On his first day of telekinesis training, Ethan struggled through six grueling hours to adapt to the disorienting sensation of manipulating external objects with his mind. By the time he managed to lift a pencil off the table, his head throbbed, and his muscles ached from the mental strain. Despite the exhaustion, he felt a sense of triumph as he moved on to practicing with smaller objects like paperclips and pebbles.
"Congratulations, Ethan," Oneiro's voice resonated within the labyrinth of Ethan's thoughts. "You've taken your first step toward mastering telekinesis. But before we proceed further, I have something I must ask you."
Curious and a bit apprehensive, Ethan vocalized his reply, still unaccustomed to communicating via thoughts. "Go ahead, Master. What's on your mind?"
"Why didn't you kill them?" Oneiro asked, his voice taking a serious tone that sent a jolt through Ethan's spine. "The man who held a knife to your throat, and the one who commanded him—why are they still alive?"
Taken aback, Ethan's pulse quickened. "Are you questioning my decision to spare them? Why should I take a life when other avenues exist?"
Oneiro's mental presence bore down on Ethan. "But those avenues could close in the future. What if they return, emboldened by your mercy? Will you risk more lives?"
"Master, you're making it sound as if sparing them was a mistake," Ethan said, his voice tinged with frustration. "Is that what you're teaching me? That I should be judge, jury, and executioner?"
"No, that's not my lesson," Oneiro replied, his tone softening. "But you must understand that actions have consequences, and not all can be foreseen. You spared them; now, you must also be prepared for the repercussions."
Ethan sighed, grappling with Oneiro's unsettling wisdom. "So, what should I do if faced with a similar situation again? How would I know if the threat is real or not?"
Oneiro paused before speaking. "That brings us to an essential aspect of our world—intent."
The atmosphere around Ethan seemed to shift. Oneiro materialized in front of him, his eyes piercing into Ethan's soul as he continued, "When someone with mana intends to kill, their will manifests in reaction to the target. Their true intention can't remain hidden forever. At the moment one decides to strike, their genuine purpose becomes clear. This phenomenon is known as 'intent.'"
As Oneiro spoke, Ethan felt a crushing force envelop him. The air grew thick, almost unbreathable. Oneiro's eyes locked onto his, and for a brief, terrifying moment, Ethan felt it—the absolute intention to kill emanating from his master. The feeling was suffocating, a heavy weight compressing his lungs and stifling his thoughts. And just as quickly as it came, it vanished, leaving Ethan gasping for air but undeniably aware of the reality of 'intent.'
"Do you understand now, Ethan?" Oneiro's voice remained eerily calm, betraying no emotion.
Ethan's chest still felt tight as he regained his composure. "It's one thing to talk about 'intent,' and quite another to feel your life being threatened by someone you trust."
Oneiro nodded thoughtfully. "And yet, it's essential to confront this harsh reality now. Understanding intent could be the difference between life and death, for you and for others."
"So, what is this 'killing intent'? Is it a common thing, or is it something only a few can sense?" Ethan asked, looking for a more detailed understanding of the term.
Oneiro paused, considering his words carefully. "Killing intent is more than just a thought; it's a palpable force. For those trained to sense it, it's unmistakable. Your mana and the mana surrounding your potential assailant react in a way that's difficult to describe but impossible to ignore.Think of it as a chilling whisper on the wind, a shadow in the corner of your eye, or an unsettling feeling in your gut that screams, 'danger.' It transcends simple desire; it's the unequivocal commitment to enact harm. Not everyone can sense it, but those who can have a distinct advantage in the life-and-death situations you're likely to encounter."
"So what are you saying? That I should be ready to take a life if it comes down to it?" Ethan looked at his master, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.
"What I'm saying," Oneiro replied, his voice lowering almost to a whisper, "is that hesitation can be fatal. If you can ascertain someone's deadly intent toward you, then you should be prepared to act, and act decisively."
"But what if I'm wrong? What if I misjudge someone's intent?" Ethan questioned.
Oneiro's eyes locked onto Ethan's. "In this world, it's often kill or be killed. Better to be the one holding the sword than the one lying on the ground. You should start seeing the world as it truly is, not as you wish it to be."
A shiver ran down Ethan's spine. The implications of Oneiro's words were starting to sink in. "So you're saying my moral reservations could be a liability? That my compassion could be my downfall?"
