Chapter 95: [95] The End of the Beginning
October 7, 2:41pm
Captain Bennett led the class down a set of metal stairs that hugged the mountainside. They descended in single file, with Xavier keeping close to Calypso. The stairs creaked under their weight, each step bringing them closer to the gate’s depression.
"Stay behind the safety line," Bennett instructed as they reached the bottom. A yellow line had been painted in the dirt about three meters from the gate’s perimeter.
Xavier studied the gate from this new vantage point. Up close, the distortion seemed more substantial, like a tear in fabric revealing another layer beneath. The air around it shimmered slightly, creating a heat-haze effect.
"Now that we’re closer, try to sense the gate’s Essentia signature," Professor Valdez instructed. "Close your eyes and focus."
Xavier closed his eyes, concentrating on the faint energy emanating from the gate. It felt... wrong somehow. Unlike the warm pulse of human Essentia, the gate’s energy was cold and alien, prickling against his skin like static electricity.
"It feels like pins and needles," Margaret whispered nearby.
"More like ice water," Ashley countered.
Xavier watched as students spread out around the gate’s perimeter, keeping behind the safety line. From his position, he could see others through the gate’s distortion. Their forms appeared stretched and warped, colors slightly off, as if viewing them through flawed glass.
"Hey, look at Kyrie through the gate," Luka called out, pointing. "His head is huge!"
Kyrie’s distorted image indeed showed his head enlarged to comical proportions while his body appeared squashed. Several students laughed.