Sniffing the air, a familiar smell fill its nostrils. It has been too long since it smelled this scent. The scent of the prey.

And not just any prey. The original prey.

This time, it won't escape.

It will fulfill its purpose.

And with that, the hunt began.

Eros and I arrive at mansion a couple of hours before dinner time. Except for some pickpockets, we had no trouble on the way there.

We go over to the front entrance that was guarded by a couple of guards. By their age, they must be new.

“Hello, we are guests of the lord, and would like to get in”, I say to the guard on the left.

The guard on the right pulls out a list full of names.

“What are both of your names?”, the guard asks.

“Jack and Eros”, I tell him.

He begins searching through the names. After a couple of seconds, his eyes open wide.

Seems that he realized who we are.

“Sorry for not recognizing you sir! You can go in now”, the guard says with very fast voice.

We go in, and I quietly hear the two guards talking.

“Hey, who were those two guys?”, one asks.

“Did you not listen to what the captain said in the morning? If we saw those to individuals, we had to be as polite as possible, or we would get fired. You should really try to listen when the captains talking”, the other said.

There were a few seconds of silence.

“I.. I think your right on that one. Almost tried to arrest those guys for suspicious behavior”

“Be glad, you didn't!”

With there still being a few hours until the dinner, Eros and I discussed what to do.

He wanted to go out to the gardens, and study the individual enchantments, while I wanted to go back to our room, and begin studying this new book. Because of that, we decided to split up, and reconvene half a hour before dinner.

I began heading to our room. While before it would be a problem finding the way, I luckily had eidetic memory, so finding the way was easy.

I got to the room in about five minutes.

I walked inside, sat down at the table, and put the bag down. I took out two books. The new Psionic book and the Shapeshifting book.

Before I even began studying the Psionic book, I would need the abilities of one. To get that, I would have to shapeshift some part of my brain, so it would work like a Psychics.

I open the book, and began to search through it. I guessed that it would be listed under semi-permanent enhancements, so I began my search there.

My guess proved fruitful, and I quickly found it listed there.

Name of Enhancement: Psionic Potential

Description: A change in a small part of your brain that gives you the Potential to be a Greater Psionic. This change will also give a small increase in your Psionic pool.

Warning: This is a change in your brain! Get some experience before attempting anything related to your head. If anything goes wrong, immediately contact your Master. Don't try to fix it yourself!

Precisely what I'm looking for!

While I took the warning seriously, I at least had to remember that I changed a bigger part of my brain without anything going wrong.

…

Wait a minute. Was I supposed to fall unconscious after I changed my brain last time? Well, no use worrying about it now.

I study the pattern and begin memorizing it. While the memorizing part was very easy, I had trouble really understanding the pattern.

Most of the other patterns made sense if you slowly went through all of it, piece by piece. This one didn't.

The more I stared at it, the more confused I got.

Why would the spiral be there, if its normally over there? Shouldn't the second part and fifth part be switched? This pattern just doesn't make any sense to me. How the hell will this mess give me the psychic powers?!

After a few minutes of trying to figure the pattern out, I simply gave up. It was simply too advanced, or I was just missing something. Probably the latter.

I slowly began changing a part of my brain chemistry to match the pattern. I was, of course, very slow in doing so. While I wasn't an expert on the brain, even I knew that any mistake could possibly leave me to being brain dead.

I finished the shapeshifting, and wait to see the results.

Ten seconds later, and I feel nothing out of the ordinary.

Must take a while to work.

Five minutes, and still nothing out of the ordinary.

Maybe I did it wrong?

I look over the pattern and see nothing wrong with what I did.

Maybe I just need some fresh air to think this through. I could go see how Eros´ studying is going. Yea, I'm gonna go do that.

I stand up and almost fall face first into the ground.

“Whoops! I must have been sitting down for too long”, I said to myself.

I begin feeling wet under my nose.

Did I get sick? Oh no, wait. That's not snot. That's… blood?

