Fun Fact: Sirius City is not the only country with a front-facing elite group of warriors, such as the Guardian Council.
Other notable examples include:
‘The Hero Society’ from Hydrus City, and
‘Magitek Legionnaires’; a team of Grand Artificers from Pollux Isles who specialise in devastating technomagick weaponry.
~ ~ ~
“No, no, you don’t understand. I absolutely cannot deal with children. Surely, there is someone else more patient and qualified to handle—”
Cicero raised a hand to stop Felix’s desperate pleading.
“If there was, that’s where I’d be,” he chuckled, clearly amused at how pitiful the young man looked. “And don’t be so hasty to knock down the idea just yet. You two may have a lot more in common than you think.”
A little girl poked her head around the corner of the wall, as though she had received some sort of hidden cue to show herself. Her black, shoulder-length hair bobbed as she walked nervously towards the adults. Felix folded his arms, not bothering to hide the exasperation on his face.
“Gods, how old is this girl?” he thought to himself. “Ugh, this is so annoying. I’m gonna have a word with Vulcan the next time I see him—”
“I’m thirteen,” the girl spoke up softly. “I’m sorry for being annoying. I… I think it’s best that I just drop out of this program…”
“Nonsense, don’t be afraid of this man here.” Cicero patted her head gently. “He doesn’t bite. Right, Pagonis?”
It took a moment for Felix to notice that the man was glaring at him. He broke his gaze from the girl’s odd-coloured eyes, although his eyebrows were still furrowed.
“Did… Did you just read my mind?”
“I believe she did, Sergeant.” Cicero nodded. “She’s a very powerful telepath. A Tier Five just like you, and at such a tender age, too. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s an Omnipath.”
“An Omni…path?” Felix asked slowly. “Meaning?”
“Meaning her mind can connect with anything. Past, present, future… Even across the infinite universes beyond our own.”
“How curious…” Felix muttered to himself as he unfolded his arms and turned to Aglaia. “Psychic types have always been theorised to be able to carry the energy from other worlds into our own. Some even say that our powers do not deal with the mind, but the soul itself. Though personally speaking, I’ve never felt a trace of this… ‘otherworldly’ power before.”
“Dangerous, is what it is. But Aglaia Helenus here was the only candidate for this newly launched program,” Cicero replied darkly, shaking his head. “I wasn’t expecting much, to be honest. Not many Meta parents want to give up their children to a primarily Magi organisation, especially not during these times. But only one? That’s just pitiful.”
“I suppose it’s easier for me, too; I’ll also be learning on the job.” Felix bent down and gave Aglaia a warm smile. “Aglaia, was it? Pleasure to meet you. My name’s Felix Pagonis. I’m sorry about earlier. I promise we’ll take good care of you, alright?”
“I’m sorry for reading your mind without permission, too,” Aglaia said timidly. “I promise I won’t do that again.”
“Well, well! Looks like you guys are warming up to each other nicely!” Cicero clasped his hands loudly. “And with that, my job here is done. Cleric Vulcan, shall we head somewhere a little more private to discuss the other developments for the Guardian Council?”
“Certainly. Right this way, Druid Cicero.” Cybele nodded and gestured to another room, practically ignoring Felix’s silent pleas for help.
The sound of trotting boots signalled their departure, so Felix grudgingly turned his attention back to the girl.
Calm down, Felix. She’s not Marcia… Nothing bad’s gonna happen again. Come on, keep it together…
Aglaia blinked at him, her eyes burning with both innocence and apprehension. Felix pursed his lips and turned around, wordlessly leading the way down a plain-looking corridor.
He tried his best to keep his thoughts private, although he wasn’t yet sure how powerful that girl’s telepathy was. As far as he remembered, his psychic powers were barely even a quarter as powerful when he was thirteen, as compared to now. Perhaps it was no different for Aglaia as well.
Felix pulled out a wand and waved it in front of a set of metallic doors. There was a pressurised hiss as the doors unlatched and slid open. He ushered the girl forward, allowing her to gape at the advanced training grounds of the Guardian Council.
“Welcome, Aglaia—” He gestured to the large space that surrounded them.
“—To the Guardian Council.”
~ ~ ~
If there was anything larger than the ego of Sirius City’s government, it was their military budget. While the rest of the world advanced at a regular pace, the military installations in Sirius City were furnished with technology at least five years ahead of the rest of the world. And being the crown jewel of their military might, the Guardian Council’s training facilities were just a little more than humble.
Amazement melted away Aglaia’s shyness as she scurried to the windows, looking over at the arcane robots that kept the array of technomagick weapons pristine and clean. She watched in awe at the group of Magis proficiently dispatching their combat simulations in a large room below.
“Wow, this is so cool!” Aglaia exclaimed, pressing her face against yet another pane of glass. Felix smiled quietly to himself at her adorable demeanour. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all.
