I didn’t know what I was expecting the training hall to look like, but a massive white room with absolutely nothing else was quite possibly last on my list. Stark white, padded tiles covered every inch of the room, from the floor to the ceiling, and all the walls in between. And that was about the only notable feature of the room. Although it beat any other room I’d ever seen in size, absolutely dwarfing Leonard and me as we stepped into the hall, there was absolutely nothing else present in the vast space.

As we made our way into the blank canvas of the room, the two tiles that functioned as a doorway whirred softly as they shut behind us.

“Welcome to our training hall,” Leonard said with a flourish as my eyes travelled along the bare lengths of the walls. “I know it’s a bit sparse, but the Grand Order doesn’t really invest much into the training halls of S.T.A.Rs, since they’re only really used for soldiers to keep themselves in their peak state while out for long missions. It’s not really meant for new mages.”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” I said, smiling wide with excitement. “I don’t need a fancy place, I’m just happy to finally have someone teach me.”

Leonard raised an eyebrow at me. “What do you mean?”

I turned to look at him. “Well, it’s the first time I’ll ever be taught to fight by someone, so it’s exciting.”

“You’ve never been taught by anyone?!” Leonard asked incredulously. “But…how did you learn to fight, then?”

I shrugged, smiling sheepishly. “Basically through fighting random people on the street.” At his horrified look, I added, “I mean, eventually I joined this underground fighting club, so the fights were a bit safer. But that was later on, after I’d pretty much gotten all the basics down.” When he still didn’t say anything, I kept talking to fill in the silence. “That’s why the way I fight has always been so inelegant, compared to people who’ve been taught properly, like Ren. And I’ve always been scared that I missed something important, something foundational thing that might hold me back later on because I didn't know about it. So it’s relieving to finally have someone who I can ask questions, y’know? Someone who can correct me when I’m making mistakes.”

Leonard shook his head in wonder. “If that’s true, then you have more potential than I even imagined. If you don’t mind me asking, why did you decide to pick up fighting, instead of anything else? I mean, it couldn’t have been easy at first, and the other options available to you must’ve seemed much less painful, right?”

I smiled in reminiscence. “Yeah, you’re right. It wasn’t easy in the beginning. Random thugs off the street aren’t really the best teachers, and they certainly don’t have your best interests in mind. Which means they don’t pull their punches at all. A lot of the nights, the only reason I survived was because I’d had my Cleanse already. The minuscule boost in strength I got by passively absorbing Flux was the only thing that kept my body alive through the fevers and the bruises and the cold. As for why I chose to fight instead of picking any other path?” I let out a sigh, pausing for a moment. “It’s ‘cause I promised myself that I would never be at someone’s mercy again, that I would gain enough strength never to have to kneel to anyone ever again. And I knew, even as a child, that the only way to accomplish that was through brute strength. All the planning, all the knowledge, all the intelligence in the world wouldn’t save you once your enemies were right at your door.”

Leonard nodded somberly. “You're right. At the end of the day, intelligence and planning, even manipulation, still rely on others in some capacity or another. But when the only person you have to rely on is yourself, raw strength is the only thing that can keep you standing on your own two feet; the only thing that can keep you afloat, no matter the storm.”

I chuckled at his words. “Well, that was poetic.”

Leonard’s face lit up as he heard me. “Really?!” he asked excitedly. “Do you really think so?”

“I mean, it's better than anything I could come up with,” I said honestly, a little confused. “Why?”

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Leonard chuckled awkwardly, his face flushing a little in embarrassment at his outburst. “Well, you see…” he said, scratching the back of his head. “I’ve been practicing lately. I came across this poem a while ago, and it was so inspiring. So I kind’ve started trying to write my own, but it’s not that good yet.”

“That’s cool,” I said, smiling. I opted against mentioning that he was the last person I would’ve imagined being a fan of poetry, given the fact that his muscles were bigger than his head.

“Just don’t tell Anabella, okay?” he said, his eyes pleading. “I’ll never hear the end of it if she finds out.”

I laughed at the sight of his imploring face. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

Leonard sighed with relief. “Thanks. I really wanted to tell someone about it, so I’m happy you asked. If you don’t mind, do you think you could read some of my poems, sometime?”

I nodded. “Of course, I don’t mind. I'd be honored.”

Leonard flashed me a bright smile. “Thank you, really.”

“And by the way,” I added, “I might not know Anabella very well, but I’m sure she wouldn’t make fun of you for it. Well, not too much, anyway.”

Leonard huffed a half chuckle, his smile bittersweet. “Maybe,” he said quietly. “But anyway, we came here for you, not me.” With a clap of his hands, the thoughtful look on his face was replaced by a big smile. “Sit down, and we’ll get started.”

Matching his smile, I beamed with excitement at his words. “Sure,” I said, sitting down cross-legged on the padded floor.

“Okay, now close your eyes and try to follow along with my words, alright?”

I nodded my head and did as he instructed.

“Now, you can feel your Flux Core, right?”

I nodded again.

“Good. Now I want you to feel the Flux flowing from it to the rest of your body, and focus it in your hands, like you do before you hit someone.”

I did as he directed, gathering the strange, almost liquid power within my veins and pooling it in my hands. The power obeyed almost immediately, so much smoother than it had ever been. My eyes were still closed, but I could sense that the black smoke of my Flux had already begun diffusing into the air.

Once I’d gathered the power in my hands, I waited for further instruction, but none came.

“Keep going,” was the only thing Leonard said, before returning to his silence.

I breathed in deep, commanding more and more power to congregate in my palms. I quickly figured out what Leonard wanted from me – to reach some level of density in the Flux gathered – but the exercise was so foreign to me that I was quickly short of breath, sweat sheening my forehead within the minute. In a fight, I’d never have more than a few seconds – at most – to gather the Flux, so I’d gotten very good at reaching a certain density of Flux within the time I had. A level that worked well enough for me, one that packed enough strength to almost always dispatch a non-mage in a single blow. But for the first time, I was forced to continually gather more and more of the Flux of my body at a certain spot, a feat I was quickly learning was much harder than I had ever thought.

Within five minutes, I was drenched in my own sweat, my breath rapid and shallow. My hands shook as they were flooded with power. It was strange, the contrast between my hands feeling like they could tear through concrete like it was butter, and the draining weakness that took over the rest of my body. My shoulders pressed down on me, their weight suddenly all too much for my body. It was like a hunger was spreading throughout my body, worming its way through my bones. Perhaps, I thought, after so long being supplemented with Flux, the loss of it in my body is this overwhelming.

And then, all of a sudden, all thoughts of exhaustion and weakness flew out of my mind. My eyes opened on their own as I stared at the space between my palms, choked in a thick layer of my black Flux. I stared into the convoluted patterns of rising darkness, catching the briefest glimpse of orange flicker in its heart. In its deepest center, the part where the Flux flowed and congregated the most, spontaneous sparks of fire burst forth into existence, burning brilliantly for a second before vanishing back into the darkness from which they were birthed.

I caught sight of one, then another, and another. They were brief, there and gone in a second, but they breathed life to a flame in my eyes that burned more brilliantly than it had ever before. A permanent flame, one that roared with passion and determination.

The orange glow of the sparks lit up my eyes as I stared into the darkness between my hands. They may have been weak, feeble things that were gone instantly, but I saw in that moment more than a spark, but the tool that would help me rise to the place I wanted to be.