The Gift of Knowledge

I feel something hard pressing against my skull. It isn’t painful, just the feeling of something a bit heavy being placed there. The doctors look surprised. I keep hearing something about getting a Gift. This is a Gift? I have one, like Brother? In this situation?

But that doesn’t help! I’m still about to die! Damn it, there has to be something I can do with this, it’s mine after all, and Gifts override all other natural laws! There must be something I can do!

I do it as naturally as I would move my arm. In fact, right now it’s even easier than moving my arm. I feel a deep well of unfathomable power from within me. I have no idea what the basics of using a Gift even are, so I have no idea what to do. It feels like I can do everything but have know idea where to even do anything. Like having infinite power but no idea how to even tap into it.

Remember what Brother told me about his Gift… how to pour mana into one, and to start with simple spells to get a feel for how it functions since they don’t have any concrete rules like normal magic does. I don’t have the time to approach it like that! Just pour mana into it and try to figure something out from there.

Alright, I did what Brother told me to do, and I think I’m pouring my mana into the Gift. Now what type of Gift is it?! Try and remember what I can do with that, I asked Brother a lot about this.

Let’s see… it feels to me like a bottomless pit of potential… which Gift is like that? It reminds me of the ocean… the Gift of Knowledge? Maybe the Gift of Strength, but I think this is the Gift of Knowledge. The Gift of Knowledge has to do with knowledge, so what can I do?

Try and use it to figure out what’s killing me? Or try to read the doctors’ minds with it? No, that won’t help. There has to be something I can do! Damn it, if I just had the Gift of Strength, or Determination… Why did I get this one?! Why is it so useless?!

No, keep thinking! I can’t die here! I haven’t answered a single question yet! I have to live so I can figure that out… if I have a Gift now, that means something is watching out for me. I’m meant to use it to survive here, I know that much! I refuse to believe I was given this just for some sick joke!

How does more knowledge help me in this situation? Is there some sort of trick to help me survive this? There must be, or else I wouldn’t have gotten this Gift in the first place. Figure it out, what do I do?

Summon up my Gift’s power and try to figure something out I can do with it. At the end of the day, they are capable of anything as long as you’re creative enough… Draw it out, pour it around my body. Now how do I manipulate it in a way that’s useful?

Wish for it. I wish that I could think clearer. Wish that I can figure something out. Use up all of my mana, just to figure out something!

I manipulate my Gift’s power somehow, and suddenly from the neck down all feeling in my body stops. All the pain, and the heat, even the feeling of laying in bed. I still have a headache, and I’m still bleeding, but from the neck down, I can’t feel any pain.

How am I doing this? Is my Gift letting me keep the knowledge of my pain from reaching my brain, or is it putting too much information in my body for it to process anything, pain included? With the Gift of Knowledge, it could easily be either.

I haven’t heard of someone with this Gift using it to cut off all pain, but I’m sure a lot of people have done it before. In all sorts of different ways, too. That’s just how it is with these things…

Alright, the lack of all pain definitely makes it easier to think, but I’m still in danger. Just because I don’t feel the pain doesn’t mean my body isn't slowly dying. Like this I can stay conscious a lot easier, but other than that, this doesn’t do much. I need to take advantage of it making it easier to think.

Recount all the information I have, then go from there. I was clearly poisoned, which caused all sorts of symptoms. These doctors are desperately trying to keep me alive, but there doesn’t seem to be a guaranteed cure. I suddenly got memories from a past life, but they’re still fuzzy. While begging for life, I suddenly got the Gift of Knowledge and used it to cut off all pain.

So where do I go from here? What are some functions I know the Gift of Knowledge can do? Not much, I only really asked about Brother’s Gift in a lot of detail. There’s telepathy, increased senses… transferring consciousness… altering consciousness…

As for transferring my mind, that would certainly solve the problem, but… what would happen to the person I put my mind inside of? I couldn’t do that to my own family, and everyone here is trying so desperately to keep me alive… Maybe one of the noble kids that bullied me, but there’s no way I could do that without causing a huge incident…

Telepathy and increased senses won’t help at all here either. Unless if I were to try and sense what was wrong with my body? But body manipulation is mostly locked behind the Gift of Strength, which I don’t have. Could I use telepathy to give information to the doctors? No, I could easily mess it up and cause permanent damage. I couldn’t do that to people I owe my life to…

What should I do?! It’s like I’m completely stuck! Damn it… look around at the doctors… they’re just making sure I keep breathing and keeping my body cool with frost stones. They’ve probably already given me the medicine I need and are just treating me until it either works… or it doesn’t…

Maybe if I get lucky, I’ll live? No, I can’t just lay here and leave it up to chance. I have to figure out why I’m here, and risking my life by doing nothing is just disgusting. What would Bliss think if I laid here doing nothing, just hoping I lived when I had the power to prevent it?

How much of that was LIlith’s thoughts, and how much of that was Rain’s thoughts? I don’t know, now isn’t the time. For right now though, I think that both Lilith and Rain will take a vow to do everything in my power to live. Even just for a little longer. I have to know why I’m here, and I can’t do that if I’m dead.

Alright, I have the Gift of Knowledge, I have to be able to figure something out. Channel more mana and draw out its power. Put it into my body. Figure something out by gathering information like this. If this isn’t a function of the Gift of Knowledge, what is it even good for?

Now think, how do I get the mana to function in the way I want it to? I want to sense what’s going on in my body. Think of all I know about the human body and try to become aware of it. Then sense anything wrong that I can tell. Just do that.

Full minutes probably pass before I finally work it out. I do figure it out though, which is good. Now I just have to figure out what’s wrong.

