Chapter 11: Hold my hand

[Unknown]: “Enough!”

The insides of Cyan that were in utter and total chaos were now in total silence. It was time for the brain to regain control and impose order again, the chaos has come too far.

[Brain]: “Mana stop chasing the Body around, Stomach stop et...no, you can keep eating but help me with the timing of the rocks, Body stop running around like a crazy person and stop rejecting Mana”.

The brain instinctively knew they need it Mana to 'function' after all.

[Body]: “But she keeps hugging me like a 3 year old, I can’t move the way I want with her around, she needs to go”.

[Brain]: “I don’t care, Mana is here to stay, whether you like it or not you need to learn to live with her, we all do need to learn to live with her around”.

While Brain was trying to grain control again, Mana was… walking in the direction of the Stomach.

[Mana]: “Hi there big fellow, what are you doing”

[Stomach]: “munching munching munching” sound effect*

[Mana]: “hum you hungry?”

[Stomach]: “munching munching munching” sound effect*

Mana did not seen to have any bad intentions so Stomach nodded, he was still too busy munching the food away like a squirrel.

[Mana]: “You know, I can make the food even tastier, do you want to know how?”

‘Make the food even tastier?’ the metaphoric eyes of Stomach light up like stars, this time he nodded again very vigorously.

[Mana]: “Uhmm actually it will hard to explain, so I will just show it to you” Mana nodded.

Mana was thinking very profusely, not that she could actually think too deeply about it, it has not being too long from the time that she had woken up her awareness, actually, she in fact did not have much wisdom, she just was acting on instincts alone, how could she explain to this big fellow what her instincts were telling her? She was thinking ´very deeply’ for a good 5 seconds before giving up and made the choice to just to do it.

So closing her eyes, Mana she started to focus in moving the mana around her, this mana was her but at the same time it was not her, it was the same as the water in the body, it was part of the body, it made the body, but drinking it, it was not called cannibalism, she was made of mana but she was not 100% mana? It was very hard to explain to herself, not that she care about it anyway.

Stomach stopped eating and was eagerly watching Mana move that blue substance around her, the Stomach was too focus eating a while before, so he did not know anything about the outside world or what was that blue substance was, but now that he looked around that blue substance was everywhere, like Mana he only moved on instincts and intuition.

The stomach only care about good food and the time to eat, he just left everything else to the brain, to carry all that weight of thinking, he hated to admit it, but the brain was very good for that particularly task, but that was not very important right now.

‘She said there a way to make the food tastier? Maybe it has something to do with that blue substance, I want to see it’

Mana started to pour all that blue substance into the food mixing with it, after some time she open her eyes again, putting a triumphant pose she started to speak again.

[Mana]: “I am done big fellow, go on, give it a try, I guaranteed it, the taste is 2 times, no 5 times better than before, huff huff”.

Stomach did not lose any more time, he started munching away the ‘new’ food, and indeed the it taste was at least 2 times, no 5 times better than before, from his point of view this girl was his new idol.

But soon after the eyes of Stomach started to get watery, and then he started to cry all of the sudden.

Meanwhile the brain and the body that were in a very very heated fight in an imaginary ring of their own, they were choosing whom will take care of Mana, I mean they were fighting to see whom will be the responsible to handle Mana from now on, the body did not wanted anything to do with her at this point.

[Brain]: “Scissors cut paper you lose again, this is the fifth time already, give up, you will handle Mana from now on”.

[Body]: “That’s not fair I want a rematch the winner takes it all”.

[Brain]: “Very well, let’s play another round, if you lose, you will take care of her”.

[Body]: “Yes! wait You think I am dumb!, let’s play another game!”.

Just as they were about to play I mean fight for ‘real’ this time, they heard the Stomach crying, looking round they could see Mana at his side trying to calm him down.

The brain and the body focused their attention to that place now.

[Brain]: “MANA what did you do! body help to calm Stomach down”

Mana was panicking, she was just making the food tastier, but this big fellow started to cry all of the sudden after eating a little of the food, she did not know what she do wrong.

[Mana]: “I did nothing wrong, I just mixed the food with some of my mana, the food should just taste better, but he started crying all of the sudden”.

With a panicked expression Mana tried to explain the events and what she did but...

