Chapter 35: Limitations
Nero smiled awkwardly upon hearing Footers sarcastic remark, but there was nothing that could be done about it. While he had gained a basic mastery of aether control within his own body, it was still just at the lowest level. Controlling aether outside of one's body was even more difficult.
He had only been practising with it for a short time. Eventually he would get the hang of it. He was, after all, already ahead of his classmates in terms of progress in the number of classes attended.
"I hope you realise that, since I will be training you in your innate ability, you will have to divulge its details to me," Footer said, stating the obvious.
But even though it was obvious, it needed to be said. The topic of innate abilities was a sensitive one, and not everyone wanted to share their abilities and their limits. It was extremely private information. Irene was one such example.
She had to learn how to use her innate ability on her own, with no doubt Patrick helped her. But even so, it was worth slowing down her progress because her ability was just too unique to announce publicly. Nero had never heard of anyone who could replicate the effects of cards on their own.
"I don't expect I'll be able to keep my ability secret anyway, considering its combat applications," Nero stated.
He held out his right hand, and just for safety, removed the glove of his training suit and conjured his Cryoflame.
The blue flame, dancing in the palm of his hands, was as mesmerising as ever. It flickered and occasionally released sparks of blue ember, descending down to the ground instead of rising in the air.
Instead of giving his own explanations about how the flame worked, he waited for Footer to finish his analysis. He had used a number of cards of the flame as soon as he summoned it, no doubt studying every facet of its existence.
"In a matter of seconds, it has already reduced the temperature surrounding you," Footer noted. "I wonder if its effectiveness drops in colder climates, and increases in higher ones."
"I wondered the same, but I've not had an opportunity to test it out."
"Besides reducing the temperature, does it do anything else?" Footer asked as he stepped closer and held his hand out to it. He was checking to see at what distance from the flame he would feel its effects.
"It gives off a faint light which can help in the darkness," Nero stated as he recalled his experience back at the AAB. "It feeds off of heat, and grows larger the more heat it absorbs."
"It grows... Does that mean the flame can exist without aether input from you if it has enough heat to fuel it?"
Nero paused. The mental image of blue flames spreading rapidly across a battlefield appeared in his mind. That... would be both amazing and devastating.
"I haven't tried that yet, I don't know. Since you told me not to use my innate ability, I've been limiting its use as much as possible, so I haven't had time to experiment."
"Alright, I understand," Footer replied, pulling his hand away right before it touched the flame. "Before beginning to train on its applications, we need to understand the limits of the ability. The more we test it out, the better understanding you will have of your own ability and how you can apply it.
"We need to answer questions like how long can you use it before running dry of aether? How quickly does it cause the temperature to drop, and is the temperature drop influenced by any factors? Does the middle and tip of the flame have a difference in effect? Can the fire exist without you supplying aether to it?
"These and a dozen more questions which will need clear answers, tested multiple times to ensure the results. Once you have a clear understanding of your ability, we can begin working on the best way to apply it."
Nero nodded. He already knew all this, and was precisely why he wanted to get guidance from someone at school to begin with. All schools were equipped with countless testing facilities that could provide more accurate results than he could get on his own.
"I'll book a testing hall for you, but until then there are still things we can test right now. Can you summon the flame in multiple places, or is it limited to only one summon?"
Nero held out his second hand, and after removing the glove, summoned a flame in both hands, held separately.
"Keep adding more places. Don't worry about the equipment, it's resilient. If it gets damaged, however, that will give us information too."
Nero looked at his right foot, and summoned a flame there as well. The flames in his hands flickered as he did, but stayed burning after a moment.
"Add another place, but without looking at the body part. That's a bad habit," Footer said. Nero had stopped doing the same when controlling aether, but started doing the same now that he was using his innate ability. It was hard to beat a habit.
Nero tried to summon another flame on his left foot, but could not help frowning. After a few seconds, he managed it, but then all three other flames started flickering, until all of them disappeared.
"It... it should be possible," Nero said, suddenly out of breath. "But it requires a lot of focus. It's difficult."
"And so we've encountered your first limitation. But we can't give up so easily. Try again, and this time, without looking at your limbs. Also try different locations, such as individual fingers instead of your entire hand. Does that make it easier?"
Under Footers instructions, Nero continued testing the limits of his innate ability. Despite the drop in the room's temperature, and the mist that began appearing when he breathed, Nero soon began to sweat.
This was the first time he had used his innate ability for a prolonged period, and it was considerably more exhausting than just using cards. Eventually they had to stop, because twenty minutes after they began, not only was Nero completely out of aether, but he was physically exhausted as well.
"So this is your second limitation," Footer said impassively, as he pulled out a notebook and started to record Nero's results.