Chapter 090 – Instincts, Overreaching

[2009 – August]

Walking back towards the Hellion Mansion from the main building of the Massachusetts Academy where Emma's office was located, I moved leisurely over the well-taken-care-of cobblestone path that was shadowed by massive trees to both sides.

The whole mansion grounds were incredibly vast and by foot I would need at least fifteen minutes to reach the Hellions Mansion as there was a considerable distance between it and the main building, not to mention that a small wooded area also closed off any direct view between the two places.

This arrangement was obviously deliberate as the Hellion Mansion was not only off-limits to normal students, Emma naturally would want to keep the existence of her Hellions as hidden as possible from the outside world.

I also knew about the high-tech surveillance systems and hidden guards in place to offer maximum security around the perimeter of the Hellion Mansion, though I wasn't really bothered by that.

Even with Emma's considerable influence and power, she wasn't the least bit careless when it came to protecting her 'assets', which in this case were the Hellions, and I admired that vigilance and precaution.

It would be foolish to think that her influence alone was enough to deter those that wished to harm her interests or just generally hated mutants would not try to strike at her weak points, one of which clearly was the Massachusetts Academy.

Though I also knew that these measures were only useful against normal people and organizations, as more powerful people like Charles and Erik could not be held back so simply. Her temporary alliance with them though prevented them from attacking under normal circumstances.

Those thoughts though only lingered in my mind for a few short moments before I pushed them aside and decided to just enjoy the short walk amongst the greenery in peace.

That peace though was temporary as my Extrasensory Perception reacted unusually all of a sudden, causing me to feel a faint pulling sensation that drew my attention toward the woods to my right.

My Extrasensory Perception wasn't just a danger sense or an evolution from my normal human senses, in a way it was more like a supernatural instinct that could guide me in making decisions beyond what my normal senses and acquired knowledge told me.

After my mind had advanced beyond human limits, my awareness of my surroundings had changed greatly as I felt as if my instincts had sharpened to unnatural degrees as if I could subconsciously draw on information that was independent of what my senses or previous experiences told me.

I knew that there existed mystical ways to acquire knowledge, not to mention that there were spiritual realms that housed wisdom beyond comparison like the Astral Realm. The restrictions for gaining access to such knowledge though were obvious as well, as one needed a mind powerful enough to process and endure the pressure of such vast amounts of information.

In simpler words, being omniscient wasn't something unthinkable, though it required one to be powerful beyond description to reach such a state, omnipotent even.

I was far, far away from reaching such a state, though through the advancement of my mind, I had seemingly started to subconsciously open myself up to such realms, forming the faintest connections that generated a kind of 'precognitive instinct' that could help guide me.

Though I knew that such instincts couldn't be fully trusted as my interpretations of them might not be accurate, because my mind was clearly not strong enough yet to actively and accurately grasp and process the knowledge these connections gave me access to.

This meant that I had to be cautious when following these instincts as I couldn't be sure what I would encounter by doing so. Without sufficient strength to protect myself following such 'hunches' could very well end in my death.

Through this though, I had also gained a new outlook on elusive concepts such as luck and fate, making me realize that they might not be as arbitrary as I had thought.

Still, I didn't sense any danger to myself and so I didn't hesitate to follow my instincts and walk into the woods, my senses primed for anything unusual though what I found was out of my expectations.

Faint, almost imperceptible, breathing noises pulled my attention to the ground near one of the large trees, grass and foliage interfering with my sight as I crouched down and pushed them aside carefully, revealing a baby owl that wasn't even as big as my index finger.

The small bird was clearly injured as I could see dried blood on its dark plumage, while I also sensed its rapidly weakening presence. It was dying.

My heart thumped the moment I laid eyes on the tiny creature, clenching painfully as if urging me to save its life at all costs.

It was a strange and foreign sensation but I didn't hesitate as I gently took hold of its tiny body, feeling the small creature struggling for life with every tedious breath it took as I placed it on my palm.

I knew the tiny bird was only mere moments away from losing the battle for survival it was fighting which didn't leave me with enough time to take it to Jean and ask her to use her healing flames to save the small owl.

Looking at the small dark-feathered bird, I did something I had only theorized about before but hadn't yet tried to really apply in reality as it was a rather dangerous and far-fetched notion.

Gathering my focus with a single-minded intention, I invoked a small ethereal barrier around my palm that expelled 'death' and 'injury', fully expecting to fail.

What I didn't expect was the massive pressure I suddenly felt weighing down on my mind which almost made me faint as it crashed into my thoughts with the force of a speeding train.

Gritting my teeth, I forced down the pained grunt that threatened to escape my lips and kept my focus on my palm as I watched the tiny owl regain its strength at visible speed, its injuries fading with every passing moment until I sensed that it was healed completely.

Banishing the barrier immediately, I couldn't help but pant heavily as a stabbing pain drove itself through my brain. I realized that despite my success, this kind of barrier simply wasn't something I could use casually at this point in time, as my mind simply couldn't endure the burden its usage created.

Feeling a sudden wetness beneath my nose, I knew that this little stunt had also caused me a nosebleed as I had overreached my current capabilities which didn't surprise me much. I was clear on the fact that I hadn't really 'healed' the tiny animal, instead, I had manipulated reality on a small scale to cause its injuries to vanish.

I also understood that if even saving this tiny bird had been such an arduous task, I shouldn't even think about using this type of barrier on an injured human, as doing so may very well have rather dire consequences.

Using Body Supremacy, I closed the burst capillaries and just removed the blood with a quick barrier, seeing as it had already turned to ashes thanks to my Bio-Circuit causing it to deconstruct only a few dozen seconds after it had left my body.

Looking at the small bird that surprisingly didn't seem scared or panicked, as it just gazed at me with widened amber-colored eyes, curiosity and something akin to gratitude in its gaze, I couldn't help but sigh.

"So, what now?", I whispered as I stared at the tiny creature with exhausted eyes, unsure about what to do next.

"Hu Hu!", the small owl called out as if responding, happily hopping around atop my palm, seemingly enjoying its new lease on life.