Isabelle walked slowly through the hall with arms behind her back. Casually strolling around as she watched the lights flicker in the distance through the window walls.

  But her nose picked up the scent of alcohol in the air, and her eyes furrowed, “Are they drinking without me?”

  She then turned the corner and saw the shattered glass on the ground, “What happened here? Where is everyone?”

  The red-eyed woman began to lightly jog, but then ran back and muttered to herself, “I should probably clean this up.”

  The door to the kitchen opened, light filled the room. it was dark, and a man with glowing red eyes entered went inside, only to meet the only other man with glowing red eyes already inside, sitting on the counter.

  “Hm?” Nero looked back with an angry, yet curious expression, only to find Grant walk into the room.

  “Nero? What are you doing here?”

  “Midnight snack.” He replied as he bit off a piece of the sandwich in his hand, watching from a small red laptop.

  “Ah… well, same. What’s up with the scowl?” The brown-haired man asked as he made his way to the refrigerator, commenting on Nero’s furrowed eyebrows while he chewed his sandwich.

  “Something’s been bothering me lately.”

  “Care to share?”

  “If we create heat and light, doesn’t that make us radioactive? Do you think we have cancer?” He asked with unnerving seriousness.

  Stunned, Grant placed in hand on his chin as he sunk deeply into his own thoughts.

  “Wanna watch a movie?” Nero asked without regard for the dilemma he put him in.

  “... That’s...”

  The blond man stretched out his arm facing towards one of the chairs.

  It lit up with a bright crimson and tumbled to the ground, before dragging it’s way closer to himself, clearly struggling to pull it with psychic power.

  “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, and I really don’t care to find out it’s about. So just come clear your head and watch a movie with me.” Nero said.

  “Okay…” With a subdued responds, Grant sat down, wanting to get rid of the question radiating in his head.

  As the two watched the movie, the door opened again as Isabelle walked in, seeing the two sat down, “Are you guys drinking?”

  Nero answered without even looking to face her, “No.”

  “Oh, okay then…”

  “I am a bit thirsty…” Grant then turned around, using his psychic-powered chain to reach for a bottle of water on the counter.

  Isabelle, who was standing right beside the counter, reached for it.

  “No, no. I got it. Let me just…” The brown-haired man spoke up, the chain rattling slightly as it gradually moved forward.

  But as the chain wrapped around the plastic bottle, the sudden metal grip crushed it, causing the water to spill everywhere. “Ah, dang it. Isa, could you just…”

  “Already on it…” Isabelle replied as she opened the fridge and tossed him a cold water bottle.

  “Thanks.”

  “Happy to help…” She smiled, “What was I doing? Oh, right…” Isabelle blurted out as she exited the room.

  *

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  The sound of running water could be heard in a pale white room as Anastasia washed her face. Felix, who waited outside, sat on a bed while waiting for her to get out.

  She looked in the mirror and lifted up her apple-red bangs, revealing the white roots underneath.

  With a deep sigh, she turned off the water.

  As she wiped her face with a towel, Chief Vivian’s voice echoed in her head, “Dead, huh? Disappointing.” The old woman placed the documents on the table, “They were under your protection, and yet…”

  “In my eyes, you’ve already reached the peak of what your body can normally do, but you’re an esper. It’s been seven years since you’ve been one.” Anastasia's voice echoed out of the bathroom.

  “Maybe you should take a rest.” Felix responded as she walked out shirtless, wearing only a violet bra as she wiped her face with a towel.

  His face turned slightly red at the sight of her body, but looked away.

  She looked at him with both eyes, her burn scar in full view, “You were learning step by step. Very steadily, but that’s not enough. You’re expected to be the most powerful among all of us. Maybe it’s because you’re so powerful that you can’t control it.”

  He lowered his gaze to the ground and twiddled his fingers, the weight of expectation grew heavier on his shoulders, “I see… I’m sorry I’m taking so long, thank you for putting up with me.”

  She sighed, dropping the towel on the floor, “The Director’s patience has worn thin, and so has mine. So I’ll have you learn the way I did.”

  “Hm?” He looked up.

  “Aura… aura is defined by who you are…” The red-haired woman raised her arm. A bright orange flame then manifested from her body.

