Draven glanced toward the cat.
The cat immediately tilted its head.
*"Papa?"*
Draven looked back at Aldric.
"I think I've already got the receiving part."
Aldric stared at him.
"...You really are annoying."
Draven stared.
"Just shut up and teach me the rest."
Aldric sighed.
"Damn brat."
"Close your eyes."
Draven did so.
"Now..."
"Don't speak."
"Don't move."
"Just reach out with your mind."
"Find the presence of someone nearby."
Draven remained still.
The lesser spirits continued drifting around him.
The cat sat quietly beside him.
Aldric hovered nearby.
Then—
Draven's consciousness slowly extended outward.
He could feel them.
The cat.
Aldric.
Even the faint mental presence of Pythia inside the vehicle.
Draven's eyes remained closed.
*I can feel all of them.*
Aldric's expression slowly became serious.
*...Already?*
Draven opened his eyes.
"Like this?"
Aldric stared at him.
"...Yeah."
He paused.
"Exactly like that."
Aldric watched Draven carefully.
"Now..."
"Try something else."
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Don't just sense my presence."
Aldric pointed toward himself.
"Try to distinguish my thoughts from my presence."
Draven's expression became slightly more serious.
He closed his eyes again.
The world around him gradually became quieter.
The wind.
The distant movements of the animals.
Everything slowly faded into the background.
His consciousness extended outward once more.
Aldric's presence was there.
Strong.
Clear.
But—
there was something else.
Something deeper.
A faint stream of thoughts.
Draven focused on it.
Then—
he heard Aldric's voice.
*...Is he actually doing it.*
Draven's eyes opened.
"You just thought that."
Aldric froze.
"...What?"
Draven looked directly at him.
"You thought..."
*"Is he actually doing it."*
Silence.
Aldric's expression slowly changed.
"Wait."
"So you heard that?"
Draven nodded.
"Yeah."
Aldric stared at him.
"That was fast."
"It isn't like I wanted you to hear me."
Then—
his expression darkened.
"Don't read my thoughts, brat."
Draven stared at Aldric for a moment.
Then—
he shrugged.
"Just continue, you moron."
"If you don't wanna teach me..."
"I'll just find someone else."
Aldric's expression immediately darkened.
"Shut up, brat."
"I'm the teacher here."
"So listen and learn."
Draven stared at him.
"That's what I was doing..."
"Until you started blabbing."
Aldric's eyebrow twitched.
"...Annoying."
He took a slow breath.
"Fine."
"Now pay attention."
Draven folded his arms.
"Yeah."
Aldric stared at him for a moment.
*This brat really knows how to piss me off.*
He continued.
"First, you need to understand the difference between sensing a mind and actually entering it."
"Right now, you're relying too much on instinct."
Draven nodded slightly.
"So how do I control it?"
Aldric raised one finger.
"Focus."
"Don't force your way into another person's mind."
"Instead—"
"Reach toward it."
"Like extending your hand."
"But with your consciousness."
Draven closed his eyes.
Aldric continued explaining.
"Once you establish contact, you can choose what information you send."
"Your voice."
"An image."
"A feeling."
"Or even a simple command."
Draven's expression remained calm.
"Got it."
Aldric nodded.
"Good."
"Now try sending me something."
Draven opened his eyes.
He stared directly at Aldric.
A moment later—
Aldric heard Draven's voice inside his mind.
*You're so damn annoying.*
Aldric's face twitched.
"...That wasn't what I meant."
Draven shrugged.
"You said to send something."
Aldric stared at him.
"...Annoying brat."
Draven smirked.
"See?"
"I can already do it."
Aldric sighed.
"Unfortunately..."
"You can."
Time passed.
Draven continued practicing his telepathy.
At first—
It was only simple thoughts.
Then—
Images.
Sounds.
Even memories.
Slowly, he became more comfortable with it.
Eventually—
Draven looked toward the black cat.
"Let's try something."
The cat looked up at him.
*"Okay, Papa!"*
Draven closed his eyes.
Then—
He focused his mind.
A memory surfaced.
An image appeared in his mind.
A large object flying through the sky.
Metal.
Wings.
Engines.
Draven projected the image directly into the cat's mind.
The cat's eyes widened.
*"Wow, Papa!"*
*"What's that?"*
*"It looks like a bird!"*
Draven opened his eyes.
He smiled slightly.
"Kinda."
*"Is it an airship?"*
Draven shook his head.
"Not exactly."
He paused.
"It's a plane."
The cat stared at the image again.
*"A plane..."*
Draven then projected another image.
This time—
A small rectangular device appeared.
The cat blinked.
*"And this one?"*
Draven answered mentally.
*That's a phone.*
The cat repeated the unfamiliar word.
*"A phone..."*
Then—
Draven projected another image.
A woman.
The cat stared at her.
Its expression slowly changed.
*"And who's this?"*
It tilted its head.
*"She looks kind of like Papa."*
Draven became silent.
For several seconds—
He didn't answer.
Then—
*That's my mother.*
The cat stared at the image.
*"Papa's mother..."*
Its eyes widened slightly.
*"So that's my mama?"*
Draven stared at the cat.
"Yeah."
The cat became silent.
It looked at the image again.
Then—
Its body slowly moved closer to Draven.
It rubbed its head against his side.
Draven looked down.
The cat continued rubbing against him.
Draven reached over and gently petted its head.
The cat remained there quietly.
Draven looked toward Aldric.
Then—
He spoke through telepathy.
*I think I've got the hang of it.*
Aldric looked toward him.
*"Already?"*
Draven nodded.
*Yeah.*
Aldric sighed.
*"It wouldn't kill you to ask a bit more nicely, you know."*
Draven stared at him.
*Fine.*
*Would you please teach me the next one?*
Aldric smirked.
*"See?"*
*"That wasn't so hard."*
He folded his arms.
*"Alright."*
*"Next is hypnosis."*
Draven's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Hypnosis?"
Aldric nodded.
*"Yes."*
*"It works through eye contact and mental influence."*
He pointed toward his eyes.
*"First, you establish a connection through the target's mind."*
*"Then you use your mana to reinforce that connection."*
*"Once the connection is strong enough..."*
Aldric's expression became serious.
*"You can influence their thoughts."*
*"Their perception."*
*"And, with enough control..."*
He paused.
*"Their actions."*
Draven listened carefully.
*"So basically mind control?"*
Aldric nodded.
*"In simple terms, yes."*
*"But don't misunderstand."*
*"Hypnosis isn't something you can use on anyone just because you look at them."*
*"The stronger their mind..."*
*"The harder it is to control them."*
Draven nodded slowly.
*"So I need to overpower their mental resistance."*
*"Exactly."*
Aldric smiled.
*"Now look at me."*
Draven raised his eyes.
Their gazes met.
For a moment—
Neither moved.
Aldric's eyes began glowing faintly.
*"Don't look away."*
Draven's expression remained calm.
He could feel Aldric's mana pressing against his mind.
But—
It wasn't enough.
Draven's eyes narrowed.
*"Is this it?"*
Aldric's expression changed.
*"Not quite."*
*"You're resisting without even realizing it."*
Draven raised an eyebrow.
*"So how do I actually use it?"*