As Monique and Aiden got back into the elevator and made their way out of Dr. Arroyo's office, Aiden was lost in thought. Now that he thought about it a bit more. Dr. Arroyo was right. How could've Gabriel known that before Aiden inherited anything? He could've been making an educated guess, but, he stated it as a fact. However, the silence in the elevator was broken by Monique.
"You know, Aiden, since we need to wait for Synnove either way, we shouldn't waste our time. How about we do some training?"
They made their way out, before Monique lead the way to the Offense Corps building on the other end of the courtyard. Aiden pulled out his phone, beginning to type out a message to Synnove. "Just a second, Miss. I want to let Synnove know where we are. She might want to train a bit too."
"Certainly." Monique and Aiden made their way inside the building, and as Aiden was ready to leave his weapon at the door like he has always done so far, the man at the front desk just waved him off.
"Aiden, sweetie, you can carry your blade in here." Monique said jokingly. "After all, this is the Offense Corps. It would be a shame if we weren't always ready in case of enemy attack, no?"
They got into the elevator in the middle of the building's lobby, before Monique pressed a button labeled "-3", and inputting a passkey before the elevator began moving. "The basement has three levels, and all three are training facilities. The first is for new recruits, the second for standard, unranked members. However, level three…"
The door opened to reveal a state of the art gymnasium with as much equipment as a person could dream of. Sparring dummies, blades, shields, weight-lifting machines, everything needed to keep someone in shape. "Level three is only accessible to ranked officers. That's why it's locked by a code. And for good reason, too…"
Monique lead the way to a machine placed in the very center of the room, inside what seemed like an elevated boxing ring. She pushed forward a little portable staircase and entered the ring, before waving at Aiden to follow.
"This- this is why this level is only available to ranked officers. This machine, although it has no official name, we call it a 'clone manipulator'." Monique pressed a button on the assembly, which was a tall machine with a thin needle pointing from the top downward, a console and a few other lights and openings, before it began humming and the display glew. "You put your hand here- and you surge your Essence in. The machine analyzes your Essence flow and pattern, as well as your physical characteristics via a camera. It then, using the Essence you put in, creates a clone of you."
"A clone of me?" Aiden asked, his voice mixed with intrigue and confusion. "What for?"
"So you can spar against yourself, of course!" Monique joyfully replied. "This machine is single-handedly the greatest form of training ever created by us. The only chance of victory, is if you outsmart yourself. It forces you to get better."
"Of course, I'm using the term 'us' pretty loosely here. Almost all of the work and research was done by Amelia and Lucia. That's why she got promoted to the Medical Corps head at such a young age." She said, a clear tone of respect for Dr. Arroyo notable in her voice.
"But," Aiden inquired. "You said this room is only for ranked officers? Wouldn't it make more sense for everyone to be able to use it - so that everyone gets stronger?"
"Yes, but no." Monique said, her tone slowing and becoming deeper.
"I'll try to explain this simply. Whenever someone is born with a Soul Mark, and most likely when receiving powers irregularly, like you… everyone receives something called a Bound. A Bound is basically a tank of Essence, and it represents the max amount of Essence your body can naturally hold, generate and wield without any issue." She pointed her finger towards the machine. "The reason we keep this machine restricted is, creating a clone drains a lot of Essence. Those who are ranked officers usually all have very high Bounds. So, we can easily fill it. And, when someone attempts to overdo their Bound? Let's just say, there are some… adverse effects."
Aiden stood up, trying to get a closer look at the machine. "So, it's a matter of safety more than it is a matter of effectiveness?"
"Precisely. A high Bound is almost always what separates an unranked officer from a ranked one. Maybe there is an unranked officer with a strong power, but with a lower Bound, they can't keep it up for long. In combat, endurance is key."
Aiden was just about to put his hand in the machine, but, he stuttered for a second. "But, wait. Miss Monique, how do you know my Bound is high enough for this?"
She shook her head. "My, my, Aiden. You've really grown since the whole stint with Cassius." she giggled, impressed at his attention. "Well, it's pretty simple, actually. Not only do you have a Soul Mark, but you have the power to change Soul Marks if needed. That says enough."
