Chapter 9 - Adaptation

"I'm still just adjusting to everything, its almost like my body feels like a sort of flesh bag… hey do you consider your body your true self, like if it were destroyed or something would you feel you've lost everything." karma asked naturally.

Thalassa stared at him weirdly, advising, "the type questions you ask can be seen as really weird or creepy if you just ask them to anyone like that… and I think if my body was destroyed I'd be dead."

Karma thought about it saying, "yeah but wouldn't technically lose everything, you even said your most valuable thing is your home right?, also how they viewed you would still persist after your death."

…

Not getting a response Karma continued on his own "ways I can live… lets see…"

Hisataria perhaps gaining an interest in the shifting conversation intervened saying "until you gain a solid understanding of what you want and how you view the world you can view the world like a mirror, reflect what is brought on to you or just treat others how you feel is the way you would want to be treated."

Looking at her deeply he then once again was in deep thought, "a mirror… I don't have a way I would want to be treated so I guess I'll go with option one… or just my instinct and intuition." 

Thalassa snapping out joins in, "you can just get a hobby… or help people in need… the… the Umpire utilises those with strong segnxi to help and assist those who need it."

Karma, as the conversation shifted, couldn't resist pushing the boundaries further, challenging the conventional perspectives on humanity, "So, being human... What's so special about it, really? I mean, the Umpire protects humans right? Are they just the flesh bag, as I said, or is there something more?"

Thalassa, a touch perplexed by Karma's persistent queries, responded, "Well… I guess, being human means emotions, experiences, connections. It's not just about the body; it's about what they feel and how they relate to others."

Karma, adopting a sceptical tone, retorted, "Emotions? Experiences? Other creatures feel and experience things too. Why make it sound like they've got some exclusive right over these concepts then make them seem important…'?"

Hisataria, ever composed, added, "It's about consciousness, self-awareness. Humans possess a level of understanding and introspection that sets them apart, this too can be gained in time."

Karma, not easily swayed, countered, "Consciousness? Self-awareness? Are we really that unique? So a being that was biologically human but didn't have these qualities wouldn't be one?"

Hisataria, intrigued by Karma's unconventional perspective, suggested, "Perhaps it's the blend of all these elements that makes being human distinct. The intricate interplay of emotions, thoughts, and self-awareness."

Karma, maintaining his scepticism, concluded, "Distinct, maybe. Special, not convinced. What if we're just one note in the grand symphony of existence, each playing a unique melody but still part of the same composition?"

Why can't I shake these questions off? It's like I'm desperately piecing together an intricate puzzle that's constantly eluding my grasp. From the moment I woke up, there's been this unsettling undercurrent in my thoughts, this pressing need to decipher the very essence of my existence. Is this a shared plight among all living beings, or is it something unique to my human experience?

I tried delving into the concept of value, thinking it would shed some light on this internal chaos. Turns out, it's just as enigmatic and subjective as the questions that haunt me. The more I delve, the more elusive the answers become. Maybe that's the nature of the beast – these mysteries that orbit me, dancing just out of reach.

Perhaps, in the midst of all this uncertainty, the focus should shift to how I instinctively navigate this upcoming chapter of my life. After all, the questions might not lead to concrete answers, but my actions in the face of the unknown will carve out a path of their own.

In the midst of this unexplored terrain of forging a sense of self, I find myself in the presence of Thalassa. There's a subconscious shift in my attention, a subtle nuance in the way my mind perceives her. Like she slightly stands out, distinct from the others in my recent encounters, and I can't help but wonder why.

As I navigate this unfamiliar territory of growing relations, a sense of weirdness creeps in. Why does she occupy a slightly different space in my thoughts? Is it the enigma that surrounds her, or is it something else entirely? It's a deviation from the usual patterns, and my analytical mind is quick to question and analyse.

"Why does her presence evoke a different response?" I ponder, attempting to dissect this newfound appeal. It's strange, unfamiliar, and yet, a part of being human, I suppose. A voice echoes in my mind, advising against overthinking, but the analytical facet persists.

Interrupted by his slight turn of the head. Sadene glanced at Karma, raising an eyebrow as if to say, "You still on about this?"

Karma, though, was undeterred, deciding to voice his thoughts. "Do you ever get this feeling, like you're putting together pieces of an invisible puzzle, Sadene?"

Alrickz chimed in, his voice carrying the sounding like he was just speaking to cure his own boredom. "Why bother? Life's a journey, not a puzzle to solve."

Hisataria, the picture of regal certainty, added, "someone told me… when I was young, sometimes, understanding comes when you stop searching for it."

Despite the alternate perspectives, Karma persisted. "I woke up with this unsettling feeling, a need to figure out the meaning of my existence. Is that a universal thing or just a human thing?"

Hisataria, with her analytical demeanour, responded, "Every being has its own journey of self-discovery, Karma. It's not exclusive to humans. It's probably how your mind has been processing the overwhelming situation you're going through, I guess everyone is different after all."

Sadene shrugged, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Maybe you're overthinking it, Karma. Life's meant to be lived, not dissected."

As the diverse perspectives clashed and danced, Karma found himself caught between the pieces of his own puzzle, each voice adding to the complexity of the questions that lingered in his mind.

As if inspiring himself with this idea of self discovery the first thing his mind went to was segnxi, that odd yet indescribable sensation that imbued the world around him and himself, technically the only tangible thing he has to his name… or is it intangible…

In the velvety embrace of the encroaching dusk, Karma extended the tendrils of his segnxi, weaving an invisible tapestry of energy around his left hand. The very essence of his charge, an enigmatic force coursing through his veins, responded with a resonant hum, a whispered acknowledgment in the language of the cosmos.

As he channelled the charge affinity, the ambient darkness recoiled in deference, giving way to a soft, luminous glow that radiated from his outstretched hand. A celestial yellow, like a stolen fragment of the setting sun, wove through the shadows, casting an otherworldly radiance upon the forest.

In the spectral glow emanating from his charged hand, Karma found himself immersed in the ethereal dance of electricity, a phenomenon that transcended the ordinary boundaries of perception. As the invisible currents coursed through the air, he marvelled at the unseen ballet of electrons, each particle a minuscule dancer in the cosmic theatre of charge.

The air crackled with the energy of untold stories, the very fabric of reality woven with strands of electromagnetism. Karma's mind, a canvas for abstract thoughts, painted a portrait of the universe governed by the intricate laws of charge. He contemplated the dynamic interplay of positive and negative, the cosmic tango that shaped the essence of existence.

In the luminescent embrace of his charge, Karma perceived the essence of electricity not merely as a force but as a storyteller, whispering tales of subatomic particles in harmonious motion. The electrons, akin to elusive muses, revealed the secrets of their celestial choreography, and Karma, with his segnxi senses as the interpreter, deciphered the cosmic language.

As he observed the luminous trails left by the charged particles, Karma couldn't help but feel a profound connection to the underlying pulse of the universe. It was a dance of creation, an intricate symphony where energy pirouetted through the void, leaving behind traces of its cosmic journey.

The properties of electromagnetism unfolded before Karma's perceptive gaze, a tapestry woven with threads of force and fields. In the silent communion with his charge, he pondered the nature of attraction and repulsion, the unseen hands that shaped the destinies of particles and, by extension, the grand tapestry of the cosmos.

His thoughts delved into the duality of charge, the yin and yang of positive and negative, and how, in their cosmic ballet, they dictated the very essence of matter and energy. The forest, now aglow with the mystique of his abilities, became a living testament to the intricate interplay of forces, a visual representation of the universal laws he dared to unravel.