Chapter 59: Replicating An Ability Part I

Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Replicating An Ability Part I

"So, how do I copy his ability?"

The question immediately silenced the training grounds.

Kai scratched the back of his head while Ben blinked in confusion. Even Erik remained silent for several moments. They had successfully figured out how Penelope could enter another person’s consciousness. They had discovered the existence of spiritual roots and even identified Ben’s Earth Root. Yet when it came to the most important step—the actual imitation process—they were completely clueless.

For the first time since awakening their abilities, they had encountered a problem that none of them knew how to solve.

Erik folded his arms. "Describe everything you saw."

Penelope turned to Ben, "Can I?" Ben tilted his head and asked "Why do you ask?"

Penelope couldn’t help but explain. "Well, what I am going to describe is your sea of consciousness. It seems rather rude to describe someone else’s sea of conscious without their approval. Don’t you think?"

Ben nodded his head, understanding her predicament. Then quietly responded with "Yes. You may."

Penelope nodded and closed her eyes, recalling the scene. "There were mountains everywhere. Stone cliffs. Massive pillars. The entire place felt ancient. Stable. Like nothing in existence could shake it."

Ben’s expression turned strange.

"That sounds like me?"

Kai immediately nodded. "You are basically a mountain."

"I’m not sure if that’s an insult or a compliment." Ben muttered.

"It depends." Kai responded.

"On what?" Ben asked.

"Whether you’re buying lunch." Kai grinned.

Ben looked like he regretted becoming friends with Kai.

Ignoring them, Erik continued. "What happened when you approached the pillar?"

"Nothing." Penelope responded.

The blonde man frowned.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." Penelope spread her hands helplessly. "I walked around it. I touched it. I even tried focusing on it. It didn’t react at all."

The training grounds became quiet once more.

Erik lowered his gaze in thought.

Ben had already accepted Penelope’s presence. She could enter his consciousness without resistance. Yet the Earth Root itself refused to acknowledge her existence.

There had to be another requirement.

Several minutes passed before Ben suddenly spoke.

"Maybe you’re overthinking it."

Everyone looked toward him.

Ben shrugged.

"I mean... if you’re trying to copy my ability, shouldn’t you just take it?"

Silence.

Then all three turned toward him.

Ben immediately looked uncomfortable.

"What?"

Kai pointed at him. "Say that again."

Ben frowned.

"Shouldn’t she just take it?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Penelope felt something stir deep within her consciousness.

Her eyes widened.

Erik noticed immediately.

"What happened?"

"I don’t know."

The strange sensation appeared again.

Subtle.

Yet impossible to ignore.

As though something had responded to Ben’s words.

"Try again," Erik ordered.

Penelope immediately closed her eyes.

The familiar warmth flowed through her meridians. Following the connection between herself and Ben, she once again entered his consciousness.

The mountain world appeared around her.

Towering cliffs stretched endlessly toward the horizon while the colossal Earth Pillar stood proudly at the center of everything. Ancient runes glowed across its surface, radiating a steady and reassuring power.

This time, however, something was different.

The moment Penelope approached, the pillar no longer felt distant.

It felt aware.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Slowly, she placed a hand against the stone.

The mountain world trembled.

A deep rumble echoed across the landscape.

Penelope immediately took a step back.

The runes covering the pillar began to glow brighter and brighter. Golden light flowed through the cracks in the stone like molten rivers.

Outside, Kai nearly jumped to his feet.

"Something’s happening."

Ben swallowed nervously.

"Should something be happening?"

"No idea."

"That’s not reassuring."

Inside the consciousness world, Penelope watched in stunned silence as a single rune slowly detached itself from the pillar.

It wasn’t large.

In fact, it was surprisingly small.

A fragment.

A seed.

A tiny piece of the Earth Root itself.

The rune floated toward her.

Not aggressively.

Not forcibly.

It simply drifted closer.

As though answering a call.

Penelope instinctively reached out.

The moment her fingers touched the glowing rune, a powerful surge of energy rushed through her body.

Knowledge.

Understanding.

Connection.

For a brief moment, she felt as though she had become part of the mountain itself.

Steady.

Unmovable.

Enduring.

Then the sensation vanished.

Her eyes snapped open.

The training grounds immediately came back into focus.

Kai was staring.

Ben was staring.

Even Erik’s usually calm expression contained traces of anticipation.

"Well?" Kai asked.

Penelope looked down at her hands.

Slowly, she extended her palm toward the ground.

Everyone held their breath.

