Saif

His mind hurt, his control was gone. His seeds and vines had been burnt to crisps by that lightning bolt. An internal, active attribute. Milo had harnessed the energy in the warhead, he had torn open the blood deposit and grown strong enough to handle the capacity.

“Rachel!”Saif yelled.

There was a continuation of throbbing agony inside his head. Vision blurred, the skin across his body felt like it was burnt. Manifestations could be fueled by other body fluids. Milo had done it, then Saif could too. But how? A spike of pain and the analysis washed away.

Amanda put him down, into a gel couch. Thinking was difficult. Saif barely observed where he was. The flag ship? His mind was broken. His control broken. Everyone under his influence had broken free, at least for a moment. All except his natural loyal soldiers. Like his vanguard.

“RACHEL!” Saif yelled.

“She is on her way,” Amanda said, turned around. “I will stop them, sir. I will make those bastards suffer for what they have done to you.”

To speak was to suffer. “GO!” Saif said.

Amanda melted down into the floor.

With his mind broken he was nothing. A no one. Blind and deaf, back into the wet and cold streets. Eating out of trash cans. It felt like an eternity before she arrived.

“Darling!” Rachel said. “I will make you whole again.”

Her hands grabbed his head so gently. Like feathers. Saif recognized the soothing tingling sensation between the throbbing agony. Vision grew sharp, sounds were picked out again. His mind slowly became unbroken.

Sweat prickled Rachel’s forehead and her breathing laboured.

“What did he do to you?” Rachel said, eyes closed. “Your mind is a mess.”

Saif coughed. “What do you mean, a mess?”

“This will take days to mend. He has fried synapses and cooked your thoughts,” Rachel said.

“DAYS?” Saif said. “I need my mind right now! So I can stop them.”

“Darling, calm down! This will need precision work, there is no other way around it. But I can give you some basic access to your manifestation,” Rachel. “One moment.”

Rachel’s hands on his head were soothing. Like a mother’s warm embrace. How had Milo harnessed his body’s blood? How was it possible?

Saif saw Rachel’s mind, her thoughts. His manifestation returned.

Rachel let go of his head with an exhausted look on her face. “That is the best I can do for now. Now I need sleep.”

“Thank you, my love,” Saif said and they kissed. “I am sorry that I yelled at you.”

Rachel nodded and left him alone in the chamber. Saif sighed. Back into the fray. Saif reached out, as far as his damaged mind allowed him to.