Things Change - Part 1

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THINGS CHANGE - PART 1

LOCATION: SUMMERSTONE MANSION

Ed’ran hovered through the hallway, wincing slightly as he massaged his jaw, despite the uncomfortable pain he was experiencing he smirked as he thought about how much pain The Fiend must be in. He turned and continued along another hallway as he made his way to the library, glancing to his left as he floated past several room doors. He paused when he noted that the last door he passed was ajar.

It was Sai’edra’s room.

His brow furrowed as he touched down just outside it. He reached out and placed his palm on the door, applying pressure as he pushed the door open.

“Hello? Sai’edra?” he called.

Ed’ran peered into the room and waited for a response, but when none was forthcoming he stepped into the room, slightly perturbed by the eerie silence. He walked around the room, checking for signs that something was even slightly wrong but nothing seemed to be out of place. Sai’edra’s Delta communicator was placed proudly on her desk and her interface seemed to be shut down. Unable to find anything wrong from what he could see, he turned on his heel and was about to exit when he heard a hushed voice from the other side of the room.

His eyes darted to the bathroom door, narrowing dangerously as he stalked towards it. Beams of bright light shone out from the bottom of the door and through the keyhole. He frowned and released a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding and pushed open the door. His eyes widened as he saw Sai’edra surrounded by bright blue pure energy strands, the energy pulsed periodically arcing away from her to as if to strike something within the bathroom before snapping back into the tight sphere it had formed around her person. Sai’edra floated within the centre of this sphere of pure energy seemingly unaware of Ed’ran’s presence. Ed’ran’s frown resurfaced as his concern for her increased.

“Sai’edra….? Sai’edra….” he hissed.

He scowled and then shouted.

“SAI’EDRA ELI’DAHON!”

His raised voice seemed to snap her out of her strange state and the energy dissipated suddenly as she regained her awareness and composure. Ed’ran tilted his head slightly, somewhat confused at the previous display. Sai’edra looked up towards him and offered a nervous smile as she stood awkwardly before turning away slightly, looking everywhere but at Ed’ran. Ed’ran crossed his arms and stood in the doorway, a serious expression on his face.

“Okay. What was that all about?” he asked.

Sai’edra sighed and made eye contact, figuring that the other Xenian was in no frame of mind to let it slide. The Sisterhood had on occasion expressed their concern for Sai’edra after Delta seemed to disperse mysteriously, only recently getting back together. Mentella had asked Sai’edra if she wished to join them on a few international trips in the coming months but Sai’edra declined.

“Would you believe me if I said ‘it was nothing’?” she asked, chuckling nervously.

Ed’ran simply arched his left eyebrow and tilted his head down slightly. Sai’edra shuddered internally, it was strange to see some of Mentella’s expressions and even some of her traits show in another person…especially when that person was Ed’ran.

“Look, it’s nothing to be worried about, I’m just a little…restless. I’m, er, sure it will pass.” she sighed.

At that Ed’ran paused as if something had clicked and he smirked as Sai’edra made her way past him and into the room. She meant to show him out but his words stopped her in her tracks.

“Restlessness. Is that what you think it is? That feeling of raw, dangerous power thrumming just beneath your skin, threatening to explode out of you and devour everything at a moment’s notice? The white hot pain that courses through your mind? That dark desire mixed with a real fear that your body will soon take matters into its own hands and burn you from the inside out?”

Sai’edra’s eyes widened as she turned around to see a smirking Ed’ran looking down at her. She frowned slightly, tensing.

“You looked inside my head.” she stated darkly.

Ed’ran chuckled, shook his head and unfolded his arms, holding them up in mock surrender.

“I did no such thing, besides, I’m not Mentella you’d be able to sense it if I tried it now, without her presence.” he replied.

“Then how in rx’jio’s name do you know?” she asked.

Ed’ran’s smile evaporated faster than a dew drop in a desert, his expression turning slightly sour as he replied.

“Because I’ve experienced the same thing.”

