Psychic Overlord

Kaizer was currently driving his Dodge Viper ACR through the gates of the Esper Academy, heading through the forest area outside the academy on a slightly bumpy road towards the city, with Rina in the passenger seat, a little more lively as she played a mobile game on her phone.

The sibling duo were heading home to see their parents and spend some time with them before Kaizer entered his deep seclusion. Rina definitely wanted to come along because she also missed home.

When they finally pulled up to the street that led to their mansion, the duo couldn’t help but feel emotional. It had only been barely two months away from home, yet all they had learned and experienced made it feel like they had been away for years.

At the gates were their parents Keith Lunin, Charlene Lunin, and Katherine Lunin, who were anxiously awaiting their children. Naturally, Kaizer did not come home unannounced; he had called ahead of time to let them know that they were returning around this time.

The brand new Dodge Viper came to park in front of the gate as Kaizer and Rina got down, both smiling.

"Dad! Mom!" Kaizer called out as his mother rushed over to hug him tightly.

Charlene Lunin didn’t even hesitate as she crossed the gate, arms wide and eyes misty. Her grip around Kaizer was tight, like she was trying to squeeze two months of worry and longing into a single embrace.

"My baby boy... look at you," she whispered, brushing a few strands of his hair back, her thumb pausing just slightly on the faint dark circles under his eyes.

"You’ve gotten skinnier. Are they feeding you properly at that academy?" she asked with deep concern.

Kaizer gave a light chuckle, returning the hug just as tightly. "I’m fine, Mom. Stronger than ever."

"That doesn’t mean you should skip meals," she chided, wiping at her eye before turning and glancing at Rina, who was pulled into a warm, motherly squeeze by Katherine.

"My precious girl! You didn’t even call me yesterday before going to bed!" Katherine chided Rina in a fake scolding tone, but her voice wavered with emotion.

"I wanted it to be a surprise. Besides, I missed home-cooked food," Rina mumbled into her mother’s shoulder before finally cracking a rare grin.

"Look at you, greedy little minx." Katherine stroked Rina’s hair lovingly.

Kaizer turned just in time to catch his father Keith clapping a strong hand on his shoulder, a proud grin stretching across his weathered face.

"My son, Kaizer." Keith said with a tone of calm pride.

"You’ve made the Lunin name shine brighter than I ever could." He praised sincerely.

"Thanks, Dad. But I still have a long way to go." Kaizer replied, his voice softer than usual as he shook his head.

Keith nodded thoughtfully, understanding that his son must have faced setbacks. "That’s fine, Kaizer. Just don’t forget to rest when you’re back. You’ve earned it."

Before they could exchange more words, Katherine and Charlene joined together and pulled the entire group into a tight family hug.

Katherine seemed jovial. "Look at you, Kaizer! I’m astounded to think that you’re already out there doing feats of superhuman acts. To me, you’re still kids!"

"Well... almost," she noted, seeing her daughter growing into her femininity and changing her words with a wry smile.

Kaizer smiled, genuinely grateful. "It’s good to see you again, Aunt Kat."

"And you too, troublemaker. Still bullying your brother at school?" She winked at Rina.

"I bully everyone equally, though Kaizer is exempt due to extenuating circumstances," Rina replied with a foxy smile.

The family laughed as the siblings were ushered into the mansion, the door opening to reveal the cozy familiarity of their old home.

Warm lighting, polished wooden floors, and the faint smell of home-baked bread welcomed them like a blanket.

They kicked off their shoes in the foyer, Rina immediately flopping onto the couch she always sat in, like she’d been in a desert for days.

"Oh my god, it’s so soft," she mumbled into a cushion.

Kaizer chuckled and glanced around the living room. Same bookshelf. Same huge 70-inch television. Same set of consoles that he and Rina shared growing up.

Everything was the same, and yet... he felt like he was seeing it for the first time again.

