Feel the air

Perspective : Kyle Bonfrost

"What the fuck just happened?".

"The course of this battle took an unexpected turn."

"Just moments ago, we were running for our lives."

"But now the tides have turned".

It was a moment of shock and utter amazement for me.

"Now is not the moment, I can think about this later."

To no longer let my distracting thoughts hold me back, I softly released this word into the air. "Whatever!"

Shortly after, Elkdrack declared confidently,

"This one's mine."

He stood face-to-face with a cornered insect, his left leg ensnared by the sticky sap it had released.

Meanwhile,

Regina and Patrick had also managed to trap another one. But something felt off.

"I distinctly remember there being one more of these things lurking around".

"Where the hell is it now?".

"Did it flee?".

"No".

"That's unlikely".

As I spared a glance at Conrad, I noticed his vigilance, his eyes scanning the room.

"Where is it?".

With unwavering concentration, I endeavored to block out all sensory input from my body, directing my attention solely towards the sensations resonating through the particles of sand flowing in the air.

I could sense the palpable vibrations reverberating through the air as Elkdrack's axe clashed against the bug's stinger. The tremors traveled to me, resonating in my very core. In that regard, Conrad's breath radiated intense heat, sending vibrations through the air. In contrast, Regina's snowstorm enveloped me in a serene stillness, devoid of any jolts, just the feeling of being carried away through the wind and constantly clashing with other still particles.

And amidst those, I perceived a faint sensation of gentle vibrations, as the slow-moving air delicately rustled against its exoskeleton. I could sense the faint jolts caused by small particles colliding with its body. Although not enough to precisely pinpoint its exact location, these sensations provided enough information to discern that the creature was in close proximity.

"I have to focus more".

"Where is it? ...".

No matter how much it tried to conceal itself, it couldn't escape my sight of sand particles moving through the air; they were present everywhere in that room. It might have been invisible to the naked eye, but every living thing that was ever hurt couldn't help but emit noises. I just had to focus on those, and even the tiniest of jolts would tell me where it was.

"Wait a minute".

As my focus intensified, I detected a subtle but distinct dampness that seemed to impede the movement of my sand particles compared to the rest of the room. Although it appeared to be an emptiness, it held an unseen presence.

However, I was interrupted, In that moment, there was a sudden twinge, a series of relentless jolts that reverberated through the air as Elkdrack's axe clashed repetitively with the tendrils of that bug.

It was having an impact on my concentration, making me difficult to focus.

Nevertheless, I had already pinpointed its location—it was lurking approximately 9 feet northeast of me.

[(Not Kyle's narration) (An explanation of how Kyle pinpointed the location of that concealed aphid "Aphids are the bugs they are fighting")

Kyle's magic operates through the manipulation of sand particles that he disperses into the air, seamlessly blending with the surrounding atmosphere. Through his unique abilities, Kyle possesses the freedom to manipulate these particles at will.

These are the basics.

An essential ability that Kyle possesses is known as "Particle Sensation." This ability allows him to experience the sensations felt by the particles he manipulates. However, since these particles are tiny grains of sand or even smaller, they lack the capacity to see or hear. Consequently, Kyle feels only the vibrations that resonate through them. Based on these vibrations, he formulates the result of his searches.

When it comes to vibrations, particles tend to vibrate more in heat and vibrate less in cooler temperatures.

Keeping that in mind, Kyle has the ability to detect sudden waves of vibrations emanating from a particular location. Since his particles are dispersed throughout the room, he can precisely identify the origin of a specific wavelength of vibration. This is achieved by discerning the distinct types of jolts he feels in each of his particles in the air.

However, In order for Kyle to fully harness this ability, he must completely suspend his body's bodily functions and sensory perceptions. This is necessary to prevent any interference that may dull out his interception of the subtle sensations felt through the particles. These sensations are typically faint, requiring a state of heightened focus and detachment from his physical self.

Moving on,

Kyle focuses his senses for a short duration, intentionally holding his breath and slowing down his heartbeat, enabling him to detect the vibrations felt by his sand particles. As those particles are already everywhere in the room, he taps into his unique ability, sensing the minute vibrations felt by these particles. Amidst the flurry of activity around him - Elkdrack parrying the bug's stinger, Conrad hot breath, which is actually a misinterpretation on Kyle's part, the heat is emitted from his flaming blade and Regina conjuring a snowstorm around the cornered aphid, which she and Patrick are dealing with.

Amidst that,

Kyle's particle senses also pick up the subtle signals from the concealed aphid. Specifically, he feels a faint signature of the aphid that had attacked Patrick and Conrad initially, and gotten its limbs chopped off. However, the faint signature isn't strong enough to discern its whereabouts, just barely strong enough to confirm it's proximity.

Kyle concentrates more, and that is when he tracks it's exact location.

Aphids, being insects, are generally quiet creatures, remaining silent even when injured. Rather than producing audible sounds, aphids rely on emitting pheromones into the air as a means of communication with their fellow aphids. In this particular case, they release a completely invisible, slow-acting poison into the air. These substances, which have a waxy texture, not only serve as signals but also have the unique property of absorbing vibrations.

As a result, Kyle's dust particles experienced a distinct sense of confinement, in stark contrast to the rest of the room. However, Elkdrack's actions came into play as he relentlessly clashed his axe against that aphid's tendrils he was dueling with at that moment, generating powerful waves of vibrations. These vibrations acted as a catalyst, breaking the restraint on Kyle's particles and restoring their freedom once again.

However, by that point, Kyle had already successfully pinpointed the location of that aphid.]

"Found you".

Now, I had it in my sights. But, It was still invisible.

"But not any longer".

With a swift motion of my hands, I directed my sand particles to envelop the creature. Gradually, the insect became completely covered in a layer of sand, rendering it visible once again.

That was when a sudden sensation of moisture was sensed through my sand particles, particularly near its limbs . It was a peculiar sensation since those limbs had already been severed by Conrad and Patrick.

I didn't knew what strange liquid was oozing from its wound, I quickly reacted by instructing my sand particles to enter its body and fill the hollow remnants of its severed limbs, aiming to block any further leakage.

"Inside it's kinda empty".

Soon, my sand particles started to move freely Inside it's body. That was when I discovered, that this insect could be controlled as a puppet.

I could feel my moistured sand particles, puncturing through the various walls of its body's Insides.

It was a new found ability.

Then suddenly, I heard Patrick

"Damn .... that's just great".

The snow storm that Regina conjured, was now covered in a purple hue.

Without thinking much, I envisioned the insect's claws, intricately moving my fingers in unison. Guiding my sand particles, I crafted new limbs for the controlled creature, making it a lot sharper then before.

Claws made of sand.

Then I wasted no time, swiftly lunging the controlled insect towards the poisonous snow storm. Due to its now improved mobility, It penetrated that snow storm and with it's now sharp claws, I made short work of the opposing insect.

"Your job's done".

I confidently declared, clasping my fist, which triggered the controlled insect to burst forth in a gush of white liquid.

Regina in a sense of shock and confusion asked,

"What just happened?".

Now,

Despite all the insects being slain, my senses were persistently warning me that the situation was far from over. It was at that moment when an unsettling and nauseating feeling permeated the air, leaving me feeling dizzy as blood trickled down from my nose.