“So… ahem.” Felix tried his best to sound as formal as possible. “The Guardian Council was founded about ten years ago by our previous president, Cosmo Benedictus. Our current president, Alcaeus Vulcan, was assigned to be in charge of this organisation back then. The leadership has since shifted over to Cleric Cybele Vulcan ever since he took up the Presidential seat. Now, we have a history of…”
His voice trailed away as Aglaia ran off to admire another relic encased behind a magically shielded glass container.
“Well, someone’s excited.”
“S— Sorry!” Aglaia squeaked and scuttled back to Felix. “I… I’ve just never imagined seeing so many fascinating things before.”
“Give it a few months, and I guarantee you won’t be giving them a second glance.” Felix chuckled. “So, mind telling me a little more about your ability and why you’re here?”
“Oh… I can read minds. That’s it.” The girl shifted uncomfortably. Felix tilted his head slightly and knelt in front of her. He held out his hand, waiting for the slightly confused girl to reach for it.
“You’re a Tier Five Meta, just like me. I know how it feels to have so much power and so little control over what it can do,” Felix said, lifting his mind block as a show of trust. “Why are you really here, Aglaia?”
“Promise you won’t tell anyone else?”
He nodded.
“I’m adopted, and my parents are Magis,” Aglaia began. “Our family was never well-to-do, so I chose to join this organisation to bring prestige and a better life for them. That’s what I told the authorities anyway. But the truth is…”
Her fingers retracted away from Felix’s still outstretched hand.
“I… I want to learn how to better control my power. I need to, if I want to use it to help others. I’ve already learnt to shut out most of the voices in my head, but more keep coming.” The girl shuddered, squeezing her eyes shut.
“Voices? Whose voices?”
“The voices of everyone around me… The voices of the past, present, and future. I can connect with them all, but it’s so much. And… I lose control sometimes.”
“Then focus on one at a time, Aglaia.” Felix closed his hand, leaving a single finger out. “Focus on mine.”
The girl’s hand trembled as she slowly reached for it. She closed her eyes again, as if afraid that she would kill him with a single touch.
“See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” Felix projected his thoughts into her mind. Aglaia gasped slightly, but she kept her finger stuck to his.
“You’re like me…” she answered telepathically.
“I’m not as strong as you, but I’ll do my best to guide you. You don’t have to bear the burden of your power alone.”
The psychic connection severed as Felix moved his hand away. He stood up again and gently patted the girl on the head. She was so much like him.
“The common room’s that way.” Felix gestured casually to another door. “Take some time to settle down. I’ll be back with some administrative documents, and you’ll be free to go home for the day.”
Aglaia nodded.
~ ~ ~
Being an Esper came with many benefits, and getting multiple things done at the same time was the best perk Felix enjoyed by far. There was a clatter of pens hitting marble as the signed documents flew into Felix’s hands at the same time.
Sure, what he just did could be replicated by the average educated Magi, but there was a certain charm to the subtlety that his psychokinesis was capable of. Felix was floating along the long hallway, eager to get the last of his documents filed away, when his superior stepped out of a meeting room right in front of him.
“Done with the meeting?” Felix stopped in his tracks as Cybele approached him. “I take it Cicero has already left.”
“Obviously.” The woman folded her arms with a sarcastic expression on her face. Her gaze darted to the documents in his hands. “I take it you’ve accepted Miss Helenus as your protégée.”
“I didn’t know I could reject her.” Felix cringed slightly at how formal ‘Miss Helenus’ sounded. “But I won’t, anyway. Let’s just say she has a lot of potential.”
“I’m not sure I’m okay with this. She’s a kid—”
“She’s a powerful being. I’m not going to risk turning her away and have her turn on us.”
“You don’t believe that.”
“You’re right, I don’t.” Felix’s body left the ground as he turned away, preparing to leave.
“You have a soft spot for her; anyone can see that,” Cybele insisted. “I hope you remember she’s not actually your sister. I’m trying my very best to keep everything running smoothly. The last thing I need is for someone to screw things up because they lost control of their emotions.”
Felix dropped to the ground with a loud thud and turned back to the woman.
“You’re a very different person from your father, you know that?” He snapped at his leader, Guardian Council ranking be damned. “I hope you remember that almost every Guardian has been in the council longer than you have been their leader, so it would be best if you showed us a little more respect.”
Cybele pursed her lips, glaring back at him. Felix breathed heavily, allowing the tension in the air to simmer.
“I don’t have time for this.” The woman broke the silence with an obviously clenched jaw. “Your good friend, Gaius, has been skipping training lately. I hope you don’t start behaving like him as well.”
“He’s no more my good friend than he is your subordinate. We all have our own problems to deal with, leader. Do not make your problem mine to fix.”
Felix walked out of the hallway, allowing Cybele’s hostile glares to bounce off his back as the doors closed between them.218Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZiJSdYIJK
