“How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life”

― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

As Vendak smashed head-first into the icy wall, he longed for the more helpful systems of the web novels and animes of his past. Most of these had status screens, skill menus, plus a helpful system voice that guided them on their adventure. All I've got is a distant reward, dangled like a carrot in front of my starving hands. A promised reward and a long time to spend while he took care of himself.

Ven drove a hand into the side of the cliff. The ice parted as if he had reached into sand, and Ven gave a small bit of praise to the system he loathed. At least you honored your promise, this body is overbearing! He hadn't even registered the impact he'd experienced as painful.

Ven hung there, lost in thought, as the waves splashed against him. How did I stay airborne in the first place? The moment he'd tried to jet himself forward, he'd fallen from the sky. I must have missed something. Ven ignored the world and closed his eyes. He tried to recall how his energy had structured itself, and pictured the moment he floated in the air.

There you are...

Now that Ven remembered the sensation, he realized he'd misunderstood what his aura had done. I wasn't holding myself in the air at all, I was absorbing the gravity! Rather, he'd drawn in the downward force that gravity applied to his body. This act nullified its pull and let Ven hover in the air. When he'd attempted to push, he'd confused his mental image enough to stop this effect.

At this discovery, Vendak's pulse increased. I knew I could gather energy, but gravity... Ven wasn't even sure what gravity was, really, just the basics. Mass plus a lot of mass equals gravity. Add more matter and get more gravity. It was simple enough. As for what it was and where it came from, Vendak didn't have a clue.

All things came from something, and something couldn't come from nothing. Yet gravity not only came from nowhere, but it also seemed to have limitless energy. If you had enough matter, the bent space created an endless supply of gravity to match. One year or a trillion, it didn't matter. When the stars burnt out, turned to cold iron that spun alone in the void, gravity would still be there.

Vendak relaxed. His aura flowed with the memories of his flight. After several false starts, and one more plunge into the waves that heaved below, he finally suspended himself in the air.

Ven drifted slowly on the wind and bumped gently against the cliff face. Now... how do I get moving... He lurched through the air like a wounded seal as his limbs flailed against nothing, and spun awkwardly. Even after he shifted to a breaststroke, he only crawled, his pace barely detectable.

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At this speed, I should just swim...

Ven imagined he looked ridiculous anyway. The ocean before him, as endless as the icy plains he had traveled previously, would take an eternity to cross, unless he found a way to go faster. If he had a sheet or even some clothing, Ven would fashion a makeshift sail. But naked as he was, that was not an option.

All right, I've muddled about enough, time to give it a rest.

He'd managed to control how much gravity he negated. While he couldn't fly, he could descend slowly from any height. Not only that, when Ven lowered himself into the waves, he'd made another welcome discovery. If he kept himself under the effect of a small amount of gravity, he could 'walk' on the surface of the ocean. It was as if he'd stepped on gelatin, if jell bucked and heaved. Not only that, but he could push off after he landed, launching himself into the air once more.

If timed correctly, he should be able to do a sort of rapid moon jump across the water. Now Ven no longer needed to spend his journey under the water. This new travel speed still slowed his overall time, but he saw much further when he was above the water, especially at night.

Ven smiled at the small victory, I think I'll start this journey below the waves, If there's life to find, it's there. If he caught a fish, he could see how this body reacted to food. Led by this thought, Ven dove beneath the waves. However, as he descended into the dark water, Ven's hopes were quickly dashed. There was no life in sight, just an endless sheet of rough-hewn ice and empty seas. More ice? what a waste of space.

Vendak flipped around in the water, placed his feet firmly on the icy wall, and launched away from the shore. He pushed with enough force to dislodge a massive avalanche into the stormy seas, and the sound thundered, louder than the mighty waves.

As he slipped through the nearly black middle depths of the vast sea, Vendak moved with enough speed that it churned the water into foam. The ocean was quiet, and he couldn't detect any signs of life. Even when Ven traveled at varied depths, he could see nothing within the lonely waters.

When he propelled himself to the surface at full speed, Vendak lowed his gravity to a minimum. He burst out from beneath the surface, his body soared into the air, and suddenly Ven had another idea.

He moved through the air at a reasonable pace, and slowly increased his weight, then arced down before he speared into the water with a smooth dive. Ven swam just under the surface, until he gained as much momentum as possible, then lunged upwards while he nullified gravity's pull.

An arrow from a bow, he covered a great distance before air resistance slowed him to a halt. Like some strange flying fish, Ven propelled himself forward. Each time he surfaced, he flew further and further through the air, before he dived once more.

Since this aura could absorb light and gravity, Ven had a hunch it might have even greater potential. He attempted to absorb the friction created by the air resistance. It would eliminate the only factor that stopped him from moving forward indefinitely.

Each jump brought him more and more success. Eventually, Vendak soared through the air for several minutes before he slowed enough to require another dive.

The more I use this aura, the easier it gets!

With a burst of speed that pushed his limits, he ascended from the waters with an explosion. This time he glided through the air at a constant pace, his lips stretched into a massive grin.

Ven accomplished his childhood dream and flew beyond gravity's reach. Not only that, but because of the lack of friction, Ven's movements were silent. The air flowed around his body like oil over water. Mouth opened wide, he shouted in joy, more a monster's roar than anything else.

Ven flashed through the evening sky. The world spun as he barreled and soared. He used his now limitless momentum to rise and descend through the clouds. After several minutes Vendak finally had his fill. He aimed toward the horizon. Faced against the same path that placed the morning sun and the pillar behind him, he set out over the ocean waves.

Let's see what else this world's got to offer...