Now it was Sai’edra’s turn to look surprised but before she could speak, Ed’ran answered.

“Why do you think I was a ‘Super Villain’? Being able to utilize as much of my power as I wanted, when I wanted and how I wanted. Completely disregarding the safety of others aside from my own. If I ran into someone I hated I could just pull them apart, disintegrating them or use as much brute force as I desired. It helped take the edge off of the pain.” he replied.

Sai’edra sat down on her bed, listening as Ed’ran spoke. She gestured to a nearby chair and he sat down.

“But you’re different now, right? I mean, you aren’t…killing people. So how did you get rid of it?” she asked.

Ed’ran shook his head as he looked down and then looked back up as his index and middle finger tapped his chest.

“You can’t. As far as I know every Xenian who goes off world will experience it, you have to learn to live with it. I suppose it is a…side effect of this ‘trying to fit in’ nonsen-, err business. Having…a partner helps as well, as you can imagine there are…other ways to take the edge off of such violent conflicts within the mind and body simply by focusing on…other things.” he explained, coughing a few times whilst he spoke.

Sai’edra ignored his slight embarrassment and sighed.

“But I’ve never experienced it before, not like this. The whole restricting of power usage does agitate me at times but I understand why we do it. What I don’t understand is why I’ve never experienced this pain before and why it doesn’t happen back home. This hit me several weeks ago when UNTIL called Delta in for an assignment, at first it was just a moderate burning sensation but and now? It’s developed into this incredible pain.” replied Sai’edra as she massaged her temples.

Ed’ran sat up, his expression thoughtful as he seemed to be carefully constructing his response. Sai’edra allowed herself to fall back onto the bed completely staring up at the ceiling as she felt around on the duvet for her hair band.

“Well…I…cannot really answer why it has never happened to you before…perhaps with…er, Energy Manipulates being different to most Xenians, it is a rare occurrence? You aren’t the first Energy Form being I’ve encountered. I have…a relative, Heltjor, he is an Energy Form being too but…I’ve never encountered him away from home and I haven’t spoken to him since his uniting ceremony, so that does not help. But, as for why it never occurs back home…well, I forget the specifics but apparently there is a chemical or substance or something within our atmosphere that, well, prevents this sort of bio-psychological response from happening. However, this sort of feeling arises off world. It intensifies if you feel overly stressed about something, even more so if you suppress or restrain your power too tightly.”

“Yeah, Mentella explained all that to me when I first came to Earth. Also, what do you mean by ‘too tightly’?” she asked.

“Well, there is a level of restraint necessary when on other worlds but you were never required to restrain yourself so much that you cause yourself to be ill Sai’edra. I think your current situation is a result of you overdoing the restraint.” replied Ed’ran.

At this Sai’edra sat up, tugging lightly on her hair as she forced a few rebellious strands into place.

“What about J’asira and Cou’ra? I’ve never seen them experience something close to this or mention it.”

“Cou’ra is too young I think and I think I can safely say J’asira will never have to worry about that sort of thing.” huffed Ed’ran.

Sai’edra sighed as she tried to think past the throbbing pain just underneath her skin. She thought about J’asira, she hadn’t even visited her in a while.

“I guess you’re right. So…anything I can do now to get rid of this feeling?” she asked.

“Well, you could try using a much higher percentage of your own personal power than you currently do, if not only for your own health, then for self-defense. The Psychic Coven are still out there somewhere and may attack you. I’m sure your Delta allies will appreciate your…decidedly heightened offensive capability. For now though? I was intending to wander around aimlessly…but the training room is available…so we could spar?” suggested Ed’ran.

Sai’edra frowned then broke into a humourless chuckle.

“Spar? With you? Yeah, I’d rather not risk my life thanks.” she stated.

Ed’ran rose to his feet, his expression somewhat serious as he spoke.

“Well, it’s either going to be me or Mentella. Or you can sit here and burn. Your choice.”

