I Tried to Feel (2)
POV: Xavier
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Xavier
Age: 5 (9)
Gender: Male
Species: Homo Sapien
Race: French / English
Class: Telekineticist (Rank E)
Stats: | Affinity:
Strength: 9 | Common
Agility: 9 | Common
Stamina: 8 | Common
Ability Control: 48 | Star +
Pressure: ?? | World
Skills:
Telekineses: (Rank F)
Proficiency: 23/100
Telekinetic Slam: (Rank D)
Proficiency: 11/100
Teleparthy: (Rank E)
Proficiency: 19/100
Observers:
Archaea
Sol
Alpha Centauri B
Wolf 359
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You are being forcibly returned to Floor 1
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Reality rippled using me as its epicenter. As my control over my domain returned, I reshaped the ripples into folds and began to neatly stack reality around me. I soon realized that my control was an illusion that I had planted myself. The area around me was being reconstructed regardless of my influence. It was a foreign feeling.
I slowly opened my eyes and let the white light temporarily blind me.
So this, is teleportation.
In that moment, I felt a strange kinship to the system. It was as if it was giving me a hint. It was the master and I was the student. Its lessons were few so I cherished every one.
As my consciousness began to return and colors began to manifest in front of me, I looked down towards my hands. They were still small, but not nearly as much as before. This place was changing me on a physical level. Chronologically, I was still five, but, biologically, I was now older. Arlo was the first to notice the change, before even I could.
Arlo...
The others appeared instantaneously. There were no effects or spatial distortion; they simply came into being next to me.
As soon as Hazel appeared, I funneled energy to my legs, ran up to her, and grabbed onto her waist. Her warmth immediately flooded over me and made me feel at home. My eyes were shut tightly, and I had no intent to open them.
I knew where I was.
This was the home Arlo had taken us to. This was where he tried to rebuild a family for me. As long as my eyes were shut, I could delude myself into believing that he'd still be there when I opened them. Hazel's soft hand ran over my head and began to twirl strands of my hair into spirals.
Jeremiah's voice was the first sound the room heard, "We're home."
My eyes burst open instinctively and darted from side to side.
A crippling wave of disappointment crashed over me as I saw my surroundings.
Nothing was the same as before. There was a single wooden bed and 4 white walls surrounding us.
This was a prison, not a home.
I looked over to Jeremiah's face in anger, but quickly calmed down as I saw the disappointment planted clearly on his face as well.
I was slightly taken aback by Jeremiah's sarcastic remark. It wasn't like him to use that kind of humor.
Aria seemed to melt in place, "This room can't get any worse."
Ezra walked over to the wooden bed and knocked three times. He shot Aria a smirk as she let a light chuckle that seemed to momentarily break her away from her feelings of sadness.
Jeremiah cleared his throat, "Listen. I know it may not look like much right now, but that doesn't mean we can't upgrade it like before."
"Yeah! We're going to get our poolroom back!" Gael shouted excitedly.
Ezra scoffed, "There's no way we're getting another Epic ranked key. That was a stroke of luck."
Gael's eye quickly morphed into a violet whirl. "We are going to get - our - poolroom - back."
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You are being affected by the skill 'Incite'
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I clenched my teeth as I tried to resist any of Gael's influence. I hated it when he did this.
Unfortunately, Ezra didn't fare as well as I did.
Ezra jumped up on the wooden bed and began shouting, "From this day forward, we will not stand for a dry environment! We will strive for an aquatic one!"
The soft clapping and cheering from the others nearly made me lose my mind. It wasn't even that strong of a skill.
They truly wanted the pool back.
My lips curved up as I realized the sinister truth that I hid from myself. I wanted it back too.
Ezra continued, "Look at that wall!"
I turned my head to where he was pointing and saw the blank white wall.
Gael laughed maniacally as he joined in the speech, "It's dry!"
Ezra let out a hearty bellow, "That's right!"
As a primitive feeling of hunger rose from the depths of my stomach, a soft growl came from it. I buried my face back in Hazel's side as the group cheered them on.
The hunger took me a bit by surprise, but I had only had one meal for the past few days so it made sense.
Hazel continued stroking my hair while speaking, "Let's try to use these food rations. It's been a while since we ate."
Hazel, I love you!
Hazel seemed to have the beautiful gift of being able to read my mind without telepathy.
I listened closely as footsteps ominously approached me.
"It won't let us." Kenji spoke with a dark tone.
My head popped out of Hazel's side as I tried to summon the reward from my inventory.
It was a tricky task that involved deep visualization. It took a few moments to picture it correctly, but after a few seconds, the mold I had mentally created locked into place. Violet motes manifested near my hand, but quickly fizzled out.
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Error-
Food rations require kitchen / storage room
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A part of my soul collapsed as I read the notification. The image I had materialized was a bag of 'Cheez-that's. Now, I had to live with the perfect idea of 'Cheez-that's in my head without any actual 'Cheez-that's.
I thrust my head forcefully back into Hazel's side as I begged the world to fall apart once again and teleport me to anywhere but here.
Jeremiah nodded, "It looks like we need a kitchen."
"Let's just get to work then. If we kill enough creatures on the third floor, we might get a room upgrade." Nikita spoke with a soft, gentle voice.
