The Psychic Chronicles

Warlock (Book One)

Nagode (Codename: Warlock) is pretty much your average guy—except he’s a member of the Paratroopers, an elite squadron of individuals with powerful abilities. Together, they serve the Department of Paranormal Activity, protecting the planet from the extraordinary dangers that threaten it.

Being a part of the Paratroopers will force Nagode to endure the most hellish of trials, but if he can survive, he’ll master a power that might bring true peace to the universe…

Table of Contents

Book 1: Warlock

Chapter 1

Main Characters in The Psychic Chronicles

World of The Psychic Chronicles

The Psychic Chronicles Theme Song:

You’ve got this, he told himself, letting go of a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

He felt Battalion’s eyes on him, and the rest of the team’s desperation was just as palpable. They were all counting on him to intercept the attack.

In the past, being a useful asset to the Department of Paranormal Activity was nothing more than a dream to Nagode. He’d been the least powerful member of the Paratroopers for years, barely able to move anything with his mind or read a person’s thoughts. The DPA kept him off the field altogether in those days. 

Then he changed. He pushed his power to its limit, training himself to lift nearly half a ton with his telekinesis, honing his telepathy to communicate across continents. And he felt himself getting stronger everyday. It was his way of staying sane. For most of his life, it had been easier to collapse under the weight of his world, but now he knew how to carry it.

“It’s here,” Gadget said.

The missile roared as it hurtled toward the residential building behind them. Nagode threw his arm into an arc, spreading the morphium out into a wide, metallic barrier. The sensation was odd to describe, like flexing an intangible muscle. 

The projectile barreled straight into his construct. His telekinetic force bore the brunt of the explosion, propelling him across the street.

Nagode lost hold of the barrier as his head hit the ground. It fell from the gray skies above in a plume of smoke and flame. He would’ve laid where he’d fallen for a little longer, but one of Battalion’s clones already stood over him, lending him a hand to get back up. 

“No offense, Warlock,” Gadget said over their comm channel. “But I’m surprised you’re all alive.” 

“So am I,” Battalion said. 

“Thanks,” Nagode grunted, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s good to know.”

Blindspot rendered herself visible, standing a few feet to Nagode’s right. “Don’t act shocked to hear it, we’ve seen your training sessions.”

“Exactly, I’ve gotten better with—”

“More of them are coming,” Blindspot interrupted. She cocked her head slightly to the side. “I sense multiple vehicles inbound.”

Battalion’s squadron of clones snapped into motion, their weapons drawn. “Gadget, can you slow them down?”

“Already on it,” Gadget answered, his cybernetic drone flew over the Paratroopers’ heads.

“Good. Blindspot, get to a vantage point and pick them off from a distance. Warlock, stay with me. You’re my backup on offense.”

Nagode resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he followed Battalion into position. That hive mind made him too arrogant sometimes. Although Battalion admittedly had the most experience with his psychic powers, he still needed Nagode just as much as Nagode needed him. 

He lifted his morphium back up with his mind, shaping it into armbands around his forearms. As he scanned the ravaged city street, he was relieved to note all remaining bystanders had fled the area. The mission was to protect Kyiv from a combined ground and aerial invasion, and so far they weren’t doing the best job. The bodies of quite a few innocent civilians laid among those of the Russian forces.

An explosion cracked out in the distance, Gadget’s mine had caught one of the cars in the Russians’ military convoy. The other armored vehicles swerved to avoid the fireball’s blaze.

The soldiers returned fire, their gunshots whistling through the air. 

Nagode concentrated his morphium on the vehicle at the front of the charge. Every time he controlled the element with his mind, he psychically generated the kinetic energy required to do so. The more energy required, the more difficult it was to control. The armored car he currently focused his power on made things much more difficult, but he eventually punctured its wheels. He ripped them up into the air and sent the vehicle tumbling across the road into one of the others behind it. 

The convoy came to a halt around the wreckage. Survivors kicked their way out, using the other cars around them for cover. Nagode latched pieces of his morphium onto all of the cars, attempting to grab hold of them simultaneously, but his force strained against their combined weight. He only managed to drag some of them a few feet across. 

