[ ] Psychokinesis
X.x.X.
Anthony carefully studied the list of psionic powers Some like hypnosis, he put in the hard pass category. Others, like the improved immune system, perked his interest but wasn't what he needed at the moment. In the end, he narrowed his choice to precognition, psychometry, and psychometry.
If he was just looking at the money-making possibilities, precognition seemed like the way to go. But if you analyze it carefully, picking it could prove to be a huge gamble. A few minutes variable could be the difference between winning the lottery or getting nothing at all. Worse, it has the longest training time at 150 days so he can't easily switch if he picked it.
System, the description says see few minutes in the future. Can you give me the exact number?
Negative, Host.
I suppose you can't also tell me how much information I can get from psychometry or how much force or control I can output with psychometry, either?
That depends on the Host's initial aptitude. Analyzing will consume the system's energy reserves and further slow neurogenesis.
Anthony sighed.
Well, if both options look the same, he might as well take the one with the fastest training time so he could switch early if it wasn't what he was looking for.
Ok. I choose Psychokinesis system!
Acknowledged. Begin grafting beginner psychokinesis imprint.
A burst of pain assaulted his brain. akin to having someone driving a couple of nails in his brain.
What the hell system?
Host, might feel some discomfort during the procedure.
Minor discomfort, my foot. It was a good thing that Anthony was sitting down or else he would fall down due to it. But, as the pain gradually faded, Anthony became aware of a warm current originating from the brain that flowed across his entire body.
Is this psionic power? He wondered.
Let's try this then.
Like he had been doing it a thousand times and more, Anthony controlled the energy directing some of it toward outside.
It worked.
Though, without direction, the energy quickly dissipated.
Emboldened, Anthony pushed the energy toward the round claydough, which he used as a stress ball, on the table. This time he seemed to be expending more energy to compensate as it travels further and when the energy reached the claydough the demand for energy increased again.
Anthony did so. The claydough wobbled.
A slight tingling.
As if he grew a phantom limb out of nowhere centered on the clay. centered on the clay.
Testing it, Anthony imagined the words NEAT being pushed in the dough.
And like there was an invisible stamp pad, the word NEAT was pressed on the clay.
This certainly has possibilities. He grinned.
But, first, he needs some materials. Excited, Anthony changed quickly, eager to start his first project. Looking at the mirror and seeing he was presentable, he reached toward the bottle of antidepressant he always took whenever he went outside.
WARNING! Host shouldn't take psionic blockers during the system installation phase.
Anthony paused.
Wait, system, do you mean this? Anthony waved the bottle of antidepressant in the empty air.
Affirmative host!
Antidepressant is considered psionic blockers, really?
According to the database, neurotransmitter inhibitors such as serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors affect psionic energy control and production negatively.
If you say so, but without it, I'm going to suffer from hallucinations. Could you guide me --
Negative host. System scan shows that the host have a healthy brain. Hallucinations were most likely caused by excess uncontrolled psionic energy. The system even partially bound controls such energy wastage.
Anthony was utterly dumbfounded.
X.x.X.
Anthony listened to the saleslady halfheartedly.
When the system announced that his schizophrenia - the illness that plague his whole life was gone - he didn't know how to feel. Part of him felt disbelief.
But, as he walked around the city like normal people and not someone desperately ignoring the haze in his vision.
As he managed to ride the crowded bus and not feel that he was drowning -
As he talked to strangers while being able to feel emotions - that disbelief grew smaller and
smaller, replaced with gratefulness.
"Have you decided what you would be taking sir?" The saleslady of the craft store asked him politely.
"Can you repeat that?" Anthony smiled sheepishly. The saleslady's eyebrow twitched. "Perhaps, you could start by telling what you are planning to make?"
"I think I want to do something with clay," Anthony remarked remembering his little experiment. "It would be best if I don't need an oven as well."
"I see." The saleslady questioned. "We do have some air-dry clay. Do you plan on molding it as well?"
"Molding?"
After that, the saleslady gave another in-depth explanation, this time about molding. Apparently, using silicone or rubber, you can make molds of sculpture for easier reproduction. The store apparently has that service along with kiln and potter wheel rental for aspiring sculptors.
X.x.X.
It was time.
Anthony thought long and hard about what he wanted to make. In the end, he settled for something religious for people to put in their homes. After all, Farasia due to the colonization of the Spaniards was still a predominantly Christian country.
Mind made up Anthony put his hand on the clay, imagining a little boy praying like. An image of young Anthony when his parents believed that going to church would cure him
. His knees kneeling --
-the lower portion of the clay twisted with the upper body slimming as the rest goes down to form the legs.
When he prayed his back was straight, hand held tight ---
--The middle portion also took shape depicting the body and a bulge in the center, depicting the hands and arms.
Hoping anyone could hear.
A sphere was formed, carvings of hair at the top, the face bowed
He remembered the relief that he felt today. The ease of walking in the city. Talking to people. Everyday normal actions.
Is this what it's like to have the prayers granted?
The head gradually faced upward as if looking for something. Its eyes round, its nose pert while its mouth gently mouth something.
Ah so that was it… That was what he was feeling the whole day.
A happy tear slipped down his face.
He was grateful.
To whoever allowed the system to be here.
Thank you!
X.x.X.
Congratulations! You have made low psionic artwork! Grateful Prayer - A 15 by 12 sculpture of a little boy praying. Viewers will feel that the details of the face were particularly exquisite - a kind of contentment and gratefulness that was hard to capture in the media. Making the viewers feel that this boy wasn't just praying but showing appreciation to someone unknown.
The effect is better if you see the artwork personally. But, pictures have a low effect as well. Molded copies will have the same effect as pictures.
What are you going to do?
[ ] Plan - Original
Which is to sell the sculpture directly. It's going to fetch a large sum.
[ ] Plan - Creative Business
Keep the original. Use all your money to get a mold and some copies. Register for international copyright as well. Then, start selling the copies online. Since this will use all of your money, your neurogenesis will be delayed until your making money.
[ ] Write in
X.x.X.
QM Note:
I actually want to rewrite this chapter more because it didn't have the emotional tone I was going for but that would probably result in endless editing since I already rewrote it. Ugh.
Oh yeah. Minor difference to our world. International copyright is a thing here. It's an abstraction I invented because we are going to deal with tech a lot. For artwork, it is copyrighted until the death of the creator/author - then it enters the public domain. Yes. I'm aware that it's more relaxed than ours. But, because of psionics - the original masterwork of art are noticeably better.
Also, IC Anthony doesn't know much about the psionic powers besides the description. The OOC knowledge I gave you still holds true. It's just to make things easier for me to write Anthony picking up any of the choices.