  Not knowing how to respond, he simply muttered, “Right.”

  “Your next lesson begins now. Gripping.”

  He raised his eyebrows in response. Suddenly, the orange glow emanated over his body.

  “I learned how to use my aura when I was near the brink of death, so…”

  Felix was lifted into the air like a toy. His body tightened more and more, as if he was being crushed by the pressure.

  “W-wait— Gah, GRRAAAAKKHH…”

  “You said you wanted to be number one, didn’t you? At this rate, you won’t even reach rank three!”

  “H-hurkkk… Heeeeee!” Felix wheezed. He was being choked in the air by a transparent, fiery force.

  “Back then, you might’ve gotten to first rank through strength and skills alone, but now those can only get you so far. Cybernetics, nano-machines, and bio-armors, continue to progress both in and out of the agency! This has become a brand-new playing field entirely, and who knows what else they’re developing out there!”

  The volume of her voice grew larger as her frustrations erupted. “Rival corporations are closing in. The CIA is becoming impatient. And a very dangerous terrorist group is reforming; with weapons we have never seen! And because you… because failed to stop them, we lost…” The faces of Rico and Kaitlin once again flashed in her eyes.

  She grit her teeth and yelled, “People died… because you weren’t able to kill one terrorist! Do you realize that?!”

  “I— I… do… realize that… Kh-kaaah!!” The grip on his throat grew tighter.

  “Do you?!” She pulled her arm back, dragging him close, then slammed his body against the wall, “What happens when someone dies on the battlefield all because you couldn’t control your powers? What happens if you couldn’t control it and kill them yourself?!”

  Felix’s eyes began to glow bright, and streams of blue electricity began to spring out of his body. Red, veiny marks could be seen forming from his skin, coiling all over him.

  Her glare tightened, “So when will you learn? When everyone else has died?! When you’ve died?!”

  “ARRGGHHHHH!”

  As she said those words, Luna’s face suddenly flashed in his eyes. The windows shattered, and everything in the room had been crushed. A burst of blue light tore through the room, slamming Anastasia against the hard wall.

  And yet —

  Felix had remained mid-air, her psychic grip did not dissipate, and remained tight around his throat.

  “Good. You’re getting there. Just a little more.” She shouted as she got back up, her arm covered in wounds. “Come on, show me you can make it! Bring your ambition to the surface! Show me why you’re the strongest! Why you’re the foundation of us all!”

  The door suddenly slammed open as the red-eyed woman heard Felix’s scream, “What’s going on?!”

  Anastasia turned her orange eyes towards Isabelle, and answered bluntly, “Training.”

  “You call this training?!” She looked at Felix being choked in the air, struggling to breathe.

  “I-I… GAAHKK!!”

  “If you can only use your power when you go berserk, then you might as well not be using it at all!” Anastasia yelled.

  “Stop, you’re going too far!” Isabelle shouted as she grabbed the red-haired woman’s arm.

  “He’s my student, he chose to learn under me. And he will learn the way I teach him!” Anastasia pulled back her arm from the silver-haired woman.

  Reaching a boiling point, Isabelle’s eyebrows furrowed, “I can’t accept this.”

  “Wh-what are you—?”

  Isabelle’s aura flared up, dyeing the room in a crystalline shade of crimson and devouring the sunset colored aura.

  The flash of red destroyed the amber light, and Anastasia slammed against the wall a second time. With her psychic choke hold broken, Felix fell to the ground and broke into a fit of coughing, and Isabelle instinctively moving to his aide. She placed her hand on his head, caressing it.

  “Are you okay?” She asked.

  “Thank you, Isabelle… but… she’s right, I need to learn. I have to be… better.” Were the last words he uttered before immediately losing consciousness.

  “But… this isn’t learning…” Isabelle mumbled.

  “What a good mindset my pupil has.” Anastasia said as she clung to the walls and approached the two of them, “We’ll resume training tomorrow.”

  Isabelle sighed and picked up the unconscious man over her shoulder, and headed out of the pale white room. But before she left, she gave a sharp glare at the drunk woman, “Don’t do that again.”

  Anastasia responded with a cold stare and watched Isabelle carry off her student.

  As the metal door automatically shut, she plopped down onto her bed, and a tear formed in her scar-less eye.

  ~