Shadow of the Abyss

"Acupuncture"

When Altair heard those words, his brow grew knitted. But before he could ask why, Captain Mike spoke. "Ah, Yes. That's what it was." He said, nodding. "Everyone has a job, and for now, we'll have you in the medical ward.  We'll transfer you around after a while. However, right now, until you catch up to the basics like the other boots.

You're stuck there. Questions?"

"How long are basics?"

"Usually three months." Second Lieutenant Vincent Wendell said, his voice hard. "And you're about a month behind the other boots."

"Not your fault. But you'll be extra busy these next few months." Added Fat Mike. "Lieutenant Borris is in charge of all recruit training. So, for eight hours, you'll study with him with all the other boots before you head to the Medic Ward to train under Lieutenant Commander Amelia."

"Is it possible to clear… Boot camp in less than three months?"Altair inquired. Three Months was a long time. Time that could be used elsewhere. He wasn't a child that needed someone to hold his hand.

"That'll be up to Lieutenant Borris." Fat Mike said calmly. " I don't get involved in his decisions. He's a man that has been training recruits for well over sixty years. He's the best of the best. If he see's, you don't need it. He'll let me know."

The Prince nodded and grew silent.

When all was said and done, Captain Mike and Lieutenant Vincent allowed Altair, Laros, Olivia, and Leonie Cross to fall out to join the other boots.

"So your Altair… Fight me." Leonie Cross said, with a fiery gleam in her odd pupils.

"Knock it off, Leonie." Olivia chimed in, swaying her arms around Altair. "Who'd want to cut such a pretty face?" she claimed, with the biting tone of a snake. She narrowed her eyes, leaning to his ear. ' You didn't come to my bed chambers. How mean."

Masked with indifference, Altair gave her a side glance, "I'm quite alright. I wouldn't want to step on anyone's toes. I'm sure you have a lot of options."

'Slut, ' Leonie spat beneath her breath. She never understood the need to copulate with the fairer sex. Especially so in a world dominated by those who seek the path of transcendence. It was foolish to seek a relationship if one could not defend themselves.

Olivia glanced at Leonie and grinned as she leaned off Altair. She turned to the girl nearly five years her junior. "What did you call me?"

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"That's enough." Laros suddenly barked. "We are nearly there. You know what'll happen if you get caught fighting." He said to Olivia. "Ignore her."

Altair watched their interaction with a smile when he heard Talia speak into his mind. " Master… Olivia is…"

'Oh, I know her schemes.' The Prince replied mentally, narrowing his eyes at the particular skill she held outside her bloodline flames.

[Psionic Slave (unique)]

Grade: E

Type: Psionic

Description: Through touch, the User will be able to erode the minds of their enemies', twisting their mental waves into Psionic Slaves.

'It's definitely a good ability,' Altair determined silently, pondering how much extended contact was necessary before Olivia's ability turned him into a mindless Thrall. He didn't believe it would happen with just a single touch. If so, she'd have been the patriarch by now.

"Worry not, Talia… I've got plans for your dear sister."

Later, when at last they arrived, Altair and the rest of the recruits began basic strength conditioning under the guidance of Borris barking orders, attempting to push every last man and woman to their physical and mental limit. He wanted to know the ones who were likely to give up, those who fought to the end only to fail, and those who completed their assignments.

Borris wrote all their names down before shifting to the basics of aerospace engineering, centered around various warships within the Imperial Army, freighters, and space colonies. When eight hours had passed. Altair felt surprised by the level of knowledge he had gained.

The military strength training didn't do much for his current physique. But the various general knowledge regarding Aerospace Engineering filled Altair with a new understanding of the complexity held within space, so much so that he understood why most took three months to finish boot camp.

When his time with Borris was complete, he made his way towards the Medical Ward, to Amilia slouching in her chair, mindlessly spinning on her chair. She stopped noting Altair's presence.

"You're here… and you don't seem tired. Wow, ~" Amilia Thorne sang, pointing to a few recruits slouched over, busted, and bruised from Borris's strength conditioning. Moaning with tears in their eyes. "I left them for you. Lazy bunch of bitches."

Altair's brow slightly twitched. "You left them all beaten up for nearly five hours?"

"You're responsible for the recruits that aren't dying." She said, tossing Altair a manual. "Read it and show me what you can do."

Art of Acupuncture

Gripping the thin manual, Altair glanced meaningfully at Amilia, who continued to stare and nod. Testing him.  He found a seat, opened the pages, and his lips curled down as he flipped from page to page. When he was done, he looked up at Amila.

"Was this a joke?"

