"Pardon?!"
Ailem's question nearly jolted Drai out of his seat, but an invisible force suddenly pressed on his shoulders.
"No need to panic, Mr. Drai," Ailem calmly advised. "I'm not here to detain you or anything—I am not a law enforcer, nor do I intend to act like one."
'Then what's with the restraint?' Drai silently questioned.
Assessing the force holding him down, Drai felt that it wasn't so strong that he couldn't break free with some augmentation. However, he refrained from doing so just yet, not only because of Ailem's words, but also because he didn't want to end up being swarmed by Alancho's army.
Seeing that Drai had calmed down, Ailem continued, "As you probably have guessed, I can detect lies, but the truth is, my ability is more complex than that. Basically, it's some kind of synesthesia."
"Synesthesia?" Drai confusedly remarked, not recognizing the term.
