Morning Routines [Open]

&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspA rare sight for one new student occurred on his first morning after arriving to his new home; the sight of the morning sun on the distant horizon. Well, the fact that it was a morning sun wasn’t such a spectacular event seeing as he had become used to such a thing happening after long nights. No, what made the morning sun to beautiful today was how he saw it, the circumstances he saw it in, and the warm relief that it brought along with its appearance. As the silver haired boy slowed his running pace to a slow jog, his breath stabilizing after the long morning run, he looked out towards the sky at the low floating yellow object. The grey clouds of winter lingered, blocking the hot rays occasionally but the sight was still one to be amused with. For Saber, it was his first morning that wasn’t filled with people in his face.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspIt was quiet out here at the Academy, and Saber felt relaxed. Even though his body and mind was still in his routine, Saber didn’t feel as if he was going to be shot at in five seconds. He wiped the sweat off his brow and slowed his pace even further, gradually coming to a halt beside the frozen lake where he had decided to do his regular workout. From the lake, Saber could see all around himself, he could see the Academy, and he could see the sun. There was no darkness here, nothing looming over his head aside from the grey clouds of the season. It helped relieve any tension or fears the boy may have had as he kicked away some of the snow.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe ex-soldier placed his towel around his neck and dropped down to the ground. His hands sunk into the slushy ground as he began to move his weight, dropping almost to the floor before pushing himself back up. Over and over, Saber moved his body and worked his arms until they burned. Then he kept going. He slowed his pace, elongated the time it took for him to drop and held his position for a second before returning to his starting position. The repetitious movement caused Saber to grit his teeth and he groaned in discomfort. When he felt like he couldn’t do any more, Saber dropped to his forearms and held his body up.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspFire flared inside of his torso and his upper arms as his body cried out for relief. It would get none as the seconds ticked by. Shutting his eyes and steadying his breathing helped Saber deal with the pain and alleviate thoughts of falling. He focused his mind on the snow, on the weather, and pasted the image of the sunrise into the forefront of his skull. Anything that would distract him, Saber tried as the internal clock started to run out. Nearly four minutes had passed until the pain was just too much but by then the goal had been accomplished. With a quiet thud, Saber dropped onto his stomach.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe cool, wet ground stole the heat and fire away from the boy’s body, helping him relax some. Yet he didn’t let it steal everything. Too much and Saber would freeze. Too little and he wouldn’t be able to continue. He lay there for just long enough before flipping over onto his back and lifting his feet into the air. Five inches of space between the floor and his heels were all it took to start making Saber’s stomach burn, but he didn’t stop there. Stopping was something he couldn’t do. After ten seconds of getting stable, Saber lifted his torso off the ground and pulled in his knees to it. Once his knees tapped against his hands that crossed over his breasts, the boy flattened back out. The instant his back touched the floor, he coiled his body together once more. Like he had done with the first exercise, Saber didn’t stop until his stomach couldn’t handle anymore.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe muscles felt like they were about to rip apart in the boy’s gut or at least catch literally on fire from how much they hurt. However, that was the plan. Saber’s body was at its limit, and pushing that limit was what would make him better. He needed to become stronger and faster than his opponents to ensure not only his safety, but of those he was with. There was no individual in a battle, there were teams and defending one’s team while satisfying the objective was key. Of course, not all battles were team battles, but majority were.