Chapter 2

After Mark had a pep talk with himself he got to working hard, learning all he was experimenting with his energy, which he decided to call Chi until he found out what it's called. After 2 and a half years he could exert his chi continuously around his body for a little over 45 minutes, he could hold it for an hour 10 minutes since he learned a few things that helped him control his chi aura better, like changing its intensity. The higher the intensity, the stronger one becomes in return, however, a more intense aura bruns through chi faster making you have a shorter time limit to use it. A basic concept, the brighter the star the less time it has. Mark found out that there is a certain equilibrium between how much chi is consumed and how much you produce a second your strength will be augmented without the time limit and a minuscule amount of strain. Currently, in that state, he only has less than a 3% increase in physical activities. In his second year, Mark tried to condense his chi however his head started hurting immensely and stopped.

Thoughts: This marks it, it's been 30 months since I got here. Life isn't so bad, I usually wake up at 7 in the morning an hour before grandma to train in secret. I don't want her to see me doing such weird activities and worry her. After that, I have around 10 minutes left so I have difficulty climbing onto the crib and going back to sleep. Ots around 10:a.m that grandma comes with a bottle of milk to wake me up. After that, she dresses me, and whether she takes me to Ely's house or she comes here with Sylth for me and him to "Play together" mostly we play hide and seek. Usually, I can find a good hiding spot that gives me a good 10 minutes to myself. A Little bit ago when it was my turn to seek I could always just sit around and do nothing but after Sylph would come out to find me because I didn't find him. Last week he told grandma and now I'm forced to go find him. He usually hides in cabinets or behind doors and furniture so it's quite easy to find him. That's how most days go, however at least once a month grandma takes me and Sylph to something akin to a town fair. At around seven Ely comes to pick Sylph up, sometimes he stays until tomorrow and grandma bathes us, has us eat dinner, and finally puts us to bed, the crib is a tad bit too small for us now so grandma takes Sylph to her room. I've grown attached to them but more importantly, I found something in a book that probably relates to chi in some way or form, I'll spare you the details but the main idea is that everyone has a life force energy/chi and we can use this life energy to enhance ourselves physically, spiritually, and mentally. I've found out how to use chi to enhance myself but I've got no idea about spirituality and mental but, lastly, there is another thing it appears that my age affects my behavior in some ways, I'm still myself but I just have different cravings like eating my feet or putting things in m out being afraid of slightly high places. I'm sure it will change and go away in a few years, however, I need to find a way to keep this in check if something important comes up.

Grandma Jenny:Mark! Come here, I need to tell you something.

Mark: Okay! Coming.

Grandma Jenny: Listen, tomorrow someone very special is coming to visit me, my grandson Harry with his father, my son Tom. Harry is already 5 but I want you to try and get to know him ok.

Thoughts: ever since I haven't been trying to socialize and i've avoided people as much as possible I've been too occupied with trying not to get caught doing weird shit and trying to learn all I can about this world. Mark: Ok! I'll try.

Grandma Jenny: That's nice to hear, Oh! I almost forgot to tell you. I need to go to the doctor to get my yearly check-up. It's very important at my age so you should be staying with Ely and Sylph for a bit so go get your shoes. 

Thoughts: that's weird. I don't remember grandma ever going to the doctor. I hope nothing is wrong, but she's an old woman, it's probably nothing important.

Grandma Jenny: Mark do you want me to get your stroller or do you think you're a big boy now?

Mark: I can walk grandma don't worry.

Grandma Jenny: alright if you say so. 

After ten minutes of walking Granndam Jenny and Mark were at the doorstep of Ely's house. "Knock Knock"

Ely: Coming! Oh! Mom, you're here early.

Grandma Jenny: I have to go to the doctor for my yearly check-up. It's probably gonna take two hours so I don't want to leave Mark doing nothig so I brought him over.

Ely: Oh that's fine, Mark Sylph is in his room playing.

