FSE

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My ears were still burning, and my tail, tightly curled between my legs, showed no signs of relaxing. My hand occasionally drifted unconsciously to the fur on my neck, but as soon as I noticed, I’d lower it, focusing solely on taking the shortest route back to my quarters, hoping no one would notice my state.

Perhaps I was too distracted, as I didn’t sense anything unusual until the sliding door to my room closed behind me.

Tadao stood in the center of the room, his posture somewhat rigid. The grains of sand scattered in the air pulsed intensely, rapidly converging in the center of Red Deer’s raised right palm. The velocity was creating wind pressure, making light objects in the room sway violently in rhythm with the shimmering patterns of the air.

The sand gathered into Tadao's hand, spinning at a speed too fast for the eye to clearly perceive. Some flashes of light even sparked from the thick mass of sand and dust.

“I can’t control it!” Tadao yelled, his gaze fixed on his palm. “Take over the Domination now!” His tone was laced with fear, though I could detect a hint of awe and reverence in his eyes—eyes that hadn’t turned red yet, meaning he was still managing.

“You’re doing great, just hold it,” I said, raising my open palms to my chest and taking a step closer. “Remember when we talked about holding the world in your hand?” I spoke softly, trying to calm the panicked Red Deer. “This power is you—it’s part of you. There’s no such thing as losing control.”

A dazzling blue-white current shot out from Red Deer’s palm, like a jet from the center of a black hole's accretion disk, striking the metal handrail of the staircase and sparking, filling the air with a sharp, burnt smell.

“Stop with the smooth talk, Richter!” Tadao’s left hand gripped his right wrist tightly, the panic in his voice more pronounced, as the dust structure began forming into a sphere. “And how am I supposed to believe it’s a part of me and won’t go out of control?”

With more items flying about, I considered using my consciousness to shield our belongings from the chaotic wind pressure, but interfering too much might rob Tadao of this chance to truly master Domination, so I decided to risk some property damage.

“This isn’t some mind...uh… vegetable soup for the soul,” I stammered, seeing his confused expression. Clearly, he hadn’t heard that phrase, but now wasn’t the time to clarify. “Everyone loses control—that’s normal.”

“Is it?” Red Deer’s doubt was unmistakable in his voice. “I’ve never seen you fail. Your Domination is always flawless!” I could hear a trace of bitterness in his tone. “Any carnivore could master this ability with ease!”

“True, carnivores generally have a better grasp of Domination than herbivores.” More currents shot out, adding ozone to the already burnt smell as they sparked from the now tightly formed sphere. “But the real key is to understand all of this,” I pointed to the sphere in Tadao’s hand, where the sparse outer sand layer drifted slowly without spinning. It reminded me of an atmosphere encasing a planet. “Embrace it—it’s all you, every part.”

Amidst the debris swirling and air ringing from heated, fast-expanding electron beams, Red Deer met my gaze. Within the field, Tadao’s consciousness pulsed, reaching out to understand the concept I was trying to convey, like tendrils probing my thoughts.

I noticed a faint redness appear in Red Deer’s brown eyes, likely indicating he was near his limit. After a moment's consideration, I decided to risk offering more direct guidance.

The first step to dominating everything is to understand oneself.

“You are Haruta Tadao, psychic, a rare true-seer in a century, citizen of the Federation, a red deer, also known as Cervus elaphus,” I said in a calm tone, raising my voice slightly to rise above the thudding objects around us. “Everyone is the same, herbivore or carnivore, always walking a tightrope, where any misstep leads to an abyss from which there’s no return. It’s the price of being a psychic.”

“You’re not helping!” Tadao shouted, his eyes now fully red.

“And… you’re also my first friend here.” Trying to convey emotion, I sought a connection we could both resonate with. “Whether you mess up or lose control, that’s all part of you!” I couldn’t put it more precisely, so I tried embedding my sentiment in my consciousness. “Like countless snowflakes in a blizzard!” I closed my eyes, summoning that mental image. “No matter how different, strange, or useless any particular flake may be, they all belong to the vast white world.” I almost felt the delicate, cold touch of snowflakes in my paws. “So, it’s okay.” I opened my eyes, locking gazes with Tadao again. “Embrace it all as ‘me.’ You can be all of this.”

Words were so limiting. I could only hope Tadao would understand what a single snowflake in an endless white truly meant.

