- Oliver -

  Oliver followed Wiz down to the lower level. As they took the first step down into the basement, the lights flickered on automatically, illuminating an enormous training facility.

  The gym was equipped with an array of weights and devices that Oliver reized from his days at the Academy: holographic sparring partners, gravity modutors, and neurally linked obstacle courses. But what caught his eye was the small arena at the ter—a circur ptform remi of the one used in his bat csses with Ranger ons.

  "e on, step into the arena," Wiz invited, his voice carrying a subtle challenge.

  "Against you?" Oliver asked, eyebrows raised in surprise.

  "Of course. Are you uimating a General?" Wiz replied, a wry smile tugging at the er of his mouth.

  "Never!" Oliver asserted though he couldn't help but g the General's snow-white hair. He climbed onto the arena, a mix of excitement and apprehension c through him. Despite Wiz's age, there was an aura of power about him.

  "Start with your Artificial Ranger Armor," Wiz instructed, crossing his arms casually.

  Oliver nodded and focused his energy. The crystal embedded in his gau pulsed, aallic liquid began to seep out, creeping over his body like quicksilver. The substance solidified into sleek armor ptes, enveloping him piece by pietil he stood fully armored, the suit gleaming uhe overhead lights.

  "This armor is quite standard," Wiz observed, his eyes flig over the suit's design. "You don't know how to alter it?"

  "Not yet," Oliver admitted. "I still need more training."

  "Hmm." Wiz stroked his thoughtfully. "When you decide to modify the armor's pos, it's easier to practice with the artificial version. It es less of your energy."

  "Uood," Oliver replied.

  "Now, show me what you've got! Advance!" Wiz aaking a rexed stance.

  Without hesitation, Oliver unched himself forward, drawing upon the h Army Style. He unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks, his movements fluid and precise, each strike calcuted. But to his fusion, every attack seemed to pass right through Wiz as if the General were merely a hologram.

  "Good! Good!" Wiz ented, sidestepping effortlessly. "You don’t have much strength, but yility is impressive."

  Oliver gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling up. What was happening? His blows felt strong, but there was no impao resista was as if he were shadowboxing.

  He took a few steps back, trying to steady his breathing. Wiz didn't give him time troup. The General closed the distah surprising speed, his movements a blur. For the first time, Wiz attacked.

  Oliver saw the punch aimed at his stomad moved to block it. He was certain he'd intercepted the strike—until he felt a sharp jolt as Wiz's fist ected with his jaw instead.

  "What the—?" Oliver stumbled back, bewildered. How had the punch gotten past his guard?

  They tihis surreal dance. Oliver defended against attacks that never came, only to be struck from ued angles. Each time, he was sure he had anticipated Wiz's moves, but each time, he roven wrong.

  ‘What's he doing?’ Oliver thought desperately. His mind raced to find an expnation. Was Wiz using some kind of advanced holographic teology? A cloaking device?

  "You're relying too mu your eyes," Wiz said aloud, as if reading his thoughts. The General's expression remained calm, almost amused.

  Oliver's fusion deepened. He closed his eyes briefly, trying to focus. Maybe Wiz was right. He o tap into more than just his visual senses.

  For a moment, Oliver stopped fixating on Wiz's physical movements and instead attuned himself to the energy c through the room. With his heightened sensitivity, he could perceive the General's presehout relying on sight—he could “feel” where Wiz was, even with his eyes closed.

  He took a deep breath a his eyelids fall shut. Almost immediately, the chaotiviro settled into a tapestry of energy patterns. Through this new lens, he sensed a punch directed toward him. His eyes, if open, would have shown Wiz's fist aiming straight for his stomach. But through his energy perception, he realized that the General's arm was actually targeting his face.

  His visual and eises cshed, easisting on a differey. fusion knotted his thoughts as he tried to recile the flig information. In that split sed of hesitation, the punch ected—striking his face yet again.

  Pain radiated from his cheek as Oliver stumbled back, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. "What is happening?" he muttered under his breath.

  Wiz observed him with a calm expression. "Wiz isn't my real he General decred, his toinged with pride. "It's a niame some fellow officers gave me long ago. They said watg me otlefield was something magical—something only a wizard could aplish."

