CHAPTER 53: 53: LESSONS IN GRAVITY VII

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The forest deepened as they walked. Birds scattered through the branches, and the faint chitter of small animals echoed between the trees. The sunlight dappled across the moss, and the smell of damp earth followed them. After about twenty minutes of walking, Fizz suddenly stopped midair and sniffed.

"There," he whispered. "Three of them. Forest Prowlers. Basically angry stinky raccoons with claws."

John crouched, peeping through the underbrush. Three small, dog sized creatures slinked between the ferns ahead. Their fur was bristly and dark, their eyes glimmering faintly red. They moved like shadows, low and twitchy, as if expecting a fight.

"They don’t look... that dangerous," John said.

"They aren’t," Fizz replied. "But they’re fast. Your doom ball will need accuracy. Remember, panic wobble equals humiliation."

John took a deep breath and summoned a black hole into his palm. Mana surged through his veins, familiar now, smooth with practice. The coin sized void bloomed, sucking the light from the edges of his vision. He aimed carefully at the nearest Prowler.

The first one froze, sensing danger, but it was too late. John thrust his hand forward and released. The black hole shot ahead like a slow comet, humming with dark energy.

It missed the target. The Prowler darted aside at the last second and hissed.

Fizz howled with laughter midair, spinning in a circle. "Hah! Beautiful miss! Absolute perfection in failure form. If there was a trophy for Almost Murder, you’d get first place!"

"Can you stop roasting me?" John muttered, summoning another. Sweat prickled his forehead. The strain was real; even at Circle One, black hole magic was relentless in its mana hunger.

[Ding. Trajectory Prediction: 38 percent accuracy. Recommend: shift wrist angle 12 degrees left. Mana output stable. Estimated duration: 3.2 seconds.]

John adjusted his hand, feeling the subtle tug as the system guided the current of mana through his arm. The black hole wobbled, then steadied, its pull sharpening as it cut across the beast’s escape path.

[Ding. Curve adjustment optimal. Maintain focus. Predicted interception: 2.1 seconds.]

John’s breathing slowed. He felt the link between his core and the orb like a tight string, humming with potential. Every heartbeat pulsed mana into it, and every micro-adjustment the system whispered made the sphere move smoother.

[Ding. Warning: Mana drain approaching 60 per second. Short burst recommended.]

"Alright," John whispered under his breath. He flicked his wrist with intent, and the black hole shot forward with new precision.

This time he aimed ahead of the beast, predicting its movement. He launched the void and willed it to curve, and the system quietly assisted, adjusting his mana flow and hand angle.

The black hole clipped the Prowler’s hind leg.

The creature yelped and stumbled, its leg half devoured before the void dissipated. The other two hissed and lunged forward, their teeth bared, fast and angry.

"Two on the left! Focus, Master Panic!" Fizz shouted, spinning circles overhead.

John summoned again, heart racing. The first surviving Prowler lunged for his leg, but he sidestepped and released his black hole in point blank range. The void swallowed the creature’s head and part of its shoulder before vanishing. Its body hit the dirt, twitching once before going still.

The last Prowler darted around him, fast and clever. John turned, panting, summoning another orb. He pushed it out, but his aim wavered. The beast leapt over the black hole and landed behind him.

"Behind you!" Fizz yelled. "Also, you smell like nervous sweat!"

John spun and ducked just in time to avoid the Prowler’s claws. He gritted his teeth, summoning one last orb despite the growing strain in his core. Mana thrummed through his body, his chest was tight, his veins were hot.

He aimed low, right where he predicted the beast would leap again.

The Prowler lunged.

The black hole met it midair.

This time, there was no escape. The void chewed through its torso, and the creature hit the ground in two lifeless pieces.

John relaxed his standing, catching his breath. His hands trembled from all the fatigue, and his chest ached with the mana drain.

Fizz floated down onto his shoulder, patting his head like a smug coach. "Not bad, Master Slightly Less Hopeless. You killed three angry stinky raccoons and only almost died once."

"Feels... like I died three times," John muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.

Fizz puffed his chest. "Good. That means it’s working. Pain is just your body saying, ’Yes, I am finally useful.’ As you humans say... No pain No gain!"

John groaned and collapsed back onto the mossy ground, staring at the patchy sunlight above. His body ached, his mana felt hollow, but his heart thumped with stubborn pride. He was improving, little by little.

Fizz curled up on his chest, warm and smug. "Lesson Five complete. Next lesson: moving targets that bite harder. Maybe flying ones. Or, if I get bored, I’ll just chase you with a stick while you try not to cry."

"Can... we rest first?" John mumbled.

Fizz grinned. "Fine. But only because your face looks funny when you’re exhausted. Also, I call dibs on all the snacks in your bag."

John didn’t even have the strength to argue. He let his eyes close, the forest alive around him, the faint hum of the void still tingling in his palms. He was one step closer to truly mastering the magic that would change his fate, this world’s fate and the universe too. Maybe... it will even affect the multiverse.

"I got some ideas. I will tell you after you rest." Fizz said.

A few hours later...

The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves in broken golden rays as John stood in the clearing, sweat already trickling down his back. His muscles ached from the morning’s and Noon’s exercises / training / practice, but Fizz hovered in front of him, wings buzzing like a smug little engine of chaos.

"Lesson Six begins now!" Fizz declared, spinning in midair with a theatrical flare. "My genius idea is... Now we upgrade from a lizard and raccoons to the ultimate moving target... me!"