Nyxia: Alternate

Part 5: Nyxia

We are taken into a smaller room. It doesn't look like a usual intended classroom. Inside are ten desks, sorted into two rows of five. Each desk has a chair neatly tucked underneath it, and a small black cube on top. Nyxia.

Defoe stands in front, tapping into a small handheld device. He always finds away to make himself look busy. Babel's king is dressed differently, now. A grey jumpsuit with purple linings embeded into it. Babel's logo embedded into the pocket area, and the letters M.D stitched in. His initials.

Defoe looks up at us. "Sit down, please do not touch your complimentary nyxia until orded to." And we comply. I sit front and center this time, right underneath Defoes watching eyes, which feel as if they could shoot lasers out of any minute.

"I will start off by saying, we do not fully understand this material. We have gone through continuous tests and experiments to test its capabilities, but this is your warning. It can be unsafe."

"How do we sculpt it? Like you did earlier?" Holly asks. Her skin is pale, most of us have dark skin apart from a few.

"With your mind. Now, it is important that you do not push your limits. We will start small, but we will attempt to create some simple objects. Concentrate on the nyxia carefully. Think about this. It is in your control. Imagine to yourself, tell yourself, that you want a sphere. Imagine the sphere in your mind, and watch it happen."

I stare at the cube closely. I feel its power connected to me. And then it happens. I watch as the cube quickly changes, and a perfect sphere appears in its place; before rolling off the desk and onto the floor. I reach out to catch it, but it keeps forward until stopped by Defoe's steel tipped boot stopping its tracks.

"Good job, Mr Atwater. Try and keep it in your control. Think, you want it to stay on the desk."

Defoe places down my nyxian sphere again, and this time it is mine. I manipulate it, so that it holds in place. I did that. I did that! I am using telekinesis to control a ball. What in the world. I smirk proudly, and glance around to see the rest of the group. I am one of the first to have completed this so quickly. Morning holds her sphere up to her eyes, examining it closer. Longwei twirls it around in his hand. Azima throws it up and down playfully. We feel like little scientists who have just discovered a new species or element. It's almost as if we have.

I notice Ruby in the corner struggling. Her cube has hardly moved, just vibrating a little. I step over to help her. "Try talking to yourself, tell yourself in your head what you want to happen." Ruby glances up at me, suprised that I would ever dare to talk to her.

I stay closely watching as she focuses again, and within a few seconds her nyxia manipulates, and her sphere appears in front. She grins down at her manipulation, and then to me, mouthing a quiet "thank you" while I move back to my seat.

Jazzy is the last to finish her sphere, looking embarrassed as everybody watches her anticipating. The pressure of us all looking makes her quiet, but her enthusiasm saves us again. "I did it, y'all! Look!"

Our lessons with nyxia take me back to the day Pops took me to the beach. It was the only time in my life that I have been to a sandy beach. We both sat down by the water, shaping sand in with water to make the correct substance that we could shape and form into a sandcastle. Together, me and Pops created a whole castle, with a river running down next to it. By the end of the day, the tide came in and tore down our work, but we were proud. Moms watched on from her lounge chair. And my thoughts go to Moms, now. Defoe promised medical care to our families. When can they help her? I would hate that they wait until my return to give the help that she needs.

We are permitted a short video call home once every 30 days. Sending signals across space to earth is difficult and expensive, so they can only preserve some time to our personal needs.

"Now, I will put up a series of images onto the screen behind me. Please do your best to replicate what is in the image, by manipulating your nyxia." Defoe informs us. The screen changes, this time with a sensible animation, and shows a diamond.

Defoe pulls out a sheet of paper, taking notes. "Go." He gives the signal, he must be testing us to give points on the scoreboard. We all set to work instantly, thinking. The silence is deafening, we all need points, so we all need to finish the manipulations. After about a minute, I hear the nyxia changing to my left. Longwei has finished, and examining his pristine diamond. Come on, Emmet, just make the diamond. And I do, it forms together neatly.

I punch the air in celebration, pleased with my feats, as I should be. Morning is next, then Omar, and the rest. Roathy is last.

We go through some more manipulations, each proving to be more difficult than the last. Our final task, is to manipulate our nyxia into a flower with seven petals. Our minds set to work, and I am first. A flower forms into my hand. I hold it out to show Defoe.

"You need seven petals, Emmet. Yours has far too many."

Back to work, I think. Others around me are finishing. I feel more pressure on me, the weight of being last place, the threat of not going to Eden. All waits on my manipulation.

Boom. Seven petals. I sit back in my chair, waiting for the others, when I realise I was last to complete the last manipulation. Not worth celebrating.

"Good job. Please view the updated scoreboard." The screen behind Defoe changes, and we all look at what is new.

1. Morning - 3870
2. Longwei - 3750
3. Ruby - 3600
4. Azima - 3490
5. Omar - 3460
6. Emmet - 3320
7. Beatty - 3300
8. Jasemine - 3270
9. Holly - 3220
10. Roathy - 2800

I have fallen down to sixth place. Poor Roathy is still in last by a long shot, Morning keeps first place.

"May I remind you, there will be months on months of competition. The end result will be in a matter of hundreds and thousands. The standings now are subject to change, by a lot. Do not let a low result dishearten you, and do not let a high result turn you lazy and entitled. Anybody can win, anybody can lose." Defoe schools us, and Roathy smiles a little. There is one final activity for today, the physical activity. Our escorts take us out of the room, lead by Defoe, into a gymnasium.

"This, everyone. This will be our duelling grounds."

I have to fight these people.

Writer's Note

This part is on the short side, sorry! I hope my description of nyxia is similar enough to the original, I have no plans of changing the material at all, for how core and important it is. Not much, see you at the next part!

Cavo