— Bang!

Anastasia lowered her gun and walked up to Felix who was on the floor, “Perhaps this isn’t the best way.”

Felix, who tried to communicate with ragged breaths, whimpered in agreement. “Mh-hmm.”

Nero broke his seventh hole through his target, while Grant was stuck waiting for his target to stop swinging back and forth.

Isabelle’s face drenched in sweat as she’s made several small dents on her target. She gritted her teeth and hurled the small metal ball in her hand. With a crisp, wooden burst, she managed to pierce the first hole. She looked to the rest of them with lips widened with a vibrant smile.

Their mentor, David gave an approving nod and while Nero smiled back slightly, Grant watched in silent envy before grabbing another ball.

David walked out the door.

A large rubber tire wrapped in an orange glow rolled into the room, along with Anastasia.

“Maybe we should start simpler. I think stopping might be too advanced for you for now. For now, pushing is the easiest task. You have one hour to move this only with your power.”

She placed a white gun against the tire, one that was identical to Felix’s ‘Agony’, and as she pulled the trigger, a wave of orange energy burst from the gun and flung away the tire, “You just need some aura to have it start rolling.”

“But I can’t draw out my aura at will.” Felix replied.

“That’s why we’re training, so you can use it on command.” She said as she knocked him on the head, “Aura acts like a fluid that stretches depending on how much you emit. According to the professors, it’s said to start from the brain, so think about letting it flow from your head to the object.” She explained as she raised up her hand in a fighting stance.

“To the object…” He raised his arm towards the tire while Anastasia watched.

She opened her lips, “You know, you don’t actually need to move to use your powers. It just helps you visualize what you want your power to do.”

“I see.”

Nero sat at the side, rolling the marble in his fingers. Almost done with the task, with nine punctures through, which almost broke the plank in half.

Isabelle, who was gasping for air, was almost done.

There were seven holes on her target. She raised her hand and the marble started to glow with spikes of light streaming between her fingers.

With a weighty swing, the marble spun close to the ground, and then quickly curved upward, changing its course.

The plank snapped in half.

As it made a hollow, wooden rattle, Isabelle grinned widely, “It worked… I did it!”

“Experimenting, huh?” Nero sneered.

Grant’s face narrowed with frustration, with only four holes in his target so far.

“It’s gotten late, you can go take a rest. Try again tomorrow.” David told the two of them.

“Um, wait, let me just do the last—” Before Nero could complete her sentence, a loud thud caught their attention.

“Yeah… rest would be nice.” Grant huffed out as he punctured his fifth hole. There was a bitterness in his tone.

While Grant walked to the side and wiped his face with a towel, Isabelle looked at David and asked. “Actually, do you have a kitchen?”

“Turn left by the end of the hall.” David answered.

“Right, thanks.”

Felix stood there in front of the tire waiting for the energy to flow out. From his palm released a small blue wisp.

“You should have been able to push it forward by now.” Anastasia remarked from her chair, watching a show on her phone.

“I know that.” Felix responded, clearly frustrated at himself. He pressed his arms against the floor and flung himself back up. “Maybe I could use a little more instruction.”

She got up from her chair and walked towards him, “Psychic energy starts from the head, then flows throughout the body, enhancing it, making it faster and stronger. After that it’s exerted out of the body and enhances or moves things.”

She placed her palm against the wheel, and with a sudden burst of orange haze, the wheel suddenly started to roll until it slammed against the wall.

“Me, David, and your sister all experience aura differently. Mostly instinctually. I can tell you how it works, but I can’t teach you how to use it. Just take a deep breath and apply your will.”

“Sigh, right.”

Felix took a deep breath and pulled back his arm. He felt tingly a sensation as a blue glow passed through the tunnels of his veins. And as he struck his fist, his psychic energy formed and manifested into his hands.

“It worked!” He smiled and looked at her excitedly.

She nodded calmly, expecting him to continue.