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspA long breath flooded Saber’s lungs as he shoved up off the ground, quickly returning to his feet. the basic exercises were done for now and his body was already crying for help. Now it was time for the fun part, it was time for the real practice. The sheer thought of it made Saber grin. His country had betrayed him, stole him from his ordinary life and turned him into a monster. Yet they had done so in good faith. Saber would fight in battles regular soldiers couldn’t. He’d provide protection, be an asset that they could rely on, and become a soldier they needed. After a few years, he had earned the respect of his superiors, not because of his abilities and powers, but because of how he used them.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspRaising up his right hand to his chest, Saber closed his eyes and let his tired body relax. He felt the stress in his muscles slowly fade away and the feeling of pain in his stomach vanish. The boy closed his hand into a fist and took several slow, deep breaths. His right hand began to glow a light blue color, and swirling lines of lights emerged from the pores in his skin. These lights swirled about the arm and coiled together inside of Saber’s fist, causing the held light to glow brighter and brighter. Saber continued to breathe and gather the energy until he believed there was enough stored, and then opened his hand against his chest. The energy spilled out of his hand and filled his body. Heat washed over Saber as he used the energy to push away the cold, massage his muscles, and release any accidental rips or tears that could have occurred during his training. Healing was something he had practiced, and something he was thankful to have done so.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspPain leaked out of Saber’s body with every exhale he released. Mixed with the cloud of hot air were several blue particles which glimmered in the sun before popping and fading away. It made every one of Saber’s exhaled air almost glow for a short moment. The sight always made him chuckle. It wasn’t long before his body was back to normal and he was able to remove his hand from his chest safely. Though, he wasn’t finished with the energy just yet. Saber moved from one exercise to the next, just like he had done before and was determined to keep himself in top condition.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOpening his hand into a sort of bowl, Saber focused on a point just above his palm and between all of his fingers. The blue rays of energy swirled about his arm rapidly, small blue dots flowing down the lines as they all came together at that focus-point. Within a few seconds, a massive blue, swirling ball of light hovered just at Saber’s fingertips. He grinned and continued to pump more and more into the object, increasing its size slightly but moreover condensing its mass. Five seconds was all it took for the blue ball to appear, and it was all it took for Saber to be satisfied.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOpening his fingers, the circuit of energy cut and the ball dropped into the boy’s hand. Squeezing it like a baseball, he twisted and threw the light object towards the distant forest. It moved like a rocket, whizzing through the air with a high-pitched whistle, and blasting into the first tree it connected with. A streak of air, showing the path of the ball, lingered for a moment. The ball fell apart on contact, as expected, but left a small burn mark on the bark to give Saber an idea of where it had connected. Raising up both of his hands, Saber focused on both of his palms, collecting energy into two balls of light. He hastened his pace, cutting the time of creation from five seconds to four before twirling and firing the lights at the same tree. The loud whistles cracked in the boy’s ears and were swiftly followed by the loud bangs of impact. It may have been practice, but to Saber…

<p>...this was fun.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe feeling of fatigue coiled within Saber’s core as he held two balls of energy in his palms, the balls bobbing up and down slowly as the energy lines pulsed with life. The tree which he had been targeting was black like charcoal on the front side and there were splash marks all around it on the snowy floor as well as on surrounding trees. Yet it wasn’t enough. Saber’s pace was slow. His conjuring of the light balls lacked the ferocity that he had been able to do in combat. Why? Was it due to his lack of an adrenaline rush? Was it because he didn’t have any real target? The difference was far too noticeable for him to comprehend, and it bothered the ex-soldier beyond belief. With that being said, Saber wasn’t going to leave this lake until he was satisfied. Until that tree was pitch black and the area was scorched, he was going to practice and he was going to drain every bit of strength he had until he was able to match his battle pace.