He would show him.
Chapter Two: Unwanted
Eleven years later
“Concentration, determination, will: those are the key factors for mastery of telekinesis,” Master Acolyte Ferev said. “Not all of you will succeed in my class. In fact, most of you will not succeed. The majority of telepaths have no talent for this field. Manipulating physical objects is one of the most difficult abilities to master for a mind adept. In fact, if you do not possess some natural aptitude for it, telekinesis is not something one can simply learn by studying.”
Eridan let the instructor’s voice fade into the background as he eyed, with great trepidation, the rock on the table he shared with Initiate Xhen. He tried to ignore the smug smirk on the other boy’s face.
“You look scared, Eridan. But then again, I would be, too, if I were as pathetic as you.”
Eridan clenched his jaw and said nothing. Xhen was a giant prick who loved the sound of his own voice a little too much. Ignoring him would be the best response.
But he’s right, isn’t he?
Eridan tried to push the thought away, but he couldn’t quite do it. Over the past eleven years, he had tried to do better in his studies, he had tried so hard, but he stood out among his peers for all the wrong reasons: he was too emotional, too temperamental, too undisciplined. While he had learned shielding, he was still susceptible to other people’s strong emotions. He was also terrible at meditating and clearing his mind, the main reason he was painfully mediocre in every subject they had learned at the Initiates’ Hall so far.
He knew he was a disappointment. All his instructors had implied it countless times. Even when they didn’t say anything, Eridan could often pick up their general emotions and thoughts.
Wasted potential.
It’s no use being a Class 5 telepath if you can’t be disciplined enough to actually apply yourself.
They all were wrong. Eridan did apply himself. The problem was, it didn’t work. His telepathy was too erratic, difficult to control, and prone to reflecting his emotional state rather than his rational thoughts. Eridan knew the problem stemmed from his inability to properly meditate and order his mind. It was one of the first postulates that they learned as initiates: a calm, orderly mind was a requirement for mastering mind arts. But there was just too much noise in Eridan’s head. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get rid of the noise, so he remained painfully mediocre in all his classes, if not worse.
Eridan had no reason to think telekinesis would be any different.
“It is not enough to imagine grasping that rock in front of you,” Master Ferev continued. “Telekinesis does not work like that. You must be able to sense it, to sense the air around it, the same way you were taught to stretch your senses to sense other people. You must be able to feel it. It is an inanimate object, yes, but it is still possible to sense it—and manipulate it if you have the aptitude for it. Now begin.”
There was a murmur of discontent.
Unlike his peers, Eridan was unbothered by the vague instructions. He always did better when he could just wing it. Rules and strict instructions were so damn stifling.
He cautiously stretched his senses and winced, trying to block out his classmates’ emotions.
“You look constipated. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Eridan gritted his teeth, determined to ignore Xhen. Fuck that dickhead.
“I’ve heard Master Idhron spoke to Initiate Daylinne yesterday. He’ll probably ditch you for her. No wonder. She isn’t a failure.”
Eridan glowered at the rock, his hands balling into fists. Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him.
“Your jealousy is showing,” Eridan bit out, pasting on a smile that probably looked a little feral. “Piss off.”
Xhen smirked. “Did I hit a nerve? Wait, is that actually true that he hasn’t come to see you in years? Seriously?” He laughed.
And Eridan’s vision turned red.
The next thing he knew, Xhen was choking, his eyes bulging out as he tried to breathe, hands wildly grasping at his own throat.
“Initiate Eridan!”
Master Ferev’s voice was like a bucket of cold water.
Eridan flinched and looked around, registering the stares of his classmates.
He looked back at Xhen, who was taking greedy breaths now that he wasn’t choking anymore.
Had he… had he done that? Choked Xhen? With his will alone?
With rising trepidation, Eridan lifted his gaze to Master Ferev’s.
The instructor was staring at him. His face was blank, but his emotions were slipping through the cracks in his shields. Amazement, confusion, and… apprehension.
Eridan swallowed.
“Class, you are to return to your assignment while I’m gone,” Master Ferev said at last, still looking at Eridan. “Eridan, with me.”
His stomach in knots, Eridan followed the instructor out of the classroom.
They walked in silence, Eridan a few steps behind the man, as was proper. He had his eyes fixed on Master Ferev’s gray robes, his mind racing as he tried to figure out what had just happened and where Master Ferev was taking him.