Mutant awakening: My evolution knows no bounds

'This is it. Mary's going to discover everything. There's no way to stop it. It's all over,' Kara thought frantically, her heart pounding in her chest. She glanced at Silas, who sat there, completely unmoved, exuding a calmness that baffled her.

'Why is he so calm in such a dire situation?' Kara wondered, feeling increasingly anxious.

'I choose to block the ability!' Silas declared internally.

[Yes]

[Host has successfully blocked the mind-reading ability.]

A slight look of confusion appeared on Mary's face as she delved into his mind.

Usually, when she asked a person a question and entered their thoughts, she would be met with a flood of memories—fragments of their experiences from the past month. If the person lied, their thoughts would betray them, exposing the truth.

But inside Silas's mind, there was only darkness—an empty void. No memories. No images. Nothing.

'What is this?' Mary pondered, her eyes still shut, hands clasping Silas's, trying to probe deeper.

"I already told you guys before: when the mutant came, the group told me to run and hide, which I did. After a few minutes, I came out and found the whole team dead, including the Realm's god. As for the artifact, I have no idea what happened to it," Silas repeated calmly after a few moments of silence.

Every eye in the office was now fixed on Mary, awaiting her confirmation—was Silas telling the truth or not? The tension in the room grew thick as everyone held their breath.

Mary sat in silence, her face slick with sweat, her expression tense and uncertain.

'What's going on here? This has never happened before. What the hell is happening?' Mary wondered, panic creeping in as she struggled to maintain her composure. Cold sweat trickled down her face as she realized Sir Dominic was watching her every move. She couldn't afford to disappoint a man like him.

What would he say if she failed to read the mind of the infamous "trash"?

Sensing the delay, Sir Dominic raised a brow and asked, "Is everything okay, Mary?"

Mary opened her eyes and shifted her gaze toward him, forcing a nervous smile. "I just... erm... hold on, let me retry," she stammered before refocusing on Silas.

"Please respond to my question again. What happened in the Grade 5 mutant realm, and what happened to the artifact?" Mary shut her eyes once more and asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Dan, the leader, told me to hide when the mutants attacked, and I did. After a while, I came out and found them all dead, including the Realm's god. I don't know how they died, and I have no clue where the artifact went," Silas responded in the same calm tone. But inside Mary's mind, panic surged. She was sweating profusely now, her mind racing.

'Could he somehow be blocking my ability? Is he preventing me from reading his mind?' Mary wondered, her gaze fixated on Silas, who remained eerily composed.

'Is that even possible? I'm a Grade 4 mind reader—I've read the thoughts of powerful mutant ability users before. How can he block me?' Her thoughts raced, her troubled expression deepening.

"Mary? What did you find?" Sir Dominic's voice interrupted her internal struggle.

Mary remained silent for a few moments before finally answering, "He's telling the truth." Her voice was steady, though her eyes were still locked on Silas.

Kara's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.

'What the... why didn't she figure out he's lying?' Kara mused, her mind spinning.

"That's a lie! I know this bastard had something to do with all of this. Maybe he didn't cause the deaths in the realm or steal the artifact, but I'm sure he killed my son and his friends!" Sensei Josh shouted, his face flushed with anger.

"I didn't kill anyone," Silas replied, his voice cold but measured. Sir Dominic shifted his attention back to Mary.

"Mary?" he asked, seeking further clarification.

Mary hesitated but repeated, "He's telling the truth. Silas Griswold is innocent."

It was a lie, but she had no choice. She couldn't read his mind, and revealing her failure in front of Sir Dominic wasn't an option. Lying was the only way out.

"What? That's a lie! Don't listen to him! He killed my son! I have a witness!" Sensei Josh roared, his voice trembling with rage.

"Are you calling me a liar, Josh? Are you implying my ability is weak and I failed to extract the truth?" Mary snapped back, her frustration boiling over.

"Well, yeah, that could be it!" Sensei Josh shot back angrily.

"Josh, Mary has been reading minds for years—she's never failed. That's why I asked her to verify this. If she says he's innocent, then he's innocent," Sir Dominic spoke in a calm yet firm tone.

"No! It's a lie! She saw him kill my son!" Sensei Josh persisted.

"Or maybe she hallucinated. Tell me, what was this witness doing alone in the backyard at that hour of the night? Let me guess... smoking jelly weed. You and I both know what happens when someone smokes that—they get high, and when they're high, they start seeing things." Sir Dominic's voice was sharp, cutting through the tension.

"What are you insinuating, Sir Dominic?" Josh growled, narrowing his eyes.

"I'm saying your witness was probably high, and none of what they saw was real. You heard Mary. Silas is innocent. Your son and his friends were killed because they foolishly tried to raid a high-grade mutant realm to earn tokens. So drop it and go mourn your loss," Sir Dominic said coldly, his words harsh but final.

Though Sir Dominic had been curious if Silas was truly involved, the entire ordeal had turned into a waste of time. And Sir Dominic was a man who valued his time above all else.

"Can I go now? I have classes to attend," Silas asked, standing up, his voice cool.

Sir Dominic nodded, giving him permission to leave.

As Silas turned toward the door, Sensei Josh grabbed his arm in a fury.

"You're going nowhere!" Sensei Josh snarled, his face twisted with rage.

Silas's expression darkened, his eyes cold and menacing. He grabbed Sensei Josh's hand, tightening his grip. As Silas applied pressure, Josh felt his bones twisting painfully.

"Back off," Silas warned in a low, dangerous tone that sent a shiver down Sensei Josh's spine.