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspClutching the two balls of light, Saber disconnected them from the channeling and stretched his arms out to his sides. When his shoulders locked, the boy thrust his hands forward and threw both of the balls forward, causing them to collide in midair and bind together as they flew into the bark of the tree. The force of the impact, even with their early kill switches, caused some of the loose wood to blow off and sprinkle into the snow. Saber quickly conjured up another ball in his left hand and twisted his hand backwards, throwing the ball across his chest and released it just as his left hand passed in front of himself. He followed up with a quick throw with his right hand. He two balls slammed into the tree, the first exploding apart while the second impacted and stayed in one piece, twisting and lodging itself against the tree.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSaber narrowed his eyes at the ball and began to form another weapon. He stepped forward fiercely and then hopped into the air, twisting his body around horizontally as became airborne. When his lead foot slammed into the ground and he was stable, Saber followed through and flung his blue explosive towards the stuck ball. The collected energy screeched through the air loudly from its speed and crossed the distance in a flash. Upon impact, the two balls exploded into a brilliantly bright light, illuminating the small area even more than the sun had. The reaction was similar to a flare being popped, and it made Saber grin.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspResetting his feet, Saber pulled his heels together and rose his hands above his head. With both hands set together, the pair of energy pathways flowed into one point, creating a much large ball than he had been able to make with just one hand. It stretched and grew to nearly three times the size of the smaller destructive objects and its color was a much darker blue. It started to weigh down on Saber’s hand, forcing him to bent his elbows slightly as his large ball reached its peak of stability. The lines disconnected as Saber pushed the ball up into the air slightly and it began to fall. Stepping to his left and out of the way, the Manipulator position himself just to the side of the falling ball. He planted his foot and clutched his fists as the object passed by his face. On his right leg, the same energy channels began to emerge from beneath the boy’s desert-camouflage Battle-Dress Uniform. However, unlike the balls of light that he conjured into his hands, the energy formed a sharp point just off the boy’s boot.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspPulling his right leg back, Saber glanced up and took in a shallow breath to calm his mind. He focused on the tree, pinpointing his bull’s eye and then tensed up his entire body, stiffening up like a statue as he waited. When the ball passed his knee, the boy flinched, pulled the trigger in his leg, and swung his foot forward. The pointed edge on his boot smashed into the massive soccer-ball sized collection of energy and it started to soar forward. After traveling a few feet, the ball suddenly exploded apart and ten different streaks of bright lights dispersed from the core of the object. The sharp-pointed lines spread out into the air and arched forward, covering the dry air like a shotgun barrage as they closed in on the tree. Then, as if set on homing, the ten bright lines collapsed and slammed together in unison right into the middle of the black spot on the tree. The sound of the impact was similar to listening to soda fizzing and popping, but it was loud and it made Saber shiver.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspStill, it wasn’t enough. Creating that barrage had taken far too long and Saber felt extremely exposed while he was making it. Speed was everything in combat, and if Saber could be fast out of combat, then he could be even faster when he needed to be. It made him sick thinking about how slow he was now. He knew he had limiters, but in the heat of battle, he had no problem rifling off light after light. He was a manipulator, not some plebian with manipulation powers. A low snarl escaped his lips, and Saber immediately went back to work. There was no more time for thinking.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSnapping his hands out to his sides, Saber pumped energy from his core into his hands. The space above his palms was flooded with the bright blue liquid as Saber used nearly every access point to the pool inside of himself. The balls of light formed in a shorter amount of time than initially, but they were a little bit more unstable. It didn’t matter, as Saber threw them both forwards just a violently as before. He stomped into the snow and rifled the two balls, disconnecting them from the streams just as they left his finger’s reach. Once the first two left, a second grouping began to appear.

<p>“Faster.”

