Meeting (I)

Zero stretched, standing over a cliff in his human form. The sun was setting, making the world in Noriene feel even more magical. The orange, red, yellow, and blue were harmoniously mixed like art. M2 was sitting next to him, drawing the beautiful sunset on paper. A sweet aromatic smell of evergreen floated past them as the wind brought warmth. Standing on the cliff's edge, he could feel his energy revitalizing.

"You know, these days and age, you can barely get a glimpse of this in the city. One must take a trip to look for nature's beauty." M2 spoke, and he gazed into the distance. "Sometimes I wonder what have we done to our mother earth to destroy such beauty that one needs to take the time to look for it."

"Well, it's human nature to destroy and create new things."

"I'm not so sure; we create more than we destroy. The earth's natural beauty is deteriorating faster than we want to preserve what we have left."

Kiyro was silent for a moment. "All we can do is start from ourselves."

"Yes, that is true." M2 stopped drawing. "Learning how to draw is quite useful in my field of work. The amount of data one could preserve and capture at that moment is quite beneficial."

"Where did you learn that skill?" Zero thought it over; if he knew how to do basic drawings, it could help him immensely in drawing in his book. Moreover, the number of pictures he could show the readers what he was talking about would be very helpful without spelling out everything.

"I could teach you."

"Really?"

"Why not. It's a very easy skill to learn. Plus, you've been helping out on my quest that I am working on now. So think of this as a thank you."

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all."

Zero sat down next to M2. M2 handed him a parchment of paper and an extra pen that he had taken out of his Zenith pouch.

"Everyone can draw. The skill depends on accurately pinpointing what's in front of you and transferring it onto paper. For a beginner, one starts with an outline and then moves into shading.

Then as you get better, you draw shapes or shades first to create a form then you touch it up with an outline. A professional can move freely from shapes, shades, and lines to create style. This is not something easy to do."

Zero was hunched over his paper, trying to draw the trees in front of him. He licked his lips, completely engrossed in what he was doing.

"Not bad for a beginner. You have a knack for this. Are you sure you don't take drawing classes?"

Zero nodded his head no. "I'm just following what you just said. To follow the outline of the tree with my sight." His drawing was becoming clearer and more detailed. M2 was impressed with how quickly Zero picked up the skill, even though he was a beginner. "This skill will come in handy in drafting dungeon maps."

"Yes, it will. The more detailed it is, the higher the price. You should see the maps that are sold in the shop. They're hideous. I don't know who has been drawing them, but it's difficult to read half of them."

For the next couple of hours, Zero continued to draw his picture till he completed his drawing. Then, with a final touch, he signed the bottom of the drawing with his signature and placed it in his Drezo Regalia's History book that he was working on for his quest.

A new skill has been learned.

Drawing

Skill Level 1

One has learned how to create simple shapes, lines, and symbols using a pencil and a pen.

+ 1 art stats

Would you like to give a name to your artwork?

"Dusk"

Dusk is the first drawing ever completed by Zero. For a drawing from a beginner, it's not too bad. However, this drawing gives a feeling of melancholy to the viewers.

+ Low chance of bringing up memories when looked upon.

"What an interesting effect your drawing has." M2 glanced over his shoulder to take a look at his piece. "Who would've thought that there are such status effects like that? This is definitively something to note."

"This game has so many hidden features that I'm not surprised."

"You and me both." M2 leaned back onto his hands. "Have you ever heard about the Seed before?"

Zero was silent. He was very skeptical that anyone who brought up anything that had to do with the seed and was Adventurer was someone to be very cautious around. Especially because he was kidnapped and brought to the Psychic Academy for Seeders like him, if he wasn't careful, M2 could be an insider for the Academy he was in. It's been a couple of hours in the new Embryo Type II Machine, and Zero had brought the cat people not too far away from the hidden Draconis Village.

"Sort of. It was floating around on the web, wasn't it?"

They only need a good day's walk to get to the hidden village. In the time it was going to take to get there, he hoped nothing would happen, but he knew that could be too much to ask for. Zero, M2, and the Cat people had run into several monsters through the Forgotten Forest. From worm monsters, lizard types, spiders, and even a few flying bats were trouble.

