Chapter 12: 12. Conflict

The last eight months of my life has been both the most eventful time of my life—and also the least eventful. Killing by accident—it affected me more than I'd like to admit. I knew that I'd have to eventually kill someone using my power, but I didn't expect that it would be an accident.

I felt like I had perfect control over my power—it would always respond in the exact way I wanted. But instead, it turned out that it wasn't perfected at all; there were a lot of things about this ability which was still completely unknown and untested.

It might be accurate to say that it caused quite a dip in my confidence. So I decided that I couldn't allow something like that to happen again—no more accidents. That led to me continuing my training at every opportunity. Any free time I had, I'd immediately begin practicing. It made sense though: if you want your abilities to become as sharp and precise as possible then they need constant practice just like any other skill or talent does.

Ultimately, I put an increased focus on my sixth sense. On top of allowing me to see my surroundings—it also has the added affect of increasing my reaction speed. But that led me to another issue. As I continued to further increase the range of my sixth sense, it meant that the chance of me seeing some sort of crime going on also increased.

I didn't want to take action until I knew that my control was perfect. But I just couldn't do that. I couldn't stand by and watch while violent attacks happened. At first, I tried to just act in small manners—maybe tripping some violent person to prevent their attack from taking place. Eventually, my perception's range was vast enough that it wasn't uncommon to find truly irredeemable people—killers, rapists, serial murderers...

I couldn't just watch people like that—and do nothing. I tried half measures, just lightly harming them, or doing something to dissuade them.

But that didn't work. I kept giving them chances, and they'd just do it again as soon as they were able.  I was left with no choice.

In the last couple months, I've executed many people using my power.

They were all criminals who needed to disappear. Most of them had killed multiple people, and created countless victims—but a lot of the criminals I've killed are the ones that were smart enough to never be caught by law enforcement.

Some of these people weren't even human anymore. They were creatures with an almost animalistic desire for violence, and cruelty. Some were monsters of the worst kind, but others were people whom society had forgotten—or worse yet, had simply ignored.

Even though I knew what kind of people they are—it doesn't make it any easier. The first few times, I'd spend hours, days, or even weeks agonizing over each one before I finally took action.

But, it's gotten easier.

When I killed those two in the accident, it was as if I watched it as a bystander—it happened so fast that I was completely incapable of changing the outcome. Actively using my power to kill another—it's different. Because of my sixth sense, I'm able to fully perceive a person's internal structure—and anything I can perceive—I can manipulate.

I always make sure that it's quick—and completely untraceable. Heart attacks, strokes, a fall—anything like that. But the first time I used my power directly on another human like that—I felt sick for days afterwords. The feeling of killing someone is almost unbearable—even when you're doing so without malice. Using the perception granted by my sixth sense when killing is both a blessing, and a curse. Because of it, I'm able to make evil disappear without a trace—but it also forces me to feel everything that happens as life fades away.

And yet, despite how terrible I found the experience to be, I kept doing it anyway. Why? Well, because I know what's right—and I refuse to stand idly by while others suffer.

This world isn't fair—far from it.

People get hurt, people die.

Some deserve to die; some don't.

If you ask me why I bother with these murderers—the answer should be obvious.

Because I can help stop it.

My power allows me to take away suffering and pain—to protect the innocent and punish the guilty. And it doesn't matter if I'm the only one who knows about it—because when I use my power, I'm doing what is right.

So, I'll keep doing it until one day—when I achieve my goal.

But still, the fact of the matter is that doing this alone won't truly change anything. I mean, sure, I've gotten rid of many truly evil people—and saved their future victims, but how many people die everyday? Doing this alone won't achieve what I truly want. To change the world itself.

I decided that for now—I'll stop just randomly killing individual criminals, and begin creating plans to truly change the entire world.

For that, I'll need allies.

Although, for now, that will be an issue for tomorrow.

The severity of taking the lives of people isn't lost on me, but with the level that my power has reached after almost 11 months of training—I'm confident that the number I've executed could be far higher. My training has continued regardless of the events going on in my life.

I should start off with the fact that I've fully realized my dream of using my psychokinesis to fly. No longer am I confined to the ground, no longer do I worry about falling or hitting the ground hard—I'm flying above the clouds!

