The sanctuary had always hummed with a quiet, underlying power, as though each wall and glowing leaf pulsed with life. But now, the familiar warmth felt hollow, the air heavy with silence. The bioluminescent vegetation that usually sparkled with ethereal light had dulled to a faint, ghostly glow. It felt as if the entire sanctuary was holding its breath, its connection to the world's energy reduced to a whisper.
The moment Naria crossed the threshold of the dimensional rift, Niu felt it—a sudden severing, like a snapped cord in his chest. The bond that had always hummed with her presence, quiet but reassuring, was gone in an instant. An emptiness took its place, spreading a hollow ache that left him feeling strangely exposed.
A dry, bitter taste filled his mouth, like ash clinging to his tongue. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to rely on that connection. Her presence had been a lifeline, a channel through which he had drawn the world's energy. The thought struck him: *"The world recognized me through her."*
"What is happening to Mother?" Niu could sense this was not ordinary. "I felt her presence trying to check up on me, but it was out of desperation." Fear began to seep into Niu's heart. The only friend he had called to him, and he could not help.
For the first time, Niu was acutely aware of just how much of his power and stability had come from that connection, how deeply his understanding of the world was intertwined with his mother's essence. As the Chosen of the Winged Deity, Naria's spirit was infused with a divine affinity, and through her, he had received a natural harmony with the world's energy—a gift he had unwittingly relied upon. Now, that link had been severed, and the energy he'd once drawn on so effortlessly felt distant, unreachable, as though a barrier stood between him and the flow of life around him.
"Is this what it feels like to be alone?" Niu wondered, a chill crawling up his spine.
He felt adrift, as if floating in a vast, empty space without an anchor. Every part of his body, even his spirit, seemed to resist his usual attempts to draw on the world's energy. He had taken it for granted that the connection would always be there, a natural part of him, but without his mother's presence, the energy that had once enveloped him now felt cold and unyielding.
For the first time, Niu felt a sliver of fear creeping in from the void created by the sudden disconnection from his mother's energy.
"This feels worse than the day she left," Niu reasoned. "She must be drawing all her energy for an important task. The only task I can imagine that can cause her to break even the slightest connection to me is a life support system."
The thought pierced him with a pang of understanding, but it also kindled something else—a fierce, quiet resolve.
"Being in the body of a child should not translate to me being helpless and useless," Niu thought to himself with conviction. "I must develop a level of competency that will enable me to protect my mother."
His connection to her had been halved when she stepped across the dimensional rift. Niu never imagined it could get even fainter. Now, he could barely feel her. It was a hollow, unsettling feeling, like being cast out into open water without a tether.
As his mind continued to race, a faint humming sound began to rise in the stillness, growing in strength and clarity. Niu's skin tingled as he felt a soft, green glow envelop him, gentle but insistent. From the glow emerged a thin, green thread, floating out of his chest and toward his mother's pendant, left carefully in his room. The thread pulsed with warmth, anchoring itself to the pendant and pulling the energy closer. Slowly, the shimmering shape of his mother materialized before him, cloaked in the same green cloud of light.
"Niu," the hologram of Naria spoke softly, her voice calm and soothing. Though she wasn't truly there, her presence felt real, grounding him like an embrace. "This is only a minor disconnection, my child," she assured him, her voice layered with a kindness that washed over him like balm on a wound. "I'm still with you in spirit."
"Kindly, refrain from lying to me. I can feel you are but a shadow of my mother," Niu said as he locked eyes with the hologram in front of him. "What is happening to her?"
"It was not my intention to lie to you. My words were a simplification of the matter," the hologram replied. "I am Naria's crystallized intelligence, all her book smarts and knowledge concentrated into a pendant."
Niu felt guilty for having treated a part of his mother rudely. His reaction came from the shallow replacement he felt the hologram offered in the scenario that he would never see Naria again.
"No need to apologize. You must be experiencing a lot of emotions right now," Naria's hologram answered.
"I do not sense a telepathic link; how did you know my thoughts?" Niu asked, surprised by her response.
"Your face is an open book," the hologram laughed heartily.
Her joyful smile melted Niu's heart, and he could see his mother in the light projection before him.
"I apologize for my words. Forgive my rudeness," Niu said, bowing his head. The hologram smiled at his honest display of remorse.
"I do not possess a direct connection with my creator; I am a relic of her mind, created to help you understand all the contents of the home library," the hologram said.
"Wait, all of it? She has read all the books?" Niu couldn't help but ask. The home library held thousands of books, scrolls, and tomes. It had countless devices of unknown functionality and maps from unnamed regions.
For a moment, Niu forgot his distress. He was captivated by the idea of consuming the knowledge that stood before him.
"Wherever she may be, something is happening to her, and I want to help," Niu collected his mind and said.
"How may I be of assistance?" Naria's hologram replied.
"In my current form, I am reliant on others to do everything. And I mean everything," Niu said, recalling how embarrassing it was to have Stargen change his diaper. "I want to learn telekinesis. It would greatly improve my quality of life and grant me independence."