Oneiro smiled, but it was a cold smile, devoid of warmth. "Your compassion is a luxury you may not always be able to afford. The path you're on will present you with difficult choices, choices that could shape the fate of more than just yourself."
Ethan sighed, deeply troubled by his master's words but also intrigued. "I suppose I'll have to think long and hard about this."
"Yes, you will," Oneiro replied, turning away as if to conceal his true feelings. "For your sake and for the sake of my plans, I hope you make the right decisions."
********
[Back to the present]
"Killing intent?"
"Shadow control: shadow binding." Ethan sensed not just the killing intent but also another mana signature. If those shadows succeeded in binding him, his death would be certain.
His mind shifted into high gear, adrenaline coursing through his veins. His pupils narrowed into thin slits, and time seemed to slow. Reluctantly, Ethan unleashed an attack he'd vowed to avoid, knowing its immense mana drain. "Gravity Crush."
Despite the residual chaos in the mana atmosphere from Bali's previous attack, Gravity Crush worked unimpeded. A 10-meter radius around him flattened.
Swish
Allen's shadow was pressed against the ground, and the shadowy ropes that had bound Ethan loosened.
Ethan locked eyes with Allen. "Did you just try to kill me?" His voice, tinged with both rage and confusion, echoed in Allen's ears. Ethan's pupils became thin slits, his irises filled with red veins.
Oneiro's words reverberated in his mind: "...you must understand that actions have consequences, and not all can be foreseen. You spared them; now, you must also be prepared for the repercussions."
A predatory look flickered in Ethan's eyes. Allen shivered. He felt it—Ethan was on the edge of sanity. "W...wait. I can explain!"
"Explain what?" Ethan's voice quivered with agitation. He'd never killed a human being, and morally, the idea had never crossed his mind. Now, Oneiro's words were igniting an internal conflict that he couldn't easily resolve.
Each passing second made the atmosphere even more electric, the tension escalating to an almost unbearable degree.
"Water Control: Gatling."
"Light Control: Dispel."
"Shadow Control: Shadow Spikes."
Three attacks suddenly materialized, all converging on Ethan. With his bloodshot eyes, he watched them draw near, immobilized by his inner turmoil.
First, Bali's Dispel nullified Ethan's Gravity Crush. Then, water bullets rained on him, leaving bruises on his skin. Finally, shadow spikes shot through the ground, impaling Ethan's legs and splattering blood.
Seizing the opportunity, Allen leapt back to regroup with the squad. Now standing only 10 meters away, they felt the thick tension hanging in the air like a heavy fog.
Ethan's empty gaze was still fixed on the point where the attacks had originated. He seemed numb to the piercing bullets and the bleeding from his legs, his face expressionless but his eyes betraying an unfathomable depth of emotion.
Fabrice wasn't the captain for nothing. Observing Ethan's reaction to the killing intent, he sensed that Ethan had never killed anyone. While he could exploit this vulnerability, he weighed his options. Winning wasn't guaranteed, and losing could be catastrophic. Opting for the lesser of two evils, he took the diplomatic route. "Look, we got off on the wrong foot. I apologize for attacking you without warning."
Ethan's eyes shifted and he looked in their direction. "Wrong foot? Are you taking me for a fool?" Ethan vocals screeching in his throat. "First you lured spiders to the cave, and then you used your abilities to attack me. You did not even give me the chance to talk to you. And now you think a simple apology would fit everything?"
Ethan's breaths became shallow, each inhalation more difficult than the last as he wrestled with the tempest of emotions inside him. 'If I let them go now, they could return to hurt me. I can't take that risk.'
He looked up, locking eyes with Allen and then Fabrice. "If I spare you now, I have to be prepared for the consequences. I have too many enemies to afford any more."
As Ethan's decision crystallized within him, the atmosphere around him changed subtly—a palpable shift, like the charged air before a storm. Internally, unknown to him, his mana core started to evolve. New patterns intricately carved themselves next to existing ones, the core's color deepening imperceptibly, and the mana becoming denser.
Ethan had, unknowingly, advanced to the late stage of Awakening. But his inner turmoil was so overpowering that he remained blissfully ignorant of his newfound power.
Fabrice sensed the shift immediately. "Sh*t, he's breaking through! ATTACK! Give it everything you have!"
A tempest of elementals —akin to a firework—erupted from the squad, a storm of attacks aimed at Ethan from all directions.