บท 6: First steps(5)

"Ethan, why do you want to learn to read?" Asked granny.

"I want to know more about the world, hearing aunty Pema talk made me curious and in books is this world and many others"

"Where did you hear that?" Naomi looked at me in surprise.

"From mister Li" I respond lying through my teeth. Mister Li is a librarian that works at the local library, he often comes to do his groceries here.

"Ah mister Li is right but you're a little too young to start learning to read, at this age you should be staying outside playing with your friends not cupped up inside."

"Granny pleeease, I promise to start going outside more if you teach me!" I say putting my best impression of a begging puppy.

"I guess I can teach you but you have to promise me to go outside and make some friends your age."

I cringe, I know she wants the best for me and probably thinks that I'm shy or I don't like people so she thinks that by doing this she helps me, but the reality is a cruel mistress.

"I promise I'll do my best..." I say half-heartedly.

So my new life began. In the morning I helped Naomi in the shop and I started to sketch what equipment I wanted to have and make designs for it, although I can't anything do anything concrete it's a start. Then after lunch, I did my part of the bargain and went outside to find some friends. It was easier than I expected, flattery can truly get you far. Who knew kids have such big egos. Lastly, in the evening grandma taught me how to read and write.

-Six years later-

It was a hot day of summer, more specifically the 25th of June, my birthday, I was at home celebrating with my friends, Kai, Nya, and Zane.

Kai was librarian Li's son. I meet him while going to the library and since his dream is to become an engineer we started talking and became friends. Nya and Zane are his neighbors, twins. Brother and sister, so we hang out often.

They were four years older than me but we got along fine, if you didn't know I was eight you might think I was their age, I was a tall child so people think I'm older. I started to run and do light physical exercises to build a foundation for my muscles when I was four. Because of this I looked skinny but was quite toned, I was surprised that I had a six-pack at eight but it didn't bother me too much.

In the six years that passed I learned a lot, for starters I started learning mechanics so I could modify the equipment from the Equalists when I got it. Since I got a background in physics from my past life learning the concept was pretty easy. The only thing missing is some practice in working with machines. I want to get in contact with some engineers so I can apprentice under them but all in good time.

On that note I also experimented with my 'limbo state', that's what I call the feeling I have when I remember the time I spend in darkness, I used it while training and it was a great help, it made me more focused, but the most interesting thing about it was that my perception of my body changed, I could control my muscles with greater precision and I could regain my stamina faster when I used it to rest but the biggest benefit was that I couldn't feel pain while I was in it, I knew what part of my body was damaged but that's it, the 'limbo state' was so good that I kept it on almost all the time. There were, of course, some downsides like the fact that if I used my 'limbo state' too much after I went to normal my body would experience an even greater strain than normal, but the more I used it the greater my body's resistance became. The biggest downside was that it was changing me, it made me lose my light. It's quite difficult to explain but the just of it is that it makes me less human, it makes me care less about human life and suppress my emotions. It scared me and because of that I stopped abusing it and in the end, I started to use it rarely if at all.