Chapter 20: Chapter 20 : Fire and Ice (Part 2)

“What’s going on here!”

“Turner, stop what you’re doing at once!”

“Turner, explain yourself!”

“What’s the Red Star doing now, explain yourself!”

The crowd's frenzied voices rang loudly in Turner’s ears, causing his face to twitch. Irritated by their incessant clamouring, he turned back and roared, “Shut the fuck up!”

His words only fueled the fire that engulfed the crowd; they became more boisterous.

“No!”

“Explain yourself! Right now!”

The crowd’s refusal boiled the blood in Turner’s veins. He extended his Psi sword to two meters long and then with blurring speed, slashed out.

Dang!

Following the loud thud, silence.

The crowd's agitation was quickly extinguished upon taking in the victim of Turner's Psi sword. The thick metallic gate now lay flat on the ground. The hinges which once held it in place had a mirror-like surface - no, not mirror-like, to those at certain angles they were just mirrors. Looking at it, they could see the shock and fear on their faces reflected clearly. Not just them, the entire crowd was stunned with the same emotions. Their hearts trembled at the clinical devastation.

Turner’s mood improved as he took in the crowd's reaction. “What’s the wait? If you have a problem with what I’m doing, come stop me. Come step up…ha, as I thought, all you bitches can do is bark loudly.” Saying with derision, he spat on the ground before them.

Those in the crowd clenched their fists and gritted their teeth. Even so, they knew to remain stationary. Most of them were norins, and the few psionics present weren’t confident in besting Turner himself, nor daring enough to make enemies with the Red Star he belonged to

'This is bad.'

Sophia, an elderly woman among the crowd furrowed her brows. ‘I’ve got to do something,’ she thought.

While Hana’s time at the village was short, Lagner had accepted her as one of their own. She had done much for the village. One only had to look around to notice that many of Lagner’s buildings bore a striking resemblance to her own house in style and precision. Her contribution to the village couldn’t be denied.

Now, Sophia, the elder looked to return the favour.

She tapped her neighbour’s shoulder then whispered something in his ears. The youth nodded, then took off. Sophia turned her attention forward. Patting the shoulder of those ahead, she moved to the front.

“Mister Turner,” she called out in a calm voice.

“Now, an old bitch. Want to be put down, old-timer? Step back.”

Sophia gave a restraining look at the villagers at her side, before turning back to Turner.

“No one has to get hurt. So let's all be calm and take a breath, okay.”

Turner squinted. Psi slithered to his sword-wielding arm and swirled menacingly. The psionics present tensed up at his action. The gate wasn’t the only thing unhinged.

Turner stood silent. In his mind, a coin had been flipped and was currently in its descending arc. One side had ‘cut your losses and leave’ on it, while the other side had ‘double-down' on it. The coin was far from fair though. One side weighed significantly more than the other side resulting in a weighted coin. As for which side this weighted coin favoured, well, one need look no further than Turner's gaze at this very moment. The chilling light swimming within it made the answer crystal clear.

But before the coin could land on either side, a voice sounded out.

“Stop.”

This soft utterance silenced everyone.

The temperature in the area seemed to drop by dozens of degrees. The harsh icy winds were indiscriminate in nature. All who were caught up in it had their brains freeze and their bodies tremble in place as they were subjected to its mind-numbing coldness.

Hana, Turner, and the crowd’s senses rushed to the source of the blizzard, Rei. Astonishment and bafflement struck them as they took in the young man. The fiery expression from earlier was no more. Now, the youth wore a blank look with eyes that shone in a frigid light. The drastic contrast left all observers reeling.

Under many eyes, Rei got to his feet. His movements were unhurried, elegant even. Totally upright, he brimmed with dignity and composure, radiating an unnatural calm.

‘What potion did this kid take….?’

Turner frowned as he took in Rei’s existence. The Psi around him thickened subconsciously. Trepidation crept into his heart as he bathed in the other’s 'aura'.

‘What’s with this kid? There's something off about him…no, what am I talking about, he’s nothing. I’ll just hit harder.’

As he was readying another attack, Rei’s voice sounded out again.

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“Everyone, calm down.”

Again, everyone had their minds ripple at his words.

Rei's gaze moved to Hana. Looking at her, the temperature in his eye rose several degrees.

“Mo- Hana, fall back. I’ll handle this.”

“But-”

“Just trust me.”

Hana’s brows furrowed but she didn't argue further. After sending one last glare Turner’s way, she exited her combat stance and stepped back. Still, she kept her Psi at the ready.

Showing an approving look, Rei then turned back to Turner.

“Let’s negotiate.”

“Negotiate?”

“Yes."

Thinking it over, Rei knew this was the only path they could take.

Neither fight nor flight held promise. The gate slashing had been an eye-opener for him. Ralf and the book's descriptions couldn't compare to seeing the lethality of psionic powers himself. He tossed the idea of fighting Turner out the window.

A Rank 5 Telekinetic was just too big of a hurdle for them as they currently were. And for all they know, it could be too big of a huddle even after their Telekinetic powers become operable. Furthermore, even if Turner was defeated here by some miracle, there would still be his gang to deal with. Rei had no confidence in doing so.

He entertained the possibility of creating a ruckus to alert the local authorities to a crime taking place. However, this idea was discarded nearly instantly when he recalled his sights from the rooftop. No building matched his description of a police station, nor were there any uniformed guards or patrols anywhere. There was no use in waiting either. The only help that would come, would come from the villagers…and looking at them, Rei wasn’t hopeful.

And so, all things considered, Rei decided to head down his current route.

“Things have become messy, let's sort this out before it becomes even messier.”

Turner narrowed his eyes.

Rei continued. “To negotiate, one has to state their desired outcome. I'll start. I want to resolve this situation peacefully, without any bloodshed or fuss. I and my...mother must be left alone without fear of future trouble."

The Rank 5 Telekinetic scoffed at the words. “My desired outcome is to see you writhing on the floor, crying in pain. We have a contradiction now don't we? Well, how are we going to resolve this now, ha?"

Rei stared at him blankly for a few seconds before shaking his head. “You want me to feel pain…unfortunately, that’s not possible.” Rei had his right hand cup around his left pinky, then with all eyes on him, he did the unthinkable.

*Snap*

“Ralf!”

Hana’s heart dropped. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She wasn’t alone, Turner and the crowd were equally stunned.

“See,” Rei said as he removed his right hand to reveal his now broken pinky.

Not a ripple of pain could be found on his mask-like expression. It was unnerving. The apprehension that he fostered in the crowd’s heart turned into full-blown fear as they took in the indifference he showed in the aftermath.

‘There's something off about him!’

This thought made its rounds through everyone's minds.

“Your desired outcome is impossible, so choose another. If you have none, I have a suggestio-”

“Shut up!”

Turner barked angrily. Psi whirled around his figure. He was on the brink of a mental breakdown. Rei had unnerved him to no end. He couldn’t take it anymore

In his mind, the coin labelled ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ was flipped. But again, this coin wasn't given a chance to land as another voice interrupted.

“What’s going on here?”

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