Chapter 4: Blue Life
In a charming little hotel room, a young man lay on his back, resting in bed and sleeping peacefully. The rays of sunlight that streamed into the room gently touched his sleeping face, while the curls of his brown hair glistened softly in the light.
The boy stirred slightly for a few seconds before opening his eyes, his eyelids revealing irises that were a mix of green and gray.
It was 6 AM, the dawn had just rise. Landon stretched for a few moments before getting out of bed.
He went to the bathroom to freshen up.
'Alright, let's start the day with some Haki training.' Landon dried his face with a towel that hung around his shoulders as he returned to the room, deciding what he needed to do.
'I'm not crazy enough to train my Devil Fruit here, so let's go with Haki training. Hmm, I'm getting mastering Observation Haki, so let's work on Armament...' Landon wanted another means of attack besides his claws, which were capable of ripping a living being in half with a single movement, or his flames, which could burn at a temperature slightly above that of ordinary fire, around 1000°C.
' that must be around 1200... Quite curious since blue flames have a temperature of 2000°C, hot enough to melt steel,' a level Landon knew he couldn't reach.
'Whatever, my flames are mainly for healing.' And that's exactly how Landon intended to use them. He already had plans he was going to start today.
"Fouhhh..." Landon took the towel from around his neck, tossed it onto the bed, and took a deep breath.
The curly-haired boy closed his clear eyes and delved into his memory, retrieving precise recollections of Marco's training methods.
And even though Landon knew Marco was the lazy type and didn't train much, there were still several training methods, combat techniques, and more.
Marco relied heavily on his Devil Fruit, which meant his fighting style depended on the sharp talons and claws he had on his hands and feet, especially his feet. Marco mostly fought with his feet while flying around his enemies.
Landon had inherited this combat style and knew he could master it fairly easily, but he preferred to fight using his Haki rather than his Devil Fruit, at least for now. His Devil Fruit was too conspicuous and potentially dangerous. Landon was convinced that this world, though unknown and full of mysteries, was undoubtedly less dangerous than the One Piece world, which was populated by monsters and powerful enemies.
He didn't want to fight with his claw or blue fire unless his opponent proved too dangerous and the situation demanded it.
Landon dove through all his memories again and chose a hand-to-hand combat method that primarily used fists, with some knee and elbow movements. It was a style somewhat similar to boxing.
Landon opened his eyes and assumed a fighting stance. He started by slowly executing basic movements, striking the air with his punches, using his Observation Haki to perfect his positions, and gradually picking up speed.
Landon focused and tried to impose his will on his arm, maintaining the image of a black armor covering the skin of his fist in his mind.
He paid attention to his breathing, taking breaths and releasing them at the right moments to match the rhythm of his strikes.
Landon gradually forgot about everything around him and focused solely on his training.
He continued like this for about half an hour. He struck the air at the speed of a professional athlete. It could be observed that each punch, when it hit the imaginary target, was covered with a thin black layer; the Haki provided a powerful reinforcement to the punch, which could be heard. With each impact with the air, a very slight "Boom" could be heard, resulting from the shock with the air.
The Haki was very faint and barely covered his entire fist, lasting only half a second, but it was already much better than yesterday, when he could barely cover a few inches for a tenth of a second, and that after concentrating for a whole minute.
He continued for another half hour. He increased the pace, reaching a superhuman speed. He began incorporating other movements: jumps followed by knee strikes, elbow blows, but the black layer of Haki never extended beyond his fists.
He was pulled from his training by the ringing of his watch, which he had set as an alarm.
Landon stopped, wanting to rest. He thought about sitting on his bed but didn't want to get sweat on the sheets, so he just sat on the floor and caught his breath, allowing his incredible regeneration and endurance to kick in. A few seconds later, his breathing and heart rate were back to normal.
He stood up, no longer feeling the fatigue in his bones; being a phoenix had given him insane regeneration and endurance, bordering on immortality.
Landon went to the bathroom and took a shower.
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Landon arrived at the place that, for now, was going to become his second home. He looked at the building and read the sign above the entrance:
Beacon Hills Hospital
Landon was a bit nervous; this was the place where he would be taking the most risks. He would need to be cautious and discreet.
The young boy wore blue jeans and a sweatshirt, his head covered by the hood. He entered the building.
The place was bustling. He saw nurses, mostly female. He saw doctors walking down the hallways in their coats. There were patients with injuries, broken arms and such, mostly minor and non-fatal wounds. There were also patients coughing, blowing their noses, with dark circles under their eyes, looking tired and sick.
