Author's Note: I was truly surprised. I checked almost the next day and they had already broken the record, which thrilled me. Thanks to that, I'm pushing myself even harder and taking every opportunity to continue creating this story for you. Keep it up, and as promised, here are three chapters in a row. Thank you for all your support; I'll try to bring you more chapters as soon as possible. Good night, afternoon, or morning, depending on where you are.
Footsteps sounded inside the house. The person walked to the kitchen and, with great satisfaction, prepared a cup of green tea, something that always relaxed them on rainy days. After doing so, the figure walked to the window overlooking the sea and serenely watched as the waves grew stronger and stronger. Were they worried about them reaching that height? Not at all. They were simply there, existing in a way so peaceful they had never felt before.
"This tea is perfect," they murmured, taking sip after sip, savoring every sensation of the warm liquid.
Suddenly, the portal behind him activated. The three girls were there. The figure, now known as Steven, turned around calmly. "Hi, girls," he said quietly.
"Hi, Steven," they all replied in unison. Amethyst walked to the counter and started eating the first thing she could find. Pearl, on the other hand, went to the sofa and sat down gracefully. Garnet... well, Steven had noticed something different about her lately. And it was no wonder; they hadn't had a real conversation since their last mission at sea.
Taking another sip of his tea, Steven looked at her. She looked at him too. Neither of them said a word, but they both knew there was something that needed to be discussed.
"Amethyst, Pearl," Garnet said in her calm voice.
They both looked up from what they were doing. "Do you think you could leave me alone with Steven? I need to talk to him about things I can only discuss with himself," she added, crossing her arms.
The two girls exchanged confused glances at first, but quickly grasped the meaning. "Of course, girl," Amethyst replied with a smile, lifting Pearl up like a sack of potatoes. The poor girl simply resigned herself to the situation. "Good luck with... whatever it is you're going to do," the purple girl said before closing the bedroom door.
Garnet sat quietly on the sofa. Steven, without a word, walked to the kitchen and prepared another cup of green tea. "Want some tea, Garnet?" he asked without turning around.
Garnet thought for a moment. "Why not?" she replied with a gentle smile.
Steven nodded, and for a while, a comfortable silence reigned. At least, that's how Steven felt.
Garnet, however, was conflicted. She didn't know what to do. Her vision of the future, at that moment, pointed to many possible disasters. She was torn, filled with doubt. And just as Steven turned his back on her, her body began to glow faintly. But, noticing what was happening, she took a deep breath and managed to compose herself.
Steven was walking by with a teacup in his hands and poured some into a glass for Garnet. He said with a smile that he knew Gems couldn't drink, but that this tea was perfect. At that moment, his mind was calm, without the avalanche of thoughts that usually plagued him. There was only him, Garnet, and the tea. He sat down beside her and, with a kind gesture, offered her a cup.
Garnet took it, observing it with a smile before taking a sip. And she had to admit, it was perfect. She continued drinking, surprised that this moment hadn't appeared in her future visions, but now she was grateful for it. If a simple tea could generate something beyond her vision, then perhaps she didn't need it for now. So, serenely, she decided to deactivate her future vision.
Several seconds passed without either of them saying anything. The silence felt comfortable, but soon Steven spoke.
"Garnet," he said calmly. She looked at him, still taking small sips.
"Have you ever felt like you don't belong here?" he asked with a smile. Garnet stopped drinking her cup and studied him more closely.
"Go on," she replied, eager to hear her almost-son's story.
"Well... I'm an anomaly," Steven said calmly as he took another sip. "I'm half-human and half-Gem, which, if my sources are correct—and they are one hundred percent reliable—makes me one of a kind. Sometimes I feel like I'm alone in the universe. After all, who else would make such a crazy decision as my mother did? To give up her physical form just to bring me into the world."
He looked down for a moment before continuing.
"When I'm like this, doing nothing, I start overthinking. Was I a whim? Was I planned? Or did my mother simply want to take a different path than the destruction of her Gem? I ask myself so many questions. Was she right to have me?" Or was it just fate that wanted me to exist, to be here, talking to you about things that keep swirling around in my head? I guess I'm special, he said, tilting his head and resting a hand on his chin.
Garnet observed him silently for several seconds. Finally, she spoke in a calm but firm voice.
Steven, you really are an anomaly. Your personality and your very existence confirm it. Believe me, I've seen it.
