- Oliver -
"Finally. Ti for another gamble," Oliver thought.
Yet another day had slipped by without him learning how to alter his armor using his Energy. Frustration gnawed at him; the deadline for the practical exercise was approaching fast, and he was no closer to mastering the synchronization that seed to co so effortlessly to his peers.
| New Technique Acquired
| [Infiltration] Silent Steps
| Progress: 20.33%
Using his [Left Eye of Learning] to mimic the instructor's movents had been straightforward. Within a few hours, he had already grasped the fundantals. While he couldn't replicate the technique perfectly yet, he was days ahead of the others. His ability to observe and internalize physical actions gave him a significant advantage.
But when it ca to controlling Energy, he simply lacked the sa precision. The other Rangers channeled their Energy with ease, weaving it seamlessly through their armor as naturally as breathing. For Oliver, it was like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands—intangible and ever-elusive.
There was, however, one last alternative.
Sothing he hadn't tried yet.
‘Insanity, perhaps… but maybe it'll work,’ Oliver mused, beginning to practice the exercise Nico had once taught him.
Instead of imagining Energy as sothing to be controlled, Oliver would envision it as sothing that could be blocked. Let it flow naturally, but close off the paths where it shouldn't go, forcing it into the direction he desired. By blocking specific parts, the Energy would have no choice but to surge toward the intended target.
This approach, of course, made his technique sowhat uncontrollable—a torrent of Energy rushing all at once to a single point.
Using [Protheus], he would consu this Energy to strengthen parts of his body.
There was little risk of flooding a leg or an arm with a tsunami of Energy. At worst, he might fracture a bone or lose so skin—injuries that the VAT could repair.
However, there were parts of the body that even the VAT or Nico's regenerative abilities couldn't restore.
‘What would happen if I used [Protheus] on my brain?’ The thought lingered, both daunting and intriguing.
Initially, Oliver planned to test this hypothesis once he gained more control over his energy. He thought he could then safely explore the possibilities. But it seed he wouldn't have that luxury. Ti was a commodity he couldn't spare, and he needed a breakthrough.
"I have to try," he resolved.
However, the brain was not to be the final destination for his Energy. Oliver wanted to flood his eyes with Energy.
‘If a Boon can alter my vision, perhaps I can control what I can see,’ Oliver thought, considering how [Observation] allowed him to perceive his opponents' attack and defense strings. ‘Maybe [Protheus] can… do sothing interesting.’
He slowly lowered himself, bending his knees until his body touched the cold, tallic floor. The icy contact seeped through his uniform, but he didn't mind. Adjusting his posture, he straightened his spine and closed his eyes. The silence around him was absolute—no noise, no echo—just him and the void.
He took a deep breath, feeling the air fill his lungs and expand his chest, then released it in a slow, controlled exhale. Gradually, the outside world faded away. His focus turned inward to the subtle movents within his own body: the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, the gentle workings of his organs, and the continuous flow of blood winding through his veins.
And then, the Energy ca.
It erged like a warm, vibrant current, coursing through his body with a force that made his bloodstream seem sluggish by comparison. A flow of pure Energy—a power that poured faster than it should, threatening to escape his control. He tried to slow it down, but instead, the pressure increased, making it even more impetuous.
Oliver recalled what Nico had taught him during his lesson about [Protheus].
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He concentrated, envisioning invisible barriers forming within his arms, then his legs. Each new barrier redirected the flow, forcing the Energy upward, compressing it within himself. He felt the heat rising through his torso, pressing against his throat, his head.
The intensity grew. His mind brimd with that pulsating force as the Energy circulated through his eyes, his ears, his mouth. The pressure spread to every corner of his brain, sliding down his throat like liquid fire.
He maintained control. Took a deep breath.
And waited to see how far he could push.
The pressure exerted by the Energy kept increasing, creating an almost unbearable pain in his head. Usually, he felt similar discomfort in his limbs when channeling Energy, but this was different—sharper, more insistent.
Oliver sensed he was a re step away from making a grave mistake, a breath away from injuring himself.
Even so, he continued. All that remained was to activate it and begin "consuming" the Energy—using it actively within his body.