So long as I keep my body enveloped within my power's barrier—I'm able to move fast enough to break the sound barrier. The first time that I flew fast enough to break the sound barrier—I almost gave myself a heart attack. My highest priority has always been to remain undetected, so whenever I fly using my power, I have to keep my sixth sense active to ensure I'm not detected, and I usually only use it at night to be safe—randomly causing a sonic boom was the opposite of stealthy.

It took me a bit longer than a month to perfect my flying—but creating a reliable transportation method meant that I had a way to increase the strength of my power. I started a new schedule of coming home from school, and then flying far out into the ocean in order to train.

I'm capable of transforming my power into different shapes with little restraint—and I can control the shape's density—so that allowed me to begin lifting ocean water to increase my strength. It took months of training, but now, by shaping my power into a cup—I'm able to lift 100 tons worth of water with ease.

When I was floating above the ocean, staring at a massive orb of water that weighs close to 100 tons, I remember thinking "What the hell have I done?"

My power is far too strong.

But even after reaching that level—my power didn't show signs of it's growth stopping. It continues to grow stronger and stronger with every passing day—so long as I train. At this point, I'm truly unsure of exactly how much I could lift, but lifting a few hundred tons isn't outside the realm of possibility.

With my current level of power, I can destroy entire buildings with relative ease.

After realizing where I was at with my power, I put all of my focus into locating other psychics. I thought that I'd be able to protect myself—if it came down to it. And I thought that the best way to do that would be to use my sixth sense to search everywhere it could reach. I spent every day for months focused on increasing the range of my sixth sense.

It's reached a point where it's possible to have it cover around half of the Earth's surface area. But just increasing it's range came with a problem. I can't perfectly sense everything going on at the same time—it's too overwhelming.

If I try to feel every tiny object on half of the globe at once, it feels like my head would explode. So for now, sensing about an eighth of the Earth's surface area is my limit. I can be sitting in my bedroom, and feel exactly what is going on in other countries—all at the same time.

There's nowhere to hide—so long as it's within my perception, I can sense everything.

***

"Damn... There has to be something, someone out there."

After saying that aloud to myself, I continued my search.

I'm currently sitting in my floating desk chair, and scanning the Earth with my sixth sense. And there is absolutely nothing. Ever since my sixth sense reached a point where I could perceive a decent part of the Earth, I've spent all of my free time scanning across the Earth, trying to find someone else like me. But I haven't found anyone—not a single person.

It doesn't make sense. Sure, it's a big planet. But that doesn't explain why I should be the only one. If there was someone else with this kind of power—I'd certainly be able to sense some trace of them, right? If they had the exact same power that I do, I should absolutely be able to sense their existence. But I don't.

I've searched for months. Scanning, and searching my way through entire countries, continents... and still nothing. I've thought many times about giving up, but I can't. It's just too important.

So, I'll continue searching.

I'll keep looking until I find them.

***

I'm beginning to believe that I may truly be the only being with this power in the world. I suppose that for now, I'm only able to scan half of the globe using my sixth sense, and there could be someone living on the other side of the Earth that has this power... But I don't think that's the truth.

If someone had this kind of power, there's no way it could stay hidden. They could wipe out entire countries by themselves. I just don't see any chance of there being another human with this kind of power.

Which means that I'm alone with this power.

I can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it.

I'm the only one who has this power, and has the ability to save the world.

All because I have a little bit of luck, and a lot of determination.

I'm sure it sounds ridiculous. But it seems to be true.

No matter how crazy it may sound, I believe that I'm the only person that possesses this power.

"Eh?"

I'm in the middle of scanning through the Sahara desert, and suddenly I feel...something. A presence.

That's odd.

I've already scanned the entire continent.

But I feel something. An anomaly.

"Is that my sixth sense?"

I immediately stop scanning the rest of Africa, and instead focus on the spot where I'm feeling the presence. I start increasing the amount of energy I'm putting into my perception. Slowly, something starts to come into focus. It's odd. I'm able to perfectly perceive everything in the area, but it's as if there's some sort of...black hole? No, I don't think that's quite right.

There's something here.

A strange thing.

It's as if it's an orb made of shadows. It feels as if it's shrouded in an aura similar to mine, but it's smaller—weaker, and it's like I'm not perceiving it correctly. Is it a shadow? I can't tell.

"Huh..."

I can't tell what it is. I can feel it—it's like an entity of pure darkness—but it somehow feels like it's dampening my sixth sense's perception.

What the hell is this?