This would’ve been easier if he could use his telekinesis to control other things too, but he could only manipulate morphium.  It was the one substance on Earth imbued with psychic energy. Sometimes he still found himself slipping back to the day he discovered his power. When he woke to the shapeshifting metal orbiting around him in wild revolutions.   

He reached out to consolidate all of the morphium around a single car, gradually increasing his telekinetic pressure to crumple its frame… but a pull from behind flung him across the street before he could do much damage, knocking the wind from his lungs.

The gunshots pounding against his eardrums sounded much closer now, as if they were only a few feet away. 

Battalion dragged Nagode behind the cover of a nearby building, snapping his grappling hook back into place while he peeked around the corner. 

“Sorry, I had to get you out of the way,” Battalion said, taking aim with his rifle. “They’re ambushing us.”

“You’re good,” Nagode wheezed.

Battalion’s clones opened fire on the soldiers, and Nagode heard the crack of Blindspot’s sniper rifle up above. 

Keep moving, Nagode told himself. He caught his breath and withdrew more morphium, shaping it into a ballistic shield for the clone of Battalion posted next to him. 

Nagode and Battalion moved from behind the building as he kept the shield hovering in front of them. Battalion fired through the shooter slit Nagode had carved into the structure, dropping four of the gunmen with deadly precision. Nagode winced as his shield absorbed the soldiers’ return fire, the impact shoving him backwards.

Battalion turned away from the slit. “I spot someone equipping an RPG, but I’m having trouble hitting him. Blindspot?”

“Got him.”

Just as Nagode regained his bearings from the gunfire, he saw a blur dash across the convoy’s line. It was a man, but he moved inhumanly fast. The soldiers tried redirecting their fire to no avail, the bullets simply bounced off their target.

Nagode frowned. Is that…

“Spartan,” Gadget said. 

“When did he get here?” Battalion asked.

The others kept talking as they watched Spartan decimate the remainder of the Russians’ forces, but Nagode tuned them out. He felt his heartbeat thumping in his ears. His chest burned with a unique mixture of hatred and humiliation as he watched the biokinetic stride across the street, already finished with his battle.

Battalion eyed Nagode warily, raising his hands. “Hey, let’s take it easy.”

“No,” Nagode said. “I’m going to kill him.”

“You’ll die trying, you mean,” Gadget corrected.

“I don’t care. I can’t just sit here and watch him walk free.”

Nagode clenched his fists, his spheres of morphium hovered around him in tight circles. Some of Battalion’s clones attempted to grab at him, but he glided out of their reach. 

“Hey!” Nagode shouted, attracting Spartan’s attention.

But Nagode was violently ripped from his plane of existence before he could finish his sentence. His world became a vacuum populated by an infinite number of glowing heavenly bodies… then he departed the realm just as quickly as he’d entered it and found himself stumbling onto the outskirts of the city.

Voyager stood beside Nagode, holding him upright.

Nagode groaned. Teleportation always gave him the worst motion sickness.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Voyager said, vanishing into thin air.

Voyager returned with Blindspot and Battalion’s twelve clones a minute later. Nagode watched as the man panted in exhaustion, placing his hands on his knees. The teleporter’s power required a great deal of energy, and transporting so many individuals at once over such a great distance would probably drain him for a while.

“What are you doing?” Nagode shouted. 

“Are you serious?” Voyager said between breaths, regaining his composure. “It’s suicide. We can’t go after him right now.”

“The entire reason we’re here is to save innocent lives. How can we even pretend we’re doing that if we stand by while he takes them?”

Voyager pinched the bridge of his nose. “There are forces bigger than us at play here. Even if we did manage to somehow subdue him, we’d start World War III in the process.”

“He killed over a thousand people in the attack on Ujamaa. He helps the Corinthians kill hundreds more everyday. 100,000 people have died since the attacks started. World War III is already here! How many more people—how many more of my people need to die before you get that?”

“Getting ourselves killed isn’t a plan.”

