Chapter 6: A Chance Encounter

A few days had passed since Ethan had saved the man on the bridge, and he was feeling more confident in his telepathy abilities. He had been practising every day and was starting to see improvements.

One afternoon, while walking home from the library, Ethan heard a voice in his head that wasn't his own. It was a woman's voice, and it sounded like she was in pain.

Ethan followed the voice until he came across a small alleyway. There, he saw a woman huddled on the ground, clutching her head.

"Are you okay?" Ethan asked, approaching her cautiously.

The woman looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. "It's the headaches," she said. "They're so intense."

Ethan knew that he had to help her. He concentrated on her thoughts and emotions, trying to ease her pain.

As he did so, he felt a strange sensation in his head, like something was pushing back against him. He had never felt anything like it before.

Suddenly, he heard another voice in his head. It was a man's voice, and it was filled with malice.

"Get out of her head," the voice said. "She belongs to me."

Ethan was taken aback by the sudden intrusion. He tried to push the voice out, but it was stronger than his own.

Just then, the woman passed out. Ethan caught her before she hit the ground and looked up to see a man approaching him.

The man was tall and thin, with piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare right through Ethan. He had an air of confidence about him that was almost intimidating.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked.

The man smiled, but there was no warmth in it. "My name is Mark," he said. "And you, my friend, are an Esper."

Ethan was shocked. He had never met another person with ESP before.

"How do you know?" he asked.

"I could sense it as soon as I saw you," Mark said. "And I must say, you're quite impressive. Not many Espers can control their telepathy as you can."

Ethan was flattered but also wary. There was something about Mark that made him uneasy.

"What do you want?" Ethan asked.

Mark's smile widened. "I want to offer you a proposition," he said. "You and I could make quite the team. With your telepathy and my unique abilities, we could be unstoppable."

Ethan didn't like the sound of that. He had no interest in using his powers for personal gain.

"I'm not interested," he said.

Mark's smile turned into a sneer. "You should be more careful, my friend," he said. "There are others out there who would kill for the kind of power you possess."

With that, Mark turned and walked away, leaving Ethan alone with the unconscious woman.

Ethan knew that he had just met someone dangerous, someone, who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. He made a mental note to be more careful in the future and to never underestimate the power of his telepathy.

Ethan decided to pay a visit to the librarian and tell her about his experience.

"Hey, I wanted to tell you about something that happened to me a few days ago," Ethan said as he walked into the antique shop.

The librarian looked up from her book and motioned for Ethan to take a seat.

"Go ahead, I'm all ears," he said.

Ethan proceeded to tell her about his encounter with Mark, the Esper he had met in the alleyway. The librarian listened intently, nodding her head in understanding.

"That's quite the experience you had," the librarian said. "It's not every day that you come across another Esper, especially one as shady as Mark."

"Are there others like him out there?" Ethan asked.

"Absolutely," the librarian replied. "There are many people with ESP, some stronger than others. It's just a matter of finding them."

Ethan was intrigued. "Can you tell me more about Espers?" he asked.

Ethan listened as the librarian explained in detail about the various types of ESP abilities and how they worked. He learned that there were different levels of strength among Espers, with some possessing only a slight ability while others had much stronger powers.

As he listened, Ethan couldn't help but wonder where he fit in. Was he a strong Esper or a weak one? He didn't know, but he was eager to learn more.

"Excuse me," Ethan said, interrupting the librarian's reading. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," the librarian replied, looking up from her book.

Am I...strong?" Ethan asked, hesitant to sound conceited.

The librarian smiled knowingly. "That is an interesting question, Ethan. The concept of strength among Espers is not so simple as physical strength. It is true that some Espers possess more raw power than others, but there are many factors at play."

Ethan listened intently, eager to learn more.

"For example," the librarian continued, "your ability to control your telepathy and use it for good is a sign of strength. Your desire to help others, rather than use your powers for personal gain, is another sign of strength."

Ethan nodded, taking her words to heart. "But how strong am I compared to other Espers?" he asked.

The librarian paused before answering. "At the moment, I would say that you're on the weaker end of the spectrum. But that doesn't mean you can't improve and become stronger. It all depends on how much you're willing to practice and develop your abilities."

Ethan felt a mix of disappointment and determination. He didn't want to be weak, but he was also excited at the prospect of improving his abilities.

"I'll keep practising," he said.

The librarian smiled. "I do not doubt that you will."

He knew that he had a long way to go, but he was eager to see what he could achieve with his newfound abilities.