Chapitre 2: Gravity storm
Under the ethereal glow of the moon, the desert transformed into an otherworldly spectacle, bathed in shades of nocturnal blue. The sandy terrain, usually a canvas of tans and browns, took on a hauntingly beautiful appearance under the moonlight. Scattered across this vast cerulean expanse were bright white objects, like stars fallen from the heavens, punctuating the monochromatic scene with their luminous presence. This wasn't the familiar, earthbound desert one might expect. Instead, it was a landscape altered, its normal hues warped by the moon's spectral radiance, creating an eerily enchanting vista in the deep of the night.
After trudging through the moonlit desert for a solid hour, I found myself threading a path strewn with bleached skeletal remains. Their form and structure suggested they were the remnants of substantial feline and canine creatures, a graveyard of what once was wild and free. As I pressed deeper into this strange territory, a more chilling sight confronted me – the unmistakable shape of human skulls and bones mingled with the animal remains, contributing a darker layer to the gruesome mosaic.
I treaded forward with heightened caution, wary of the unknown forces that had sculpted this grotesque tableau. To discern the cause behind this unsettling spectacle, I began to extend my sensory reach. I pushed my consciousness outward, straining to detect any anomalies or clues in the surrounding environment that might explain the bone-ridden path I found myself navigating.
The air was a regular cocktail of molecules – oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other standard gases one would expect to find. No peculiar particles or unusual chemicals were detected. There was an unnerving absence of animal activity, both on the barren desert terrain and in the expansive, night-lit sky above. This void of life remained an enigma, especially given the eerie bone-strewn landscape that I was traversing.
As I journeyed on, the bone density increased. Perhaps a catastrophic event from the distant past had taken place here; the bleached whiteness of the bones suggested it was a long time ago.
After several hours of relentless navigation through this bone-strewn terrain, I decided to call for a brief respite. As I veered away from the skeletal path, my footfall struck the parched desert earth, creating an unexpected ripple that propagated outwards, mirroring a stone thrown into still water. The undulating pattern extended far beyond my immediate field of view, transforming the desert floor into an eerie living entity. Taken aback by this unanticipated response from the seemingly lifeless desert. Alarmed, I backtracked to the path.
The desert, previously thought barren and silent, was now alive with minuscule, dark shapes – black beetles blanketing each exposed, white bone. As I pieced together the eerie details, a picture of this unusual ecosystem began to form in my mind. The beetles, undoubtedly of a predatory nature, were omnipresent, transforming the desert into their hunting grounds. They had ruthlessly preyed on a vast array of creatures, leaving in their wake a desolate graveyard scattered with the bones of their victims, including humans. It became clear that these tiny creatures were not just beetles; they were apex predators, reigning uncontested over their sandy kingdom. Their movement towards me revealed an ominous fact – in their eyes, I was nothing more than the next meal. This revelation underscored the threat they posed, highlighting the need for heightened caution. The absence of any other life form in the vicinity was a testament to the beetles' lethal efficiency and complete dominance over the area's food chain. In the cold, blue light of the moon, a chilling truth stood revealed: the desert belonged to the beetles.
As the swarm of beetles relentlessly approached, I instinctively Utilizing my power to manipulate gravity, I focused on creating a repelling force field around me. Like invisible waves emanating from my body, this gravitational barrier acted as my shield, pushing the predatory insects away from my immediate vicinity.
However, this wasn't a simple feat. The task demanded a constant exertion of energy and focus, acting as a steadily increasing drain on my physical and mental resources. The scale of the beetle swarm kept growing, their numbers seemingly endless. Each new wave that I repelled was swiftly replaced by another, more formidable one, an unyielding tide of tiny bodies intent on overcoming my defenses.
This escalating struggle soon began to take its toll on me. My muscles tensed with the effort, and a dull ache started to throb at the base of my skull, a clear warning sign from my body. This was a silent alarm echoing through me, a stark reminder of my inherent human limits and the potential danger of overextending my abilities.
Every pulse of pain seemed to echo with a stark message - the longer I kept this up, the more I risked pushing myself beyond the point of recovery. Yet, retreating wasn't an option. I had to hold my ground, to maintain the barrier and keep the swarming beetles at bay. And all the while, the throbbing headache served as a dire harbinger of the growing strain on my body and mind.
In order to withstand this relentless onslaught, I knew I had to tap into the depths of my mental reservoirs. There on the desolate road, under the cold, watchful gaze of the moon, I sat down and adopted a meditative posture. My legs crossed and back straight, I closed my eyes to shut out the external chaos. I tuned into my own rhythmic breathing, transforming it into a focal point to anchor my concentration.
As I plunged into this meditative state, I felt a marked change within me. The throbbing headache, which was previously echoing warnings of my overexertion, began to fade. The sharp pulses of pain dulled, receding into a more manageable murmur as my heightened concentration brought about a surprising tranquility.
But the tranquility was merely an internal phenomenon. The external threat still persisted. I continued to wield my gravitational control to repel the beetles. However, a solution to this unceasing swarm couldn't simply rely on the repetitive flinging away of the beetles. The insects I had managed to push away were resilient and began to regroup, slowly but surely returning towards me.
