Meera and the Secrets of the Heavenly Art
And so, Arjun continued playing with Meera through the night, careless as ever. Other Players were either in the process of searching for the best way to strengthen themselves or had already begun grinding to increase their strength.
Soon, the Players became addicted to their new abilities-to smash rocks with their fists and leap meters in a single jump. It gave them a reason to feel good about themselves.
But for someone like Arjun, who was crippled and blind in the real world, he wouldn't mind spending all his time just playing with Meera, who reminded him so much of his younger sister.
Everything in the world was still under the night sky, except two figures and a ball.
"Meera, is it okay if you continue playing this far into the night? Won't your parents be worried if you don't go back soon?" he asked her, noticing she had played with him nearly all day.
"It's all right. Meera is always playing out here by herself, so they are used to it," she replied nonchalantly.
".". The more time he spent with her, the more his pity for her grew. "Meera, why don't we take a break from playing, and let me tell you some more stories?"
"Stories?" Her eyes started to glitter like stars in the night sky upon hearing the magic word, and instantly she sat by the tree.
Arjun sat next to her. "The stories I will tell you today are fairy tales from my homeland."
"Fairy tales? Like mythology and legends?"
"Well. not exactly. Fairy tales are more short stories made for entertainment rather than legends. They are pure fiction, so they aren't real."
"What's the difference?"
".You'll know when you hear them."
Arjun started narrating all the famous fairy tales from Earth that he had heard during his childhood, such as the story of a girl who woke up from her poison-induced sleep by the prince's kiss, mermaids in the ocean, and pirates fighting on the high seas.
Though it had been years since Arjun had heard these stories, he could still remember them very well, much to Meera's amusement. She had never heard anything like this before, and she was thoroughly enjoying every bit of it.
"These people. are they all mortals?" she asked suddenly.
"To my knowledge, yes."
"This is nothing like the stories of mythical beasts ruling the world or immortals defying Heaven. It's so normal, yet it's just so entertaining." Meera looked in surprise that mortals can be so interesting, even when they were at the center of these stories.
"Brother Arjun, do you have more fairy tales to tell me?"
"Unfortunately, that's all I could remember. But I shall find more to tell you"It's a promise!"
"It's a promise,"Arjun smiled.
"Okay, now it's Meera's turn to read." She opened the same book she had used to teach him Heaven's Secret Art.
"That's."Arjun wondered if she was going to teach him another skill.
"Although Brother Arjun has already learned the technique, you haven't fully mastered it. But with your powerful comprehension, I believe you will master it in no time," she said confidently.
And so, she began reading.
This time, however, Arjun understood the beginning, but as the words flowed, he started to lose his grip on them. It was like he was listening to some story that started off quite simple and then suddenly grew deeper, mysterious, and profound.
It took Meera almost an hour to finish reading the dozen-page book.
She finally looked at Arjun, who was still sitting, eyes closed, calm-faced, as if he had gone into a trance. "Brother Arjun is just a genius. " she mumbled to herself. "What others get only in several attempts, he does it in just one go. What takes many years for others to grasp—he masters it within hours."
She stared up at his face, entranced by his expression. "Who are you, really?"
«Your understanding of Heaven's Secret Art has grown significantly._
«Heaven's Secret Art Mastery Level has increased. (1 → 2).»
«You have learnt Heaven's Second Secret Art-Heaven Splitting Sword Strike._
«Heaven's Second Secret Art - Heaven Splitting Sword Strike._
«Rank: Divine._
«Mastery Level: 1._
«Description: Consumes 10,000 Qi. Must wield a sword to activate. Creates a pillar of light that will destroy everything in its path.»
Arjun opened his eyes, and Meera was leaning her head on his lap, the sky long past night, and dawn already peeking into the horizon.
"Morning already?" he was not sure how long he spent into that trance.
"Oh. You're awake, Brother Arjun," Meera rubbed her eyes and casually sat up. "Did you learn anything new during your enlightenment?"
"Enlightenment? Is that what that feeling was?"
"Yes."
"I see. Right, I've reached the second stage of Heaven's Secret Art and learned Heaven Splitting Sword Strike."
Meera looked at him, her eyes slightly wide, filled with surprise.
"Good job, Brother Arjun." She gave him a thumbs up. "But your cultivation base is still lacking, so you won't be able to use it right away."
"Right, it says I need 10,000 Qi for activation. Is it the same Qi I absorb while cultivating?"
She nodded in confirmation.
"It says here I have 5,010/10,000 Qi right now. If I max it out and then use the skill, then isn't my Qi just going to be depleted, and I'll have to cultivate it again?
"Your Qi will get recovered naturally when it's depleted until it gets back to its normal state, so you wouldn't need to cultivate each time you use a technique. But the natural recovery of Qi takes time and it slows down your cultivation. That is why the Cultivators don't waste their Qi," Meera replied as if she was some expert. "Also, if your Qi falls below a certain level, your body will weaken until you recover your Qi. If it is extreme, one will even faint or will never be able to cultivate anymore.
He needed time digesting it all, and "So if I have 100 Qi and use some sort of skill requiring 10 Qi my remaining 90 Qi would, on its own and without cultivating, recover back to 100?".
She nodded, and he knew the system inside out. "So, it is like any other game, yet with a slight twist that requires more management. Qi is required for skills and to make a breakthrough in cultivation; it would be unwise to waste it."
"Thanks, Meera. If not for you, I would still have been in the dark."
"Brother Arjun, gratitude is shown by deeds, not words." Saying this, she patted her head, making him chuckle.
"Right, right. Thank you very much." He laid his hand playfully upon her head.
After having enough of it, Meera gets up, and Arjun says, "It's about time I leave again, but I'll be back later."
Meera didn't block him this time, and nodded. "Goodbye, Brother Arjun. Play with Meera when you return, okay? Here, you can use this to call me." She handed him a necklace that she had just taken off.
Arjun accepted it without much thought. "Then, I'll see you later." He waved at her before vanishing from sight like a ghost.
After Arjun had logged off, Meera stared at the spot where he had stood, lost in thought. "Thank you, for playing with Meera." Her body started to glow with a beautiful light.
"It was fun. really, really fun." Her body broke into tiny lights resembling fireflies before floating toward the clouds and disappearing.
«Congratulations! Player Arjun has completed the world's first Hidden Quest!»
"Bhaiyya Arjun." Amidst the star-studded sky, a soft childlike voice echoed that evening.