Klera's Point of View
Clifton dropped to his knees, his eyes glazed—Dahlia's hand placed on his head, locking his mind in place.
I flinched slightly—the connection between our minds let me feel it too.
I won't let her take control, I thought, reaching for an ability that could counter her Memory Snare.
"Crown of clarity, armor of thought—fortify the mind, let no force breach."
"Mental Shield!"
Ability explanation:
(Mental Shield is a Mental Enhancement ability that protects the mind from psychic attacks. It acts like a barrier around the target's mind, protecting it from psychic intrusion, stopping abilities that try to control, read, damage the mind, memory tampering, illusions, and other forms of mental assault. When activated, it reinforces the mind's defenses like armor forged from pure willpower blocking invasive abilities.)
Since our minds are linked, using Mental Shield on him came easily.
Her partner, Akame, was still busy grabbing the clone's flag, and the clone was just evading. Maybe she feels bad for the clone too? Even if she's just a copy, Devon said her clones are real people in their own right. I just… couldn't bring myself to kick or hit her.
After I cast Mental Shield on Clifton, Dahlia's grip finally loosened. He rose to his feet, looking a little disoriented, but he was getting his track back.
Dahlia stepped back slightly, her eyes landing on me. I almost smirked at her—but then I remembered: the Author created me to be soft, gentle, and kind. Not… a bitchy character. So instead, I just gave her a small smile.
She ignored me.
And for a second, I actually felt ignored. Now that's a bitchy character over there. I hope she gets expelled in the Next chapter of this story.
"I call the world to change its skin—let the ground shift from within, bend and transform—reshape the field in altered form."
"Terrain Reshaping!"
Ability explanation:
(Terrain Reshaping is a powerful Reality Alteration that gives the caster the power to physically remodel the landscape in real time. It focuses on the structure and form of the land itself. It allows the caster to reshape the field by changing any type of terrain into another—instantly and at will. The more skilled the user, the wider the area they can manipulate and the faster the transformation occurs.)
We were disturbed by what her partner did, Akame, did—the ground beneath the clone suddenly melted into soft, muddy swamp terrain, causing her to sink. It was a small pit, just big enough to trap a single person—or maybe three, if they were packed tightly.
Or maybe I was wrong about her… she really has no mercy for the clone!
"I'm very sorry!" Akame shouted, sounding genuinely guilty. Then she reached out and grabbed the flag, snapping all of our attention toward her.
I sent a mental alert to Clifton instantly when I noticed he was getting a little distracted again.
"She got the flag!" I said through the mind link to Clifton.
"I got it," he responded in my head, his tone steady and alert.
While Dahlia was still distracted by the ability her partner had just used—so focused, in fact, that she didn't even notice Clifton, already chanting his incantation and preparing to strike.
"Step through time, skip the moment—beyond the now, where fate is still unwritten."
"Step Advance!" Clifton shouted, his voice loud and certain.
Ability explanation:
(Step Advance is a Time Manipulation ability that allows the caster to accelerate the movement of themselves—or a target—by briefly advancing their position in time. This creates the effect of stepping forward faster than normal, as if skipping the in-between moment entirely.)
A swirl of brown Magic energy coiled around his clock pendant, his hand aimed directly at me.
"Run and get the flag. I'll deal with Dahlia!" he said through the mind link.
I sprinted toward Akame, who was clutching the flag in her hands. My speed surged—Clifton's ability had kicked in, accelerating my steps like a sudden burst of wind behind me.
She didn't even notice I was closing in from behind. She just kept running… until I was close enough to stop her.
While dashing forward, I quietly chanted my incantation under my breath
"By shattered thought and broken seal,
Exhaust, paralyze, and confuse the mind!"
"Mind Screech!"
Ability explanation:
(Mind Screech is a Mental Enhancement ability designed to overload and disrupt the mental processes of a target. When cast, the ability emits a high-frequency psychic, painfully loud within the mind. It pierces into the consciousness of the target, momentarily scrambling thoughts, breaking focus, and causing a wave of confusion and disorientation. The confusion isn't just momentary; it lingers, leaving behind a heavy mental fatigue that dulls reaction time and weakens cognitive sharpness.)
I concentrated, raising my hand toward her. A swirl of purple Magic energy coiled around me, then surged forward with a screeching wave. The moment it hit, Akame weakened, clutching her ears, her expression twisted in discomfort.
Since your partner harmed mine mentally, I'll let you taste your own ability as well — a brain for a brain.
She groaned in pain as I stepped closer, slowly, steadily—continuing to release the purple screech that made her body tense and her footing waver.
As I reached out and grabbed the flag from her hand, a worrying thought struck me:
I left Clifton unguarded—with Dahlia.
What if she attacks him mentally again?
Suddenly, I flinched, my gaze snapping away from Akame. A memory flash and struck—sharp and sudden.
Something traumatic.
Something painful.
Something I wasn't ready to remember.
The trauma pulled me out of focus.
I left him unguarded…
My Mental Shield is still weak, it won't activate if I'm too far from the target...
I gasped, shaken. I'd been so consumed by the memory that I lost control of my Mind Screech—the sound faded, and with it, my grip on the battle.
I gasped, the cold weight of that memory dragging me down like a chain around my chest.
The screech faded.
Akame was already recovering, her stance steadying, her breath now normal and controlled. Her hands dropped from her ears, and her eyes sharpened with focus.
Her amulet glowed with a magenta light, swirling around her in radiant waves. She was ready to counterattack. She picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at me.
"From form to form, bend the object—shape unmake, and rise anew."
"Object Alteration!"
Ability explanation:
(Object Alteration is a Reality Alteration ability that allows the caster to manipulate and reshape physical objects at will. With this ability, the caster can alter an object's form, function, or material. The object doesn't just change its shape—it bends entirely to the caster's intent, as if reality itself is rewritten around it.)
Then, with a small stone forming and growing rapidly, it turned into a massive boulder—hovering midair, ready to crash down on me.
I stood stunned, watching the boulder coming toward me.
"She can't possibly kill me, right?"
I mean—I'm the Main Character of this story.
I was just about to get hit by the boulder.
That's when I heard it—
the chanting of an incantation
"Turn back the clock, unwind the thread—raise what's been lost, let all be made whole and cast anew."
"Chrono Restore!"
Ability explanation:
(Chrono Restore is a Time Manipulation ability that rewinds the state of an object, person, or area to a previous condition—restoring it to its original form. It reverses time for the target, effectively undoing damage, broken, destroyed, decay, or transformation caused by both physical force and magical interference.)
Dahlia was back at their marked line—
maybe Clifton had used his ability, "Step Reverse," to send her there while her partner was too focused on me to notice.
Around us, our fellow Psychics erupted into cheers and applause, the courtyard buzzing with excitement.
The four of us stood across from one another once again—locked in position, eyes sharp, tension thick in the air. Ready for round 2.
Akame got the green flag.
To be continued...