Chapter 6: Small steps

Third-person POV:

In the days following the rescue mission, Emily stayed closed in her room. What Artezier told her made her promise to herself and her dead parents to keep living and making the most of it.

However, despite that, she couldn't find the strength to leave her bed.

She still couldn't find enough energy to make the first step. Not when all these horrible events were still fresh in her mind.

Just like that, a month has passed.

The only moments of reprieve she got were the ones when Arteziar came over to talk and spend time with her.

Staying in an unfamiliar place alone after experiencing something traumatic wasn't exactly enjoyable. It didn't matter how restful and soothing the place itself was. It simply couldn't replace home and all the happy memories it contained.

Unfortunately for Emily, that place was now gone. The people closest to her were dead, and to add insult to injury, she couldn't leave. As an outsider, she lacked the necessary clearance to leave the city.

It was unlikely that someone would believe her even if she started spreading what she went through. Nonetheless, it was better to be safe than sorry. If they kept allowing people like her to leave, then sooner or later, there would be enough of them to convince at least a part of the populace.

Earth wasn't ready to find out the truth. At least not yet.

*Knock knock*

Hearing the familiar knocking sound, Emily wasn't surprised when Artezier promptly entered the room, a tray of still steaming pancakes in his hands.

"How are you feeling today?" he asked with a gentle smile.

"After smelling these? A bit better," she replied. "But I am starting to worry I will get fat if this continues," she added with a mock pout.

"Well, If that's the case, then you don't need to worry. Today we are going out," Artezier said with a light chuckle. He was happy that the girl in front of him was getting closer to the cheerful Emily from his memories.

"Outside...?" Emily questioned hesitantly.

"Yeah. I wanted to give you some time to recuperate first. That's why I said nothing and allowed you to stay here, but that's unhealthy. You need to go out and breathe some fresh air." Artezier explained calmly.

"Can't I just open the windows...?" Emily asked meekly, receiving a deadpan in response.

"...Do you want to become a NEET?" Artezier asked with a wry smile. "If that's what you truly want, I don't mind, but I don't think that would be 'living to the fullest..." he added.

"Ugh... Ok. I will do as you say." Emily said. "So? Do you have anything specific in mind?" she asked.

"Hmmm." Artezier mused to himself. "I think we could do some basic exercises in the garden. You know, stretches and so on. While at that, I will be telling you what you need to know about Atlantis. I had years to adapt while you need to do it in a month." he explained after a moment of deliberation.

"A month?! Why?!" Emily exclaimed in surprise.

"What do you mean why? You need to attend school, and it starts in a month. Don't worry. While I am ahead with the curriculum, I will be there with you. Everything for my friend." Artezier answered with a smile. He was slightly excited just at the thought of it. Finally, he will be able to spend time at school without feeling isolated.

***

"Ok, let's start from the beginning," said Artezier while looking at Emily, her cheeks slightly flushed after the light jog. "As you are already aware, humans aren't the only sentient species in the cosmos. Rather, the universe is far more populated than you think. Around one-tenth of all existing planets can sustain life." he explained.

"That many?!" Emily exclaimed in surprise. "How come scientists were unable to find any?" she asked.

"Good question. I was actually going to talk about it next. You see, the cause is the will of the planet itself." Artezier replied.

"Will of the planet? As in, the planet is alive...?" Emily questioned further. She could accept the existence of aliens since she had already seen them. However, this was much harder to believe.

"Indeed. Planets capable of sustaining life have their own will. They also look after the development of the creatures inhabiting them. Even if it means their destruction..." Artezier answered with a solemn look at the end.

"I still don't understand what it has to do with our scientists not realizing what you mentioned," Emily said with a puzzled look.

"The sky you see at night is an illusion created by that will. It will be showing it until humans as a species become ready to find out the truth. Everything outside of your solar system is hidden." Artezier answered.

"Wait! Does it mean that all the research so far was meaningless? What about the satellites we sent?" Emily questioned in shock. After all, various countries put a lot of money into that research. If the researchers behind it knew the truth, it would make them cry.

