Revelation (M/F) (F/M) - A sequel to Devastation

[GreyLord]

@Caesar73's eloquent comments describe your latest chapter very well. You are writing a complex story with many characters, most of whom I feel a close bond with. I will add only one additional word: poignant.

[wolfman]

@Caesar73 and @GreyLord thank you for your very kind words.

I have always strived to create interesting and engaging characters and tried to keep the story fresh. Thank you for your support and kind words

[wolfman]

@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky



Two weeks later, Temporis realm, Ministry of Education, Conference room twenty four.


The air of the waiting room, is heavy with disturbed dust, catching beams of sunlight as they stream in. Few adornments, grace this room, save for a table, chairs, bookcase, a small vase of half dead flowers and a few bottles of water.

Each of the young women seated around the table has done much soul searching to get to this point and none has come here lightly.

“This could be a chance to make something of myself.” Tara thinks, smiling at her sisters, “I might be able to achieve something, that would make my sisters as proud of me, as I am of them.

“I still don’t know if this is the right thing to do. Dad insisted I take the chance, but it feels wrong to leave him while he is still recovering.” Anya thinks, looking out of the window, “I know he is in good hands but, I can’t help but worry.”

Ali looks at her sisters and closes her eyes, “I believe we are doing this. After facing so much together, it feels so strange to do this separately.” She thinks, “I worked my whole life to play rugby professionally and I can’t do that, for fear of killing someone. Maybe this is a chance to find something new.”

Kim takes a large gulp of ice cold water and rubs the bottle on the back of her neck, “We have been in each others pockets and heads since we met. We need this, to remind ourselves that we are capable and can achieve on our own.” She winks at Ali and sighs, “We’ve thrived together and grown so much, but this will do us good.”

Kim looks around the sparse waiting room and sees the nerves on her sisters faces, “How are we doing?” She psis.

“Day came round quick.” Tara psis, nervously.

“Yeah, too late to back out now.” Anya psis, chewing her lip.

“Three months, isn’t that long is it?” Ali asks as much to convince herself than anything else.

“Nah. Will fly by and we can compare notes when we come back together.” Kim psis, with a love heart.

“Gutted we all got different courses.” Anya psis, with Tara and Ali psying nods.

“Anyone worked out what they will be studying yet?” Kim psis, with a shrug.

“Nearest, I can work out Kinesics, relates to movement. Maybe some kind of physics course.” Tara shrugs. “For all I know it’s about modern dancing.”

“Sounds a lot clearer than Glamour. Will probably be three months of how to walk up and down a catwalk.” Ali psis, bitterly.

“To be fair, you have the looks and poise of a catwalk model.” Kim psis, trying to be helpful. “Just remember to shake your money maker.”

“Funny! We all do, to be fair. Probably just interior design of something.” Ali offers. “What do you think Anya?”

“Sorry, what?” she psis confused at being pulled from her thoughts.

“What do you reckon Glamour studies could be?” Ali psis brightly.

“No idea.” Anya psis, with a distant look in her eyes.

Kim picks up on her sisters feeling and moves her chair next to Anya’s and wraps and arm around her shoulder, “Your dad is going to be OK. His leg is halfway regrown and Sasha has promised to check on him every day.”

“Yeah, I know. But I am still worried.” Anya psis with a mix of fatigue and sadness, “Since Santander, our relationship has been so different. I worry about him being OK when I am not about.”

“I feel like that about Sasha.” Kim confesses, “She still misses dad and so do I. We’ve struggled with losses, but sometimes we have to live for ourselves.”

“Why does it have to be today?” Anya psis, sadly. “I know the offers we got are conditional and start today, so now or never, but, I wish it wasn’t today. At least you guys have the potential to study something cool, I can’t even find out what course I am on.”

“I had forgotten about that, Initiate Black.” Kim chuckles, “Sounds like you are joining a cult.”

“Don’t go there.” Anya psis, “If you want to swap, I’m down to do Environmental Studies.”

“Nah, It might be ok I guess. Researching global warming or something similar.” Kim shrugs.

“My offer said that I should leave all earthly possessions behind and once we leave, we won’t be able to psi, until we meet again.” Ali says sadly.

“Yeah, we were all told that, one way or another.” Tara psis, “Cleared out most of my stash last night apart from a few photos.” Prompting a nod of agreement from Ali.

“I have been told to bring my arresters, Sheath, changes of clothes and basic tools.” Kim says, chewing her lip. “To be honest, I have loaded up ready for anything. Just no weapons.”

A knock at the door to the antechamber draws their collective gaze. “This is it.” Kim says, spreading her arms wide. Tara moves first, tightly embracing her sister, soon followed by Ali and finally Anya.

Another soft knocks pulls them from the embrace and Ali approaches the door nervously.



She opens the door to see a kind eyed man in a crisp grey suit and waistcoat over a pale blue shirt, with dark hair greying at the temples and a neatly trimmed beard. “Hi.” She says, nervously.

“Hello Alison. Are you ready to begin your journey into the world of Glamour?” He says, with a glint in his eyes.

Ali can’t put her finger on it, but there is something both kindly and mischievous about the man before her that dispels her doubts in an instant, “Yes, I am. Lead the way.”

He nods with a warm smile, “Say your good byes and we will be on our way.” He winks, “The name’s Oberon.”

Ali warmly embraces her sister with tears in her eyes and the waves them goodbye and departs with the older man.

The reality sinks in when Kim and her sisters can no longer feel Ali. The silence that follows her passing is shattered when there is another sharp rap at the door.



Tara approaches the door and opens it nervously, seeing a tall and wirily built Atlantean woman in a royal blue tracksuit, waiting for her, “Tara?” She says with a wink, extending her hand, “I’m Mika, nice to meet you.”

Tara takes Mika’s hand and feels a subtle spark of electricity as they shake hands. “Nice to meet you too.”

“How are you doing?” She asks, nervous energy seeming to palpably radiate off of her. Tara nods wordlessly and the newcomer looks into her eyes approvingly, “You are as Phobos described. I have a feeling we are going to work well together.”

“What will we study?” Tara asks, innocently.

Mika flashes a sparkling smile and winks, “You will be studying how to reach out and touch somebody.”

“Well it is cryptic, I’ll give you that.” Tara says with a shrug, scrutinising the woman in front of her, “A hair shorter than me, but she has a physicality about her. A sense of raw power. I think, I would like to be like that.”

“I know this must all be a bit odd.” Mika says turning to Anya and Kim, “However, I swear I will look after her.”

“Thank you.” Kim says, feeling a sense of relief, she turns to Tara, “You got this babe?”

“Yeah.” Tara says, thoughtfully, “I think so babe.”

“Take your time, we can go when you are ready.” Mika says, lightly.





Then there were two. Anya considers calling her father for a last chance to hear his voice before she has to go, but hesitates. “Are we doing the right thing?”

“I honestly don’t know. I think so.” Kim says, already feeling the connection to Ali and Tara interrupted.

“I think we are too. It’s just going to be so strange not seeing you guys or having you in my head with me. I am going to miss you all.” Anya says, fighting back tears, “Going to be so strange.”

Kim hugs her, “You may not sense our thoughts babe, but we will always be with you.”

A soft knock at the door, cuts through the air and with tears in her eyes, Kim steps back from Anya and heads to the door. She takes a moment to dry her eyes before opening it.

A black man with long dreadlocks and a lop sided smile, grins at her. He is dressed in loose fitting shorts and t-shirt. He languidly nods to her, “I am looking for Kim” He says in a laconic tone.

Kim nods nervously, “I guess you’ve found me.”

He holds up his fist, “Righteous! Are you about ready to go? We have a bit of a journey ahead of us.”

Kim bumps his fist, “Any chance of a clue about where we will be going and what I will be studying?”

The man grins warmly and chuckles, “Don’t worry, answers will come, soon enough. As will many questions.” He winks, “But don’t worry Oscar will guide you.”

“Well Oscar, I guess we had better get going.” Kim says, turning back to Anya.

Anya gives a wink and a thumbs up and puts on a brave face, as Oscar and Kim leave.

As the door closes leaving her alone, she closes her eyes and tries not to cry.



Three crisp knocks at the door, snap Anya back to focus and she dries her eyes. She takes a deep breath and focuses before standing.

She opens the door and her eyes widen in surprise. “Angela?” Anya asks, confused.

Angela stands tall, towering over Anya in an elegant toga. “Whilst you are undergoing your initiation, you will address me as High Priestess, Lady Angela, or Ma’am.”

Having only seen the medical side of Angela, Anya’s confusion doesn’t lessen, “High Priestess?”

“High Priestess of the Phlogiston Order.” Angela says, stepping around Anya to take a seat at the table.

“Am I to be trained in medicine, High Priestess?” Anya asks, with a hint of awe.

“That remains to be seen, take a seat and hold out your right hand, please.” Angela commands.

Anya complies wordlessly, still unsure of that is going on when, Angela slips a ring onto her right middle finger. Anya admires the ring, made of Orichalcum with a vibrant red gem set into it, “This is beautiful. Thank you.”

“Whether you get to keep it remains to be seen.” Angela says, in her very best head mistress voice.

“What would you have of me?” Anya says, standing up straight and looking Angela in the eye.

“Do you know any meditation or visualisation techniques?” Angela asks, suspecting the answer will be the same as every other candidate she interviews.

Anya bows her head to get away from the High Priestesses intense gaze, “Yes ma’am, my sister Tara taught us how to meditate, to still our thoughts and become more aware of our bodies. She also taught us lucid dreaming.”