Mark: Ok!

Ely: Sigh! They grow up so fast.

Grandma Jenny: It's too early to say that, but yes it's been I think three years now since I adopted mark… well I better get going. I don't want to be late for my appointment, bye.

Ely: Bye mom.

In Sylph's room…

Sylph: Mack, You here!

Mark: I told you to roll your r's when you say my name!

Sylph: Role me r's?

Mark: Never mind, why don't we play something.

Sylph: Like what?

Mark: How about hide and seek?

Sylph: NO! We always play that and you take too long to find me!

Mark: Fine, what do you suggest we play?

Sylph: suggest?

Mark: It's like I asked you what you want to play but not implying we'll play it.

Sylph: ok, I get it.

Mark: ok so then what is it that we should play.

Sylph: I don't know, you pick, but no hide and seek.

Mark: alright let me think

Thoughts: what would this kid like… Mabey truth or dare, no that's for teenagers and adults who peaked in high school. Wait can't we just do something like drawing.

Mark: Well I can't come up with anything so how about we draw.

Sylph: Ok! That's fine.

Mark: ok go get some paper and something to draw with for us.

Sylph and Mark drew together, originally Mark was drawing a modern car with a landscape, however, he figured that that would be a little too advanced for a three-year-old so he just doddeld a drawing of the house, he easily got bored.

Thought:Man this is boring I thought this would be some fun "sigh" … wonder what would happen if I used chi on the piece of paper. Naw that's too reckless, what if caught fire or something. Chi is a new energy that I don't fully understand so every little experiment I do is dangerous. But I'll never learn anything if I don't try. However, there is a problem, what if Sylph sees me doing it. I'll just have to do it somewhere he won't see me in the bathroom.

Mark: I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back.

Sylph: ok.

Thoughts: good now I just can't take too long and it'll be fine.

Mark Grabbed one piece of toilet paper and brought his aura out. "how do I infuse this with aura… maybe if I surround it with my aura and put some inside of the paper then cut off that piece of aura from myself I can be done" as Mark though is an idea on how infusing items with chi the piece of paper got hard and sharp. This surprised him from the price of toilet paper with some of his aurae. When it landed on the floor it embedded itself in the wood. The floor was made from the paper infused with chi a fifth of the way inside the floor. 

Thoughts:oh oh that's not good but it seems that chi enhances the properties of items infused by it, I need to get a closer look at the piece of toilet paper.

Squatting down and looking intently at the piece of the paper mark could see his chi slowly leaving the piece of paper and dispersing into the air. Intrigued by this mark was about to do more experimenting he remembered where he was.

Thoughts: that's right I can't do this here I have to wait and do it at home, if I get caught it's going to be a lot of uncomfortable questions, guess I'll wait.

After two and a half hours Mark had gotten home and when he knew he was alone he started experimenting. First came the paper, Mark folded the paper many times then ripped it into three different sized pieces. Then poured a portion of his chi into it watching as the paper smoothed out and became hard then after a bit of time the chi was disposed of and the paper went back to normal. He repeated the same process with the same amount of chi in the different pieces of paper and he noticed that the bigger the pieces of paper the less time the chi lasted. After he tested the sharpness and in many attempts he thought that the more chi is outside of the paper it became sharper and harder however it resulted in less chi being inside of it and the paper going back to normal faster.

Thoughts: Hmmm I suppose that would make sense if chi was a sort of liquid however it goes away too fast and chi can be used for much more than this. This is strange because it has both the properties of a liquid and energy. I wonder how chi would react with a liquid.

Mark went out and sneaked a wooden cup with water to the bathroom and started pouring chi into it. He noticed that slowly the water started glowing a faint blue color and began bubbling. The only thing mark could gather was that chi was hot, maybe chi shared properties with all sorts of things. After all from what Mark could gather Chi had almost no pattern on how it affected things.

Thoughts: I think that's enough for today. I'm feeling exhausted from my four p.m nap.

