Erudition [III]

"But what was that strange light?" Lucian muttered.

[Resonance]

"You actually felt like giving me an answer this time, Ed?"

[Error]

Lucian let out a long sigh, "Ed, what is Resonance?"

[A basic form of Telepathy. Resonance is typically created through a strong bond and is used as a form of communication through a medium]

"Telepathy?!" He asked, surprised. "Like the psychic powers they talk about in books and movies?"

[Error]

Lucian ignored Ed and thought about the psyons he'd used to unlock his [Endurance I] Microlink, along with the strange way the Microlink had affected him.

'Are psychics real?' He wondered. Lucian had passed many billboards in tourist areas saying that a psychic could tell your future or fix your illnesses. He assumed that it was all rubbish, but now...

"Is it possible that there was some truth to it?" He mumbled, earning another error from Ed. "Obviously, the billboards were false, but maybe the ideas stemmed from people who had actually tapped into the psyons..."

His mind drifted from his current situation as he thought about the superheroes, villains, mages, and other superhumans he'd seen on television. Had the ideas for such things come from humans who once had these abilities? There were tons of Legends of men like Merlin. Then there were those who practiced voodoo in the southern states, with many strange stories surrounding them.

"Maybe having the [Initiate] Microlink wasn't a fluke then?" He mused. If other humans had such strange capabilities, maybe it was something he was born with.

Lucian turned back to the matter at hand as he watched the rabbits hopping curiously around his Tile. None of them acted aggressively, and there were two who had wandered near him, their noses twitching as they watched him curiously. He couldn't help but chuckle at his former reaction as he knelt down and slowly reached out one of his hands. He needed to ascertain whether or not these things were dangerous before going about his business.

A little green bunny sniffed the air curiously and jumped the last couple of meters to close the space between them. The fur running down its spine was yellow and looked like a child's attempt at drawing a lightning bolt. He was also close enough to see that a portion of its ear was torn. Lucian held his breath, trying his best to act as non-threatening as possible. The rabbit placed its nose on his palm, sniffed a few times, and then hopped away as if it was satisfied.

Lucian got back on his feet and breathed a sigh of relief, loosely holding his dagger as he cautiously made his way to the new Tile. Hope crept its way into his thoughts as he slowly approached the edge of the newly unlocked territory. The idea of an army of rabbits jumping him faded away, and his mind started to wonder how so many of them stayed fed and hydrated.

A dense hedge surrounded the new Tile, and he couldn't make out what was inside. The hedge was perfectly shaped, flat on the top and the sides, with no excess branches sticking out.

There were already multiple fruits that Lucian could see, each one a different shape and color, disturbing the symmetry of the orange-leafed shrub. A savory smell assaulted his senses as he neared, and his mouth began to water. He reached out and plucked the nearest of the fruits. It was a bright blue fruit that was shaped like a pear.

"Are all of these safe to eat?" Lucian asked, wondering if Ed would give him a proper answer. Much to his surprise, he received one.

[Though the Planet Zolith is filled with many unique fruits, and each has a different temporary effect on the body or mind, there have been no known cases of poisoning or death. There are, at times, unwanted effects]

Lucian read the answer a couple of times before dismissing it. He turned and looked at the rainbow sea of rabbits sniffing at his shack and making their way around the Tile. With a chuckle, he looked at the fruit in his hand.

"Are you why the rabbits are so colorful?" He asked it. Lucian looked at the fruit, thinking about the somewhat vague answer that Ed had given him. "Well, I'd rather be blue than starve."

Lucian took a bite out of the fruit. The juices dribbled from his lips as he savored the taste of the exotic produce. As the flavors danced across his tongue, a quiet humming rose from his throat. He felt like he'd gone back to his childhood and was tasting candy for the first time.

"Mmmm! This is delicious!"

As he took his second bite, he felt something strange. His tongue began to tingle, reminding him of the pop-rock candy back on Earth. The effect continued to spread into his body until all he could feel was an awkward tingling sensation. It wasn't much different from a leg falling asleep, but it covered his entire being!

"Nnnngh!"

Lucian clenched his teeth and shut his eyes, waiting for the uncomfortable, almost painful sensation to pass. It only lasted a minute, and the tingling vanished as if it had never existed. Worried, Lucian patted down and looked over his body, wondering if something had changed.

"Phew!" He breathed out and sat down, letting his body and mind rest after the strange experience. Lucian began to laugh and thought about how great it would be to feed one of these to his in-laws. The old man would have loved it.

He sat for a few minutes, thinking about some of the good things from his past. Lucian thought about the man who'd given him a chance and his wife who'd accepted him as part of the family as soon as he started dating Sarah. Both of them were amazingly light-hearted people and were always playing jokes on Lucian and their daughter.

A smile played on his lips as memories of them out sailing surfaced. He remembered laughing as he pulled Sarah into the water, and just a few days later, they found out they were pregnant with their first child.

Many great memories surfaced, and by the time they'd faded away, he was in a great mood. A sudden realization hit him, and he looked at the strange blue produce that he held.

"Was this your doing?" He asked the fruit. Lucian smiled again and took another bite as tears of joy ran from his eyes.

"Thank you."