Beast

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Sam yelled vigorously, staring into his light brown eyes.

"No, it's not impossible." Angela replied calmly, taking a sip of her coffee on the couch.

"In fact, I also used to have brown eyes. But as you can see now, they're green like natural grass." Angela continued casually.

Sam was still staring in shock at his eye color, completely ignoring Angela's presence, trying to see if there was any trick with the lighting to make his eye color appear lighter. But of course, he found no evidence of trickery.

"Sit down. Staring won't change your eye color, no matter how much you try. Or are you no longer interested in hearing more about the abilities?" Angela said with a frown, looking at the astonished Sam.

Finally, Sam looked at her after a few minutes of staring into the mirror. He calmed himself a bit and then sat on the couch.

Sam looked at her pure green eyes, like precious emeralds. He knew if what she said was true, it meant she had a deep mastery over her ability.

"The third way of using the ability comes after full mastery. This can be known by changing your eye color to a completely light shade. Often it's a very light sky blue or green. And in some extremely rare cases, a different color, but definitely not brown or black." Angela continued her explanation.

She paused for a moment, staring at Sam before continuing, "The third way is to summon the ability mentally. Simply having full control over when and how you use it. I'm not sure if you've experienced this yet or not, but the extent of 'your ability' varies depending on the energy you use. In a state of absolute mastery, you can control the extent of your ability, either using it to its full extent or in a minimal way."

'This completely explains the phenomenon of stopping time completely or slowing it down. When I have the energy... wait, what is the energy?' Sam's train of thought paused for a moment before he asked Angela, "What is the energy exactly?"

Angela smiled lightly and said, "Your overall well-being in general and your mental state specifically." Then she took another sip of her nearly finished coffee.

"Simply put, when your physical condition is ideal and you're well-nourished, you can use your ability up to eight or nine times before... well, you know what happens when you use it too much, right?" Angela asked, looking at the astonished Sam.

Sam stared at her before recalling his fainting spells. 'So, using the ability places a significant strain on my body and drains energy from it. And since my nutrition was somewhat poor, and I only had that one meal with Christina, I fainted after five uses at most. If I hadn't eaten with Christina, maybe I wouldn't have been able to do it even a fourth time.' Sam felt enlightened about the incident.

"So that's why you gave me those bags filled with food?" Sam inquired curiously.

"Sort of. When you deplete your ability entirely and haven't nourished yourself with external food, your ability will start depleting the energy reserves in your body. And when it's done, you'll start feeding off your own body."

"What?" Sam was taken aback by her words. Did this mean that the ability would consume him alive? Now? At this very moment?

"As I said, the ability requires a continuous supply of energy. Don't worry about weight; the ability sculpts your body to always look its best," Angela said and then demonstrated her body for a fraction of a second with pride.

'Cursed shit...' Sam cursed silently in his heart.

Angela noticed his melancholic expressions and said, "Don't worry. The ability doesn't care much about the type of nutrition you provide. Theoretically, you could eat anything with good calorie and energy content, and you'll be fine. Nevertheless, for the sake of mastering the ability, it's better to have a diet rich in natural beneficial ingredients for the body."

Sam shook his head and brushed away random thoughts, asking, "Alright, I understand the physical aspect. What about the mental and psychological side?"

Angela looked at him intently and said, "It's basically focus and willpower. Abilities have a tendency of making their users use them continuously. You could say they're like a caged beast, and your will and focus are the bars that keep this beast under control."

Sam felt a shiver down his spine. He remembered what happened at the café when he suddenly had an urge to stop time because the moving crowds were bothering him.

Angela noticed and said, "So, you've experienced that too? Oh my, I didn't feel that until weeks later. Your beast must be really eager."

Sam cursed quietly in his heart.

"So, what happens if you lose focus and willpower to control the ability?" Sam asked.

Angela paused and then simply said, "madness."

'Fu*k.' Sam cursed as he feels his scalp grows numb

"However, don't worry. You can overcome this by accelerating your mastery of the ability. At that point, 'the ability' won't become a beast eager to drain you but a docile pet that follows you everywhere." Angela said, looking comfortably.

"Also, the more your mental side improves, enhancing your willpower and fortifying your focus, the easier it becomes to control and restrain the ability and master it." she continued.

Sam looked at her and said, "Alright, what are the best exercises for that?"

"Hmm." Angela seemed puzzled for a moment before raising her head to look at him. "Simply put, it's about anchoring something in your mind that constantly reminds you of what's most important to you. You remind yourself by this thing day and night without boredom or fatigue. Then, your focus on it will make you sharp, and your determination to achieve it will also increase. Well, at least that's what I do."

Sam pondered her words, looking at his coffee. Something he saw as the most important thing to him? Did Sam have something like that?

He frowned as he realized he didn't have anything like that. There wasn't truly anything important to him. Not even money, power, or revenge. They were just things he wanted to do, not things that defined him. Not convictions or truths that defined who Sam was as a person.

His frown deepened after Sam realized he had no limits to what define him as a person in the first place. He was someone who struggled all his life. He never had the time to be with himself, and finally when he has the time, Sam never like being with himself.

What was that thing he saw as most important? Sam didn't have an answer for that.

Angela noticed his expression and said, "It's okay if you don't have something like that now. The important thing is that you're looking for it now, and maybe you'll find it some day."

Sam lifted his head and saw her faint smile, then he managed a weak smile, "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"You're welcome." Angela replied, then she looked out the window and said, "Alright, that's all I know about the abilities." She stopped for a moment before looking at Sam again and said "When do you want to execute the operation?"

"Tomorrow. I need to take care of a few things tonight." Sam replied nonchalantly.

"Do you understand everything about the operation? Is there anything I need to explain to you?" Angela asked, looking at him calmly.

"Yeah, I remember." Sam replied, "You didn't describe the shape of the gem or the stone or whatever you want in the papers."

"Oh, my negligence." Angela said with a smile.

'Wasn't omitting those details intentional?' Sam wondered.

"The gem will be green, a bit larger. You'll see it right in front of you at the cashier, and you'll recognize it instantly without even noticing. It's unique, and you won't mistake it for any other gem. Trust me."

"That should work then." Sam said, getting up and leaving his coffee cup on the table.

Angela suddenly said, "Give me your phone number. When I send you a 1, it means come to my apartment, and the same goes for you. It'll make communication easier without tracking or the like."

Sam looked at her for a moment, then took out his phone and handed it over.

Angela looked at the phone oddly, then at him, but quickly returned her gaze to her phone, registered his number, and sent a message to her own phone.

Her phone was also the latest iPhone model. Sam looked at it oddly, then at her, but quickly diverted his gaze back to the floor. It is really beautiful.

"Everything fine. See you later." Angela said, taking Sam's phone.

"See you later." Sam waved to her and left the apartment.