Sai’edra considered her options and then reluctantly rose to her feet. She followed Ed’ran out of her room, left the hallway and descended the steps when she noted a distinct lack of other people around. Sai’edra noted that this was the first time she had seen Ed’ran without his cape but with his uniform on. His hair had grown a bit during his absence from the Summerstone Mansion, it was now an odd length giving him a fringe of sorts. He looked…strange.

“I know this place is big but…where is everyone?” asked Sai’edra.

“Mentella and J’asira are at ForceTech Industries. Sus’anna is…somewhere in this country…Chicago I believe. Agent Rochinaff is…presumably on assignment and I think Cou’ra, Sarai and Violet are assisting with some sort of problem with Teleios in Canada. Vazori knows where the extra dimensional one is, she was none too pleased during our little outing to visit a DEMON stronghold…” he replied, chuckling to himself at the end.

“Yeah. I can’t imagine why CharmCaster would be upset with you.” said Sai’edra, glaring at him.

Sai’edra had had a glimpse of Ed’ran’s particular brand of ‘helpfulness’ a few weeks prior when she ran into Cassandra in the Arcana Library whilst running an errand for CharmCaster. A portal had opened up and CharmCaster had appeared with Ed’ran in tow. CharmCaster was checking in with her to see if she had completed the errand at the Arcana Library and Ed’ran appeared alongside her after a distant explosion carried through the portal. Ed’ran had appeared a few moments later, hovering into view…along with the floating severed hand of a DEMON member, much to CharmCaster’s chagrin.


LOCATION: TRAINING ROOM


The pair soon reached the training room, Ed’ran stepped inside and looked around the room, stretching slightly. Sai’edra turned to the nearby screen and started typing in the necessary codes, when Ed’ran stopped her.

“One moment…” he whispered, an odd expression on his face.

A few moments later his cape came flying through the door, enveloped in his signature cyan telekinetic energy and attached itself to his uniform.

“Ah, much better.” he smiled.

Sai’edra shook her head, turned around and entered the codes before turning back around to face Ed’ran. He paced for a few moments, causing his cape to flair dramatically and then he paused and looked to Sai’edra, a mischievous grin forming on his face. The entrance way to the training room sealed itself and Ed’ran spoke.

“Alright, I believe that whilst your combat capabilities are most likely more than adequate, I’d like to see them for myself!”

Sai’edra started as without any further warning Ed’ran generated several blunt telekinetic constructs and launched them at high speed in Sai’edra’s direction.

“Wait…wha-EL’SAI!” she screamed, narrowly avoiding one.

The construct silently shattered on impact with the wall, leaving a pronounced dent in the panelling which soon smoothed itself out. She unleashed a blast of pure energy at the second construct causing it to detonate mid-air and the other two sailed past her harmlessly.

“Ramin’ov! Are you insane?!” she shouted, flying into the air.

“You wanted some way to take the edge off, didn’t you? You can fight me properly here. We’re in a contained environment which should be able to take higher levels of power, enough for me to give you an idea of what sort of output you should be aiming for.” he retorted.

Sai’edra shook her head in disbelief.

“Mentella would never agree to this if she was here, I don’t even know why I’ve agreed to this. Fighting you…like this…is dangerous. Not to mention I’ve never sparred with you before.” frowned Sai’edra.

There was a brief pause where Ed’ran looked at her oddly but before he could respond a strange sound echoed through the room but was then followed by a familiar voice as the entrance way to the training room opened. Mentella had arrived.

She stood in the now opened entrance way and silently made her way over to them. She created a small, magenta telekinetic construct and stepped upon it as it lifted into the air. As she reached where they hovered, Mentella greeted them and spoke.

“Hello Ed’ran, Sai’edra. I take it you are both well?” she asked.

Ed’ran simply grinned and Sai’edra nodded.

“I’m guessing you picked up on what’s going on here?” asked Sai’edra.