In a chilling spectacle, the beetles I'd repelled began to form a mound. Like a nightmarish homage to a sand dune, this mound was composed entirely of writhing black beetles. The formation was circular, mirroring the gravitational force field I was maintaining around me. Its height grew steadily, adding another layer with each passing moment, as more and more beetles joined the heap. This looming beetle mound was a testament to my struggle and the dire need for a more sustainable solution.
As the encroaching beetle mound loomed over me, I knew it was time to get creative. Desperately searching for a solution, I turned my attention to my immediate surroundings. The terrain was a desolate tableau of sand, scattered stones, and an unimaginable quantity of bleached bones - the remains of those unfortunate enough to fall prey to the predatory beetles.
The bones, although seemingly desolate and dry, retained a robustness that could be of use. An idea began to form in my mind. Bracing myself for the mammoth task at hand, I honed my focus and extended my powers toward these skeletal remains.
With a forceful mental nudge, I initiated the gravity manipulation. It was a significantly strenuous task, demanding immediate and heightened concentration. It felt like trying to lift a mountain with my mind. However, the bones began to respond. Tens of thousands of them, previously lying idle on the desert floor, started to defy their earthly tethers. They levitated, pulled by an unseen force, creating a surreal spectacle in the moonlit desert. The gravity dance I had initiated marked the beginning of my strategic counter-attack.
As my plan took shape, I amplified the force of gravity in a calculated manner, corralling the levitating bones into dozens of floating clusters. The sight of these airborne spheroids of skeletal remains was as eerie as it was mesmerizing, casting a macabre dance under the moonlit desert sky.
Not done yet, I continued to intensify the gravitational pull. The force grew so potent that it caused the compacted bones to buckle under the pressure. The once intact bones began to fracture, splintering into dangerously sharp shards. A grating symphony of cracks and snaps filled the air as each bone yielded to the relentless gravitational assault.
Once the bones had assumed the desired formation, forming a lethal collection of flying bone shrapnel, I carefully moderated the gravitational pull. The force lessened, but enough remained to keep the several tons of razor-sharp bone fragments suspended in a deadly ballet above the desert floor. The scene was set, my defenses primed for the impending confrontation.
Channeling all my energy and focus, I guided these bone fragments to form a rotating vortex in the sky. The swirling mass of bone shards began to grow larger and larger, mimicking the circular pattern of the beetles beneath it. The spinning whirlwind was a breathtaking spectacle, a tornado made not of wind and debris but of thousands of razor-sharp bone fragments.
As this bone cyclone approached the periphery of the beetle swarm, I halted my repellent gravity field. Free of the force that had been pushing them back, the beetles surged forward in a relentless tide. They rushed headlong into the merciless bone storm, their small bodies colliding with the swirling bone fragments.
The impact of their tiny bodies against the bone shards produced a sound akin to hailstones pelting the roof of a speeding vehicle. It was a brutal symphony of nature's wrath, with the swirling bone vortex raining devastation on the relentless beetles. This was the chaotic and deadly dance I had orchestrated in the heart of the desert.
Even though fragments of beetles were flung far and wide by the relentless bone cyclone, the core mass of the beetles trudged onwards, seemingly undeterred, towards the whirling maelstrom of death I had engineered. This was not a short skirmish; the confrontation raged on, marking the passage of hours in its brutal ballet.
Yet, against the sheer odds, I managed to maintain control over the bone storm, the vortex of destruction that served as my improvised fortress. Throughout the conflict, I poured my concentration and energy into keeping the storm sustained, not letting it falter for a single moment.
In the end, my efforts bore fruit. The waves of beetles advancing in my direction ceased. Their relentless march halted by the swirling chaos of bone shards. With a final surge of will, I carefully brought the storm to a halt, allowing the bone fragments to gently settle back onto the ground.
However, I didn't let them scatter randomly. Instead, I arranged the fragments in a strategic formation that could be swiftly mobilized. Like a chess player setting up his pieces, I laid them out in a way that would allow me to swiftly launch them into the air again should the need arise. It was a small assurance, but an assurance nonetheless, in the unpredictable wasteland that was this desert.
Pushing the boundaries of my senses outward, I conducted a thorough scan of the area. The cacophony of life that had once teemed with beetles was now silent. The predatory horde that had threatened to overwhelm me was nowhere to be found. It was a relief, but one that came with a heavy toll.
A tidal wave of exhaustion swept over me, the adrenaline that had fueled my fight starting to recede, leaving in its wake a bone-deep fatigue. I collapsed onto the ground, every fiber of my being screaming for rest. My muscles ached, my mind throbbed, and the weight of weariness pressed down on me like a leaden blanket. I just wanted to close my eyes, surrender to the pull of sleep that tugged at the edges of my consciousness.
Yet, even as I lay there, the gnawing fear of more beetles possibly surfacing kept sleep at bay. The desert had proven itself unpredictable and hostile; any moment of respite could potentially turn into a deadly trap. The drive for survival, stronger than any fatigue, clawed at my resolve, compelling me to rise once more.
With a deep breath, I pushed the weight of exhaustion aside, called upon the remaining vestiges of my strength, and hauled myself to my feet. The journey was far from over. Despite the ordeal I had just been through, I knew I couldn't afford to stop. With a determined gaze fixed on the endless expanse ahead, I resumed my trek towards the north, pressing onward through the quiet desert night.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Lior_Fraid
Lior_Fraid Dear Readers,
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RoilioR
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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Power Stone 
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