Chapter fifteen: Something new
"Ummm~"
The morning sunlight stretched through the half-open window, creeping across the floor before reaching Caelum's face like an unwanted guest.
A groggy thought surfaced in his mind as the sunlight assaulted him.
'Did I forget to close the curtains yesterday?'
He flipped over, burying his head between the pillows. The warmth against his skin grew more irritating by the second, the more he tried to ignore it, the more intense the warmth became, assaulting him further.
Caelum gritted his teeth, cursing under his breath as he clutched the pillow tighter over his head.
"This Stupid sun… damn you, damn you… let me sleep… it's still early morning" But the merciless sunlight didn't care.
Annoyance bubbled up inside him until, without thinking, he shot up, turned toward the window with half-lidded eyes, and barked in sleepy voice.
"Screw this!" His own voice startled him. His mind was still wrapped in a blanket of drowsiness.
"Ahhh." he sat on the bed for a while, having no energy or motivation to move, staring at the window like it was the culprit behind his messed up state.
A long drawn-out yawn came out of his lips, he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
Soon, his bare feet hit the cold wooden floor, caelum winced and said, "I need more sleep, damn it."
Scratching his head, he stumbled toward the door, the hallway blurred past as he walked to the bathroom.
After barely making it to the bathroom, caelum Flicked on the sink, he splashed cold water on his face, feeling the icy sting against his skin.
"Huff, haaaa!" With deep inhale and exhale. He wiped a hand down his face, staring at himself in the mirror.
"…Huh. Better than ever." Caelum continued the routine part of his mornings. But surprisingly, even he didn't realise how his face looked a bit better than usual.
He reached for his toothbrush, lazily squeezing toothpaste onto the bristles before sticking it into his mouth. 'Ugh, Why do I have to do this every morning?'
He chewed the toothbrush. Pausing in between as with his thoughts starting to fly higher.
'What if I made something to clean my teeth automatically? Won't i be able to skip the morning hassle?'
His eyes reflected his crazy state of mind as caelum brushed for half an hour with his autistic thoughts.
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After ravaging crazy ideas for a while, Caelum stepped out of this bathroom and went straight to his medicine.
After grabbing the familiar package, he poured himself a glass of water, popped the pill out then tilted his head back and swallowed the pill with a sip of water, feeling it slide down his throat before setting the glass aside.
"I hope there were more flavours to this...." After shaking off the bitterness , he walked into the kitchen. "The daily bitterness has become unbearable, hah."
When caelum stepped in, his eyes landed on the refrigerator. The bulky appliance stood untouched, practically forgotten. "It has been months since I last opened it."
Ever since he started creating his own meals with the quill, it had become nothing more than a decorative piece in his apartment. Still, he stood there for a second, staring at it with a complicated look. 'should i just throw it away?' but he quickly rejected the idea.
"Naa. I should sell it, considering it's still working, I will get a bit of money out of it won't I?"
He turned away and moved toward the window, unlocking it with a click before pushing it open. The cool morning air flew in, carrying with it the distant smell of city life.
"Ughh~" Caelum yawned, letting the fresh air wash over him before heading toward the kitchen counter.
There was one thing he still made naturally, without the use of his quill, it was his morning coffee.
He reached for the coffee beans, grinding them down before setting up the brew. The rich aroma filled the kitchen as he moved to his laundry basket, peeling off his clothes and tossing them into the washing machine.
Stepping below the shower he turned the switch on, the comfortable warm water from his shower soon eased the tension from his limbs.
After a while, he stepped out, drying himself off before slipping into a fresh set of clothe.
"That's why modern appliances are so useful." His coffee had already finished brewing when he reached the kitchen.
Pouring himself a cup, he took a slow sip, the warmth rapidly spread through him.
He made his way toward the bedroom with the coffee mug still in this hands. As soon as he entered, his eyes landed on the quill, it was right where he had tossed it the night before.
"Maybe....I should stop tossing it like it's some ordinary object."
He picked it up, twirling it between his fingers, walking back to the kitchen. Finishing the last sip of his coffee, he placed the empty mug aside and reached for a plate and a bowl from the cupboard before settling down at the dining table, focusing his mind on the more important stuff.
After his recent breakthrough, caelum no longer needed a physical surface to draw, his willpower was enough to shape things into existence. "Alright, time to eat up." Holding the quill, he willed the image of his breakfast into the air.
The first thing to manifest was a bowl of white rice, next was a bowl of thick bean soup.
The last one was a grilled fish, its skin was crisped to a golden brown, glistening with a light sheen of oil, the aroma carried a smoky depth that made his stomach rumble with hunger.
With another flick of his willpower, a cup of warm milk materialized, His mouth watered as he rubbed his hands together.
After he finished devouring, he leaned back, sipping the last of the warm milk before pushing his chair back.
With a satisfied brup, he stood up.
"I guess, I should go out for a bit?" Befor, caelum used to stuck at home most of the time, not wanting to go out with his weak body. But without him even knowing it, his own habits have changed for the better.
Slowly but surely, the quill started to have an unseen effect on him, it started changing caelum's view on life.
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Caelum locked his apartment door behind him before stepping out. The air outside was still cool, carrying the faint scent of morning dew as he adjusted the collar of his shirt and started walking.