Charlene disappeared into the kitchen and returned moments later with two plates of their favorite snacks—fried plantain chips for Rina and buttered shrimp skewers for Kaizer.

"I had a feeling you’d want something the moment you walked in," Charlene said smugly.

"You’re the best," Kaizer said sincerely, taking the plate.

They sat as a family, sharing stories of their time apart. Some of these stories were light, and some were inevitably heavy. Keith asked about the training and the variety of powers, especially about the clans and the power distribution, which Kaizer shared in full.

Katherine asked about the drama, wanting to know how campus life was like where everyone was superpowered and if there were any scandals. It couldn’t be helped; Katherine had spent most of her life as a top supermodel, show business was her thing.

Meanwhile, Charlene asked about Sophia, who Kaizer had told her would be visiting tomorrow, as she was tied up with something today. That part made both siblings roll their eyes at once because it was obvious that Charlene felt Rina’s position was being threatened by this Sophia, but the duo knew that she was just an attaché.

After all the laughs and chatting, night fell before they knew it.

Kaizer stood near the window of his room, watching the garden sway under the dim porch light.

He couldn’t help but feel emotional, thinking about when he first awakened his powers and stood right here to lift their family Escalade in order to practice.

Looking down at the car below, he lifted it with relative ease, causing it to even move back and forth, then spin around before putting it down gently.

After lifting a train, the Escalade seemed like a joke in comparison.

This was how far he had come in two months. When he was done with his intense training by the end of the year, where would he be then?

Kaizer heard a knock on his room door and turned as Rina opened it up, holding two mugs of warm chocolate.

She looked hopeful when he entered but was disappointed immediately. Kaizer’s lips twitched because he could guess without even reading her mind that she was hoping to catch him naked or doing something immoral.

"Thought you’d want one," she said, handing over the customized mug with a picture of their teenage selves, cartoonized, printed on the front.

He took it with a smile, remembering the fuss Rina caused to have these done back then, nodding. "Thanks."

She sat on the bed beside him, both sipping quietly for a moment.

"...I feel safe here, like the world can’t reach us." Rina finally said, her voice becoming heavy.

Kaizer nodded slowly, understanding where she was coming from. "It’s good to come back."

"...Let’s protect this, okay?" She asked suddenly, her tone softer than ever.

Kaizer looked at her, eyes serious. "Always."

Rina smiled and nodded. "How long will your training last?"

"Till the end of the year, so about 8 months." Kaizer said, having already done the calculations ahead of time.

Rina hummed. "You have grown this strong in two months, I wonder what you’ll become in that time."

Kaizer glanced upward. "Hopefully strong enough to make sure that no one ever considers messing with us."

"Mm, I hope so too." Rina nodded in agreement, then leaned on Kaizer’s shoulders gently.

Kaizer did not react negatively, simply holding her gently as they sat together while chatting about various things. The night passed and daytime came, with Kaizer already awake by 6 am due to his habit at the university, already done showering and currently scrolling through his phone.

Soon, there was a knock on the door, as Rina’s voice sounded out, quite disgruntled. "Kaizer, Sophia is downstairs and our folks are with her. They want you to come down."

Kaizer voiced his agreement and got up, wearing something casual before heading downstairs. In the living room was Sophia, who wore a neat blue blouse and a long green skirt that was past her ankles and quite wide.

Coupled with a pair of neat blue shoes, she looked less like a young woman, but more like a married woman trying to be conservative. No matter how they felt, Keith, Charlene, and Katherine couldn’t help but feel a positive emotion towards her due to how she kept herself.

Rina sat on the opposite side, her legs up on the couch and her eyes on her phone, as she clearly did not fancy talking to Sophia outside of mission boundaries.

When they all saw Kaizer come down, their eyes lit up as they called him over. Kaizer especially glanced over at Sophia, who glanced at him, and he was surprised to see that she left her mind open to him even after she knew he was a telepath.