The atmosphere inside the training hall had completely changed.
Only an hour ago the sixteen Superhumans were still trying to process the existence of Aether.
Now the entire room glowed with flickering yellow energy.
Golden streams danced across the metallic floor like living sunlight as aura after aura burst into existence around the squads.
Some were unstable.
Some weak.
Some exploded too violently before fading away.
But they were improving.
Fast.
Far too fast compared to normal humans.
And Dr.
Frost knew it.
The silver-haired man stood calmly at the center of the hall while both squads maintained their Aether release.
Golden aura flowed around his body smoothly, almost peacefully.
Unlike the others, his energy didn’t flicker or pulse wildly.
It moved with perfect control.
Like breathing.
“Now that you can feel your Aether…”
His voice echoed lightly through the giant chamber.
“…let’s continue.”
The room immediately focused.
Dr.
Frost raised one hand slowly.
The aura around his body shifted instantly.
Most of the yellow energy condensed around his right arm.
The pressure in the air subtly increased.
“The most basic application of Aether,” he explained calmly, “is Aura.”
The energy around his arm intensified.
“Or what I personally refer to as…”
His eyes narrowed slightly.
“…the First Stage.”
Suddenly he moved.
BOOM.
The sound exploded across the hall.
Several people physically jumped.
Dr.
Frost had vanished from his original position.
A shockwave tore across the floor where he previously stood.
Then—
He reappeared over thirty meters away near the far wall.
Adrian’s jaw dropped slightly.
“What the hell?”
Dr.
Frost lowered his glowing arm casually.
“This stage allows you to surround your bodies with Aether.”
The yellow aura around him pulsed.
“To ordinary humans…”
He looked around the room.
“…this aura is nearly invincible.”
That sentence settled heavily over everyone.
Dr.
Frost continued walking calmly back toward them.
“Bullets become less effective.”
The aura around his body shifted again.
“Blades lose impact.”
The energy pulsed brighter.
“Physical attacks become meaningless.”
Jack blinked.
“So basically…”
He looked at Bobby.
“…we’re becoming comic book characters.”
Bobby pointed dramatically.
“I said this yesterday.”
Sylvia sighed.
“You say a lot of things.”
Dr.
Frost stopped again.
“Aura drastically amplifies physical ability.”
He pointed toward his legs.
“You become faster.”
Then his arms.
“Stronger.”
Then his chest.
“More durable.”
The yellow energy suddenly concentrated around his fist again.
“But the real strength of Aura…”
The pressure in the hall subtly increased.
“…lies in concentration.”
Then he punched forward casually.
BOOOOM.
A compressed blast of air exploded across the room.
Several people stumbled backward from the shockwave alone.
The reinforced training wall ahead dented inward slightly.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Adrian looked genuinely excited now.
“That was awesome.”
“It was a basic punch,” Dr.
Frost replied.
“That somehow made it cooler.”
Dr.
“You may concentrate Aether around specific body parts depending on your needs.”
The aura shifted toward his feet.
Then—
He vanished again.
This time moving so fast several people completely lost track of him.
Only Damien barely followed the movement.
Dr.
Frost reappeared behind them casually.
“For speed.”
Then the aura moved toward his ears.
“The senses.”
Then toward his eyes.
“Vision.”
Then finally his throat.
“Voice enhancement.”
When he spoke again—
His voice echoed through the giant hall like amplified thunder despite him not raising his volume.
Several people instinctively looked around.
“That’s terrifying,” Sandra muttered.
“Useful,” Graham corrected calmly.
Dr.
Frost nodded slightly.
“Correct.”
He folded his hands behind his back again.
“One thing you must understand…”
The yellow aura around him slowly faded.
“Aether itself is overwhelmingly powerful as a raw energy source.”
The room quieted again.
“A normal human trained in Aether…”
His eyes scanned the room carefully.
“…could potentially harm a Superhuman lacking Aether control.”
That statement immediately shocked everyone.
Even Damien looked surprised.
Adrian frowned slightly.
“So our physical advantages alone aren’t enough?”
“No.”
Dr.
Frost’s answer came instantly.
“Aether changes everything.”
The silver-haired man paused briefly.
“This…”
He gestured around the glowing room.
“…is merely the First Stage.”
Then he glanced toward the giant digital clock floating near the ceiling.
“If you can master Aura Manipulation by noon…”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
“…we will proceed to the Second Stage.”
