‎" The three of you should leave right now. Use the window."

‎The grey-haired woman silently stood behind the invisible wall, seemingly unbothered by the chaotic stare of things in the room.

‎In front of them, a second wall appeared sealing them off from any of the dangerous Talented's attacks.

‎While Jamil prattled on, Aisha's voice echoed in the three boys' minds simultaneously.

‎Xander smiled dangerously, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

‎" How can we trust that it's actually you and not this freak trying to make us jump to our deaths. These two at least... "

‎The two other boys silently glared at him.

‎Xander shrugged, grinning at the changes in their expressions.

‎Aisha inwardly tutted at the question.

‎" Well, try attacking him now, if I'm correct, he has been reading your thoughts and using that information, he was reacting to your attacks, he shouldn't be able to do so now."

‎With the speed at which assassins moved, not to mention a novice like Xander, keeping up with them in combat was nothing short of impossible for ordinary human beings.

‎ Even with the advantage of being able to read his thoughts beforehand, the wild talented should have still been at a disadvantage since reading his thoughts and moves was one thing, but reacting to them was an entirely different story.

‎Indeed, because of this uncanny ability, fighting the telepath had been a giant pain so far, but what made it truly agonizing was the artifact that the man had on hand.

‎Without missing a beat, Xander stealthily lunged forward, stabbing his blade into Jamil's side.

‎Like before, the artifact flared to life, shielding the man from the Umbranite blade's lethal bite.

‎Except for watching Jamil this time, a flicker of uncertainty flashed through the Talented's russet eyes.

‎"Ah, I see..."

‎Xander grinned, jumping back.

‎Unless the man was truly exceptional at manipulation and was an expert at controlling his emotions...

‎" He didn't see this one coming... "

‎Remaining motionless, Aisha continued to speak.

‎"There's not much time. All you need to know is that I've joined my ability to the point where I can interfere with the psychic powers of others similarly gifted and Talented."

‎Aisha's gaze remained fixed on the man standing before her, eyes expressionlessly watching him rant on and on.

‎"You'll have to trust me. Leap out through the window, and I'll use my ability to safely guide all three of you to the ground unnoticed."

‎Xander curtly nodded, subtly gesturing to the other two.

‎"Well then, we'll leave you to it then."

‎In the next second, the three youths moved as one.

‎Darting back in unison, Xander crashed through the window in a shower of glass.

‎With a low shout, a focused wave of umbralis burst forth from him, pulverizing the jagged shards of glass.

‎A split second later, he was quickly followed by Warren, then Edmund; the two boys shivering slightly from the chilly air at the higher altitude.

‎Edmund flailed around frantically, mentally cursing out loud.

‎"Shit, shit, shit! Crap!"

‎The three boys fell freely, hurtling suicidally towards the ground at a terrific speed. Despite their alarming descent, none of the passersby spared them a glance.

‎Xander smiled, watching the ground rise to meet him at a startling speed.

‎" Well, lady, anytime now would be good..."

‎Almost in unison, Edmund and Warren's eyes glowed slightly.

‎" Don't..." a familiar voice rang out in their heads.

‎A split second later, the momentum of their descent slowed down considerably.

‎"It's almost like I'm a feather."

‎For a brief moment, their bodies became almost completely weightless, descending gently to the ground in a nearby alley.

‎The three of them silently stared up at the top floor of the Vogue in tense anticipation.

‎Xander and Warren wore similarly calm looks, while Edmund looked slightly jittery

‎"I wonder how it's going to go down," Xander thought, quietly sheathing his blades back into their hidden sheaths.

‎" Do you think she can beat him?" Edmund asked, turning to Warren and Xander.

‎Warren silently nodded, squatting down.

‎" That woman may be old, but I can tell you that right now, she's much stronger than I am, and possibly even him."

‎Xander smirked, tucking his coat around himself.

‎" I can't tell for sure since that man was holding out on us, but I'd say with the kind of power she's revealed so far, she has a decent chance of coming out on top."

‎A split second later, an explosion ripped through the top floor of the hotel.

‎Chaos and pandemonium erupted throughout the street.

‎The three youths watched the building intently without moving from the spot where they stood.

‎"And here I thought she wanted to keep things quiet."

‎A few moments later, a second explosion rocked the building, the aftershock rippling through the ground.

‎A steady of stream of guests flowed out of the Vogue, frantically moving away from the rapidly deteriorating building.

‎Xander observed them intently

‎After a few moments, he smiled mischievously, running his hand through his hair.

‎ Assuming a distraught expression, he turned, gesturing to Edmund and Warren.

‎" Hey, watch this."

‎In the next moment, he frantically approached one of the visibly rattled occupants of the hotel.

‎Edmund frowned, watching the older boy's advance.

‎" What is he doing?"

‎The person he chose was a short and slightly chubby woman with shoulder-length braids dressed in a loose red t-shirt and dark faded jeans.

‎" Ma'am, ma'am, excuse me, ma'am."

‎The woman turned ay the sound of his voice, frowning slightly.

‎" Yes?"

‎" I was just inquiring what seems to be the matter. You see, I have two younger brothers that I'd left at the hotel, they wanted a snack..."

‎" The hotel management says there's a fire on the top floor, and they're doing their best to put it out."

‎Swallowing visibly, Xander's face turned deathly pale.

‎" But my brothers, I don't see them here... they're kids, you see..."

‎The woman's irritated expression immediately changed to one of concern.

‎"Kids?"

‎Xander solemnly nodded, pointing.

‎" We were staying on the third floor, I think they're still in the room."

‎The woman stared at him in horror. She quickly dragged the distraught youth to the front of the queue of the guests filing out.

‎The hotel's manager, an elderly gentleman in a crisp black suit, stood outside, cross-checking the guests' names on a holographic data pad.

‎"Sir! This young man's siblings are still inside."

‎Just then, a thunderous explosion ripped through a section of the building, the entire side going up in a massive conflagration of flames.

‎A ripple of gasps and screams erupted from the crowd.

‎Using the brief moment while everyone was distracted, Xander deftly disengaged from the woman's hold, slipping into the hotel.

‎Edmund and Warren watched the entire thing in shock and disbelief.

‎" What a sneaky..."

‎A few moments later, the woman turned to the distraught youth behind her only to discover that the young man had disappeared.

‎" Where..."

‎Edmund face-palmed, shaking his head slightly.

‎"Well, at least he doesn't have the title of student council president for nothing..."

‎

‎A few minutes before the explosion...

‎ Aisha expressionlessly stared at Jamil all the while manipulating the kid's descent remotely with her ability.

‎"You know, it didn't take much to make the connection that that young woman was somehow connected to you."

‎Jamil shook his head slightly, smiling delightfully.

‎"I still remember it as though it were yesterday, the units of Talented that had been sent to investigate our former hideout.

‎"By the way, as a matter of fact, their deaths are on your hands, you know, such a waste it was," he spat, staring venomously.

‎" All those talented lives... and lost for what? A failure on your part to accept the truth. This is the truth of the world, whether you accept it or not. The Talented are superior to the mundane humans."

‎Pausung dramatically, Jamil artfully gestured in the air.

‎"But you people, the Praesagius," he hissed, " you can't see what we're trying to do...we must band together and then, only then, can we truly take our rightful place in the World."

" This man, is he truly mad...or is he just a psychopath?"

Aisha could tell what the deranged maniac in front of her was trying to do.

"He's trying to get under my skin, but I won't give him the satisfaction of losing my temper..."

After being in several difficult situations, Aisha had learned over the years to steel her emotions, choosing pure logic over emotions in critical moments. Even lately, when it seemed like the whole world was falling apart, she'd still managed to restrain herself from simply lashing out with all the terrible fury welled up within her.

‎Aisha stared at him in silence, mentally confirming that the kids were safe.

‎"Are you done?"

‎Jamil sneered, shaking his head.

‎" Nowhere near the end, I'm afraid. I was just about to tell you how..."

‎Snapping his fingers, he grinned malevolently, leaning in close to her face.

‎" Oh yes, I was just about to tell how painful it was for me murdering poor Miss Lorke, and just before her wedding..."

‎Slowly shaking his head, he covered one eye, staring at Aisha with a face filled with madness.

‎"What a tragedy that was!"

‎

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