Chapter 177: Chapter 164 : Introductions (Part 4.3)

“...everyone dismissed.”

At the words, the venue grew noisy as students sought their freedom.

Yuki was the swiftest of the lot. Ralf had intended to call out to her, but the ice Mimic gave him no such opportunity. In her Winter Empress armour, she disappeared into the corridor, flying just inches above the floor at speeds nearly three times the duo’s Flicker’s speed. Gerard watched on with a displeased look; she would later be given a warning for the conduct.

Yuki’s swiftness was exceptional in more ways than one. While the urge to leave was strongly felt, most students weren’t brisk, but sluggish in making their exit. The high of Ralf’s match had passed out of their system and bitterness and gloom quickly engulfed - or rather re-engulfed the students as their sore bodies and egos throbbed in pain. From the chatter, most would be visiting a medical ward.

Ralf didn’t rush to leave. He remained seated, deciding to wait until the venue cleared out sufficiently. Consequently, Lane and the others also remained rooted in place.

Gerard, Yu Ling, Roxy and Adrian didn’t follow after the students but instead headed for the opposite exit. Walking off, the Martial Seniors didn’t care to spare Ralf a glance but the same wasn’t true for Gerard and Yu Ling, especially the latter.

The Combat Master and Martial Master shared a lengthy look, before breaking eye contact. They received each other’s messages clearly. The two would meet again, sooner rather than later, and most likely in a ring. Ralf’s blood flowed a tad quicker at the prospect.

After nearly a minute of waiting, Ralf deigned it time to move. By now, the crowd of students were distant whispers in his ears. He ceased his humming, opened his shut eyes and then rose to his feet. Skye and the others ended their conversation and got up as well, before joining Ralf in heading for the exit.

“What now?” Charlotte spoke up as she glanced at Ralf, her eyes shining with curiosity and expectation.

“For me, it’ll be the Communication Centre,” Ralf answered as he led the group into the corridor. “I’ll most likely be there till just before 5, and then I’ll head to my PA meeting.”

Ralf’s words garnered various reactions from the group. Lane and Violet took it in stride, their aloof expressions neither here nor there. The twins were more reactive but in different ways. Where Charlotte’s gaze dimmed, Skye’s brightened; the response had piqued his interest.

“Oh, there’s someone you’d talk to for three plus hours? Who is it? Someone special?”

“She’s someone special alright,” Ralf nodded, a warm smile surfaced on his face as his mind recalled images of his beloved mother. “Forget three hours, if not for the PA meeting, we’d probably extend the session all the way till tomorrow morning, maybe even longer.”

“Whoa, for that long, someone special indeed,” Skye said, the others showing similar feelings of awe.

“She?” Charlotte questioned, her mind having honed in on the detail.

“My mother,” Ralf enlightened the group, causing their eyes to flicker and their previous assumptions to be overturned.

“I promised her I’d get in contact as soon as I could…and I’ll do just that,” the Transmigrator continued. “We’ve been separated for more than a week already… but to me, it’s been no different than years. I’ve been making do with perfectly preserved memories, but they can’t replace the real thing. I want to see her face and hear her voice again, and won’t be patient about it,” Ralf said, desire and longing echoing clearly in his voice, his stride even speeding up a tad.

The group’s faces softened taking it all in, especially Violet’s.

To her, mothers were beings meant to be loved, respected and cherished, so Ralf’s obvious affection for his mother warmed her heart…and then crushed it. Skye, who had a quip on his tongue, about him being unable to hold even a three-minute long conversation with his own mother, quickly swallowed it as he captured the Lightning Princess’ darkening expression.

Instead of tempting fate, the air Mimic turned to the ever-silent shadow and asked, “What about you, Lane…got any plans?”

“Yeah,” Lane nodded. “I have to report the success of my delivery mission, so I’ll be heading to the Communication Centre as well. Also…”

The former assassin let his words fall to the wayside and looked to Ralf, who returned a knowing smile and said, “You can play Psi games while I’m having my session. You’ll have to play against the AI though.”

“Psi games?” Charlotte raised a brow. “AI? What are you talking about?”

Psi games: games that involved the use of Psi to play; since the Zenki Era’s arrival, thousands of Psi games had been created, some popular while most incredibly obscure.

Charlotte was familiar with Psi games. She knew around a dozen of them and had played them many times throughout her lifetime. That said, from the way Ralf and Lane spoke about the topic and the inclusion of an unfamiliar term, the Onic Master was sure that the Psi games they were talking about were fundamentally different from the ones she knew. Her curiosity and excitement were stroked, and so too were Violet’s and Skye’s.

Lane didn’t answer, remembering Ralf’s words, and instead left it up to his friend to share or not.

The Transmigrator did, well, eventually. Taking several seconds to find an apt description, Ralf finally parted his lips.

“Hmm, Psi games are…drugs for the soul.”

“Drugs?” Skye’s voice jolted as he repeated.

Ralf nodded. “Yes, and the hard stuff too. One hit and you can never turn back. Some try it once and ruin their lives, becoming enslaved by it for all their days to come.”

