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The Force Within: The Order of the Mind

Alex and Leo walked into the library, feeling a mix of curiosity and apprehension. They had just escaped from a group of masked men who had attacked them at the park, and they had no idea why they were targeted. They only knew that it had something to do with their telekinesis, the mysterious power that they had discovered a few days ago.

WordEngine_JJ · Horror
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13 Chs

The Limit and the Cost

Alex and Leo sat on the chairs, with electrodes attached to their heads. They watched as Dr. Lee operated the machine, and looked at the monitors. They saw graphs and numbers that showed their brain activity and their power level.

"Okay, guys. I'm going to ask you to use your power, one at a time. First, Alex. I want you to stop time for as long as you can. Ready?" Dr. Lee said.

Alex nodded. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt a surge of energy in his mind, and then everything around him froze. He opened his eyes and saw that Dr. Lee, Leo, and the machines were all motionless. He looked at his watch and saw that the second hand had stopped.

He smiled and thought, "This is awesome. I can stop time. I can do anything I want."

He got up from his chair and walked around the lab. He saw a ball on a table, and kicked it. It flew in the air, but did not fall. He saw a glass of water, and tipped it over. The water spilled, but did not splash. He saw a pen, and threw it. It spun, but did not drop.

He felt a rush of adrenaline and joy. He thought, "This is fun. I can play with the world. I can make my own rules."

He decided to explore the facility. He walked out of the lab and into the corridor. He saw other people and machines, all frozen. He saw a woman with wings, a man with horns, a girl with fire, a boy with lightning. He saw a door that said "Danger: Do Not Enter". He ignored it and opened it. He saw a dark room, with a large metal box. He saw a sign that said "Warning: High Voltage". He ignored it and touched the box.

He felt a shock of pain and fear. He thought, "This is bad. I made a mistake. I need to go back."

He ran back to the lab, and sat on his chair. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt a drain of energy in his mind, and then everything around him resumed. He opened his eyes and saw that Dr. Lee, Leo, and the machines were all moving. He looked at his watch and saw that only a minute had passed.

He felt a wave of fatigue and nausea. He thought, "This is hard. I can't stop time forever. I have a limit."

Dr. Lee looked at him and said, "Alex, are you okay? You look pale. How long did you stop time for?"

Alex said, "I don't know. It felt like a long time, but it was only a minute."

Dr. Lee said, "That's impressive. Most people can only stop time for a few seconds. You have a high power level. But you also have a high power cost. You see, using your power takes a toll on your brain. The longer you use it, the more you strain it. And the more you strain it, the more you suffer. You experience fatigue, headaches, and nosebleeds. If you push yourself too hard, you could even damage your brain permanently. You need to be careful, and use your power wisely."

Alex said, "I see. I didn't know that. I'm sorry. I got carried away. I wanted to see what I could do."

Dr. Lee said, "It's okay. I understand. It's natural to be curious and excited. But you also need to be responsible and cautious. Your power is a gift, but it's also a curse. It can help you, but it can also hurt you. You need to learn how to control it, and how to balance it."

Alex said, "I see. Thank you, Dr. Lee. You're very kind."

Dr. Lee smiled and said, "You're welcome, Alex. Now, let's move on to Leo. Leo, are you ready?"

Leo nodded. He was nervous and scared. He had seen what Alex had done, and what he had suffered. He did not want to go through the same thing. He did not want to use his power at all. He wished he did not have it.

He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt a flicker of energy in his mind, and then everything around him slowed down. He opened his eyes and saw that Dr. Lee, Alex, and the machines were all moving in slow motion. He looked at his watch and saw that the second hand was moving slowly.

He frowned and thought, "This is boring. I can slow down time. I can't do anything I want."

He stayed on his chair and looked around the lab. He saw nothing interesting or fun. He saw the same things that Alex had seen, but they did not appeal to him. He saw a ball, a glass of water, a pen. He did not touch them. He saw a door that said "Danger: Do Not Enter". He did not open it. He saw a sign that said "Warning: High Voltage". He did not touch it.

He felt a lack of adrenaline and joy. He thought, "This is not fun. I can't play with the world. I have to follow the rules."

He decided to end his power. He closed his eyes and concentrated. He felt a flicker of energy in his mind, and then everything around him resumed. He opened his eyes and saw that Dr. Lee, Alex, and the machines were all moving normally. He looked at his watch and saw that only a few seconds had passed.

He felt a slight fatigue and headache. He thought, "This is easy. I can slow down time for a short time. I have a low power level. But I also have a low power cost. Using my power does not take a toll on my brain. The shorter I use it, the less I strain it. And the less I strain it, the less I suffer. I don't experience nosebleeds. If I push myself too hard, I could still damage my brain, but it's unlikely. I don't need to be careful, and use my power wisely."

Dr. Lee looked at him and said, "Leo, are you okay? You look bored. How long did you slow down time for?"

Leo said, "I don't know. It felt like a short time, but it was only a few seconds."

Dr. Lee said, "That's normal. Most people can only slow down time for a few seconds. You have a low power level. But you also have a low power cost. You see, using your power does not take a toll on your brain. The shorter you use it, the less you strain it. And the less you strain it, the less you suffer. You don't experience nosebleeds. If you push yourself too hard, you could still damage your brain, but it's unlikely. You don't need to be careful, and use your power wisely."

Leo said, "I see. I knew that. I'm sorry. I didn't get carried away. I didn't want to see what I could do."

Dr. Lee said, "It's okay. I understand. It's natural to be nervous and scared. But you also need to be confident and brave. Your power is a gift, but it's also a challenge. It can help you, but it can also limit you. You need to learn how to control it, and how to enhance it."

Leo said, "I see. Thank you, Dr. Lee. You're very kind."

Dr. Lee smiled and said, "You're welcome, Leo. Now, let's move on to the next test. I want to show you something. Follow me."

He led them to another machine, that looked like a generator. He said, "This machine can block your power. It emits a special frequency that interferes with your brain waves, and prevents you from using your power. It's a safety measure, in case you lose control, or in case the Kinetics attack. I'm going to turn it on, and I want you to try to use your power again. Ready?"

Alex and Leo nodded. They were curious and worried. They wondered what would happen, and how it would feel. They closed their eyes and concentrated. They tried to use their power, but they could not. They felt nothing in their minds, and nothing around them changed. They opened their eyes and saw that Dr. Lee, the machines, and the world were all normal.

They felt a shock of frustration and fear. They thought, "This is bad. We can't use our power. We can't do anything we want."

Dr. Lee looked at them and said, "Alex and Leo, are you okay? You look surprised. How does it feel to be powerless?"

Alex and Leo said, "We don't know. It feels weird. It feels wrong. We can't use our power. We can't stop or slow down time."

Dr. Lee said, "That's expected. This machine blocks your power. It emits a special frequency that interferes with your brain waves, and prevents you from using your power. It's a safety measure, in case you lose control, or in case the Kinetics attack. You see, your power is not absolute. It can be blocked, and it can be countered. There are other people and devices that can do the same thing. You need to be aware, and be prepared."

Alex and Leo said, "We see. We didn't know that. We're sorry. We were not aware. We were not prepared."

Dr. Lee said, "It's okay. I understand. It's natural to be