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'Time to make it fly.'
I don't know how, but I resort to my imagination and slowly, the aura-clad stone began hovering above my palm.
"How odd."
Sensei replied, watching the stone and orb both hovering simultaneously.
"Do I need to explain my method?"
I asked.
"Keep them to yourself. The subjects are only hovering due to the alterations present. Now, I want you to move it around."
His orb was orbiting him and a single thought was enough to trigger my orb and aura-clad stone into orbiting around me.
"Is that a copy?"
He asked.
"No."
Elara replied.
"He sees, he understands and lets his imagination run wild."
"Lady Elara is half right and so were you for telling me my imagination is my limit."
"Half right? Where did I misunderstand?"
"I don't need to understand nor do I need to fully understand what's going on. All I have to do is think of a way to do it and it'll work."
"Hmm, an oddity in work."
"According to what you think, what's going on? Why are orbs behaving this way?"
"I don't know. It's gravity but instead of attraction, it's circulating. That's odd."
"It's not. It's part of the gravity. It's how celestial bodies orbit one another without colliding. Think of it like this: If you throw a stone forward, it curves down and hits the ground.
But imagine if you could throw it so fast that as it falls, the ground itself curves away at the same rate. It keeps missing the ground and keeps falling forever. That's exactly what is happening.
The planet is always falling toward the sun due to gravity. But its sideways speed keeps it moving forward fast enough that it never crashes, it just keeps missing and keeps circling.
"The same thing is happening to the orbs. Instead of hitting me, it keeps missing and trying. You're a fast and self-learner but you should know all these."
"I do now."
"Now you can make the orb fly. Can you use that method on a bigger body?"
With a poof sound, two mannequins, more like our clones were created.
"Both have the average mass of ourselves. Let's see if you can make them fly."
With the orbs still orbiting me mindlessly, I started with the little one.
"You're a genius, but I don't think you should multitask at this time of your age."
"Don't worry. I can manage."
Now that I've learned how to control my external aura, I needn't touch something to cloak it. It extended and wrapped itself around my mannequin.
I mistakenly know how to make myself the centre of gravity and right now, it's best to use the earth.
'It'll be easy. The mass won't matter, my pull does.'
My aura flowed like liquid and I began pulling it upwards. It's a matter of push and pull, a tug of war between my aura and the force of gravity. It wasn't hard at all, with my aura acting like invisible arms climbing and an invincible ladder, the Antares mannequin was hovering.
That's the same logic I applied to the stone. The spikes acted as hands, climbing invisible ladders.
Without wasting time, I channelled my aura to the next mannequin and it joined the trend.
'I've done it but I can pull further. I have more hands and they're ladders in all directions to climb.'
A dark glow enveloped my body, with each fluid motion, the little spikes held onto something, gradually pulling me upwards.
In no time, my feet left the earth, as I began to levitate.
'I can do it.'
With instructions and guides, I used my own way of thinking to levitate. I don't know if that's how others thought of this method or if it's just me, but I did it.
I was controlling four objects of different masses, letting the two orbiting around me while I let the other two hover. Not to mention I, myself, was going against gravity.
"This kid."
Zhou muttered and Ela simply chuckled, amused.
"Normally, this Nova Art is a gateway to Mega Arts and yet, you've mastered it in minutes. That's unbelievable."
For the first time since the rampage, I smiled.
"I want to learn something new."
I requested.
"You mean you want to start learning Mega Arts?"
"Yes."
"Hold your little cute legs right there."
Ela's voice echoed through the space.
"You just learned one of the hardest Nova Arts doesn't qualify you to set foot into the Mega Art tier."
'I don't need to see her but I know she's pointing at me.'
"With all at this rate, it'll be a waste of time in teaching him the remaining Nova Arts."
Zhou intervened.
"I know. But it's part of the Order that one must complete all Nova Arts before proceeding."
"I respect that."
"Don't worry, sensei. If I can clear them all today, we'll learn something new tomorrow."
"Just call me Ton."
"Ok. Ton...Sensei."
I can feel it. I'm gradually losing my cold side.
"You heard the prince."
"Prince? I thought I am a King?"
"You are. You're just too young to be a King. Get on with it."
With the silence that followed, she's waiting for us to begin and so I landed, discarding my gravitational control over the objects.
"There's little to learn concerning gravity such as..."
"Push..."
According to the laws of physics, gravity is only an attractive force. But in the world of gods, repulsion is possible.
"And pull?"
I pushed the mannequins away and drew them back.
'By distorting gravity's flow, inverting its natural pull into an outward surge, projecting that surge as a repulsive field, and stabilising it with sustained energy. He did it without the need for explanation and guidance. This kid...'
"Impressive."
Ela applauded.
"Now move on to the next."
Ela's insisting, Ton's ready to teach and I'm ready to clear. So why not?
I want to start a new chapter tomorrow so I didn't give in or play while learning. Minutes, no Nova Art was hard enough to drag me longer than that.
I cleared them all one by one to the point of setting an unbreakable no Dwarf could ever make and no Star ever did by learning all one hundred and one Nova Arts in a single day.
It was easy, all I had to do was think and it would just happen. I found myself scary today and was wondering how the future will be if I keep this up.
'Don't worry. You've been like this since it all began.'
'What are you talking about?'
'Oh, that's was just my thoughts.'
After calling it a day, Ton left and I went back into the palace.
"You went beyond my expectations today. No Star has ever cleared that much Nova Art in a single day."
I was seated next to Ela on a tide step, our feet dipping in the cold sea in front of us.
This place resembles the outside world, it has trees, flowers and the likes. But we're still in the palace and this is just a room.
"It was a long day. But I don't feel stressed at all."
I replied, my feet stirring in the water.
"Look who's talking. You were wise enough to tell a Supergod to slow down."
"I haven't forgotten what I said to Malmok. I planned on clearing a few Arts every day."
"One hundred and one Nova Arts aren't few."
"I meant when I start learning something new."
"You're still calling them something new huh?"
"Unless I learn one, I'll keep calling it that."
Silence grew between us, the sound of wind howling in the distance.
"Have you tried accessing it again?"
"Be specific."
"Etherium, the Parallel Plane of Energy."
"No. I haven't tried it since then."
"You should. It's a rare gift, you need to know about it."
"What if he escapes again?"
I asked, worried. Emotions are leaking from my voice.
"I've taken extreme measures to prevent that from happening."
"Really, what did you do?"
"I've made it possible that if he tries to escape, he'll be forced to sleep for a while."
"That's good."
"Yes. Unless you let him out, which I don't think you will."
"I'll never do that. Not after what happened to Aya."
"I know."
"My first friend was killed and I couldn't even mourn. That's so cold."
"It's just who you are."
"She's more than a friend to me. Yet I don't know what that other feeling was."
"Was? You don't feel it anymore?"
"Entares devoured them when he took control."
"Oh...do you miss Aya?"
"Yes. I do."
"Something is surfacing within you. No matter what it is, you hold onto it, ok?"
"I will."
"You're never alone. Aya gave you something, it'll be inappropriate if you let it sit dormant."
"Etherium. What is it about?"
To be continued...