Arkin often discounted the feelings of others. Thoughts and emotions blank spots in his sight. Unknown variables he had to work around or crush altogether. Instead merely a witness of their possible actions and reactions. Learning where pressure points existed and then utilizing them until his desired end result was achieved. Like the awe of a young woman who could one day potentially tear the skies open and make them weep. Who could wrestle the seas from their bed and wash out the filth from the land. Or strike the Earth with light and make the lands catch fire and be cleansed. All of this possible if Felix was pushed in the right direction. Nurtured and distanced from her timid will to be reforged as a warrior for this world as opposed to simply the people in it. A prized tool in a formidable collection, but all in good time.
He was halfway finished with his pastry before the incident he’d predicted was over and done with. The woman turning back to him with a look of wonder as opposed to fear, along with a faint twist of curiosity that Arkin found pleasing. His smile humble as he replied, “The world we make is often smaller than the one we could build. I merely see all of the possibilities.”
There was a new weight at the table. One Arkin could only sense through his years of experience as opposed to with his power. The man casting his gaze down to his hands as he wiped them with a napkin. Allowing himself to be examined like a curiosity; an animal in a cage that made the viewer feel safe, but did nothing to curb the wildness of the creature. Idly wishing in moments like these that he could take a person’s skull and crack it open to see what threads tied their thoughts together. Luckily he was a patient man and after a moment he looked up and asked a question he’d often taunted her father with, “Care to take a look into the crystal and find out where your future lies?”