"No." Artezier rebuked and proceeded to explain. "Most of the phenomena you are shown truly exist, for example, black holes. As for the signal from satellites, the earth is altering it. As I said, it wants to give humans the means to develop."

"What about the moon landing? Was it fake like some people suspected...?" Emily asked, thinking about all the conspiracy theories she saw on the internet.

"Nah. It was real. The illusion reaches further than the moon. You could say that the moon is the furthest point of it." Artezier replied.

"I see. Is that will also the reason why Atlantis stays hidden? To not interfere with the development?" Emily asked.

"Bingo!" Artezier said with a happy smile. "I knew you would realize it. Yes, that is the main reason. Powerful individuals can resist the influence of the planet. A city can't resist due to its nature. It would get destroyed one way or another." Artezier said with a light shrug. "Imagine a city constantly assaulted by earthquakes or tsunamis. How long do you think it would be able to stand?" he added.

"That's true, but... How can a person be more powerful than a super-advanced city...?" Emily asked, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"It's not just power," Artezier replied. "A city has to stay in one place and defend its inhabitants. Without people, a city is worth nothing. On the other hand, an individual can always run away and doesn't need to protect millions of others." he clarified.

"*Sigh* That's a relief. For a moment, I thought you would say something like 'there are people capable of destroying planets' or something similar." she exhaled in relief.

"Actually..." Artezier scratched the back of his head with a wry smile. "Such people exist. The planet won't resist as long as they don't try to destroy it. Life can start again, but once the planet gets destroyed, it won't rebuild itself. Luckily such people are rare, and it's not worth it."

"How is that even possible...?" Emily asked. The further the explanation proceeded, the less she understood, and more questions appeared.

"It's because of this," Artezier said and promptly extended one of his hands in Emily's direction. Soon after, a rainbow light started to form a sphere on top of it. "This is Essentia, energy that dwells in everything in existence. Everyone has certain attributes that affect its uses. Some can use fire magic, some strengthen their body, while others can see into the future."

"It looks so pretty..." Emily commented while extending her hand towards the sphere. "It's warm..." she muttered while putting her hand inside.

"Yeah," Artezier said, bringing Emily back to reality. "I spent years learning to control it. If I didn't or wanted to harm you, what you did would be a horrible idea," he said while creating another sphere. Then he pointed at a nearby rock and sent it flying. In no time, the ball of Essentia reached the stone and exploded, turning it into debris. "See?"

"Yeah..." Emily gulped while imagining the same thing happening to her hand.

"As I said, Essentia has infinite potential. It isn't suited only to destruction," he said while pointing his hand in the same direction. Much dimmer light appeared around it, and soon after, the glow covered the debris created in the explosion. Then as if the time itself was getting reversed, they gathered in one place to form the big rock. Its shape wasn't the same, making it apparent that Artezier only fused them back. "I stopped counting how many times I had to do this long ago..." he muttered, reminiscing.

"Do you plan to teach me how to use it?" Emily inquired hopefully. Most people living the mundane would jump at the opportunity to learn magic.

"If you have an aptitude for it," Artezier replied. "Not every being has the talent to use it. There are also some differences depending on the species and place of birth," he added.

"Can you give me an example?" Emily requested.

"Sure. Essentia is a mix of spiritual, physical, and mental energy. As a result, it can manifest in different forms across different planets. Earth isn't the only planet inhabited by humans. Are you familiar with anime?" Artezier asked.

"To some extent. There were quite a few weirdos in my class that liked it," she answered with a shudder. These individuals caused quite a few cringy situations.

"I see..." Artezier muttered with a wry smile. "Back to the main topic. In some places, Essentia works just like chakra from Naruto, allowing to strengthen the body, stick to the wall or use it as a powerful attack. In other places, it may manifest similar to what you saw in Harry Potter. People that need keywords and wands to manifest it." he exemplified.

"So it can vary to such an extent..." Emily muttered in understanding.

"Yeah. I think that's enough for the first lesson. I will explain other things while showing you around the city. A lot of the things are easier to show rather than explain." Artezier said, finishing their break and starting another set of exercises.