Gemini

A new Perspective

I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate. I dived deep into my Gift, trying to mentally grasp its intrinsic essence, the very essence that until recently was totally unknown to me.

«Imagine it freely» I thought. «Imagine your Gift as you have never thought of it before».

 The key was being creative (pun intended, sorry not sorry).

I summoned to me all the energy I had, infusing it into my Gift and then activated it. I spread my arms wide, not so much because I really needed it, but because it was showing off, if you please. I felt some of my energy flowing away from me, as it normally did when I created something.

I opened my eyes to verify that something was actually happening. 

«Um Ellie?» tried to say Nate. «What's that?»

The usual rings around my arms had not appeared. On the other hand, however, a huge white ring had appeared on the ground centered on me that extended far beyond what I could see. Making a rough estimate I would say that it comprised a sphere of radius one hundred meters.

Not bad for a first attempt.

«Shh» I shushed him. «Now be quiet and let me concentrate. That's our way out». I began to flow my energies into the ring, which responding to my initiative began to rotate and change. Then it stopped. It began to glow brighter and brighter. The moment of truth had finally arrived. 

«It's do or die» I thought. «I even came up with a cute name for you, so you'd better do your job». I raised my hands and the circle rose slightly.

⌠Creation: Override⌡

All the rock disintegrated instantly. Everything within my range was crumbled until nothing was left but clouds of indistinct atoms. And just as everything had disappeared, just as quickly everything reappeared. Particles aggregated in harmony with my desires, altering the very fabric of reality in the blink of an eye. Now in place of tons and tons of rock ready to bury us stood a colossal dome supported by multiple columns to support its weight.

«Not bad» I commented, lying down on the ground exhausted. Out of curiosity I tried to invoke my Gift normally. It was no good: the rings would appear only to shatter immediately. 

I guess I'll have to lay low for a while.

«Not bad?» said Nate shocked. «This is all sensational Ellie! You did a wonderful job, I'm proud of you. But how did you do it?». This time it was my turn to steal the show.

«Thank you Nate» I replied to him, still exhausted. «I'll explain it to you once we're out of here, partly because I don't know how solid this structure is, and partly because I certainly won't be able to pull this trick out of the hat for a while».

Nate laughed. «We'd better be quick then. May I?» he asked, bending down to pick me up. 

I nodded exhausted. I doubted I would have enough strength to walk again. The ease with which he picked me up off the ground one more time was truly disarming, but somehow it reassured me.

We were quietly walking toward the light that shone in the distance, when something rather bizarre happened. The air in front of us seemed to flicker, and suddenly it seemed as if the exit was being zoomed in on by a camera, giving the impression that it was a handful of meters away from us. Nate took a step, and suddenly we were outside.

«Did we just warp?» I asked out of curiosity. «Yep».

What a resourceful guy.

«You took your time» I heard a voice comment not far from us. «With you guys, one can't look away even for a moment, huh? I'm glad you're all right». This suave (it wasn't at all) voice came from none other than Sebas, who was sitting with his hands on a boulder not far from where we had come out. The poor guy still had a wrinkled face, highlighting the few wrinkles he had accumulated in his nearly three millennia of life. He was trying not to give it away and to look annoyed, but underneath it was obvious that he was genuinely concerned about us.