As the last echoes of the party faded away, I found myself receiving an unexpected visitor—Phil Coulson. A SHIELD agent, he introduced himself as an old friend of my parents. Apparently, he had been making weekly visits to check on Liz and ensure she was doing well.
He mentioned that he had wanted to attend the party but couldn't due to work obligations—or perhaps because there was a powerful telepath present, and a SHIELD agent wouldn't want to risk sensitive information slipping out due to a mere whim. After a brief conversation, he left, leaving me alone with my thoughts.
Now, sitting in my room, I couldn't help but dwell on a troubling realization. If the people in the house had been enemies instead of friends, I wouldn't have had time to react. I would have suffered a major loss. I needed to master my abilities. Especially now that I knew this world had Tony Stark, mutants, and possibly more that I hadn't yet discovered. Based on my gathered information and conversations, I had reason to believe that I was in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—Earth-199999.
I avoided using the internet to confirm my suspicions. A person who had supposedly just woken up with amnesia searching for highly specific information would be extremely suspicious, and I was almost certain I was under surveillance.
I closed the curtains, taking a deep breath before using my energy sense to scan the room. My ability to perceive electrical energy had improved. I could now detect the electricity flowing through devices and even the weak bioelectric signals within the nervous systems of living beings. The range was still small—only about three meters—but it was progress. After ensuring that there were no hidden surveillance devices in my room, I proceeded to the next phase of my training: energy control.
I could feel the energy within me, but controlling it was another matter entirely. It was like a child trying to walk for the first time—random, clumsy movements with no real results. I attempted to direct the energy outside my body. At first, nothing happened, but after repeated efforts, I finally succeeded. The energy, though invisible to the naked eye, moved according to my will.
Next, I tried applying it. The first experiment involved using my energy to enhance my muscles. The result? Pain. Lots of pain. And barely any increase in strength. Not ideal.
I decided to take a different approach. If I treated this energy like mana from the novels I read, then perhaps I could use it to create elemental effects. I envisioned a fireball, expecting it to materialize in my hand. Nothing happened. So much for that.
Adjusting my approach, I instead concentrated on heating the air above my palm by increasing the energy's temperature. This time, I felt a noticeable rise in warmth. While there was no visible fire, the air above my hand was scalding. If I placed my hand on a tree, I was sure it would catch fire within seconds. Curiously, I remained unaffected by the heat.
Still, I wanted actual flames.
Then, an idea struck me. Fire requires fuel. The air contained flammable gases like hydrogen. What if I gathered them into my palm? It took an hour of effort, but I finally managed to produce a small flame—like the flicker of a candle. However, it kept extinguishing due to insufficient hydrogen in the air.
Additionally, this fire burned me. Unlike the heat I generated internally, this flame was from an external source and did not recognize me as part of itself. I needed a way to produce a flame that I could control completely.
That's when I had another idea—what if I changed the properties of my energy to mimic hydrogen and oxygen? Surprisingly, this was easier than my previous attempts. When I ignited the new energy-based mixture, it produced a steady, controlled flame. Even better, it didn't harm me. I could even move the fire up to a meter away without it extinguishing.
At that moment, a notification appeared before me.
[Congratulations! You have taken your first step on the path of the Element Master. Your energy has increased as a result. You can now access the Element Master Skill Tree.]
The system couldn't directly improve my mastery, but it could provide guidance on unlocking new elements and suggest ways to advance.
"Alright, let's take a look."
I opened the skill tree. Four primary elements were displayed: Fire, Water, Earth, and Air.
[These are the only elements available to you at the moment. You may later develop advanced elements and even fuse them to create new ones. However, this requires a high level of mastery over the basics.]
"So how do I increase my mastery?"
[Study, practice, and—if possible—learn from those who wield these elements.]
I decided that I needed to prioritize which elements to focus on first before expanding my mastery.
Fire was a strong offensive element. Earth had both offensive and defensive capabilities but limited versatility. Air focused on movement and flight, but it was weak in the early stages, so I would set it aside for now. Water, however, had a wide range of applications, both in combat and beyond. Imagine manipulating the water inside someone's lungs—an infection would be unnecessary when I could make them drown on dry land. Or I could dehydrate an opponent's body entirely. Not to mention the potential for controlling blood itself.
So, I decided to start with Fire and Water first. But even more important than both was Energy Sense. It was incredibly useful for detecting people and tracking—it was like my own personal Spider-Sense.
After a week of training, I expanded my Energy Sense's range to 25 meters and improved my Fire and Water abilities to level two. However, this took everything I had. To push them further, I decided to study thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, hoping they would provide insights into advancing my mastery. I ordered books on both subjects and, while waiting for them to arrive, continued honing my Energy Sense. Eventually, I extended its range to 30 meters and developed the ability to perceive residual or hidden energy.
I could even sense traces of energy lingering in wood—remnants from when it was still a tree. Intrigued, I focused on refining this perception.
Wait… that blue energy…