“Yes, I am aware of your conversation and despite this being somewhat unorthodox, I do not disagree with you having a sparring session with Ed’ran. Unfortunately, times are changing so perhaps advancing your offensive capabilities would be in order.” mused Mentella.

Sai’edra looked down and then looked to Ed’ran, his smug grin widened as Mentella spoke.

“I have a feeling that you may have taken my lessons on self-restraint too far. That was not my intention. However…” she continued, pausing to choose her next words.

“…I needed it. When I came to Earth, I wasn’t exactly the person I am today. So don’t blame yourself. I think I’ve just been a little too cautious but still…I’m worried about unleashing too much energy…what if something goes wrong?” Sai’edra interrupted.

“That is why we’re conducting this and further interventions. View it as a honing of your skills and an attempt to slightly adjust your view of yourself. You’ve dealt with a significant amount of changes and stresses within the past year alone. I believe the severity of this natural response to power suppression is being intensified by various different things. If it isn’t addressed…Sai’edra you could severely impact a large amount of persons. To put it lightly.” explained Mentella.

“We’ve been doing this with everyone else for a while now. Doubting ourselves or being overly restrained is not something we can afford to do as strictly as we have been doing. Of course a large amount of restraint and control is naturally required…but an allowance for heightened power levels will need to be employed. Especially with Elyisaus and The Psychic Coven out there. Tell me, has Delta been active recently?” explained Ed’ran.

“Somewhat. A few months ago I saw Psirus, Spectrum and Lara. I saw Cassandra too, a few weeks ago. But more recently I’ve seen Dawn and Variant there was a situation with VIPER and UNTIL. Look, I…I know the situations we’ve found ourselves in with Elyisaus but…” replied Sai’edra.

Mentella hovered a little closer and placed her hand on Sai’edra’s shoulder, a dour expression on her face twisting her otherwise attractive features.

“Sai’edra…the vision CharmCaster had was a fixed point in time. So whatever happens will indeed happen and according to what both CharmCaster and Kr’anri have foreseen, both Ed’ran and I…will die. I strongly suspect you or one of the others within the Summerstone Sisterhood may be targeted and I only want to make sure that you are all ready to defend yourself to the fullest extent if necessary…and of course…carry on in our…absence. I understand this is all terribly somber but it seems to be an eventuality, so I’d rather address it than ignore the situation.” explained Mentella.

There was a distinct pause as Mentella finished speaking as they all contemplated her words. Ed’ran looked between the two Xenian women and then spoke up, attempting to lighten the mood.

“Besides…you are of no use to your team if you pass out from the pain or if your offense is so pathetically weak that you add nothing to a dangerous situation.” Ed’ran added.

Mentella removed her hand from Sai’edra’s shoulder and clenched her jaw as she glanced at Ed’ran, who simply shrugged. Sai’edra rolled her eyes and laughed.

“It’s alright, no harm done. I know that was Ed’ran’s own way of showing that he cares, even if his words are scathing.” sighed Sai’edra.

The trio descended and touched down on the floor of the training room.

“So…anyone else back? Did J’asira return with you?” asked Sai’edra.

“Actually no, J’asira has a meeting of some kind, so I left her to attend it. I would advise that you continue your sparring session with Ed’ran. I’ll be watching from the control room for a while.” Mentella answered.

Sai’edra nodded and lifted herself into the air along with Ed’ran as Mentella left the training room. The doors sealed behind her as she stepped out and Sai’edra turned her attention to Ed’ran.

“You need to focus on me as if I was an actual enemy. Fight me as if your life depends on it. That way we can get a true understanding at how good your offense could be. Think of this…as your first training session. Welcome to fight for your life!” urged Ed’ran.

“That’s…not going to work. I don’t think that’s such a good id-” started Sai’edra.

Ed’ran frowned but his frown then transformed into a predatory grin as telekinetic energy seeped into his eyes, his normal icy blue eyes were overwhelmed by a burning cyan energy, making his expression seem slightly crazed as he generated several more constructs, this time, they were bladed.