“So what? We just let it continue? Let the Corinthians persecute us and press their boots against our throats whenever we speak out? That’s your master plan?”

Voyager sighed. Some days Nagode thought Voyager looked much younger than the middle-aged man he truly was, but this wasn’t one of them. He was still as strong as someone decades younger than him, but his years spent directing the DPA had finally taken their toll on his body. Nagode and the other Paratroopers knew him well enough to catch those brief moments when his weakness showed.

“We’ll get Spartan eventually, but it’ll take time.” Voyager said.

Warlock shook his head. “Ujamaa doesn’t have time. People need our help now.”

Allmart- An American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other countries.

Armada: A hive-mind colony of psychic humanoids that asexually reproduce. Various subgroups evolve to develop specialized abilities like enhanced speed, strength, and energy protection. While they look humanoid, their "skin" is actually a tight weave of indigo muscle and nerve fibers with a violet, bioluminescent glow.

Atlas- Atlas is one of the largest multi-national conglomerates in the world. The company was founded in the United Republic of Corinthia and has extensive operations on the island of Ujamaa. Among their numerous enterprises, they manufacture neuron-link chips, computers, phones, and tablets, own/manage private prisons and detention centers, and maintain a banking and consumer credit division. Their neuron-link procedure consists of implanting laborers with a neuron-link chip that deprives them of their autonomy and consciousness, controlling their motor functions. They are used by Atlas to perform labor duties as mindless automatons.

Battalion- A psychic with the powers of collective consciousness and self-replication. He is the commander-in-chief of the Psionics.

The Black Brigades- A militant group of urban guerrillas combatting the United Republic of Corinthia.

Blindspot- A psychic with the powers of invisibility and clairvoyance. She is an official member of the Psionics.

The Department of Paranormal Activity (DPA)- A global peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations Security Council and tasked with covertly monitoring paranormal activity across the globe.

Gadget- A psychic with claircognizance. He is an official member of the Psionics.

Kè Lóng- Battalion's secret identity.

Maya Makari- Blindspot's secret identity.

Minerva University: A private, Ivy League research university in Neptune City. Nagode is in the process of applying for their prestigious (and, more importantly, free) philosophy program. Gadget received a P.H.D. in Neuroscience from them.

Nagode Tyjani- Warlock's secret identity.

Neptune City- An American city home to Nagode and the Department of Paranormal Activity. It is a global center and the most populous city in the United States. It’s a majority-minority city with a Black population of 70%.

Neuron-links- Digital implants that deprive the wearer of their autonomy and consciousness, rendering them mindless automatons. It is useful for prisons and low-wage labor.

The Psionics- An elite squadron of psychics responsible for protecting the planet from paranormal threats on behalf of the Department of Psychic Activity. Its four official members are Warlock, Battalion, Gadget, and Blindspot.

Psychic Activity- The scientific study of psychic energy, its fundamental constituents, and its behavior through space and time.

Psychic Energy- A nebulous force that defies the laws of nature and grants individuals psychic abilities.

Psychics- Individuals who possess powerful psychic abilities.

Ramy Khan- Voyager’s secret identity.

Siddhartha Patel- Gadget's secret identity.

Spartan- A A psychic super-soldier with biokinesis and the Psionics’ current target. He is the founder and CEO of Atlas.

Ujamaa- Ujamaa is an island colony of the United Republic of Corinthia. The island is home to the Obi tribe, a community indigenous to Ujamaa. Ujamaa is oppressed by the United Republic of Corinthia. Their environment is routinely exploited for its natural resources and they are subjugated by an apartheid system.

Ujamaatown- A neighborhood in Neptune City. Nagode lives there.

United Republic of Corinthia- A fascistic, genocidal, colonial regime that occupies the island nation of Ujamaa.

Voyager- A psychic with the power of teleportation and the Director of the Department of Psychic Activity.

Nagode Tyjani (Codename: Warlock)- A young Paranormal Entity with telepathic and telekinetic abilities. He is an official member of the Paratroopers. His mind is brimming with psychic energy. This remained unbeknownst to him until he attempted suicide at 20 years old. Warlock activated his abilities after attempting suicide. He jumped from the top floor of his apartment building, but caught himself with his telekinesis. 

