Chapter 35 - Reconstruction

The tendrils were psychically tearing apart Jude’s mind at the seams. Jude could no longer control his own body, and he was wracked with horrible, otherworldly pain. If he had been born in an earlier time to a religious family, he might have described it as feeling as if he we burning in hellfire.

He had almost no energy left within himself, and yet he knew that if he did not fight back, he would lose for sure. Leader had gotten very close to him now to strengthen the psychic force that he was using to destroy Jude.

Jude rallied his inner strength, and focused all of his thoughts and emotions to form his own tendrils. He even gave up the input of his sense to focus his energy into the attack.

His mind was filled with images of Leader’s thought-tentacles destroying him, and yet his own tendrils were fighting back. Although not as effective as Leader’s, they still were doing damage.

Suddenly there was a cracking noise within Jude’s mind. He felt as though Leader had come with a psychic ax and split his mind in half. Jude’s psyche underwent a great schism.

Two pieces came from it. The first was Jude’s mind, now just a fraction of its former being. The second half was dead matter, performing no actions. Jude no longer had the energy to continue his defense of Leader. He fell into the hellfire.

Although he did not realize it, his body was thrown into convulsions. And against all odds, his leg lashed out at Leader, and, not expecting it, Leader fell to the ground. His focus was lost, and he fell.

Jude felt the tendrils leave his mind, and although his psyche was still split into pieces, he felt as though the torture was over. He tried to reach a single thought into Leader’s mind, and received no input.

Leader was dead.

Jude suddenly became aware of something else. He felt strength returning to his arms and legs, and the dead matter of his mind regained consciousness and joined with that which was still alive. Slowly, his body reconstructed itself to what it had been.

He felt a leech of power coming from Leader. Leader’s own psychic abilities, fueled by his kryon heritage, began leaking into the air, attracted to the nearest willing source – Jude’s own mind.

Jude felt as though his mind would explode with power. Surely he would have to experiment with this power at some point, though now would likely not be the time – he still wanted to find Tyra and the others.

And then he looked up. Leader’s minions were still there. They looked in horror at what had happened to their commander. They turned up the power settings to their guns and fired.

Time slowed for Jude. Reaching into the inner recesses of his mind, he projected a wall of force which stopped the shots.

He then reached out his hand towards his enemies. Bolts of fire shot from his fingertips, and struck each one of the minions. They fell to the ground, dead.

Jude looked at himself in awe. How had he amassed such power in such a quick amount of time? He was sure that he would never be able to understand the mystery of these powers, at least without guidance from a kryon – something he assumed would never come.

He looked around at the area where he was. He did not know where he was, and so he waited until nightfall to use the auroras and the fires to guide him to his lover.