The world around Emily swirled into a blur of colors as the POD hummed to life, enveloping her in a strange, pulsating light. For a moment, everything felt surreal—weightless. Then, a rush of energy surged through her body, and she was no longer in the POD. Instead, she stood in a vast, empty field that seemed to stretch out forever, the sky above painted in hues of orange and gold.
"Where am I?" she whispered, looking around. The air felt different—thicker, charged with energy she couldn't quite grasp. Her heart raced as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. Had the POD malfunctioned? Was she really here?
A soft, unfamiliar voice answered her from nowhere and everywhere at once. "You're in a simulated environment, Emily. I am the AI of this POD, here to guide you through your training," the voice explained, its tone calm and neutral. "This is a controlled space for you to push your abilities to the limit without risking any real danger. You'll experience everything as if it's real—including pain, fatigue, and death."
Emily flinched at the last word. "Death?"
"Yes, but don't worry," the AI continued. "You will be revived each time you die. The purpose of this training is to help you understand your powers—what you're capable of, and how to survive in dire situations."
Taking a deep breath, Emily nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."
"Very well. Let's start with something simple," the AI instructed.
The field around Emily shifted suddenly, morphing into a dense forest. Trees towered above her, their leaves whispering softly in the wind. The ground beneath her feet felt solid, the scent of pine and earth filling her senses. It was astonishing how real it all felt.
"Your power is healing," the AI said. "We'll begin by testing your limits. Ahead of you, there's a small creature in distress. Approach it."
Emily frowned, scanning the forest. Sure enough, a few steps ahead, a small deer lay on the ground, its leg twisted at an unnatural angle. The animal whimpered softly, its eyes wide with pain and fear.
"Try to heal it," the AI urged.
Kneeling beside the deer, Emily reached out hesitantly. As her fingers brushed the animal's fur, a strange warmth spread through her hands. She closed her eyes and focused on that sensation, willing it to grow stronger. Light glowed softly around her fingertips, and she felt the broken bones within the deer's leg shift and mend beneath her touch.
The deer let out a soft bleat, its muscles relaxing as the pain faded away. Emily opened her eyes and watched in awe as the animal stood up on all four legs, fully healed. It gave her a grateful look before bounding off into the trees.
"I did it!" Emily gasped, a thrill of excitement rushing through her. She looked down at her hands, half-expecting to see some visible sign of her newfound power. But there was nothing—just the lingering warmth in her palms.
"Well done, Emily," the AI said. "But that was just a basic application of your healing abilities. Let's see how you handle something more challenging."
Before Emily could respond, the forest around her shifted again, the trees blurring into indistinct shapes. When the world settled once more, she found herself standing in a battlefield littered with the bodies of injured soldiers. They moaned and writhed on the ground, blood staining the dirt.
"Your task is to heal them," the AI stated, its tone neutral. "All of them. As quickly as possible."
Emily's heart hammered in her chest. There were so many. "But… what if I can't—"
"Focus, Emily. You have the power to save them. Trust yourself."
Swallowing hard, Emily rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside the nearest soldier. His leg had been severed below the knee, blood gushing from the wound. She pressed her hands against the injury, channeling the warmth again. Light flared around her fingers, and slowly, the flesh began to knit back together.
One by one, she moved from soldier to soldier, healing gaping wounds, shattered bones, and even bringing a few back from the brink of death. Each use of her power drained her a little more, but she refused to stop. Sweat poured down her face, her arms trembled, but she kept pushing forward, even when she thought she would collapse.
By the time she healed the last soldier, Emily felt like she could barely stand. Her vision blurred, her head spun, and she stumbled back, gasping for air.
"That was… exhausting," she panted.
"And that was just a simulation," the AI replied. "Imagine doing this in the real world. You have the potential to be a great healer, but you need to build your stamina. We'll continue pushing you until you can handle healing on a massive scale without collapsing."
Emily nodded, though the thought of doing this again—over and over—was daunting. But she had no choice. She would endure it, no matter how painful or difficult. For her family… for Sarah.
Meanwhile, in a different POD, Sarah found herself standing in a vast, open desert. The sun blazed down from above, casting harsh shadows on the dunes. Unlike Emily, she didn't feel a rush of warmth or a comforting presence in her hands. Instead, she felt something far more intense—an overwhelming surge of energy coursing through her veins.
"Sarah, your power is light manipulation," the AI's voice echoed around her. "You have the ability to create, shape, and control light. Let's see what you can do."
Sarah raised her hand hesitantly, and a brilliant sphere of light appeared above her palm. It pulsed and shimmered, casting blinding rays across the desert. The sheer intensity of it was almost frightening. As she concentrated, the light shifted, forming into various shapes—a spear, a shield, a whip of pure energy.
"This… is incredible," she whispered.
"Don't just admire it. Use it," the AI instructed sharply. "You need to master your control. Shape it into a weapon, a barrier, anything. And then… fight."
With a sudden roar, the ground beneath Sarah trembled. Massive creatures—beasts of darkness with gnashing teeth and claws—erupted from the sand, their bodies coiling and twisting like living shadows. Sarah's heart leapt into her throat.
"Destroy them, Sarah. Show no mercy."
Gritting her teeth, Sarah tightened her grip on the light-whip she had created. The beasts lunged at her, but she lashed out with the whip, severing one of the creatures in half. Light exploded from the impact, incinerating the dark mass instantly. The other beasts recoiled, but Sarah didn't give them a chance to regroup.
She spun, the whip crackling through the air, cutting down creature after creature. When one managed to get too close, she shifted the whip into a shield, blocking its attack before retaliating with a blast of light that obliterated it completely.
Each battle pushed her to her limits, forcing her to use her powers in ways she hadn't thought possible. She created swords of light, barriers, and even unleashed beams of searing energy that burned through everything in their path.
But the more she fought, the more exhausted she became. The creatures never seemed to stop coming, and soon, Sarah found herself backed into a corner, her energy almost depleted.
"AI, there's too many… I can't—"
A beast lunged at her, its claws slashing through her chest. Pain exploded through her, and everything went dark.
But then, she was back—whole and uninjured, standing in the same spot as if nothing had happened.
"You died, Sarah," the AI said calmly. "But you were revived. Remember, this is a simulation. Dying here is not permanent, but the pain and fear are real. Learn from your mistakes. Don't let it happen again."
Sarah clenched her fists, anger and determination surging through her. "I won't."
With a cry of defiance, she launched herself back into the fray, her light blazing brighter than ever. She would conquer this training—no matter how many times she fell. She would rise stronger every time.
And together, she and Emily would become forces to be reckoned with.