“Come on… push!” The energy in his fist was steadily growing larger, but would not move the way he wanted. It simply grew larger and more unstable.

“Ah— hah! What do I do?” He blurted out nervously as he looked at Anastasia, but before she could answer, the energy burst in all directions and tossed him back.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

But finally, the tire moved forward ever so slightly, before turning to the side and plopping down with a loud thud.

“Progress.” Anastasia looked at him with a startled expression, “That’s enough. Get some rest.”

Felix got back up, gasping, “But I’ve… barely done anything...”

“No point in struggling. Come back here tomorrow, we’re done for today.”

A flow of water streamed out of the sink as Grant washed his face. His gaze cast down, and the red in his eyes reflecting in the droplets. As he got up to dry his face, he took a step back, startled as he saw David in front of him.

“Grant. A moment.” David gestured for the brown-haired man to come closer.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Two things.”

“First. Answer honestly, why did you react when you saw my face?”

Grant looked to the side and muttered, “It’s nothing.”

“If it were nothing, you wouldn’t have slammed the table when you first saw me.”

Grant flattened his lips, unable to look at David, “…it’s just… you look a lot like someone I used to know.”

David’s lips parted, as if eagerly wanting to ask something, but shut and opened again, only to say something else. “Was he… someone important to you?”

“…He was.” The red-eyed man mumbled out.

“Then maybe that’s why you’re having so much trouble.”

“Why’s that?”

“If it’s grief that you’re dealing with, you have to let go of it.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The thing that’s keeping you from releasing your aura is likely your grief. It’s blocking the flow of aura from your mind to the rest of your body.”

Isabelle sat in the kitchen, as she stirred the spoon in the coffee, she recalled the moment just before the training began.

In the office of the chief’s office where she had just entered, a deep, gravelly voice called out to her.

“Isabelle Castella, correct?” A tall, muscular man stood before her, dressed in a white suit and a red and gold overcoat. His body blocked half the windows behind Chief Vivian’s desk, where she sat silently.

“Y-yes, sir… um.”

The man sat down on the black sofa in the middle of the room, “Sullivan Osbourne. CEO of the Golden Lion and Head Director of the twelve agencies. Please, take a seat.” He gestured toward the seat right in front of him.

“Ah o-okay.”

“Such magnificent red eyes.” He commented. One of his eyes were wide open, while the other was closed with two scars running across it.

Not only did his appearance intimidate her, but also his voice and position, there was weight in all of who he was. “Would you like some coffee or tea?”

“I’m good, sir.”

“Shame, this tea was imported all the way from India.” He lamented as he poured himself a cup and added a spoonful of sugar, “Then let me cut to the chase. For the past three years, Felix refused to learn under the tutelage of David, he even went so far as to say that he couldn’t muster out any aura yet and instead occupied himself with physical training.”

“Okay.”

The Director stirred the spoon in his teacup and spoke, “I would like to say that he was being selfish and stubborn. The problem is, he was right. and Professor Tetsuya agreed with his decision to wait until he developed his powers, because there would be no point in him learning how to control it.”

Isabelle quietly nodded, “Is that so...”

“Now that he has developed his powers, we were simply waiting for David to finish up his duties so he could teach Felix.”

“Duties, sir?”

“Being rank one also comes with a lot of responsibilities, you see.”

“I see, so then.”

“You are the one who suggested that he should wait to be taught by someone else, no?”

Isabelle tightened her fists on her lap as she tilted her head down, “Sir, it’s only been a few months since I became an esper.”

“And look at how far you’ve come.”

“It’s… not very far, sir.”

“You are the first of your batch to have your hair turn white hair. And in such a short amount of time. It is, in fact, quite far.” He took a sip of his tea.

“I would tell you how I did it, sir, but—”

“I’m aware. The maturation of espers is correlated with their experiences, and people grow in different ways, so there’s really no point in asking that question.”