With the little concentration he had left, Oliver took the final step.
[Protheus]
The mont the technique was activated, his Energy transford from sothing invisible into golden flas. But this ti, they no longer enveloped his arms and legs—they encompassed his entire head.
Flas erupted from his neck, rising upward and intertwining with his hair, casting a radiant glow around him. His skull seed wreathed in fire, the golden hues shimring with intense heat yet causing him no harm.
Oliver opened his eyes, eager to see what had changed—if his senses were different. But his eyelids moved slowly, as if he had to exert Herculean effort just to lift them.
It wasn't just his eyes. Any movent he attempted seed to take ten tis longer than usual. His limbs felt heavy, resisting his commands. It was as though ti had stretched, turning seconds into minutes.
It took him a while to adjust and comprehend that instead of accelerating his body, he had accelerated his thoughts. His perception had quickened, making the world—and his own physical movents—appear sluggish by comparison.
Gradually, the environnt around him seed to slow down. The flicker of the overhead lights beca a languid pulse. The distant hum of the facility's machinery deepened, and each vibration elongated. Even the subtle currents of air brushing against his skin felt drawn out, almost palpable.
"This is… wrong," Oliver thought. His mind raced, processing information at an astonishing speed. Every detail in the room sharpened—the fine texture of the tallic walls, the minute imperfections on the floor, the barely perceptible flicker of a light panel in the corner.
He attempted to lift his hand, watching intently as it inched upward at a glacial pace. What felt like several seconds to him was, in reality, the typical passage of ti.
"I'm thinking faster than I can move," he realized. "My cognitive functions are accelerated, but my body remains bound by its physical limits."
Oliver grimaced. ‘I did sothing wrong. [Protheus] targeted the wrong part of my body,’ he thought, frustration etching lines across his face. He lowered himself back onto the cold, tallic floor, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.
He began the process anew, almost from scratch. Carefully, he reconstructed the internal gates that regulated his Energy flow, increasing the pressure step by step. This ti, he wouldn't stop at his neck or head. His goal was singular and precise.
The pain was imdiate and intense. Oliver gritted his teeth, a low groan escaping as he forced the turbulent stream of Energy toward his eyes. His hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles whitened, nails biting into his palms and drawing thin slivers of blood. The sharp sting was a welco distraction, anchoring him against the mounting agony building behind his eyes.
Just as darkness threatened to overtake him, he acted on instinct. With the last vestiges of his strength, he activated [Protheus].
Heat radiated from his skin as the Energy ignited into golden flas. But unlike before, the flas didn't engulf his body or even his head. Instead, two brilliant fires hovered directly in front of his eyes, each one a searing orb of incandescent light.
Slowly, Oliver opened his eyes. The world around him had transford. Ti flowed usually once more, but everything he saw was overlaid with a delicate, golden sheen.
‘How do I test this? There's nothing here infused with Energy,’ he thought, his mind racing. He glanced down at his own body but noticed no imdiate differences; all his Energy had been diverted to his eyes.
Then, his gaze fell upon his gauntlet. Despite the opaque tal casing, he could discern the faint azure glow of three Z Crystals embedded within.
"Yes!" Oliver exclaid, a surge of triumph coursing through him.
His victory was short-lived. Warm droplets began to slide down his cheeks. "Wait, why am I crying over sothing like this?" he wondered aloud. Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his uniform, he was startled to see sars of crimson staining the fabric.
Blood was seeping from his eyes.
Panic surged, but he forced himself to stay calm. Oliver quickly deactivated [Protheus], the golden flas extinguishing instantly. The radiant glow vanished, leaving him bathed in the stark lighting of the chamber.
‘At least I'm not blind,’ he thought, attempting to find solace in the situation. Yet, the realization of what he'd just done weighed heavily on him.
'What would happen if there was a bleeding in my brain?' Oliver thought, rembering that he had used the sa power for a few seconds on an even more vital part than his eyes. He shuddered at the thought of the potential side effects if he had sustained the power any longer.
The dull ache behind his eyes served as a reminder of the risks he'd taken.
Determined, he steadied himself. "I still need to test this with soone," he resolved.
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