Zoe ran past her seconds later, ducking under the railing and sliding down the river bank next to Colson.

A whiteout of bubbles surrounded Ivy as she silently sank to the bottom, her bare feet finally touching the slimy concrete bottom, her cheeks puffed out, holding in as much air as she thought possible. Squeezing open her eyes just a bit to see a fish about twice the size of her jet past, its tail fin almost whipping her in the face. Looking up, she saw the sun-refracted rays and the head of Cahya from the bridge, the water so clear she could make out her distorted face.

Crouching down, using the bottom as a springboard, she attempted to push herself to the surface; the muscles in her arms and legs burned as she propelled herself upwards, the current holding her down as if it wanted to drown her.

The water surface broke as Ivy's head popped up, squinting at them, her vision blurry.

"Huh?" She could see their mouths move, but their voices were drowned out by the roar of the water. Swimming ashore, she flopped down on her back, shivering uncontrollably; her body slowly being heated by the rocky shoreline under her, staring up at the sky.

"Oh wow," Colson said, putting his hand over his eyes.

"What?" Ivy asked through chattering teeth, Zoe entered her line of sight, peering down at her with a concerned look.

"Why?" Was all she could think to say. There was a long pause as Zoe listened to Ivy's teeth clang together; behind them, Colson jogged to the tree to grab Ivy's clothes.

"T-training." Ivy stuttered through a clenched jaw.

"Hypothermia is training?"

Ivy struggled to her feet; turning to face the sun, Colson hopped over the railing and handed Ivy her white jacket while his other hand covered his eyes.

"Here, take this," he said, Zoe elbowing him in the ribs when she noticed him peeking through the gaps of his fingers. "Ow! Why'd you just hit me?"

"You know what you did."

"T-t-thanks," Ivy shivered as she wrapped the jacket around herself.

"There's easier ways to kill yourself if that's what you were trying to do," Colson said.

Ivy answered by sticking her tongue out at him.

"To be fair, it's not a bad way to try and unlock energy," Cahya said, sliding down the riverbank next to them. "Pushing your body to the brink through pure exhaustion and stress, then forcing it to unlock energy to save itself; pretty smart. Very dangerous, but smart."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Colson grumbled, "why didn't I just do that instead of meditating in a forest like some hippie."

"It worked, didn't it? So stop complaining," they glared at each other for a few seconds.

"What worked?" Ivy asked.

"Nah…I just- well, you guys have been working hard, and I don't wanna come off like I'm tryna brag or something," he said.

"Huh?" Ivy said, eyes widened with curiosity, standing on her tippy toes, leaning forward, looking straight into his eyes, "What? What? I wanna know! Come on, pleeeease!"

"Woah, Woah," Colson said, stepping back, "it's like—" he glanced at Cahya, who shrugged.

"Do what you want," she said.

"Well, alright then, stand back and behold!" He grinned, making a show of it, hands clasped, feet wide apart, a few seconds later, a hum barely audible over the roar of the river. A pale aura surrounded him.

"His aura is already stronger in this short of a time. Maybe there's hope after all," Cahya thought, a fond look crossing her face.

Ivy's jaw hit the floor, "Whoa! You did this just now?"

"Yup, pretty cool, huh?"

Cahya scoffed, "Where was this against those thugs you guys let go a few days ago?"

"I dunno; where were you, period?" Colson snapped back.

Cahya turned her nose to the sky, "I told you, I'm not a battle type! I'm smart and don't need to degrade myself by being a brute."

"Oh please, you just seem mad. It's okay, I can protect you if you're scared," Colson had a sly smile.

"Ha. Ha. I ain't scared; I just don't fight cause I don't have to."

"Whatever you say, but if you get scared again, just grab on to me. Big strong Colson will protect you."

"Ugh, why did I bother teaching you anything, Colson?" Stomping away up the riverbank, Colson watched her go with a satisfied grin.

"Hey, I know we aren't in school, but I think there's chemistry coming up."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

A day later. The ropes chaffed Ivy's shoulders and torso, grunting with exertion, "How far have I gone?" she gasped. Cahya, who sat on top of the boulder, looked back. There was a large groove in the dirt spanning several feet.

"About two or three yards, give or take."

Again, Ivy strained as hard as she could, the ropes feeling as if they were choking her. Taking a few steps before falling backward in exhaustion, barely able to catch her breath.

"Take a thirty-second break, and try again."

Ivy nodded, wiping the sweat from her eyes. After removing the rope harness, she walked over to see what her friend was doing. Zoe glanced up from her breathing control meditation and sat several meters away, looking down at the book in her lap—Cahya had recommended it to her. Earlier that day, Cahya had Ivy give Zoe a piggyback ride as she sprinted around the perimeter of Cassius. Flipping the pages and reading through different technical explanations of bringing out energy seemed to lead nowhere. She reached to her right, grabbing onto a large tree leaf that floated down. After closing her fingers around it, she opened her palm, and it disappeared. She made a fist with her hand once again. When she released it, the leaf appeared again in perfect condition. Zoe smiled internally.

"What are you reading?"

"An old book on meditative energy."

"Does it work?"

"You can read it if you wish. The prose, well, it's a bit King James-y, but from what I understand, getting into a state of meditation is the easiest way to reach energy enlightenment. As of chapter one."

"Are there books like this back in Crater?"

