Uncle Romeo was about to begin the test. While I appreciated his enthusiasm, the audience of Mom and Dad hovering by made me itch. No way could I ask them to disappear inside! I just knew they'd be glued to the window anyway, their intense stares practically burning holes in my back. Their gazes were like physical things, heavy and insistent, prickling my skin with nervous sweat.
Romeo produced a small pouch, rummaging inside before withdrawing two flawless crystals. He handed me one, the cool glass smooth against my palm. "Now, young lady," he began, his voice serious, "can you sense any Flow within this crystal?"
Peering into the crystal, I saw nothing but pure, unadulterated transparency. No swirling mist, no telltale shimmer – absolutely no Flow. "Nope! No Flow in here!" I chirped, eager to participate.
A slow smile spread across Romeo's face. "Excellent observation!" he declared, holding his own crystal aloft. Just like mine, it was devoid of Flow. He closed his eyes, and I watched, mesmerized, as a current of vibrant blue energy pulsed beneath his skin, gathering at his wrist. It flowed like a luminous river, tracing its way down his arm, condensing in his palm, then surging into his fingertips. The crystal pulsed once, then twice, before glowing a brilliant sapphire blue, mirroring the Flow it now held. Romeo's hand, once vibrant with energy, lay empty, the blue Flow entirely contained within the crystal.
"I transferred some of my Flow to the crystal, and it got full of my Flow signature now!" Romeo explained, though I grasped that much just by seeing him. "Unlike the pendants, you need to fill the crystal with your own Flow, not by absorbing external Flow. Think you can do it? Imagine the crystal as an extension of yourself, willing your Flow to reach it."
I clutched the crystal, a knot of worry tightening in my stomach. Transferring Flow sounded simple, but what if I messed up? What if I couldn't control this immense power coursing through me? Heat pulsed from within, contrasting with the cool smoothness of the crystal. The air vibrated with unseen energy, mirroring the storm raging inside.
Following Romeo's instructions, I closed my eyes and focused on channeling the Flow. Unlike his vibrant blue energy, mine felt sluggish, a thick molasses compared to water. But with each deep breath, it pulsed stronger, a dark tide rising. The blackness within wasn't an absence of color. It was a swirling vortex, a night sky ablaze with obsidian stars, a reflection of the power I held.
I pushed the Flow towards the crystal, but it balked, a wild beast resisting the tamer. Panic threatened to rise, but I remembered Romeo's words. Taking a steadying breath, I visualized the crystal as an extension of myself, a vessel yearning for the darkness. A surge erupted within me, and for a breathless moment, nothing happened.
Instead of thinking about it as an extension of myself, why not visualize the crystal as a gaping maw? A monster hungry for Flow? Then, a faint pulse vibrated through the crystal. Blackness, deep and luxurious, bloomed within its facets, consuming the light whole. A gasp escaped my lips. It was done. The crystal, once clear, now mirrored the inky depths of my being, a tiny universe of obsidian power cradled in my palm.
Beaming, I presented the crystal to Uncle Romeo, the tremor in my hands threatening to shatter the delicate glass. Did he seem...unconvinced? A knot of worry tightened in my stomach like a cold fist.
Romeo accepted the crystal with a hesitant nod, his gaze flickering between it and me. A crease formed between his brows, not disappointment, but something far more unsettling – curiosity tinged with a hint of apprehension. He tucked the crystals away with a murmured goodbye to his glowing treasure. Then, his voice serious, he turned to me.
"Young lady," he began, “you did fantastic! But...” He hesitated, his gaze lingering on his own hand, the one that had held the vibrant blue crystal just moments ago. “It's about your Flow... Didn't you feel anything... strange during the transfer?”
A cold dread crept down my spine. I hadn't felt... different. No depletion, no strain. It all seemed so normal. But then I noticed it. His hand – the hand that had thrummed with blue energy – was still empty. Completely devoid of Flow. My breath hitched. Panic clawed at my throat as I locked eyes with the Flow circuits on my hands. The image staring back was bathed in Flow, and beneath it, a flicker of inky blackness danced for a fleeting moment, roaring in all of my body. My Flow circuits were overflowing, untouched!
A choked gasp escaped my lips. Why hadn't my Flow decreased? A horrifying possibility clawed its way to the surface of my mind. Had I somehow failed to transfer the Flow? But then... what did I do?
"Did I do something wrong?" Panic clawed at my throat. Relief washed over me as Romeo reassured me, but a knot of confusion tightened in my stomach. "Everyone loses Flow during transfer... why not me?"
Romeo's smile faltered, replaced by a furrowed brow. He shook his head, his gaze flitting between me and his hand. “The transfer was successful,” he admitted, his voice laced with a hint of unease. “The crystal bears your signature after all.”
"But something's amiss...” He trailed off, his voice dropping to a murmur. “It’s not like you didn't lose any Flow. It's as if your reserves are... replenishing themselves instantly.'" His eyes narrowed, a flicker of something akin to awe dancing in their depths.
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A realization struck me. “Is it because I can sense the Flow in the air, unlike others?” I blurted out, a spark of understanding igniting in my mind.
He hesitantly shook his head. Then, although he looked unconvinced, a slow smile spread across Romeo's face. He gave a thoughtful nod, stroking his chin. “An intriguing theory, Young Lady,” he conceded.
"Consider this: everyone is in constant contact with the atmosphere, right? So, if you truly possess a unique talent that allows you to sense, in some way, the presence of Flow in the air, then it stands to reason that you would also develop a special connection with it. This connection could probably enable you to instantly regenerate your Flow by absorbing the Flow from the atmosphere itself!"