“Ed’ran…what are you doing…?” she asked slowly.

When she got no verbal response but instead watched as Ed’ran sheathed himself in psychokinetic energy, Sai’edra’s eyes widened as she realized Ed’ran had no intention of playing around and she now faced…’Psion The Psinister’.

Sai’edra shook herself and quickly schooled her features as her own eyes became consumed with energy, adopting her ‘Joule’ mentality. Joule flew back as Psion lifted himself into the air, his constructs following him. She tried to figure out his next move and then paused as the bladed constructs began to spin rapidly in place. Joule increased her speed creating ample distance between her and Psion and turned around to see the first bladed construct spinning faster and faster as Psion rotated his index finger. He suddenly stopped and pointed at her and the telekinetic construct was sent careering through the air towards her. Joule curled her hands into fists as pure energy crackled and hummed around her fists.

As the bladed construct spun towards her, Joule fashioned a tight energy field around herself and flew towards the construct with her arms outstretched, spinning through the air as she did. She quickly became a bright blue blur and she smashed into and through the construct, emerging unharmed as it exploded around her. Her relief was short lived as the other two constructs were now slicing through the air towards her at an alarming speed. Joule unleashed a series of energy blasts, managing to detonate one of the constructs, leaving her to deal with the final one.

Psion maneuvered the final bladed construct to avoid Joule’s energy blasts and aimed at an opening he saw. Joule gasped and just narrowly avoided the construct as it buried itself into the wall behind her, inches from where she flew. For a few moments she was reminded of her first ever encounter with Psion as she stared back at her opponent on the field, the fear from her first encounter returning for a moment. The only reminder that this was a slightly different Psion were his next shouted words to her from across the room.

“You’re focusing too much on the constructs. If an opponent is attacking you with creations, avoid the creations whilst aiming to disrupt them. In other words, HIT ME!” shouted Psion, slamming his open hand into his chest.

Joule refocused herself and flew towards Psion who shot up into the air, the force of his take off causing cracks to form in the floor causing the room’s regenerative material to active, soon smoothing the cracks out. Psion avoided Joule as she attempted to slam into him and his hand glowed dangerously as he grinned, spinning around and unleashing a powerful beam of telekinetic energy at Joule. As she turned her eyes widened as the thick beam of cyan energy came hurtling towards her. Joule barely had enough time to defend herself as she crossed her arms across her chest and ducked her head as the beam smashed into her, flinging her right across the room.

Joule slammed her back into the far wall, she dropped her arms and groaned as she blinked her eyes open, only to see another blast flying her way. She flew up, avoiding it and unleashed a blast of energy at Psion as she went on the offensive. Psion smirked as he used his telekinesis to redirect the energy blast.

“Come on, is that the best you’ve got?!” he shouted, unleashing several wild telekinetic blasts at Joule.

Joule managed to avoid all but the last one; the blast smashed into her causing her to spin out of control as she dropped out of the sky. She managed to stop herself before she hit the ground and flew up, her eyes narrowing dangerously. Joule unleashed a barrage of powerful blasts at Psion in quick succession. Psion grinned as Joule seemed to be finally going on the offensive and he generated a telekinetic field around himself. Joule’s blasts exploded violently on contact with the telekinetic shield. She landed on the floor as she fired off the last blast, waiting for the smoke to clear.


Her eyes widened as she soon made out Psion standing there looking quite bored even going as far to feign a yawn. Mentella frowned as she looked down at Ed’ran and Sai’edra training within the training room, she reached out to Ed’ran as he shielded himself against another volley of attacks from Sai’edra.

Are you certain this is a good strategy? ~ Mentella

Goading her you mean? Then yes. I think there are very few times which she lets loose. ~ Ed’ran

True. I am glad you took an initiative but…I am concerned you might push her too far. ~ Mentella

I observed her combat sessions or rather lack of, we both know she will harm herself if she is not careful. There is restraint, then there is self-harm. Do you know what has changed? Why has she clamped down on her power for so long? ~ Ed’ran

Sai’edra has always been overly conscious about her abilities whilst on Earth. However it would seem that recent events with…Elyisaus have caused her to unconsciously increase the suppression of her abilities lest she cause one of her teammates harm. Accidentally of course. ~ Mentella.