But whether he shared my experience or not, the chaotic airflow gradually weakened and finally settled.

A sphere was now calmly rotating in Red Deer’s palm. The markings and icy poles on its surface gave it away.

“Is that Ares?” I asked softly, a natural smile spreading across my lips.

To my surprise, Tadao responded by lunging forward and pulling me into a tight hug.

“I suddenly remembered we’ve had dinner together so many times,” Red Deer murmured, making me laugh.

It… felt good.

Tadao released me and took a step back. After glancing again at the sphere in his hand, he dispersed it back into fine sand, guiding it back into the metal bucket in the corner.

“I’m exhausted.” He rubbed the back of his head, clearly a bit embarrassed.

“Practice was the only path to perfection,” I replied, inspecting the small items scattered on the floor and using my consciousness to put them back.

“Damn, it’s so late already.” He began tidying up as well and sighed after glancing at his terminal. “I planned to go get my clearance set up tonight.”

“Clearance for what?” I felt a memory surface and tilted my head, curious.

“For outside communication access,” he replied, sounding puzzled. “I thought you’d already set yours up.”

Yes, that was it.

In all Rationalism, how could I forget?

I should’ve marked it on my calendar with a reminder—why hadn’t I?

Frustrated, I pulled out my terminal and checked my calendar, but there was no related entry.

“Did Kotetsu senpai not remind you?” Tadao’s tone was cautious, likely trying to avoid the awkwardness of this morning.

“No,” I replied curtly.

Rationalism, why would I forget?

“Richter…” Red Deer murmured, drawing my gaze toward him. “I….” He seemed torn but, after hesitating a moment, finally spoke. “Did you know that Kotetsu senpai has a military rank?”

“He mentioned it once—about his time in the Naval Academy.”

“The Altai Wapiti faction in the navy is notorious for being conservative, especially regarding carnivores,” Tadao continued. “Do you know what they call Federation citizens with a ‘preference’ for carnivores? If word got out that Kotetsu senpai was involved with you, they’d likely make him saw off his own antlers.”

“Antlers?” I didn’t quite understand the significance of that.

“Yes, antlers.” Tadao sighed heavily, clearly frustrated by my lack of understanding, and pointed at his own antlers.

“But aren’t antlers something that fall off on their own and grow back each year?” I still remembered the bloody sight of Tadao’s antlers when they fell off and how sensitive he’d been during that antler-less period afterward, making me tread carefully to avoid causing another tearful breakdown.

“Yes, they grow back the next year.” He rolled his eyes, obviously displeased with my inability to grasp the gravity. “Unless they sear the growth points with a hot iron.”

“Oh…” I shivered at the thought.

“For deer species, it’s equivalent to castration, but it’s visible to everyone,” Tadao crossed his arms, rubbing them in discomfort.

“Oh…” The image grew clearer, and I forced myself to think of something else.

“So it’s hard to believe Kotetsu senpai would risk getting involved with you unless he was under some unavoidable command from above.” He made some gestures, though I didn’t fully understand. “I just wanted you to know the reputation the Altai Wapiti have within the Federation.”

“Thanks for the warning, but I’m really tired right now,” I tried to keep my tone from sounding too cold, but it was a clear failure, and the swelling bitterness in my nose only made things worse. “Anyway, I know now.”

Forcing a smile, though I knew it looked more like a baring of fangs, Tadao sighed and gave me a resigned nod.

“Alright, then,” he said softly, patting my arm, though all I felt was a stiff sensation. “Goodnight, Richter.”

After cleaning up and getting ready for bed, I lay there staring up at the ceiling, my mind tangled in chaotic thoughts.

From the start, Tadao had shown his dislike for Altai Wapiti, and Kotetsu senpai had basically confirmed his own group wasn't particularly well-liked either. Who was I supposed to believe?

Antlers, collars, fangs—disconnected images darted through my mind, and I could only force myself not to think about them.

But my restless thoughts refused my quiet plea, relentlessly dragging me down, tossing and turning.

Just as I was about to drown in this silent darkness, I seemed to glimpse a pair of yellow eyes from the depths of the abyss.

Maybe tomorrow, after talking it through with him, everything would be fine.

In my exhausted haze, I didn’t even know where this hopeful notion had come from. But I clung to it like a piece of driftwood, gripping this thought tightly as I drifted, floating aimlessly for far too long, until I sank into an empty, depthless void.