“I see.” She twiddled her fingers.

“I think you misunderstand me. I am not asking you to teach Felix. You see, the only other person in the world that’s able to teach him has also finished up her mission, and has returned.”

“Who?”

“The third rank agent, Anastasia Frost.” The Chief answered.

“So then, that means my request was accepted?”

“The decision to have Anastasia teach Felix isn’t done on behalf of your request. It was simply the most rational choice to do so. Felix would likely not progress very well if he were taught by David.” The Director answered.

Isabelle looked up, “Then… why was I called here, sir?”

“I understand that you are compassionate and kind. Therefore, I would like to ask you to watch over Felix as he grows, and for you to list down and report to us how you see him progress.”

“But… wouldn’t it be better if the teacher, Anastasia, did that?”

“No… Anastasia isn’t enough. But you… I want you to help him as his equal, or… if the worst were to ever occur, stop him.”

“You want me… to stop the strongest esper?” The silver-haired girl felt a heavy weight suddenly drop on her shoulders.

“You are the strongest esper.”

“I’m… stronger than the strongest esper?” She scoffed.

“Yes. At least for the moment, with the way you are now, and the way Felix is. Right now, I’m simply asking you to watch over him. Think of it as a personal request.”

“And… how long do I have to do this? How long until he becomes… stronger than I am… to the point where I can no longer stop him.”

“I cannot say for certain. My best guess? Until half of his hair turns white. By then, it’s doubtful anyone can stop him.”

“I um…” She gulped, “…I understand, sir.”

“One last thing. You are to deliver this letter to your commander at Frontier Industries. Tell them that I have accepted your temporary transfer to the Golden Lion.”

As he said those words, the Chief handed a letter to her.

“Yes, sir.” She answered as she took the letter.

“I expect great things from you, Isabelle Castella.” He then paused to take a sip of tea, “Dismissed.”

The memory of that discussion made Isabelle let out a sigh.

She stopped stirring the coffee as another person walked into the kitchen. Her face slowly drooped down from her hands until it reached the table.

“Isabelle?” Felix greeted as he entered the room.

“Huh? Oh, h-hey there. What’s up?” She responded in a tired voice.

“I just came here to make some coffee.” He walked over to the counter, “Is something bothering you?”

“Oh, um… nothing really.”

“Then, do you mind if I join you?” Felix smiled as he lifted up a glass jar in each hand.

“No, go ahead. Cream and sugar? I didn’t think you would like it sweet.”

Felix grinned widely in response.

“So, how was training?” She asked.

“Hard… I pushed a wheel for a little while, you?”

“I broke holes into a plank of wood.”

There was a brief pause before the two broke out with a soft, awkward laughter.

Back in the training room, Anastasia was curled up in a ball as she watched from her phone, snickering to herself. But there was a knock on the door.

“Director?” The red-haired woman quickly got up and saluted white-haired man.

“Anya, where is Felix?” Director Sullivan asked from the door.

“He was going to make some coffee, so I told him we should just continue tomorrow. I’m surprised you came all the way to this facility, Director.”

“I wanted to see your progress with my own eyes.”

“Not much progress, it’s only been a day. Right now, I’m still trying to get him to draw out his energy. David and the others should be doing the same.”

“What do you think of him so far?”

“He has a lot of aura, but that’s about it. He can’t control it properly yet.”

“That is unfortunate, but understandable.”

“I was in Russia alone for four years, now I’m on babysitting duty. Has he really been an esper for seven years?” Anastasia murmured as she looked away.

“Anya. He is the only stage four we have so far. The power he possesses is more than the rest of you combined, so it’s only natural for him to have difficulty getting it under control.”

“…Right…”

“That being said, I’m relying on you to bring out his full potential, do you understand?” The Director asked sternly before shutting the door.

“Yes sir.” She nodded, as if she had a say in the matter.

The door shut, and Anastasia was left standing alone.

~