“But what about Lane?” Charlotte brought up as she placed the former assassin in her scope. “He seems more than fine - ah,” her eyes suddenly lit up as a certain realisation struck her, “is that what you two were doing when you went away? Playing these Psi games of yours?”

“Yep yep,” Ralf confirmed. “As for Lane here,” the Transmigrator closed in and rested his hand on the former assassin’s shoulder. Ralf’s expression turned sombre, apologetic even. “...sadly, it’s only a matter of time. He’s well now, but soon…he’ll be down bad,” the Combat Master sighed as guilt and shame seemed to eat at him.

“I want to play too.”

At Skye’s request, Ralf couldn’t help but sigh again. “Even after hearing my warnings, you still dare to say such words…”

“I do dare,” the air Mimc said boldly. “Also,” he rolled his shoulders and an air of confidence began swirling around him, “I’ve done plenty of drugs, especially the hard stuff. I can handle whatever you throw at me.”

“Oh…is that so,” Ralf’s eyes narrowed and his voice turned low. He left Lane’s side and moved to Skye, where he proceeded to wrap his arm around the other’s shoulder.

The air Mimic tensed up at the capture, having flashbacks of his sister and mother doing the exact same thing. “Uh, Ralf?”

“So you think you’re tough enough huh, interesting interesting. Big claims require big evidence, wouldn’t you agree, brother Skye?”

“Uh mm, yeah,” the air Mimic eeked out sheepishly.

“Very well, let’s put it to the test…tomorrow. We’ll see how you fare then, tough guy.”

Skye gulped. “O-Okay.”

Ralf nodded then removed himself from Skye’s shoulder, before shifting his gaze to the others.

“You all will be put through the wringer as well, so prepare yourselves. That said, there’s nothing you can do to prepare yourselves for what you’ll be subjected to. Your minds will be blown, regardless.”

“Psi games are really that amazing?” Charlotte asked, pointing her question not at Ralf, but at Lane.

“They are,” Lane replied without missing a beat, his voice carrying more energy than usual. “I’ve played a lot of Psi games, dozens of them, and none of them even come close to Ralf’s.”

His assertion sent sparkles through the eyes of Charlotte and the others, but the former assassin wasn’t done.

“The setup, the many layers of depth, the level of detail, the polish, the creativity, the mechanics; Ralf’s Psi games are on another level entirely. I feel like I could play them for days straight without getting bored; they’re just that amazing. The technical and artistic aspects are impressive, but what is truly mind-blowing is the various mechanisms at play.”

The former assassin paused as he arrived at this section of his impromptu review, he had to. After taking a calming breath, he ushered out his next string of words. “If they work as Ralf says they do, they’re not just impressive…but impossibilities.”

“Impossibilities?!” Skye burst out, giving a voice to his and the ladies’ internal shock.

Lane nodded calmly amidst their mental scrambling, before continuing his point.

“Yes, impossibilities. Ralf’s explanation of how they work doesn’t make sense given everything I know. And even if I assume he’s lying about the ‘how’ behind the mechanisms and features, it doesn’t make his Psi games any less absurd.”

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The group entered a lull as Lane’s words came to an end, shock reverberating through their bodies and minds, rendering them mute and blank-faced.

“Ahaha…” Ralf chuckled at the sight before once again shifting over to Lane’s side. “That was some praise, friend, glad to know you enjoy them that much,” he said, tapping the former assassin’s shoulder.

“I was just being honest,” Lane said matter-of-factly.

Ralf smiled, the other’s simple nature was refreshing. “And that’s what I like about you, sharp yet blunt, a perfect combination,” he gave Lane’s shoulder a final tap before separating from him. “Since you’ve been honest, I’ll do the same.”

Ralf sped up until he was well ahead of the group, before turning to face them. Walking backwards, he crossed his arms before his chest and scanned the group’s faces.

“I’ll spill two truths,” he said, flashing a peace sign. “The first one is this: I wasn’t lying to Lane about how the various mechanics work. Everything is as I’ve stated it to be. Lane is just lacking a lot of pieces of the puzzles, that’s why he thinks they’re impossibilities. This isn’t a slight on him or his intelligence; no non-Pather could make sense of my Psi games with what Lane knows currently.”

“...And the second truth?” Charlotte spoke up after a long bout of silence from the group.

“The second truth is a doozy. The thing is…well, the Psi games Lane has been playing aren’t the real Psi games.”

“What?!”

This time around, Lane was one with the group, as his eyes too widened to their limits.

“Really?” he questioned, voice jumping out of his throat.

Ralf nodded as his face welcomed an amused smile. “Yep, I’m not lying. You praised them to high heavens, and they’re impressive in their own right, but the Psi games you’ve played so far are all cheap replicas of the real thing.”

“Cheap replicas,” Lane repeated blankly, more blankly than usual, his steps even slowing as his brain tried to process the absurdity of his friend’s claims.

“Yep, compared to the real Psi games, that’s what they are. Real Psi games can only be played with the aid of telepathic powers,” Ralf glanced at Charlotte, “that’s why I said your assistance was necessary. Lane hasn’t played any real Psi games, just watered-down versions. After he’s experienced the real thing, he might not be content with anything else…and that goes for the rest of you too.”

