Chapter nine: breakthrough
When Caelum found the quill, he was already on the verge of dying from mental exhaustion, even before he could die from his illness. But after his encounter with the quill, his life changed.
caelum didn't care much at first, who cares if everything happening was for something better, or for worse.
But he could certainly feel his rapidly increasing will to explore more, slowly even his will to live was reignited.
----
As the winter faded into the warm summer of june, three months past by like nothing.
For caelum, time moved in an unhurried motion. Days blurred into weeks, and weeks stretched into months.
Caelum had the energy of a teen at his late twenties, his life settled into a routine; one that revolved entirely around the quill.
At first, it had been a lot of cautious experimentation. He mostly focused on testing the limits of what he could create.
Focusing, adjusting and refining, pushing the boundaries little by little. But as his confidence grew, so did the variety of things he brought into existence.
Soon after. Food became indulgence to his life of luxury.
What had started as a simple sandwich here, a bowl of rice there. soon became big as his curiosity spiraled. Caelum fully wanted to abuse his powers for luxury, He wanted to experience the kind of high-end cuisine he had only ever seen in glossy food magazines or late-night cooking shows.
So he let go of his holding.
A five-star fired pork belly, seared to perfection. The marbling melting like butter, the texture being impossibly tender.
A bowl of authentic ramen, steam curling into the air as he slurped the broth. The noodles were perfectly firm, the eggs soft-boiled to a golden perfection, and the chashu pork was Divine.
He created dishes from different cultures.
French pastries; flaky croissants, pain au chocolat with gooey melted chocolate inside.
Indian biryani; fragrant, spiced rice cooked with tender meat, each grain bursting with flavor.
Mexican tacos; freshly made tortillas filled with juicy carne asada, topped with pico de gallo and a hint of lime.
He ate like a king. Every meal was an experience, and not once did he have to spend a cent. Caelum didn't just stop in foods.
He created comfortable hoodies, soft sweatpants. Tailored suits that fit him perfectly, like it was handcrafted by the best designers in the world. Crisp dress shirts, Cozy woolen coats, and much more.
He tried different styles casual, formal, even high fashion. It was fun, dressing up in things he never could have afforded before.
But despite all his indulgences, there were things he deliberately avoided. Things like a big house or a latest sports car.
It wasn't that he couldn't make them. Rather, the problems that would come with them were too much of a hassle.
If a luxury mansion suddenly appeared overnight, the neighborhood would lose its mind. If he drove around in a car that had no registration, he would be arrested within the day.
So, he kept things realistic, at least to some extent. And through this all, something started to change, he started smiling more without him realising it.
There was a certain joy in being able to create whatever he wanted. A certain freedom in knowing he no longer had to worry about basic needs.
But as every good things last only a little, a new problem arose. Even as his world expanded out of his robotic life inside his apartment, even as he created more and more…
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"There is this problem again!"
Caelum sat at his desk one evening, staring at his latest drawing; it was an intricately designed pocket watch, complete with engravings along the edges. The details were perfect.
Soon the pocket watch broke into reality, but Caelum felt something was wrong, He was sure now.
Just like when he brought things into reality, there was a strain on his, but what was different from before was, unlike before he didn't feel his willpower expand, even after getting knocked out cold due to willpower drain.
'It feels Like something is blocking it?' He rubbed his temples. "Hah. My willpower isn't growing anymore."
It had been subtle at first. But now, it was undeniable. No matter how much he pushed himself, no matter how many complex things he created, his limit had stopped increasing.
Ever since he got the quill, he had grown stronger every time he forced himself to create beyond his comfort zone.
"But now...Now it feels like im slamming against an invisible ceiling."
He clenched his fists, frustration bubbled up within his mind. "Why? What's missing?"
Something inside him needed to change. But what?
It has been hours since Caelum sat at his desk, staring blankly at the quill resting between his fingers.
'It has already been weeks, since my progress had come to a grinding halt.'