[Brain]: “You did what? You messed out with his food? You don’t know that you can’t mess with his food! come on big fellow, I am here, calm down a little”.

Calming down a little, the Stomach finally stopped crying.

[Body]: “That is big fellow, tell to big bro, what this crazy woman did to your food”.

[Mana]: “Hey! That was uncalled for”.

The body did not pay any attention to this crazy woman that has chased him around and has messed out with the food of the stomach.

The Stomach shook his metaphoric head.

[Stomach]: “sniff sniff, she did nothing wrong, the food indeed taste is even better now, it is just… sniff sniff….”

[Body and Brain]: “just?” they were in perfect sync when they said that.

[Stomach]: “it was like…. home”.

The body and the brain were muted

[Stomach]: "I am sorry for scaring you little miss, and i thank you for the food"

While the Stomach was expressing his thanks to Mana, the body and the brain were....

[Brain]: “it was”

[Body]: “like home”

They looked each other, and then the food, before both of them picking a piece, nodding, they too took a bite, after that like the Stomach before, their eyes light up like stars, but soon after… they started crying, making the Stomach cry again...

Now the body, the stomach and the brain, where crying like little babies, it has being only 3 days in this place, the taste of food, home, they remember clearly, it was not too long ago from when they were transported to this place, they were under a great pressure, and to eat something that taste it like home, it was…

Now the three of them where surrounding Mana and hugging her while crying.

Mana was of course shocked, she just was talking with this big fellow and he started to cry then the other two came and then they too were crying like babies under her and hugging her.

With a mental sight, Mana did not understood anything at all but, she could understand that they were happy to have her, and that’s all that she care about.

[Mana]: “You silly guys, there there, I will make better food for everyone”.

[Body]: “sniff sniff you will? Even after I wanted to expel you?”

Mana nodded his head with all forgiving face.

[Body]: “Even after I called you crazy woman?”

Mana nodded her head again

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

[Body]: “Even after I wanted to kick you in the back when you were not looking?”

A bulging vein was formed in the metaphoric head of Mana, but she soon calm down again

[Mana]: “That’s all in the past now, let’s all get along yes?”

She said that while having a blinding smile.

The Body and the Brain looked each other before they reached a non-verbal agreement, the soon nodded each other and step out to the imaginary ring again, but this time…

[Body]: “This time I will lose for sure get ready brain the biggest loser will show you his skills”.

[Brain]: “I would feel bad if I won every match I think it is time for you to win”.

[Body]: “Don’t be so ridiculous, how could i beat you, the great brain, you are smarter that everyone else in here, there is no way for me to win, I should just give up and declare you the winner there is not point for this match when we already know the results.”

Meanwhile in the grades of the imaginary stadium, Mana and Stomach were just enjoying the show while eating imaginary popcorns.

[Mana]: “You can do it Body you can beat the brain don’t give up just yet”

[Stomach]: “munching munching munching”

Body realized that Mana was watching over him did not wanted to lose in front of her but at the same time he wanted to lose even more, he was truly… stupid.

Brain on the other hand was just playing with him, he did not really wanted to handle Mana, he has already a big load, and body was the ultimate medium between mana and Cyan, it was the medium that mana interacted the most, of course, he is the one that should handle her, but it was fun messing round with him anyway, inside the brain he was just laughing at the body, ‘truly a stupid a body, but whatever is more fun this way’

In the match, Brain has pulled paper that turned into a rock mid-way, winning the match with a paper thin margin, actually the body was very fast but very dumb, the brain could predict each and every throw that the body would make, he just taunted the body pulling paper making him look that he would pull paper only to crush the scissors that the body will pull with a rock.

At this point the body was so afraid of rocks that not even once did he pull rocks, the brain has seen this, and now it was just a child play, but if he messed up too much with the body, he will realized that, so this was the time to end it.

After losing the match the body was happy at the time he was sad, he wanted to look ‘cool’ in front of Mana, but he wanted to lose so he could be the responsible for mana and they could hang out together, again it was he truly stupid, if only the body could develop a better brain, but that was asking for a miracle.

Mana rushed to the defeated Body, she actually did not know this was a match for ‘her’ and only though they were just playing around and was having fun watching them play around.

[Mana]: “You did your best! Body, come teach how to play too I want to learn”.

The body was secretly happy to have lost against the brain, but jus this time, next time he will win for sure.