Landon spread out his Haki, perceiving the general situation. He received a multitude of information, seeing the condition of the patients, and didn't notice anything serious for now. He continued on his way, walking through the hallways, being careful not to make eye contact with the nurses or doctors, not drawing their attention, walking with his head down while sensing their intentions to see if he had been noticed.
'For now, it's cool.' Landon continued on his way until he reached the sign next to the elevator:
Basement: Morgue / Sterilization Service / Medical Equipment Storage
Ground Floor: Reception and Information / Emergency / Radiology and Medical Imaging
1st Floor: General Surgery / Operating Room
2nd Floor: Intensive Care Unit (ICU) / Cardiology
3rd Floor: Maternity and Obstetrics / Pediatrics
4th Floor: Oncology / Hematology
5th Floor: Neurology / Psychiatry
6th Floor: Internal Medicine / Geriatrics
'Hmmm, I can't do much in Maternity or Psychiatry, so let's focus on the 2nd floor where the seriously injured are.' Landon decided after observing the sign.
He decided to take the stairs instead of the elevator, not wanting to be in a confined space where he could easily be noticed.
He climbed the stairs and realized he had made the right decision; there were very few people taking the stairs, preferring the elevator.
He reached the door to the second floor but didn't enter yet. He sensed a nurse passing through the hallway with his Haki, waited about ten seconds, and silently opened the door.
The hallway was mostly empty, except for a few nurses at the floor's reception desk chatting among themselves without noticing him, and a patient walking with his IV pole in his right hand, rolling it beside him.
Landon walked discreetly and entered the hallway where the patients' rooms were. He sensed their presence and their condition.
'Let's focus first on the patients with the most serious injuries.' Landon perceived three patients with his Haki: a middle-aged man with injured ribs, a young woman with appendicitis, and an elderly man with broken ribs, but also a punctured lung.
'The first two will heal on their own without any problem, but the third, even though his injury has been treated, with his advanced age and already fragile health...' he sensed with his Haki the man's life force gradually fading.
Landon wasted no time; he walked to the third patient's room and quietly opened the door.
The patient was sedated and asleep. The young man approached him and looked at him for a second, an elderly African-American man with white hair, sleeping so peacefully.
'He looks like a kind grandfather.' Landon watched him for a few seconds before snapping out of his thoughts.
'I'd better hurry...' He extended his arm, and a flame appeared in his palm, illuminating the room with its mix of light blue and gold. He reviewed one last time the exact use of his power.
'Well, the difference between my attack flames and my healing flames depends solely on my intention and my will. If I intend to harm someone, my flames will burn them, but if I intend to heal someone, my flames will cure them.' Landon clarified for himself.
He pressed the flames against the patient's chest, targeting the site of the injury. He focused his Haki on the patient to see exactly what was happening, while also keeping a small part of his Haki monitoring what was happening behind the door, not wanting to be interrupted or discovered in this situation.
He watched as his flames passed through the flesh without causing any harm. He saw the light blue flame concentrate on the injury at the lung, with one part of the flame burning away certain targeted areas, like tiny bits of bone that the doctors hadn't been able to remove, until the flames made them disappear from the wound, while another part began to heal all the damaged nerves and cells. A third part spread throughout the patient's body, traveling through the veins, skin, organs, and muscles, revitalizing all the cells.
He saw that the process was fairly quick and would take about fifteen minutes to completely heal everything.
'Too slow, anyone could walk in...' the young boy thought with concern.
Landon started by slightly increasing the intensity of the flames to see how the patient or the injury would react, but he saw nothing but the wound healing faster.
Landon smiled, and this time, the flame on his palm that was flowing through the patient's body transformed into a torrent of blue and gold, illuminating the entire room.
"Hmpffff..." Suddenly, the old man took a deep breath and slightly arched his back, before relaxing and falling back onto his bed.
Landon's heart raced at the sight, but he noticed that the man was still asleep and that nothing had changed except the contented look now on the patient's face.
He relaxed, the worry in his gray-green eyes fading, and refocused his attention on his Haki.
He saw that the wound and the patient's condition were in much better shape than they had been a few seconds earlier, the injury was healing at an incredible speed, and he would be fully healed very soon.
About 15 seconds later, Landon stopped his fire and withdrew his arm.
"Fouhhh," he sighed, the accelerated healing had put a slight strain on his abilities.
The patient was now completely healed. Moreover, his fire had revitalized all the cells in his body; he was undoubtedly in much better condition than he was before the injury.
Landon smiled at this amusing thought.
He moved his Haki into the hallway to see if anyone was there and left a few seconds later.
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In the Woods of Beacon Hills
"Alison, can you tell me what we're doing here?"