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe second wave flared brightly in the boy’s hands as he threw the left from above his shoulder. Using the momentum of the throw, Saber twisted about his heels and fired the right ball from down low near his waist. By the time he could reset his body, a fifth was already created and Saber launched it from the top left above his head once more. The barrage of light pounded the bark of the tree, forcing it to lurch backwards and shake slightly as the nearly harmless explosives tore apart just before touching it’s actual body. Saber hissed and conjured another ball in his right and fired it from a wide angle, causing it to follow the edge of the lake around before curving back and slamming into the side of the tree. At the same time, Saber created another ball in his left hand. Once the right ball was released and a replacement was in the making, Saber tossed the left ball into the air just in front of himself. As the object floated upwards, the boy clenched his right fist and caused the already stored energy to engulf his hand and lower forearm. It began to burn similarly to an extremely hot blue flame as he continued to pump more and more of the flowing blue liquid into his knuckles.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspWhen the ball he tossed up into the air finally reappeared in front of his face, the Manipulator punched his right hand forward blasted the center of the ball with his fist. All of the energy he had built up in his right arm flowed instantly into the floating ball. With the energy pouring in and the force of the impact, the ball destabilized; it shattered. The ball broke into a dozen streaks which shot forward like missiles. Extremely high pitched whistles filled the area, replicating the noises of falling bombs as the lines moved across the lake faster than Saber could blink. They slammed into the tree, pelting the already charred bark and caused much of the blackness to actually tear away. The pieces of bark cut into the snow behind the tree and vanished beneath the small white blanket.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOxygen was limited in Saber’s lungs, as was the energy available from within his own body. It was difficult to perform solely off his own internal energy capacity, especially after not getting the best night’s sleep. Arriving at the Academy behind him was an amazing experience, but he wasn’t exactly comfortable with how fluffy his bed was. He was sad to say it, but Saber actually missed his box-spring mattress. It was stiff, rugged, and he knew there was something beneath him. The bed he slept on last night was the complete opposite and he barely got any sleep before his five a.m. alarm tore him from nightmare land. Still, it was better than nothing. Saber would just have to sleep on the floor for a few days or so until he was comfortable with the new living conditions.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspFor now, Saber relaxed his body and caused the energy lines on his arms and leg to recede. When they were, the boy redirected the energy from outwards to inwards, and began to take in the energy from the ground beneath him. Bright green lines coiled out from the winter ground and flowed into Saber’s boots as he carefully began to cross the lake. The ice was thin, but it was thick enough for most people to skate on and it seemed that was good enough. Even as he drained bits of energy away from the solid structure beneath him, nature held him up and helped him across the large icy sheet to his destination. For that, he was grateful.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspOnce Saber was clear from the lake, he cut off the internal flow-lines and channeled the gathered energy from his feet to his core where it would be processed. As it did so, the Manipulator reached the tree he had been using for target practice. From far away, it didn’t seem like much damage had been done. Being up close was a different story. It made Saber sad to see the marks of where the lines had impacted and the ferocity of the burns the exploding balls had caused. He wasn’t careful enough this time, and it seemed like the partner he chose for today was feeling it. A frown crossed the ex-soldier’s face.

<p>“I’m sorry.” Saber whispered quietly as he placed his palms up against the blackened bark. Closing his eyes, he focused his energy into his palms and released a slow breath.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAs his breath flowed out, a mix of blue and green lines appeared from his fingertips and forearms. The lines were all directed into the tree, each of them attaching somewhere to the being’s body. Taking in a deep breath, the blue lines began to retract any left over external energy that Saber’s attacks may have left behind. When he exhaled, he released the natural energy he had just taken from the lake and began to return the burnt and broken flesh of the tree to its previous, untouched state. One deep breath after another, Saber continued this cycle of retrieval and revival until every single last bit of pain that he felt coming from inside of the tree was gone. When Saber opened his eyes, he smirked at the sight of the unharmed bark.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspWith a light tap, Saber patted the tree and turned away from it. He made his way carefully back across the lake to where he had been standing previously. There, he turned back around and took in a deep breath.