I begin feeling a pounding headache coming in.

“I'm just gonna go lie down a…”, I said to myself.

And with that, I fell unconscious while landing on the ground face first.

“Jack! Jack, wake up! We´re gonna be late for the dinner!”, Eros said, while repeatedly slapping my cheeks.

I open my eyes, and discover that i'm lying on the ground.

´He could just have said that he needed some sleep, so I would know to get him a few minutes before.´

“I'm sorry, what did you say?”, I asked, with a sleepy voice. Why does he speak like I'm not even here?

“I said, that we are late! We need to hurry, or we will be very late!”, Eros almost shouted at me. He really didn't want to miss dinner.

It felt like I had a bad hangover, and I just wanted to sleep.

Maybe a couple more minutes…

Eros slaps me again before I even close my eyes completely.

“If I have to carry you all the way, I will”, Eros said.

Not gonna let that happen.

“Fine, Fine, Fine. I'm up!”, I say to him, while pulling myself up from the ground.

“Good! Lets go!”, Eros said, while pulling me with him.

I slip from his grip easily and begin to walk on his side.

“So, do you know where it is?”, I ask him.

“Yup. Asked one of the servants on the way to get you. By the way, you should have told me that you were gonna sleep. If I had known that, I would have woken you up a few minutes before dinner, so you would have time to dress up. We are already five minutes late, and I am not really sure if the lord will take offense to that”, Eros said, begging to slowly increase he walking speed.

After a few seconds, he began full-on running, and I began having trouble keeping up.

“Can you slow down a bit! I already know that I am going to be sweaty, if we keep this pace up”, I say to Eros.

We slow down a little, but we don't reach the walking levels and stay more on the jogging levels of speed.

We reach our destination in under five minutes.

Right as I try to open the door, Eros stops me from even touching it.

“Before we walk in, there's something I need to ask you”, Eros said, in a slightly serious voice. “When we are in their presence, can you try to be a little… Let's call it acting with some degree of etiquette”

Already thought I that act with some etiquette, but I guess not. Three guesses as to why, and I think I know the answer.

“Sure”, I tell him, while opening the door.

Inside, the room lighting is from candles placed throughout the room. Some were placed on the table, some were on candle holders on the wall, and some were even placed on the ceiling, looking like lamps.

Erik and Elora were sitting at the table, with Elora looking a little impatient. That look disappeared when she saw Eros though.

“Sorry for being late. Somebody was a little sleepy”, Eros said, with a little grin.

Erik smiled at that one, while Elora laughed a little.

So, it looks i'm the scapegoat

“It's no problem. Some people just need their nap before dinner”, Erik said, a grin slowly forming on his face.

Definitely the scapegoat.

“Sit down now. The food has already been prepared, and we wouldn't want it getting cold”, Erik said, while signaling to a servant.

A pair of servants quickly brought the appetizers.

It was a simple soup. It was a lightish red color with a white, from creme fraiche, on one side. The soup was absolutely delicious. It had a taste reminding me of curry and a hint of paprika. It mixed very well, when you took some of the creme fraiche with the soup.

´Get that look off your face´

I hear Eros tell me something, but it sounded almost like there was some static making it hard to understand.

“I'm sorry, what did you say?”, I asked Eros.

“What?”, Eros asks, in a confused voice.

“What did you say?”, I asked him again. If he tells me something, he gotta at least try to hear what I say to him.

“I didn't say anything. Are you still sleepy, or something?”, Eros says, with a hint of a smile.

He didn't say a word? But I swear I heard something. Maybe i'm just a little tired.

“There's a chance”, I said.

And with that, I continued eating. As did everyone else.

I look over and see that Erik was staring at me. Though, when we make eye contact, he looks away.

Weird.

All of us eat the rest of our soup, and the main course is served soon after.

It's a simple steak with some potatoes and salad on the side.

One of the servants that brought in the food tells us that the steak was from a Dire Wolf and that the potatoes and salad were made with the help of a Skilled Biomancer.

