"The elementary masters! Who are they?" I asked.
"The elementary masters are very powerful heroes. The first one appeared 500 years ago. Unfortunately, I have very little data and information about them. But it seems that they are people who have been chosen by a spirit that gives them extraordinary power. An elemental master appears in every generation to fulfill their purpose."
"What is his goal?"
"His main goal is to use the power he has been given to bring peace and maintain it in the universe. Young Nozomi, the results cannot be wrong. You are indeed the fifth elemental master."
"You mean I'm going to have to save the entire universe on my own?"
"I didn't say you had to do it alone. You have your brothers and sisters, and I'm sure that later on there will be many heroes who will follow you. There's no need to rush. To begin with, we'll start training the five of you, and when you become established heroes, then you can start thinking about that."
I nodded and kept smiling to show that I was fine, but deep down, my morale took a hit and stress began to mount. An even greater responsibility had fallen on me. I think my brothers and sisters saw it because they came to comfort and support me after that.
"Nozomi, it'll be okay, we'll help you," said Kael.
"Yes! He's right, we'll stick together through the tough times. Together, we can get through anything!" said Shinrei.
Having their support really comforted me. It made me feel better, and after that I had regained my composure and was ready to continue.
"I think we can start your training. Are you ready?"
"Of course! Let's start now!" we all replied at the same time, full of enthusiasm.
Due to their lack of experience and training throughout their lives, the amount of Aetherium within them was very low. The first step is therefore to increase their amount of Aetherium, so that they have enough energy to last during a fight.
"To begin with, the most effective way to increase your core is through meditation. It is a method created several years ago, a simple and effective method."
Aria asked him a question. "Meditate? Is it as simple as that? What if we've never meditated before?
"Let me explain, it's not that simple. First, sit down and close your eyes. You are in complete darkness, now try to visualize a point of light."
After an hour of sitting on the floor with our eyes closed, we finally managed to perceive the point of light.
"Okay, now that you see the point, know that this point corresponds to your Aetherium core. You must now perceive your body around your core. Once you get there, you will need to stay focused and calm so that your Aetherium increases."
The principle is to focus on yourself, more specifically on your inner consciousness through your core, so that the more you focus on yourself, the more your Aetherium increases.
We spent the whole day on this exercise for nearly five hours, sitting on the floor without saying a word, letting only the sound of our breathing spread around us. We could hear the sound of our heartbeats.
It was hard because we weren't used to sitting still, in silence and with our eyes closed. But even though it was difficult, we managed to hold out. After five hours, we could finally open our eyes and get up. Strangely, even though we had remained motionless and doing nothing, we didn't feel tired, but rather felt fit and refreshed, as if we had just woken up after a good night's sleep.
The hologram explained the next stage of our training. "Now that you can visualize your core, it will be easier for you next time. For now, it's still not enough; it's not that simple. Your aetherium remains weak. Starting today, you will spend at least two hours of each day meditating so that your aetherium will increase over time. Once you have enough, we can begin stage two of your training."
Night had fallen and it was already late. The hologram prepared the teleportation to send us back to our respective homes.
"So that your daily life doesn't change too abruptly, I'm giving you this bracelet. You can use it to contact me whenever you want. And so that your parents don't worry, I'll only see you here on the ship on weekends when you have free time. Is that okay with you?"
We happily agreed. This small gesture, showing consideration for our lives and not rushing us, touched us deeply.
"But even during the week, you will still meditate. It is a truly important exercise. At your stage, we cannot do anything without it, and even later on, it will become essential."
We nodded and promised him that we would do his exercises every day.
"We can proceed with the teleportation. Good luck, if you need anything, contact me using the bracelet."
"Wait!" exclaimed Aria. "Stop being so formal, you agreed to help us and take care of us. You're like a close friend, so call me by my first name, I'd appreciate it. Do you agree, guys?"
Harris stepped forward: "Yes, you're right, there's no need to be so formal, it makes me uncomfortable after all the help you've given us. We all feel the same way! Right?"
"Of course! You're our friend now. What's your name? I think that's the least we can do."
"Unfortunately, I am an algorithm that came into being on the day your parents died, so I don't have a name."
Aria smiled broadly: "Elyra, what do you think of Elyra? It means 'form of light'. You are the light born from the death of our parents."
"I think it's a very beautiful name."
"Perfect, so from now on you are Elyra."
"I'm delighted. You can't imagine how happy I am. Right, from now on I'll address you informally. Kael, Aria, Nozomi, Harris, and Shinrei, thank you."
We all went home, it was already 9 p.m. Of course, my parents asked me where I had been. I made up an excuse that I had been studying at the library. To my surprise, they believed me and didn't ask any more questions after that. It was as if they knew I was lying but didn't want to force me if I didn't want to tell them. It hurt me to lie again, but I had no choice.
After that day, our daily routine changed: we get up, go to school, come home in the evening, and then meditate for two hours every day. It was easier to visualize our core, but it was still difficult. On weekends, we all meet on the ship to continue our training. Since we have more free time, we spend much more time meditating, about five hours. The rest of the time we talk and get to know each other better. We talked about everything and nothing, our favorite foods, our activities, how our days were going...
Spending time with them made me really happy. I felt like I was with people who understood me, and I think it was the same for them. Maybe it's because we're related by blood. In any case, a strong bond is forming between us all.
We continued like this for months on end, without a single day off, working and training day after day to get ready. After five months, Elyra announced some news.
"You're finally ready. According to the scans, you have enough aetherium for us to move on to stage 2."
We were shocked. Only five months had passed since we started training, even though he had told us it would take a little over a year. It was much too soon, unless we were progressing much faster than we thought.
I asked him, "How is that possible? It's only been five months. We couldn't have caught up in just five months."
"Indeed, Nozomi, the five of you haven't caught up. But it seems there is a mistake in your understanding."
"What do you mean? What are you saying?"
"Your delay isn't just about the amount of aetherium you have, you're also unable to fight. Do you know any fighting styles? How to use your aetherium? Do you have the physical abilities to last through a fight? Or do you even know how to materialize your elemental aetherium? You see, your delay is much greater than you imagine."
Hearing these words, we realized that we still had a long way to go. After easily succeeding on the first day, we all thought it would be easy. But nothing in life is easy; we would have to work harder than ever before if we wanted to succeed.
"I can see that you're a little down, but I want to add that I owe you congratulations. Your aetherium levels have increased significantly since the first day, and it's surprising that in just five months your aetherium is so high. In fact, your aetherium is high enough for us to move on to stage two of training."
We still have a lot of techniques to learn and master in order to achieve our goals. But we know that one day we will get there.
Kael, in a serious and determined voice: "Okay, what is stage two? What does it involve?"
Aetherium is the source contained within people's bodies. We learn to direct it throughout the body to increase our physical abilities. Great heroes know how to circulate aether at high speed within their bodies, moving it from one area to another. This becomes essential when facing formidable opponents.
"Now that you have enough aetherium in your body, you must learn how to manipulate it. For now, it is contained only in the core. During stage 2 of training, you will first learn how to move the aetherium throughout your body and contain it, and then how to contain it within your body."
We were all very focused and listened to Elyra in silence. None of us took the events lightly; we were all aware of the responsibility and difficulties ahead.
"We're ready, let's get started without further delay."