He is capable of telepathically communicating with other minds and reading immediate thoughts. However, if others are conscious of his telepathic abilities and refuse him, then he is incapable of reading their thoughts. He must concentrate on an individual to use this ability. He can telepathically communicate with familiar individuals over vast distances. 

He can mentally manipulate morphium, a strong and malleable material imbued with psychic energy that he can transform into whatever shapes he can imagine; he usually carries the substance in the form of several armbands on his forearms. The more kinetic energy his power requires, the less easily he can control it.

He carries enough morphium on his person to temporarily levitate up to twenty feet in the air. He can generate defensive shields with his telekinetic abilities, rendering him impervious to heavy damage from gunfire and other lethal attacks.

When his Psychic State is activated in situations of extreme duress, his telekinetic abilities are greatly augmented. This makes him capable of biological manipulation and controlling all states of matter, but the Psychic State exhausts him very quickly. 

He was recruited by the Department of Paranormal Activity shortly after his powers activated. He’s the newest member of the team.

He is a tall, skinny 24-year-old man. He weighs 170 pounds and is 6’1” tall. He dresses comfortably, trying not to draw attention to himself. He has a big Afro and wears glasses. He looks like a geek. His go-to outfit is a graphic t-shirt, some sweatpants, and always the same pair of reliable sneakers.

Kè Lóng (Codename: Battalion)- A Paranormal Entity and agent of the Department of Paranormal Activity. He is commander-in-chief of The Paratroopers and the Department’s most skilled operative. The Department dubbed him “Battalion” because he is a one-man army. As a result of dangerous experiments conducted by the Department on siphonophores mutated by psychic energy, Battalion possesses a collective consciousness and the ability to clone himself at will.

The Department created Battalion from the somatic cells of its director, Liu Chiang (Codename: Voyager). His consciousness is incredibly complex and each of his clones share a single hive-mind. Each clone is able to respond instantaneously to whatever signal Battalion sends through his hive-mind. He feels the experience of every single clone simultaneously. All of his clones must eventually die and they possess no other paranormal abilities beyond colonial consciousness and self-replication. He needs to be naked to generate a clone. He is extremely skilled in combat and exceptionally intelligent, using his clones to learn various skills at a rapid pace. He is also practically immortal thanks to the clones the Department keeps in artificial hibernation for him.

He is a brilliant problem solver whose unique ability allows him to generate a multitude of clones that perform different tasks. He is a special forces officer, spy, doctor, lawyer, engineer, cybersecurity professional, chief financial officer, investment banker, financial consultant, and humanitarian aid worker. He usually goes into combat situations with twelve heavily armored clones.

He eventually uses one of his clones to escape the Department’s supervision and lead a secret life. This clone will do all the things Kè Lóng never could before: get a regular job, a girlfriend, an apartment, a dog, etc. Things will end tragically for this clone.

When his powers fully evolve, he is capable of controlling entire armies and even his own society.

He is an impeccably muscular 26-year-old man. He weighs 180 pounds and is 6’0” tall. He has a neat haircut and is very attractive. He looks like a giga-chad. His go-to outfit is a uniform or formal wear. He looks like a younger version of Director Liu.

Siddhartha Khan (Codename: Gadget)- A young Paranormal Entity with supernatural intelligence. He is an official member of the Paratroopers. Gadget is a child prodigy who enrolled in college at ten years old. He went on to receive a P.H.D. in neuroscience from Minerva University at sixteen years old. He would devote his life to the study of cognitive science, seeking to enhance his intelligence to even greater heights so that he could better help those around him. Psychic energy drastically increased his number of glial cells per neuron, thus increasing the number of connections between his neurons, making his brain infinitely more complex and powerful.

He usually isn’t deployed in combat.

He has many inventions such as: 

Robots possessing computational intelligence

E-guns: Electrical assault weapons with infinite ammunition. 

Force Fields 

Hoverboards

Siphons: A type of adhesive device that can suffocate an opponent to death. 

