The Arcadia System

Reve opened his eyes frantically.

'Where am I?' he thought as his brain was still a bit slow.

The last thing he remembered was the massive shock that shut down his processing unit. It wouldn't be weird if he had died due to the pain.

He sighed as he realized his naivety, 'I shouldn't have asked for a skill. Amethyst clearly doesn't care about the means, only the end. I was disposable so he wouldn't be careful with his methods.'

He dropped his line of thoughts and focused on his surroundings. His brain had started to kick in, which made him comprehend the fact that wherever he was wasn't familiar.

He was in a world of clouds that floated around. The clouds exuded a mesmerizing vibe that captivated him whole heartedly. One of the clouds carried him, disregarding the law of nature. It was certainly dream-like.

A voice reached out to him in his stupor, "Your perception of me is hurtful. Yet not without merit, you got one thing right; I don't give free things."

Reve could recognize the pure tone of that voice even when he was sleeping.

He turned around, looking at the person, and asked carefully, "Where are we?"

Amethyst smiled back, "Your mind. Come to think of it. "It" should activate in three...two….one.. "

"What are you talki--Ahhhh"

Reve clutched his head as he fell flat on the cloud surface. The familiar pain that struck him before was repeating itself.

It was like his brain was being hammered by a special hammer with nails at the edges.

"Ahh!!----Make it stop!"

He abandoned his pride and tried to beg Amethyst to stop it but all he got was Amethyst's signature pure smile.

He was all on his own…..

White fumes rolled out of his agape mouth as the pain intensified. His eyes all white. His body, damaging itself by shedding furs.

He needed to do something. What could he do?

He could stop the pain. Yes, his head!

Reve was tempted to break his head. 

Yes, if he did that then it might stop. He transferred strength to his weak paws and gripped his head tightly…..when, suddenly, the pain stopped.

'What? It's over?' thought Reve.

He prepared himself for the second coming of the wave of pain but nothing happened even after a full minute.

"That is the cost…..a curse. Not concocted by me. It was the power that demanded that cost," explained Amethyst.

He went on, without waiting for Reve to digest his words, "The path of the mind is rare and extraordinarily queer. It does not follow set patterns. There's a factor of aptitude but it's not necessary. What matters is one's luck. If you can access the path, then all the factors will become relevant."

He spoke in circles, which made it hard for Reve to understand.

The latter asked, "So, basically, access to the path is sporadic?"

"Yes."

Reve nodded. It made sense if it was that way.

Perhaps there were some races born with access to that path, but still not able to use it proficiently. Perhaps, there were some individuals that accessed the path through the use of strange items.

They were no different from Reve, who had Amethyst's help.

In essence, the path was blocked by a sturdy wall. One needed to pierce through it.

This symbolization matched with what Amethyst did to him. Also, it would explain why he still felt pains.

His mind wall was pierced brutally. Now, he was getting feedback!

As a show of enlightenment, Reve's eyes glowed blue. The became clearer than a mirror surface.

Amethyst smiled when he heard Reve's thoughts, "Brilliant deduction. Yes, the curse is an outcome of my previous action. It will plague you until you get accustomed to it."

His all-encompassing eyes scoured the great cloud world as he mused, "Piercing your "mind wall" gave you access to the path. As for what ability you receive, it is random. You should be able to realize the other mechanics of the path later. For instance, your mindscape..."

"Mindscape…..?" Review repeated.

"Yes, the mystical dimension where your mind exists. I'm sure you can feel your connection to it. This is where your seat of thoughts takes place. The mindscape takes the form of your deepest desire. It is true….pure…..saintly…..lies and deceit do not exist here. Here, you are your truest self. The self one hides from reality. This is the place of mysteries. I have always been fascinated with mindscapes."

Reve looked at his so-called mindscapes. It was a world of clouds. Sometimes, clouds symbolized sleep and dreams.

'It's true,' Reve discerned.

His desire to sleep forever. It was a cat's innate desire. Despite not being his deepest desire. It was something he could never shake off.

Reve could also feel the connection he had with each cloud. It was as if he willed it to be, they would float to him.

He voiced out his doubts, "I'm the god of this world…?"

"Seems like you are catching up. Yes, you are. This is a world of your imagination. Here, you are the creator. Before, you ask, No. You can't influence me in this world. I'm too strong for that," Amethyst answered with pride.

He went on, "The path of the mind embodies the mind's influence over the outside world. Hence, it runs on mind energy or mental energy. My father refers to it as Psi-Force."

After giving Reve a brief rundown, he snapped his fingers and both of them appeared in the real world.

"Now, my work here is done. I owe you nothing henceforth. My advice for you is to grow stronger. Your fellow candidates are spectacular. Farewell, Reve, the dreamer."

As he said those words, he faded out of existence. Not long later, he couldn't be seen.

Reve's sixth sense activated which made him know that Amethyst had truly left.

He breathed a short steam of air as he thought over everything that had just occurred to him.

Looking at the books, he thought, 'It's all up to me now. It's all up to--'

Once again, he blacked out due to the massive attain on his body