I can't figure out what it is using just my sixth sense, so I began hardening my power, and sending my power directly towards the shadow. I slowly inch my way towards it, as I'm about to make contact, I feel a slight resistance, but eventually my power made contact with whatever it was.

Wait... What?

I can feel it...connect with my power.

Whatever it is that I'm touching has my power connected to it.

What?!

How... How did this happen?

I don't know how to explain it.

It's a sensation that's indescribable.

It's like my power is being absorbed into something. And my power is being...changed. No. That's not correct. I can feel my power absorbing part of the shadow.

Is this...a connection?

I can't tell.

It's too subtle.

My mind is racing with questions—I can't even process what's happening.

The sensation is becoming increasingly comfortable—and the more that my power absorbs from the shadow, the weaker the shadow gets—and then the shadow absorbs part of my power, and grows stronger—this cycle keeps repeating. A constant back and forth, give and take.

It's like an endless loop.

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I can feel my power growing stronger.

And the shadow is getting weaker.

Eventually, the two energies meet, and become one.

Both my power and the shadow's are finally connected—and it becomes clear that I'm able to use my power—and the shadow's power at the same time.

My power begins to expand in size.

No, it's not only my power growing—the dark shadow is also growing.

I can feel it's power and my own working together. I don't know how to explain it. It's like finding the other half of a missing set. Two separate energies combining together in perfect symbiosis.

I don't know how much time is passing by. Seconds, minutes, hours? I don't know. All I can feel is the flow of my power and the shadow's power. Like a never ending connection. It's pleasant. I feel...whole? Complete?

Maybe this is what they call enlightenment. I don't want it to end.

I don't want this moment to end.

This is heaven.

I just want to keep it going.

Wait. Something's wrong.

Something feels off. It no longer feels pleasant. I feel it trying to pull in more of my power—so I pull back. Our energy is still intertwined, but it doesn't feel correct anymore. It feels as if the power I absorb from the shadow is wrong...corrupt. Distorted?

I-I don't know.

As I continue absorbing it, I start panicking. The shadow is still trying to absorb my power, and I'm trying to absorb it—but the power that I'm absorbing feels like it's trying to force it's way into the core of my psychic muscle.

It's like it's trying to corrupt the source of my power into a distorted mess! I'm trying to fight against it, but I can't hold on to it long enough.

It's like I'm being consumed.

I can feel the corruption spreading throughout my body. I can feel my power weakening at an alarming rate. My consciousness is fading away. I'm losing my mind...

No. Fight.

I feel my consciousness fading away, but I dig my fingernails deep into my palm—easily drawing blood. I can feel it drip down my wrist. I gather every last bit of energy that I have, and I focus on the energy that this thing took from me—I can still feel a weak connection to the power it stole.

If this thing can turn it's power into a poison to harm me, I can do the same. I begin shaping my power—sharpening it. I'm imbuing my power with thousands of fine blades—I'll tear this thing apart from the inside out. The moment I form the blades, I can almost physically hear the shadow let out an ear shattering screech.

The shadow starts shaking—almost like it's in shock due to the sudden change. I can feel my energy still inside of it—and my power that it tried to swallow is acting like a rose with thousands of tiny thorns—crafted with the sole purpose of shredding it from the inside out.

So you do feel pain. Bastard.

Just a little more.

I start forming my power into a dozen large spears, and begin surrounding this thing. I won't let you eat my power. I'll devour you instead. I slowly begin extracting my energy from this shadow—it's probably still in shock from the sudden pain, so I'll use this opportunity.

I've managed to take back half of my power, but I can see that the shadow's starting to calm down, so I ready the invisible spears I created. I also brace myself—this is probably going to hurt me as well. In an instant, I begin ripping and tearing out as much of my power as I can, and I simultaneously bombard it with the spears I created.

Shit. Some of the spears evaporate on contact, or bounce off and impale the ground. But some of them puncture directly into the shadow orb with little resistance, and I use that time to take my power back.

I'm taking this thing's power.

I'm stealing it.

I'm killing it.

I'm making it bleed.

The shadow is screaming, and I'm smiling.

Just as I think that I'm about to win—everything changes. The shadow suddenly becomes impenetrable—it lets out an earth shattering screech, and disappears. In an instant, it's gone. It's like it just disappeared into thin air.

The moment it disappears, I feel my connection to my power inside of it get torn away from me.

Fuck!

Everything goes white. It feels like my body's being torn into pieces.