I see. Will you speak to Delta about this? ~ Ed’ran

That is not up to me. It is something of a personal nature to Sai’edra, if she wishes to share it with her team then so be it. I think it may be time to begin devising a new combat program for Sai’edra, perhaps moving away from emphasising restraint too much and into something more exotic…offensively speaking. ~ Mentella

But as always tempered with a very high degree of control? ~ Ed’ran

It’s almost as if you read my mind… ~ Mentella

Mentella’s telepathic voice chuckled lightly but soon faded as she pulled away from Ed’ran’s mind. She turned to leave the observation room but not before pausing to look at Sai’edra who was still pummelling Ed’ran’s telekinetic shields with her energy blasts. There was a look on her face which could be mistaken for exertion but in reality, Mentella knew better. She shook her head sadly and frowned, resolving to address Sai’edra’s situation before she managed to cause herself any more harm.

Joule winced as a fresh burst of pain racked her mind. She took a moment to pause, ceasing her barrage on Psion as she turned away. Psion grinned widely as he saw an opportunity to further aggravate Joule into action. He generated a length of psychokinetic energy fashioned into a whip-like construct and lashed it at Joule. The psychokinetic whip travelled almost soundlessly through the air and slashed at Joule and then wrapped around her. She turned around sharply and glared at Psion, Psion looked offended by her glare but was inwardly grinning as he spoke.

“You call yourself a Xenian!? You’re weak and weakness disgusts me! Imagine what your precious Delta friends would say if they saw how truly pathetic you are. They would simply cut their losses with you, no one likes a weak link. In fact, once I tear you apart, I’ll take your place and show them what REAL power is!” he growled.

Psion smirked as he sensed the mounting anger exuding from Joule, he was close to making her snap, but needed something to push her over the edge. He tugged sharply at the telekinetic whip and spun it around, giving Joule little choice but to follow as he angled her towards the far wall. He slammed her into the wall and dissipated the construct as he searched his mind for something to say, and then a terrible idea formed within his mind. Psion mentally cringed at what he was about to say, but quickly reasoned it was for her own betterment so it was worth it. Joule winced as she recovered from the impact and looked towards her opponent. Psion feigned nonchalance as he turned his back on her, just looking over his left shoulder with a cocky smirk on his face.

“Hmph, you don’t even deserve the name Sai’edra, you can never hope to live up to its meaning… your mother would be s-” he started.

Psion was suddenly interrupted by an incredibly powerful energy blast slamming into his shields, which were completely unprepared for the impact and bright white cracks rapidly spidered out through the cyan construct. He spun round as he felt a small portion of the impact pierce his mind and looked up to see an angry looking Joule.

“KERAI’LIO! DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK ABOUT MY MOTHER!!”

Joule’s body was surrounded by crackling energy arcing through her form violently, her fists were clenched tightly and surrounded by spheres of burning pure energy. At the sight he was presented with, Psion’s expression twisted into a predatory grin as he lowered his head and raised an eyebrow.

“Now we’re getting somewhere…” he muttered.

“What did you say?!” shouted Joule.

“I said…Or what?” he grinned

Joule’s features transformed from an expression of indignation to real anger as she flew back and lifted her hands above her head, crackling with unrestrained energy and then pointing her closed fists at Psion and unleashing a titanic barrage of energy blasts in his direction. Psion’s telekinetic shields managed to weather a few but soon faltered and large holes began to appear in it as parts of the shield were completely destroyed by Joule’s energy blasts. He crossed his arms over his chest and face as he felt his shield depleting rapidly, only a small circle which was riddled with cracks was left in front of him. He began focusing to repair the shielding when Joule unleashed a monstrous beam of pure energy which was cutting through the training room floor as she directed towards his location. Psion’s eyes widened slightly as he forced himself into action, he shot up into the air and flew at high speed just as the beam impacted the area he had previously stood in. He grit his teeth as he felt the pain of the shield remnants get devoured by Joule’s energy beam. Joule narrowed her eyes as she saw Psion dart up, managing to get out of the way so she turned as she maintained her assault; the powerful beam of energy following him through the room as he circled her.

