Chapter Theme Music: Acoustic Levitation ~ {Between Continents & Weddell Sea} (Unusual Cosmic Process)217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ziLCB5PjV
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<Telepathic Link: Disabled>
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With every moment I spent here, every exhale reeked of passive concern. Even though I was the one being examined, so much of my thoughts trailed back the same person, enough to set me in a slight daze of silence.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtEesAjWfK3
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"All is well with the physical checkup Lumina. You are in perfect health, as expected." Royal Scryer Kaileen was typing away into the medical fields on the mounted terminal of the temple's medical room, all in a day's work for her.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlS2lkL5Mv5
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I have known some of the Royal Scryers personally for a long time, but ever since I sent that purge more than a year back, I have not had the chance to catch glimpse of Ethsia. I don't know what I would say to her if I did see her again, but I imagine she still must be angry with me. Most of the scryers were that day, especially when the queen have us Cy-Stars a longer leash than expected. Since I'm still in regular communication with my human node, we are not to be punished by the queen for defying the law, at least, not yet.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡok3vKaKKfZ
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I could tell that Kaileen wasn't bothered by our presence at all. I didn't know the reasons why she was as accepting of the overall situation, and it might still be possible that she is only hiding her protest to avoid backlash from our great queen.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcdvbla74Mo
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At least today, our appearance in the Altiri Temple was calm, orderly, and expected. They were giving me a medical checkup, the post-purge checkup to be precise. Any Altiri aggressor group who sends a purge must obtain this checkup shortly after they purge a subject, and shortly after the purge cycle completes itself on the target. "Of course I'm in perfect health. I have to be. I can't allow anyone to worry about me that way." In strict confidence, I knew Kaileen would not share my voice with my sisters, though keeping myself healthy was really not a challenge. I initially struggled to find balance in hydration, since our connections take more out of us, but purified water is free and plentiful for us aggressor groups, and I've kept myself hydrated.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QDps3bJ3N
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"Just keep up your water supply and you should be fine keeping it that way." Kaileen handed me another bottle hidden beneath her dangling feet, which I accepted graciously.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYBOoZyvJv
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"Thank you." I felt conflicted just being here. Half of me wanted to get this over with, as if rushing through this visit would mean I'd be several hours closer to hearing his voice again. The rational side of me knew better; time advances at the same rate all the time, the wait never-ending in an endless cycle. I would be bored out of my mind back on my own ship, and so coming here felt different, a break from routine when I needed it most.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1zN9BWZTO9
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"Alright Lumina. Next I need to ask more personal questions. First I need you to link with me... Are you ready?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnUZFDi0BU1
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"Go ahead." Even though I wasn't too sure what she would be asking me, I was ever so calm anyway, and I did expect there to be a second phase to this. It is the job of all Royal Scryers to collect information on all aggressor groups, especially on those who have purged already; it is the queen's will, and so I must answer as best I can.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrrkUGdpgic
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"All you need to do now is reply to me Lumina."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25b2DtECfR
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"I hear you loud and clear Kaileen." Without objecting, I replied to Kaileen telepathically as she requested, to which she nodded and entered more log information to the terminal.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJTDaMGsLx
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"Alright, I'll unlink us now. Your Cora is in good shape too." Though it was something both of us already knew, I've heard terrible rumors in the past, rumors about the slow but more intense degradation of Altiri Coras from those who had a more rough time recovering from a purge. Things don't always go smoothly, and I have luck to thank that our purge was so successful.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLHD30p8GK
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"That's it for physical data. Please tell me Lumina; how is everything going between you and your subject?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdmNFb86Jy2
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"There's a lot to cover." I wasn't lying. Even though it's barely been a month, so much has already happened between me and Reed.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0jRuYlN2p
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"Please try to focus on psionic details for now. The variable strength of your unique connections, and everything about how your subject handles them. I'm looking for info on how well you maintain telepathy between yourself and the human you have purged."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTFV0bskqPQ