Niu could barely crawl. Now eight months old, every day inhabiting his tiny body was torture. His lessons with Orimudi were purely theoretical since he could not practice what he was being taught. He was tired of being seen as "cute."
"Telekinesis is a branch of spirit magic that requires an individual to connect to the world energy stored in objects," the hologram explained. "Telekinesis is not merely an act of lifting objects but an act of extending the influence of the spirit."
"Elder Orimudi gave me a demonstration on how to project the spirit's intent—like touching things by releasing a strong desire into the atmosphere," Niu said, trying to speed up the class to the good part.
"And have you tried to implement what the Elder taught?" the hologram asked with a smirk.
"Yes, but with unsatisfactory results," Niu replied, understanding her implication.
"Although a baker may know how to spot good grain for bread, listen to the farmer when picking a season to plant your seeds. It's best to learn art from the painter and war from the soldier," Naria's hologram spoke, lifting him with telekinesis and allowing him to hover above the ground.
"I don't wish to be spoon-fed, but a bit of clarity would be appreciated," Niu said with a gentle smile. He was hovering a meter above the ground. It felt like he was in zero gravity, moving freely with no external force acting on him.
"What fun is there in that?" the light construct replied, leading Niu to the library.
A piece of rock the size of an adult's fist revolved around Niu's head. Upon closer inspection, he noticed several metallic objects attached to it.
"What do you observe about the rock before you? Is it projecting its spirit as the Elder taught?" the hologram challenged Niu.
Niu focused on the solid rock. As it spun, it pulled pieces of metal toward it from around the room—a large lump of magnetic rock.
"Not really; it doesn't possess a spirit. It attracts objects—specifically metals," Niu responded, fascinated.
"Your observation is accurate to an extent. However, not all metals respond to it," the hologram replied. "This rock is called a magic stone. To understand what a magic stone is, you must first realize that every object is made up of tiny particles, and each particle contains energy."
"The energy in the particles of most objects is usually disorganized. Because of their disorganized nature, this energy cannot be controlled." Naria's hologram looked at Niu, somewhat surprised by his quick understanding.
"Some metals, though, have an organized material structure due to the arrangement of their particles, which creates a unified energy flow that's simple to control."
"What kind of instructions can a lifeless object understand?" Niu asked, trying to absorb as much information as possible.
"Two," the hologram replied immediately. "With those two commands, you can create up or down, left or right, and the endless world of opposites. The key is the intensity you place in a command."
"You've described telekinesis on metals only. What about other objects?" Niu wondered.
"Once you understand the basics, you will be required to organize the energy flow in objects to increase their compliance with magical forces," the hologram explained. "This will be crucial when you study forge-mastery."
Slowly, the magnetic rock released the metallic objects it held near Niu. The rock floated backward, allowing the pieces of metal to drop to the ground.
"Now, give it a try. Imagine stretching a part of your mind toward the metal pieces, like reaching with invisible hands. Align the pieces in the direction you want, and control the intensity of your command," the hologram said, gently placing Niu on the wooden floor of the library. Niu sat up, surrounded by pieces of metal.
'Here goes nothing,' Niu thought to himself.
He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind as he followed her guidance. He felt subtle but firm energy fields stretching from him toward the small sheets of metal, as though a part of his mind extended beyond his body. He focused, picturing the metal pieces connecting.
"Good," the hologram encouraged softly, sensing his interest and resolve. "Now, don't rush. Hold it steady. Focus on your breath and let the energy flow without interruption."
"The art of telekinesis requires patience, focus, and connection," her voice filled the air, weaving calm through the library's stillness, the hologram of his mother whispered.
The pieces of metal trembled and inched closer to Niu. In his mind, he could sense the position of each particle and feel a wave of energy flowing from them. He guided them together, then took it further, molding the pieces into a single cube.
He opened his eyes slowly, and before him was a three-by-three-inch cube. He could feel each particle within it. The individual pieces hadn't fused into a single block but moved and changed shape to create the final product. With a thought, he reshaped the cube into a miniature statue of his mother, the metal obeying him immediately.
"Excellent, Niu," she praised, her holographic form glowing with pride. "See how effortless it is with focus? Now, imagine the flow like a gentle breeze. Strengthen it without forcing it; let your intent guide it."
The metal cube broke apart and reassembled over Niu's hand, forming a glove. From every corner of the library, small metal objects, from pins to gears, flew toward him. The mosaic of metal pieces created a metallic platform beneath him, which slowly lifted him from the floor.
"Quite impressive, Niu," Naria's light construct said with pride.
"Thank you." Niu appreciated the compliment. "I'll return to my chambers on my own."
"That would be wonderful." The green glow around his mother's hologram seemed to settle over him, cocooning him in a warmth that felt almost tangible. The pendant lay softly in his open hand.
With that, the hologram dissipated, leaving Niu sitting alone, but feeling as if a part of her still lingered in the air around him.