<p>“Round two…”

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspEnergy began to coil around Saber’s arms as he steadied himself and he breathed slowly, regulating his body’s operations as he focused on balancing his energy usage as to leave enough to sustain his life functions. If he used too much, then Saber knew his heart would shut down and blood flow would stop. Obviously, having such a thing happen would mean near instant death for the boy. Out here, part of him doubted there was anyone who could feed his body with the necessary amount of fuel to continue working. Saber was the only one of his kind, to his knowledge, and he knew full well that someone of common medical knowledge wouldn’t know a thing about what would be wrong with him. Practicing to much without a break would be deadly, so it was smart to take a break.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspFor now though, he had to keep his pace up. There would be time for relaxing and resting later once the sun was a few more feet into the air. Saber would finish his session until he felt content with himself, or until he felt like he was about to die, and then he’d go get something to eat. Food was always quick to replenish all of the natural fuel he used and eating would give Saber enough energy to fight a war with. He was starving at the moment, but he had to push through it. Giving up was a sign of weakness in Saber’s eyes, so he had no sign of stopping or giving up. Not until the winter took his last breath.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspIn his mind, Saber pulled together the image of a sharp blade and began to twirl the sword in his head. His stance shifted and his hands retracted to his waist. One hand hovered, the fingers curled inwards slightly while the second clutched onto an imaginary hilt. Shutting his eyes, Saber relaxed his body and focused on the image. Light coiled around his forearms and the flow intensity increased more and more as the Manipulator focused everything into the points below his hands. Slowly, as if out of the air, a nearly completely transparent sheath started forming beneath Saber’s right hand. In his left, a simple straight hilt began to come together as well. The initial stage of the weapon’s creation finished as light outlined the sheath and the hilt. Saber grit his teeth and squeezed the clear blue hilt tightly, increasing the strength of his grip more and more as the blade began to come to shape.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThen, the sound of snow crunching caused Saber’s eyes to shoot open in fright. His thoughts scattered and the image of the sword he held onto vanished. Without anything to think and form together, the boy’s hands collapsed as the energy’s foundation fell apart, leaving Saber standing there like a fool with both of his hands by his waist for a split second. A low snarl escaped the ex-soldier’s lips and he quickly absorbed his wasted energy back into his body for reuse before rapidly forming two balls of light in his hands. Trained instinct kicked in, and Saber switched from his passive training into a man ready to kill. He didn’t have a rifle to use this time around, but he did have his own weapons he’d gladly use. These weapons solidified and were ready for use after two seconds. When they were ready, Saber glanced towards the direction in which he had heard footsteps and clutched the two bright balls tight. To his surprise, there was another person there. More specifically, the person was a woman.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspShe was short, but not to any extreme and her blonde hair stuck out against the white background of the snow. She didn’t seem too old, but she wasn’t extremely young either. Saber suspected she was maybe around her thirties or early forties, but who was he to say? Trying to pin an age on a woman wasn’t exactly the brightest thing to do, especially if she was a person who was at this Academy as well. She could be some sort of grim reaper with a temper or something with his luck. Even so, he was interested. The black mark on her face and the jewelry that she wore were things Saber had never seen before. He had seen burn marks on some people who were unlucky, but not like the tattoo-like figure this lady wore. He felt like blurting out the question like he usually did, yet he held his tongue. Saber lowered his hands and diffused the pair of energy lights back into his body. He waited until every trace of the two object’s being was gone, as well as the blue lines which he used as guidelines for moving the energy out of his body and into the air.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAnd yet, Saber remained silent even when he was fully disarmed. The woman before him was a stranger, and as such she was a threat to him. He had never seen such markings, such equipment, or the woman in general. Who was she? Why had she approached him? Did she have a motive to kill him for some reason? Was she connected to one of the terrorist groups he was a part of making disappear? Did she hold a grudge he didn’t know about? All of the questions he was used to interrogating people with flooded his skull, but he refused to speak any of it. Saber simply continued to stare at the short, blonde-haired woman. He had no idea if she was a friend or a foe because his vision didn’t say such, nor did the woman. She simply approached him and was trying to tell him about some other facility to practice in. Why? Why should he move? What did she know about him? How would she know he was freezing or if he was actually comfortable?

