It remained just three days to Ardlan's next match, and he was beginning to feel desperate. He had hoped he would meet Mickvus the next day to talk to him about how he got so good at utilizing the cosmic energy around, but Mickvus had been absent for two days now, and that was now his least of worries.
The twins thought to check on his progress on acclimatizing with the ring and using it to its full potential. Ardlan had not felt any increase in his internal energy, and he had begun entertaining thoughts that perhaps the rings were placebo—a fake to have them believe they were absorbing cosmic energy.
They left once they had nothing else to say, leaving Ardlan by the B-tube while they flew elsewhere with their trooper.
He had been studying cosmic energy, delving into its mechanics and history. He hadn't discovered much he could utilize on the part of my mechanics but the history, cosmic energy history was rich and according to multiple sources, the energy was much more versatile in the past.
That part intrigued Ardlan, he struggled to fathom how cosmic energy could boost a weakling base homo sapiens to a country destroying monster. That was hard to wrap his head around, but there were various credible accounts.
"The potential of Cosmic Energy is limitless. Now, could Raves destroy countries?"
Perhaps they could, but within the Celest Empire, such aggression would be met with swift resistance leading to the threat curbed before inflicting significant damage and thus, there were little accounts of individuals of high cosmic energy destroying countries.
Tired of his study, and drowning in anxiety, Ardlan eyed the Jade rings that sat on his drawer by his bed. He had taken them off before leaving for the academy, and it was time to put them back on.
As he reached it, an idea struck.
He wore the rings in his index fingers, and the next he did was to surge cosmic energy within him, concentrating it on the area the rings equipped, his goal: to project energy through the rings.
Energy gathered on his fingers, but projecting seemed to be quite a task, it seemed the rings had an inhibiting property against cosmic energy, however, eventually and to Ardlan's surprise, linear streaks of energy burst from the ring and zoomed to the walls. The energy attack went through his room walls, creating large holes in them and then exploded on the walls of the living room. A disaster.
Fire rose from the debris and spread, causing Ardlan to panic slightly, not that it would hurt him, but it would catch the attention of his neighbors.
[Fire detected, extinguishing systems activated]
Ada activated her fire extinguishing protocol and flooded the flames with flame suppressing foam.
The blast caused an uproar of flames, it had spread across the sitting room, and the suppression foam would not get to all of it in time.
Then the strangest thing happened, it was like the rings had minds of their own, that or they recognized the scene and reacted systemically.
The rings shimmered and the flames about Ardlan drifted into them, and then were absorbed, and soon enough, the flames were gone. The parlour however had seen better days.
Before he knew it, a blaring sound was by his apartment.
Ardlan's eyes widened, "Are those firefighters?" He was in big trouble now.
Not only were firefighters present, but his ever busy mom and a couple of the neighbours surrounded him and the parlour.
Laxia had asked multiple times,
"How did the fire begin?"
"Were you responsible for the outbreak?"
"Did you meet room burning and what is with the holes?"
Ardlan however responded with lies, he might be a superior hybrid human with superhuman powers, but even he could not avoid answering with lies should the need arrive.
That however would not suffice, he had not thought of it since such a thing had never occurred, but the next thing Laxia said shocked him, revealing how futile his lie attempts were.
"Ada, tell me all that happened here? What led to the fire?"
Ada proceeded to narrate the events leading to the fire as objective as it could, revealing Ardlan's antics, and how his reckless energy blasts had created holes in the walls.
Ardlan's jaws fell, Ada had betrayed him. He looked at his mother who was now red with rage, she earned enough to have them live the good life but repairing all the damages was going to create a dent in her savings.
She was like a prepubescent child standing next to her seven year old child. Long black straight eyes, blue eyes and pale. Laxia was short, petite and she looked like she couldn't hurt a fly. Her face was angular and smooth, though age was doing a number on her. She aged much faster compared to her genetically modified colleagues and friends, yet Ardlan feared this woman.
She let out an exasperated sigh, and held Ardlan tightly on the wrist, she whispered, "Don't let this happen again."
Ardlan merely nodded but it was certain, he would not be as reckless any longer. The function of the ring had come as a surprise to him.
Luckily, Ada did not mention anything hinting that the rings were anything special so Laxia did not think to inquire about them. He had been saved on that part, but it would seem like he would have to take his cosmic energy activities outside of the apartment henceforth.
Energy shift and energy absorption, two abilities exhibited by the rings that the twins didn't mention.