New World, New Rules. (3)

The sound of birds twittered around the branches of trees standing tall surrounding the park.

It blended with the backdrop of the sunlight passing through the leaves, allowing them to create a layer of shade.

The light then resumed to its intended destination and reached the patients and visitors that are doing their individual and group activities around the place.

It delivered energy to the environment in its subtle movement causing everything to look cheerful and alive.

While it sounds simple, there are intricate systems that allow the process to happen.

These structures help the planet digest the energy it received from space and converted it into a part of its cycle.

This organization of structures that do the work is called the ecosystem.

"So with this logic, we should note that every free energy available from the planet's atmosphere is the work of the ecosystem... Doing its conversion from something that came from outside its circle."

"And once that thing touches the ground, the system will assimilate it in that instant. Changing it to be a part of a complete structure instead of staying in its unique form."

As Quin explained its mechanics, he drew new symbols on the soil using a branch. He connected it into a series using some arrows that displayed a process of a cycle.

"Do you understand it now?"

He turned his head and pointed his branch toward a group of birds that is similar to a pigeon from his hometown.

They stood right beside him staring at his movements, waiting for him to drop some feed while tilting their heads following his gestures.

"Yes? I used to understand it too, but not anymore."

Quin sighed as he raised his head and stared blankly at the sky.

"Just, who can tell me where did this Primal Energy come from? It is just too foul to be a normal phenomenon... I'm this close to throwing the pot to dark matter and ignoring it altogether."

He scratched his scalp and shrugged, thinking this thing is too nonsense.

Just like having the planet arriving at a buffet but having sudden constipation, stopping its digestion. Only to make it cease eating and ignore the rest of the same food on its plate and inside its body.

"Seems like something introduced to the planet rather than a natural occurrence. But the apparent surface civilization level does not match up to doing something of this magnitude either. Anyway, this thing looks shady no matter how you look at it."

Throwing the branch aside, he picked up a synthetic wooden box from his chair.

Tossing the crumbs inside it onto the floor, allowing for the group of birds to feast after what sounded to be a random lecture with practiced movements and standard pace.

It seemed to be something that the animals got used to doing after a repeat incidence.

He observed the surroundings after the usual action was done.

Quin spotted an elderly man wearing a fancy reflective sunhat approaching while waving a hand in his direction and displaying a gentle smile, having a clear familiarity at the sight.

"Doing your thinking exercise again? It seems like your audience grew quite a bit."

Walking the distance while looking at the feasting birds and the symbols on the floor, he looked at Quin's eyes and smiled, standing amused by his antics. Thinking, 'He sure has a way of making his brain active.'

Quin stood up from his seat and rolled his eyes at the elder's posture of wanting to be entertained.

"What else can I do? It's not like you guys want to listen, right? And I can't just stop doing it either, since the nurse told me it will be helpful for my memory recovery procedure if I brainstorm at regular times."

Catching up with the elderly's pace, both men started chatting while walking down the road with an obvious goal in mind.

It seemed like Quin was just waiting for him in the area to pass by, doing his thinking activity for the day before going to their same destination.

It had been two days since Quin woke up and found himself in this new world.

Meeting new people, chatting about their complaints. And comparing their bad luck based on their reasons for having to stay here allows him to have the long-lost feeling of reality.

The experience gave him the impression that although there might be differences in the details, this society works the same way as in his past.

Only, there is one glaring difference, the existence of Primal Energy.

"You are not still over it? Although you have partial memory loss, that should have not allowed you to view primal energy as something unbelievable, right?"

The elderly with a fancy hat and Quin came near the table that is displaying what looks like a holographic board game.

An uncle with a goatee and a teenager, accompanied by a professional butler, sitting on the chair operating the interface, raise their heads and look at each other.

One smiled while shaking his head and the other looked weird, wanting to say something but stopping after hearing what their conversation was about.

"It's not that I'm not over it. It's just.. Don't you find it interesting how everything seems to be run by it?"

Quin sat down beside the teenager, making the guy scooch away while looking at his butler, having his face show intent of asking for permission. Only to be met with a shake of the butler's head.

"Oh sure, it was undoubtedly interesting. Only, that was when I was studying basic elements at three years old in the virtual school... Just like how making air from basic particles was also an interesting thing for practical experiments and doing some hide-and-seek with its result."

Smirking, the elderly with a fancy hat tapped his part of the table. Allowing it to turn into a holographic display, connecting it and joining the ongoing game of the uncle with a goatee and the teenager with a butler.

"While I do not get why you are so fixated on how primal energy is different after you have a partial memory loss. What I can tell you, having it affected all the things I come into contact with..."

"From a young age until living to this day, it all made me think of it as something that is just there."

"Even if we cannot observe its form with any instrument that is not using it as an energy source. We know they are everywhere by observing in indirect ways based on the energy crystals that condense on the stratum that we can get by mining."

"Trust me, once you get back most of your memory, especially the ones when you signed up for the virtual education, you won't think it is special." The elderly asserted.

As he operated on his side of the table, the elderly with a fancy hat smiled amused. He seemed to discover something fun happening on the game screen while answering Quin's question.

'That's the weird thing right there!' Quin shows an unusual expression with an uncanny similarity to the teenager just a while ago.

