A RUMOR OF PEACE

          : Eight.  You have all of the psychic gifts, the strongest of those being telepathy, both receptive and projective.  Next is your empathy, receptive, and projective.  Both are pretty self-explanatory.  Next is Telekinesis.  It's one of the more rarer gifts and hasn't been seen in several generations.  It's a gift that gives you the ability to move things with your mind. :

          A startled thought, then, : So...that explains how THAT happened. :

          : How what happened? :

           : Early one morning...after a bad night...I'd forgotten my tea on the kitchen counter...the next thing I knew, my mug was on the table next to my hand. :

         Both smirked, gave him nods.  : Next, : they moved to the next torn seal, : we have Psychometry.  Another very rare gift, not seen in several generations.  It gives you the ability to perceive facts about something or someone, be it past, or present, by touching or holding something owned by them. :

         Again, a startled reaction, making Roan squeeze his hand.  : What happened? : he asked.

         : Nothing really, just...Rodolphus.  I got a glimpse of something I didn't expect when I picked up something that had fallen behind the nightstand in my bedroom.  It had apparently belonged to his father.  He was so young. :  He shook his head.

          : I see.  Next is Clairvoyance.  It gives you the ability to perceive things about a person's past, present, and sometimes, though very rarely, their future simply by touching them. It can give you insight into why they may have done something. It's an extremely rare gift as it has not been seen since the Ninth Lord of Kobol established the Colonies.  It also does not always show you what you want, but what you may least expect. :

          A sigh sounded, making the brother grin.  : You're wondering why it doesn't let you see what you need to in the way of proof against Ardyn? :

          : I'm guessing it's because it just doesn't work that way.  It's a hit or miss gift. :

          : Exactly.  When...and IF you happen to see something, it will be completely unexpected.  It'll just...happen. :

          : Do either of you have this gift? :

          : No, and to date, you are the only one that we know of for sure that does.  Finally, we have premonition.  Another psychic gift not seen since the death of the Ninth Lord of Kobol.  Premonition is an extremely unpredictable gift at best and is pretty self-explanatory.  It is also the gift we believe made you shut down when you were ten, as it was showing you something you simply could not accept, nor face. :

         : By closing myself down and forgetting about whatever it was. :

         Both nodded.  : To this day, none of us knows what it was that so terrified you that you began to withdraw, then shut down.  I doubt that we ever will, unless, that is, the premonition of whatever you saw returns. :

         : Is there a chance that it will? :

          : Unless it has somehow been averted, then yes, it could return.  That we know of, only you, Kili and Dylan have this gift, and of the three of you, we believe yours to be the more powerful. :

          A deep sigh.  : Why me, Ethan?  Why am I the one with all these gifts? :

          : We don't know, Roark, nor are we ever likely to.  Only the Ninth Lord of Kobol ever had all of the psychic gifts, and it led to him, and several other Lords abandoning the Home World of Kobol, and all of them, except for the Thirteenth Lord, founded the Twelve Colonies. :

          They finally finished with the shattered binding and seals, and moved on to beginning to show him how to ground, and then to center himself, to give him a base to build his shields and walls on.

         : Right now, it is your empathy that is giving you the most problem.  That's good, Rory, now, : both he and Roan withdrew themselves from his mind, "try it on your own."

          Roark began to ground and center himself without their help, and he smiled. "You always were a fast learner, Roark."  Roan told him with a smile and a nod of approval.  "Now, the problem as we see it, is that all of these gifts are now fully awakened again, and have become stronger the older you have gotten, slowly eroding away at the bindings and seals that were placed on your gifts at ten yahren {year}.  Once they began to fail, the leakage began as well, and when yours, and Harry's emotions got the better of you both, your magic began to react."

          "Good, Rory," Ethan said with an extremely pleased tone.  "Let's move on to shielding, and once you have a hold on that, we'll move on to building walls."

          Roan glanced at his watch.  "Let's take a break,  We've been in here for five centars {hours}."

         "Agreed.  We can check on how the others are doing with the plans and get something to eat.  After we eat, we can begin again."

         Roark slowly unfolded himself, stood, and stretched.  "I feel quieter already, steadier.  I'm also not feeling everyone nearly as badly as I was," he told them as they left the training room.

         "That's good.  Once we get you completely shielded and walled, you'll only feel what YOU want to feel."