did, it would simply just cause him to make a glowing light appear in thin air. He could worry about that later; for now, get the shape down and then worry about all that. He kept turning off and on his ability till he finally managed to make Chi separate from him to glow with light. He tried increasing its brightness slowly, and after going up a bit, the Chi was spent, and it disappeared.
Right, using it spent Chi. He might be able to cheat a bit. He made a ton of Coin-sized Chi and tried to pull it together to form a hammer. It worked, but as soon as it joined, it broke apart and separated again....Seems like trying to cheat wasn't gonna work.