Chapter 3: Coming Home

My father always wanted me to follow in his footsteps as a doctor. As a kid, a surprising amount of my education had been focused on biology and human anatomy.

Because of this, I realize that the creatures I’d been fighting have a weirdly different anatomy to humans. I’m lucky that they didn’t have more muscle around the front of their necks or I’m not sure how I would’ve taken one of these guys down.

Just looking at them, I can see a strange bone and muscular structure. For example, the spine on the first one I killed had each vertebrae extending into a plate of bone that covered the next vertebrae. Don’t ask me how that works, cause I have no idea.

I hope I don’t have to face one of these white creatures in the future.

With my examination of the creatures over, I turn my attention to some blue screens that had been asking for my attention.

Congratulations! You have reached level 2! You gain a two percentage point increase to brilliance and physicality along with an increase of 20 points to the special attribute Psi.

You have fought with your all and learned the spell [Enhance Body]

Due to your continued prayers to the creatures that you have killed, you have gained the approval of the goddess Isis. Expect a test from her soon.

Well that’s an ominous message. Tests from gods are never good, just ask Abraham.

I look up at the ceiling, which is still just plain rock. “Hey Isis, if you’re listening in, could you please not test me? Thanks.”

I wait a second, but there’s no response. “I don’t know how gods receive prayers, but you better not have left me on read or I’ll be filing a complaint!”

Still no response.

I shake my head, and bring up my status to see how the level up affected me.

General Info: Elena S. Trudeau

Age:16

Lvl: 2

Class: N/A

Mana: N/A

Psi 220

Sponsor: N/A

Titles: Beta Tester, Crazy In A Good Way (Is that even possible?), Watched By The Gods

Special conditions: Most Definitely Not-Normal

Physical Condition: Healthy

Physicality: Athletic 86%

Brilliance: Graduate 97%

Equipment: Gloves(unique)

What happens when Graduate hits 100%? Maybe I’ll evolve!

Elena! I choose you!

Elena! Use Punch!

I look at the dead creatures, and the smile that had started to spread disappears.

It was super effective.

Shut up, brain.

Light shining into the cave drags me out of my thoughts.

I look towards the entrance. The storm was starting to die down, allowing the bright light of the sun to shine through.

I walk cautiously to the entrance of the cave. The light on the snow blinds me, but after several seconds of furious blinking, I start to see again.

Outside the cave is a flat land covered in snow, the occasional large tree standing tall with its branches covered by the white powder. There’s no curve to the landscape, making me think that I’m not on a mountain like I’d originally thought.

A chill wind brushes against my skin, giving me goosebumps. I rub my arms, the warmth of my gloves taking away some of the chill.

There aren’t any white creatures that I can see, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t blending in with the snow somewhere.

Smoke in the distance draws my attention to it.

I don’t think we should go over there.

I think we should.

Why should we?

The better question is, why shouldn’t we?

Because someone obviously wants us to go there. It’s probably a trap.

And…? That’s kinda cool isn’t it?

Good point.

Silly brain, always talking me into walking into traps.

I trudge through the snow, towards the smoke, until a copse of trees comes into view. Inside the copse is a circle of lit torches.

I step into the circle… and black out.

***

Uuuugh.

I open my eyes to stare at a familiar ceiling.

I seem to be blacking out a lot lately. It reminds me of a bad plot device used by newer authors to transport their character through scenes.

Yo, divine author, can you stop knocking me out?

No response, huh? I guess you don’t have the guts to answer me.

I turn my head to look at my room. It’s as messy as I’d left it, with clothes on the floor and my laptop still open on my desk from a long night of homework.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

A notification begs for my attention, so I turn to look at it.

Congratulations on making it through the tutorial! We look forward to seeing you in action again soon! Thanks to the fact that you only died once, you have been given a special prize! Make sure to check it out in your inventory!

“I guess that wasn’t a hallucination.” I say once I’m done reading. “That prize better be good.”

“Elle!” A voice calls from outside my room. “Is that you?”

My mother bursts into the room, her eyes landing on me instantly. My mom is fit for her age, with long brown hair, and green eyes that match my own. Those green eyes stare at me with a fury that practically says ‘you’re in big trouble, young lady!’.

I cover my face with my pillow to hide from her stare.

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you all day! We promised the Smiths that we would meet them for lunch today!”

I pull the pillow down slightly so that I can see the short, but intimidating woman. “I thought we weren’t meeting them till Sunday-” I stop at my mom’s surprised expression.

“Elle, are you alright?”

I look away from her and to the window. “The sky is very pretty today.”

“Don’t change the subject. You disappeared.” She leans against the doorway, her body deflating as she lets out a breath. “I was so worried. With your brother- I mean, if you- Don’t scare me like that.”

“You can just say it mom. I’m crazy and you’re worried that I went fully off my rocker.” I smile at her, daring her to challenge the words. “I know.”

“Honey…”

“This is going to sound even weirder now, but what day is today?”

“Are you joking with me, Elle?” After seeing that I’m serious, she continues. “Oh honey, today is Sunday. Did something happen?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I sit up and grab my phone off of the dresser. “Could you give me some time alone? I need to think.”

“Of course. Just… I am here if you want to talk, okay?” Mom hesitates for a moment before stepping out of the room.

I look at the time on my phone and groan.

4:30pm

I was gone for a day and a half.