"Excuse me?" Amilia asked. She tilted her head. " Are you confused about something? Surely it's not too complicated for the likes of—"

"Simply poking needles lined with Mana is the solution? Really? Mana Roots are delicate things unique to all living creatures with physical bodies but Mana itself. It's the source that links us to the Divine. And you're poking it with needles. Is this 2023?" He said in a scolding voice, having never read something so ridiculous in all his twelve years of life.

Altair stood up angrily, tossing the manual back to Amilia.

"Young man, I'll have you know, Acupuncture is one of Earth's most mysterious techniques." Amilia snapped back. "You think you can just read one manual and think you can understand—"

"Meridians, as the Gods properly know them as are what are mysterious, not this horse shit." He pointed to the manual, sneering. Unsure what came over him that made him feel so offended. "You are relying on the instruments made by man to fix something that exists in the material and metaphysical plane." And he drew close to one of the recruits trembling.

A female boot with long blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires gripped her shoulder, barely conscious.

"What are you doing," Amelia questioned, rising from her seat. "I hope you're not about to experiment on—"

"The body isn't just made up of Meridians, but bones, muscles, and organs." He said. "Meridian's transverse all across the body, connecting everything into a single unit. So, rather than merely simulate the acupuncture point, to fix the entire body. Why not apply that stimulation to the body's tissue  to relieve the pressure off the meridians?"

Allowing a wisp of Mana to coil around his palm, Altair took a deep breath, allowing the Eyes of Sacrilege to grant Insight as he began to vibrate his Mana. He touched the blonde-haired female, clutching her shoulder in tears.

A pained moan quickly sounded from the recruit as she spasmed. Amilia became flush with rage and jerked Altair away and into a wall, gripping his collar. " Are you out of your mind!" She roared, snapping back to the female recruit to see what damage he'd done. And as she did, Amilia's jaw opened wide.

"It's better, isn't it." The Prince said, smiling. He dusted himself off, fixing his wrinkled uniform.  "The damage to her shoulder, the torn tissue, has started to regenerate, hasn't it? Her cells should have started to repair itself by now."

Aghast, Amilia stood frozen, unable to grasp what he'd done.

"To my knowledge," Altair began. " The human body wants to be whole. It has the ability to heal itself without the use of Mana. That's a fact that has kept us Humans alive since the beginning. And that truth exists in all living creatures. Meridians aren't necessarily a factor in the equation.

By Stimulating the white blood cells alongside the pre-existing Mana in her body, I could begin cleaning her wounds at a faster rate to help stimulate healing."

[Ding]

[User of Origin System has grasped the fundamentals of Hands of Nirvana]

[Hands of Nirvana]

Grade: F

Description: Allows the User to stimulate necrotic or damaged tissue by manipulating the meridians or pre-existing Mana found in the body's natural fibers, resulting in the rejuvenation of the body.

Altair eyes glowed as he read his new skill, so much so that he felt like testing out his new ability.

"Well?" The Prince gibed his voice like a child wishing to try something new.

"How… that… that doesn't make any sense.' Amilia muttered, nibbling on her thumbnail. She looked over at Altair. "Try it again." she hurriedly told him, sure it wasn't so simple.

Unwilling to give up such an opportunity, Altair squatted beside her and activated the Hands of Nirvana. Slowly, a radiant gold sizzled out of his palm over the young woman's shoulder as he pressed down. And just like before, a pained moan sounded from her mouth but faded as Altair continued.

Within fifteen minutes, her once pale face had recovered, and the damaged tissue was anew. The blonde-haired recruit opened her eyes.

"The… The pain is gone?" She said, turning to Altair with her blue sparkling eyes. "Thank you! Thank you! Without a booster, It would have taken several months to heal this."

"Months!" The boy said. "The military doesn't have boosters? What type of—"

"We do. But it's reserved for people like you, Altair." Amilia informed him, shaking her head as she stood to her feet, still awed by his performance. What he did was something on the level of nanotech medical engineering. Tech Earth still hadn't mastered yet. "Earth might be rich, but our funds are stretched to its limit.

Resources like healing boosters need to be used in emergencies, not on some low-level injury like this one." She said softly and turned to him. "And sorry… I… I was wrong."

"Not at all," The boy said, finding humility his best bet to get on Amilia's good side, at least for now. He'd gauged that much falling back on his mother's training. "You were only doing your job."

Amilia laughed, a little more embarrassed. She'd have been happier had he been a little more arrogant, to at least make her dislike him a bit. But seeing him admitting fault, Amila showed a wry smile.

"Then, and I continue on the rest?" Altair asked with anticipation. Find more at m _v _l _e _mpyr.

"Yes… And…" Her cheek burned a bit. " Can you explain to me once more?"

"..." He grinned. 'Why, of course, Lieutenant Commander."