Overthinker

Finally, the three of them were back home. The sun was dipping low outside, casting a warm glow through the windows of their small living room. Lian sat on the couch, stretching his legs, while Kael sprawled on a rug, tinkering with some alchemic pellets and humming happily. Mira, as usual, was curled up in an armchair, carefully flipping through a book, her orb glowing faintly beside her.

Lian leaned back, watching them. For the first time, he noticed how normal everything looked. The quiet chatter of the city outside, Kael muttering to herself, Mira’s careful, soft movements. He should feel relaxed. But instead, a question had been gnawing at him all day.

Should I read their thoughts?

He twisted the edge of a pillow in his hands, trying to push the idea away. He could hear them thinking if he wanted, could anticipate their moods, their little habits, even their jokes before they said them. But that felt wrong. He didn’t want to invade their minds, not like that.

Still, the temptation was strong. The curiosity, the itch in the back of his brain, kept coming back. He tried to convince himself: No, it’s not necessary. I don’t need to know. It could ruin things.

But then he noticed Kael laughing softly to herself at something she read in a book of experiments. Mira frowned at a page, muttering something under her breath, clearly annoyed by a chapter she found boring. Lian’s curiosity spiked again. Just a peek…

With a shaky breath, he gave in. He let his focus drift, sensing their thoughts.

Kael’s mind was a whirlwind. Hmm… what if I put fire here? Or ice? Wait no… maybe a confusion pellet… ha, he’ll never see this coming… oh, I hope it doesn’t explode on me… Lian had to bite back a smile. Her thoughts were chaotic, full of energy and silliness, completely in line with her personality.

Mira’s mind was quieter, more orderly, but just as simple. This chapter is stupid. Maybe I should skip the next one… Oh no, the orb is glowing… should I check it? Her thoughts carried caution, curiosity, and a touch of worry. Nothing dark or dangerous, nothing secret.

Lian blinked. He had expected… something heavier, perhaps. But all he found was mundane, ordinary, and sometimes funny. Kael planning tricks with her pellets, Mira quietly judging the book she was reading, both of them completely themselves.

Still, he felt shaken. He leaned back, rubbing his temples. Why does this bother me so much? Why does it feel… wrong to know their thoughts, even when it’s harmless?

He realized it wasn’t the thoughts themselves that were the problem. It was the power to know. To see inside them, even without asking. To hold that knowledge, to be able to use it whenever he wanted. That feeling—of responsibility, of temptation, of fear—was what the witch must have meant. The tragic part wasn’t that the thoughts were dark or terrible. It was that he could never unsee them.

He looked at Kael, who was now making a tiny fireball hop across the rug and muttering about its trajectory. Mira was reading, oblivious to the world, flipping the pages gently. Lian felt a strange mix of amusement, relief, and unease.

It’s not dangerous. It’s just thoughts. Silly, small, sometimes boring. But… knowing them… changes something. It changes me.

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. He could feel the power pulsing lightly within him, a constant reminder that he had the ability to reach inside others’ minds. And he had just done it, even though he had promised himself not to.

Is this what she meant? he wondered, thinking of the witch’s words about the tragic power. Not that it would destroy anything outwardly… but that it can disturb you, twist your focus, make you question everything, make you hesitate…

He opened his eyes and looked at them again. Kael laughed suddenly, tossing a pellet into the air, while Mira frowned at a page, muttering “impossible” under her breath. Lian allowed himself a small smile. Harmless thoughts, ordinary things, yet he felt a weight on his chest that wasn’t there before.

He shook his head lightly, trying to let it go. I can’t let this rule me. I just… need to accept it, understand it, and maybe… be careful.

For now, though, he decided to leave their minds alone. To sit quietly, to watch, and to learn about his power in small, safe doses. Even if it scared him a little.

After all, he reminded himself, powers like this weren’t about grand battles or saving the world. Sometimes, they were about understanding, patience, and—even if just a little—resisting the urge to peek.

And Lian could do that… couldn’t he?

He sighed, looking at his companions, feeling the strange mixture of comfort and dread. This power… it’s silly, simple, and terrifying all at once. But maybe… that’s what makes it mine.