"Ngh!"

I try to move, but my consciousness leaves me before I can.

***

I wake up to a cold sweat, and my head pounding. Everything hurts.

"Ugh..."

I don't remember what happened after the shadow disappeared.

"Where am I...? Why does my body ache so badly?"

As I focus on my body, I try to lift my head, but it feels heavy. It's pitch black outside now. I lay there, trying to collect myself. I reach out towards my pocket—to see where my phone is.

"Ah?"

I'm surprised to find that my hand is covered in blood. I look around for my phone, but I can't seem to find it. I feel something warm dripping from my nose and ears.

"..."

I wipe my face and ears, I quickly discover that I'm bleeding from both my nose and ears. I try to stand up.

"Haah... Haah..."  I don't have the strength to make it to my feet.

I try to push myself up onto my hands and feet, but I collapse back onto the ground. My head feels like it's splitting in two.

I lie there, unable to move, while the blood continues to drip from my nose and ears.

"W-Why...? Why am I in so much pain?"

I can't even put pressure on my head. My vision starts to fade.

"Ugh... Ugh..."

I can barely move. I try to use my psychic power to forcibly move my body—but it immediately intensifies the pain tenfold. I scream. I can't even bear the pain.

"Haaah... Haaaaaah..."

I'm finally able to stop screaming, but I can barely breathe. I don't have any strength left. I slowly slip into back into unconsciousness.

***

I slowly open my eyes. It's morning. I'm still on the floor, and I feel the disgusting crinkling of my own dried blood.

The pain has subsided a little, and I somehow manage to make it to the bathroom to clean the blood off of me. I'm in such a daze. I can hardly function at all. I look in the mirror, and I look terrible.

I eventually make my way back to my bed, and gently lie in it. I need to figure out what happened. I start to use my power, and again, it immediately sends waves of pain crashing through my mind.

"Agh... What is this? Why does it hurt me so much after using it? I haven't had pain from overuse in months!" I can't help but cry out in frustration.  I have no clue what kind of damage I've done to myself.

I slowly assess my psychic muscle. It doesn't take long to realize why I'm in so much pain. It's as if part of it's been ripped clean away from me. About 7.5-10% of my psychic muscle is gone. I continue examining it, and I realize that it's not just "gone." It's definitely been torn away, but there's something there that has replaced it.

I'm guessing that I'm not the only one feeling this bad right about now.

In place of my energy, there's a pitch black energy—energy that came from that shadow—whatever it was. I try to analyze it further, but it's hard to do anything at all. It's not actively corrupting anything else—it's almost like a transplant. It's not fully integrated yet, but it's definitely there.

"What the hell happened last night?"

I try to piece together what happened based on the little bits and pieces I did remember. The best I can tell, that shadow somehow broke off my connection to my power, and ate it—right before disappearing. But in doing so, I was able to rip out it's power as well—it appears that we traded almost equally.

I'm at a loss of what to do. I have absolutely no idea how to deal with this. I try to use my power, but it still causes me immense pain. No, I don't think we traded completely equally. It also managed to steal my MP, but I can at least replenish that—so it's not a big deal.

"What was that thing..." I can't help but sound somewhat lost. I have no idea what that thing was—I more or less confirmed that there weren't other humans with psychic powers—and then I find that thing. I have no clue how to deal with that. I think that my power is stronger, but it's weird abilities totally trumped me. I could have died from that thing.

"Not only that, but I also feel like that thing knows about my power. I have no idea how, but I felt like it knew what I was doing before I even realized it."

I stare into space, remembering everything that happened. Suddenly, I hear my phone start ringing.

Rise.

Damn. I don't feel up to this. But I can't ignore her either. I force myself to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Hi. I'm sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but I wanted to check on you—are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm okay, I guess. I'm just a little sore, but I'm good." I grit my teeth while talking—I do my best to sound normal.

"Ah, well that's good... U-Uhm, do you have a minute?" I can hear the nervousness in her voice.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, um... You start your summer break in a month...right?" I have no idea where this is going. But I'm having to force myself not to hang up—any sound hurts.

"Yeah, that's correct, did you need something?"

"Heh-heh, well...Since you asked—Do you remember how you used to be so interested in working cases with me when you were younger—and you even helped me a few times? Well, our task force is kind of stuck on something right now—and I would like your help. If I can convince the Chief, would you be willing to help?" She says in a hurry.

"Huh?"

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