The Old Man sat down as well as he began to ask questions.
"How'd you do it?"
"With my brain?"
"What did it feel like when you were shaping the dorm space?"
"Like sculpting shit that's been sitting out for about an hour in the blazing sun."
The Old Man's eye lid twitched again.
"Sigh... I'm going to give you authority over this dorm space under the condition that you describe the difference before and after you had authority."
Daniel remained silent, as he scratched his chin.
"Old Man, it seems my ability to "shape" as you've described it, is out of the norm. If I'm correct, I'd like compensation for my contribution to your research." Daniel gave him a wide smile.
"che." The Old Man couldn't believe his ears! 'Is this punk really asking for compensation?!'
"You know what? Fine, I'll compensate you in the spirit of you being my future disciple." The Old Man returned to silence as he pondered the compensation he'd give Daniel.
'I need to know the differences, it's imperative for the security of the Halls. If this little bastard is able to shape even without authority, I need to know why. That way I may prevent future troubles from future probabilities.'
'If thats the case, in good conscience I cannot give him something worth less than that... Bah! I'm too lazy to think about something like this, I'll just ask the little shit!'
"What do you want for compensation?" The Old reclined against the couch.
Daniel slowly stood up before walking towards the center wall which would usually have a TV and entertainment center.
When his nose was inches away from the wall, the wall morphed into a window. The window looked out into a projection of Earth's northwestern forests.
The Old Man had his eyes peeled back like bulbous insect eyes.
"I don't know, Old Man. It feels like I'm grabbing semi hard mud and trying to shape it while it actively tries to revert to its original shape. My thoughts also tend to go sideways or upside down in the process, almost breaking my concentration." Daniel placed his hands behind his back as he stared at the projection. A soft feeling of homesickness gripping his gut.
The Old Man closed his eyes as he concentrated. 'I need to increase the rate of entropic forces and original intent.'
Once The Old Man pinpointed what he needed to do his mind stretched into the very fabric of the Hall in order to make the changes.
A Distortion field embraced the Old Man as he made the changes.
Daniel reached out, his curiosity overflowing.
*Bzzz*
The distortion field buzzed and sparked as Daniel pushed his hand into it.
'Woah. Could I control this?' Daniel reached out with intent and attempted to pull the distortion field.
The shape of the distortion field, originally an egg encompassing the old man, warped and stretched towards Daniel.
'Agh.' It felt like electricity was coursing through his veins as he pulled harder and harder.
Daniel eventually stopped, the electrical stimulation was too much. He then simply stood to the side as he waited.
After a few minutes the field distortion slowly stilled. The Old Man waved his hands and a ripple echoed throughout the dorm. "Try now."
Daniel grunted. "I can't do anything, well more like I'd expend too much energy to do anything."
A ripple echoed once more from the Old Man. "Try again."
Daniel extended his hand out and the floor turned into an infinite mirror. One of the many things he was captivated by in his early years.
"It feels like an extension of my mind. I'm hardly even trying to make this." After Daniel finished, he reverted the floor to the previous dark stone tile.
"Interesting, thank you. I'll let you rest now, when the time is right we'll resume this conversation. Goodnight, young Daniel." The Old Man left and Daniel was left alone in his room.
"Of course, it's another cliff hanger you old bastard." Daniel then walked towards his room slowly.
"Ugh, I've never fought someone. At least, before fighting for my life against beasts. What if I lose control and kill someone?" Daniel's thoughts turned sporadic due to nervousness as he recalled what was to happen tomorrow.
Daniel began to undress until he was only in boxers before jumping into bed and laying on his back.
"Sigh, I understand the whole honor thing for people in this world. But it's hard to empathize." Daniel rolled to his side as his heart beat thumped quickly.
'Growing up in a society which valued the individual and its achievements, fighting for a cause has only been a pipe dream. Now, my reality has shifted into one of groups?'
"You know what? Fuck this anxious shit! I'll face everything that comes at me with courage, I'll learn from my defeats and learn from the mistakes of others." Daniel unfurled the covers and began to do push ups.
"1.. 2.. 3.."
After doing one hundred push ups, his heart beat slowed down. He had expended all the nervous tension and was finally calm.
He stood up and slowly got into bed. His room had dark blue and grey walls. The projection changed into night as a bright moon shone through it.
The lull of rest embraced him as he dozed off.