Just then, two Guards charged at the boy from opposite sides. The young boy remained still, not even looking at the incoming attackers and not showing any fear or anxiety. He raised his arms slowly. The Guards drew closer and closer as the boy’s arms grew higher. As soon as the Guards were nearly on top of him, the boy released the energy he had been collecting. The force of the blast sent the Guards flying backwards, and they crashed hard against nearby parked vehicles. They both died upon impact.

Kevin turned pale in horror. That couldn’t be him. What he witnessed in front of him was indeed a seirei jin, but an emotionless being---a monster.

That’s not me, that can’t be me!

Just then, Stewart grabbed him by the arm.

"Uh, Kevin,” he said. “We need to get back. Now. Someone’s coming."

Kevin turned back to get one last glimpse of his child self, and without warning, Stewart squeezed Kevin's shoulder. Before he could react any further, the scenery changed back to the football field. It took a moment for the boys to get their bearings, but when they did, they immediately noticed the large black SUVs approaching.

"The Advent Guard,” Stewart muttered. “I thought we had more time.”

The boys both heard the faint sound of whirring overhead toward their direction. They looked up and noticed a flying small black object with a camera peering at them.

“A drone,” Kevin whispered. He had no idea how to process what was happening right now. He was already feeling so many emotions at once, and now, a drone was watching them?

Stewart took a deep breath and then opened his palm, face-up. An aura of purple energy engulfed it, much like the aura Kevin had seen around Stewart earlier. Then, Stewart crushed the air with his hand. At that same moment, the drone exploded above them and dropped to the ground in flames, scattering pieces everywhere.

"So what do we do now?" Kevin asked.

Stewart was silent in response, staring at the burning machine. His eyes glowed purple, and he reached into his mind and powers will all his might. He searched for a way for them both to escape. Yet, no matter how many outcomes he tested, all he could see was himself getting captured by an Agent and taken away.

“Why does this keep happening?” he muttered to himself.

Kevin was getting nervous now, and Stewart’s whispering wasn’t helping.

"You need to get out of here," Kevin said. The SUVs, once far away, were now clearly growing closer to them. "Teleport away from here, and we'll meet up someplace."

Stewart blinked away his visions and shook his head. “I can’t.”

“What?”

"I can’t teleport. That technique takes a lot out of me, so I can only teleport once a day."

"Then run!" Kevin said. "I’ll tell them you let me go. You have to go now, you have to get out of here."

The Advent Guard vehicles surrounded the teens with the aggression of canines cornering stray cattle. They came to a halt in a cascading sequence, and in that same sequence, Guards emerged from the SUVs, weapons at the ready. Their military uniforms looked sharp and ironed, with perfect corners. On their left sleeves were their emblem: three fortified towers and the words Advent Guard under it. The squad leader and Agent Reynolds also emerged from their vehicles, clearly set at ease by the Guard’s firepower.

Stewart knew he had to think fast. In a split-second decision, he maneuvered himself behind Kevin and put him in a headlock. The Advent Guards quickly set their weapons to the “Tranquilize” setting, as Kevin cried out in surprise.

“Hold!” Reynolds yelled, raising his fist in the air.

Kevin was clearly caught off guard by the headlock, but unbeknownst to Agent Reynolds, Kevin also noticed that Stewart wasn’t holding him very tightly.

“What are you doing?” Kevin asked softly. After the time they’d spent together, he didn’t want to believe that Stewart was betraying him.

“I’m trying to figure out a way to get us out of here,” Stewart whispered back. “Trust me.”

Kevin wanted to believe Stewart, but he still felt uneasy. He held still in the headlock.

Reynolds lowered his hand and stepped in front of the line of soldiers. "Your name is Stewart, right?"

Stewart didn't answer. He just glared.

"I know you're scared, son,” Reynolds said, his voice smooth and slow. “But taking a student hostage doesn’t look good for your case. We're here to help you. Our mission is to fix you, like we do with all Seirei Jins who run wild."

"Oh yeah? Stewart replied. Then where are they? The ones you capture?"

Reynolds didn’t answer. Behind him, the squad leader communicated with a sniper in the nearby football bleachers. Stewart was growing too angry to notice.

"If you're here to help, then why do you treat us like we're dangerous?" Stewart called out, his emotions rising.