Angela doesn’t let her expression betray her, as she thinks, “Oh really? If that is true then that covers off most of the initiation.”

Anya watches as Angela sets a clay cup and an ingot of bronze on the table between them. Angela leans back in her chair, holding up her right hand. “This ring is special. When you focus on the philosophers stone, it allows you to perceive objects as if they were of your own body.” She lets the point sink in for a moment, “Why don’t you try meditating to obtain your focus and try to perceive the glasses form and composition?”

Anya shrugs and closes her eyes for a moment, then nods, “ I think I have it.”

“Good. Now do the same for the metal ingot.” Angela commands sceptically.

Anya keeps her eyes closed but changes her focus to the ingot. The composition of metal provides some challenge but in time she nods, “OK Got it.”

“Interesting.” Angela thinks before saying, “Now visualise the ingots form changing into that of the cup.”

Anya tries to visualise it but it always evades her, after a few minutes she sits back in her chair, “I can’t get it to work.”

Angela thinks for a moment before she pretends to be bored and says, “Imagine it flowing from one form to the other. Rather than snapping from one shape to the next.”

Anya nods to herself and closes her eyes. She visualises the ingot again and this time imagines the side flaring up and out and the base of the ingot dropping.

Angela nods to herself seeing the solid ingot flowing into the shape of the glass. Anya open her eyes and sees the fruits of her labour’s with more than a little surprise.

“Now I want you to visualise the glass and visualise it changing from glass to bronze.” Angela commands, feeling light headed at the possibilities.

It takes several hours but eventually Anya opens her eyes to see two bronze “glasses”.

“Interesting.” Angela thinks, feeling somewhat impressed, before saying, “Not a bad effort, but the shaped version shows some flaws.” She reshaped the bronze cup back into an ingot and turns to Anya, “I would like you to try again, but this time instead of guiding the flow of bronze into the new shape, let the ingot decide how it wishes to take the new shape and you follow its lead.”

Anya nods thinking “What the hell does she mean by that?” She clears her mind and visualises the ingot through the ring. She remembers her first attempt, where she tried to force the metal into a visualised mould.

She feels the edges of the ingot pull upward and with her mind she aids its upwards journey, letting it flow up until it forms a rim. She then allows more metal from the heart of the ingot to flow up the sides of the glass. “This is much easier. It’s like I am telling it what needs to happen and it knows what to do, but just needs a little help.” She thinks.

When she opens her eyes a perfect replica of the other glass sits before her. She looks up with expectant eyes at Angela who simply nods. “Better.”

Anya watches nervously, as Angela sits contemplating the two glasses wordlessly.

Angela takes out a matchbox sized gold box and opens it before setting it on the table, within the box the light shimmers, in the reflection of the diamond, sapphire, ruby, obsidian, amethyst and emerald within. “I want you to understand the composition of the gems in the box and then pick something in this room and change parts of it so that by the end it is comprised of at least two of those jewels.”

Anya opens her mouth to speak but is silenced, as Angela turns and heads towards the door, “I will return in three hours. I expect something interesting upon my return.”

She finds herself alone in the room and looks around looking for anything that she can use.



Angela re-enters the room with a frown and sees Anya asleep slumped over the table. She crossed the room and gently shakes Anya’s shoulder until the young woman starts awake.

“Sorry I didn’t realise I was gone that long.” Angela says, producing a bottle of water and setting it before Anya.

Anya snatches the bottle and gulps it down, “I am so sorry. I tried.” Anya breathes heavily, trying to recover her composure.

“Hush now. Take your time.” Angela says softly, before frowning again, “Did you put a time dilation on this room?”

Anya nods ashamed, “I wanted to maximise the time I had.”

“I see.” Angela says inscrutably, “What do you have for me?”

With shaky fingers Anya slides a bible towards the High Priestess.

Angela raises an eyebrow picking up the bible. She opens it suppressing a gasp. “The paper of the pages has been changed to gold, with the flexibility of paper. The ink of most text is sapphire, with every capital letter in emerald. This is exquisite.”

Carefully, Angela places the bible into a dimensional pocket, before taking a seat. Anya watches a range of emotions play across the High Priestesses features, before she speaks, “I have a quandary.”

Anya looks up nervously and chews her lip, “Have I done something wrong?”

Angela sits back in her seats and exhales slowly, “Oh no, not at all.” She pauses looking Anya in the eye, “The quandary is this. Initiation into the order is usually a three month period, with intensive training in meditation and visualisation to prepare an initiate for the performance of a simple transmutation.”

Seeing Anya’s confusion, Angela continues, “Here you sit on day one. Able to not only do a base transmutation but through instinct have a complex transmutation with matter transmutation and property transference that some second year students struggle with.”

Anya cannot meet the older woman’s gaze but manages to mumble, “I’m sorry.”

Angela smiles at Anya and relaxes a little, “You have effectively completed your initiation and more besides. You have the option of going home now, with the Orders blessing.”

“I sense a but coming.” Anya says, nervously.

“Indeed. You have an innate grasp of magic, which opens you and I suspect your sisters souls to magic in a very deep way. I believe that in time there is no limit to what you could do.” Angela says, recalling the results of Anya’s application, “You can leave having completed your initiation. Or you can stay for three months, in a facility with a four times time dilation and I will appoint one of our most talented members, to supervise your training in the secrets of Atlantean Alchemy.”

“Leave now or, spend a year in intensive training to become an alchemist?” Anya asks, incredulously.

“True Alchemy brings mastery over matter in all its forms and true mastery is reached with the transmigration of the soul to a higher existence.” Angela explains. “Make no mistake, you are an Alchemist. The question is, how far do you want to follow its path?”

“Wait, Ali had a book on Alchemy and it was nothing like this. It was all potion and ritual.” Anya says confused.

Angela winks and shrugs, “True Alchemy is powerful. So much so that when Atlantis left earth, we erased all texts on it and left incomplete incomprehensible documents behind that would never work.”

“That is pretty funny if you think about it.” Anya says with a chuckle, “But you’re saying, I can learn the real thing? What else is there to learn?”

“The nature of matter. The composition of all things. Transition between matter states. Elemental isolation. Mass transformation. Complex forms. Organic matter transformation, property transference and so much more.” Angela explains. “However, you must choose.”

Anya thinks of her father and the last time she saw him. She remembers his stoic bravery and thinks of what he would say in this moment. She looks up at Angela feeling sure in her heart of the words she speaks, “I am in. However, I want regular updates on dad and visits.”

[Caesar73]

To say it plain and simple: @wolfman you never fail to amaze me. There seem to be no bounds you cannot cross. This Chapter is a good example in every way. The Sisters seem to embark on a Journey. A spiritual one. And where it may leads them? We do not know. What Anya expieriences with Angela is amazing.

[wolfman]

That you @Caesar73 We have seen what Kim and her sister have done together. I thought it might be interesting to see how they work alone. This will be a chance to give each a clearer voice and maybe explore some one off plot lines

[Caesar73]

This will be a chance to give each a clearer voice and maybe explore some one off plot lines

That sounds like a good approach to me - at times Characters for which we thought only to have limited use are developing a larger Role, than originally intended. In my Verse Merit is such a Case

[wolfman]

This will be a chance to give each a clearer voice and maybe explore some one off plot lines

That sounds like a good approach to me - at times Characters for which we thought only to have limited use are developing a larger Role, than originally intended. In my Verse Merit is such a Case

Precisely, it opens up new storylines and arcs and allows for the exploratiom of themes that don't fit with existing chatacters

[wolfman]

Oberon sits back in his chair, with his back to the dining area. The high walls of the room add a classic majesty to the space, that is only enhanced by the tapestries that adorn them. The restaurant is busy, most tables have a party of at least two dining and drinking, whilst the burble of conversation ebbs and flows.

The smartly dressed waitress approaches the table and pulls out a small tablet and smiles warmly, “What can I get for you?”

Oberon indicates his dining companion, with a wave, “Ladies first.”

Ali nervously looks up from the menu and scans the room and checks the menu again, “Could I get a twelve ounce sirloin steak, medium rare, with the dauphinoise potatoes and a sparkling water could I also get a side of steamed vegetables, please?”

Oberon nods appreciatively, “Excellent choice, I will have the same but with a glass of merlot.”

The waitress beams a smile and enters their order, “No problem at all, food is taking around fifteen minutes to come out and I will just get your drinks.”

“So Ali, why don’t you tell me a little about yourself?” Oberon asks, with a disarming smile.

Ali shrugs, “Not much to tell that you haven’t seen in my application. Grew up in Norfolk youngest child of a teacher and a soldier. Kidnapped by a UN THIS unit and taken to Spain. Escaped when Kim freed us and stood with my sisters against an army of soldiers.”

Oberon smiles and raises an eyebrow, “That is a stock answer. Tell me about the real you.”

Ali seems to shrink into herself a little, “I had a future as a rugby player, until my physique changed to such a degree I would kill anyone on the pitch. It saved my life, but took my future. Now I am trying to work out who I am.”

The waitress returns with their drinks and lays a steak knife on the table for both of them.

“That’s more like it.” Oberon says, leaning forward. “Do you know who you want to be?”

“No, but that doesn’t matter right now.” Ali says, snatching her steak knife and grasping it blade down, presses against her forearm. “We need to leave this restaurant, right now.” She says, calmly and firmly, she watches the crowd for any out of place movements.

“Nonsense, whatever for?” Oberon asks incredulous.

“First, the blond at the bar in the red dress showing more breast and thigh than a fried chicken shop. Do you see her?” Ali says, Prompting a subtle look around and nod from Oberon. She continues, “She sat down, as we came in and no one has looked at her. In a place like this, at least half of the guys and some of the girls would have checked her out by now and someone would have offered to buy her a drink.”