The best part about the cat people was that they were strong warriors and helped fight off larger-level monsters pretty easily. Walking through the forest was like a walk in the park. What did slow them down was that the cat people had a short attention span. They would go out and chase after butterflies, bugs, and even flying bat monsters. It got so bad one of the bat monsters had a heart attack from being batted around like a toy.

"Yes. Several rumors are going around that supernatural things have been happening worldwide. I believe it could be some kind of bug in the game."

"It could be random data, don't you think?"

"No." M2 completely leaned back on the floor and lay down, staring up at the sky. "It's highly unlikely. The data on a Seed can't even be cracked. It's encrypted."

"Encrypted?"

"There is a security lock beyond the modern-day encryption. But, the strange part about it, the Seed seems to be alive."

"The Seed is alive? That sounds a bit far-fetched, don't you think?"

"Not when you see it on screen."

"Why are you telling me this?" Zero turned towards M2, carefully examining him. His hands were on his side. "Aren't you worried that someone might use this information against you?"

"Use this information against me? You?" M2 laughed a healthy laugh. "I don't see you as the type that would easily sell someone out. However, I also believe that this Seed is worth examining."

"I don't think that would be wise to endeavor."

M2 curiously turned towards his head and stared at Zero, wondering what he had just said.

"Look, sometimes being too curious would get you in deep trouble. You heard of that phrase curiosity killed the cat."

"So you know something."

Zero got up, looking away from M2. "No."

"I can tell you're hiding something. What is it?"

"Look, I said I don't know anything. Really."

"The corner of your mouth is twitching. You must know something."

Zero breathed in deeply and thought it over. If he told anything about where he was and what he was going through, it would spell disaster. He did not know what these people at the Psychic Academy could do to him. "Look, it's best that you don't know right now."

"So now you are saying there is something more. Interesting." M2 scratched his chin, and he got up. His hands went behind him, and he stared out into the distance. "I understand. I won't ask you anymore."

"Really?"

"Why, you want me to keep asking?"

"No. It's alright. I would appreciate it if you did not."

"You are the third person who could not answer my question. There are three types of people when it comes to the Seed. The first is the people who know and will share the information, the second is the people who hide the information to make themselves powerful, and the third is those who do not have a choice." M2 turned around. "You are the third."

Zero was speechless. He got all that out of just having a short conversation with him. He thought he was good at reading people's minds and even got the so-called Telepathy skill. If only he could consciously activate the skill with his own will, he would love to take a peek into M2's mind.

"You think so?"

"I know so. I am a Seeder. An a Seeder can feel when there is another Seeder standing in front of them. All it takes is to listen to one's guts." M2 stepped forward, making Zero feel a bit uncomfortable. "When a Seeder meets another Seeder, do you know what happens?"

"No."

"The energy that we give off shimmers like a light bulb. We send out three times more power than a normal being." M2 grins. His cat eyes widened in interest staring beyond what Zero could not see. "You give off that same power of an Awakened."

"Awakened?" Zero stepped back too far, and his feet hit the cliff's edge. He cursed at himself for choosing such a high place to have momentary peace, especially with someone like M2 nearby who seemed to him that he had found an interesting toy.

"Awakened," he said. You can't be serious; you don't know?"

"I'm new to this like you. I'm trying to connect the dot here and helping to finish the quest."

M2 sighed and stepped back. The shimmer of his eyes was gone; instead, he was holding his head as if he had a headache. "Here, I thought I had something." He muttered.

"An explanation is in order after you just antagonize me for questions. You seem like the type to share information."

"Not for free." M2 squinted and his eyes gleamed. "What would you give in exchange for the information that I could give you."

"I can tell you what I heard about Seeders."

"That is a start. Go on."

"You will give me information if I tell you about mine?"

"Yes. Yes. I promise."

Zero sighed. He, too, felt like he was chasing around in circles for answers he barely knew.

"Seeders are psychics in real life."

"That's it?"

"Yes. That's the best I could give you."