It wasn't a lack of effort. He had pushed himself to exhaustion multiple times. But after he had created a piece of his past and brought the classroom to life, his limit had stopped expanding.
'It feels like running full speed into an invisible wall.'
"But Why?" He leaned back, his fingers drummed against the wooden surface of his desk.
There had to be something he was missing. Some way to break through this plateau. But the answer refused to come.
After a few minutes of fruitless thinking, he stood abruptly.
"Sitting here wasn't going to do anything."
If he couldn't figure it out within these four walls, then he will find his answer outside.
With that decision made, he grabbed his hoodie, pulled it over his head, and left his apartment, locking the door behind him.
He descended the stairs, stepping onto the silent streets below his apartment, And immediately, he spotted a problem.
'Iris?' She was a short distance away, chatting animatedly with an elderly woman near a flower stall.
Caelum's face deadened.
Without hesitation, he pivoted in the opposite direction. He wasn't in the mood to get caught by that being "She will definitely try to rob me, as soon she sees a kindhearted person like me." He grumbled.
Soon caelum reached the bustling streets of the city. Weaving through the crowds, he walked. Shops lined the streets, their displays were filled with everything one needed, from handcrafted jewelry to fresh produce.
Caelum didn't bother to register any of it. His mind was fixated on one goal; inspiration.
If he could just find something, anything that would trigger an idea, maybe he could create something unique and push past this frustrating wall.
After thirty minutes of aimless wandering, nothing came. "Ugh." No spark of creativity or No hidden realization came to him.
"This isn't working." Sighing, he pulled out his phone and booked a taxi.
'If the city isn't giving me any inspiration, then maybe nature would? Just like how those profesional artist goes to wilderness to draw!'
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Caelum left the heart of the city and ventured toward its outskirts. The ride was very long, stretching over an hour
Despite being a small country, there were still pockets of nature untouched by rapid urbanization. And among them was a river at the edge of the city, one of the few places he knew would be relatively deserted.
As the taxi pulled up near the entrance to a dirt path.
"That'll be five dollars sir," the driver said, glancing at him through the rearview mirror.
Caelum handed over the money without a word, he waited till the car drove off.
"At last, I can magically gain inspiration now, right?"
Caelum encouraged himself, Now it was just him, the open sky, and the gentle sounds of flowing water in the distance.
"This air is better than i thought." There was a lot of distractions here to draw, with the mother nature making noises.
Walking toward a large tree near the riverbank, he sat down against its trunk and reached into his pocket.
The quill rested between his fingers, "Huf-ho." Caelum exhaled.
He had come all this way. Now, he could only hope that this trip had been worth it.
Hours went by.
Caelum sat against the thick trunk of the tree, staring at the river stretching before him. The gentle ripples of water reflected the soft hues of the sky, going from bright blue to orange as the afternoon crept toward evening. The place was quiet, save for the occasional rustling of leaves in the wind.
"I have spent the entire day here.." He kept envisioning and drawing and repeating.
Even though It had been weeks since he hit the ceiling of his willpower growth. Till now, it didn't matter how much he tried, he wasn't able to push beyond that invisible wall.
It felt like a weight pressing down on his mind, also an invisible restraint he couldn't shake off.
But he refused to give up. He had already come this far, discovered that his quill could twist reality itself. If he gave up now, he will regret it for the rest of his life, and maybe even beyond this life if reincation existed.
More than anything, he needed a way to survive. If there was even the slightest chance that this quill held the key to saving his life, then he had to push forward.
So, he experimented without any rest everyday, the results were better than he expected.
A few weeks ago, he had discovered something unexpected, he didn't need paper to use the quill.
Anything could be a canvas. The ground, the walls, and if he poured a a huge ton of willpower, even the surface of water could be his Canvas.
Even the trunk of the tree he now used.
Hoping for the best, he drew for hours. On the rough bark, he sketched a butterfly.