Oberon nods seriously, “Go on.”

“Second, everyone is talking but the only people in the bar making eye contact are you, me and the waitress. Speaking of whom, three, the waitress is dressed like a model and if she really was a waitress she would not wear those heels.” Ali explains, keeping her voice low.

Oberon looks thoughtfully, “Interesting.”

“Please, we have to go.” Ali pleads quietly, with a nervous insistence in her voice.

The waitress returns oblivious to the tension at the table and serves their meals, “Enjoy your meals, please let me know if you need anything else.”

Ali leans forward, “Four. We ordered no more than six minutes ago and the food is here perfectly cooked. This place is wrong in a number of ways that add up to trouble.”

He picks up his knife and fork and slices a chunk of the perfectly cooked steak and chews it thoughtfully, letting its juices swirl around his mouth before swallowing, “Two hundred and ninety five.” Oberon says, looking her in the eyes with an amused smile.

When she looks back at him confused, he continues, “That is how many candidates, I have brought here. You are the first to spot anything wrong.”

“How do you mean?” Ali asks, confused tightening her grasp on the knife.

Oberon takes a sip of his wine and sighs, “Pity.” Ali’s mouth hangs open as the restaurant and the people in it, fade into nothingness, leaving a plain white room, with nothing, except the chairs and table she shares with Oberon.

“They say, beauty is skin deep. In your studies of Glamour, you will discover that is it even more superficial than that.” He explains.

“So this was all an illusion.” Ali asks, fascinated.

Oberon nods, “All of it.” He grins and fades from view, then Ali looks up seeing him across the room.

“The Glamour Ministry, is based upon old Fey illusory magic with elements from other schools and a lot more besides.” Oberon says, “Our aims are to create perfect illusions, able to fool all the senses.”

“Why me? What about me, is right for this?” Ali says, sceptically.

“There are a number of professors in the Ministry who read your report and submitted requests to train you.” He begins, watching her reactions closely, “I didn’t read your report, I did my own research. I trawled social media and found videos of you training, playing rugby and photos of you living your life. I soon came to realise how driven you are and how self aware. What I didn’t realise is how perceptive you are.” Oberon says, “To succeed in Glamour, you need to be iron focused, self aware and razor sharp. I see those qualities in you.”

“OK enough of the smoke and mirrors. What am I getting into?” Ali says cynically.

Oberon looks at her with fresh eyes and smiles again, “We can leave this place and go to my studio. It is a clean working space with a time dilation charm, so that you will be gone for three months from Atlantis, but spend a year there. During which time, you will learn how to master the arts of deception, mirage and cerebrokinesis. In time you will learn to detect the minds around you, manipulate and control them and control their perceptual reality. You will also be able in time to apply your abilities to machines.”

Ali considers the offer for a moment, before saying, “Keep talking.”





“Very good.” Mika says, thoughtfully. “One more time with a single ball and then we change it up.”

Tara nods bright eyed and smiles. Mika flings a golf ball at her full force and Tara wraps her mind around it and slows it in mid air, to glide down toward the ground.

Without warning Mika flings two more, which Tara manages to slow in the same way. Then it is on. With Mika firing varying numbers of balls and Tara slowing them in mid air. After a ten minute onslaught, Mika nods satisfied, “Very good. Are you ready to take it up a notch.”

Tara watches the last of the balls land and grins. Mika smiles, “This time instead of robbing them of momentum, I want you to maintain their momentum and make them orbit around you.”

Tara almost jumps backwards, seeing a ball rise from the floor and fly at her, but she does manage to steer it around her and maintain a spin.

The next balls don’t make her flinch and they join the rapidly spinning and growing vortex of balls around her. Until Mika claps, “Let them fall.”

As balls tumble and spill across the room, Mika crosses the space and draws a circle on the far wall and backs away from it. “OK Tara, you have done well so far and the meditation and visualisation experience you have has paid off.” Mika pauses to choose her words carefully, “You can slow and redirect balls in flight. Now I want you to take balls without momentum and give them momentum and then, I want to see rapid fire individual strikes to the circle as hard as you can. In your own time, begin.”

Tara nods nervously focusing on the first ball. She closes her eyes and breathes out slowly and the ball moves about an inch. In the mean time, Mika has crept up on Tara’s left hand side. She sees the small movement and shouts in Tara’s ear, “GET ON WITH IT!”

Startled, Tara stumbles in the opposite direction and the mass of golf balls on the ground, launch at Mika, which she stops in mid air.

“I am so sorry.” Tara says, eyes moist with tears. “Please, it was an accident.”

Mika pats her on the shoulder, “No worries. Shows me what I am working with.” The balls drop to the ground, “Try again, with the target. Remember how it felt to move them.”

Tara exhales and nods nervously, reaching out with her focus. She remembers the feeling of infusing energy into the balls and repeats on the first ball, launching it into the target. Then the second, slowly building the frequency of launch and power.

With machine gun precision they strike the circle and Mika steps between Tara and the target, “Fire around me.” She orders, turning her back on Tara. The balls stop for a moment and then resume, flying around her to strike the target. Eventually, she ceases seeing them as individual balls and perceives them as a unified stream of ball, which she makes flow like a snake.

“Stop. Good work.” Mika says, calmly, “Take five, then we change it up a gear, next door.”

Tara nods, breathless and scoops up a bottle of water and drains it, before reaching for another and stopping herself. She reaches out with her mind and pulls the bottle through the air to her then holds it still, twisting its lid with a thought. She claims her prize and splashes some one her face before draining the bottle. Unaware that Mika was watching.



The light in the room is strange, having an almost sepia quality. The air is scented with pine from the different coloured panels on the wall and a treadmill sits in the rooms heart.

“You have slowed multiple objects to a stop in mid air, caused them to orbit around yourself and managed to animate and launch a number of projectiles from a standing start.” Mika explains, “Now, we change it up a gear. Up till now you have been at rest. When you are ready, please get on the tread mill and set it to a speed that challenges you, but that you can maintain for a little while.”

Tara climbs onto the treadmill and clicks the speed button a few times until she is running at a decent pace, she could maintain for an hour or so.

“Projectiles will be fired at you at random. Each will have a different colour. I want you to deflect them to the corresponding wall panel.” Mika explains calmly.

Tara nods and relaxes her mind, just in time to see a crimson shuriken streak towards her heart, she bats it away on instinct, into the yellow panel.

“Wrong panel.” Mika calls out, as the treadmill speeds up a little.

Tara reaches for the button but finds her hand held at bay. She sees the yellow shuriken sooner in its flight and smashes it into the yellow panel. However this is the last of the good news, as wave after wave of spinning blades streak from around the room at her.

Thirty minutes and half a dozen speed increases later, Tara in breathing hard struggling to keep her feet under her as the blades keep coming.

“Aaaand stop.” Mika says, slowing the treadmill.

Tara stumbles off the treadmill and launches herself at Mika. She flies as straight and true, as any of the blades she embedded into the walls around her and just as fast.

Mika holds a warding hand up and catches her in mid air. “Calm down, recruit.”

“What the fuck was that? You tried to kill me.” Tara spits angrily.

“Nah. That was a test. I would never do anything to seriously hurt you, with some of our active skills, we have to pressure test, in order to be sure that you can use under duress.” Mika says, openly hurt, “I am sorry though, I should have warned you about the speed increase if you got any wrong.”

Tara sees the hurt in her instructors eyes and immediately, feels regret, “I am really sorry that I snapped at you. Now that you have explained why, I understand.”

Mika looks thoughtfully at Tara for a moment, “I have a confession to make.”

Tara picks up a towel from the rack and wipes the back of her neck, “Do I really want to know?” Tara asks, then stretches her neck.

“This facility is the Gym. It is has a time dilation effect, so three Atlantean months, equate to about a year. I have been given instructions to push you as hard as I can and get you to stay for the full year to see just how much you can achieve.” Mika confesses, them chews her lip.

“After seeing the use of time dilation in hospitals, I had a feeling that they may have a use in training. Why have you been told to push me so hard?” Tara asks, scrutinising her trainer.

Mika shrugs, “Because you are the niece of the Saviour. We have to push you hard to make sure there can be no accusations of favouritism.”

“Sounds fair.” Tara says with a smile and nod, “What’s next?”

“Next up is same as last time, but constant speed and you will be blindfolded so colour coding doesn’t matter.” Mika explains, knowing she almost had to tell the truth.

Tara shrugs, “Cool.”


Four hours later

Tara sits on the studio floor leaning back against the wall and pressed the water bottle against her forehead. Mika takes a seat next to her and passes her a fresh towel. “How was your first day?”

“It was hard work, but I have really enjoyed it.” Tara says, before nervously asking, “How am I doing so far?”

Mika takes a sip of water and shrugs, “How do you think you are doing?”

“I don’t know.” Tara confesses, “I think I am doing OK, but it feels like you are pushing me to do more.”

“I am pushing you, because you are hungry to learn. I give you a pointer or two and a nudge and you make the leaps.” Mika says, pulling out a flask and taking a pull then offers it to Tara.

“Nah, I am good thanks. I want a clear head.” Tara declines.

“Sensible, another big day of testing tomorrow.” Mika says, regretting the slip.

“What kind of tests?” Tara asks, warily.

“Telekinesis key skills.” Mika admits, “There are a number of key skills within the discipline which represent milestones in understanding. They have formed the basis of what we have been doing.”

“So have I passed any tests so far?” Tara asks, excited and hopeful.

Mika pulls out a tablet and begins to read, “Slow objects in motion, redirect motion, controlled flight of objects, multiple object redirection, precision striking at rest, precision deflection under duress, precision deflection with sensory impairment, cloud based defence, cloud based defence under duress, cloud based defence with sensory impairment.”

Tara listens with a mixture of alarm and pride, “Everything today was a test?”

“Yes.” Mika says, before taking a swig. “And not only have you passed, but the footage has been peer reviewed by other instructors and signed off. There is a book running on how fast you will complete the telekinetic discipline curriculum.”

Tara chuckles, “What is the betting spread? Have you got a bet on?”

“No, it would be a conflict of interest. Most bets are between two and three months.” Mika says with a smile, “If I were a betting woman, I would be betting a month.”

“Really. How quick does it normally take?” Tara asks, surprised.

“About a year to a year and a half.” Mika says, watching her students reaction. “You are picking up the skills really well so far and my gut is that the more you learn, the quicker you will join the dots to learn more.”

“That’s nuts.” Tara exclaims under her breath.

“I will push you hard and support you as best I can. You have a gift for Kinetics. Tomorrow we will break out the firearms and work on high speed projectiles and then fine manipulations, mass movement and personal flight. Then we will have consolidation and practice for a couple of days. Friday will be an exercise that will test everything you have learned so far.” Mika explains, “Next week will probably be Shockwave based, but we will see.”

“Shockwave? What is that?” Tara asks confused.

“It is kind of a martial art, using a combination of physical actions, with kinetic and object augmented blows, throws, holds, blocks and pushes.” Mika says, taking another pull from her flask, “To be fair, I think you will be ok, as you have some close combat training.”

“I already have some thoughts.” Tara says, imagining the possibilities. “If I am going to get through telekinesis in a month, what will I do for the rest of my time?”

Mika smiles and winks, “There is more to this college than telekinesis. Mark my words Tara, your journey is just beginning.”

[Caesar73]

Very intriguing no doubt! But I am not sure about Oberon´s Intentions - we will see Do carry on - Grand Master!

[wolfman]

Very intriguing no doubt! But I am not sure about Oberon´s Intentions - we will see Do carry on - Grand Master!

Oberon is somewhat grey in this section, but over time his motivations become clear. (Hope that is vague enough)

[Bandit666]

Once again I return to find a multitude of fabulous and wonderfully well written updates with what can only be described as the work of a grand master, and just to add one more remark, yes your comment to @Caesar73 response, you were indeed vague enough @wolfman

[Caesar73]

Very intriguing no doubt! But I am not sure about Oberon´s Intentions - we will see Do carry on - Grand Master!

Oberon is somewhat grey in this section, but over time his motivations become clear. (Hope that is vague enough)

It surely is my friend Vague enough I mean

[wolfman]

Once again I return to find a multitude of fabulous and wonderfully well written updates with what can only be described as the work of a grand master, and just to add one more remark, yes your comment to @Caesar73 response, you were indeed vague enough @wolfman

Thank you @Bandit666 you honour me with your comments but are too kind

Very intriguing no doubt! But I am not sure about Oberon´s Intentions - we will see Do carry on - Grand Master!

Oberon is somewhat grey in this section, but over time his motivations become clear. (Hope that is vague enough)

It surely is my friend Vague enough I mean

Well @Caesar73 and @Bandit666 i don't want to give the game away too soon

[Caesar73]

No complaints on my Part @wolfman - the tension and the mystery going. I do love a good surprise!

[wolfman]

@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky

Kim carefully picks her way across the rocks, alongside Oscar along a coastal path on Daemos, Atlantis. She looks across the water to the military structures of Garnos. Despite the stark barren landscape behind her and the imposing buildings across the water, she is struck by the beauty of this place.

“Let’s stop here a moment and refresh ourselves.” Oscar says, with a twinkle in his eyes.

Kim smiles and tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “Sounds good.”

Oscar passes her a flask of water and takes one out for himself, drinking deeply. “I am sorry for the journey so far, we will soon be at our destination.”

Kim slurps a gulp of water, washing the dust from her mouth, “No drama. Where are we going?” she says thinking of the five mile swim from Kaemal to Garnos, then the run across Garnos before the more punishing twelve mile swim to Daemos dodging sharks.

Oscar sighs sympathetically, “I am so sorry, but I cannot discuss our destination, until we get a little closer.”

“Let me guess, somewhere secluded, maybe with some kind of time dilation, to train candidates quicker.” Kim says, off the cuff.

“Something like that, but the dilation is an effect of the place and not of our doing.” Oscar says, with a wink.

Kim chuckles and nods, “Fair enough.” Deciding not to push her kindly guide.

After a few moment, Oscar crosses his legs and asks, “Do you meditate by any chance?”

Kim assumes the lotus position and before to slow her breathing, “My sisters and I are quite physical. Meditation helps us to connect to our bodies on an different level.”

Pleasantly surprised, Oscar smiles, “Meditate with me. When you get to the point where you are focused and in tune with yourself, please tell me.”

Kim shrugs “Sure.”

A few moments later, the gently lapping of the waves on the shore of Daemos and cool breeze have drained the tension from the pair and both are relaxed and focused. Kim gently whispers, “Ready.”

In a gently, soft tone, Oscar speaks quietly, “Take that focus on yourself and visualise it expanding outwards. Tell me what you see.”

Kim flexes her mind and expands her focus, “I feel the sand beneath us and swirling around us.” She says slowly, “I feel the waves crashing against the rocks below us. Cooling the rocks for a moment, but they warm up again straight away in the sun. I feel the fish, swimming in the sea. Vibrant and full of life. Not like the dead land behind us.” She pauses, refocusing, “No. It isn’t dead. Life is fleeting and small but here. I feel.” She pauses, “I think they are ants or something similar.”

Oscar smiles and nods, “interesting. What are the ants doing?”

“They are circling around each other.” He voice cracks, “Some in the middle of the spiral are dead, they are going to keep walking in a spiral until they die.”

“Shhhh now. Be calm.” Oscar says gently, “Visualise the ants stopping and dispersing for a moment.”

Kim gasps, “They are scattering.” She smiles on the verge of tears.

“Well done.” Oscar says, with a hint of pride, “Keep looking, what else do you see on the land.”

Kim takes a moment to settle and continues, “The ants are converging on the shoots of a few plants. But the shoots are spread wide, because of the seabirds droppings. The worms under the ground help spread nutrients and this land is recovering.”

In his gentle, soft voice Oscar speaks quietly, “Why don’t you focus under the water for a bit?”

Kim shifts her focus, both over and under the water. She feels the currents of the sea as if they are passing through her own body and feels the fish both, as if they are swimming in her and she swimming in them. Through her minds eye, she explores the sea bed and the water feeling every rock and creature.

Her pulse quickens sensing a small octopus being stalked by a shark. She feels the desperation of the prey and the calculation of predator in one breath. “I know it is the circle of life, but I don’t want this creature to die.” She thinks, somewhat detached.

Her internal protests echo through the water and the shark lunges at the octopus and misses, then slowly it shakes its head and swims away in pursuit of other prey.



Kim feels a gentle hand on her shoulder and lets her focus fade. She looks up, seeing Oscar smiling down at her, “Hello Kim, how was that?”

“Was that real?” Kim asks, still feeling wisps of her meditation tugging at her consciousness.

“Was what real?” Oscar asks, enigmatically.

“What I just saw. The sea and the octopus.” Kim asks breathless.

Oscar smiles, “And the shark. Yes, it was real and just so you are sure, yes you made the shark swim away.”

“How?” Kim asks, stunned.

“I guided you, but the vision was your own. I just gave you a little nudge in the right direction.” Oscar explains softly, “Welcome to day one of your training as an Ecomancer. This is how it begins.”

“A what now?” Kim asks confused.

“An Ecomancer. One who senses and controls their environment.” Oscar says, solemnly.

Kim sits slack jawed trying to process what this might mean, while Oscar continues. “The first step is to have the focus to perceive your environment and you have shown that you are capable of that. It comes slow at first, but over time it will become easier, and faster. You will get to the point where you are always connected to your environment, whatever you do.”

“That sounds amazing.” Kim says, in quiet astonishment.

“That is the beginning, over time you will be able to see the thoughts of those in your environment and affect their actions, you started that with the ants and the shark, but over time it will be much more precise.” Oscar explains, calmly gauging her reactions..

“What do you mean? Like mind control?” She says alarmed.

“After a fashion, yes. You will not instruct those in your environment, but rather guide them with a voice that will become harder for them to ignore as you grow in power.” Oscar explains, with a gentle smile.

“I am not ready for that responsibility. I am a kid and barely know my own mind, I shouldn’t be able to control others.” She protests, shaking her head and backing away.

“And that being your first instinct, is the reason that you are the right person to be able to do it.” Oscar says, calmly. “Besides there is much more to it than mind control.”

Kim struggles with her feelings for a moment, before weakly, “It’s too much power.”

“Which is why it is entrusted to the safest of hands. I can see you are skilled in the arts of war, but it is also clear, that you know the ways of peace. That is rare for someone of any age, much less one so young. You have taken lives, but you are not blood thirsty. Your instinct drives you towards the preservation of life, whilst able to make the hard choices.” Oscar says warmly, “We are Custodians, responsible for the wellbeing of those within our environment and this sometimes requires hard choices. Ours is not an art of control alone. You will also learn how to heal and nurture your environment and those that reside within it. However, the ultimate expression is to become one with your environment and swim in the Life Sea.

“I could be a bit more comfortable with that. I don’t want to just be a tool of control.” Kim says, earnestly.

“Interesting way of putting it. We can talk about it more on the way.” Oscar says apologetically, “We should get moving.”



In the shadow of the mountain dominating the Isle of Daemos, two lonely figures walk, in their own ways each appreciating the stark beauty of this once contested land.

“What did you mean, about not wanting to be a tool of control?” Oscar asks, his voice cutting across the wispy breeze.

“My sisters and I are young but not stupid. We know that there is a chance that there is some kind of grand plan, involving us being trained in otherworldly powers.” Kim says, then pauses to take a sip of water, “Just as we know that we are descended from Timor Arno, the Necromancer of Snositi.”

“Interesting. I must say, I am glad you know, I wasn’t looking forward to telling you.” Oscar confesses, “If your sisters are anything like you, then their teachers will have had the same thought as me at some point today.”

“What thought is that?” Kim asks, curiously.

“How can she do that on day one?” Oscar replies, candidly, “You have a gift, whether or not it comes from your ancestor or your own heart. Few possess the skill to feel their environment like you do or to influence its inhabitants. Even insects or sharks.”

“Is there some kind of plan involving us?” Kim asks, openly.

“Yes.” Oscar says, with a gentle tilt of his head, “During the Unwinnable war, the military, agriculture and technology became the focus of Atlantis. Now in relative peace, it is time for magic to ascend again. When you and your sisters came along and Phobos realised your potential, a plan was created to use your gifts to catalyse a resurgence in the use of magic.”

“So we are a PR stunt? You want us to promote magic use in the populous? What is the goal you are aiming for?” Kim asks, perhaps more harshly than she intended.

Oscar raises his hands and shakes his head in protest, “No, not at all. The idea was to have each of you, do something very different from the others, with the hope do something different with your abilities to inspire other practitioners.”

“Let’s say for a moment, I buy that. What if we learn your secrets and can’t perform as you expect or hope?” Kim asks, stopping in her tracks.

“There is a risk of that, I grant you. However, you have already made a number of leaps in your understanding, which we will explore.” Oscar warmly responds.

Kim watches the older man move with a deft grace a few paces ahead of her before hurrying to catch up, “So what comes next?”

“Well, you have a grasp of perceiving your environment and the rudiments of control. We will look to enhance those so you can perceive your environment further and faster and add levels of control. Then we can look at adapting to your environment, fading into it and finally onto merging. Maybe even sinking into the Life Sea ” Oscar explains.

“Sound like a lot to learn.” Kim says, thoughtfully. “How long do you think it will take?”

Oscar smiles, “By rights, it should have taken a few months to get to the stage where you can exert control over simple animals in any way. For a normal student, you are probably looking at ten or more years to be able to merge with their environment.” He stops and turns to her at the mouth of a fissure in the side of the mountain, “We are here. Would you mind putting on your Sheath and arresters, please?”



A two hundred foot drop straight down brings them to a pitch black cavern. Oscar turns to Kim and speaks softly, “Please remove your helmet and centre yourself. Then when you a ready, lead us out of this place.”

“I have no idea if you are on the level or not, but I guess there is one way to find out.” Kim thinks, before clearing her mind and opening her perception.

Oscar watches the young woman, closely and nods to himself, “I have looked into her soul and see she has the potential for great good or evil. I hope I can guide her to the right path.”

Kim breathes out slowly and softly says “I am ready. Follow me.”

As she walks, she describes all she senses, from the beetles in the dark, to the flow of water through the rocks above and around her. Sure footed she strides forth, seeing without sight in the darkness, setting a difficult pace for Oscar to match.

Oscar grins in the darkness, despite his advanced years, he still enjoys a little exercise every now and then. The run makes something in him loosen and he relaxes. “She is learning to trust her perception. This is a major step.”

Kim stops in her tracks and waits for Oscar to join her. “Oscar, we aren’t in Atlantis anymore are we?”

“No Kim, we are not.” Oscar says, with a little smile. “What can you tell me about this place?”

“I feel mountain’s, desert sands, rolling dunes and a fertile sea, close by. Something bad happened here, I feel the tang of death at the back of my throat, however.” She pauses, pushing her senses, “There is also life. Insects, snakes and scorpions. Fish in the sea, shoots of new life.”

Oscar smiles in the darkness of the cavern, “This is Elysia. The realm that the Annunakin called home and sucked dry, while they wages war on Atlantis. We are here to continue your training in a relatively safe space and maybe do some good in the process. Now, lead the way and let’s feel the sun again.”



Kim stands at the mouth of the cave, staring down at the rolling desert beneath her, like a band of white gold between the mountains and the sea. The sands roll in lazy dunes, from this distance looking like a sea cast in sand. Occasional flecks of green break the surface of the desert, while languid birds bank and circle overhead. Over the whole scene, is the rising sun peeking over the horizon, bathing the cool sands in warm sunshine.

Oscar puts his hand gently on her shoulder and waves his hand over the vista before them, “Yeah. This view always gets me too.”

“I feel it all.” Kim says, her eyes wide eyed in wonder and moist with tears. “The dunes and the rocks. I feel the insects within me and see through their eyes. I feel the winds through the feathers of the birds overhead. I feel the world waking up to the kiss of the sun. It’s just so..... beautiful.” Kim says, her heart pounding in her chest.



They spend the morning, on foot walking towards the sea across this desert strip. When Oscar said, that walking in your environment connects you stronger to it, he wasn’t wrong. Kim feels the sand slip underfoot with each step and feels the cool breeze on her skin.

Before they began walking Kim changed into shorts and a t-shirt opting to walk barefoot, as they have travelled, Kim’s feet have toughened and flattened to allow her to walk better on the sand and her skin has toughened to resist the sun. All under the watchful eye of Oscar who nods in approval.

“It is good that, you choose to adapt to your environment, rather than hide from it.” He says, quietly, before stooping down into a crouch. He begins to scoop a small hole in the sand, without a word.

Kim watches him and extends her senses below ground, and smiles. “Water.” She says, feeling a tendrils of water rise from the water table, past the thin soil and worms, and through the sand.

Oscar fills the hole with water and drinks from cupped hands and invites Kim to do the same. She drinks deeply and splashes water onto her face and arms, enjoying the cool touch.

“So what should we do with this water?” Oscar asks, calmly.

“I’m not sure what you mean?” Kim asks, confused.

“Should we leave it as it is now, or put it back how it was?” Oscar asks, solemnly.

Kim picks up on his tone and closes her eyes, feeling the area around her for a few minutes, before she opens her eyes, “We could leave it in place and it may act as a watering hole for animals in the area. It would also be handy for us to have when we pass this way. The water will also spread under the sand to the soil, enabling growth.” She begins, then pauses chewing her lip. “However, the area is dry and dusty, there is not enough vegetation to retain the water in the sand and it will evaporate off. Over time, the water evaporation would drain the aquifer below us. There are few plants around here but they all seem to tap into it. There may be some benefit to leaving it in place, but I think long term it would be bad for the area. Can we put it back how it was?”

Oscar listens inscrutably, while she explains her reasoning. When she has finished, he directs the water back down to the aquifer, then digs over the hole.

Kim nervously looks up at the man, almost afraid to ask, “Did I choose right?”

“Only history will answer that.” Oscar says, seriously before cracking a smile, “However, I appreciate the way you reasoned it out. In all things we do, we must balance consequences, every decision we make, affects the world. Always remember this.”

[GreyLord]

It is a wondrous path on which you have placed the kids, @wolfman. I can't begin to guess where you are going with this. But I know I will enjoy reading it.

[Caesar73]

It is a wondrous path on which you have placed the kids, @wolfman. I can't begin to guess where you are going with this. But I know I will enjoy reading it.

Agreed on all accounts @GreyLord ! Magnificent work!

[wolfman]

Thank you @GreyLord and @Caesar73

I an looking to do a little world building and explore who the girls are as individuals. The next few chapters will likely be quite long and in some ways a story in and of themselves, but hopefully will be a fun read.

[Caesar73]

Thank you @GreyLord and @Caesar73

I an looking to do a little world building and explore who the girls are as individuals. The next few chapters will likely be quite long and in some ways a story in and of themselves, but hopefully will be a fun read.

No complaints on my Part here! I like the Idea and I am looking forward what tale you will weave for us @wolfman

[wolfman]

A bit longer than I would normally post, however, I hope all who read have fun with it.

@Bandit666 @Caesar73 @GreyLord @slackywacky

4 months later (4 weeks, Atlantean Standard Time.)

“Something isn’t right.” Tara thinks, pushing the last wisps of sleep from her mind and stretching. Except her limbs won’t respond. All she can do is lay down and feel pain.

Her entire body, from her feet to her face is wrapped ruthlessly in 2mm thick wire. Despite the total coverage of her body by what feels like miles of wire, each strand digs in, individually.

Tara stifles a cry of pain, from the wire digging into the corners of her mouth. Strands of wire force her jaws apart to their limit. But worse than this is the feeling of the wire on her eyelids, threatening to cut them at any moment.

“This is intricate and painful, this is to send a message.” Tara thinks to herself, trying to remember what happened last night, “It was a normal evening. We finished training at seven, I ate noodles and did a run and an hour of Shockwave, Tai Chi and Muay Thai and went to bed. It was a normal night.”

Her thoughts are interrupted by a booming voice, crackling over a loud speaker. “The wire wrapped around you is connected to a bomb, if the wires are broken or cut, it goes off. If you try to banish it to a pocket dimension, the bomb goes off. I know what you are thinking, you can stop the flames and frag from it. Well sister, you can’t stop the blast consuming the air in the room. I suggest you sit tight until we are ready for you.”

“Fuck that noise.” Tara thinks, slowing her breathing and feeling for any slack in the wire. Finding none she refocuses. “They are probably watching, so I won’t break out the big guns just yet.”

Applying as much pressure as she can bear, she uses her telekinesis to squeeze the muscles of her legs and then begins to work the newfound slack in the wire to unwrap the wire around her lower legs. It is a slow process, however in time she manages to remove the wires from her feet and ankles, painstakingly twisting and pulling the wires with enough force to remove them, but not enough to snap them.

Once her lower legs are free, she begins feeding the slack back into her upper leg bindings to slip them free, all the while mindful of the wires delicacy. She senses the passage of the wires from her waist to her arms and interlacing around her body.

Tara focuses her mind and painfully squeezes her arms together and holds them in place while she slowly unwraps her arms, “If I don’t hold my arms in place there is a danger that a stray flex will snap one or more wires.” She thinks, trying to hold her nerve. “Want to save my other tricks, till the time is right.”

Once the final wire is unwound from her eyes she stifles a cry or relief as she is able to open her eyes and see the mass of wire that once bound her. Tara traces the ends of the wires to a panel in the floor and takes a deep breath. Gently she unscrews the panel and prises it off with her mind.

“Overall simple construction. Appear that if this wire is cut, the current holding that circuit open shuts off, the circuit closes and the bomb goes off.” She thinks, examining the bomb.

“OK. Just need to make a better connection.” Tara thinks looking around the room, just seeing bare tiles on the walls an floor.

She takes the cover for the bomb compartment and smacks it into the edge of a floor tile, chipping off a corner and uses her will, to grind it to dust. Then she lifts the dust, swirling it into a tiny tornado. Flexing her mind, she strips the coating from the wires, near the bomb and twists them together.

Using a flash of pyrokinesis, she fuses the wires together, then snaps the wires off above the join. “Now, I have a bomb.” She thinks, securing it in an extra dimensional pocket.

With steely focus, she coils the rest of the wire into twenty metre lengths and secures them into more pockets.

“OK, times up. I want to see my family at the end of my training and you fuckers aren’t getting in the way of that” She decides, slowly approaching the door.

Tara crouches inside the door, placing her left hand against it and closing her eyes, sending out a low power telekinetic pulse, “I feel the current going through the camera halfway down the corridor as it sweeps left to right.” She breathes out slowly, sending out a low level telekinetic pulse, “And I feel the two guards sat in the corridor under the light.”

She looks around the room in dismay, “There is literally nothing in here apart from me. I am just glad they left me with a sports bra and lycra shorts.” She thinks, rubbing the back of her neck, “Need to figure out what is going on here and who these jokers are. As far as I can tell no one is dead yet and I don’t see a reason to escalate things. I think quick and quiet is the way. Time to put theory into practice.”

“First things first, I need to get out of here.” Tara thinks, reaching out with her mind. And pinching the carotid arteries of the men in the corridor.



The two guards, accustomed to sitting quietly for hours on end, fail to notice anything out of the ordinary, as they start to loll forward in their seats, their eyes heavy.

The camera swings slowly, from side to side, taking in the sweep of the corridor. The green light blinking over the lens like the eye of a cyclops. It does not think, not feel, nor understand. Nor does it know that the guards it spies in the corridor are asleep.

The camera also doesn’t see the pins inside the padlock of the cell door shift, seemingly on their own and the barrel turn itself.

Tara slips out of the room while the camera points the other way and uses her powers to softly close the door and re-lock it. As the camera begins to turn back she uses a burst of kinetic speed to dash underneath the camera, coming to a stop in its blind spot.

When the camera begins its slow arc left towards the cell door, she is on the move with another burst of speed. Until she enters the stairwell.



Around the building pairs of guards patrol, weapons ready, armoured for all to see. Tara feels the vibration of their heavy boots through the floor and builds a picture in her mind of the building, or at least their positions. “This place is big, but sparse. I sense at least nine. No, ten patrols and most areas outside of the stairwell are covered by cameras.”

Using her electrokinesis she traces the feeds from all the cameras to a room in the basement. “A bit of a trek, but if I want answers, I will get them there although there appears to be a communications array on the roof, which might let me eaves drop.”

At that moment, she hears a door open two floors down and feel the vibrations of two pairs of boots enter the stairwell. “Here we go.”

The two men advance slowly, weapons sweeping every corner and shadow for signs of movement. One of the men grunts and covers his microphone, “I need to drop the kids off at the pool.”

The other exasperated man shakes his head and covers his mike, “You are unbelievable. Seriously?”

“It must be the prawns.” The lead man says, bending over and putting his weapon on its sling.

“Fine. Not like there is much going on. There’s a toilet one floor up.” The second man says, shaking his head before he chuckles, “Dropping the kids off at the pool. Where do you get these phrases?”

“I watch a lot of earth clips.” He says, grunting as he presses on.

Tara hovers inside the central void of the stairwell, hugging the wall as the men ascend. Once they are through the door to the next floor, she loosens her telekinetic grip on her target’s bowel.

She smiles to herself dropping several floors down before hovering in mid air and contemplating her next move.




“I will be logging a formal complaint about this.” Mika says, her voice filled with anger, “You are so far out of line with this.”

All eyes are on her within the control room as the facilities director rises to his feet, sticking his finger in her face, “Don’t threaten me in my own facility. You know the rules, when a student reaches a certain level of attainment in kinetics, they must face, the Gauntlet.”

“Yeah, but they need to be briefed first. As far as she is concerned, she has woken up brutally bound with a bomb. How do you think she feels about that, you Prick?” Mika says, in disgust.

The commander clicks his fingers and points to her, “Ensorcelled cuffs and gag. She has disrupted this test enough.”

Mika struggle wildly as reluctant security guards restrain her. The commander stands over her as she is secured to a chair, “Maybe you are covering your own lies. She has been in that room for an hour and not moved. Maybe you have been overplaying her skill.”

He ignores Mika’s angry muffled insults and turns back to the CNC desk, “Any update?”

A harried technician shakes her head, fixated on the screens, “No movement of cameras. No trip sensor activations and no reports from any guards of anything untoward.”

“Very good, keep me informed.” The commander checks his watch and clicks his tongue, “Two more hours, then we pull the plug “

He turns seeing the door to the centre open to reveal Phobos and several chancellors enter. “Good morning, gentlemen. We have a test in process and an instructor covering her failures. Pull up a chair and watch nothing happening, just as we have been.”

Phobos curls his lip in a snarl and pulls the gag and cuffs off of the instructor. “Professor Mika. Please give me your side of things.”

“This idiot, has pulled a young teenaged girl from her bed, wrapped her in wire and strapped her to a bomb without telling her it is a test.” Mika splutters.

“I see. That is troubling. That poor girl.” Phobos says, thoughtfully.

Mika cowers before the power of the man before her, “With respect sir, there is a bigger problem.”

Phobos regards her closely, “Oh really? Do tell.”

“Tara is an expert telekinetic, proficient in pyro and cryokinetics, hydrokinetics and electrokinesis. She also possesses the equivalent of over five times the strength of an earthborn human and knowledge of special operations combat techniques.” Mika says, softly but firmly, “If she gets free, not knowing this is an exercise, she will fight to live and the guards here are not prepared for that.”

“My people are ready for anything.” The commander protests.

“No they aren’t. With respect, your men are at best half trained security guards that may have some military training. She is operating at a level of skill and power, they will not have encountered before.” Mika says, without irony. “If you have any sense, you will stand them down and end this now, before someone gets hurt or worse.




Tara moves like a ghost through the facility, sometimes within inches of the guards, who know nothing of her presence.

In the kitchen she props an empty cooking oil container on blocks of ice and leaves as silently as she came.

In the server room, she pulls the fuse on the motors for the cooling fans, leaving it by the door, “Gotta keep them guessing.”

In the parking garage, it is much more simple. She removes the spark plugs from all of the vehicles and the firing pins from any mounted weapons.

On the roof, two men guards are having a smoke. Tara aggravates the tissues of one of the men’s throats, triggering a coughing fit and leaving the man on the floor, with his partner, scrambling for help.

Unseen, she slips across the roof and comes to rest in a shadow at the base of the buildings communications array. From her position of concealment, she places a hand on the main cable connected to the dish and feels the information broadcast.

Tara stares out over the edge of the roof at the sea waves crashing below, letting the messages and feeds wash over her as the sea washes over the rocks below. Until she hears the call go out to the guards that she doesn’t know it is a training exercise.

“So this is a training thing then.” She thinks tapping the feed to the control room, “Mika is right to warn them. Now I know what is going on, the rules change and I am going to teach them the error of their ways.”

She feels the vibrations of the stricken man’s partner and another team step onto the roof and begins to fly straight up.

The clomping of boots heralds the arrival of a medical support team on the room. The fallen man stops coughing after the second canteen of water and the other men breath a sigh of relief until when one tries to ask what happened, he finds he cannot speak and neither can the others.

The panicked men clutch at their throats and try wordlessly to call for help. Tara considers pulling several coils of the wire that bound her from her extra dimensional pockets and letting fly, however chooses against it.

Tara floats down and claims their weapons, with a wrench of telekinetic might. The men look up at her terrified, with their SMG’s and handguns circling her.

She releases her grip on their vocal cords and smiles darkly, “I don’t know who you are, or what I am doing here. But if any of you come after me, I will kill you and the man or woman closest to you. Do you understand?” she asks with all the low menace she can muster.

The men nod frantically and grunt their assent. “Good.” She says with a sense of finality, “Now be quiet.” She commands, twisting the tendons in their calves and thighs to force them to sit cross legged.

Slowly she stalks towards the door from the roof back down into the building, feeling the thundering of boots towards her, “I guess one of them raised an alarm.” She thinks, with a smile. “Saves me hunting them down.”



The guards have trained for years and are ready for anything, that they are trained for. The men and woman stand tall as they prepare a breach of the roof door. Each has their role. Everyone has a position to fill and a place to be. This is what they trained for.

Until they open the door.

The guards spill out onto the roof and cover it entirely from their firing arcs. Then they drop to the ground limp and unable to move.

Tara floats down from above them and casually disarms them. She stands relaxed with ten rifles and handguns pointing at her prisoners and speaks casually, “It is obvious that your terrorist organisation planned to use me as leverage against the King, given my familial connection to his future wife. I am pretty sure this is treason so if you try to leave this rooftop, I will take that as proof of your guilt and execute you and the person next to you.”

She sees the fear in their eyes and she retains her light grip on their spinal cords and takes a deep breath, keeping them paralysed.

She surveys her prisoners and thinks to herself, “This is so cool, wait till I tell the others about this.”

“Focus Tara.” She thinks, watching the helpless men and women at her feet, “At best this is half of the roving patrol guards. There is no telling how many others are onsite and they know you are here now, you need a plan.”

Tara closes her eyes and focuses on the vibrations from within the building and nods to herself, “Oh yeah, they know I am free. Maybe I shouldn’t have tipped my hand so soon. Although, I could have some fun with this.”

She grins once more, as the seeds of a plan begin to grow.

Tara steps through the door letting it click closed behind her. She twists the lock with telekinesis then melts the bolt and mechanism with pyrokinesis and rapidly cools it with cryokinesis.

“It will be a little chilly on the roof but they will be safe enough.” She says, walking away.

The terrified guards, feel sensation return to their bodies and their limbs slowly become able to move. They huddle together to provide support to each other and shelter from the wind and rain.



Tara glides millimetres above the ground able to capitalise on the speed telekinesis gives her. “They know I am out and.” She hears a loud crash from the kitchen, “That I have been busy. Time to really put the wind up them.”

She takes a moment to focus and feel the guards on the top floor, in the centre of the floor away from the executive offices, laying in wait for her. “Four guards at least. I sense their weapons pointing towards the door. Tricky, but if I am going to clear this place floor by floor, I need to start somewhere.”

Shelly, the female squad leader nervously watches the door from the stairwell, “Be ready for anything.” She whispers, calmly.

The other guards lay prone behind cover, covering the door, each a picture of professional calm. Shelly sneezes and wipes her nose with the back of her hand.
“Grotbag, use a tissue.” One of the men says, with disdain.

“Stop looking at me and watch the door.” She says, causing the others to turn back to the door.

“She ain’t coming here, we would have seen her by now.” One of them says.

“There is no way to know where she will strike. We have reports from all over the place, from the kitchen to the car lot stuff is popping of and ten of our colleagues are trapped on the roof. Now unless you want to join them, maybe you might want to shut up and focus.” Shelly says, angrily.

“You really should listen to her. She knows what she is talking about.” Tara says, from her position hovering above them.

Through no intervention from the figure hovering above them, they feel a shiver pass through their bodies. Each wonders if they could turn over and fire up at Tara, before she could react. But the point becomes moot, when Tara pinches their optic nerves, plunging them into darkness.

“Why don’t you do me a favour and slide your weapons away, then lace your fingers behind your head?” Tara asks casually, not feeling the need for threats.

The blind and terrified guards carefully slide their weapons away and comply with her instructions. One by one she uses telekinesis to bind them with the wire that once bound her. “Yeah you can probably get out of that, but if you do, iI would strongly recommend that you don’t leave this room.”

Tara takes their weapons and stashes them. The helpless guards can do nothing, but pray that she has left, as she glides silently, towards the stairwell.

Casually she enters the stairwell to a hail of gunfire from below. She dives behind the wall taking cover and curses, “Dumbass, should have exercised caution.”

It takes a split second for her to focus, “Seven guns, firing to make noise rather than hit me.” She extends her senses feeling for vibrations, “Covering for number eight, trying to ambush me.”

She pulls the guard out of the stairway to the roof and uses telekinesis to hold her above the centre of the stairwell, staring all the way down to the floor. “Throw your weapons over the side, or I drop her.” Tara shouts.

The wide eyed terrified guard hanging in space screams hysterically, “Do as she says. For the love of the gods, please.”

One by one Tara hears the clattering of weapons hitting the ground. Ahead keeps listening after the last falls, then calls out, “All of them, please.”

A moment later the last weapon hits the ground and she moves into action, sending out coils of wire to bind the guards that, moments ago were trying to kill her. Satisfied that they are restrained, she lifts the suspended guard over the dividing wall and lays her on the ground, binding her as tightly as her comrades. “No sense, going overboard. If they have their Sheaths, then they can jam comms like those on the roof.”

“Nearly there. Ground floor canteen and dorm, then on to basement housing the command centre.” Tara thinks, taking a nervous breath.



Tara stands before the door to the ground floor allowing access to the canteen side, and chews her lip nervously. “I feel vibrations from this floor from this but they are much more pronounced. Perhaps a lot heavier. May indicate armour of some kind.”

“Every way I do this could end badly, but there is no other way.” She decides, making the molecules of her body vibrate before she floats through the wall.

Tara swallows hard seeing a half dozen guards in heavy plate armour, with weapons aimed at her shakily. All of the tables and chairs have been hastily pushed to the sides of the large room to create a killing box, within which she stands.

A mechanised voice booms out in the small room, “Relax, we don’t want to hurt you. This is a training and assessment exercise designed to test your capabilities We are here to ask you to surrender yourself into our custody, then we can get you home.”

“Why should I trust you?” Tara asks, suspiciously looking around the room for signs of an ambush.

“One way or another you are coming with us. These suits are warded against magic and your abilities can’t affect us, but we can affect you. Now Miss Michaels, will you come quietly?”

Tara feels her eye twitch at the denigration, however, holds her temper. Slowly stepping forward, she wears a nervous look, “Do you promise not to hurt me mister?”

“Sure thing, kid. Surrender and you will not be harmed.” The booming voice says.

Tara can almost imagine the smug look on the armour operator’s face, as she drops all of the guns she has taken. “Would you do something for me, to prove I can trust you?”

“Name it and if it is possible, we will.” The voice booms.

“Pucker up and kiss my ass.” Tara says coldly. Before the armoured men can react, the tables launch from the sides of the room. Wood splinters and shears from the metal as they twist and fold around the armoured troopers, lifting them off of the ground. When the screeching of metal stops, Tara speaks softly, “I cannot affect your suits directly, but make no mistake, with the metal now wrapped around you. I can crush each of you like a used soda can and fling you miles out to sea.”

The armoured trooper’s thick metal suits, can shield them from the worst that the realms can throw at them. However, with the steel of the tables squeezing the metal plates, they are on the verge of becoming the troopers coffins, “Lucky for you, I just want this over with. Please signal the control room and inform them that I am coming down. Any trouble will be met with a level of force that I deem appropriate.”

She turns crisply and walks away, accessing the dormitory side of the floor and striding towards the door to the command centre.




Everyone in the command centre is silent, they see the chaos in Tara’s wake and brace for her arrival. The Commander waists patiently, however even he is betrayed by a stray bead of sweat.

Tara knocks twice on the heavy steel bulkhead door and waits for a count of three, before, stepping through the door without waiting for it to open. “Well you have my attention. How can I help?” She asks, regretting not thinking of anything cooler to say.

“Come in Tara. There is much to discuss.” Phobos says, warmly, somewhat amused by all he has seen so far today.

Tara cautiously advances into the room, sensing the people all around her, their heart rates elevated. She reaches out with her mind and slows the heartbeats of those around her, pulling them out of fight or flight. “Grand Chancellor Phobos? I had no idea you were here.” Her eyes flick across those present until she sees Mika, “Are you OK?”

Commander Castle bellows across the room, “You will address your comments to me, in this room and will answer for your crimes against my people.”

“Steady on Castle. One thing at a time.” Phobos says, before turning to Tara, “Whilst I am sorry for your ordeal, there are several charges that must be discussed. I hate to do this, however, will you please surrender yourself into custody?” He asks, giving a wink only she can see.

Tara feels her will sapped and body drained and cannot stop herself placing her hands behind her head. She doesn’t resist, as she feels a metal cuff snapped around her wrist before her arms and guided behind her back and locked together. Nor does she scream when she feels her connection to magic severed.

“These will prevent you from using your considerable abilities, while we discuss the charges at hand.” Phobos explains. “Let it be known that Tara is under the effect of a compliance geas and as such can only speak the truth.”

“Damned by my own testimony.” She thinks feeling hollow.

“Please explain to everyone here present, who you have assaulted and what damage have you done.” Phobos commands.

“I knocked out the guards of my cell by pinching their carotid arteries, until they fell asleep. Then I squeezed a guards bowel to make him need to go to the loo. Then I aggravated the throat of a man to make him cough and squeezed the vocal cords of his colleagues, so they couldn’t scream.” Tara begins to cry, wishing she could stop, “Then I paralysed a load by pinching their spinal cords and went on to capture a few more on the top floor and stairwell, before floating through a wall and taking out the armoured guys in the canteen. Not to mention, setting you on a wild goose chase by turning off the fans in the server and setting up a dead fall in the kitchen. I also too the spark plugs from all the vehicles and nicking the firing pins from the mounted guns.” She collapses to her knees, sobbing knowing she has just sealed her fate. “Oh yeah, I temporarily blinded a few guards as well.

