Chapter 48: Lessons in Gravity II
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Fizz zipped around the orb, his reflection warping in the darkness. "Excellent. Baby doom ball, round two. Now... make it move. Push it forward, like tossing a rock that hates reality."
John focused. He extended his will, pushing mana along the tether connecting him to the sphere. Slowly, almost grudgingly, the black hole drifted from his palm into open air. It hovered inches ahead, wobbling slightly. The grass under it bent inward, as though leaning toward an unseen gravity.
"Ha! Look at it go!" Fizz cheered, doing a somersault. "Like a baby bird leaving the nest. Except this bird kills things."
John gritted his teeth, sweat prickling his forehead. "It’s... heavy."
"Good. Heavy is honest. Heavy means it works. Now, left!" Fizz zipped to the side, motioning dramatically.
John tried to guide the black hole left. It resisted at first, then lurched a few inches, wobbling dangerously. He stabilized it, his arm trembling.
"Not bad! Now, right. Spin it around me like I’m the most important thing in the world — which I am."
John exhaled and shifted it right, tracing a shaky arc around Fizz. His concentration was razor sharp; the pull on his mana was real, like a weight pressing against his mind. A leaf drifted down from a branch above and vanished the moment it brushed the orb’s surface, leaving nothing behind.
The orb made half a circle before flickering and vanishing with a faint pop. John staggered, gasping as the sudden emptiness in his hand left him off balance.