Eggs and Explanations
Eggs and Explanations
The results of the tests he performed today were interesting, to say the least. He looked at the resting miracle just a few feet away. Zeph was sleeping quite deeply because he wanted to use several learning gems in a row. Bernard stated that it would be better if he rested in order to "sleep learn." It would be less stressful on his mind, and allow him to recover between gems more quickly. Bernard set a schedule where he would change the gem after a couple of hours, giving an hour in between to rest. This made sure his mind had enough time to absorb everything the gem had to offer without causing undesirable side effects.
Staying up all night gave him some time to think about the future. Zeph needed a background story, an explanation for those who would question his past. There were probably a few old friends that could help with that. After that, he would help Zeph adapt to his new world. Bernard decided the best way to integrate Zeph into society would be enrolling him in a school. Now he just needed to ask Zeph what he wanted for the future. The lad seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. His constitution guaranteed him the ability to use magic. And in this society, people with strong magic, mages, were held morally responsible to help society in some way. They could use the magic to fight and protect or to invent and create. Bernard obviously chose the latter. Those who didn't are shunned at best and hunted down at worst. While planning out what he would do in the following days, he noticed the sun rising and a bit of movement from the bed.
Zeph yawned, as he opened his eyes and began to sit up. He realized that the gem and wires had been removed from his scalp. Instead of the beautiful sunrise, he saw from the guest bedroom yesterday, an empty ceiling and an old man greeted his sight. Bernard was sitting next to him with a gentle smile, no hint of the all-night study session. As his mind started to wake, a flood of information ran through his consciousness. It was disorienting for a minute, but his mind soon started to settle. He took a few minutes searching through the memories making sure he could recall the new information at will. Bernard just sat by watching patiently. When Zeph was satisfied, he looked towards Bernard.
"Good morning Bernie."
"Good morning. How are you feeling?"
"I know Kung-Fu," Zeph said as he smirked.
"What?" Bernard said, with a confused look on his face.
After an audible sigh, Zeph spoke again. "It's a pop culture reference from where I'm from, never mind. I'm doing pretty well. It seems like there are no weird side effects."
"That's good, I'll let you get ready for the morning and meet you in the kitchen. We can talk about the results of our tests." Bernard said grinning excitedly.
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Zeph was looking at an elaborate breakfast. Pancakes, bacon and an omelet with a small fruit bowl on the side. "Pretty impressive spread Bernie," he said before readying his fork for battle. His enemy, hunger, shall not live past this morning. Chuckling internally at the weird little story in his head, Zeph began to eat with great delight. Bernard, on the other hand, was enjoying having company for the first time in a long while. He realized loneliness had crept up on him and that he'd been too isolated as of late. It was strange how you don't realize some things until there's a change in the status quo.
"So," Bernard said between bites. "I've got quite a few interesting discoveries to share with you. What would you like to hear about first?"
"I don't know, surprise me." Zeph dismissively said while taking a bit of the omelet, it was pretty damn good.
"Okay, so surprises first. Hmmmm. Oh, let's start with your glowing hair."
"Wait my hair glows?" Zeph said while lifting a lock from his shoulder to look closely at it. "It seems regular black to me."
"Well, it's pretty bright in here. It's sort of like the bioluminescence you find in deep sea creatures. You create a soft bluish shimmer only noticeable when you're in low light."
"That's not gonna be a problem, is it? I mean y'know a kid with glowing hair would attract some attention, right?"
Bernard took a sip of milk before replying, "Not a problem at all. Kids these days do all kinds of weird things to look cool."
"Good to know. So, what else ya got?"
"Well after monitoring your brain the entire night, I noticed that it automatically responds to strong stimuli by forcefully reducing stress levels."
"What's that mean?" Zeph asked before putting a strawberry on his pancakes and adding some whip cream.
"It means that when you experience an emotion strong enough to adversely affect your mental stability, your brain will automatically calm you down. I think this is the reason that you're not freaking out, and are able to take your new life as calmly as you are."
"Mmmmm, so good," Zeph said after enjoying another bite. "So basically, my default setting is chilled out. That's neat."
"Neat indeed. It seems the body you've made for yourself is quite a step up from the usual human. Your muscles, cardiovascular, respiratory, and pretty much all bodily functions run at increased efficiency and capability. It's why you display physical ability equivalent to an early stage Valir."
Zeph looked puzzled for a moment. "Valir, what's that?"
"It is what we call our magic practicing warriors the men and women who are responsible for protecting us."
"Huh, and here I was thinking I was hot stuff, like a superhero. But it turns out I'm just at the level of a beginner. That's pretty embarrassing considering how cocky I was feeling yesterday." Zeph said with a somewhat defeated look.
"Don't get depressed my boy, it takes years of training and tempering of the body using magic to reach the level your body is at. Most Valir students don't reach that level until their mid to late teens."
"Well, I have the body of a twelve or thirteen years old, that means I'm only ahead by a few years," Zeph replied feeling somewhat better.
"You're not taking into account that you're only two days old, and have never actually practiced magic. You'll undoubtedly become much more powerful in the future." Bernard paused to take a bite from his fruit bowl. "Tell me, why are you so focused on your power?"
"Well, you know how I claimed I was a like a superhero yesterday?" Zeph said with slight embarrassment.
"Yes, I heard you mention that, is that some sort of special existence in your world?"
"Yeah, they're like Valir in this world, but in my world, there's no magic. So everyone is probably weaker than even the most regular person in this world. Since you told me that even the least powerful person has some ability to use magic for defense."
"Ah, I see," Bernard said with a thoughtful look. "Does this mean that you desire this power to save people?"
"Yeah, I used to dream about being a superhero when I was a child. In my previous life, I mean. But we're getting off topic." Zeph tried to steer the conversation back on track. "You had more test results to tell me?"
"Indeed," He put his fork down and reached into his pocket. "The blood and hair samples I gathered yesterday showed surprising results. At first glance it's as if you were born 100% human," Bernard said after placing the two samples on the table. "But after looking at them with some of my more advanced equipment, I was barely able to find hints that you, in fact, inhabited a synthetic body."
"Does that mean I won't set off any alarms if I end up in a hospital?"
"Yes, there are not many places with equipment quite like mine. After all, I made them myself. There's also a surprising find as well. The Aetherite, that makes your hair and blood, are still seemingly active. That means they're awaiting further instruction, which is beyond what I had intended. Originally Aetherite was meant to stabilize after mimicking the living tissue of another organism and then set into its new role permanently."
"Okay, but does that mean I can do something to it?"
"Hypothetically, I wonder....could you see if you can feel, or sense the samples?"
Bernard saw Zeph close his eyes in concentration. It was slightly amusing seeing the serious look on the boy's face with whipped cream stuck to his nose. While Bernard was holding back a chuckle, he saw the samples in the vials on the table start to shift and melt, turning into a silvery liquid with a blue hue. He was shocked.
"That's pretty nifty," Zeph said, bringing Bernard back from being shocked. "You're right, I can feel it. I'm still connected to it, and I think I can make it move. Do you mind removing the lid?"
Bernard lifted the lids off of the vials and looked at Zeph expectantly. The boy looked to the silvery liquid and beckoned with his hands. The Aetherite flowed upwards, defying gravity, before making its way out of the containers. Then it started moving towards Zeph, gaining speed as it neared him. Finally, after making contact with the boy's skin, the silvery liquid was absorbed. Zeph sat there watching the whole process with a smile on his face. Bernard was another story; he practically leaped out of his chair in excitement.
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