  He raised a hand casually. To Oliver's astonishment, a momehere were suddenly two hands where there should have been only ohen three, four, five—the number of hands multiplied rapidly, fanning out in a bewildering dispy.

  "You create mirages?" Oliver asked, his eyes wide with disbelief.

  "Mirages?" Wiz echoed with a faint smirk. "That's a rather reductive way to put it. I trol photons. When you master light itself, you create illusions—or unleash blinding fshes." A searing brilliaed from his outstretched hand as if to illustrate his point.

  Oliver had to shut his eyes tightly as the intense light flooded the room, threatening to overwhelm his senses. Even with his eyelids sched closed, the luminosity peed, painting his vision with white-hot afterimages.

  When he cautiously reopened his eyes, blinking against the residual gre, the light receded. The training areuro focus, and shadows gradually reasserted themselves. He gazed at the General with a mixture of awe and dawning prehension.

  "It's quite useful," Wiz expined, "but against more seasoned oppos, I lose muy bat capability." He paused, sidering the gau on Oliver's arm. "Alright. Now let's s out your crystal."

  Oliver nodded aivated his armor. Holding the gau, he pressed a small button along its side. With a soft hiss, the metallic-hued stone he'd been usied, dropping into his palm. In its pce, he ied the blue crystal that pulsed with a vibrant, almost hypnotic glow.

  The moment the gau reected with the energy of the Z Crystal, a sudden weakness washed over him. His surroundings blurred, and once again, he found himself standing in the same enigmatic chamber from the day before.

  This time, the grand thro the far end was empty. Turning around, he spotted an immeaircase extending downward toward what seemed to be the outside of an aemple. Its colossal pilrs and ornate carvings loomed above, but as quickly as the vision appeared, it dissolved, and Oliver was ba the training arena.

  "Try activating it," Wiz suggested, his eyes keenly every nuance.

  Oliver took a deep breath and nodded. "Blue Ranger, activate!"

  The sensation was entirely different from before. Previously, it felt as though liquid metal was expanding from the crystal, enveloping his body piece by piece to form the armor. This time, pure energy surged through him—raw and unfiltered—materializing the armor around his form in a cascade of shimmering blue light.

  "Finally!" a familiar voice echoed in his mind. It was Athena speaking to him for the first time since he'd touched the crystal.

  As the st fragments of armor solidified, Oliver felt an overwhelming surge of power. It was unmistakable—his abilities had skyrocketed. He estimated his strength to be at least ten times greater than when he wore his artificial armor, and he hadn't even trained with this new equipme.

  "Excellent!" Wiz excimed, a rare smile crossing his features. "Impressive indeed. Many Raake weeks, even months, to attuo their crystals and activate their armor. It's often a battle of wills, f the crystal to submit."

  "How do you feel?" Wiz asked, his gaze peing.

  "Powerful," Oliver replied simply, the uatement evident in his voice.

  "The's tinue." Wiz stepped back, adopting a ready stance. "Show me what you do."

  Determio capitalize on his newfound strength, Oliver decided to give it everything he had, aiming to outpace the General before he could react.

  [Prometheus]

  In an instant, he eled nearly all of his energy into his right arm—a risky move, but one Oliver believed would overwhelm any defense. He felt the power trate, his arm humming with barely tained force.

  He propelled himself forward, the ground crag beh his feet from the sudden acceleration. Wiz's eyes widened slightly—a flicker of surprise—as Oliver closed the gap between them in the blink of an eye. With a mighty roar, Oliver unleashed his punch.

  The sheer force of the attack was beyond anything he'd ever produced. The energy bst streaked toward Wiz, dist the air around it. Reizing the immi danger, Wiz executed a swift, evasive maneuver, barely slipping out of the attack's path.

  The impact was catastrophic. The side of the arena exploded in a shower of debris, the reinforced walls bug uhe stress. Arms bred as structural iy fields struggled to tain the damage. Smoke and dust filled the air, obsg visibility.

  Wiz nded gracefully a short distance away, but his usually posed demeanor was tinged with . "I think going to o get you to a medic," he spoke.

  fused by the statement, Oliver looked down at his arm—and horror flooded through him. His hand and forearm were gone, vaporized from the elbow down.

  GCLopes