Scrolling through my notifications, I see a couple messages from Blake, and some memes sent by old friends.

I click the screen off and close my eyes. My body sinks into the bed as I let the phone rest on my chest.

“Elena? Can you hear me?”

I open my eyes, “God? Is that you?”

“You should be glad I’m not a god. They bring nothing but pain.” I blink a few times before I can place the voice. It’s the instructor I’d met in the tutorial, and not just another voice in my head.

Well, technically it was another voice in my head. But it feels different, y’know? No?

“This is Sheyla, right? You’re not one of the voices playing a trick, are you?” It feels different, but I should make sure.

“Yes. I am your instructor from the tutorial. I want to give you a little more help, but I don’t have much time. Reaching across worlds like this is a strain on even my powers.”

There’s a pause, and I feel a strange, yet familiar presence enveloping me. It’s comforting, and carries the sweet scent of the instructor I’d barely met.

“I need you to follow me as I show you how to communicate with me.”

I sense a strange energy flow through the top of my head and into my throat, revealing a nucleus of my own power there.

She pulls on that power, and I let her pull my own psi through the connection she created. My thoughts follow the connection, reaching her. Unfortunately, my mind can be somewhat… disorderly.

Your teacher has shown you the ways of the mind. You have learned the skill [Telepathy]

“Stop!” The voice shouts through the bond and I break off my connection to the link she created. “Systems above, I’m sorry. How do you…? Nevermind.”

“You heard them?” My eyes open wide and I sit up, my phone falling to the bed. “The voices?”

“I… did.”

I smile, glad that even if none of this is real, someone finally understood. “Ignore the drama queen. She’s a bitch.”

“Hah.” A snort of laughter makes its way through the bond. “I’m calling you like this, because I’ve decided that I want you to live until we meet again-”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I found some information that will be valuable to you. The next system event will happen in exactly a week. Be prepared for anything Elena.” There’s a long pause before she finishes with. “I must leave now. Good luck.”

“Hopefully I won’t need it.” I say, idly grabbing my phone from where it fell.

I get no response from Sheyla.

I close my eyes and examine the energies that Sheyla had shown me. Sheyla had given me more than she realized with her little lesson. When she’d guided my thoughts to her, she had shown me how to put my… thoughts I guess, outside of the sphere they were usually kept in.

What else can I do?

I smile wide, showing more teeth than any smile should.

I cross my legs and close my eyes. It doesn’t take me long to find the space that I’d glimpsed.

My mind dips into meditation quickly, my time in the cave making it far easier than it used to be.

I examine the energy flowing through my body. It has a clearer -color?- than the mana that seems to permeate everything else.

So this is psi, or my psychic energy.

I watch it as it travels down a path that stops and congeals at seven points throughout my body. As the psi energy congeals at these nuclei, its color would change, matching the nuclei’s own color. Something about the seven nuclei is familiar, and it only takes a moment for me to relate them to the painting in my mother’s room. It was a painting of the seven chakras.

I trace the energy with my mind, watching it travel and transform with curiosity.

It starts at the top of my head, circulating through a nucleus there. The nucleus glows a pure white with the psi that travels through it. I remember that being the crown chakra.

Next is my third eye, glowing a purple color in the center of my forehead.

The one in my throat glows blue. The throat chakra symbolizes… communication, right? That would make sense, seeing how Sheyla communicated with me through it.

I follow the psi down to my fourth chakra, glowing a deep green. It’s my heart chakra.

My fifth chakra, a dark yellow, is in my solar plexus, or stomach.

My sixth chakra, glowing orange, is near my pelvis.

And the final chakra, a deep dark red, is at the root of my being.

I lose myself in watching the energy travel through the chakras. Its colors and movements are endlessly captivating. It reminds me of when I would stare into bonfires as a kid.

I reach out and grab some of the energy in my throat chakra like Sheyla had shown me. It works with me easily, moving exactly as my mind wills it. I pull the blue energy out of my body, moving it through the house. I find another person downstairs. Their chakras have the same energy as mine, except… lesser, without purpose. My psi connects to theirs and I immediately recognize my mother.

That girl. I pause, surprised at hearing the sound of my mother’s voice in her own head. What are we going to do with her? I’m worried. She can’t just disappear like that without warning.

I stop the connection I’d created with her and rub my eyes.

Some of my psi had been used to create the connection, but I can see as my chakras rotate to produce more.

It could be gone forever. The drama queen whispers in my head.

Cadet! I have a new task for you!

Yes Captain?

We must take out the evil drama queen. Her thoughts have become too rampant and she seeks to destroy what we value most!

What is that Captain?

Our self-esteem.

How dare she!

I move my hand to my forehead, rubbing it as I close my eyes. When the voices quiet, I refocus on the chakras inside me. I think I understand the throat chakra, but what do the others do?

I tap the psi in my third eye, then copying the technique I’d used with my throat chakra, I pull the psi out into the world-

My mouth opens in a silent scream, and my vision goes dark.

***

My head pulses with pain as my eyes flutter open. “Ouch. That huuuurts.”

In front of me is a blue window, blindingly bright as always

You have learned the spell [Divine Sight]

There is the bastard that did it. Right there! When I pulled the Psi out of my third eye, it did… that!

I don’t exactly remember what it did, and I get a headache just trying to think about it. But I know it did it! Probably? Definitely!

You’ll rue the day you messed with me, mysterious cosmic powers.