The Cacophony: A device that produces lethal ultrasonic vibrations, which he contains with a Force Field.

Medicells: Devices that induce a type of stem cell regeneration that enables subjects to regenerate at a slightly faster rate, their bodies using stem cells to seal their wounds; given enough time one is able to regenerate even limbs because the stem cells transform into the cell types needed based on where they are in the body. They can’t work when injuries or diseases are too extreme, nor can they prevent death. 

Explosives

The Indomitable: A nearly indestructible suit of armor made of metal imbued by psychic energy with a physics-warping effect that allows the strong nuclear force to apply at molecular rather than nuclear distance, making it virtually invincible, having the hardness of neutron star material. It’s propelled by matter-antimatter annihilation. He can only use it briefly. 

He independently discovered the existence of the Department of Paranormal Activity and volunteered his services for the intellectual challenge.

He is a slender 25-year-old man with an athletic runner’s build. He weighs 165 pounds and is 5’11” tall. He has a regular haircut and wears glasses. He looks like a nerd. His go-to outfit is preppy casual wear, like a hot professor.

Maya Makari (Codename: Blindspot)- A Paranormal agent of the Department of Paranormal Activity. She is an official member of the Paratroopers. Masquerade is a stealthy, lethally skilled Paranormal Entity with clairvoyance and the ability to turn invisible. Her consciousness is possessed by the extra-dimensional entity, Vanisher, from the Psychic Realm. 

She can make herself and others she touches invisible at will, psychically interrupting the interaction of light with atoms. However, she can still be detected by thermal scanners and other forms of enhanced detection.

Unfortunately, she must be physically blind when using her invisibility and blind others when turning them invisible. This is because her invisibility prevents modified photons from interacting with the eyes, traveling along optic nerves, and being received by the brain's vision centers. However, Blindspot can supernaturally perceive information about the world through her clairvoyance. She also has superhuman agility and strength.

When she vanishes, it feels like using a mental muscle, so she must somewhat concentrate to use her invisibility.

She uses combat knives forged from various steels and a bow and arrow for stealth attacks. She also uses firearms. She essentially never misses her target.

She is a 27-year-old woman with the slender, muscular body of a gymnast. She weighs 130 pounds and is 5’04” tall. She wears braids and has purely golden eyes. She looks like a ninja. Her go-to outfit is a black stealth suit and matching boots.

The Department of Paranormal Activity: A global peacekeeping operation established by the United Nations Security Council and tasked with covertly monitoring paranormal activity across the globe. Its current director is Liu Chiang. They are a shady, utilitarian organization that will make morally dubious decisions to secure the best outcome for the greatest amount of people. Its resources and equipment are vast.

Special Equipment:

Cybernetic exoskeletons

Drones

Cybertank- The world's first exascale supercomputer. It is the world's fastest supercomputer.

Nuclear Weapons

Director Liu Chiang (Codename: Voyager)- Director of the Department of Paranormal Activity and creator/father to Battalion.

Dante Esposito (Codename: Spartan)- A super-soldier and the Paratroopers’ current target, he is a calculating adversary. Dante (a.k.a. Spartan) is the founder and CEO of Atlas. He works alongside the American government in creating and covering up Atlas’ Biokinetics Procedure: a top-secret conspiracy that could radically change the world as we know it.

The procedure is a top-secret medical operation that uses psychic energy to create biokinetic superhumans with extreme strength/durability, regenerative abilities, and reduced pain reception. Ability varies from subject to subject. An unfortunate side effect of the procedure is that the superhumans’ lifespans are drastically reduced, with each subject living for another three to four years on average post-procedure.

Dante is the only exception because he is the source of the procedure. He is the most powerful biokinetic in existence. He heals from damage much faster than it can be delivered and his physiology adapts to harmful stimuli. He also possesses decelerated aging, granting him an extraordinary lifespan. This stems from his body gradually aging more slowly the longer he lives. This allows him to retain his health, vitality, conditioning, performance, and youthful appearance for much longer than a normal human. Spartan could live for centuries and still remain in his prime.