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"Oh." It's more simple than I thought then. Kaileen only cares about the statistical and empirical information. "Reed has been calling me back as often as he possibly can, which is thankfully a lot since his location is in the beginning of the winter season. I don't think Reed is struggling with the connection too much now that he is used to it, and I am having no difficulties either."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeheyilAjoE
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"May I ask the specifics of how your senses share and compare in different connection strengths?" Kaileen started to appear livelier. As a scryer, she is interested in the larger data pool of psionics. Even if I give her an answer that all other aggressor groups have, it becomes relevant later to advance the study of psionics for other non-royal scryers.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLNItxOZuA
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Truth be told, I too am interested in the subject, but I was more glad that she wasn't asking questions that I thought were too personal. "In a weaker connection, the first sense that is lost is that of shared clairsentience. Afterwards, it is shared clairvoyance, and finally, all sound becomes distant until the connection is entirely disabled." I knew this was consistent with every other Altiri handling a purge. From my own phrasing, it means that when starting with a good connection and having a weakening to it from weather on Earth, the shared sensations and vision are first to go in that order. A psionic scryer would take this to mean that sharing of physical and emotional senses in a telepathic connection require a bit more psionic energy than merely sharing sight and sound, while sight carries more energy and data than sound. Furthermore, unlike a link between one Altiri and another, this proves that telepathy can function in a very limited state and still remain active. "As for a very powerful connection, I don't think we have had one too strong just yet. I am waiting for the day it gets cold enough for that to happen."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrI6dGV2nQG
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"Understood. How about different modes within the same telepathy? Have you been able to invoke any variations or changes in a link of your own in any manner?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3bzLrTOW38
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Though I knew what she was asking, I had to wonder if other aggressor groups had any struggle with it. Telepathic phasing and amplification were things I never knew I could do before now. "I have learned how to place an existing connection into phase, limiting the state to save some of our energy. Reed is trying to learn how to unphase the connection on his own, but he did mess it up a few times and wipe out the connection, calling me back a bit after."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPzHbGq1Hl
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"After anywhere between twenty minutes to an hour, right?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JtSDkiisD
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"Yeah. How did you know about that delay?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJnbDc6HPf
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"It is consistent with other reports. Whenever a link between an Altiri and a human are severed, intentionally or accidentally, there is a bit of waiting period required before a new link can be established. Our theory is that the human Cora takes a small bit of harmless strain during that moment of disconnection, and thus needs some time to recharge." She's also referencing the delay factor of psionic strain.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21iJd4lh6K
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Reed told me about this before, that he feels physically and mentally drained, exactly ten seconds after we disconnect from each other, for no more than a few seconds on most occasion, but that ten second factor is also a shared detail with other groups, as I learned on my own. If either one of us is already dehydrating right as we disconnect, it could become more dramatic of a drain. "I've also learned how to invoke telepathic amplification, by altering the psionic load shared between us. It doesn't always work well, and it especially doesn't go well if the connection is already in poor strength. Reed also cautions me on using it."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3FjP73bmQ
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"Interesting." Kaileen paused for a moment, thinking mysteriously what I could not read since we were not currently linked. She stared at me before asking another question off record. "I'm glad to hear that this Reed cares about you enough to warn you that amplification is still understudied and is therefore dangerous, but I didn't expect him to grasp the hint that it could be dangerous in the first place."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eJ5DWMQ1f
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"Y-yeah. Reed still has a long way to go before he understands much about our world, but he's taking in the information very well, especially about psionics."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4kd2yXPNnp
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"You must still be careful with amplification. While the usage of it has never fatally hurt any Altiri before, there have apparently been a few close calls in the past from others. It is a useful ability, so long as you don't overdraw and strain yourself for more than you can handle."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmxr2GhsjZ
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"Thank you for your concern, but I'll be fine. I already know how to use it cautiously, and I've already survived one purge."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSmcWmKN6O
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"Has Reed presented himself with any unique powers since his purge finished?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3H92boJrHk
