Cracks in Reality (Seams in Reality Book 2) by Alex Siegel Read Free Book Online Page A

exercises designed to restore order to his mind. He used specific images to control his thoughts. The wall faded, and the door was revealed to Andrew, but Dan and Tungsten would still see the wall.
    Tonya smiled at Andrew. "You already defeated me! All that training is really paying off."
    He beamed with pride. He had overcome her illusions before but never that quickly.
    "Charley?" she said. "What about you?"
    Charley was clenching her jaw as she stared at the fake wall. Her face was flushed.
    "Almost," she replied in a tight voice. "I... got... it." She abruptly relaxed.
    "I'm so proud of both of you," Tonya said.
    "What's going on?" Tungsten said.
    "It's not important. Andrew, your defensive skills are fairly polished now. It's time for you to work on offense for the first time. Be gentle." She looked meaningfully at Tungsten.
    "Hold on," Andrew said. "You want me to attack a BPI agent?"
    "Not attack," she said. "Teach and learn. I'll make sure nobody gets injured."
    He shook his head. "I don't know about this."
    "You won't be able to defeat Blake without practicing on softer targets first. It's a necessary part of the training. There really isn't any other way." She faced Tungsten. "Do you still think your mind is as hard as rock?"
    "Sure," he said.
    "Then letting Andrew take a poke at you won't be a problem, right? We have your consent?"
    He furrowed his brow. "I guess so, but how do I protect myself?"
    "It's simple. Just remember what is real and ignore what is not. Andrew, proceed."
    Andrew walked over to Tungsten. After weeks of getting punched and kicked by the big guy in martial arts class, Andrew was looking forward to a little payback, but he would never admit it out loud. That kind of sentiment could get him into a lot of trouble.
    "Are you afraid of anything?" Andrew said.
    "No," Tungsten replied confidently.
    "Let's see if that's true."
    Andrew knew the theory of offensive sorcery, but he had never put it into practice. The principle was straightforward. He merely had to push a terrifying belief into Tungsten's mind. Once the target was crippled by anxiety, he would be at Andrew's mercy.
    The Theosophical Seam was a beast roaring silently in the room. There was so much power floating around, the air seemed thick and greasy to Andrew. He always felt like some kind of Superman in the chamber. His thoughts were as quick and intense as lightning.
    He tried a basic fear. You are blind. There is only darkness. He blasted the belief straight into Tungsten's brain and encountered surprisingly little resistance.
    The big man reacted instantly. His eyes rolled in his head, and he groped with his hands. "I can't see!" he said. "What's wrong with me? What did you do?!"
    "Tungsten," Tonya said in a calming voice. "Relax. You're fine."
    "But my eyes..."
    "Are working perfectly. Andrew, well done. Now fix it."
    You can see again. Andrew sent the belief outwards.
    Tungsten settled down, but he was still breathing hard. "That was extremely messed up."
    His face showed an entirely new respect for Andrew. Andrew enjoyed the success, but in a way, it had come too easily. He had expected such a malicious spell to be more work. Causing terror wasn't supposed to be so effortless.
    That's why I'm a war mage, Andrew thought. His unique talent was the reason he had the task of killing Blake. Andrew had an innate ability to destroy the minds of others. Once he was properly trained, he would be able to defeat even powerful sorcerers like Blake in theory. Of course, he couldn't be sure until he actually did it.
    "Dan, it's your turn," Tonya said.
    "Me?" Dan said. "No way! I'm not letting Andrew mess with my brain."
    "Nobody got hurt, and important lessons were learned. I would think a federal agent would appreciate the value of a training exercise."
    "This isn't training. It's infernal sorcery. It's illegal!"
    "How do you think Andrew is going to kill Blake?" she said. "With kindness?"
    "Then let Andrew practice on you."
    "I have to monitor