Cleaning up all evidence Mark went to his bed and lay down to rest. It was two hours later until he woke up and continued doing as he usually does, drawing, reading in secret, and occasionally playing with toys in front of Grandma Jenny to keep up appearances. It was like this almost every day until 10 p.m when Grandma Jenny makes Mark go to bed, before it's his bedtime mark uses up a lot of chi on purpose to make himself tired.

The next morning was the day that Grandma Jenny's son and grandson would come to visit and at 1 pm sharp when Sylph and Mark were playing The doorbell rang.

Grandma Jenny: OH that must be John, coming!

Grandma Jenny hurried over to the door to open it. "Oh you're finally here It's been ages since you last came to visit me"

John: It's good to see you too, mother, may we come in?

Grandma Jenny: Oh of course you so much to tell me, oh and where is your son Miggy?

John: Come on Miggy don't be shy, come to say hello.

Miggy.

Grandma Jenny:Oh it's wonderful to see you again, you've grown so much.

John: didn't you say in your letter that you and my sister got kids where are they are?

Grandma Jenny: oh that's right there in Mark's room playing  MARK!, SYLPH! Come here!

Mark: oh oh grandma is calling, come on!

Sylph: Mmmmm ok.

Grandma Jenny: There you two are, Say hello to my son John And Grandson Miggy!

Mark: hel-... uhh.

Sylph: i-it's nice to meet you.

John: It's a pleasure to meet you two, the blond one must be Sylph, and the one with black hair must be Mark. It's nice to finally meet you, little brother.

Grandma Jenny: Son, why don't you tell Miggy to go play with Sylph and Mark while Iand you catch up until your sister gets here.

John: You heard her go on.

Mark: Come...I'll show you my room.

Miggy: ok.

Thoughts: This is bad! I didn't expect nor did I imagine it possible that I'd meet someone that can use chi so early. The worst thing he saw was that I had chi as well and that aura. It was forty, no Fifty times what mine is. Damn it, "sight" running away is always an option, however, would he notice. He didn't seem flustered by the fact that I had chi. He even hinted at the fact to me with a look so he either has a way of sensing chi from far away or canis emotions. The best thing I could do right now is … I don't know, I don't know anything I'm just, no the best thing to do is to keep up appearances and if he asks me about it I can just improvise a story.

Sylph: you ok?

Mark: huh? Oh right sorry, this is my room, when synth comes over we do a lot of fun stuff here like drawing or playing games.

Miggy: …

Sylph: How old are you?

Miggy: five

Sylph; wow five that's… uh.

Mark: They are two years older than us.

Sylph: Ohhh you must know lots of fun games 

A couple of hours passed with Sylph being overly curious about Miggy, and Miggy being very introverted until somehow John and Mark ended up in the kitchen alone with Sylph and Miggy outside playing Being supervised by Ely and grandma Jenny was in the bathroom.

John: Hey, could you hold up a second.

Mark: …

John: I wanted to make sure I didn't imagine it, and now. I can see that I wasn't.

Mark: I don't like you.

John: Well uhh, that came out of the blue, can you tell me why?

Mark: I thought that I was special, I thought that I was the only one that could glow. But you can glow, and you glow way brighter than me. That is why I don't like you.

John: … I see, do you know what this "Glow" is.

Mark: What do you mean?

John: nevermind, how long have you been able to glow.

Mark: I don't know, ever since I can remember.

John: incredible and do you know anything else!

Mark: n-no, your acting weird are you ok?.

John: Hmm? OH! Yes yes I'm fine. Just a bit surprised is all.

Mark: Right, I'm gonna go play now.

John: Before you do, tomorrow would you be willing to go on a little adventure outside the village for a bit.

Mark: That sounds fun! But will granda agree.

John: don't worry i'm sure she'll say yes, now go play ….. This kid, he's a one in a hundred million no, he's more than that...