"Maybe. They'd probably be vaulted somewhere though."

Ivy hopped to her feet, seemingly re-energized, ready to go again, dragging the rock another few feet with every slow step. Cahya fidgeted, glancing back in the direction of the waterfall.

She stepped off the boulder, "alright, new plan. We're gonna go back to your original idea, but we're going to up the ante, alright? We're gonna go to the forest and then to that river."

Zoe looked up, her brow furrowed, "are you sure that's safe? I mean, there is such a thing as training too much…." Thinking back to earlier in the day when Ivy mentioned she had been drooling blood during a particularly grueling workout. "Shouldn't she rest more?"

Cahya gave a passing glance to Ivy, her eyes quickly flitting to the waterfall, "Ehh, she'll be fine. If anything happens, I'll be there to save her, alright. You just focus on yourself, alright? You think you almost have it done, or?"

"I don't know; I feel like I'm close. Just on the precipice of something, but I just need a small thing to get to where I need. I just don't know what that is yet. The book you gave was helpful, but…I don't know."

"Hmm, well, I can tell you what I told Colson, even though you're using a different process than him, but at this point, it won't hurt to try. Try connecting it with a strong emotion—like something or someone, an event that affected you positively or negatively; the same goes with people—someone who had a positive impact or a negative; maybe you'll bring out your energy if you have a burning hatred for someone, and you imagine smashing their face in or something, I dunno," she shrugged.

"Well, I don't really hate anyone," Zoe said, thinking.

"You're smart; I'm sure you'll think of something!"

"Okay," she said reluctantly, as both Ivy and Cahya jogged off into the distance.

Ivy balanced on the rail of the southern bridge, her bare feet curled around the iron rods, staring down at the crystal clear river below, wheeling her arms for balance; Cahya grabbed her jacket tail, holding her in place.

"Make sure to stay within one hundred yards, or I can't get you. Alright, now jump!" Cahya said gleefully, shoving her off the railing while still holding her jacket so it wouldn't get in the way of her swimming.

"Wait whaAAAAAAAA," there was a big splash below. Cahya glanced over the side, briefly seeing Ivy before she disappeared under the water. She thought back to all she had Ivy do over the past few days; Cahya knew she wasn't a training expert by any means, but was told to help them, so she was doing what she thought was best.

Ivy was swallowed by a whiteout of bubbles. The icy river spun her like a rag doll, her body flipping uncontrollably. She nearly cracked her head on the concrete bottom, feeling the water's power spin and maneuver her through the canal. Ivy was able to steady herself after her fingers caught the edge of a brick along the riverbed. Her vision blurred as her retinas began to freeze; her muscles tightened as she propelled herself forward, the current keeping her in place as if a million hands were pushing against her.

Her head broke the water's surface, taking in a large gasp of air. Her teeth chattered violently as she turned toward the bridge, now a daunting hundred yards away. Her limbs felt impossibly heavy, her legs like anchors dragging through the icy depths. Even her arms betrayed her, a dull clicking sound accompanying each stroke as though her body were on the verge of collapse. The freezing water burned against her.

She squinted up at the bridge, a familiar figure silhouetted against the backdrop of the sky. A faint yellow light surrounded the figure, glowing like a halo, as if the sun itself framed them.

Ivy’s eyes widened in disbelief. That wasn’t Cahya. But despite the unfamiliarity, she didn’t feel afraid—only compelled to keep moving. She swam harder, her throat raw and lungs screaming with every sharp inhale. As the distance shrank, details sharpened: the figure was female, radiating warmth in stark contrast to the frigid surroundings. The light shimmered around her in vivid, almost surreal colors, as if Ivy were staring at an oil painting come to life. "Is that...?" Ivy whispered, her heart pounding. The figure’s gaze seemed to lock onto hers. The resemblance was undeniable—an impossible vision of her mother.

A sudden wave surged over Ivy, submerging her completely. She thrashed against the water’s power, clawing her way back to the surface. When her head broke through again, the light—and her mother—were gone. "Mom!" she shouted hoarsely, spinning in frantic circles, letting herself be swept back by the water in her desperate search. Her wide eyes scanned the bridge and the riverbanks, but there was no trace of the figure, only the empty, grey stretch of concrete looming farther away. She gritted her teeth, realizing she passed her starting point, the current moving her back over thirty meters. Normally, this distance to the bridge would’ve been nothing for her. But today had been grueling—hour after hour of relentless, high-intensity training, pushing her body farther than she thought possible. For days, she had done that. Her body was stronger, but she felt no closer to where she needed to be. But at that moment, it took everything she had and more. Another current pushed her under the water, slamming her against the concrete wall of the river. The taste of iron flooded her mouth, mingling with the brine of the river water. It was like something had rotted and died inside her body, something snapping—a quiet, almost soothing sensation that rang through her ears, a deep, resonating hum. She paddled forward, almost effortlessly gliding through the water, the drone in her ears seeming to vibrate the surrounding water. Ivy glanced at her arms. Tiny white bubbles rose from them, escaping through her pores like they were part of her own body, her skin exhaling the pressure of the current. She shot off the riverbed like a spring unleashed, breaking the surface and gasping for air. Treading water, Ivy's gaze darted around, searching for Cahya. Her eyes locked onto the bridge. Cahya stood on the far side, leaning over the railing. A proud smile stretched across her face, and she gave Ivy a thumbs-up.