I stand over Sera in my quarters, gauntlets pulsing with telekinetic energy as I map the damaged neural pathways in her mind. The process is familiar after working with Desta, but the enhanced precision of my abilities makes the experience entirely different. Where before I was fumbling in the dark with basic tools, now I'm working with surgical instruments and enhanced vision.

  "Try to relax," I tell her, seeing the tension in her shoulders as she sits with eyes closed. "The more your mind fights, the harder this gets."

  "Sorry," she murmurs. "Been waiting for this chance for months. Hard not to get worked up."

  I extend my telekinetic awareness deeper, the gauntlets enhancing my perception to levels I couldn't achieve when helping Desta. The neural damage is extensive but different from what Desta experienced. Where Desta's pathways were systematically suppressed, Sera's are chaotically , like wires that have been scorched and frayed rather than neatly disconnected.

  "This is going to take time," I warn her. "Several sessions at least. The damage pattern is complex."

  She nods slightly, careful not to disrupt my work. "Whatever it takes."

  I begin with the most severely damaged areas, using molecular-level telekinesis to carefully reconstruct neural connections. The gauntlets amplify my precision, allowing me to work at scales that would have been impossible before. I can feel the subtle resistance as damaged pathways resist reconstruction, like trying to solder wires that keep melting under the heat.

  "Holy shit," I mutter as I encounter a particularly devastated region. "What exactly happened during your enhancement?"

  Sera winces at the memory. "They were trying to amplify my ability to manifest multiple elemental forms simultaneously. Pushed too much energy through unprepared pathways. Felt like my brain was on fire."

  I work in silence for nearly an hour, carefully rebuilding connections one by one. The process is exhausting, requiring intense concentration to maintain molecular precision over extended periods. Finally, I step back, lowering my hands.

  "That's enough for today," I tell her, wiping sweat from my forehead. "Trying to fix too much at once could cause more damage than it repairs."

  She opens her eyes, disappointment evident despite her understanding. "How bad is it?"

  "Not as bad as you might think," I reply honestly. "The damage is chaotic but not complete. There are functional pathways intact, just isolated by the damaged sections. Like islands that need bridges built between them."

  She raises her hand, concentrating, and a small flame flickers to life above her palm, larger than the spark she managed before, but still unstable, guttering like a candle in wind before extinguishing.

  "Progress," she says with cautious optimism.

  Zix'ilit bursts into the room, frill expanded with excitement. "How's the neural restoration going? Any sparks? Flames? Lightning bolts?"

  "It's a process," I tell him firmly. "Not an instant fix. We've made good initial progress, but several more sessions will be needed."

  "But it's working?" he presses, bouncing slightly on his spring-loaded feet.

  Sera demonstrates by producing another small flame, slightly more stable than the first.

  I'll revise Zix'ilit's dialogue to match his bouncy, enthusiastic speech pattern with exclamation points, simplified grammar, and his characteristic frill color changes:

  "AMAZING!" Zix'ilit squeals, his frill expanding with vibrant colors that pulse with excitement. "This is PERFECT! Team Exodus will have telekinesis, system access, AND elemental manipulation all together! Combat effectiveness metrics through the roof!"

  He bounces closer, frill rippling as his voice drops to a conspiratorial tone. "Speaking of effectiveness metrics! Been researching enhancement paths for A-ranked telekinetics! Found something you absolutely NEED!"

  I can't help but be suspicious of his enthusiasm. "And what would that be?"

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "The Crown of Mental Superiority!" he announces dramatically, producing a holographic image on his tablet. The item appears to be a circlet of iridescent metal with a central crystal that pulses with energy.

  "Looks like something a cartoon villain would wear," I observe dryly.

  "Don't focus on appearance!" Zix'ilit protests, bouncing frantically. "Focus on function! Provides 100% boost to psionic abilities! DOUBLES your telekinetic power output!"

  That gets my attention. "Doubling huh? What's the catch?"

  "Acquisition difficulty... significant," he admits, frill shifting to apologetic blues. "Two paths to obtain: defeat hidden Labyrinth boss with four-person team, or collect crafting materials from various zones!"