Psion glanced towards Joule, her physical form was slowly fading as her true energy form started to shine through. He narrowed his eyes and then fired several telekinetic blasts at her, Joule stopped attacking and generated an energy shield around herself allowing her to weather the attack, inadvertently giving Psion a moment for pause. Almost instantly realizing her mistake, Joule’s frown deepened as she looked to Psion who had a cocky smirk on his face. She spun around and resumed her attack, Psion raised his hands quickly and generated a telekinetic barrier in front of him just in time as Joule’s energy beam smashed into it. Despite the painful pressure Joule was exerting on his barrier, he was impressed. His admiration soon withered away as he grew more irritated by the feeling and it wasn’t long before he forced the barrier towards Joule at high speed.

Seeing the rapidly approaching barrier Joule just barely dodged the construct as she dropped out of the air and resumed flight just as it sailed overhead. Her eyes widened as it shattered in a spectacular display of telekinetic energy at the other end of the room. She turned to Psion who seemed to have a dangerous look in his eye, his open palms faced each other and in the space between them was a sphere of bright, cyan telekinetic energy. His telekinetic energy had almost fully enveloped him as he allowed the sphere to expand rapidly and directed it towards Joule, unleashing a torrent of vicious psychokinetic energy. His attack was swiftly countered by another bright beam of pure energy from Joule and the two powerful attacks collided in an almost overwhelming display of energy and light.

Neither Joule nor Psion were willing to give up and Psion grinned as he allowed more power to flow into his assault, he pushed forwards as he maintained his assault in an attempt to force Joule to yield. Much to his surprise Joule was managing to hold her own against his assault, he reached out with his mind to brush against Joule’s and smirked as he picked up on the emotions which were, for the first time in a long time, completely unbridled. As Psion investigated he noticed that Joule’s anger was mixed up with great relief, an odd (to her) sense of satisfaction and just a hint of confusion. He was about to retract his telepathic reach from her mind when he picked up on a flash of panic which asserted itself within her mind, quickly drowning out everything else as it cut through the storm of her other emotions and placed itself in the forefront of her mind.

Confused, Psion pulled away from her mind as he tuned himself back into the sounds in the room; Joule seemed to be shouting something and had gone on the defensive, now lessening her assault. Psion blinked a few times wondering briefly why Joule had suddenly lessened her assault until he sensed something very strange building up in the room. Both Xenians focused on the strange power building. The realization of the potential danger they were in hit him suddenly as he saw the source of her concern. An unusual mass of white energy had formed at the epicentre of their clashing energy streams and was expanding at an alarming rate. Psion watched in surprise as the sphere of bright white energy pulsed intermittently with arcs of psychokinetic energy dipping into and out of the energy sphere.

At this point, both Psion and Joule had ceased their assaults and cautiously flew back, falling into defensive stances and only just managing to protect themselves as the sphere started to swell and then shrunk as if it would implode only to violently detonate in an explosion of heat, force and residual psychokinetic energy. The intense force of the blast rushed to the furthest reaches of the training room hurling Psion and Joule backwards in opposite directions at an incredible speed as they spiraled out of the sky. Psion’s cape flared dramatically as he caught himself mid-air, his eyes burning bright as he looked around to see Joule. He spotted her still falling and reached out with his telekinesis, first slowing then stopping her uncontrolled descent.

A few moments later, Joule’s glowing eyes snapped open, her form still sheathed in bright blue energy. She looked down at herself, suspended in the air surrounded in an almost skin tight cyan telekinetic energy field. Joule looked ahead to see Psion flying over, stopping just short of where she was suspended; his arms were folded across his chest and his cape billowed out around him. He looked down at her, his expression impassive.