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspShe had just randomly appeared which naturally made Saber uneasy. Part of him wanted to turn the woman into a time bomb, or pin her to the floor with a handful of energy spikes, but the other part of him just wanted some answers. Yet he knew that violence wasn’t a good thing to start a civilian meeting off with. That was what he was now, a civilian. There was no clearance to shoot or clearance to interrogate anymore because all of it was unnecessary. No command structure and no leader to tell him what to do existed anymore; it was all on Saber to make decisions. So he decided to play it safe… for now.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“Whether I practice inside or outside would make no difference. Outside yields a greater chance to increase results due to the randomness of a staging area. Inside, targets are programmed for specific events. Once you figure out the patterns, it becomes far to simple.” Saber squeezed his hands into fists and a blue hue began to form around his knuckles. He started to think about his younger years again when he was at the facility which had turned him into this… thing.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“There aren’t any set rules for movement in combat, so why practice with them? Nature will provide.” After training in the elements to keep himself sharp, Saber had grown used to staying outside. The last time he tried to practice indoors, he ended up blowing a hole in the ceiling. Outside, there was no ceiling to destroy unless he brought down a large grouping of trees in a forest. He had never done that before though so such an idea was a horrible one to have.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAs he stood there, an uncomfortable feeling washed over Saber just as a light winter breeze worked its way through his clothing. The desert camouflage pants weren’t exactly windbreakers, and his shirt wasn’t much better. To fight against the chills that wiggled down his spine, Saber twisted his body’s underlying core and repositioned his energy pool, causing energy to flow more efficiently to his extremities. His fingers, which had begun to tingle from the cold temperature, heated up and his skin filled with the feeling of a thousand needles. His toes did the same, but it was a much slower process as his feet were cold as well. The military-grade boots the body wore were well insulated, but they had some wear to them; Saber needed new ones. Survival was more important than practicing and the Manipulator didn’t plan to lose any of his limbs because some woman had interrupted him.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe female that was looking back at him from a short distance away seemed intent on making conversation with him, or at least do something to keep his attention. She raised up her hands for a moment, mimicking the sight he had seen several times before; the motion of being unarmed, the sign of not being a threat. Even so, Saber didn’t trust her just like he didn’t trust anyone else he’d meet in this place. It was a place for people with powers, secret abilities, and talents which were thought to be only science fiction. This also meant that the people here were most likely used to hiding their abilities, or by making themselves seem “normal”. If that was the case, then the woman showing her empty hands was wasting her time. The motion only solidified Saber’s belief that secrets were always in plain sight.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspMaybe Saber had come to the wrong place to practice. If it meant avoiding interaction, he probably should have entered the forest rather than stand on the outskirts of it. He regretted being drawn into the beauty of the view now because it made things just that much more difficult for him. Peace and quiet was all Saber really wanted, but he also wanted to be left to his training. He would be living on this island like a regular teenager and learning like a student, but he still had his duty to keep his skills sharp. If it meant making a hole and putting a boulder in the way, then he’d dig such a thing and stick three boulders in the way. Maybe he should have just kept to regular physical exercise for the first few days.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspIn the middle of his thoughts, the woman across from Saber began to move, her hands moving towards her pockets. Instantly, Saber ignited his forearms and energy sprouted out, the blue lines swirling about his flesh as they twisted and connected above his palms. Two small blue lights began to build in the intersections of the lights as Saber readied to defend himself. Yet, a feeling of stupidity filled Saber’s mind as he watched the woman pull out a pair of gloves rather than a weapon. He was on edge, maybe a bit too much. Although he had good reason, at least he thought he did.