Chapter 3: Assailant
Mason couldn't help but run through several things in his head quickly, shuffling through different possibilities and explanations for this situation like a speed reader on a previously read novel due to his accelerated mental capabilities courtesy of his training of mental energy. Of course, all of them were discarded one by one as Mason mumbled to himself, cursing the sheer amount of information he lacked.
"The wrong address? In this day and age? No way. Mistaken identity? Impossible to know. Maybe- no..."
Then one thought hit him harder than any other. He couldn't help but sharply inhale, as his eyes unconsciously widen at the sudden inkling in his mind that tapped at what bothered him most over the past year.
"Do... Do they know who I am? Who I was?"
'They' in this case being whoever arranged for this letter to be sent with Mason specifically being the recipient. That was the only possible explanation he could think of- Dynamo University personally contacting someone is completely unheard of. If it got out that ANYONE got a free pass into Dynamo, let alone a no-name civilian, there would be a complete uproar. With it being three millennia since humanity's first massive excursion among the stars, the relatively young five hundred or so years of Dynamo's operation was incredibly dependent on reputation and collective backing- selective treatment of this level could be catastrophic to it's cultivated image. Perhaps he was indeed someone more important than he imagined? How did this sender know who he was, if they really did? Why would they take this risk- at least, a risk from his perspective? How high up could the sender be, to give a letter of guaranteed entry? The leadership of Dynamo (both the city and the university) is shrouded in mystery, suspected to be a group of monsters at the peak of humanity nearing a thousand years old... could that be the reason behind the comfortable rise of Dynamo as being the generator of human civilization, accumulating and enriching people from all over the galaxy? Is that how tensions are kept in check despite the distance between the galaxy's many powers?
Even with Mason's enhanced mental ability and resolute personality, he couldn't help but break out into a cold sweat over this complicated matter. And that's when he felt something-
An intense and sudden sense of danger.
Swiftly steeping back in his tiny space of a room, a figure clad in a mottled light brown with their hand outstretched toward Mason's previous position appeared suddenly inside his room, just in front of his door, merely a step away. Around the figure's reaching hand was a formless energy distorting the air around it- undoubtedly targeted toward Mason's chest.
Mason could feel the sweat on his brow as he released a shaky breath, fearful of the consequences of not training his mental energy enough to refine his sixth sense- that was the only reason he was able to evade that sinister hand. He examined the figure who seemed to have stopped in surprise at his blow being evaded, scanning them thoroughly and combing through his mind for any relevant information. He was immediately stunned. The black figure wasn't simply wearing brown clothes-
He was wearing an exosuit of the Serpent Series.
Exosuits only have one catchall definition- wearable suits for the purposes of enhancing the application and management of mental energy. However, that doesn't mean they all do the same things- exosuits come in a variety of different series, such as the Serpent, Hard-Shell, and Avian series, though there are still several more. There are only a select few exosuits wielded by the absolute pinnacle of humanity that don't fit within a specific series, and are instead a class all on their own due to their sheer uniqueness and incredible ability.
For this exosuit in particular, it was the most common and considered the most unimpressive of the Serpent Series, under the sub classification of the Snake Series- a Copperhead. This particular exosuit had what seemed to be a leathery texture around the body, with knee and elbow braces reinforced with some flexible metal, while the helmet was more reminiscent of a closed face hood- unadorned, with nothing like eyeholes to see out of, while a black neck brace with a complex clasp kept the covering on. Exosuits are designed to be very difficult to see into, but easy to see out of.
With an emphasis on concealment and singular quick strikes, the Copperhead lacks the firepower and range of others in the Snake series, making up for it with it's cheaper production and lesser mental energy requirements to utilize. Not many could gaze at an exosuit for merely a second and identify and classify it, even though this Copperhead was in its default color scheme- this was certainly proof that Mason specialized in knowledge on exosuits.
However, knowledge alone can't save his life here.
The figure lowered their hand after seemingly being surprised at being dodged for around a second, but continued to stare down Mason in a menacing manner- menacing to him at least. He couldn't even begin to think about what this person in an exosuit was doing here, or why they seemingly tried to kill him. Perhaps it was related to the letter he just received? A sudden thought flashed into Mason's mind as he continued thinking at lightning speed -
'Since this person appeared so suddenly... that meant they might've been here this whole time! Why would they wait until after I read the letter?'
A Copperhead exosuit didn't have the absurd capabilities required to trigger something like instantaneous teleportation- that is the stuff of legends. Camouflage is it's specialty, and camouflage until the point of nigh invisibility is possible, but incredibly difficult. Tricking the human mind in this day and age where the general level of intelligence has been increased in a non-insignificant manner is no easy task. Considering Mason- a person who could be described as genuinely talented and intelligent- was deceived until the most crucial moment, it proved that this assailant far outstripped the capabilities of the exosuit they were wearing, pushing it's potential to the very limits.
Standing across from each other, to Mason seconds felt like hours. Gazing at the door behind the exosuited individual, he knew that he had no escape. Without anything to apply mental energy too, the enemy's enhanced speed alone would be enough to slay him in an instant- yet they chose not to. Yet, unbeknownst to even Mason himself, mental energy started to quickly coalesce on the fingertips of his right hand, independent of a catalyst...
The person in the exosuit made their second move since his arrival, and tilted their head in befuddlement, looking down at Mason's right hand in curiosity...
Before turning around, opening the door, and walking out without a hint of enhanced speed or malicious intent.
Mason was left standing alone in his room, completely baffled, as the unconsciously assembled mental energy around him dissipated as soon as it arrived in his intense surprise and confusion. Over the course of merely ten seconds, a incredibly bizarre series of seemingly high intensity events occurred.
"...I'm still in one piece? They... they just left? Through the front door? Who the hell even was that?" Mason said aloud.
Looking down and around before lightly pinching his arm, a turbid breath was released from his mouth. Nothing around him had been disturbed- it was as if he was the only one that was ever there. The contents of the letter remained in his left hand, though the slip was now quite crumpled.
"Wait, I got accepted by default to Dynamo but... where do I even go? The front entrance? It's so late in the afternoon though... I'll just go to bed."
And saving the contents of today for the him of tomorrow, Mason went to bed and quickly got to snoring.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Seismac
Seismac There ya go. Dunno if I'll release chapters two at a time or what, to be honest. Also I have no idea if it's preferred I write out numbers or just go with 1234 and such. Hope people at least find this interesting.
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