There was a loud sound as Demmy crashed against the mossy floor of the forest. Dirt was stirred into the air and formed a momentary cloud. Demmy burst forth from the shrouded crater before the dust could settle. Quickly hopping over dead trees and darting around foliage, the psychic flew through the dense green at a startling pace. Psychic energy was pulsing throughout the area, searching for the largest sign of movement.

A rustling of leaves caught the man’s attention. His body disappeared in a blur of colour and the nearby leaves trembled under a windless gust. He appeared several hundred feet ahead and slowed down. Demmy listened, mute, to see if he could pick up on an audible signal. A soft rasping in the distance turned his head. He disappeared again.

Demmy reappeared in a clearing. His movement stopped entirely. Somewhat defeated, he focused all of his energy on his search. Even with his sight and hearing psychically enhanced, he could sense no significant, sentient motion. He pivoted about, thinking maybe he could pick up on something he’d missed.

As it became apparent that there was nothing in the clearing to find, Demmy kept moving. He spent a few minutes moving about, just hoping to find something, before he gave up hope. He slowed to a walk and looked up at the trees. Where had it landed? He stumbled over a stump and just barely managed to catch his balance.

He continued to walk, almost ready to take to the skies, when he heard something from behind him. Something sharp poked him in the shoulder. Demmy jumped and spun around. His mouth fell open; he was visibly taken aback. He was staring at a black cloud of dust. That’s what it appeared to be, at the very least. There was, however, no mistaking the fact that the cloud was sentient. It bobbed and darted in a clearly conscious manner, examining the man.

The two beings remained motionless for a minute. Finally, Demmy reached out a rather apprehensive hand. He brought it up to the cloud and gently brushed it through the dust. Contrary to what he’d expected, the entity was overjoyed. It attacked his hand in what seemed to be a fit of glee. Surprised and pushed beyond his tolerance, Demmy accidentally discharged stored energy through his hand in the form of electricity.

The dust that had collected on his hand let go and fell from the cloud. Demmy pulled his hand back from the mass as it changed colour.