Page 57 of Alien Prince's Fake Bride
The twig trembles, clearly illuminated by the fire around it.
I’m tempted to use my own Syntrix to help Umbra with her control, but she needs to handle this on her own.
“Both see the twig and feel it in your mind,” I instruct. “Realize that you can take it and move it as easily with the Syntrix as with your hand.”
The twig suddenly catches fire. At the same moment, it flies away into the dark, still aflame. It lands in a bush and stays there, burning cheerfully.
“That was too much,” Umbra says. “Wait.” She stands up and steps on the twig, extinguishing the fire. “Better not set fire to the jungle.”
“It was good,” I state. “Good, but too enthusiastic. Try again. Smaller amount of Syntrix. Think of it as a gentle nudge, not a full-body shove.” I point to a pebble near the edge of the fire. “This time, just lift the pebble and move it to the other side of the fire.”
Umbra nods while her brow furrows in concentration. She fixes her gaze on the pebble. It wobbles precariously.
“Easy now,” I murmur, keeping my own Syntrix carefully leashed. “Think delicate. Like you’re picking up a dry leaf.”
Suddenly, the pebble shoots upwards with surprising velocity, not across the fire, but straight up. It hangs suspended in the air for a moment, spinning rapidly, before zipping off at an angle and clattering against Umbra’s escape pod with a sharptink.
Umbra’s expression is a mixture of frustration and sheepishness. “Oops. Maybetoodelicate that time?”
I chuckle. “Perhaps atadoverzealous on the ‘up’ impulse. Remember, direction is key. Visualize the path you want it to take. Try a bigger stone.”
She takes a deep breath and focuses again, this time on a slightly larger stone. Slowly, painstakingly, the stone lifts a fraction of an inch. It hovers there, trembling, as if unsure of its destination.
“That’s it,” I encourage. “Now, move it sideways. Gently.”
The stone promptly flips end over end, rolls twice, and then with a final, decisiveplunk, lands directly back in its original spot.
Umbra groans, running a hand through her hair. “It’s like trying to herd cats with my mind! I tell it to go left, and it does… a somersault back home.”
“It takes practice. Think of your Syntrix as an extension of your will. Precise, controlled.” I pick up a small leaf. “Watch.” With a barely perceptible movement of my mind, the leaf lifts, twirls gently in the air, and then softly lands on my finger. “Okay, your turn again. The leaf.”
Umbra stares at the leaf with intense focus. “I’m trying to be careful.” For a long moment, nothing happens. Then, the leaf begins to vibrate, shaking so violently it looks like it’s caught ina tiny earthquake. Finally, it tears itself free from my finger and shoots upwards, spiraling wildly. It flies past my head, narrowly missing my ear.
“Well,” Umbra says with a wry twist to her mouth, “at least it went up.”
I nod, secretly impressed by her raw Syntrix power. And worried. Will it even be possible to control that? “True. You certainly have lift. We just need to work on the ‘where to’ part.” I pick up another twig. “One more time. A gentle nudge. Across the fire.”
Umbra clenches her jaw in concentration. The twig shudders. It rises about a finger’s width, hovers for a tense moment, then abruptly spins in place like a tiny propeller before falling into the fire.
“It’s harder than it looks!” she exclaims, throwing her hands up in exasperation. “A part of me is scared of using too much power. Maybe I should just stick to throwing things with my actual hands. At least I have some control over those.”
“You have unusual power, Umbra,” I tell her. “Untamed, yes. You’re not used to it. We just need to find the right reins.” I pick up the twig again and place it carefully near her hand. “Try feeling it with your hand first. Understand its weight, its texture. Then try to replicate that feeling with your Syntrix. As if your mind is your hand. Don’t let the Syntrix run off on its own. Keep control of it, like you do your hand.”
Umbra looks at the twig, a determined set to her jaw. This time, the twig trembles less violently. Slowly, almost hesitantly, it lifts from the ground. It wavers, but it’s moving sideways. It inchesits way across the fire ring, a tiny, hesitant journey. Finally, it reaches the other side and gently settles onto the cool earth.
A satisfied smile spreads across Umbra’s features. “ I did it!”
“Well done,” I say, genuine warmth spreading through me. This might not be hopeless. “See? You have control now. Let’s try something else…” I look around for a new object.
There’s a little tug at one of my tendrils, and my head snaps around instinctively. There’s nobody there, just the trees. And Umbra.
“Did you just touch me?”
Umbra looks innocently away. “Maybe.”
I adjust my position. “All right, do it again. Maybe it’s easier to practice on something that’s attached to me.”
This time she uses Syntrix to take hold of two of my tendrils, pulling them apart and away from my head. It’s a strange feeling, but not unpleasant.