"An untamed Seirei Jin is a loose cannon that can cause lots of damage to innocent people and property,” Reynolds said, his voice still calm. “I’m sure you know that by now, after the destruction you’ve caused today. By you coming with us peacefully, we can avoid possible casualties. You want to be treated like a human being, don’t you?"

As Reynolds spoke, Stewart refocused on strategy. He darted his eyes toward each member of the Advent Guard and used his powers of telepathy to scan their thoughts. Each one’s mind differed from the next. Some wished they were someplace else, others pondered what to eat when this was over, some even felt a little bit afraid of him, despite their weapons.

Yet, when Stewart tried to read the Agent’s thoughts, he was surprised. Stewart only heard random words: the names of animals, a voice counting up to ten, the names of places in the neighborhood. Stewart had never experienced anything like it before. He had no idea what to do, how to decipher it. Just then, he picked up on another thought: someone was thinking really hard about taking aim and hitting their mark. Stewart tracked the steady voice with his mind until he found the Guard’s sniper, hiding in the bleachers.

"Release the hostage, and surrender peacefully. Reynolds smiled as he felt himself grow in confidence. We can end this on a good note. Nobody has to get hurt."

Stewart smiled back at the Agent, which made Reynolds hesitate.

"I'm gonna stop you right there,” Stewart said. “You claim you want to make me better, huh?"

As he spoke, Stewart discreetly slid his thumb along his finger. The motion remotely unscrewed the bolts of the football bleachers nearby.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Agent, but-“

Before the sniper could pull the trigger, a section of the bleachers came to life and, in seconds, folded around the sniper like a sandwich roll. The soldier panicked, but he didn’t have time to get away. The metal instantaneously tightened around his body, almost crushing him, and he cried out. Then, in a smooth motion, Stewart levitated the bound soldier to the center of the football field and dropped him in front of the Agent.

"There's nothing wrong with me,” Stewart said. “And I believe this is yours."

Reynolds felt a flash of annoyance at the sniper’s failure, but his lips soon curled into a sly smile. He was impressed by the boy's skill.

"That was quite a move," Reynolds said, taking a step forward. “But I've dealt with plenty of Psychic Types like you back in my-“

Just then, Reynolds felt cold metal press into the center of his back. He froze. Then, slowly, he glanced behind him to see the Squad Leader, his face blank, holding a pistol against the Agent’s back. The Guard’s hand shook, as though he was trying to resist but couldn’t. Reynolds turned back toward Stewart and noticed the Jin’s eyes glowing purple. He also couldn’t help but notice the sweat rolling down the side of Stewart’s face. He was getting exhausted.

"You don't think I can handle an officer?" Reynolds asked, still trying to keep his voice calm.

"Oh, I'm sure you can," Stewart said speaking through the Squad Leader.

"But I bet you can't fight all of us," a Guard at the end of the line said before aiming his own weapon at the Agent.

One by one, Reynolds watched as each Guard aimed their weapon in his direction.

Kevin watched, amazed by Stewart's abilities. Still, in the back of his mind, he felt worried. He’d seen it before on TV: Jins could overuse their powers. That was usually how the Guard caught them.

“Stewart,” Kevin pleaded softly. “You have to get out of here. Before you get too exhausted.”

Reynolds stood still and watched the exchange. He smiled. He knew all he had to do was wait.

This smile infuriated Stewart. Yet, he too felt a pit in his stomach. He’d seen the future, and he knew there was no reality in which he escaped this.

But he also knew something else: he wouldn’t go down without a fight. He released Kevin to one side, then raised his hand toward Reynolds and closed his grip.

The Agent’s body stiffened against his will. His arms pressed firmly to his sides. It felt as though all of his muscles were tensing, though he had no say in that. He tried to fight it, but Stewart focused harder, holding him still. Stewart raised the Agent a couple of feet from the ground and then began to draw him closer, until the two were mere inches from each other. Then, he forced the Agent to his knees.

"What are you doing?" Kevin whispered.

Stewart spoke through gritted teeth. "I was looking into their thoughts earlier. Everyone was normal, even the sniper. Except for him. He was preventing me from peering into his mind."

Although he couldn't move, Stewart could tell that Agent Reynolds was finally nervous. He smiled at that.

"I wanna know what they're up to," Stewart said, more to Reynolds than to Kevin.

Then, Stewart touched Reynold's forehead in order to look into the Agent’s mind.