Decius strolled through the bustling markets of Oceanfair, a small fishing community occupying an island just off the coast of the mainland.

From where he stood, he could see back over to the continent, Azeri, the place where he had just escaped from. Although Azeri seemed a mere stone's throw across the water, Decius quickly found that the people and culture of Oceanfair were vastly different to what he was used to. Oceanfair was like stepping back in time, and things were very rustic, as were the people.

He was chased away from the tall standing city of Rabael, where the distant towering buildings were still visible beyond the haze that clouded the entire island of Oceanfair.

Decius had decided to use his magic to cheat his way through several casinos, and also pickpocketed countless people's wallets. Most of his prizes were confiscated however by security after they realised his motives, and summoned the authorities. He used his magic again to give them the slip and stowed away on the ferry to Oceanfair, He patted down his long, dark trench coat, satisfied that he still had a few wallets tucked away in hidden pockets.

The scent of both day-old and fresh fish was everywhere, where seafood was hung up in rows in almost every stall. The mist of the chilled morning had enveloped the cobbled pathways, and the only building that stood above it was the clock tower. He'd found it strange how there was always thin fog, no matter the weather. Whether it were raining, snowing or windy, the fog remained. Decius wondered if it were a spell on the island. Lanterns were lit everywhere, illuminating his way through the shoppers who were trying to find something new and interesting in a market where the produce was nearly the same in every stall.

Decius wandered up to a stall, peering down in disgust at the writhing lobsters in a water tank below. The creatures were confined to a tiny space where they were crammed in on top of each other, snapping at the glass with their claws.

"You buy lobsters!" shouted a voice.

Decius looked up to see the seller, who was staring intently at him, gesturing to the tank. She clearly couldn't speak very well, but nonetheless, she leaned towards him, trying to make herself taller to match Decius's height. "This not zoo! You buy lobsters or leave!"

Decius grimaced as he felt the stout woman's spit hit him in the face as she hollered. The woman's teeth were browning and her breath reeked of something foul.

Annoyance flashed across his eyes, his icy blue irises igniting with irritation. He was twitching with the urge to teach her a lesson, but he decided against it. He stormed off, heading towards the entrance to the pier that was only a few stalls away.

When he made it to the pier, he slowed his pace, his shoes slapping against the wooden boards. The cool breeze caressed the stubble on his face, and his hot breath clouded in front of him. It surprised him when he noticed that the pier was barren, empty of the usual volume of people who swarmed on it like ants.

Decius smirked at the thought. That's all they are, right? Ants. They all follow a leader but they're all so easy to crush.

He stood at the end of the pier, staring down at the waves that were baying beneath his feet, lapping at the posts that held up the platform. The white caps on the water foamed and spat like a rabid animal, and he was its prey. Decius had escaped on a ferry from the mainland to get here, and it was as he stared across at the ocean that he had begun to regret the decision. It had only taken him further away from his family.

He'd promised his younger sister, Sascha, who was almost ten years old, that he wouldn't go too far away from her. He'd also told his mother, Renata, that he would stay in touch with her. Decius despised lying to her, but he knew that it was safer to be away from them.

He hadn't told Renata about discovering his powers, and it killed him every day. He knew all too well that he'd inherited them from her, but he didn't want to tell her. They'd developed as soon as he'd turned eighteen, and he knew at that moment that he had to leave. The few months that he'd been away from them have felt like years. He'd resorted to pickpocketing and cheating at casinos to drown out his guilt, and because he could, but it was times like this that it had all flooded back.

Decius would be lying if he said that his powers hadn't done things to him. He'd become more violent, and his temper had a shorter fuse. Even worse, though, he'd killed people when he got out of control, and he didn't even regret it. The powers hadn't changed his mother, and that's what bothered him. Maybe I'm not strong enough. Maybe I'm not good enough to call myself her son.

Decius was wrenched from his thoughts when he registered a prickling in his palms. He released his clenched fists, turning them over to see light swipes of blood present where his fingernails dug too deep into his skin. He inhaled sharply and dropped his arms to his sides, slipping his hands into his pockets. He turned around, and began to walk back down the pier, towards the town, and back towards reality. Maybe I can catch another ferry back to the mainland. He thought to himself. His heavy footfalls echoed in the bay, joining the ocean's symphony. Maybe I should go home.