"But let's not dwell on it, Young Lady. That’s still a possibility, and it might be wrong… I still need to see if you can exchange Flow with something else as well." Relief washed over me – I hadn't messed up! And, the way he phrased his explanation, that made me conclude that replenishing my Flow by absorbing it from the atmosphere wasn’t really what happened. So, did that mean I have an infinite reserve of Flow? Beside that, Romeo's next words piqued my curiosity. Flow exchange? It sounded like a whole new ball game. I straightened, eager to tackle this new challenge.
He knelt before me, picking up an ordinary stone. My gaze followed his every move as he spoke. “Unlike Flow Transfer,” he explained, “Flow exchange involves forcing your Flow into an object, overloading it slightly. This overload causes the object's own Flow to burst out, seeking a new home – like the freshly emptied circuit in your body!” The explanation was clear, but the mechanics remained a mystery.
I chewed on my lip, excitement warring with frustration. My arms crossed not in a playful way, but in a determined posture, mirroring my focus on unraveling the secret.
Ignoring the niggling doubts gnawing at the back of my mind, I mirrored Romeo's action. Bending down, I snatched a smooth stone from the ground, its surface cool against my palm. Maybe overthinking wouldn't help. Perhaps a hands-on approach, like learning to ride a bike, was the way to go.
Focusing intently, I visualized the rock as a gaping maw, thirsty for my Flow. A jolt ran up my arm, a confirmation of connection. I had pushed some of my Flow in... but something felt off. The rock pulsed erratically, a foreign rhythm against the steady hum of my own energy.
Hold on... if my Flow regenerates instantly, wouldn't there be no space for external Flow? Panic surged through me as the rock in my hand intensified its erratic dance. A blinding flash erupted from it, the force of the miniature explosion throwing me back. A stinging pain shot through my hand, the scent of burnt rock filling the air. My surprised yelp echoed in the clearing, smoke curling from my wounded hand.
Romeo and my parents scrambled towards me, their faces etched with concern. The rock lay shattered on the ground, a silent testament to my failed attempt.
Strong hands clamped onto my shoulders from behind. Dad knelt, his gaze fixed on my burned hand. The worry lines etched on his face deepened, his usually calm hazel eyes stormy with concern.
Across from me, Mom's hands fluttered to her chest, her knuckles white. Her voice, choked with fear, barely reached me, “Lily... are you alright? Does it hurt?”
Shame burned hotter than the injury itself. My foolish curiosity had caused this. A wave of nausea washed over me, threatening to spill out with the truth, but seeing their terrified faces, the words died on my tongue.
Fighting the sting of tears and the throbbing pain, I twisted my head slowly towards them. A smile, more grimace than anything, stretched across my lips. “Don't worry,” I rasped, my voice barely above a whisper. “It doesn’t hurt that much.”
Romeo materialized at my side, his face grim. Without a word, he sank to his knees, his touch gentle as he cradled my injured hand. A surge of gratitude flooded me. He understood. He saw not just the burn, but the fear I was trying to hide.
“Don’t worry, Alphonse, Maria! As I promised before, your daughter is in good hands!” His other hand hovered inches above mine, a faint blue glow emanating from his palm. What was he planning? A sliver of hope battled the fear gnawing at my insides.
"Young lady, do you remember me mentioning I'm a Harmonizer?" Romeo asked. Doubt flickered in my eyes as I met his gaze for a fleeting moment before returning my focus to our hands, “Flow practitioners are met with dozens of paths that they can specialize in, and Harmonizing is one of those paths!”
Unlike any Flow I'd ever experienced, Romeo's Flow pulsed, vibrant cerulean energy that seemed to detach from his palm, swirling like a miniature, living storm. It arced towards my injured hand, leaving a trail of shimmering dust that resembled stardust in its wake. The moment the dust touched my skin, a wave of coolness washed over me, momentarily pushing aside the throbbing pain. As the burning sensation receded, replaced by a faint tingling, a war raged within me. Awe battled with a sliver of fear - this power was unlike anything I'd ever encountered… There seemed to be so much that I needed to cover about this Flow system, since it appeared that it wasn’t only about exchange and transfer anymore!
"As Harmonizers, we possess a unique affinity for living flesh, granting us the ability to harness our Flow for healing purposes..." Romeo paused as my hand fully mended, causing the blue hue around him to dissipate. "We achieve this by materializing our Flow into a dust-like substance, which creates temporary Flow points across the entire injured area. These points then absorb the Flow contained within the dust, catalyzing the transformation of absorbed Flow into cells that aid in restoring the damaged tissues."
"Sure, healing's our specialty," Romeo admitted with a nonchalant shrug, his finger drumming a silent rhythm on his cheek as he rose. "But we can dabble in a bit of offense too, nothing too fancy though. Except for a certain someone." A wry smile played on his lips.
Meanwhile, I couldn't tear my gaze from him. Despite the awe his power ignited within me, a deeper unease settled in my gut. The casualness with which he wielded such a remarkable ability hinted at a hidden depth, a world of power I barely understood. My breath hitched as I stole a glance at my parents, their faces etched with concern as they listened intently to Uncle's revelation. A thrill of apprehension shot through me.
Would I ever be able to master Flow exchange?
Is having the ability to sense Flow in the air something that would make others on edge?
Was there something about my abilities that would make others fear me?
…
Am I… Going to end up taking a dark path in this world as well? Because of the talent that I, supposedly, was blessed with?
The cool grass prickled beneath me, grounding me as a whirlwind of emotions swirled within. Sadly, they might remain unanswered.