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When I placed the heavy iron bucket on the floor of the dormitory, the dull clang seemed to distract Tadao. Muttering a curse under his breath, the red deer gathered the scattered water droplets into one place.

“Hey,” I greeted softly, hoping it would have a positive impact. “I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?”

“No,” Tadao said dejectedly, making a few hand gestures. The scattered droplets coalesced into a fist-sized water ball, which floated in front of his nose. “You just witnessed my two millionth failure.”

His head hung low, and the tips of his antlers pointed directly at me, creating a sense of pressure.

“I just realized I might not have thought this through from the start.” I gestured, summoning a piece of adamantine from the bookshelf, then retrieved a portion of what I had traded for earlier from my pocket and combined them. “Using water for Domination practice might not be the most suitable medium for you.”

Tadao watched me place the adamantine back on the shelf in silence, without responding immediately.

“About half of it is silicon dioxide, with another twenty percent being iron oxide, along with oxides of aluminum, magnesium, calcium, and sodium...” I extended my consciousness and manipulated the contents of the bucket. The fine sand formed a thin, ribbon-like veil between Tadao and me. “I got the particle size and composition from the Academy’s database. The color doesn’t quite match what I imagined, but I hope it’s not too different from the real thing.”

Tadao lifted his head, his brown eyes widening as he stared directly at me. In our shared Domain, I took over the floating water ball he had dropped in his distraction and tossed it into the bathroom sink.

“This is…” The red deer stood up, his jaw trembling slightly as he spoke. “...the sands of Ares!”

“Not exactly,” I said, scratching my ear while giving an encouraging hand gesture for Tadao to take over the Domination. “It’s 3D-printed, but I tried to make it as close to the database’s description as possible.”

Tadao hesitated for a moment but took a step toward me, raising his hand to assume control.

At that moment, a pulse spread from the ribbon-like structure, making the sand particles shimmer as if they were flickering.

After a year of practice, Tadao had become skilled enough in Domination to at least maintain a firm hold on objects, so I wasn’t expecting him to let the fine sand scatter onto the floor. However, if he wanted to command the dominated material to act according to his intentions, he—like other herbivores—would have to struggle quite a bit to barely succeed, and even a momentary lapse in focus would cause the control to break.

“Find the image that resonates most deeply with you. Any feeling will do, as long as it’s strong enough,” I whispered, taking a step back to give Tadao more space. “For me, it’s the sight of snowflakes dancing in the air.”

“Why snowflakes?” Tadao asked, and I could tell from his tone that he knew what snow was.

“I’ve never really thought about it…” I summoned the memory, lying in an endless expanse of silver-white snow, watching countless tiny snowflakes drift down and melt on my nose, their icy chill lingering. “Maybe it’s because, despite being so alike, each snowflake is still unique.” I closed my eyes, as if I could feel the gentle touch brushing the tips of my fur and the white mist escaping my nose with each breath. “In the end, all these distinct snowflakes accumulate together to form a pure white world, almost like…”

Almost like what?

I knew my thoughts hadn’t broken off; I just couldn’t articulate them—not even to myself.

I sighed and opened my eyes, pulling myself out of the reverie.

I was about to offer more suggestions for Tadao, but the scene before me made that unnecessary.

Tadao was staring at his palm, where a tiny red deer crafted from fine sand was performing a sideways flip. I initially thought it was a miniature version of himself until I noticed the sculpture didn’t have antlers.

“Are you controlling it by consciousness union?” I asked after inspecting the Domain. Tadao hadn’t used hand gestures to assist nor inscribed commands into the space, so I wasn’t entirely sure how he had achieved it.

But regardless of the method, achieving such intricate and smooth movements with a sand sculpture was impossible without near-perfect mastery.

“Yes, I think I’ve managed to convince them to move as a unified whole.” Tadao’s eyes reflected something close to fascination. “But I didn’t expect it to work so smoothly.”

The miniature young red deer sand sculpture attempted another flip but failed, landing on the ground and laughing sheepishly.

“Is that you?” I boldly guessed, realizing my ability to recognize different species wasn’t great, but given the original suggestion of finding a resonant image for Tadao, it made sense.

