Two days had passed since Peridot discovered the Warp Pad, and her mood couldn't be worse.
The lively expression from the first day was nowhere to be seen. Instead, her vacant stare and downturned mouth revealed her inner despair.
Peridot's hands trembled as she sat alone, her mind racing. She hadn't slept, but fortunately, gems didn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep. If that wasn't the case, she would have perished long ago.
She spent her days thinking melancholically about her past life.
'Is Grandma doing well? Are they holding my funeral right now?' Her grandma was her only family in her previous world, even though they weren't related by blood. She owed her so much, but now she'd never be able to repay her kindness.
Tears trickled down her cheeks in the lonely world; her eyes were red and swollen, but it didn't bring any comfort.
Peridot knew she had to do something instead of lamenting. She was scared that if she spent more time thinking, she would lose her sanity. With these thoughts, she unwillingly stood up, her legs shaky.
She didn't know where to go. If she was lucky, maybe she could find another Warp Pad or a communicator. However, she didn't want to think about possibilities because she knew hope could hurt her later.
So, she just stood up and walked in the endless world. The days passed this way for her. A week, two weeks; she didn't bother to count.
And then, as if the world was finally giving her a green light, she felt a plane surface under her feet. Her eyes shone for a brief moment. There, a Warp Pad was almost completely intact. Maybe she could use it to go to Earth.
She hesitantly touched the Warp Pad with her hands. In her mind, the image of the Warp Pad formed in detail. Each piece with its respective purpose was described there, along with the energy necessary to operate it.
The Warp Pad was in better shape than the one she had found before, but it lacked the energy to transport someone. Her hope was broken again.
She kept analyzing the Warp Pad, and suddenly an idea came to her mind.
'If there is no energy, I just need to find a good energy source,' she thought. She started to gather all the information she had about gems.
Gems were unique beings with endless lifespans. They could change their bodies to any shape they wished, fuse with each other, and had unique abilities. But something even more interesting was their ability to condense energy from their bodies.
This was the ability that most gems showed in the series, and she, as a gem, should be able to do the same.
Peridot closed her eyes and scanned her body. Information about herself came to her mind. For the first time, she analyzed herself.
The results were fascinating. First, she learned that besides the ability to analyze things, she could also manipulate their forms to some extent. This ability was transmutation. The principle behind her powers was intriguing.
She thought she needed to touch an object to analyze it, but that wasn't true. When she touched something, she was enveloping it in energy, and this energy was something she had never seen before.
The gem biology was simply absurd. She felt like her body was constantly absorbing an unknown substance.
This substance was abundant and everywhere; it was a dense and strange dark substance. Her gem acted like a converter, absorbing this energy and converting it into something that could interact with the physical world.
That was why gems were able to change their bodies—they were made entirely from this energy.
Curiosity filled her eyes. She wanted to know more about her existence and the dark substance. However, when she tried to explore further, a strong headache hit her. She clutched her head, wincing in pain. The information was too much for her to handle.
Peridot felt regret; it was like her favorite series being paused at the best moment. Nevertheless, she had fulfilled her purpose. She was able to generate energy from her body.
The gem condensed the dark substance, and her hands glowed with energy.
She touched the Warp Pad with her hands, and a small light began to emanate from it.
'It's working!' she thought, her heart racing with joy.
However, she couldn't keep generating energy, and the light went out as if it had never existed.
"Damn, why?!" Peridot punched the floor with her small hands. Pain shot through her fists, but the adrenaline was strong enough to suppress it.
She felt like she had finally found a way to escape, only to have her hopes crushed again. Why did this world hate her so much?
'No, it's not time to despair again.' Peridot suppressed her strong emotions; that was something she had gotten used to in the last weeks.
'It's not all over.' She had gathered precious information in her analysis, and she had a unique skill that could change material forms.
If she could deeply understand the principle of the Warp Pad, she would be able to optimize its functions and reduce the necessary requirements for activation.
Peridot started to formulate a new plan in her head.