Two girls stood in the middle of the woods. The first, tall and slender, wore a black leather jacket with black jeans. She had long black hair, dark eyes, a sculpted face, and a defined jawline, similar to that of the top models. Her beauty was stunning, and she held a bow in her hand. She was the same girl Landon had seen the previous day.
The other girl, the one who had just spoken, had a slim but more rounded and curvier figure. She had hair that was almost blonde but tinged with red, hazel green eyes, freckles, and dimples on both cheeks. She wore a white and blue summer dress, exuding a strange natural beauty, like a flower blooming.
"I wanted to stop by here before heading to school. Now that I'm no longer trembling, I want to shoot a few arrows..." Alison said with a big smile.
"And you had to drag me into all this...?" the redhead asked sarcastically.
"Come on, Lydia, you're my best friend. Who else would I do this with?" Alison replied, still smiling.
"I don't know... Hmm..." The girl named Lydia paused and struck a thoughtful pose, hands on her chin, before saying:
"Isaac?" she asked softly.
Alison didn't reply, simply looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
The redhead just shrugged, innocent.
The two girls looked at each other for a few seconds and giggled.
They walked side by side towards an open field further ahead, which would serve as an archery range.
"I hope there are no more traps. Once was enough..." Lydia said, not having fond memories.
"Oh no, the police took care of it yesterday, don't worry." Alison replied, still smiling. Nothing seemed to dampen her mood; she was finally feeling better, no more post-traumatic visions of her deceased aunt or nightmares.
Lydia looked at her for a second, shaking her head in amusement at her friend's mood.
"If you say so, I guess you have..." But Lydia didn't finish her sentence, stopping abruptly in her tracks.
Alison turned around to look at her.
"Lydia, are you okay?" The brunette observed her friend, but noticed that her mind was elsewhere. She approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, Lydia, can you hear me? Are you..." The redhead couldn't hear her words anymore. She was becoming less and less aware of her surroundings; the sounds, the noises, the distractions all around her were gradually disappearing.
Lydia saw something in front of her, as if it had always been there in the woods, but only now could she see it.
She moved closer and saw what it was:
A flame floated in the air, a mix of light blue like the sky, with touches of gold running through it, It was magnificent...
She didn't feel any heat emanating from the flame. Instead, she felt... emotions coming from the flame: joy, smiles, sadness, sorrow, regrets.
It was as if this flame represented...
Alison knew she was speaking in vain; her friend had completely forgotten her presence. She watched as the redhead moved away from her hand and took slow steps, absorbed by the vision of something. Alison watched Lydia stop and reach out her hand.
As Lydia extended her hand, the flame, of its own accord, moved closer to her. As it came closer and closer, Lydia could only feel it, instinctively closing her eyes. She began to hear laughter, crying. She began to smell the scent of warm bread and pastries; she felt the carefree and innocent feelings she once had at one time. Childhood memories came back to her.
The flame moved closer to her, passed her hand, and gently moved through her chest. Lydia, feeling breathless, opened her eyes in shock, feeling her whole body catching fire, but the flame did not harm her. It burned with a soft and friendly warmth. Lydia closed her eyes again and let herself be carried away by the sensation.
The laughter, the smells, and the emotions she was feeling quickly faded. The sensations disappeared, but left no void. A new feeling took their place.
She saw a strange scene, the image of her own body that she had of herself, curling up in her thoughts.
She heard a distinct sound, a regular and soft beat, it sounded like a heartbeat, but she felt it wasn't hers. With her sense of touch, she felt a warm liquid gently covering her entire body.
She felt comfortable and safe, more at ease and protected than she had ever felt. She was at peace, without a single worry. It was as if she was bathing in love itself, no longer feeling a beginning or an end.
And then reality hit. Suddenly, she felt herself falling.
"Lydia, Lydia, LYDIA..." Alison was shouting her name, shaking her shoulders.
The red-haired girl, coming back to herself, took a deep breath and looked around, not understanding what had just happened.
"Lydia, are you okay? What's wrong with you? Did you see something?" Alison looked at her friend with concern.
"I don't know..."
"I'm not sure..." Lydia murmured, lost, her mind still immersed in the experience.
Alison looked at her with a serious expression.
"Lydia, did you see danger... is someone going to die?" Alison knew about her best friend's gift.
Lydia immediately shook her head in denial.
"No," she murmured.
"It's not death I saw, but something else." Lydia slowly making sense of the scenes, the emotions, the sensations she had experienced and felt.
Alison looked at her, confused. She knew that her friend's gift was to foresee or sense death. Yet she said nothing.
"Life, its nature, its core, its essence. I saw it all the way to childhood, i think even back to my mother's womb..." Lydia murmured slowly. The girl felt something fall onto her hand. She looked down and saw one of the many tears that were falling from her eyes.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone