Cherreads

Chapter 5 - Blinded

"Lock the gates and raise the density to maximum. Immediately!"

Processing data...

Warning! System error! War-

The robotic voice resonating from the screen mounted next to the heavy double doors halts absurdly. The entirety of the machine explodes from the inside out with a traceless blast at its core. Sharp chunks fly towards the men dressed in white lab coats, fortunately missing any potential target. One of them frowns as he writes down on his tablet, dragging a bar underneath by a few centimeters. Small spherical robots are already flying behind and around him, opening up circles on their metallic armor, arms shooting out as some pick up the broken pieces while the rest bring spare parts to fix the broken screener.

"Don't lower the density under any circumstances." He says, his thumb and index finger pinching the screen on the tablet, swiping up the picture displayed on it. A holographic panel immediately pops up in front of the double doors, an image of a student.

Vessel 101

Status: Unstable

Danger: High

Action: Drain, do not assist.

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Why are their eyes so empty?

Hayan asks herself that every time.

Why do none of them show any emotions? None towards their own well being, and none towards the suffering clear in the Vessels' eyes. Why do they never react? Not when she screams for help; not when the gates close and everything crashes.

Soon, darkness takes over her vision, both figuratively and literally. There is absolutely no light in here, no warmth and no comfort. Just her and her yells, left alone to scream until her throat can't even whisper anymore, whatever object in the room shaking uncontrollably until everything flows astray, colliding and exploding all together. Sometimes, a few hit her too.

This time around, the room is completely empty, the researchers having learned fast from their mistakes. So in her anger, in need for an outlet, she searches deeper in her mind, reaches further outside. When something answers her desperate pleas, she's satisfied in her unawareness, mentally grasping it, feeling it twist in her own mind, taking shapes beyond her imagination, yet so closely related to her thoughts.

Pull, push, dent, everything happens without her needing to control it. It calls her subconsciousness like an instinct, a human's second nature.

And yet, for every smirk of satisfaction, there are also tears of pain. Imaginary needles rain down on her until they manage to pin her entire body to the ground. The prickling weight is crushing, her lungs barely containing any air, breathing coming out ragged, whereas limbs slowly turn numb. Even the beating of her own heart throbs against her ribcage.

Hayan simply despises the Lockdown Wing.

Isolation Wing and Lockdown Wing aren't all that different to her. Possible Outcasts and Rank 5s are locked in Isolation, while higher ranks are locked here. That is the fate of everyone the researchers couldn't and can't control, or of those they deemed too dangerous to roam alone — at all times or during certain occasions, which is mostly the case with her.

The entire Wing is packed with Anti-GA waves, a modified artificial atom slipping through the walls to sneak past a Vessel's skin, leeching off of their cells, tying itself precisely to their DNAs, interfering with the sequences responsible for their abilities. The higher the density, the stronger the waves sent out. It's thus that the Wing works as a 'safety room', what with its capacity to block any and all abilities, be it partially or completely. Not only does this room render the Vessel ability-less, it also drains their energy slowly, the process only accelerating whenever they attempt to counter with their already weakened GAs.

Hayan's mind is always too hazy when she is sent here. She knows the effects it has well, the burnout it will lead to, and yet she never stops — calm down and reflect.

She'd rather embrace the darkness of sleep than the darkness of the Lockdown Wing.

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GAH-GMV Dorms, 3rd years' floor, left district…

Retracting her hand from the green colored screen, Hayan slowly lowers it to her side, her fingers fidgeting as a part of her mind tells her to rip the annoying machine off of the wall.

"Welcome back, Vessel 101."

With that, the door slides open, Hayan unmoving as she glares at it, its dull colors agitating her. The thought of ripping it off and using it as a hoverboard is much more entertaining. Not that the two 'guards' patiently waiting behind her would even allow anything outside the rules to happen.

They look patient, but Hayan would never believe that. They always wait around the corner for her mistakes. Just to punish her. To trigger her instability just so they could note down on an endless chart of data. All for their own gain. Uncaring of what consequences they leave behind while they walk ahead. Or do they purposefully leave them behind with her?

Taking a step forward, the door silently slides back closed, and Hayan would like to consider it a barrier between her and the researchers. For now, at least.

The room's décor is still minimal, the girl having never found the motivation or the inspiration to actually change something in it. Her excuse was always that she "still has to wait for her future roommate". The Vessels were all given spacious rooms, with all the possible necessities, so that no one could complain that something was lacking or that someone else is living better. Yet this lonely surrounding still doesn't feel like home, not when she's still tied to her old room. Common emotions tied to a common person.

But for them the common is uncommon, unlikely, unwanted.

Walking towards the bedroom, she raises an eyebrow. The usually empty bed of her 'future roommate' has fresh sheets on it and a gray uniform on top. She recognizes it as the first year Vessels' uniform, which means her roommate is a an underclassman of sort, something utterly impossible.

(Or so it used to be, she remembers with a clearer head. Her friends are from different years too, yet share a room. The researchers would, however, argue that they are a special case, both losing their previous roommates or something like that.)

Brain already fried from the Anti-GA waves of the Lockdown Wing, Hayan plops face first onto her own bed. The circumstances and whereabouts of her roommate become unimportant. It's just that when she turns her face slightly, she peers at the empty bed with one eye. It's a simple observation. Considering its vacancy, the Vessel has either spent the night somewhere else or left extremely early. Still, as before, it does not concern her, and therefore doesn't matter to her. It is conventional to put vessels of the same block in the same room, however roommates are not like blockmates. In the end, those who room together will not always be regarded as a possible team, so getting along is not a requirement.

(A Researcher might refute. Might claim that there is no reason for mature Vessels to quarrel. Irrational human emotions are not common.).

If the roommate becomes too much, she could just….

'No.' The trail cuts abruptly as she pushes herself off the bed. 'No time for thoughts like that.' Hayan runs towards the door, almost trips as she dives outside, spinning on her foot to turn the corner. Her stop is precise as she holds her breath when patrolling bots fly over her head. With the potential misuse of genetic abilities, it is easily understandable why the researchers strictly forbid it, yet even running down hallways seems to be something they frown at. A form of chaos, as harmless as it may be. Now, with an exhale, as her dear friend would say: To hell with researchers anyway. Hayan runs off the second the bots disappear. The girl swiftly looks around one last time before stopping in front of a door. Can't cause any problems so close to her goal. Placing her palm on its cold surface, she moves it to the right, watching the door slide along with it.

"What the—?! Hayan I swear, one of these days, you will trigger the alarm!"

Yulai can't even continue scolding the girl — nor get out of bed properly — because the next second he sees a blur of black and blue, then the weight of a person falls on top of him. Arms hug his waist suffocatingly tight, while Hayan buries her face on the crook of his neck. She takes a deep breath, releasing it slowly; the boy's scent oddly comforting (a fresh breather, a change from the void of Lockdown).

Yulai can only hug her back, patting her shoulders gently. They're alone, there isn't much he himself can do. "It's so dark in there, Yuu." Hayan's voice is shaking, a shiver running down her spine.

"It's over, you're out now." He whispers into her ear, a hand coming up to brush her hair softly, gently massaging her scalp.

"They left me there for hours…" she whispers, the words coming out even more broken this time, weaker, no barriers up around her vulnerability. Ah, their friend had returned with quite the foul mood yesterday, silence seething through grit teeth. "It's really dark and I hate it there. I can't breathe and I can't move… I-"

"Hey, you're at Yulai and Micha's room, not in the Lockdown Wing. You know we're here for you…" Yulai has never been in the Lockdown Wing. He doesn't know what it is like there, or how it feels like to have your ability suppressed. Sometimes, that fact turns into a weight in his stomach, a deep feeling of inadequacy, of being undeserving of his friends. They have all been through one of the dark sides of the Academy, but never Yulai.

Will he end up in Lockdown or Isolation at some point too?

Will everyone? Or is it just a sick game directed at certain people?

Are they really living in the 'perfect'?

Shaking his head, Yulai throws those thoughts away. This is to comfort Hayan, not himself. And if those thoughts ever get out, he can't even begin imagining how the Academy would react. The thoughts are alien, unlikely, unwelcomed.

"Hey, so we got a new Vessel in the block." The boy starts, stopping the motions over Hayan's back when the other shifts to lie comfortably beside him. Instead, he flips his palm upwards and lets her tap her index finger on it. "Her name is Minji. Apparently she and Micha know each-other."

"They do?" Hayan's left eyebrow raises, the name not ringing a bell and the two third years have been alongside each-other for quite a long time. There is one nameless person she can remember Micha mentioning. It was someone she was stubborn on finding, as impossible as it turned out to be due to the researchers.

"Yea, Micha said they met about three years ago." Yulai answers, to which the girl only nods. She lowers her head back on his shoulder, closing her eyes with a sigh as she finds comfort. "Minji is funny, though now I feel bad, because I technically laughed at some of her sufferings… She comes from the Isolation Wing, so it was entertaining to see Micha trying to explain everything to her."

The breathing of his companion steadies. Yulai thinks back to yesterday, to his classroom and to the cafeteria. He brushes the hair that tickle his neck.

"I should just let you meet her."

Hayan hums, slowly dozing off. Yulai notices, and tries to shift on his bed to find a position less punishing when she wakes up. As if a puppeteer has strung threads around his heart, he feels them shiver whenever he witnesses the Hayan who left Lockdown. The thrum is electrifying in his mind whenever he reminds himself there is nothing he can do to prevent it. Nor make it any better.

So for now, he can only hold Hayan tightly until she falls asleep. Let her rest under the covers as he tugs his jacket on, slipping the black band on his wrist. Brushing blue strands off her forehead, he leaves to attend this morning's initiation.

"I promise tomorrow will be better."

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Noon break, Cafeteria…

Hayan zips up her jacket, trying to make her head disappear into the collar while Micha continues to laugh loudly, only adding to her ever growing embarrassment.

"Micha, people are looking." She whisper-yells, inwardly resisting the urge to facepalm.

"Whatever, they got nothing better to do and it's nothing new anyway." The illusionist doesn't hold back, Hayan knows she never has and never will.

"Won't you be lonely in Isolation now that your buddy is out?"

At that Micha stops to think for a moment. The two had already lined up in front of the many different food aisles, the third years having packed the space. It's always better to go in with a full stomach; no one wants an empty one.

"Speaking of my buddy…" Micha's small hand grabs onto Hayan's sleeve, tugs it slightly. Hayan's attention turns down to the young woman, follows the direction the finger of her free hand points towards. For the distance enters Yulai, a stranger of unfounded familiarity beside him. They are chatting between themselves, the exchanged words only halting when the stranger's eyes travel and light up at the sight of Micha (or the food?).

"Is that Minji?" Hayan asks, although she receives no verbal answer. Instead, Micha pulls at her sleeve with stronger intent, dragging her out of the queue. Momentarily, a dilemma presents itself to Hayan: follow her long time friend, or make a run for it because food.

Micha stops next to Yulai with a step louder than necessary to announce her arrival. She practically pushes Hayan and Minji to face each-other. "Hayan, this is Minji. Minji, this is Hayan." She fires the words like a rain of bullets, way too excitedly. Hayan notices the confused glances Minji shoots towards Micha's glinting eyes. Hayan scratches the back of her neck, smiling shyly as she lets out a small "Hi."

"Why is she suddenly shy?" Yulai whispers for only Micha to hear.

"She has always been shy?" Micha doesn't even bother lowering her volume.

"Wait what? How can I be sure this is not just an illusion you're putting me through?"

"You want a piece of this, Tree?"

"Bring it, Shrimp."

And thus none of the two notice Hayan guiding Minji towards the food line because they both share the common interest of feeding their stomachs.

"By the way Minji," Hayan begins while she waits for the chef to fish out her favorite meal. "What rank are you? I can't seem to find where your band is located."

"Oh, that's because I'm Rank 5." Minji casually says, making Hayan cough as she almost chokes on her drink.

"Wait, really?" she wipes her chin, blinking at Minji, while the other tilts her head in slight confusion.

"Affirmative. I am aware that the Academy usually keeps Rank 5s in Isolation, as they are likely to develop Outcast characteristics. I was not informed that it was this uncommon to see a Rank 5 outside of it. Am I the first one?"

"Probably. So what's your ability then?"

"I have none." Minji looks down upon saying that, playing with her fingers nervously. Hayan says nothing in return, only stretching her arm out so she can place Minji's tray under her chin, where she can see it. Ah yeah, almost forgot about food. "… and you?" Minji mutters the question out of courtesy, yet avoids Hayan's eyes altogether. She rather prefers staring at her (precious) food.

Hayan purses her lips. She eyes the white lining on Minji's gray jacket. "You'll see soon enough." she sighs out with a small smile, walking along towards the other two. Minji looks at her quizzically, but Hayan's just relieved she didn't have to witness Micha trying to strangle Yulai. Again.

"They seem to get along." Micha muses while she leans her chin on Yulai's shoulder (on her tiptoes) her arms loosely around the younger's waist. Her strategic move to incapacitate her opponent.

"I guess it comes from their experiences." Yulai tries to joke. "They might just be the true 'Isolation Buddies'."

"Hey~!"

"Micha, please, your last prank was trash."

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Minji remembers this arena in detail. At least the details Micha was able to show her through her illusions back then. Whatever Hayan had meant earlier had led to this place, so the Rank 5 is blinking down at the cushioned seats of the amphitheater-like arena, glyphs surrounding the open top of the fighting field.

"The third years always hold rounds here, while first years get to act as spectators." Yulai starts explaining, already having picked up on the older girl's unspoken question. "I guess it works as a preview for what's to come the next two years."

"I'm not fighting today, so I'll keep you two company." Micha takes a seat in between them (shoving Yulai out of his in the process), holding Hayan's jacket between her arms. On the index, middle and ring fingers of her right hand are a set of black rings, their width noticeably a few sizes too large. "Yani, on the other hand, is. She told me to warn you both. Said she's preparing a performance."

"Are you sure about tha— ack!"

Before Hayan's turn comes, the trio sits through a few other duels, the two first years having at some point glued themselves to the glyph shield. Micha can imagine the stars in their eyes, all abilities displayed under them looking way too intriguing to the duo. One is simply too curious, the other is seeing everything for the first time.

"Alright you two, that's enough." Micha says, a smirk on her lips as she pulls the two by the backs of their jackets. "Stop whining, we still have rules here and there's a certain level of elegance people just expect you to uphold."

The illusionist isn't even paying attention to the duels anymore, rather choosing to eye the other woman from her peripherals. "If Minji doesn't unlock her ability by next year, the two of you might end up together in the subcategory." She says, turning to look at the two fighters being introduced. She recognizes one of them as the Pyrokinesis GMV from her block. "Today is only for Combat Type GMVs. For the rest, myself included, there are battles where the two contestants are given a wide option of weapons to choose from. It's more of a mind and physical strength battle for us then."

"That's why Micha randomly piggy-backs Hayan despite her shrimp size." Yulai tries to whisper into Minji's ear, but a smirk forms on his lips when the illusionist closes her eyes and exhales through her nose. The secrecy is not exactly effective when the target is in between them. "Jokes aside, Micha when is your Rank upgrading?"

A grunt of frustration. "I spent too much time in the Isolation Wing, I missed half my exams and didn't have enough time to practice." Micha pinches the bridge of her nose, digging her nails into Hayan's jacket. "Damned sensitive researchers."

"Will you ever take a break from trying to prank them?" Yulai chuckles lightly, Micha sticking her tongue out at him. "They shouldn't have let you pass, then you'd be stuck with me and Minji, giving poor Hayani a much needed respite." Minji smiles, she finds the atmosphere outside Isolation quite warm. It's like a weird pull at her being, but she feels she needs the interactions, as if her — such a strange yet good thing to say — two bickering friends bring light to her day. A light stronger than the ones coming from the numerous artificial sources all around them.

Isolation tended to be dark most of the time.

"Yuu, how's Rank 2 going?"

"They want me to figure out some fancy new thing and I literally can't think of anything." Yulai groans, his head falling back against his seat, black hair ruffled from the neat style he tries to maintain. "I can literally become completely invisible, what do they want more than that?"

"Maybe make other things literally disappear?"

"I literally feel no connection to objects!" Yulai sighs heavily, head drooping. He then dramatically drops his head onto Micha's shoulder, snuggling his nose into the other's hair. "This is so tiring."

Micha pats his cheek, then turns her attention to Minji. "You still don't talk much, huh?" she pokes her cheek, eyes narrowing in fake suspicion. Minji, who till now had been content with simply observing, feels an urge in her and she follows it. The illusionist almost shrieks out loud at the other girl trying to bite her finger. "Weirdo."

Minji grins, imitating Yulai's position as she also rests her head on the other's shoulder. "You're one to talk."

"Which one of you two is trying to teach her how to talk back?"

The two only laugh, making the person between them cross her arms with a huff, a pout crossing its way onto her lips. The professor down the arena introduces the next fighter, the ability name of whom is a long word Micha and Yulai fried a brain cell trying to even understand, while Minji starts wondering why this academy speaks multiple languages. Couldn't they name it something easy like the other Vessel? Pyrokinesis? What language is that one even?

"Is it bad if you can't upgrade your rank?" Minji asks, her voice barely a whisper, yet still loud to her own ears. Micha glances at her shortly, then taps the other woman's pinky with her own.

"Self development is always encouraged in the Academy, but you don't need to burn yourself out. The fourth year is when you really have to sit down and treat your GA seriously and with 'respect'. How well you manage decides the rest of your life in the Academy, briefly put." she says, then feels Minji nod into her shoulder, her little finger looping around her own.

The Fire Ability user makes sure to flex her rank, the red band against her left thigh awfully obvious and on show for everyone. Micha's eye twitches at the loud and overconfident attitude of the girl, the obnoxious Rank 2, taking a mental note to give her a lecture later at block meetings.

She also takes a mental note of every time Minji flinches when her fire licks at her opponent's skin, the burnt aftermath seemingly leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

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Hayan is left to wait for the professor to call her name, back leaning against the entrance wall while her eyes try to catch a glimpse of her three friends. The arena is full as usual, but it shouldn't be hard for her to find them — she just has to wait for Micha to yell or for Yulai to scream in fear.

They are different from the usual, a very obvious wolf between clueless sheep. Sometimes it makes her question if the Academy has picked up on their movement or are they actually as clueless as they let on to be? Either option being right, neither means they can slack off nor lower their guards.

"Hayan Li, please step forward." The professor standing in the center of the field motions with his left hand, calling for her to enter the arena, at the same time motioning for her opponent to join them as well.

Crossing her arms over the arena jacket — which is only a modified version of her usual jacket sporting armor pads on different vital locations — she walks forward calmly, her eyes immediately finding those of her opponent. He's buff, that is the first characteristic she picks up from looking him up and down.

Marvin, she thinks she heard the professor say earlier, is not from her block, therefore she doesn't know what ability he possesses. He looks too big to be able to out-speed her, so Hayan would rather keep a safe distance until she's sure she can take the boy down. The professor hasn't named her ability, nor his, something that happens only when one side (or both) chooses to keep their ability hidden and inform the overseer beforehand.

He doesn't want her to know. And yet he knows hers, what a strategy.

"HAYAN KICK HIS ASS!"

"MICHA SHUT UP!"

The Li Vessel closes her eyes, arms still crossed, a blush adorning her cheeks. Those weirdos.

"Match begin!"

Did she even blink? Because the next second a fist collides harshly with the armor pad guarding her abdomen — Hayan swears she hears it crack. Her body gets flung to the wall, leaving the girl coughing as she tries to regain her breathing.

She underestimated him big time.

Marvin doesn't waste any time to let her recover, already in front of her, his fist pulled back and ready to deliver a painful punch. Hayan falls to the left, clumsily rolling on her side, palm firmly laid against the ground as she pushes her foot up towards the boy's chest.

He falls back immediately, back-hand slapping Hayan's shoe so the momentum could drag her along. His foot harshly kicks at the armor pad on her upper arm, the girl groaning while her body involuntarily rolls on the floor.

Looking from the audience seats, Minji is biting her bottom lip, hands balled into fists as her eyes shake, following Hayan's every move. Or more like every move Marvin forces her to take.

Yet Yulai and Micha seem way too nonchalant. Yulai occasionally cringes whenever Hayan's back hits one of the arena's walls, and the boy is sure his friend has been shoved on all sides of the circular shaped arena field.

"So Superspeed and Superstrength?" Yulai asks, a hand coming up to his chin. "What rank do you think he is? Looks like the dude hid his Rank on purpose."

"Three at best. Can't really call it superspeed if I can still see him." Micha answers, one of her hands freeing itself from Hayan's jacket to hold Minji's shaking fist. "Don't worry your pretty little head, she'll be fine."

Minji pauses. "But she's getting hurt…" She doesn't understand what the two mean. She has yet to see a display of abilities from Hayan, and she also can't find the band which indicates her rank. At that moment, as if a toy to the men in white, powerless against their approaches, Hayan reminds her of herself.

"That… might be true. I'll accept, the dude is playing it smart. He's only touching the armor pads. Hayan has a reputation, so he probably knows her." The illusionist starts playing with Minji's hands, leaning her head against the taller girl's shoulder, little signs to show her that her new friend will be fine. "But he's not playing it too smart. All he's taking care of is himself… not everything else."

"Besides Ji, give our Rank 3 Combat Type Vessel a little credit." Micha's index finger plays with the collar of her jacket and Minji's eyes instinctively shoot down towards Hayan's shirt.

'Oh…'

There, lying loosely around her neck and partially tucked under her collar is a black band. It's the same shade as the color of her jacket and shirt, making it hard to spot without setting it as a goal to begin with.

Hayan rolls her stiff shoulder around, furrowing her eyebrows as the movement hurts slightly more than she's comfortable with. Marvin raises an eyebrow at her, cracking his knuckles while eyeing down the wounded girl, attempting to use his aura to intimidate her into forfeiting. He wants her to feel inferior. "Did you get enough of a beating?"

Hayan moves her neck from side to side, wincing at the cracks she hears. "I will admit the pain has surpassed my comfort levels, but it's still not as much as I expected from a SSS-Vessel. I hope you don't mind me shortening your ability name to that, at least it doesn't sound as lame." She adds the last part while sticking her tongue out, a smirk towards her opponent's eye twitch.

"Oh, my apologies, I'll finish you right away." Marvin constantly gives Hayan plenty of space, he is wary of her. But now with a faint glow wrapping his fist, the Vessel kicks off once again, shooting towards Hayan with a speed higher than before.

"It's over." Micha whispers into Minji's ear.

Hayan only grins, planting her palm against the cold wall behind her, the temperature change sending a shiver down her spine.

Gasps fill the arena, the newcomer first years in shock as the surrounding metal of the walls rips off noisily, the speed of their sudden movements almost on par with Marvin's. He realizes too late, his attempts at kicking and punching the pieces away turning out futile, the hard metal specifically made to not be broken or melted by the contestants, now wrapping him into a cocoon.

Perhaps the shiver she had felt came from finally using her ability freely ever since her last Lockdown tour. Hayan's grin only widens, her steps slow and confident as she approaches the cocoon. The boy inside is still struggling, Marvin's yells of frustration audible even though the metallic restraint doesn't budge.

His yells then turn to those of pain when the cocoon starts to shrink in on itself, the grin gradually morphing into a frown the closer Hayan gets to her creation. The moment she is within arm's reach, she raises her hand up, the cocoon peeling itself layer by layer, the broken scraps floating behind the boy like wings. Marvin drops to one knee, his eyes holding a mixture of both fear and frustration. When he sees his opponent's shoes so close, he immediately tries to jump back and create space, but it's already useless.

Everything stills.

"Stop! Immediately! Match terminated!" the professor yells louder than on any of the previous matches, leaving the crowd to murmur in confusion. Hayan sighs in relief, retracting her hand from Marvin's chest, the boy falling to his knees, blinking.

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Micha's way of congratulating Hayan is by throwing her jacket onto her face while yelling "That's my girl!" at her. Hayan chuckles, too tired to throw anything back.

"I need a massage after this." She groans, falling into Yulai's much more welcoming embrace, who pats her back with a grin. "Yah! Did you have to wait so long? You got everyone worried there!"

"Well someone was curious about my ability, so…" Hayan grins, her eyes fixed onto Minji's own, giving her a thumbs up.

Minji's mind is still a mess trying to piece itself together and understand what she just witnessed. Blankness is the conclusion she arrives at when she attempts making sense of the sudden twist the ending had taken. "What… happened?" she asks timidly, breaking the eye-contact as the longer she stares, the more nervous those sharp brown pupils make her.

Sharp whites… they were the purest white when they stared down at the kneeling boy.

"Why did the professor stop it? Until then it was always unconscious or forfeit…"

"I…" Hayan sounds hesitant with that one word. Weird, Minji muses. Micha joins Yulai's side and also pats her shoulder, a silent sign that it's okay. She trusts her and she can trust them. "I'm a… Psychokinesis vessel…" she says, smiling softly at the ability-less counterpart. "I'm still Rank 3 because my ability requires me to have touched a part of the object beforehand. But once I do, everything will obey me."

Minji stays rooted in place, her hands clammy, heat uncomfortably coursing through her body, her stomach flipping to the point of nausea. For a second she has a flash in front of her eyes, the image only she can see morphing into a shadow and a faceless object towering it, its outcasted shape as ready to devour it as to serve it.

"Everything."

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Vessel 101

Hayan Li, Age 19

GMV-GAH

GA: Psychokinesis

Rank 3

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