But instead of defining it as a butterfly, he defined it as a bird. When the quill left the surface, his willpower drained. Ink shimmered against the wood, and then, before his eyes, the drawing peeled itself off the tree.
It unfolded into existence; a monstrous butterfly, as large as a pigeon.
Its enormous wings, painted with intricate ink-like swirls, flapped sluggishly in the air. But despite its size, it still moved like an insect, fluttering awkwardly before landing on a branch above.
Caelum stared through his tired eyes intently. "No. It's Not good enough."
There was no excitement like usual. For sure It was interesting, but it didn't mean anything to him.
He needed something even more unique. So, he kept going;
A fish, but defined as a serpent, the fish that slithered like a snake.
A rose, but defined as a candle, The rose with petals that bruned like flames.
A stone, but defined as a feather, the stone that was as light as air. Each time, the results were a bit unique and strange.
Although with so many creations, he should've already felt a hint of breakthrough, all he felt was a huge drain and load on his willpower.
"No no no, None of this matters. Ugh its just mixing their definition nothing new!" What he wanted wasn't just some mixed hybrids.
He wanted to evolve his creativity, He wanted to break through. But as the evening rolled in and his body grew heavier from exhaustion, it was clear that nothing was working.
His willpower was nearly depleted. With a deep sigh, he leaned back against the tree, pulling out his phone.
'If nothing else, it is time to go home.'
Scrolling through his screen, he called a taxi. Estimated arrival: 7 minutes. Seven minutes before he had to leave.
Seven minutes before he admitted today was another failure. His grip on the phone tightened.
"No… so much waste of energy. Ahh, i could have eaten and slept whole day."
He had one last try before leaving, he can only try to make it count. His mind began racing again despite the tiredness.
'What have I been doing wrong?'
Every single thing he created so far either already existed, or was just a combination of things that already existed.
A butterfly as a bird, a fish as a serpent, a rose as a candle. It was all still derivative.
But what if… 'What if I created something with entirely new characteristics?'
With renewed determination, he pulled out the quill and started to form lines on the tree bark.
Moving quickly, he pressed the tip of the quill against the bark, hstarted drawing something he had drawn before.
A leaf. The Simple and delicate lead he had drawn when he first used the quill, It was Just like the first thing.
But this time, he changed the definition. This won't be a normal leaf. 'It would a leaf that would never fall!'
A leaf that would never be bound by gravity.
A leaf that would float endlessly upward.
As he traced the final stroke, a sudden pressure crushed his mind. His vision blurred, His fingers trembled
This was close to the hardest thing he had ever created. Second only to the classroom.
The second the drawing completed, reality and illusion blurred
The ink shimmered. The willpower drained from his body like water slipping through cracks. His knees buckled under the invisible pressure.
And then; The leaf peeled off the tree.
After manifesting in reality, it hovered. Just like any normal leaf caught in a soft breeze.
Then, It started to rise, Higher, Higher and Higher.
It was defying gravity!
Caelum's eyes were wide, his heart was hammering in his chest with a satisfactory smile.
He could feel That thrill. "A breakthrough? No...not yet"
His body felt like light along with His mind, despite being near its limit, it felt like his mind was finally freed.
The bottleneck, It had loosened, loosened by a lot, it was not completely shatred yet. But Caelum felt it was no longer as suffocating, He could breathe again.
"Beeeep."
A sharp honk echoed through the area while caelum was lost in thoughts.
With that honk, he snapped his head toward the road.
The taxi had arrived. His body swayed, exhaustion struck him like a truck, He had nothing left in him.
Not an ounce of strength. Forcing his legs to move, he stumbled toward the taxi, barely managing to open the door before collapsing into the back seat.
The driver gave him a glance but said nothing, starting the ride back to the city.
Caelum didn't care, his mind was too busy replaying the sight of that single floating leaf.
He was close, very close to transcending his own limits.