“Yes, around five years old, in the central geological park of Valles Marineris, where they collected some of the red sands removed during the atmospheric filtration project.” Tadao smiled as he answered, and at that moment, I noticed—the curve of his lips was almost identical. “You know, the surface of Ares isn’t actually red.”

“It’s not red?” I shook my head in confusion, trying to recall the images I had seen of Ares. “I thought that’s why it got its name.”

“It’s the nano iron oxide particles suspended in the dust layer that give it a red appearance from space. To be precise, the surface color of Ares is closer to… matcha mocha,” the red deer laughed at his own description, scratching his ear before continuing. “The atmospheric filtration project only needs a few more years, and the red Ares will disappear forever, leaving behind only recorded images and some commemorative red sands in geological parks. I think that visiting the geological park as a child might be what made me a staunch opponent of the Gaia-forming movement later on.”

I listened quietly, a memory surfacing of someone explaining why “Gaia-forming Opponents” didn’t like being called the “Ares Purists.”

“The crimson sand feels so fine in hand,” Tadao murmured. The small deer in his palm stood up and patted its clothes a few times. “During an internship at an undeveloped frontier site, I left the domed area paved with metal and polymers and saw the planet that nurtured us for the first time—whether it was the endless rolling dunes or the barren desert dotted with rocks of all sizes scattered randomly across the bedrock, it was all so beautiful.” The miniature red deer sculpture crumbled back into fine sand, which slipped through Tadao’s fingers and billowed in the air like swirling dust, forming a magnificent landscape. “I can’t understand how anyone could think they have the right to decide the appearance of a planet, to override millions of years of natural evolution.”

Despite the red deer’s detached tone, I could still clearly sense a certain fervor—perhaps fervor wasn’t the best word, but I couldn’t find another that fit such an intense passion.

We continued to silently admire the desert that Tadao had drawn with sand until he gestured, guiding the floating particles back into the iron bucket on the floor.

Then he staggered slightly, leaning against the cabinet as he slowly sat down, exhaling deeply as if exhausted after a strenuous workout. He closed his eyes.

I could imagine how Tadao felt now. Back in Hadrian’s Wall, the overwhelming emotions in the shower had completely swallowed me whole.

"Wow," after a moment, Tadao let out a light chuckle and looked up at me. "Have you always used Domination in this state?"

"The first time you truly touch upon the realm of Domination, it's particularly intense. After that, it won’t be as overwhelming." I sat down cross-legged across from him, bringing our lines of sight to the same level. "Congratulations on becoming one of the few herbivores who truly master this psychic technique."

Thanks to the detailed explanation of Master Field, I finally understood that merely grasping an object and using one’s consciousness to Dominate its movements were entirely different things. True Domination would lead you to encounter something beyond our current understanding. The Master explained that every psychic technique's domain is like this, and for now, I’m only barely touching the essence of Domination.

"Hah, thanks." Tadao chuckled again, tilting his head slightly, his tone still sounding a bit exhausted. "I really want to rush over and hug you, but I only go past second base with someone I've had at least two dinners with, so sorry about that."

I forced a couple of dry laughs and awkwardly scratched my ear twice.

"Hey, does it bother you?" Tadao looked stunned for a moment. "Sorry, that was just a meaningless joke…"

"No, I don't mind." I lowered my ears and raised my hands, opening my palms towards him, trying to appear unconcerned.

"You know, I got a perfect score on the final exam in Mental Wave Construction and Waveform Analysis, right?" Tadao said in a teasing tone. "Even if it’s just a basic level, it’s still something worth bragging about."

"Yes, I don’t really appreciate those kinds of jokes," I sighed, placing my hands on my knees, regretting my foolish decision to speak superficially in front of an herbivore. "Because it sounds like..." I hesitated for a moment, but Tadao’s brown eyes reminded me of my resolution to begin anew, so I decided to speak honestly. "It sounds like if there’s even a slightly intimate gesture, it could only be for 'that' reason." I stood up and adjusted my clothes. "I know it’s strange to take such a trivial joke seriously, but I…"

"No, I should be more mindful of the words I say," Tadao interrupted. "After all, we are people shaping the world’s future..." He turned his head slightly, glancing at the bucket filled with fine sand.