Interesting... I have no idea what a Biomancer is though.

I didn't really know how to explain the taste of the steak. The meat itself reminded me of cow- and horse meat, but the seasoning, I wasn't so sure about. It reminded me of that time I used Herbs de Provence. Overall, It was a great steak.

The potatoes and salad were great, but nothing to write home about. The potatoes had a bit too much salt, and the salad was a little bland, only having three different ingredients.

´Can you hear me?´

I hear Erik ask

“Yes, I can hear you”, I tell Erik.

Wait, did he say something, or did I think he said something?

Instead of having the same reaction as Eros, Erik smiled a more.

“It seems that there are some things I don't know about you, Jack. But, I mean, who could have guessed that you're a Psionic”, Erik said, in a slightly surprised voice.

Elora quietly gasped at that.

Psionic? Wait, that could only mean…. IT WORKED. I knew I didn't do anything wrong!

“I only found out today that I had the talent for it, so I couldn't really have said anything”, I said.

Would not want to reveal that I was a Shapeshifter.

Erik laughs a little when I say that.

“Being able to do Telepathy on day one. You have the potential to be a great Psionic”, Erik said.

“When did you get the ability today?”, Eros asked, with a voice full of curiosity.

“Remember when I slept on the bare ground? It was a little before that I got it. It was probably the reason for me falling unconscious in the first place”, I told him.

“That seems accurate. When awakening you Psionic abilities, some side-effects usually appear. Most of them are harmless though. Some get nosebleeds, some get headaches, and some, like you, fall unconscious. Some people even believe that the extent that you get these side-effects show your future potential”, Erik explained.

Looks like I have great potential then.

“Dad, can't we discuss this after dinner? It is bad manners to talk during dinner”, Elora reminded Erik.

“Sure, sure”, Erik said. He would comply with most things his daughter said.

We ate the rest of the food in silence, while silently enjoying the great food.

When everybody was done, the dessert was brought in. Before one of the servants could explain what the desert was, Erik began talking.

“This is one of my favorites. I have liked those butter-pies”, he said, with a smile showing nostalgia.

You could hardly call this a pie of any sort. It looked like some sort of yellow ice-cream on sticks.

They were laid out on a plate, one of them for each of us.

We each took one, and I bit into it.

To say the least, it was not what I was expecting. While it was ice-cold on the outside, on the inside molten. If I had to describe it, I would say that it was buttery and creamy … with maybe just a hint of toffee.

While I would not mind in the slightest if I had another, they only had one for each person.

Everybody finished their desert, and I took the chance to ask something that had been bugging me these last few minutes.

How was Erik able to communicate with me? For all I know, he isn't a Psionic of any kind, so how did I hear him. I don't really know how to use Telepathy, so it couldn't have been me.

“Hey, Erik. How did you ask me if I could hear you, if you aren't a psychic yourself? Do you have a artifact that lets you do that, or something?”, I asked Erik, with a curious voice.

Erik chuckled at that.

“I don't have any artifact of that sort. When you heard me, it was the first successful attempt. I had been trying for over ten minutes. I even had to lower all of my defences, so you would have a chance”, Erik explained.

Defenses?

“What do you mean defenses? Like, mental defenses?”, I asked.

“Yes. After a Aboleth infiltrated, and mind controlled, a whole fort full of mages for over five months, every mage of higher standing has to be trained in mental defences. Wouldn't want some psychic to take over this city just by coming close to me”. Erik explained.

Huh… didn't know there was something like that. I should probarly learn that soon.

We talked some more for about thirty minutes before we decided to call it quits.

It was getting late, and Erik had some preparations to do. He didn't tell me what it was but said that I could figure it out if I thought about it.

Eros and I left Elora and Erik in the dining room and went to our own room. Eros wanted to sleep, so I decided to continue experimentation tomorrow.

After all, some people just needed something peaceful and quiet.