Room 214 jolts with the slam of the door. A new student stumbles in, breathing hard, hands sparking with unstable kinetic energy. Rowan jerks back from the desk. Adrian stays in the hallway, suddenly alert.
Theo Mercer
You are Alphonse Valentino, right? Please, I need help. I heard you can steady weird power surges.
The sparks jump across his fingers, snapping against the air. He fights to keep his hands open instead of clenched, like the effort alone is costing him.
Alphonse Valentino
If you want me to try, come here slowly.
He swallows, nods once, and steps closer with visible care. Rowan watches in silence, one hand half-raised as if ready to help if the room goes wrong.
Theo Mercer
I am not trying to cause trouble. It is just getting worse every minute. I am Theo Mercer, by the way, from second-year support track.
At the sound of the name, Rowan’s expression sharpens in surprise. Theo extends one shaking hand toward Alphonse, trusting him to make the chaos manageable.
✓ Quest Accepted
Stabilize Theo Mercer’s power surge
“I bridge my mind with his. I seek out what he knows about his abilities and what's troubling him, seeking a source.”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Alphonse lets the mental bridge settle, gentle and precise. Theo’s panic hits first, then a jagged memory of a training room, a hard lesson in control, and a surge that answered fear instead of intent.
Alphonse Valentino
His power is tied to stress. The surge is feeding on itself.
The link opens wider. Under the static, Alphonse finds the source, a fresh patch on Theo’s palm where the energy keeps returning, as if something there keeps catching and throwing it back wrong.
Theo Mercer
It started after lab practice. I thought I had it under control. Then my hand went numb, and every time I tense up, it flares again.
Theo’s breathing eases a fraction as the connection steadies him. The sparks thin from snapping arcs to weak trembling threads around his fingers.
Rowan Mercer
Okay. That is new. Tell me if you need the room cleared, or if I should get something to ground it.
Adrian leans in the doorway, watching with that same amused edge gone careful now, while Theo holds still and waits for Alphonse’s next move.
“I try to help him break the feedback loop. Help him reroute his emotions like a reroute thoughts across multiple nodes”
SUCCESS (Great Reasoning, rolled -2)
Alphonse threads the link through Theo’s panic and names the shape of it, not the fear itself. The feedback pattern loosens, then catches on the shared rhythm of breath, pulse, and intent.
Alphonse Valentino
He is reacting to the feeling of losing control, not the sparks.
Theo’s shoulders drop. The flicker around his hand bends outward, skimming harmlessly into the air instead of snapping back through his palm.
Theo Mercer
That, that’s it. It feels like the pressure stops chasing itself.
The release comes with a sharp crack of static. Alphonse’s temples sting, and the phone on the desk buzzes itself off the edge with a clatter.
Rowan Mercer
Okay, that was impressive. Also, your phone just tried to escape.
Theo flexes his hand once. No sparks answer. Adrian’s careful look shifts into a small, approving smile at the doorway, while the room finally settles into ordinary silence.
Quest Complete
Stabilize Theo Mercer’s power surge
New Gift: Mental Anchor