Eyes

Manipulate

Arc: Level C [Continued]

April 11- Day 11A

Kaiden continues to look into the distance from the cliff. He remains seated as I stand up and move back. After finally remembering what Zarith taught me, I smirk.

"Activate your ability," I suddenly say.

He quickly turns around. "O-oh...," he nervously says. "That's right." He breathes in and out, and activates his ability. His energy output increases as his hair and eyes glow orange. "I don't think you've ever seen me use my ability," he chuckles. Though, he face widens as it seems like he suddenly comes to realization. "Oh! I've been meaning to ask you... Why do you keep your ability activated?" He slowly gets up and walks towards me. "Doesn't that take up a lot of energy?"

My eyes slightly widen. He's right. It does. Copying people's abilities already take up energy. But when I keep my ability activated, my energy continuously gets drained. Though unlike Elites, once I deactivate my ability, my hair and eyes change color. And when in that form, that is my only identity that can be paired with being a human.

Whatever that happens to me when I deactivate my ability..... Xear called it a mutation.....

He laughs. "I honestly don't know how you do it. Doesn't that hurt to keep your ability activated like that. Definitely wouldn't be able to do it myself."

I chuckle. "So, Kaiden," I begin. He walks up to me with a nervous, but excited expression. "What do you think about your shield ability?"

"Ah, my shield ability? It's-" He suddenly pauses as his eyes widen. "H-have I used my ability in front of you?"

I smirk. "I don't know if you know this, but having a shield ability is actually a lot more useful than people would think." I look into his eyes a couple of more seconds before I add, "Your only disadvantage is your stability. At least for now."

He continues to look at me in pure shock as he struggles to find his words. "H-how did you know?"

"Hm...," I whisper. "And you're only able to defend." I chuckle. "You truly are at a disadvantage."

"I- I-" He continues to look at me before he shakily breathes in and out. "Y-you mean there are ways to attack with a shield ability?"

"Of course." I begin to move back as I prepare to attack him. "There's always a way to attack."

I quickly run up to him, causing him to jolt. I decide to attack him with a much weaker version of Zarith's shard ability, as he quickly lifts up his arm in attempt to block them. Despite the force I used being so weak, the shards manage to completely shatter the shield he had hovering over his arms.

After a couple of seconds, he quickly falls to the ground as he takes deep breaths. "Don't scare me like that!" he exclaims. "Whatever those things were were super sharp...."

"That was the point," I say as I sigh. "You expect an opponent to attack you with a dull weapon?"

He looks at me for a couple of seconds before he groans. "Arghh, okay okay." He slowly gets up and stretches.

"The shield that you put up broke pretty easily. So yes, your stability is terrible."

"I know...," he sighs. He attempts to put up a shield once again. A soft blue glaze hovers over his arms, and follows it as he sets his arms down to the side. He takes a deep breath, though doesn't make a move.