From my observations over the past year, I found that most of the time, when citizens of the Federation developed the thought "I seem to be causing someone trouble," they would fall into a deep sense of guilt, spiraling into an endless loop of self-reflection or apologies.

Finding this situation somewhat unbearable, I had learned to notice the signs and promptly change the subject—another advancement in my social skills!

"It's really not that big of a deal; it's just that I tend to overthink," I said jokingly in a lighthearted tone. "Besides, you're making psychic abilities sound like a power that can instantly manifest reality, which is kind of funny."

"What does ‘instantly manifest reality’ mean?" Tadao looked confused, indicating my attempt to shift the focus was working.

"It’s somewhat akin to ‘Kotodama,’" I searched my limited knowledge of the Federation and found the most appropriate word. Hearing my response, Tadao burst into laughter.

"Anyway," he waved his hand and glanced at my storage rack. "Can I start practicing with adamantine now?"

"I wouldn’t recommend it," I noticed a hint of disappointment in Tadao's gaze and quickly understood why. "It's absolutely not that I’m unwilling to let you borrow it. It’s just that using sensitive materials for Domination too early as a shortcut could lead you straight into a bottleneck."

After my explanation, Tadao turned his head slightly in embarrassment, leaving me scrambling to find another way to shift his focus.

"It’s best to practice until you’re proficient to this extent before moving on to adamantine." I made a few command gestures, guiding an adequate amount of sand from the bucket and assembling a group of twenty-four grey wolves on the ground, each playing different musical instruments, with one acting as a conductor.

Although the precision of my sand sculptures was significantly lacking compared to Tadao’s, that should be more of an aesthetic issue, while the level of control over actions and the number of Domination centers were substantially better.

"That’s just over the top," Tadao couldn’t hide the envy in his voice, making me a little embarrassed, but at least it was better than the previous awkward atmosphere. "If you keep teaching me, will I be able to do it too?"

"Well..." I had simulated how to respond if this situation occurred, but I feared I hadn’t rehearsed enough times. "If you keep practicing, you’ll be able to achieve it one day. It’s just that I shouldn’t be guiding you anymore." At my statement, Tadao raised an eyebrow.

I suspected I sensed a hint of displeasure, a blend of suspicion and doubt, but I chose to believe it was just my imagination.

"Consciousness union." I snapped my fingers, and the grey wolf band dissolved completely, the "matcha mocha" colored fine sand drifting back into the bucket. "The simplest way to disrupt another psychic’s consciousness union is to attack the facts they ‘believe’ in." As I spoke, I used a probing wave to scan the room, ensuring no sand particles were left behind. "Therefore, if there’s someone with a clear understanding of their own thought patterns, they can easily dismantle your consciousness union structure."

I thought I didn’t need to spell out the conclusion, so I simply looked at Tadao, hoping he would understand and accept what I couldn’t explicitly state.

"So, you think we might end up as enemies?" he said softly, his gaze shifting to the ground, seemingly hurt.

"But..." I was at a loss for words, unsure of what to say or why Tadao would react this way. "Aren’t you the one emphasizing the opposing relationship between the Federation and the Empire?"

"I’ve already apologized for acting like a jerk, haven’t I? Forget it, as if I didn’t know how stubborn you can be." He sighed, rubbing his temples with a touch of helplessness, but I didn’t feel offended by his words. "I... had some new realizations that made me see how narrow-minded my previous views were." Tadao’s gaze lingered on the floor for a while before he slowly looked up to face me. "There are other options... possibilities beyond mutual opposition."

His expression showed he still had much to say, but my terminal suddenly vibrated, reminding me that my time was limited.

"Sorry, I’m a bit pressed for time." I turned off the alert and addressed Tadao. "Let’s continue this later?"

"In a rush to do menial chores?" Tadao teased sarcastically, and all I could do was respond with a few dry laughs. "Go on, don’t worry about me. Otherwise, with how unpredictable the Master’s Field is, if you unknowingly offend him, you’ll end up suffering." He waved his hand at me. His understanding was something I deeply appreciated, but I didn’t dare make any clear response to his remark.

After checking the time on my terminal again, I left the dormitory and headed towards the cafeteria.