For several seconds—

Nothing happened.

Then a small stone rose from the earth.

Silence.

The stone hovered awkwardly in the air.

Wobbled.

Then immediately fell and smacked Penelope on the foot.

"Ow!"

Kai doubled over laughing.

Ben looked relieved.

And for the first time that day—

A genuine smile appeared on Erik’s face.

It was weak.

Crude.

Barely functional.

But none of that mattered.

Because Penelope had done it.

She had successfully copied her first spiritual root.

Unfortunately for Penelope—

Copying the Earth Root was only the beginning.

The moment her excitement faded, Erik immediately returned to being a commander.

"Again."

Penelope’s smile vanished.

"Again?" she repeated weakly.

"Again."

That single word became the theme of the next month.

The first week was miserable.

Every morning, Erik would drag her to the training grounds before sunrise. Every afternoon was spent learning to circulate spiritual energy through the Earth Root. Every evening was spent practicing until she collapsed from exhaustion.

At first, controlling earth proved far more difficult than Penelope had imagined.

The small stone she had managed to levitate on the first day became her greatest enemy.

Sometimes it refused to move.

Sometimes it moved too much.

Once, she accidentally launched it directly into Kai’s forehead.

Another time, she dropped it onto her own foot.

Twice.

Kai laughed so hard he couldn’t breathe.

Ben wasn’t much better.

Even Erik had to look away on several occasions.

It wasn’t because he was angry.

It was because he was trying not to laugh.

That realization somehow made Penelope feel even worse.

By the second week, however, things slowly began to improve.

The pebbles became stones.

The stones became boulders.

The boulders became walls.

Small walls.

Crooked walls.

Ugly walls.

But walls nonetheless.

For the first time, Penelope began to understand why Ben’s Earth Root had appeared as mountains.

Earth wasn’t fast.

It wasn’t flashy.

It wasn’t explosive.

It was patient.

Steady.

Reliable.

Every improvement came one step at a time.

No shortcuts.

No miracles.

Just practice.

Again.

And again.

And again.

The third week introduced combat.

Penelope immediately regretted every life decision that had led her to that moment.

Because Erik believed abilities alone were not enough.

If her spiritual energy ran dry—

What then?

If she encountered an enemy capable of suppressing abilities—

What then?

If she was separated from the group—

What then?

His answer remained the same every time.

Train.

So they trained. All of them.

She learned how to fight with a whip made of dirt.

How to maintain balance.

How to dodge.

How to create distance while whipping targets.

How to fight without injuring herself with her own creations.

By the end of the week, every muscle in her body hurt.

Kai helpfully informed her that she looked like a corpse.

Penelope informed him that she hated him.

Their familial bond remained intact.

The fourth week was the worst.

Because Erik combined everything.

Earth manipulation.

Combat.

Movement.

Endurance.

Strategy.

There were no more separate lessons.

Everything happened at once.

Ben attacked her with earth spikes.

Kai distracted her.

Erik exploited every opening.

The training grounds became a battlefield.

Penelope lost.

Repeatedly.

Spectacularly.

Without mercy.

Yet each defeat taught her something.

Each mistake became a lesson.

And slowly—

Very slowly—

She improved.

By the end of the month, she could raise waist-high stone barriers within seconds.

She could manipulate loose rocks with reasonable accuracy.

She could reinforce the ground beneath her feet.

Most importantly—

She could fight.

Not like Ben.

Not like Kai.

Certainly not like Erik.

But she could protect herself against the undead. Well, she could only hope.

Which was already a massive improvement from where she had started.

As the final training session came to an end, Penelope collapsed onto the grass.

Every part of her body ached.

Sweat soaked her clothes.

Her spiritual energy was nearly depleted.

Yet despite everything—

She was smiling.

Because she had done it.

She had successfully mastered the basics of her first copied ability.

Nearby, Ben looked equally exhausted.

"Please tell me I’m retired now."

Kai immediately laughed.

"No."

Ben’s expression darkened.

"What do you mean no?"

Kai pointed toward Penelope.

"She’s moving on to the next root."

Silence.

Ben slowly turned toward Erik.

A terrible feeling appeared in his chest.

"Who is next?"

A grin spread across Kai’s face.

The kind of grin that usually signaled trouble.

A lot of trouble.

He pointed at himself.

"Me."

For the first time all month—

Ben looked genuinely relieved.

Meanwhile—

Penelope’s smile immediately disappeared.

Because unlike mountains—

Fire had never been known for its patience.

And Kai Ryker had even less.