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"No, I don't think so. He mentioned to me once that he might have had a lucid dream during the purge cycle, but it's to be expected, and has not happened since the purge has ended."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfAPxOobhu
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"It is unlikely to change, but if anything ever does, please bring it up in your quarterly meetings in the Altiri Temple."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnakwp7sdgW
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"As always." Aggressor groups are expected to report lots of personal information about their subjects in and after a purge, particularly if it is psionically related. However, given our unique condition and our understanding with the queen, it's more of a requirement than a suggestion. "I'm also getting the hang of using three-way telepathy, but I'm not perfect at it yet."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxqrPjNy2hJ
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"Three-way telepathy? You mean, as a handler?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡel8GvWKU7r
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Her confusion was expected without elaboration. There are many ways to assume what the ability entails. As a handler of three-way, the implication is that I would host the connection, but concentrate all signals between Reed some someone other than myself; it can't be someone else, Reed, and myself all at the same time, since it takes up too much energy. "Yes. It appears that this also requires lots of load shifting, so if I do get it right and wish to test it out, I will have to wait until the connection between us is incredibly powerful. Even then, I'm not sure if it will work or how much time I can get out of it."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBdwVzA5U4
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"Well, I'm amazed you are finding unique ways to use your own telepathic powers, and impressed that you realize how risky it is to invoke the ability in question... Does Reed really care about you though?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAYE9PR1a1U
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Here she was at last, Kaileen, dropping the scryer act and letting her true self show before me. I expected this and more earlier, with more negative passion as Ethsia and another revealed to me before. It was hard to tell if Kaileen was just curious and skeptical, or still upset with me from what I did. "I like to think so. Reed has regarded me as a good friend of his as of late, and he has shown passive concern for my own wellbeing. But..." My words trailed off, while the mild panic from before seeped in. My thoughts about the whole situation were so rampant and disorganized. How certain am I that Reed loves me the same way I love him now? I can't be certain, and that's what makes all of this crazy. "I don't want to consider the alternate possibility, not right now."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZUXYVFK4P
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"Then, you are still afraid, afraid that you might one day lose him."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQjZMmZpcO
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"Kaileen!" I begged her to put a lid on this, just for right now, and for some reason, after seeing the moisture in my eyes, she collected her own breath and granted this tiny wish.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8q6lggB4Tm
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"You must understand one thing Lumina. The queen and I want you to succeed in taming this boy."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZfYfhhJjxK
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"I'm not taming anyone. I want Reed to see our world for how it really is, to see myself for who I really am, and fall in love with it all form his own heart. I don't care if it risky to you; I won't lie to him or deceive him."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡswqR9P1jjo
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"I should be less worried, just from knowing how much you understand what is at stake, even though your motivations and ours fly separate routes to the same end goal."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzGgWDrtSH
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"Then please tell the others not to worry. I won't let what happened to Leibra happen to me."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡteosWbJ5a4
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"You cannot control that possible outcome Lumina, and you of all people should know as much... But I won't try to discourage you. I just want you to be realistically prepared for any eventuality."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwIwVO12Ny
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It then hit me; the reason why her words dug too deep into me, terrifying me beyond anything I've ever felt. The mere possibility that Reed rejects us still persists, and it may never fade away. No matter what we've been telling other scryers, no matter what promises I make to everyone else, I won't accept a voluntary rejection, because I am unable to...217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKImCZUV9Kq
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It's unthinkable, unfathomable that I might one day never see him again! I can't accept it! I won't accept it! I have to trust in myself and in Reed now more than ever before, even if there is a chance I will only arrive in ruin. This very same risk, I've dealt with it before, that day when I sent my purge to Reed. The very same risk has existed before, and I didn't back down then, so I sure as hell won't be backing down now.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRArI7qcK09
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"Determined as ever I see."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdutVmY0C1G
