The mystery of the mind isn't easy to solve. As part of a quote by Ronald Reagan, there are no constraints to the human mind and no barrier for the human spirit. I think that that was quite true. The human mind is an endless realm of emotions, truth and every hidden corner reveals something new, and the hypothesis was only further supported by today's lesson with Lady Ovette.

Today would be the first one-on-one meeting with Lady Ovette. I'm quite excited for it, but all the while nervous as well. How could I not be? I was going to learn how to dive into another being's vast mind on my own will.

"First, you should know that your telepathic powers don't just work on Valiants or humans. All living beings with a functioning brain and subconsciousness would be in your reach once you learn how."

We were in a large lawn, hidden away by a cove of trees. It was positioned in a valley where you could see the Vivas and the Hegeli building's south wing where the students slept. Lady Ovette was sitting down on one of the only benches in the area. It was old and rickety, like it would fall apart at the slightest weight.

"How do I do that?"

"You have to understand first."

"Understand what?"

Lady Ovette smiled slightly and stood up, staring into the afternoon sky, the light illuminating her white hair, blue skin glowing in the sun.

"The mind is a great mystery. You can't exactly solve it, but you can learn something new from it everyday. Being able to read and access a person's memory isn't something you can play with recklessly. It comes with an enormous responsibility. You are carrying the job of the keeper. Keeping another's memories and secrets locked within yourself can be enough to make anyone break."

"What if I stumble upon something I shouldn't have seen?" I muttered, looking down at my hands, trying to make sense of the power I was given.

"You're going to have to be very selective. And in order to be selective, you need skill."

I looked up at her and she beckoned me to join her by her side. Lady Ovette placed both of her hands on the sides of my head.

"Unfolding the mind is like unfolding a matryoshka doll, Avery. You'll find that, right now, all you know about it is just the outer surface. There are layers that you have to uncover in order to find what you want. Although in this case, there are thousands and thousands of layers to unfold before you finally reach the very core of the mind."

"Is there anyone who has reached it before?" I asked.

"A few. But most of those who succeed have gone mad. It takes a lot for a Valiant to be able to do it and surely, some sacrifices to be made."

I gulped and sat down on the ancient bench.

"No one said this would be easy, Avery. And if the legends are true, then your powers..."Lady Ovette trailed off.

"Then what?" My attention multiplied tenfold at the mention of the legend.

Zevlin had said the same thing before and I wanted to know what the legends said. What did the legends write of my powers?

"Then your powers are as close as it gets to being a god's."

A moment of silence passed before Lady Ovette turned to me and smiled, "Let's start with the basics."

She sat beside me and continued, "Today we'll be learning defence. Blocking your mind away from unscrupulous telepaths is as important as knowing how to attack."

And so I spent an hour trying to block Lady Ovette from knowing what memory I was thinking of and she spent that hour trying to infiltrate my mind. My head hurt. Physically hurt. Every time she tried to worm herself into my head, I could feel it. As if every crack in my brain was something for her to explore, and fighting it only made the pain worse.

"Concentrate," She had said when she succeeded to get into my head for the millionth time, "Establish walls. Build them high. Defend your mind."

I groaned frustratedly as I exclaimed, "I'm trying!"

"You're not trying hard enough, Avery!" Lady Ovette sternly reprimanded, "Again!"

There was one time when her efforts were slightly repelled by my 'wall', but it broke through not long after. Now, by the end of the session, I've only succeeded once. And that one time is as good as failing.

"You tried hard today. I'll see you again next week. For now, try to picture that wall again whenever you have the spare time. Try building it up higher and earn you more defence. Make sure that that wall is always high up; don't let anything break it down."

With that, she left. I took deep breaths while sitting down on the grass. My mind had exerted more energy than it had in a very long time. I wince as I feel the migraine coming on. I lifted myself up from the ground and dusted the dirt from my clothes.

I took my time walking back to the main fields where the students were gathered. The laughing people, the ones under a lonely tree's shadows, the popular ones who were surrounded by friends and the ones buried nose-deep in their books. I suddenly had the urge to know. To know what was going on in their minds? What are they thinking of?

I was brought out of my own thoughts when I bumped into a chest.

What is up with me and bumping into people's chests? Seriously! My butt isn't feeling any more accustomed to the ground with each fall.

"Are you sure you don't need glasses? That's the third time."

Oh, and it had to be him every time. Out of all the chests I could've bumped into, it had to be Lord Zevlin's.

"I am certain that I don't. And why don't you watch where you're going for a change?" I hissed as I got up and rubbed my sore behind.

"I'm not looking for another argument."

"Then what are you looking for?" I mumbled as I picked the pieces of dirt off from my pants.

"I'm apologising. For any difficulty I've caused the other day."

I paused, my eyes fixated on the ground. "I heard everything. You don't have to repeat it."

"You did?" I looked up from beneath my lashes, and saw his raised eyebrow, "Very well then."

An awkward silence passed by us as I switched from feet to feet. Zevlin cleared his throat and I thanked the Gods. Whatever happened to my usually-unstoppable talking skills?

"Your mother told me that you would need help getting accustomed to the academy. I took your asking me to train you as a sign that you're willing to stay a bit longer."

"And when exactly did you talk about this with my mother?"

"The day you arrived at the academy."

"But that was in the morning, so when exactly did you meet her that day?"

"During breakfast. You weren't up yet."

"Wow, you're an early bird." I looked at him in wonder. "You don't wake up at, like, four, do you?"

"It's not like I want to wake up at four."

"So you do wake up at four?"

"Trust me, neither of us want to wake up at four," Galven passed by us with his nose buried in a book. Shutting it, he gestured between us two, "Did you tell her about the meeting, Zevlin?"

"Ah, right," Zevlin cleared his throat again, "There's a meeting in another half hour. We're all headed to the spot now."

I groaned and seriously considered dropping dead on the ground. Not another round of cat and mouse games! Seriously, why can't that building just stay put? Appear, stay, we go in and the next day it'll be on the same spot. Is that so hard to make, grandma?