Months had flown by since the beginning of the school year. Blooming flowers could be seen all over campus as the season transitioned from fall to spring.
Christopher and his sister Kristine were in the middle of a class. He paid close attention, his eyes fixed on Instructor Aquino who addressed the class from the front of the room.
"Attention, cadets!" Instructor Aquino said, his voice commanding. "We have an upcoming joint operation with the Bordentown Military Institute, another newly built military academy located in New Jersey. Our own school, Camport Military Academy, has been chosen to cooperate for this critical mission."
A murmur rippled through the classroom, and one cadet raised her hand with hesitation. She was still not use the this level of sternness from Instructor Aquino. "Sir, what's the mission objective?"
Instructor Aquino nodded, acknowledging the question. "Your mission objective is as follows: proceed to Danger Area 642, known as Philadelphia. Although the state of Pennsylvania has not been entirely reclaimed, a military town has been established in this central region as part of the reclamation efforts. This town recently lost contact with a significant number of its inhabitants. Intel suggests the involvement of Psi Beasts resembling dogs or wolves. However, the motive behind these kidnappings remains unknown. Psi Beasts should be aware that such actions will only draw attention."
Another student chimed in, "So, sir, are we tasked to rescue the missing individuals and neutralize the Psi Beasts?"
"Affirmative," Instructor Aquino confirmed. "Successfully accomplishing this mission will not only save lives but also demonstrate the value of the military academy system to the higher-ups."
He continued with a stern tone, "This operation will assess your combat abilities, teamwork, and decision-making skills. You'll be working in conjunction with the cadets from Bordentown Military Institute to locate and recover the missing townspeople, all while subduing the Psi Beasts."
As the cadets listened, they grew more accustomed to the military jargon and the formality of the briefing. They knew that understanding and adapting to this language was a crucial part of their training and future military careers.
Christopher glanced behind him to find his sister, Kristine. Their eyes met, and they began communicating telepathically, as they often did.
"Finally, something fun! I was starting to get bored." Christopher's thoughts echoed in Kristine's mind.
"Take this seriously. This will be our first encounter with Psi Beasts, Christopher." Kristine said with a more serious tone.
"I'm not worried. I just hope those cadets from the other academy don't get in our way." Christopher replied.
"You better not get into trouble. Dad will be pissed and I won't be able to save your ass." Kristine was getting tired his attitude.
Christopher sighed, trying to reassure her. "I know, I know. But I can't help feeling like we've been held back here. It's about time we get a chance to show off."
"You know what you need Chris? You need to find a hobby. Look at me, I joined the military school band, and it's been a great way to unwind." Kristine said.
"You, playing in a band? Isn't that too low class for you?" Christopher snorted.
"Who cares about that. It's about finding something an outlet so you don't go crazy. How about a girlfriend?" Kristine suggested.
"Girlfriend? Seriously, Kris? We're not exactly normal teenagers." Christopher was taken aback by the suggestion.
"Oh, come on. It's not like you haven't thought about it. Besides, we're fifteen years old and pumped full of hormones. We're should be allowed to have crushes and stuff, just like any other teenager," Kristine replied.
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Christopher hesitated, recalling Elaine, the girl he had danced with at the party months ago. She had reminded him of a childhood crush from his past life, and he couldn't deny the feelings he had for her. However, he still felt that pursuing a relationship with her would be inappropriate, given their unique situation.
"Okay, fine. I admit I've thought about it. But it's still complicated." Christopher confessed. "Maybe you can forgot about our past life because you're the opposite gender, but it's not that easy for me."
"I get that. Maybe I am just adapting better. The point is to actually live our lives here and now," responded Kristine.
As she spoke, Kristine couldn't help but recall the feeling she'd had playing the piano, thanks to the skills granted by their system. How the melodies and symphonies she played held her audience captive. How the memories of their past life and this strange new world around her seemed to fade away, leaving only the music and electricity of the crowd present. This was the feeling she wanted her brother to experience. Not through her memories, but in person.
"I'll think about it," Christopher said, wanting his sister to drop the subject. "But I'm not sure about dating yet."
**
Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the ended class. The students poured out of the classroom and headed to auditorium.
The school had announced earlier that they would have a guest speaker visiting today. The guest was Dr. Winstrum, a renowned geneticist who specialized in Psionic research. The military academy had invited Dr. Winstrum to speak in an effort to educate students about Psions and help ease the tensions between Non-Psions and Psions within the school.
The class settled into their seats, eager for the lesson to begin. Dr. Winstrum dove right in, explaining the mysterious nature of Psionic powers. "Even now, scientists cannot fully explain how Psionic powers work. Where does the mass come from? Where does the energy come from? Questions like that still remained unanswered. However, the study of Psions is progressing."
Upon mentioning Psions, the class couldn't help but glance at the twins, Kevin and Gurpreet who were the only Psions in Camport Military Academy. Though the twins were not real Psions, their "Angel and Devil" system allowed them to pass as the real deal.
Dr. Winstrum introduced a new concept to the class.
"Today, we will discuss a rare phenomenon known as Psionic Divergence. You see, even if a Psion has a low rank in their primary power, there's still potential for growth. Psionic Divergence allows Psions to improve themselves by gaining a second power."
The class listened intently, intrigued by the concept. They never heard of this before.
Dr. Winstrum elaborated further, "As you are aware, most Psions only have one power throughout their life. However, with Psionic Divergence, some can develop a second power, which is usually related to their initial ability. For example, someone with night vision may gain thermal vision, or a Psion with water-based powers might acquire ice manipulation. Or an empath gaining mind reading powers."
Dr. Winstrum glanced at the blonde twins for a second. He knew their father, Garrett Williams was a famous empath who had gained the mind reading power through this phenomenon.
Another student raised his hand, eager to ask a question of his own. "So, does that mean someone with telepathy could develop a related power, like mind control?"
Dr. Winstrum nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's a possibility. Psionic Divergence is a fascinating area of research, and we're constantly discovering new connections between primary and secondary powers."
A student in the class raised their hand, curiosity evident on their face. "Dr. Winstrum, I've heard that some people believe Psionic powers can be awakened by stress or trauma. Is that true?"
Dr. Winstrum hesitated for a moment before answering, "There is some evidence to suggest that stress or trauma can trigger the awakening of Psionic powers. However, there hasn't been any conclusive evidence, as studying this phenomenon would be unethical."
The student paled when they realized the implication. He quickly understood that experimenting with such circumstances would require putting people in harm's way.
Unbeknownst to the student, Dr. Winstrum knew it was true. He was aware of the darker side of Psionic research. As a government-sponsored scientist, he knew that many criminals had been used as cannon fodder by government-sponsored labs in their quest to uncover the secrets behind Psionic powers.
Christopher and Kristine exchanged a glance, sharing the same thought. If stress and trauma could indeed awaken Psionic powers, was it possible for them to become a real Psion? Or would their system prevent such a development? This was definitely something they had to think about.
As the class continued, the students found themselves engrossed in the world of Psionic studies as their questions were answered one by one. Dr. Winstrum patiently answered them all, carefully avoiding any mention of the darker side of their research.
He knew they were still too young and it was better that they remained blissfully unaware of the darker aspects of this field of research. Unaware about the fact that many of the answers to their question were found through unethical means.