His pace was unhurried. He passed by the neighboring apartments, glancing at the familiar doors and windows, "though i barely know the people who lived behind them."
The occasional sound of conversation or a distant radio played from within, giving the place a sense of life, even if it wasn't one he was a part of.
As he made his way down the street, he reached the small park that came alive in the afternoons with children's laughter and playful shouts. Right now, it was empty, the swings and the benches were unoccupied.
He spared it a glance and continued on, his feet carried him past various shops lined along the main street. At one point, he used to visit these shops regularly, whether to grab a snack, browse through books, or just kill time.
A smile crossed his lips when he realized how much things had changed. 'Back then, i had errands to run, and routines to follow, but Now....'
The small smile on his lips widened up a bit. 'I could simply create everything i need.'
Caelum wholeheartedly thought there was no need to stop by the grocery store for food, no reason to check out the latest sales, it was strange but Liberating in a way.
Caelum's feet didn't stop, he had no particular destination in mind, just walking so that his body won't become dull.
But eventually, after wandering for a while, he found himself heading back toward his apartment. This time, as he approached, his eyes moved toward the small park once more.
"Hmm, i have nothing to do right now anyway." Without much thinking he open the small gates of the park, stepping in for the first time.
"Is it strange? to think I have never bothered before, despite it being right next to my home." He stepped onto the paved path, glancing around at the quiet scenery.
It was peaceful without the usual background noise of children running around.
He walked further in, past the neatly arranged benches and patches of grass, until he reached an old swing near a tree. The paint on the metal chains had long since chipped away, leaving behind rusted spots, but the seat itself seemed sturdy enough.
Lowering himself onto it, he rested his hands on the chains, gripping the cool metal as he gently rocked himself back and forth.
The world felt still, even his mind went silent, feeling the cool breeze against his face.
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Quite a bit of time went by.
Caelum hands loosely gripped the rusted chains as he swayed gently with the breeze. The air was cool, carrying the scent of damp earth and freshly cut grass.
His mind felt the rare moment of relaxation and light, like the wind itself was carrying away his thoughts.
Then, out of nowhere, a voice cut through the tranquil silence.
"The air is unusually cold today."
Caelum turned his head towards the voice, only to see an elderly man standing nearby.
He had a full head of white hair and a warm, easy smile that felt oddly comforting. Despite the man's presence being so close, Caelum hadn't even noticed when he had approached. That was how lost he had been in the moment of breeze.
The old man smiled, his eyes twinkled with amusement. "Don't you think?"
Caelum nodded with a goofy expression. "Ah, yeah. It's quite cold today."
The elderly man chuckled before stepping forward and lowering himself onto the swing beside Caelum's. A hum came out of his lips, like he were lost in some old memory, before he turned to glance at Caelum again.
"So, young man, where are you from?"
Caelum hesitantly answered, "actually, I live in the old apartment nearby."
The old man surprised. "Really? Maybe it's just my old age catching up to me, but I don't remember ever seeing you around."
Caelum felt embarrassed, he leaned back and, with a smile, replied, "Well, that's because… I'm mostly out of town."
It was a straight forward lie with a smile on his face, He didn't want to say that he was stuck inside the apartment for most of his time.
The elderly man nooded in understanding, as if everything suddenly made sense. "Oh, no wonder I'm seeing your face for the first time."
The two of them continued talking for a while. The conversation was simple, nothing too deep, casual chat that made time slip by unnoticed.
The old man spoke about how the park used to be livelier in the past, how time had changed things, and how he now spent his days going on peaceful walks, enjoying whatever time life had left for him.
Eventually, after what felt like a good amount of time, the elderly man patted Caelum on the shoulder.
"It was nice meeting you, young man."
Then, with a push against the ground, he stood up. "It's time I get going. My granddaughter will be worried if I stay out too long."
Caelum smiled softly, a rare kind of warmth filled his chest. "It was nice meeting you too, sir."
But just as the old man turned to leave..
Caelum's willpower leaked out of him instinctively. He didn't even realize it at first, It was an automatic reaction, something akin to a subconscious action.
But when it happened, caelum's pupils shrunk. He wasn't just looking at the old man's back anymore, instead he was seeing through him. The same way he could see his own interior with the activation of willpower.
The elderly man's internal body was exposed before his eyes, not in a literal, grotesque way, but in a way that only someone who could see the unseen could comprehend.
It was like Caelum's gaze had peeled away the outer layers of existence itself. He could see the intricate pathways within the man's body, the way blood flowed through his veins, the subtle heartbeat, the glow of life that pulsed beneath his skin.
The sheer detail of it left Caelum overwhelmed. The old man, noticing Caelum's sudden change in expression, turned a little. "Is something wrong?"
Caelum snapped out of it, shaking his head. "No." He coughed, forcing himself to regain composure. "It's nothing. I just remembered I have something important to do."
The old man was convinced, not wanting to press further. "Well then, see you later." With that, he turned and continued on his way.
Caelum however, remained seated.
His mind raced as his eyes stayed locked on the elderly figure walking away, seeing the exposed interior of his old.
He was seeing everything, the same way he could see everything inside his body.
The subconscious activation of his willpower made him realise things he didn't consider before.
He was left flabbergasted. "This is insane."