After a back and forth, Ralf’s gaze settled on Violet. “Princess, you said you wanted to experience something new, well, you’ll get your wish. Psi games are exactly that. It’s something only the Silver Path and Pathers have access to. You’ll find it nowhere else on this planet no matter how hard you look.”

“R-Really?”

“Really,” Ralf said firmly. “If after experiencing Psi games you find yourself disappointed in any way, feel free to zap me with your lightning. Heaven’s Judgement and all.”

Violet nodded deeply. “Will do.”

The exchange caused the group’s eyes to light up. Anticipation surged in their hearts, but just as strongly, so did impatience.

Ralf read these emotions and still doused them with the cold water.

“But that’s something to experience tomorrow. There’s no time today, and frankly, I could use the time to polish up some things. Knocking your socks off and striping the flesh from your bones just isn’t enough. I won’t be satisfied until your souls are torn from your bodies and in my belly. Mmm,” Ralf licked his lips as a villainous look overcame his expression, “delicious, I can already taste them on my tongue.”

The group showed bemused expressions.

“Brother…I knew were a monster, but not a monster monster,” Skye commented with a wry smile.

“Well, now you know. I devour souls and…you’re looking kind of appetising there, brother,” Ralf said as his eyes turned crescent-shaped. He flashed a savage grin and let Psi spill from his backside.

“Ah, sister, protect me,” the air Mimic said, after quickly circling behind Charlotte and using her as a shield.

“And you had the gall to call yourself the better half, pathetic.”

“I’ll never make that mistake again, protect me please,” Skye said, hands on his sister’s shoulders as he matched her pace.

Charlotte sighed at her brother’s antics but nevertheless performed her sisterly duty.

After saying, “Behold my true form,” Ralf sprouted eight large blue tentacles from his back. They varied in shape, length and thickness, but one thing they all had in common was their sense of realism, from their detailed design and textures to their life-like squirming.

“Urgh, gross,” Skye’s grip around his sister’s shoulders couldn’t help but tighten at the grotesque sight.

Where the twins showed adverse reactions, and Lane stared at it blankly, Violet looked on with unmasked interest, studying the tentacles with glittering eyes. She wasn’t given much time to do so though. After parading them about for a few seconds, Ralf beckoned the tentacles to capture his prey. After a collective wriggle, they slithered through the air to arrive at Skye’s side.

They wouldn’t reach him though. Charlotte unleashed her Rank 5 oppressive aura, and Ralf’s tentacles were instantly banished from this place of existence, sent back to the h****i they had come from.

While Ralf clutched at his chest in feigned agony, the Onic Master retracted her wild aura and reestablished her telepathic links with Violet and Skye.

“Drat, defeated I am…looks like I’ll go hungry on this fine day. Skye…you lucked out today, but don’t think you’ll walk away with your life next time around. I’ll return in time, and reap that delectable soul of yours. Till then, make sure to eat a lot of fried chicken, catfish, cornbread, stewed greens, and black-eyed peas. Farewell,” Ralf voiced with the mannerisms of a Saturday morning cartoon villain.

He then did a 180, in both orientation and manner.

Noting the change, Skye made a show of being relieved, sighing and even wiping non-existent sweat from his forehead, before separating from his sister’s side and walking normally.

The group turned the corner to arrive at the corridor leading out. Ralf looked to the bright entranceway and clapped his hands, grabbing the others’ attention.

“Enough silliness, our time to part is imminent, and important words have yet to be spoken.”

“Spill them then,” Charlotte urged after a squint.

Ralf nodded then obliged. “Tomorrow, after the sun has set, I’ll be hosting a party of sorts, and of course, you all are invited.”

“Just us?” the princess asked.

“Not necessarily. There might be one or two other people that join us, but that’s about it as far as numbers go. I called it a party, but what I have in mind is closer to an intimate get-together, something warm and cosy. There will be food, snacks, beverages, delicacies and the like, but no required dancing, alcohol or loud music playing. We’ll sit around in a huddle, chat and snack, get to know each other better, and of course, play Psi games, the real stuff,” Ralf smiled as he pictured the scene his words painted. “So, what do you think?” he asked, glancing back at the four.

“Sounds swell,” Charlotte’s lips curled up in genuine delight, never had she been so eager for any event. “I gladly accept the invitation, won’t miss the party for anything.”

Her feelings were shared by the rest of the group, who voiced similar sentiments one after the other.

“Till tomorrow then. ”

With these words, the group went their separate ways.

Lane and Ralf headed for the Communication Centre while Violet and the twins paid the main hospital a visit. Afterwards, the trio headed to Prime, where they then passed the time in Charlotte’s room, playing card games and chatting.

All looked forward to tomorrow’s ‘party’, bubbling with excitement and anticipation.

Tomorrow would be a day unlike any other; Lane and the others truly felt this way…and their feelings would be proven correct, as the date: January 11th of Year 326 of the Zenki Calendar would be one remembered by the group for all their days to come.

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