In a white room, children are lined off behind standard school desks. They're taking a test; a tall man with gray hair and white clothing surveys around the room. The children differ in appearance but seem to be around similar age brackets.
A dark-skinned child has his fist beneath his chin. A bored expression on his face as his pencil dances on the test paper; jotting down answers.
"Psst," chimes in his head. "Oberon, my favorite brother."
Oberon pencil stalls. He sighs. The lad turns his head to his left, facing a boy of oriental origins. Oberon flips him off.
"Don't be like that," the boy says in his head.
"Aurelian, what do you want?" Oberon asks, continuing the mental conversation.
"Can't I just speak to you? Anyway, I need some answers, like asap."
Oberon cocks his head. "A-S-A-P?" He questions.
"Oh, as soon as possible; learned it from Apep. She learned it from the last mind she invaded. But once more, I need answers. If you decline I'll just probe your mind myself and get the answers," Aurelian says via telepathy.
"Aurelian, you're a third level telepath. You're not capable of such a feat. In fact, this mental channel isn't secure. I have no doubt Father is listening in."
"Me too," announces another voice. "Should of studied Aurelian."
"Edna, shut up!"
"Silence!" Father demands.
With their father's authoritative decree, the mental channel is shut down. After some time, Father stands in front of the room. He extends out his right hand. With this, all pencils drop. In an orderly fashion, rows rise and form a line. They walk to their father and hand him their test. The children leave the room, entering a gray hall. Some doors have numbers, some have names.
Oberon enters a door with his name on it. He opens it and enters a glade. He closes his door and walks out of the glade. In a few minutes, he arrives at a cabin. Outside of the cabin are a variety of flowers. He grabs a water pail and tend to his garden.
A twig snaps. Oberon continues watering his flowers.
"Is it that time already?" Oberon asks.
"Yes," Apep says in union. Apep are two pale young girls, who speak as one, and are treated as one. There use to be one Apep; one day the other just manifested.
"I just got in my room," Oberon complains.
"You know the rules, so do I. You should get going."
"Do you mind watering…I just realized who I was talking to. You'd root them up or something."
"Then eat them."
"Why?" Oberon questions.
Apep just stares at him with their black, beady eyes. There was no other color, Apep eyes are an abyss. Oberon leaves, noting that Apep wasn't going to provide a sentence. Returning to the glade, where the out of place door resides. He exits and waltz through the seemingly endless hall.
He comes across a T-junction; to his right a red hallway with more doors, to his left is a white corridor with a lone white door at its head. Oberon stares at it. He shakes his head and turns right. He heads to a door labeled, "MTI-1", he knocks.
"Come inside," Father voices to him.
Oberon enters the room. It's a small room. In the middle of the room is a beaten man tied to a chair. There's a ball gag in his mouth. He stares at Father with resentment.
Father hands Oberon a folder. "You have five minutes," Father says then leaves.
Oberon knows the routine. The folder possess the notes on who this man is going to become. Oberon studies the folder. After a minute he steps forward, standing before the man.
The man binds loosen and without hesitation he tackles Oberon to the ground. "Who are you! Where am I! What were you about to do to me!" He slams Oberon head against the ground.
"Having fun?" Oberon asks but it doesn't come from the one the man is manhandling. It comes from behind him. The man turns around to find Oberon floating in the air with his legs crossed.
"What the fuck?" the man ponders out of shock. This doesn't stop him for long, he attempts to lunge himself at Oberon. The man sinks to the ground like an airborne anchor meeting gravity. He grunts out in pain.
"There's no point in resisting. We're inside your mind; here I have more power than you, ironic I know. My name is Oberon, you're Jeff Gomo Smith."
The man struggles, trying to fight whatever Oberon has done to him. "How do you know my name! What do you want with me!"
"I know your name because we're inside your head. I need you for practice. I'm going to install a few memories into you and delete a few. I sense your confusion, I'll explain. I'm an Esper. An Esper is a being with telepathic powers, has an enhanced attribute, and other powers. How do we come to be? No idea, Father isn't keen on sharing."
"Please, let me go. I have a family," Jeff begs.
"I'm aware," Oberon says. In the palm of his left hand a projection of Jeff and his family spawns. "Your daughter is the same age as me and my siblings."
Jeff buffers. "You're ten?"
"Yeah. From what I've gathered from all the minds I've been inside of, children our age shouldn't act the way we do. When you were a kid, you had this," the projection in his left palm changes; now showing Jeff as a kid playing outside with other children. "I have this," in his right hand a projection of Oberon and his siblings going through rigorous training and tests. "Truly, I am envious."
"Pleas-" Jeff's mouth shuts close.