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSaber dispersed the lights and the energy lines, pulling back the blue rivers into his skin as the woman across from him began to speak. He remained quiet, listening to the feminine voice with a bit of scrutiny. Her voice wasn’t as raspy as the woman’s he was used to hearing over a radio. This new voice wasn’t strict, it wasn’t fierce, and it didn’t sprout any orders or yell at him for making a decision. However it didn’t make him any more comfortable. That older voice from Major Reedy was able to be trusted and she had earned it. This new face had as much of Saber’s trust as the man he shot three weeks ago in a firefight.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspWhen the woman began to move as she talked, Saber started to walk as well. He kept his distance from the lady, mimicking her movement as to disallow her from getting any closer to him than she had previous been. She was already too close for comfort to him in the first place and she hadn’t exactly earned an inch from what she had already said or done. Her attempt at some humor didn’t go through Saber’s mind to well either, and he actually took a step back away from her. For him, he would have rather thrown an explosive in the lady’s direction than hear one of her attempts at a joke. At the moment, the wall he had up between himself and her was thick, and he didn’t have any thoughts of helping her break through it.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspStill, Saber kept his military instincts at bay. He held his fire as if his Lieutenant was holding a hand in front of him. He wasn’t a dog on a leash anymore, but he had to keep that mental state. This school was a safe haven for the supernatural humans, and there was no need to try and ruin it for the possible hundreds of others whom were here. To help himself stay on his heels, Saber bit his tongue and let the woman lecture him about the area, the groundskeeper, and how he was about ready to break. Such a simple observation, but it made Saber aware that she understood her situation at least a little.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAfter his little personal lecture, the woman revealed something that made Saber even more uneasy. She revealed her name, Aurora Silivasi, and that she was a teacher at this Academy. It seemed she had also been watching him, as she took an educated guess about the type of power he had; physical arts. Saber had never personally given it a name or a type; he only knew it as a tool, a weapon. If it helped Miss Silivasi understand him a little better, then Saber didn’t care what she called it. But, she treaded on a territory Saber didn’t wish to enter; she asked his name.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSaber simply stared at the woman, wiggling his fingers slightly beside his waist as he thought over whether he should give her his name or not. If she was a teacher, he’d most likely end up in one of her classes so she’d discover his name there anyways. If she wasn’t a teacher and she was a sprite from the forest come to kill him, then should he give her his name now or before he killed her? Also, should he give her his rank as well? He wasn’t military anymore, but it was still a tough thing to decide. Maybe it was time to just let things go and see what happened.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“Saber.” His answer was curt, as he wished this conversation would be but it seemed like he would be here for a while.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThis woman was starting to slowly become more and more of a nuisance. In most cases of Saber encountering others, they would generally leave him be after a few moments of hostility. The person would apologize and go about their business without bugging him or trying to continue conversation anymore, but then again those people were ordinary humans. They didn’t have any strange abilities within themselves. Here, Saber should have expected people to be a bit pushier. Yet he never thought he’d come across someone so… determined. This woman hadn’t exactly taken a step back since she arrived which made Saber wonder; if his ability didn’t frighten her, then what was her intention?

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspWhat made him more curious was the fact that she didn’t exactly try to act threatening. As Saber stood there, trying to deter this supposed “Teacher” away, the woman continued to talk to him. If she was a teacher, then why be so intent on making contact with a new face outside of the classroom? Why would she come out here, when the school was supposedly in recess, just to talk to him? Why wouldn’t she call him to an office or wait until class? It didn’t make much sense to him and it made the situation even sketchier. He was uncomfortable with this sort of thing and without truly knowing who this lady really was, he would have to keep his guard up until either she left, or he found a way out. Such a thing would be easy if the woman was who she said she was. A teacher wouldn’t force a student to talk to her when he was ready to blow her head off, would she?

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspGreat, now Saber was on the fence...