  Desta, who has been observing quietly, interjects. "The Verdant Crucible we unlocked through Labyrinth completion contains one such component. Information networks indicate location in abandoned laboratory structure."

  "Yes! Exactly that!" Zix'ilit squeaks excitedly, bouncing higher. "But timing problem exists! Verdant Crucible resets every arena cycle! Already twenty-three days into current cycle!"

  "Meaning?" I prompt.

  "Lab already cleared this cycle," he explains, nervous bouncing intensifying. "If component spawned, already taken by someone else! Must wait for reset, then race to claim before others!"

  I frown, processing this information. "If this crown is so valuable, then there must be quite a few teams going after it."

  "Correct assessment!" Zix'ilit confirms, frill flashing with approval colors. "Acquisition strategy well-known in networks! B-ranked teams hunt component for selling! A-ranked teams sometimes compete for enhancement needs!"

  "So it's basically a race," I summarize. "The Crucible resets, and everyone makes a mad dash for the lab."

  "Simplified but accurate!" Zix'ilit agrees. "Verdant Crucible designed for D and C ranked assets, so environmental challenges manageable for you! Competition from other teams and spawn probability is main problem!"

  It's not even guaranteed to spawn?

  "So we could spend a bunch of effort fighting other people for it and it could not even spawn?" I ask, frowning.

  "No fights if no spawn!" Zix'ilit clarifies, frill rippling. "Teams only fight if someone finds it!"

  Well that's good at least. "How likely is it to spawn?"

  "Very likely! One in four chance!" Zix'ilit replies, bouncing optimistically.

  "So we might have to do four runs to get it, more if we're unlucky." I muse. "That's at lot of time wasted. Time we could be spending in the labyrinth or training."

  "Not wasted!" Zix'ilit quickly counters, frill expanding with enthusiasm. "Verdant Crucible great for finding basic equipment! Perfect training ground! If component doesn't spawn after two tries, can just buy from market with credits!"

  Ok, now it's starting to sound like a decent idea.

  I glance at Desta and Sera. "We'd need to be ready the moment the zone resets. And Sera would need to complete the Labyrinth first to even access the Crucible."

  "Which means getting her neural pathways repaired enough for combat effectiveness," Desta observes.

  Sera straightens, determination evident in her posture. "I'll be ready. Just keep working on the repairs, and I'll handle the rest."

  ---

  Over the next several days, I dedicate hours to repairing Sera's neural architecture. The process is much faster than with Desta. With the amount of practice I've had, and with my enhanced abilities and equipment, what took weeks of cautious experimentation with Desta now progresses in days with Sera.

  By the fifth session, she can maintain a consistent flame in one hand and generate small electrical discharges with the other, proving her ability to manifest multiple elements simultaneously, the very skill that caused her neural damage in the first place.

  "The gauntlets make a huge difference," I tell her as we finish another session. "The neural pathway interface helps me visualize the connections more clearly than I ever could with Desta."

  "And your telekinesis is stronger now," Desta observes. "Much stronger than when you helped me."

  I nod, watching the gauntlets pulse with energy that synchronizes perfectly with my own abilities. "The Labyrinth changed everything. Not just the equipment but my understanding of what telekinesis can do."

  By the eighth session, Sera's abilities have advanced dramatically. She can now generate substantial flames, electrical discharges, and even manipulate water in limited quantities. Her control still lacks refinement, but the raw power is undeniable.

  "Time for her to run the Labyrinth," I tell Zix'ilit after demonstrating Sera's progress. "She needs to complete it to access the Verdant Crucible before the reset."

  "Perfect timing!" he chirps excitedly. "Three days remaining in current cycle! More than enough for Labyrinth completion!"

  Sera's Labyrinth run goes surprisingly well. Her newly restored elemental abilities prove effective against the various challenges, and my coaching helps her navigate the more complex sections. She emerges with decent equipment for her first run, nothing as impressive as my gauntlets or resonance blade, but solid protection and an elemental focus that enhances her ability to transition between different energy forms.

  "C-rank classification!" Zix'ilit announces upon her return. "Exceptional for first excursion with recently restored abilities! And Verdant Crucible access confirmed!"

  I nod, eager to get started.

  But first, there’s an old score I need to settle.