"I'm so envious. I remember when Apep and I started our Mental Terrain Invasion lessons. Our other siblings couldn't join us because we were and still are the only first level telepaths among the batch. We thought a mother was some kind of sister. We don't have a mother, just a father. When we asked about it, he turned cryptic. We'd meet her in due time, he claimed. It has been two years, I've cracked several minds; and my envy just keeps growing. Anyway, thanks for listening to my rant. I've already made the changes in your memory. I'm going to reset your brain now, it was nice talking to you Jeff. You're a good listener."
In reality, Jeff is still strapped to the chair and Oberon stands before him. Oberon moves to a wall, leaning against it.
Father enters the room. He stands before Jeff and stares at him. "Good job. Head to the field for conditioning."
Oberon nods. "Yes, sir." Oberon leaves the room. He normally rants to his assignments. He takes precaution; setting up mental barriers to prevent the conversation from being heard. Father doesn't address anything afterwards so he believes they work.
Oberon heads to a door and enters. Inside is a track field. He enters the changing room. Swapping his white shirt, pants and shoes; the standard clothing for the sons. The sisters wear white dresses, however, the Apep duo wear black dress. Oberon puts on shorts, a shirt, and running shoes.
Oberon heads to the track, where Father is waiting for him. Oberon gets on the track and gets in position.
"Go!" Father announces. He clicks the stopwatch in his hand.
Oberon sprints off. He runs the 1600 meters. He performs the three laps, each being completed in 34 seconds.
Father clicks the stopwatch as Oberon passes the finish line. "One minute and 42 seconds."
"I'm naturally fast and have great stamina, agility is my gifted attribute. I don't see why I have to keep doing this," Oberon complains to his father.
Father glances at Oberon, with no distinct emotion. "Natural gifts fall to ruin without conditioning. Again."
Oberon sighs and performs the run again then again. Oberon performs the run until Father is satisfied.
"Head to the sparring room," Father commands. Oberon covered in sweat, trots to the changing room then makes his way to the sparring room. The sparring room is an indoor court. Inside are the prodigies of the family; Apep, Aurelian, Edna, Gaia and Boreal. With Oberon present the prodigy six are all together. Father is also present; he's everywhere at once.
"Oberon and Edna, you two are first," Father informs them.
Edna is a Indian lad, bulky for his age. "Ready to get knocked out?" He questions Oberon.
"You'll have to hit me first, slowpoke," Oberon taunts.
"Start!" Father announces.
Edna rushes Oberon, throwing punches and kicks. Oberon is swift and nimble. He dodges but never blocks. To block against Edna is abuse to one's self. With each dodge, Oberon sneaks in jabs. Edna tanks the blows and continues his assault, however, none of his attacks can connect with the rabbit-footed Oberon who gracefully dodges the incoming attacks.
Edna snarls. He throws a high kick at Oberon's head. Oberon adjusts his head, the foot gazes him. Edna follows up; cinders drift from his mouth and he shoots a ball of fire out of his mouth, burning Oberon's right leg.
Oberon cries out in pain. He pats away at the flames, his pants leg is burnt and his leg is seared. "What the hell, Edna! We're not suppose to use our powers!"
Edna stares his brother in the eyes. "Dad also tells us; 'do what you must for the best result'," Edna throws a punch at Oberon's stomach, With his injured leg he couldn't escape. The blow connects and Oberon is sent flying into a wall. He sticks to the wall like a piece of gum. He drops like a lazy pancake onto the floor; face first. He's unconscious.
Father walks over to Oberon, turning him over with a foot. "Still breathing. Let this be a lesson to you all. Rules are finite and the pathway to survival and success are infinite."
Another Father enters the room; identical to the one already present. He collects Oberon and takes him to the infirmary.
When Oberon comes to, he's in the infirmary with Father watching over him.
"You're awake," Father says to him. "Welcome back."
"Edna is a cheating scum," Oberon complains.
"Don't act as if you're a stickler for the rules," Father comments. "We all break rules when we believe it's the best course of our own benefit."
Oberon ponders on his words. Were their a deeper meaning to them? Does Father know what he's scheming?
Father places an ointment in Oberon's hands. "I took care of any internal mishap caused by Edna. I refuse to treat that leg by mystical means, let it be a remainder for a bit. Just use that ointment and wrap your leg for the next week. Is that understood?"
Oberon nods. Father leaves the room. Oberon stays in the bed for a bit, after a few minutes he gets out of the bed. This may be the only chance he gets. Father is busy tending to all of his siblings.
Oberon exits the infirmary; limping through the hallways. Oberon returns to the white corridor with the lone door. He turns the knob, it's locked. He punches the door in frustration.
"There's no key slot," Oberon mutters to himself. The door is what Father uses to exit the pocket dimension to collect people for MTI. "…It must only open for him. It makes a whoosh sound when he touches the knob. I have to play this carefully. I will escape."