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspWords crossed the open air as the “Teacher”, Miss Silivasi, began to speak again. Saber pushed his own thoughts aside and listened closely, picking apart each word as if he was searching for some hidden meaning. This island was new to Saber, and she was expecting him not to be on edge? After living a life of combat and being the only person with some sort of ability, she expected him to ease right into a society filled with actual, legitimate people who could actually threaten his life? There were plenty of violent things in this world that could kill anyone and Saber wasn’t one to let anything like that get close. If this island was filled with things that could kill him then he would need a lot of protection to put up.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspEven so, this woman was correct in the sense that flaring his abilities up when in danger would provide reason for many people to become hostile. With that in mind, he would have to work on his construction speed. Once his speed was up, Saber wouldn’t need to spark anything or show any signs of his ability. The Manipulator would be able to create walls and explosives within seconds to protect himself from attacks. If he could do that, then he’d feel a bit more comfortable here. With that kind of speed, he’d be able to create barriers the instant someone made a move towards him. Paranoia wasn’t a way of life, Saber would agree with that, but paranoia had kept him alive so far because of him always being ready for the worst. Surviving was his primary objective, living was second to that.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspAs the woman spoke, Saber noticed the lake shift and heard a quiet pop, as if the ice was cracking from pressure. He narrowed his eyes on the snowy surface and scanned it for signs of what had caused it to move, attempting to determine whether the woman had done it or not. If she had, he’d simply blast the ice shield apart. Yet when he caught sight of a little creature thing crawling out on the opposite side near the forest, Saber pushed it out of his mind. There was no threat to be worried about and the woman was far too focused on him it seemed. However Saber felt checking was still a necessary move. The woman was right in front of him but she had never said she was alone. Even if she had, Saber probably wouldn’t have believed her.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspThe proposition the woman followed her little speech about paranoia with was something more interesting. Rather, it made Saber consider calming down. It would be a tough choice and at the current moment, relaxing wasn’t the first thing on his to-do list. Saber didn’t trust this woman or her word and if he relaxed, he didn’t know if she’d attack him right away or not. It felt like a bad thing to do and reminded Saber of when a small team of Marines he knew were double-crossed by a group of traitors. That single situation changed the boy’s outlook on these sorts of things, and it wasn’t helping. In the end, he’d need to do something. Maybe he could use that creature he saw as a medium. Saber personally didn’t like attacking creatures, but he could use it as tool. The thought of it made him smirk. This could be fun.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspBringing up his left hand, Saber ignited the blue pathways hidden away in his arms. The lines poured out of his flesh and twisted about, swirling around his forearm and wrist before coming together at a point above his palm. The Manipulator stared at the woman and slowly began to form a ball of light, growing the object slowly to about the size of a baseball. It wasn’t a large one, but from the size of the animal he had seen, it would be enough. If not, he’d expand what he had to fit. When the ball was ready, Saber hollowed out its core and looked towards the forest where he had seen the little creature come out of the water. He narrowed his eyes, following the disturbed snow to a tree.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspSuddenly the ball of light compressed and Saber pumped more energy into it. He narrowed his eyes and cut the flowing lines. Turning his body, he adjusted and cocked his arm back. A low snarl escaped the boy’s lips as he fired the ball like a missile. He enhanced the rotation speed of the energy and increased its mass before it left the range of his fingertips, causing the ball to accelerate rapidly. The distance from where he stood to the tree was short, and Saber hadn’t finished releasing his breath before the ball slammed into the middle part of the tree. It was high, but the reason for that was because Saber didn’t want to strike the shadow beside it.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbspEnergy coiled in Saber’s left eye and the organ crystallized, enhancing that eye’s vision. The enhancement gave the world a blue hue but it helped him see by removing the glare of sunlight. With the energy focused in his eye, Saber was able to make out the shadow; was it a person? If it was, then how long had they been there? How much had they heard? The discovery made Saber uneasy, and the boy immediately formed two more explosives in his hands while also starting to create energy lines by his biceps and shoulders. If necessary, he’d have to start using more advanced techniques. The boy took two short hops backwards away from the lake, putting the tree and the woman in his view together so he could keep tabs on them both.

<p>&nbsp&nbsp&nbsp“You brought a friend I see.” Saber growled and narrowed his eyes on the woman. Any chance of him relaxing now was gone, and he was ready to turn this area into dust if needed. Someone, or something could have been spying on them and she had never mentioned it. If she was trying to get his trust, then this was a horrible way to go about it.