And then—
Without another word—
Dr.
Frost turned around and walked toward the exit.
The giant metallic doors opened.
Then closed behind him.
Leaving the sixteen Superhumans alone again.
For exactly five seconds…
Nobody moved.
Then chaos erupted.
“THAT WAS SO COOL.”
Bobby practically exploded with excitement.
Jack nodded aggressively.
“He moved like a teleporting action movie character.”
Sylvia folded her arms.
“You two are way too excited.”
“You’re not excited?” Bobby asked.
Sylvia opened her mouth.
Paused.
Then sighed.
“…A little.”
Ria shook her head with a faint smile.
Across the hall Adrian immediately activated his aura again.
Golden energy burst around him.
“Okay,” he announced confidently, “watch this.”
He concentrated the aura around his legs.
Then attempted to dash forward.
BOOM.
Instead—
He accidentally launched himself halfway across the hall uncontrollably before crashing shoulder-first into the wall.
Silence.
Then Drew started laughing uncontrollably.
Sasha leaned against a wall holding her stomach.
“Oh my god.”
Adrian slowly peeled himself off the wall with what remained of his dignity.
“…I calculated wrong.”
“You became a missile,” Drew replied between laughs.
Silver looked genuinely worried.
“Are you okay?”
“Perfectly fine,” Adrian lied immediately while rubbing his shoulder.
Soon both squads fully began training.
The problem became obvious almost instantly.
Controlling it precisely was not.
Most people’s Aether moved too wildly.
Too much output.
Too little focus.
Some accidentally strengthened their entire body instead of one section.
Others lost control entirely the moment they tried concentrating it.
Prince accidentally enhanced his hearing too much and nearly collapsed from sensory overload.
Kyle boosted his legs and crashed into a support pillar.
James amplified his voice unintentionally and nearly deafened Silver.
The training hall became an absolute disaster zone.
Meanwhile Damien stood quietly near the far side of the room.
Observing.
Feeling.
Understanding.
The moment he activated his Aura again…
Something clicked naturally.
The Aether flowed through him almost effortlessly.
Like his body already understood it instinctively.
He concentrated the energy toward his feet.
Immediately the world felt lighter.
Then toward his ears.
Suddenly—
He could hear conversations across the room clearly.
“…still think Nova Reign sounds stupid,” Sasha whispered.
“I HEARD THAT,” Adrian yelled instantly.
Then Damien shifted the Aura toward his nose.
The scent of metal.
Electricity.
Cleaning chemicals.
Even the faint smell of coffee from some distant section of the base became clearer.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Interesting.
Then—
He moved the Aura toward his throat.
“Aether amplification test.”
The moment he spoke—
His voice carried perfectly across the hall.
Everyone turned toward him immediately.
Bobby blinked.
“…Okay that’s ridiculously cool.”
Damien looked down at his hands silently.
He had gone beyond what Dr.
Frost actually instructed.
And somehow…
It felt natural.
Too natural.
Across the room Adrian noticed immediately.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Damien could feel it.
The shift in atmosphere.
Adrian already viewed everyone as beneath him.
Especially after becoming Squad Captain.
And now—
Someone else was advancing faster.
Drew noticed Adrian staring.
“You okay?”
Adrian crossed his arms.
“…Yeah.”
But his eyes remained locked on Damien.
Not angry.
Not openly hostile.
But competitive.
Very competitive.
Sasha noticed too.
“You really hate being outdone, huh?”
“I’m not being outdone.”
“You literally crashed into a wall ten minutes ago.”
“That was tactical.”
“That was physics.”
Meanwhile the others slowly improved as time passed.
Once a few members finally understood Aura concentration properly, they began helping explain it to the others.
Sylvia helped Sandra and Grace stabilize their Aether flow.
Bobby somehow managed to explain Aura enhancement using sports analogies that surprisingly worked.
Drew assisted several Nova Reign members after quickly understanding balance control himself.
Even Adrian eventually regained his pride and began improving rapidly.
By late morning—
Most of the room had stabilized.
Golden Auras moved far more smoothly now.
People could enhance their speed.
Strength.
Senses.
Durability.
And while none approached Damien’s level of control…
Everyone had successfully grasped the basics.
Finally—
As noon approached—
The sixteen Superhumans stood across the hall again surrounded by controlled yellow energy.
The First Stage…
Aura Manipulation…
Had officially been mastered.