Decius had to be careful on how he got back to the docks over in Rabael. He had a strong feeling that he would have to use his power to mentally manipulate people into letting him aboard the ferry. His eyes glowed a brilliant blue as he focused, channelling his energy into reaching for the minds of the surrounding passers-by. He walked as straight as he could in the direction of the docks, but his focus was clouded by the thoughts of others swarming in his brain. Decius had only learnt the trick of mind reading a few weeks prior, but it was evident to him that his power was developing more every day. He knew that he would soon surpass his mother's own power, if he hadn't already. Emerging into his prime, he could feel the power surging through his veins, filling him with a constant strength and a newfound intelligence.

He had always been considered clever when he was growing up, but after his powers had started developing, he could feel that not only his senses, but his awareness and knowledge had heightened almost overnight. The feeling was overwhelming, but Decius felt wickedly empowered and almost immediately went out to exploit his new characteristics. He briefly recalled moments of this as he walked down the shore-side cobbled path towards the ferry.

Decius pushed away the mental distractions and went back to sifting through people's thoughts. Most of them were too mundane for him to care, but there were a few amusing ones. Decius had to resist the temptation to laugh out loud when he overheard the thoughts of a ridiculously dressed hormonal teenage girl who was staring at him, hoping for him to even glance at her. Just to humour himself, Decius turned around and locked his gaze onto hers. He winked, a charming smirk on his face, before turning back around and continuing towards the ferry docks. He could sense the girl had been sent into a flustered mess, and he couldn't help but chuckle. He decided to then block out all of the people's thoughts, and he then locked onto one woman's thoughts in particular.

It was a single mother, perhaps only twenty years old, dragging her twin children by the hands, running towards the ferry that was due to leave on the hour, which was in two minutes time. He sensed she would be easy to control, and the children would be a breeze. She looked young enough to pose as his wife, and he knew he'd made a good choice to smuggle back into Rabael with her.

Decius ran up to her, his eyes ablaze with blue power pulsating through them. She turned to him, a look of relief on her face. "Oh Alistair, thank goodness you're here." She breathed.

Decius noted to congratulate himself later, he had already transmitted the name on his run to her. Alistair, my middle name. He reflected quickly. But what was her name? Ah, Cosima, that's it.

"Cosima, apologies for wandering off like that," he said, the lies flowing easily, "but let's go, the ferry is about to leave."

Cosima nodded. "Here, you take Evander, I'll take Anais." She said, referring to the twins.

Decius almost instantly felt the boy's sweaty palm clutch onto his wrist, and his green eyes bore up into his. Decius managed a weak smile to match the boy's radiant one. He cocked his head in a quick motion, gesturing to the boy to go, and at once, the little blond boy took off, dragging Decius along behind him in tow.

Decius was easily able to keep up, of course, but he always kept a step or so behind him, as if it were a race and he wanted the boy to think he would win. This immediately brought back memories of when he did this with Sascha, always running slowly to let her win. Tears began to prick at his eyes, but he resisted, knowing it would blow his cover.

The young girl, too, was dragging her mother along, her little blonde curls bouncing in the breeze, and her tiny palm was firmly stuck to the older female's. Decius quickly took the time to glance at his "wife". Her skin was fair, paler than his own, and her eyes were a gentle brown. Her hair was a dirty blonde, and cut short enough that the tips only grazed the edges of her ears.

Decius felt sick. Her hair was styled in the same way his mother did.

Renata had always modelled long and elegant hair, but when Decius complained that it got in the way when he was young, she used the kitchen scissors and cut it off into a pixie cut. When he had seen what she'd done, he immediately recoiled, wailing that she shouldn't have done it. He stopped complaining, however, when she had laughed and said that she always wanted to have it short but never had a real excuse to.

Decius dropped his gaze from Cosima, his bottom lip quivering. His fake smile disappeared and he let go of Evander's hand as soon as they reached the ferry. He ignored the pout that the boy gave him, and he pushed past them as soon as Cosima handed the ferryman enough money to get them aboard.

He felt the trio's conjoined gazes of confusion on his back as he shoved through the crowds that littered the deck of the boat. He used his power to drop the illusion, and instantly the feeling of their watchful eyes vanished.

Decius reached the railings of the boat, and it was at that moment that he could feel the thrum of the ferry's engines roar into life, and the boat began to power through the water. He could see Rabael in the distance and he knew it wouldn't be long before he was there. He knew what he had to do, and that was to go home.

I'll see you soon, Renata. You too, Sascha. I'll make it home if it's the last thing I do.