The body nodded his metaphoric head, extending his hand to Mana.

[Body]: “If you are ok with me, I will teach you”

Mana grabbed a hold of the body hand not wanting to let that hand go, she did know not what it was, but her instincts were telling her not to let that hand go, no matter what.

the body stopped feeling so stiff, holding on to Mana hand, he could move freely again, no, it was easier now, Mana was helping him to move Cyan ‘body’, he could move now faster than before supporting himself with mana, after he started to believing in Mana, she was now tanking a great load for herself.

The body now free from the shackles that was the mana from outside could move like yesterday again, before it was like moving in a pool of jelly, but now, now it was like air, he was so light, he felt he could fly right now, actually holding hands with Mana, he felt like flying actually.

Outside Cyan Body

Arlom was shocked, the changes in Cyan were so fast and strange, in one moment he would move like a well oil machine, then he would go back to be a interplanetary idiot, in the next instant he was getting hit even worse than before like he was wanting to be hit more, then he would be angry and then happy just to start crying like a baby, then he would make a happy face again, but the bigger and stranger change has come after all that.

The mana that was in utter and total chaos around Cyan… has stopped acting up like crazy and has now being to move in sync with Cyan himself, he has stopped absorbing the mana around him like sponge and was now in control of it, or that how it looked to him, nevertheless Cyan movements where getting faster and faster, and the rate of improvement was too breath taking, it was beyond amazing, Arlom was tempted to call it at monster rate, it stopped being amazing and had started to become at scary rate, Arlom was getting scared right now, he was scare of this stupid child but at the same time he was… worry, how could he not be.

‘It would not be long now, until….’ Arlom was thinking that but he was interrupted by a sound, a rock hitting the wall behind Cyan, this time it was Cyan own achievement, only 1 hour after the 3th day and Cyan has avoid the first rock, then after 10 more minutes or so, another PAH! Another rock was avoided, and the rate keep increasing from 1 of every 10, to 2 rocks every 10, then 3, until he reached 5 rocks of every 10.

Cyan did not care at all about that, he did not stopped moving, Arlom was still throwing rocks at him at an incrassating speed, it would not be long before he reach that speed of yesterday, but Cyan was not afraid, he could feel it, inside him something was very very different.

‘So this is it mana, it is like it has always being there from the beginning’.

Arlom was keeping the same rate than before, even if Cyan was avoiding some rocks he still was getting hit even if the rate of improvement was getting… even more scary, Arlom was not that cheap too increase the rate every time Cyan avoid a rock…. by too much, for now ‘lets him enjoy this victory’.

1 hour ago

When he stood in front of the target he could feel his body so heavy, like if he was in a pool of jelly, this was not like him of yesterday, even if his body was aching in pain, yesterday there was only air that surrounded him.

‘Why I feel like I am in a pool of jelly, I can’t move like yesterday at all’

Cyan was getting afraid, the rocks were hitting him harder than before, even more painfully than yesterday, if this go on, it would not be too long before he gets knock out, after avoiding one rock at the end of the training of yesterday, he was getting his hope up to improve also today, just to wake out the next day and preform this badly.

‘I need to do something fast’.

With a flash a new idea has come to his mind, ‘that is it’, from thin air the path of the rock was clear to him, even if his body was not moving like he wanted to, he could learn how to get hit for now, but soon this proved to be ineffective too.

Arlom has catch out to his plan and was now constantly changing the path and timing of the rock with every rock, the rate of rocks was the same but in average, now he could see two rocks flying at the same time, he could not predict when the next rock was coming now.

‘Dam he notice it too soon, if only I could move like yesterday’

Cyan wanted to go berserker to get out from this jelly that was making him furious, he got angrier and angrier and start to hurt his own body with stupid moves, but then he remember it

‘Wait, why I am so angry for?’ he could remember it, only a stupid would become angry to something of this level, he remember it when his Master was making fun of him, making him angry on purpose calling him stupid over and over again.

‘Sigh it is just like that time’.

Cyan stopped getting angry, there was not point anyway, he was just hurting himself doing that, because he started to remember he did not stopped at just that and moved on to remember the ‘distant’ past.

He remembered his home, his close friends, the things he has left behind, it was the first day of class that he was going to be reunited with his close friends, he was very happy about that, the jokes they make together and inside that group was also the girl he really like, they were good friends and Cyan was hoping that this year...