Your future vision, isn't it? Steven said with a smile as he poured more tea. At that moment, Lion stepped through a portal and settled onto his bed.
Don't leave any hairs on me! he shouted, laughing.
My vision, why hide it from you? Garnet replied with a smile. It's a vision of possible futures. Do you want me to explain it to you?
Sure, Steven said enthusiastically. It's one thing to have speculations and quite another to hear from the true source. With one hand she held the tea, and with the other she made a sweeping gesture, as if emphasizing the importance of the topic.
Garnet's vision dealt with different coincidences and probabilities. She asked Steven if he had ever seen the mathematics of that world, to which he replied yes, listening more intently. Garnet smiled and began to explain. She said that her vision was like a probability X: you have a formula, a question, and an exercise. Imagine there are twenty students; one of them decides not to take the exam and, therefore, receives no grade. That would be the first future.
Steven watched her, hanging on her every word. Garnet continued calmly. She explained that another student might use the correct formula and arrive at a similar result, while someone else might apply it incorrectly in the process. Yet another might ignore it completely and do something unrelated to the answer. According to her, futures were just as complex and practical as that example.
If you think about it, Steven, she said with a slight smile, a future is like all the possible mathematical outcomes that can lead you to an answer. Some were in your plans, others weren't, and many are quite similar. I see all those futures every day. I just have to focus on which one is the most likely, and thanks to that... well, I'm the current leader of the Gems.
Steven smiled curiously. He found the concept fascinating. He playfully told her that if she could see futures, then maybe he could give her the lottery numbers, because he needed to get a new phone. Garnet shook her head and, with an enigmatic smile, said maybe. Steven chuckled as he stretched.
Then he looked at her more seriously and asked what was wrong. Garnet tensed. Steven studied her closely and said it was because of the fusion, that she was upset because he didn't like it. Garnet was surprised.
"How did you know?" she asked after a few seconds.
"It was obvious," Steven replied. "You've had a big change in attitude since I said what I thought about fusion."
Garnet tried to justify herself by saying that she had been wrong, but Steven interrupted her with a calm smile as he took another sip of tea.
Not at all. We're human... well, thinking beings, he corrected himself. We have opinions, and that's fine. You have yours about fusion, and I suppose that's a private matter. It's fine by me; you can tell me when you're ready.
Garnet looked at him in surprise and then smiled gently.
"Getting back to the topic," Steven continued, "you have your opinions, and I have mine. We just need to respect each other's thoughts, honestly." He finished the last of his tea and stood up. He should make tea more often, he thought.
"Well, Garnet, I know this wasn't the conversation you wanted... or maybe it was, I don't know. I hope I helped with whatever was bothering you. But I need to walk. The rain here is awful, so I'll exercise in the celestial arena." He waved goodbye and called out, "See you later! Oh, yes, Lion, come here!"
The lion, who had been sleeping peacefully, got up and followed him lazily. Steven asked her to go find Connie because he wanted to train with her. Lion nodded and opened a portal.
"You know, Garnet, of all the mothers I have, you're my favorite," Steven said with a smile before disappearing into the portal's light.
Garnet remained silent for several seconds. She had overthought the situation, but now she smiled. She stood up and, with a slight cheerfulness, walked toward her room before closing the door.
But neither of them knew of the danger that lay ahead, a battle whose winner was still uncertain. The view shifted from the house, the country, the continent, the planet, the solar system, until it reached a planet divided into several zones.
A green gem paced nervously through a large room. If she had known this was something directly from the Diamonds, she would never have agreed to it, she thought with concern. Upon reaching the front, she stopped before an imposing figure: a yellow gem with a blinding brilliance.
"At your service, my Yellow Diamond, magnificent and brilliant Yellow Diamond," said the green gem, bowing with her floating hands and fingers.
Looking up, she revealed the majestic figure of the one known as Yellow Diamond.
"Who?" she asked in a firm voice without looking directly at her.
"Peridot Facet-2F5L Cut-5XG," the gem replied respectfully.
"Peridot, you have chosen a good mission. If you complete it, you will receive great rewards... even a Pearl," said the Diamond with a barely perceptible smile.
Peridot was thrilled.
"The mission you have accepted is... the Cluster."
End of Chapter 24.
Short chapters, but they are chapters.