- Oliver -

  "Finally. Time 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 seemed to come 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 movements had been straightforward. Within a few hours, he had already grasped the fundamentals. 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 came to controlling Energy, he simply cked the same 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 st alternative.

  Something 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 something to be controlled, Oliver would envision it as something 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 somewhat uncontrolble—a torrent of Energy rushing all at once to a single point.

  Using [Prometheus], he would consume 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 some 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 [Prometheus] on my brain?’ The thought lingered, both daunting and intriguing.

  Initially, Oliver pnned to test this hypothesis once he gained more control over his energy. He thought he could then safely explore the possibilities. But it seemed he wouldn't have that luxury. Time 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 [Prometheus] can… do something interesting.’

  He slowly lowered himself, bending his knees until his body touched the cold, metallic 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 movements 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 came.

  It emerged 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 [Prometheus].

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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 brimmed with that pulsating force as the Energy circuted 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 simir discomfort in his limbs when channeling Energy, but this was different—sharper, more insistent.

  Oliver sensed he was a mere 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.

  [Prometheus]

  The moment the technique was activated, his Energy transformed from something invisible into golden fmes. But this time, they no longer enveloped his arms and legs—they encompassed his entire head.

  Fmes erupted from his neck, rising upward and intertwining with his hair, casting a radiant glow around him. His skull seemed wreathed in fire, the golden hues shimmering 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 movement he attempted seemed to take ten times longer than usual. His limbs felt heavy, resisting his commands. It was as though time 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 movements—appear sluggish by comparison.

  Gradually, the environment around him seemed to slow down. The flicker of the overhead lights became a nguid 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 metallic 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 gcial pace. What felt like several seconds to him was, in reality, the typical passage of time.

  "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 something wrong. [Prometheus] targeted the wrong part of my body,’ he thought, frustration etching lines across his face. He lowered himself back onto the cold, metallic floor, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes.

  He began the process anew, almost from scratch. Carefully, he reconstructed the internal gates that reguted his Energy flow, increasing the pressure step by step. This time, he wouldn't stop at his neck or head. His goal was singur and precise.

  The pain was immediate 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 welcome distraction, anchoring him against the mounting agony building behind his eyes.

  Just as darkness threatened to overtake him, he acted on instinct. With the st vestiges of his strength, he activated [Prometheus].

  Heat radiated from his skin as the Energy ignited into golden fmes. But unlike before, the fmes 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 transformed. Time flowed usually once more, but everything he saw was overid with a delicate, golden sheen.

  ‘How do I test this? There's nothing here infused with Energy,’ he thought, his mind racing. He gnced down at his own body but noticed no immediate differences; all his Energy had been diverted to his eyes.

  Then, his gaze fell upon his gauntlet. Despite the opaque metal casing, he could discern the faint azure glow of three Z Crystals embedded within.

  "Yes!" Oliver excimed, 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 something like this?" he wondered aloud. Wiping his eyes with the sleeve of his uniform, he was startled to see smears of crimson staining the fabric.

  Blood was seeping from his eyes.

  Panic surged, but he forced himself to stay calm. Oliver quickly deactivated [Prometheus], the golden fmes 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 soce 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, remembering that he had used the same 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 someone," he resolved.

  GCLopes