Aiden was confused. He understood the changing part, but… "Miss, I understand the part about changing my Mark needing a high Bound, that makes sense. But what do you mean 'have a Soul Mark'? Doesn't every power wielder have one?"
"Well, yes, but not all Marks are created equal. Those with low Bounds, their Soul Mark doesn't manifest fully. Instead of having innate powers like us, they're limited to nothing but basic Essence manipulation." she explained.
"Incomplete… Marks?" Aiden recalled when Aldegar took him to the check-up with Gabriel. Aldegar said they needed to make sure his mark wasn't "deformed or incomplete", but he never really pondered his words much.
"Well, the official term is 'incomplete', but I don't think of it that way. I only see our Marks as more refined than theirs. They all do the same thing." Monique extended her hand, pinching her fingers together. "Almost everything is connected to your Bound. Those with smaller Bounds, their Mark doesn't carry a Deity's callsign, and so they're limited to basic Essence manipulation alone. Ours do, but there's even a step higher. I was born with an incredibly high Bound, as most Cosineau children do, however, my Bound doesn't naturally fill up to the top. It's a part of Blood Sacrifice, allowing me breathing room in case I get back more than I spend."
"That's incredible, miss." Aiden was in shock. "But, don't mind me asking… how are you only #3, then?"
"Really not letting me get a breath in, are you?" Monique was completely invested in this conversation. For so long she never had a chance to share such a friendly conversation with someone, thanks to a mix of fear from the unranked and overt professionalism with the ranked. "Well, I'm not the one who decides the ranks, but, if I had to say… I guess it'd be a mix of my power not being sustainable, and, Aldegar and Fornicus are simply better cover boys." she laughed.
"But, seriously, they are really good leaders, the both of them. Especially your father. I've never seen that man worried, stressed or anything." She looked deep into Aiden's eyes, before letting out a deep sigh. Her voice softened, her sclera momentarily clouding with a shadow of sorrow. "I wasn't ranked when it all took place, but, Fornicus told me stories. Ulrich got killed, and not long after, Agostinho betrayed the Oracle and Lukas got killed… worst of all, he had to break the news to his pregnant wife…"
"Lukas, Agostinho… who are they?" Aiden asked.
She stopped for a second, almost to find a way to word this properly. "Well, Agostinho you couldn't possibly know. But, Lukas… he was Midori's father."
"Midori's?" he said with a gasping voice. "That can't be possible."
"Sadly, it is. I don't know the full story, but, after Lukas' death, Midori's mother put her up for adoption. That's how she got put in the Synnove cult, most likely, although that's something none of us knew until now. We thought she was still… her. That's why no one ever told Midori, or Synnove that is, about anything. A couple of months after the adoption, her mother, Hisako, went dark. We found her dead in her home."
A silence broke the room. Aiden stopped, reeling all the possible things that could've happened to poor Midori… but the entire time, Monique was intently staring into Aiden's eyes.
"As for Ulrich," she slowly continued. "I met him once while I was still climbing up the ranks. He was an incredible man. Such an aura of power oozed from him, everyone respected him without a second thought. It's rare."
She finally took her glare off of Aiden's eyes, before laying down on the ring's floor. "Aldegar mentioned it in passing, but, now I really see it. Your eyes are the same as his… Not only the color, but the fire that burns behind them. You're dedicated, whether that'd be to helping others, surviving… It's something a lot of people lack, you know. The determination."
Aiden was still unable to speak up. Such a confusion spread through his body, all of his focus was on thinking. He was frozen in place.
Monique stood, before shaking Aiden up. "Sorry that I went off topic. I understand you're trying to break down my words, however, I suggest you do it later. You're not skipping this training."
Aiden's gaze slowly lifted from the ground, looking up at Monique. Without a word said, he stood, and placed his hand in the clone manipulator. After maybe half a minute of buffering, the needle at the top spat out a glowing blue replica of Aiden, which he immediately began clashing swords with. Monique hurriedly left the ring, before looking up.
"That fire in his eyes…" her pupils widened as a bright smile spread across her lips. "Could it… could it surpass yours, Ulrich?"