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"Would you rather me be unsure of myself until I'm a total wreck?" I don't get what Kaileen expects of me right now.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfoer9To373
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"You certainly live up to leader of the Cy-Stars, even now. I hear so much negative talk about you girls these days, from the other Royal Scryers. The queen has already made her ruling on your group; that you are to be pardoned for this crime if you can eventually get Reed to swear his allegiance to The Unity in front of our great queen. Skeptical as I was before, I for one agree with the queen's decision, placing highest priority on the best outcome of a horrible situation. The other scryers however, they are not taking this choice very well."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGfMCtE0Zq
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"Don't they have to though?" The queen I know wouldn't let that kind of defiance linger for too long, not at the risk they might try to target us for something.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNlYfGQLGF
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"Indeed they must accept it. The queen has already applied mild punishment on some of her own scryers for lashing out, emphasis on mild. We all understand their anger and their frustration. Lumina? Even if your situation ends up going the way we want it to, it will inevitably lead to a future situation where another aggressor group might also want to purge a heathen, and if denied by the queen for the same law we have now, might lead to a repeat or worse defiance. If nothing else, even though Reed is the first male human to be purged by us, he might not become the last. I think this is what upsets them so."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nDuhrPx4t
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As much as I hated to admit it, Kaileen was right. Our situation, between Reed and I is still bigger than us both; it will affect our entire future of people, the future of purging as well. It might even affect our hatred of heathens including my very own, for I once believed all men of earth to be one and the same, only to learn it was not the truth, an epiphany that may spread wider after this year.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwnaP22Wlf
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I want the same things as our scryers, for us Altiri and Humans to live in a peaceful harmony, in a world where purges last longer and are made of heart, truth, and success, or in my case, as I learn of it only now, my love for one of them. It won't happen anytime soon, for only 11 humans know of our existence at the moment, a number too low to sway the hearts and minds of their own collective species. But it would be nice, knowing that both our worlds benefit from these purges over time. Even so, my main motivation for doing so is Reed, and I won't invite guilt to that selfishness.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0BzaIYVv8r
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"Your hesitation to agree scares me, Lumina."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zcqLxbje6
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"I do agree though. It's just..."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmBE2gLgyP
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"You care about him too, more than you've vocalized." Even she can tell?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzyH34F3idw
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"Please don't tell the other scryers. I don't know how they would react to such news."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMWePlKSKw
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"For once, you and I are of the same mind. Either way, if there is nothing else, we are done with the examination. Everything is looking good."217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFR49y9lCGu
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"Just, tell me one thing Kaileen." She isn't the first to figure out that my feelings for Reed run deeper than I ever thought they could go, and it wasn't long ago that I began to realize this myself. "How obvious is it to you that I love Reed?"217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJLPUs1Mfu
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"W-well, I don't know. I could kind of just tell. It isn't something I find easy to put into words." Why was she a bit timid answering me?217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcDGJZUKhIH
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The reason doesn't matter. If my sisters can figure out that I'm in love with Reed, and another Altiri who I don't consider family can see it written in my body language too, how much longer do I have until Reed realizes the same? Maybe I'm overreacting at the thought; Reed is at least oblivious to these specific feelings, likely because he has such little experience in feeling them, only one ex-girlfriend to be exact.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmBKVvFESMr
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But what if I'm wrong? As keen as his observation skills are, what if he eventually realizes that I do love him? I can't let that happen yet. I don't want him to think highly of me for knowing how I see him. That idiot doesn't understand that love isn't supposed to work that way. My feelings must remain a secret from him, until the day comes where he is ready. If the next year's summer is the hell I've predicted it to be, it will shed light on how he thinks of me then.217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKeCnfgn3hZ
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"I must say," Kaileen added, "even I'm not sure what to make of it. It's never happened before in our world; an Altiri falling in love with a male human, especially with telepathy involved. How many more surprises are we in for from you Lumina?"
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