"I will first assure you, your mother will not be mistreated, and I have good news: we also came to know that your father is alive. However, his whereabouts are unknown.
Feel free to hate me for my actions against your parents, but as you grow to know our world, you might come to understand me.
You are surely alone now, perhaps maimed, losing limbs or multiple of them. Do not worry; Gravity Talent has no requirement for limbs. We are a World that bends things with our whole body. That is even more so for you as a Black Hole.
This book contains all my experience and the experience of those who came before me regarding the Forbidden Skill we tried to master, which is Black Hole.
Failing in doing so, our ancestors developed Grimhammer which became the symbol of our family.
Do not be complacent with having Black Hole; you are not the only one. There are rumors that random people with no family have gained the talent. True, they might not be SSS Rank like you, but nonetheless, they are what they are.
The following rules are to help you in mastering your SSS Rank Talent:
1. After every 24 hours, create a tiny black hole.
2. You must adhere to this, or else you won't learn.
3. Train with the basics. Black Hole is just gravity pushed to the limit.
4. Have multiple minor skills that complement standard skills.
5. Don't rush to Major Skills.
6. Don't rush to Brand Ability.
7. Don't rush to skills you feel not connected with.
8. In case you need to use your talent within 24 hours, make sure it's on for only 1 second.
Black Hole is extremely heavy. As an SSS Rank Potential, you have the ability to adapt to it. But pushing your body too much will break it. And that means crippling your future potential."
Elias just stared at the short message before it crumbled into dust from the book. The energy covering the book was heavy on the fragile paper.
Now he came face to face with the actual first page. A pencil sketch of a man with his right hand raised, and on it was an orb of black that had a vortex around it.
But his mind was clouded, failing to believe that this book came from that stern man. His world view has shifted from what he assumed it to.
Elias shook his and muttered, "He just want to learn more about Black Hole. That why he is being kind!"
Elias attention turned toward the first page, observed it and then went to the next page—another pencil sketch. The same man at the side, very small with a black ball on his right palm, but the rest of the book showed a faded man pushing things away.
There were four depictions: first, he was standing; second, he stepped forward; third, his hand and his body pushed forward; and fourth, it showed the stone before him had been pushed.
The sketch was very simple and easy to read. Elias felt he could do it easily.
Underneath the sketch was a short note:
[Basic Push, safe and easy. Push only ⅓ of half your weight at the beginning.]
Elias was a bookworm and had read far more complicated expressions than this. One look and he memorized it, but he kept looking in case he missed something. He didn't.
Another problem realised to him. The place he was in wasn't spacious for him to stand, and the area around him wasn't large either.
Ideally, he should be outside to do it. His gaze landed on his right arm stump. Would he even be able to do it without a hand?
He tilted his head; the letter had said, "Gravity is from the body, not the limbs!"
Elias shifted to the edge, checked the sketch, and replicated it in his sitting manner.
The rubble before him vibrated. Elias felt them—their position, weight, and even their shape.
He checked the sketch and observed his sitting situation, then devised a better way to match the sketch.
Sitting straight, he bent back, his arms before his chest, and pushed towards the rubble.
They vibrated stronger, but none moved. Frustration built up in him—he was hungry, underground, and Calamity Beasts roamed the surface.
He calmed down, despite his increasing hunger. He tried to open the next page, maybe it has something simpler, but the book didn't budge.
'Do I need to master this?' He sighed; he needed this skill. It would serve in defense and also offense.
Hopefully, hunger wouldn't hinder his progression.
Elias repeated the practice many times but with no success.
"I can't do it while I sit. I need to stand or my legs straight."
Elias lay down on his side, legs slightly straight and tried to mimic the skill movement, but that was more counter intuitive than what he was doing before.
He got tired; his body strained just from doing it.
Elias sat, his heart hollow, emotions drained and very confused. He looked at the stump his right arm had become, and he broke into tears.
He had tried to ignore it; he had convinced himself all would all be well. He also believed all would be well, but the impact was still there. Bottling his emotions after these events had taken a toll on him, and with the Calamity Beast outside, he couldn't take it anymore.
He curled up and became silent. Tears slid from his eyes; his body trembled as an extreme sense of self-pity enveloped him.
His life flashed before his eyes up until this moment. He had tried hard; he had many sleepless nights reading, many sleepless nights training, avoiding all fun activities, focusing every ounce of his energy toward achieving his goals, and now he was here.
Alone, with power that could end him, in the middle of dangerous forests where Calamity Beasts roamed.
Tears are magical. Weight began to lift off Elias chest; letting his emotions flow out made him understand; throwing away the facade of confidence and arrogance made him comprehend himself.
He was an overpowered weakling. He was a danger to himself as much as to others, and he was afraid. He was filled with fear; he could die here, and he most be cautious.
The emotional release left him with hunger knocking back. Rustling of leaves, chirping of birds, and insects also came from outside.
'There is food?' Elias thought. He was by no means above eating insects to satiate his hunger. The academy and all the training he had excelled at in school involved survival in the wilderness.
But he couldn't go out yet. He needed to learn a skill.
He sat and observed the stump—no bare wound at the edge, but pink, hard, solid material cauterized there. There was also no pain.
Kank
Kank
He tapped the stump against the stone wall. He then looked at the missing finger. The same. Vividly, he remembered how he had survived.
As the black hole expanded and devoured his hand, he had used his left hand to push it away, but it only slowed it down.
In panic, he used his whole body to emit gravity power and pushed the black hole away from him, but that also only slowed it down.
Knowing he couldn't escape it, his left hand coated in gravity power, enhanced and hardened, cut his right hand off.
He was the one who cut it off. The Black Hole and he became two opposing forces, and they repelled each other.
Elias was sent a distance away!