He did not wanted to remember all that, his situation was to illogical to embrace it, whom would want to embrace a world that you were thrown into without asking you first if you wanted to go or not, even worse, in a dark forest where people kill each other and he only counted as points to someone else, were he would be poisoned each and every day.

Cyan was back to getting angry to the world itself, to the one that has brought him here, he was now rejecting the world itself, and… the world was rejecting this stupid kid back.

‘Sigh, it has become even more heavy now, this dam world, let me go, I have it enough already’

The more Cyan wanted to be free from this world the more ‘pressure’ he felt.

Arlom could see the mana around Cyan in total chaos, it was getting crazy dangerous now, but it would be worse to stop now, he could only keep going forward now.

Meanwhile Cyan keep pondering in his mind.

‘Why why I can’t move like I want, why I can’t move like before why I am shackled to this world’

Cyan was despairing now, he could not get the answers he need it or wanted to get.

Then a voice was hear that brought him back to reality.

[Arlom]: “Cyan I have being thinking about you original world, but, something doesn’t seem right, it is really true that your world truly doesn’t have any mana in it?, if that is true… then how is your body absorbing it like it was suffocating before, but now it could catch his breath again, how can your body know thirst when he doesn’t know water Cyan?”

[Cyan]: “What crazy thing are you saying Master of course there is no mana in the atmosphere there is only air”?

‘What a stupid line to say, sigh’

[Arlom]: “Are you sure? Are you not mistaking air with another thing that is similar, you said yourself before, you world knows about mana from books right? Even if they were books, mana exists in this world and have the same name as your world, then how can your world not have any mana to being with?”

[Cyan]: “That’s im….”

[Arlom]: “Impossible? Then Let me show you something impossible”

With a move of his hand the rock has become now a fire ball and they were raining all over Cyan now.

‘This is… a magic spell, I did not wanted to believe it but, I’

Cyan stopped his troughs there, there were was not point in continuing with it, he has to accepted it now, even if, if it was against his own will that he arrived here, even if this was a crazy world, and he just wanted to go back home to…

This was a world full of possibility’s the impossible possible, why he should stop himself for moving forward just because some minor details, no, the best way to go back was to go forward.

‘Now, I am too thinking in stupid lines, sigh’

Like his master Cyan was also thinking nonsenses.

‘If my body doesn’t know water then how it feels thirst’

Cyan repeated that line over and over again it was a silly line but, he started to ‘breath’ for the first time, for some reason the memories from his past keep coming back to him.

‘The air in here… it is the same like… home, I… remember it now’

It was like he had forgotten and now he remember, how could he forgotten after only 3 day’s?, but the air in this world was the same, even if just was a tiny bit like back home, after years of ‘tasting’ it, how could he forget it.

Cyan started to cry all of the sudden, all the memories he has left behind and did not wanted to remember, he was not even allow to say goodbye to his mon, his sisters and his friends, he was dragged in here, his eyes has become blurry, all the tears that he was holding back were now pouring out of Cyan eyes, but now he was free, embracing this new world for the first time he was free.

His body started to act like he wanted it, he started to move faster and faster, better and better, free from the pool of jelly.

Soon enough the mana that was constricting him was now helping him to move too, in only one hour and 10 minutes Cyan has passed from a sloth to a dodging machine.

Yesterday his body has not absorbed enough mana to block his movements but after a day, Mana took awareness of herself and started to pour mana inside Cyan body in huge amounts

Cyan body felt an instinctive wish to hold mana but Cyan was blocking it the body to absorb it fully, it was actually thanks to the stomach that he could remember what he has forgotten, that’s all he need it.

All of this has come to happen thanks to the stomach or maybe it was bound to happen anyway, maybe sooner if Cyan memories were not…, nevertheless this rate was too fast even Arlom.

After two more hours of dodging increasingly speeding rocks Cyan was stuck in avoiding every 5 of 10 rocks, actually the rocks had finished before the scheduled, now Arlom would search for more.

[Arlom]: “What a troublesome child”

Even his Arlom said that, his eyes where sparkling, Cyan was after all his only and last hope, he knew now that he had not make the wrong the decision, but of course he knew it from the begging, his instincts has told him that.