Lucius and Kiana headed to the training area, as it had everything they would need to test out her new gift. There were plenty of practice dummies along with targets for archery practice, which they could use.

They came to stand in front of one such practice dummy and started.

“Alright, use it on the dummy and see how it goes.” Lucius spoke.

Kiana nodded her head and extended her hand towards the dummy. 

~shing~

A needle formed from her palm and then shot out at a great speed. Lucius could barely see it due to being small and fast. The color of the needle was also silver, which made it a bit noticeable as light would flicker of it. If the color was changed, it could become a very good sneak attack.

The needle hit the practice dummy and got embed in it instantly. Lucius and Kiana walked to check the damage and saw that the needle was pierced about three-quarters of the way in. 

One had to know that the dummy was made out of wood that was tough enough to withstand attacks from strengthening gifts. But even then, the needle had been able to piece that far into it. This showed the strength of the gift, which was already quite good.

‘Even without the petrifying effect, this will still be lethal to most people.’ Lucius thought.

But looking at the surface of the dummy, they couldn’t see any petrifying effect, which meant that it wouldn’t work on inanimate objects like these. 

~Sigh~

“Should have expected this…” Lucius muttered to himself before looking at Kiana.

“Let’s try it on something living now.” Lucius spoke.

“Won’t that be dangerous? Using someone as a target.” Kiana asked with concern.

“It doesn’t have to be a human or an animal. I reckon plants should work as well.” Lucius replied.

“Alright, let’s try.” Kiana said, and they left the training hall.

They didn’t have to walk far, as there were plenty of plants and trees in the mansion’s area. Finding a tree nearby, Kiana got ready to use her gift.

~thud~

Unlike before, a peculiar thud could be heard as the needle got stuck in the bark. Even from this distance, they could see the change happening. 

“Look! It works!” Kiana said with excitement.

Lucius nodded and got closer to see the effect better. On the bark of the tree, a radius of about three centimeters around the needle was petrified. It was transformed into a stony layer and when Lucius tried to touch it, he found it to be hard.

“How’s the drain on your Aether?” he questioned.

“Hmm… it’s higher than before, though it seems to be manageable.” Kiana answered.

“By higher than before do you mean the attempt on the dummy, or when you had your old gift.” Lucius questioned.

“Oh, I mean the attempt on the dummy. If I compare it to my old gift, the consumption is slightly more than it. Though the speed and power are greatly increased from what I saw.” Kiana replied.

“How many times were you able to use your old gift before you ran out of Aether?” Lucius asked, wanting to get a rough estimate.

“Hmm… it varied, but it was usually 250 to 300 uses.” Kiana replied after thinking for a couple of seconds.

“I see… we need more tests,” Lucius said before getting Kiana to use her gift again.

They kept on doing it till all of Kiana’s Aether stores were depleted.

~huu~

Kiana took a tired breath as she sat down on the ground.

“Haven’t exhausted my Aether like this in a long time.” Kiana said.

“I’ve read it’s good to do that. It increases your overall stores with each depletion. This will be beneficial since your gift needs more Aether.” Lucius stated.

Kiana had been able to shoot about 173 needles before all her Aether was drained. This number was when she used the petrification effect of the needle, but if she didn’t use that Lucius reckoned that she would be able to use the skill at least 200 times before exhausting herself.

“This should be enough for now. Tomorrow we’ll test again and see what other effects your gift has and the limitations. It is best if we know more about your gift before we go hunt down the bandits.” Lucius spoke.

“As you suggest,” Kiana said before going to rest for a bit more.

Lucius though, waited there as it was nearly time for his daily swordsmanship lessons anyway. Soon John came and began the lessons. Though he saw that Lucius was a bit more sluggish today.

“Are you feeling fine?” John asked with concern.

“Yes, I’m fine. Just spent some extra time working earlier. I’ll be better tomorrow.” Lucius replied.

“Alright, if you say so.” John said.

They continued the practice for two hours before John said it was enough for today. Once they were done, though, an idea appeared to Lucius.

“Lieutenant John, can I ask you a request?” Lucius spoke.

“A request? Sure, though it will depend if it’s within my capabilities.” John replied.

“Yes, it should be definitely be possible for you. What I want is for you to accompany me and Kiana in a mission.” Lucius said.

“What kind of a mission and where?” John asked, feeling apprehensive.

“The mission is to… hunt down some bandits who recently attacked the soldiers of our territory.” Lucius revealed.

“Wait! You want to go and kill those bandits that the Count talked about?” John asked for confirmation.

“Yes, I’d like to take care of them, as they’re an extra thorn in our life. The territory is already strained as it is due to the Viscount leaving and the trade falling. Also, I would like to get some actual experience fighting bandits. After all, I can’t just stay home all the time.” Lucius said.

John did not answer straight away and thought for a few minutes. If he was honest to himself, he wanted to kill the bandits too when he heard about this. He was a soldier too, and this would actually be his duty had it not been for him teaching Lucius.