“Uh, thanks.” she frowned.

“No problem.” he nodded, fixing a few out of place strands of hair.

As he tried to correct his mussed up hair, the telekinetic energy field around Joule dissipated and she hovered up until she was roughly at eye level with Psion, unsure of what would happen next. She watched as the burning telekinetic energy seemed to bleed out of Psion’s eyes, reverting them their alternate state. He seemed to drop his ‘Psion The Psinister’ persona and revert to Ed’ran as huffed, seemingly giving up on his hair for the time being. He looked to her, smirking slightly.

“So…how do you feel now? Still in pain?” he asked.

Joule took a moment to think, only just noticing how good she actually felt in comparison to the pain that was usually there. She banished the flaring energy around her and her eyes returned to normal as she spoke allowing herself to return to just being herself.

“I…no…I’m…I feel a lot better actually, I haven’t felt like this in…a very long time. I feel okay, hardly any pain…” replied Sai’edra, surprised at this revelation herself.

Ed’ran nodded and looked on somewhat amused as Sai’edra seemed to be sorting through her thoughts. She looked at him and scowled at herself as she spoke.

“I guess you won then?” she asked.

“Q’uso? El’sai…Sai’edra, this was not about winning or losing. It was to prove a point, or rather to get you to unwind a bit before you cause yourself real harm and become less than useless to the group of heroes you are a part of. The relief you are feeling? That is normal after utilizing your natural talents, being in pain is not. Why do you think Mentella created specific combat training sessions? She doesn’t do it to just watch us fight or fight us, she does it so we all avoid insanity and cause ourselves or the humans harm. We are guests on their world after all.” explained Ed’ran.

Sai’edra sighed and turned away from him, she flew down and touched down on the floor of the training room. She looked around as the training room was still repairing itself after the strange energy bomb had detonated earlier.

“For what it is worth? You mask your pain well. I assume they don’t know?” mused Ed’ran.

“Of course they don’t.” replied Sai’edra.

“Well, yes. I suppose the question is how could they? You should consider speaking to one of them about it. Perhaps Mr. Vaughn?” he suggested.

Sai’edra turned around, shaking her head as Ed’ran touched down on the ground a few feet from her moments later.

“Where would I even begin? ‘Oh hey guys, because I’m an alien freak and your planet’s atmosphere is lacking something I need, I’m now in constant pain unless I engage in combat with another Xenian and unleash truly devastating amounts of energy as that takes the edge off.’” she deadpanned.

“Well that’s one way to broach the subject. You can admit it, you had fun.” smirked Ed’ran.

Sai’edra allowed a small smile to creep onto her face as she stretched.

“Is this what it’s like for you all the time?” she asked.

“No. A significant amount of restraint is required normally, especially when operating against living enemies, but you can still have fun. I had to work on concentrating my energy within the limits I set for myself, Mentella had a large part in that process. Also, in a similar manner to Mentella, I make a habit of actually attending these ‘training sessions’ when they are scheduled. After all, there is nothing wrong with ‘letting your hair down’ every once in a while. Speaking of hair...” replied Ed’ran, shaking his head and sighing as he let his fingers run through his hair.

“I see, I remember covering that during my training but…hmm. Do you think she would be able to set up a…well…another few sessions? I think I need to go back to basics.” mused Sai’edra.

“I’m sure she wouldn’t turn you down if you asked. We all know our time is limited, so if you express your concern to her, I am sure she will give you as much help as you need.” nodded Ed’ran.

Ed’ran walked over to the console and unlocked the training room causing the entrance to open. He turned back to Sai’edra who seemed to be lost inside her own head. Ed’ran coughed pointedly, bringing Sai’edra out of her reverie and she nodded and followed him out. They continued walking in silence until they made their way out of the lower levels and onto the surface levels of the mansion.


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