'I don't believe no one would think it is weird how a supposed dark matter started interacting with bright matter upfront. And taking part in a planet's regulatory system to produce energy crystals just to allow the natives to discover its property in what looks like a total coincidence.' Quin thought quietly in his head.

Tapping his side of the table, he also started joining their game in progress at the right time. Helping the elderly with a hat stay on the table without being eliminated as soon as he got surrounded by the other two players.

'While I don't need to care like the big guys. The problem is that it is the only element that reacts with my resonance. All the rest of the elements that are included in the bright matter systems are inert. They just won't care about any of my consciousness prodding like an aloof goddess.' He shook his head while watching the elderly with a hat get almost wiped out by the teenager's soldiers on his site, ending his first session of war chess.

"Speaking of which, have you all heard about the latest strange accident last night?"

The Uncle with a goatee gave a sneak attack on the back of his supposed teenage ally in a sudden turn of events while keeping a straight face.

He raised his head while asking his question and glanced straight at Quin, knowing he will be interested in hearing it.

"Serves you right!"

The elderly with a fancy hat operated his remaining troops to counter-attack the teenager, pouring salt into his wound while laughing and making the teenager grimace back.

He then dropped what looked like an energy shield, appearing to be assured as he stopped looking at the holographic projection while responding to Uncle with a goatee's question.

"Oh, there was another one like the one Quin was involved in? What is the made-up reason they gave as an explanation now after the gas explosion incident that had a magnitude of a small warhead in damage?"

As the teenager operated his troops to retreat into his corner, he raised his head with the same weird expression surfacing after hearing what they are talking about.

His expression looked like someone wanting to share something but stopped himself after seeing his butler's eye warning.

"Yes, like the one where Quin lost his memories in. Now, the reason is not a man-made accident anymore. They pushed it and blamed it on a sinkhole making a crater on the street. Only this time it was on the outskirts, so nobody care except the media."

The uncle with a goatee responds while revealing what appears to be an ambush on the way to the teenager's corner, surrounding his troops and going in for the kill.

While watching the teenager about to get wrecked. Quin observed the teenager's expression, thinking that this kid might know something about the ongoing incidents, wanting to brag and get attention with it.

He operated his brought troops and reinforced the teenager while looking in his direction and nudging him at the shoulder.

"What do you think?"

Widening his eyes, the teenager turned his head and stared at Quin that asked his opinion.

He seemed unprepared, lowering his eyes and having his fingers touching, appearing to be finding the right words to respond.

"Aren't they the aftermath of superheroes fighting each other?"

He answered Quin with a crisp and naive voice.

The teenager raised his head and slammed his fist on his palm in an impulsive action, showing a ruddy face, having his eyes bright for expressing what he wanted to say at last.

"You sure are funny. I used to be at that age too. In fact, if the media followed your idea and use that as an explanation, I might just pursue their publications as entertainment."

Laughing out loud, the elderly with the fancy hat reminisced about his childhood days, believing in superpowers and being a superhero, only to grow up.

"Now, be easy on the child. Let him be happy for asserting what he has been holding back."

The Uncle with a goatee interjected as he eliminated the teenager's soldiers in one wave, destroying his camp and finishing his session with a straight face.

He turned his head and stared at the teenager's pouting expression, he tried to move his lips to form what he thought was a gentle smile.

'The kid might have been saying the truth. Or, at least the truth he heard from someone he trusted and then being decorated with what he believes.' Not being able to save the teenager from being kicked out of the game, he clashed with the uncle with a goatee back to back while thinking of the possibilities.

Staring in the teenager's direction, he saw the butler showing a somewhat apologetic smile while putting a hand on the kid's shoulder, making the kid sulk.

"Young master, we should go back and have a rest."

As the teenager stood up, he tapped his part of the table, allowing it to shut down and disconnect from their session. He turned and looked at his butler and shrugged, telling him he got it.

"I hope you recover soon!"

The elderly with a fancy hat removed his eyes from Quin and the uncle with a goatee.

He Ignored the clashes all over the map with wins and losses, waiting for his energy shield to expire.

He waved his hands in the master and servant's direction while watching them leave with what looked like a hovering tray that carries a variety of snacks.

Got distracted in what seemed like an instant.

Quin made consecutive mistakes, allowing the uncle with a goatee to encircle all his troops into a trap. He forced him to self-destruct while bringing down the elderly's troops just at the right time after they were free from the energy shield.

Finishing the entire session with the uncle with the goatee's win.

'If my void instincts were not wrong... There was an energy about to erupt from the kid the instant the elderly laughed at him, only to be stopped when the butler presses his shoulders down.' Looking at their leaving silhouette. Quin muses for a while, tapping the table and quitting the game in the backdrop of the elderly with a fancy hat complaining about his loss and the uncle with a goatee showing a slight smile, musing about his win.

Staring at the elderly arguing about the game and the uncle listening in patience with a straight face while doing a cooperative nod. Quin showed an intriguing smile while shaking his head. 'You guys are not simple either.'

Watching the invisible primal energy in the surroundings that he can only detect with the help of his perception, he gazed at the sky in a daze, contemplating.

'God, this planet is interesting.'

Quin stood up from his chair, saying goodbye to his playmates. He walked back to his room with a slight shiver, eyes getting brighter and brighter.