I’m not able to sense my body in as much detail as I thought I’d be able to. I got that I’m way too hot to be healthy, and I got that I’m in extreme pain even though I can’t feel it. I can’t sense any poison in my body like I thought I would. What I do notice though is a few of my blood vessels bursting before being healed by high level healing magic.

That doesn’t bode well. I kept looking though, that seems to be the only really bad thing that it’s doing. If I can stop that, I’ll still need treatment, but I think I’ll be fine. Well, not fine but in a good enough spot to make sure I live.

My vision is blurry, but I see Brother standing over me. He looks like a mix of proud and terrified. He places his hand on my head, and… I suddenly feel like I have more mana… is he using his Gift to transfer his mana to me? That is something he can do…

Is this them telling me to figure something out? They’re giving me the mana so that I can keep using my Gift. But what do I do? Right, something to fix the blood clots that keep causing my veins to burst… What am I meant to do about that though? How does my Gift help me stop that?

Wait… oh no. Oh no, no, no, no… my heart… my heart is slowly starting to get blocked. Is that something they can heal?! Can they keep it beating if I get a blood clot there?!

“Lilith… -’s wrong?” Brother quickly realized my sudden fear, because now he looks scared.

Damn it, how do I tell them that with this stupid metal tool down my throat though?! Come on! I desperately try to lift my arm up. I need to get control of it if I want to live. I need my arm now more than ever.

I slowly lift it up, it shakes in the air as I try to keep it up there. I slowly move it over my chest, where my heart is, and drop it. I try to mouth out the word “stop” but I don’t think they got that part.

“So- ing wr- with y- eart?”

I didn’t quite understand what Brother said because of all the blood in my ears, but I think I got what he was trying to ask. I nod, trying to answer his question. The doctors say something and he looks even more worried.

“Hear- locked?”

I nod again, thinking I got the general meaning behind his question. I look him right in the eyes, desperately trying to tell him it’s about to kill me with that look alone. I think he understands.

“We have a healing scroll for that!” He yells loud enough for me to hear.

The doctors try to say something, but he bolts out of the room faster than I’ve ever seen him run. I think I got the meaning across through my eyes alone. I can’t just wait for him to get back though, my heart is having a dangerously difficult time pumping blood.

I’m only 8, but even I know that if it stops I’m basically dead. Both my identities took a vow to try my best to live no matter what, so I refuse to just hope that Brother gets back quick enough to save me. I’ll figure out some way to survive this, or at least get Brother back to me faster!

I don’t know what I could possibly do with this stupid Gift though! I also don’t have Brother’s mana being poured into me, so I can’t exactly just try everything until it works. I need to think of something first, then do it.

Think! Think! Think! What am I meant to do?! How do I stop this?! Think! Lilith’s knowledge isn’t proving helpful, she is just 8, so what about Rain, then? Is there anything Rain knows that could help here?

A theory that Rain knows. That the reason our life flashes before our eyes when we're about to die is it’s a mechanism to help someone find a way to survive. Is there any way I could try and replicate that? Not only would it maybe help me find a way out of this, but it also might unlock new memories from Rain. Alright, I’ll try it.

Gather the mana from my soul, draw out my Gift’s power, and focus it into my eyes. Figure out a way to manipulate it in the way I need it. I wish I could find a way out of this. Imagine my life flashing before my eyes! Imagine it in the way that Rain would!

I’m assaulted by visions again. More visions I don’t recognize. I’m suddenly at an assembly wearing a uniform everyone else is wearing. I know that this is Lilith’s body.

“We congratulate you on reaching your fourth year here at Uxak Elite Academy!” Yells a woman from a stage.

My vision switches.

A well dressed, pretty man with different colored eyes is looking down at me in sadness and disgust. “Lilith Amber… without a shadow of a doubt, you are the most disgusting woman I have ever met.” He’s crying…

My vision switches.

I’m in a dark room with a rather dull looking lady. I’m in Lilith’s body again. “Gina, this is very important. Whatever Careen is up to is going to be affecting us heavily.” I say.

My vision switches.

A well dressed, mature looking woman looking down at me, with a Gift hanging from her neck. “Ah, Lilith? Knowing you, you must be truly desperate to come to me for help.”

My vision switches.

I watch from a distance at a huge assembly. A very young looking girl in twin tails kneeling and having a crown put on her head. “-next queen of Nymet!” is all I hear.

My vision switches.

“I like you, Lilith. Any task you need, I am your woman.” A nice looking blonde woman with snake wrapping around her neck.

My vision switches.

“Idiot! If that’s the case then I should have just been left in that damned village to die! Who do you think you are?!” Yells a rather upset man who looks like a girl. He has tears in his eyes, but he isn’t directing his anger at me. Who he’s directing it to, I don’t know.

My vision switches.

“If you get caught, you will be executed. That is certain. I will not be involved in this, and neither will Valentine.” Says a woman looking me in the eyes. She looks dead serious, almost angry.

My vision switches.

“It’s her! She’s the one! Execute her! Now!” Yells another blonde woman. She has a Gift tied up in a bow in her hair. She looks both angry and sad.

My vision switches.

I find myself fighting armed guards. I use some amount of magic, but when they finally get in close I do not have the strength to parry any of their attacks. One mistake, and a sword plunges into one of my lungs.

My vision switches.

Gina from earlier, and the woman who said she liked me are looking over me terrified as I bleed out on the floor. I look to the side and find the woman who ordered my execution. She’s tied up on the floor and another man has a blade on her throat. She’s looking at me like I’m the scum of the earth. I haven’t seen anyone look at me with such hatred…

My vision switches.

Death.