While her voice was calming, the words themselves put me on edge. We had just seen the kind of people that were on the Third floor. Before every encounter, we would have to make a moral decision. It was something I never would have expected when I was on the second floor.
As I was lost in a brief philosophical debate with myself, a mysterious pressure pushed down on me.
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Alpha Centauri B is interfering with your system
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My eyes widened at the notification. Alpha Centauri was the closest planetary system to the Solar System. I racked my brain to remember what the astronomy tutor my uncle had bought for me said. For once, I was glad that my uncle tried to cram as much information in my head as humanly possible.
The tutor only mentioned one thing about the system. It was binary. As a matter of fact, it could even be considered trinary when the small sibling star, Proxima Centauri, was included.
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Alpha Centauri B is forcibly reducing his pressure on you
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It didn't help. I couldn't even look at the screen for longer than a second. It was similar to staring at the Sun, but there was no light at all.
It wasn't saying anything either. It had simply made its presence known to me. It was a risk, but I felt like I needed to communicate with the being somehow without being noticed.
I couldn't let this opportunity slip away.
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Activating Telepathy
Proficiency: 19/100
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Telepathy critically failed
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All sound cut off completely as I whipped my head around the room in a daze. A soft ringing persisted for a second but cut off abruptly.
Why can't I hear anything?
I slowly moved my eyes to meet Hazel's. Her eyes were panicked, and she was evidently screaming something. I tried reading her lips to no avail. Time was warping back and forth. My senses couldn't seem to choose whether to speed up or slow down my perception of time.
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Alpha Centauri B is mocking you for your foolishness
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I could feel the words on the screen etch themselves into my core. I didn't need to see it; it felt like it had just been branded on my chest.
It was a ridiculous idea. I tried to read the minds of a star, or at least someone that has enough pull to impersonate one.
I looked down to see the cause of their panic. A flowing stream of blood fell down from my ears and landed on my arms. It wriggled its way across the hairs on my skin and fell like a waterfall onto the white floor.
The white floor's influence began to wane as the imposing red stream conquered each inch of space that the white color had laid claim to.
To my surprise, it didn't hurt. The only pain I felt was from the anxiety I felt in my chest. The sheer horror from losing one of my most valuable senses was only now cementing itself in reality.
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Alpha Centauri B is repairing your eardrum
Probability Cost: Negligible
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The break was instantaneous, but the reconstruction was not. It felt like a thousand tiny needles scraping the inside of my ear. I put my hands over my ears as the worried comments of those around began to return.
Their pitches were broken at first. I could only hear the bass in their voice, but after a few seconds, the higher tones began to pronounce themselves.
Hazel grabbed onto me tightly and pretended to be reassured, "Xavier, everything's going to be ok."
Jeremiah looked panicked, "Xavier, can you hear me!?"
I looked at him slowly and nodded.
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Alpha Centauri B reminds you of your lack of power
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I grunted audibly.
That message was unnecessary.
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Alpha Centauri B is materializing an item
Probability Cost: Negligible
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Storage Upgrade (Poor) Acquired
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I stared blankly at the notification as Lani splashed a bit of water in my face.
Why are you helping me?
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Alpha Centauri B shakes its head.
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Alpha Centauri B reminds you that you are worthless.
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Alpha Centauri B is returning your system back to normal.
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A strange feeling of anger and awe came over me. It felt like a celebrity had just insulted me directly.
Lani stopped splashing water in my face as I looked up at her.
"Oh! Xavier, did the water help?"
I shook my head like a puppy then nodded.
Lani smiled, "I'm glad you're okay now. Y-you're okay right?"
As I materialized the room key upgrade, I looked up to see many shocked faces, "I'm alright."
To be honest, the only thing I wanted right now were the 'Cheez-that's.
Jeremiah's wrapped his arm around me as he helped me up. He gave me a soft smile as he saw the key in my hand.
Jeremiah also had that strange telepathic ability that Hazel had. He didn't ask where I got it from, and knew that I wanted to unlock the room myself.
As my surroundings began to stabilize, I let Jeremiah support me to the door. My legs were fine, but it still felt cool to me in a strange way.
There was a commotion still evident behind me, but I ignored all of their words. There was only one thing in this universe that mattered right now.
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Storage Room unlocked
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As the key fell into the hole, a door appeared right next to me. I ducked under Jeremiah's arm and opened the door.
Before me was a golden bag that seemed to shimmer and magnify the white light being cast upon it.
Ezra was stunned. "How did you do that!? We didn't get any snacks with our rations last time!"
Nikita's small lips curved up, "Xavier, go ahead."
The pain from losing Arlo was still present even in this moment. I had never thought it was possible to lose so much. I lost my uncle, my tutors, my house, my city, my state that kept me fed, and my predetermined goals. They all disappeared in an instant. After losing so much, I couldn't believe how foolish my body was being right now.
Tears streamed down my face as I broke into a pained laugh. It was a beautiful feeling. I had a small victory today. I rescued a child and even befriended him, I saw what it was like to be a jaguar during the time of the Mayan Federation, and now, the last bit needed to tip me over the edge was right in front of me.
I ran over to the bag and tore it open. As quickly as I opened it, I raced back to the others to share. It was one of the last things I remembered my mother telling me to do. Smiles filled the room as we greedily took handfuls of the flavored crackers.
My eyes slowly looked up at the white ceiling.
Arlo, can you see this?