“Is there any other harm you have done today?” Phobos asks, gently.

“Yes.” Tara says surprising herself, “I have irrevocably damaged the commanders pride, by showing that a teenaged girl has bigger balls than him.”

A low ripple of laughter travels around the room, before Commander Castle leaps from his seat and slaps Tara.

“Sit down Commander.” Phobos commands with the quiet power of a man whose daydreams can reshape the world.

The Commander sits and Phobos continues, “Tara each of these assault charges, carries a hefty penalty. During your briefing for this exercise, you would have been told that any damage to the facility or personnel would be punishable by law and yet, that is what you have done.”

“I was not briefed it was an exercise. I just woke wrapped viciously wrapped in wire, by this tiny bollocked man’s goons.” Tara says, without emotion.

“So you woke up without the briefing. That is interesting.” Phobos addresses the room, “Whose decision was it to bring the student here without briefing?”

Director Castle nods, “Mine. She is far above the level of attainment for a student of her level and required testing. The damage and assaults have taken place and need to be answered for.”

“I see.” Phobos says, thoughtfully, “Tara, if you had known this was an exercise and that assault of staff or damage to facilities was not permitted, would you have done so?”

“No Grand Chancellor.” Tara confirms, still under obligation. “I would have just become intangible and come straight to the control room.”

“Did you feel threatened, during this exercise?” Phobos asks, curiously.

“No. I felt annoyed and irritated that a man with a micro penis and a Napoleon complex had kidnapped me. If I had felt threatened, everyone in the building would have been dead before I left the room I was held in.” Tara confesses, in a matter of fact tone.

Phobos closes his eyes and the room becomes still as everyone watches him, even Tara takes a deep breath as the weight of the geas is lifted. However, when he opens his eyes, everyone listens, “Tara for the assaults you have admitted, a sentence of ten years hard labour in the realms would normally be deemed appropriate. You have confirmed under compulsion, that you were not briefed and if you had been you would not have acted this way. I am satisfied that the actions you have taken were in self defence, given the circumstances of you being here.”

Phobos lets the weight of his words hang in the air before continuing, “Furthermore, by bringing you here without your knowledge or consent, Director Castle has in fact orchestrated the illegal kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment of a minor. In addition, when it became clear that Tara had escaped her bonds, your guards were sent out with automatic weapons without confirming if Tara could deal protect herself from this level of threat. Therefore it is my finding that he be stripped of rank due to incompetence. However, given the display we have seen today, all records and recordings from the day shall be erased Guards, please remove the former director from the facility.”

Castle screams in protest as his former guards drag him out of the command centre in handcuffs. The same handcuffs, in fact that are removed from Tara’s wrists.



Tara gasps as the room fades away and she is left with Mika and Phobos in an empty white space.

“Don’t worry Tara. You are not in trouble. Quite the opposite in fact. There have been concerns over the running of operations here for a while and you have helped us to prove the concerns were justified.” Phobos says, gently, “However, I would like to hear some more about what you have done today. Do you have any notes on the techniques you used on the guards here today?”

Tara nods and with a flourish, produces her tablet and opens a document, before passing it to him.

Phobos nods to himself as he rapidly scrolls through the document, “There are a lot more techniques listed here than you have used. Pinching optic nerves for temporary blindness, snapping tendons, shutting down organs, pinching the diaphragm to induce shortness of breath. This is an impressive body of work. What is the philosophy behind this?”

Tara swallow nervously, “With telekinesis we can sense and control the motion of objects and project force. With pyro and cryokinetics we manipulate molecules en mass to heat or cool them. On top of that we can manipulate components within a device.” She begins, then pauses for a moment to gather her thoughts, “However, none of the texts I have seen show the ability to manipulate parts of a living body. So I theorised that it might be possible and tried a few things on myself, that worked. I knocked myself out a few times and took me a while to be able to walk through walls but I got there. That was when I began to isolate life energy to the point where it too can be manipulated.”

Phobos listens intently and strokes his chin thoughtfully, “You are quite correct, there has never been an exploration of the use of telekinesis to manipulate the human body. Much less manipulate life energy.” He turns to Mika and passes the tablet, “Mika, you will study the techniques listed and assist Tara, in the testing of them and exploration of this field which will be known as Telekinetic Biomanipulation.”

Tara interrupts, regretfully, “I’m sorry, but I have been calling it Biokinetics, or Biokinesis.”

Phobos raises his eyebrows and nods, pursing his lips “That is catchy, I must admit. I concur, it shall be known as Biokinetics.” He turns to Mika again, “How long will it take you to learn the techniques listed?”

Mika flicks through the techniques listed and exhales slowly, “There is a lot here. I would say minimum two months to become proficient, longer to master.”

He nods thoughtfully, before speaking again, “If viable, this is the first new Kinetic discipline to be created in two hundred years. To build impetus behind this, we need a school set up and running by the time of the Royal Wedding. Can it be done?”

Mika’s eyes go wide and she opens and closes her mouth wordlessly, before stuttering, “I don’t know if that is even possible.”

Tara looks at her seriously, “If this can be done, it will be a fitting tribute to our new and very successful King and his new Queen. However, if it cannot be done correctly, we leave it until such time as it can.”

“We can try. Who will be the Chancellor of the new college that I will be reporting to?” Mika asks, trying to wrap her head around some of the techniques.

“As is tradition, the first student will become its Chancellor.” Phobos confirms, solemnly.

Tara raises her hands, “Whoa, I can’t do that.”

Phobos smiles down at her benevolently, “You are not the first student of the new discipline. Mika will be.”

Tara hesitates for a moment and nods bowing her head. She swallows her pride and whispers, “I understand.”

“I don’t believe you do.” Phobos explains gently, “A new discipline can only be recognised as such, once its Inceptor trains another who then goes on to establish a college.” His tone takes a deeper and richer edge, “Tara Michael’s, on this day I name you as the first creator of a new discipline in two hundred years. From this day forward, your subordinates and contemporaries will refer to you with the title of Inceptor and you will afforded the respect and tributes according to your position.”

[Caesar73]

Wow that Chapter was a rollercoaster. First Tara's awakening ensnared by wires, how very cruel. Incredibly the descriptions how Tara strikes back. My personal favourite is the last third in the Controlroom. Masterful, @wolfman !

[GreyLord]

Inceptor Tara, that has a nice ring to it, @wolfman. She demonstrates prodigious abilities. But I feel a little sad. It is difficult enough for Nikita to play TUGs with someone. How in the world can anyone ever play with Tara?

[slackywacky]

I always find it interesting to see that the same people react to stories, in this case it is often @Caesar73 and @GreyLord, for M/M stories it is a different group of people that react.

I have to admit that I am way behind in reading all of your stories, so it is hard to give a response to the latest chapter when I did not even had time to read the last 10 chapters (or more in some cases). I will get there, eventually. At least I got to update some of my stories, writing came easy the last few updates.

Keep writing (all of you) and I will catch up

[GreyLord]

I always find it interesting to see that the same people react to stories, in this case it is often @Caesar73 and @GreyLord, for M/M stories it is a different group of people that react.

...

Keep writing (all of you) and I will catch up

Have no concern, my friend. Do not feel rushed. Take your time and enjoy the reading rather than making it a chore.

Apologies to @wolfman for using his space for this message. But, in a way, it is a message for all, for we all get behind at one point or another.

[wolfman]

Wow that Chapter was a rollercoaster. First Tara's awakening ensnared by wires, how very cruel. Incredibly the descriptions how Tara strikes back. My personal favourite is the last third in the Controlroom. Masterful, @wolfman !

@Caesar73 I wanted to have some fun with Tara and showcase how scary a character could be, with limited and restrained use of their powers. I really enjoyed the control room section too, i wanted to show that there is much more to her than crazy powers.

Inceptor Tara, that has a nice ring to it, @wolfman. She demonstrates prodigious abilities. But I feel a little sad. It is difficult enough for Nikita to play TUGs with someone. How in the world can anyone ever play with Tara?

Never fear @GreyLord, where there is a will worker there is a way. Magic is an option and the use of warded or ensorcelled cuffs to negate magic keeps the possibilities alive.

I always find it interesting to see that the same people react to stories, in this case it is often @Caesar73 and @GreyLord, for M/M stories it is a different group of people that react.

I have to admit that I am way behind in reading all of your stories, so it is hard to give a response to the latest chapter when I did not even had time to read the last 10 chapters (or more in some cases). I will get there, eventually. At least I got to update some of my stories, writing came easy the last few updates.

Keep writing (all of you) and I will catch up

In this case, the tale is very long and new readers are unlikely to want to trawl through everything thay has gone before. I am just overwhelmed at those that have stayed with it for so long.

Life gets in the way of the things we love to do @slackywacky, this is a fact of the human condition. This tale will be here when you are able to catch up. In the mean time it is great to see updates from youbon your tales. I hope you are well.

I always find it interesting to see that the same people react to stories, in this case it is often @Caesar73 and @GreyLord, for M/M stories it is a different group of people that react.

...

Keep writing (all of you) and I will catch up

Have no concern, my friend. Do not feel rushed. Take your time and enjoy the reading rather than making it a chore.

Apologies to @wolfman for using his space for this message. But, in a way, it is a message for all, for we all get behind at one point or another.

No apology needed @GreyLord, it is important to reach out in support of others andi deem it a privalege that you have been able to do so, using this thread.