As soon as Sara gives a short explanation before the transport, Mrs. Angelo and the healers let her go. Sara doesn’t need to report back to the Guide Center, but as the Guiding drains her, she needs to check in with the Medical Area to make sure her exhaustion is well-cared for.

While Guides are not prone with Mental Out like most Espers, exhaustion is not exactly something to sneeze at. When Guides let their guard down, they are susceptible for rapid corruption more than Espers would fare. Sara only takes precaution because she doesn’t want to inconvenience anybody. 

If anyone needs to take care of one’s body, it has to be yourself—it is better to know your limits instead of downplaying it.

Sara enters the capsule pod, waiting for the machine to do its analyzing and recovery measures as she closes her eyes. The horizontal pod lets out a buzzing noise as it extends a few cords to assess the Guide’s body, then Sara waits until the machine churns out another beep before she is free to go. The record of her condition, generated by the scan, can be used in case Sara needs further care in that Medical Area.

“Rest and Restoration Potion …” Sara reads the long list. “... consult the Healing Specialist for more information.”

Sara sighs, pocketing the report. She settles to one of the long sofas by the Medical Area’s lounge, catching her breath. The palpitations are gone, but she can still faintly sense the connection when she is Guiding Amara.

“Miss Khalida, t-t-there you are!” familiar voice echoes from her side. “I-I-I thought something bad had ha–happened to you!” the black-haired Guide stutters even more. “I h-heard that you’re going to handle an em-emergency—”

Sara perks up to see Penelope run toward her. Worry is all over her expression as she takes gander of Sara’s condition. A blue-haired Esper trails behind her, part of her white shirt dyed with blood, but she doesn’t seem bothered. 

Rather, she wears the similar expression to Penelope as Penelope takes Sara’s hands on hers.

While the two are on the sofa, Esper remains standing.

Sara notices something as the Esper stands beside Penelope, as she picks up a familiar scent. “This Esper—why do you have the scent of Miss Angkara’s blood on you?”

The blue-haired Esper pales, she avoids looking at Sara in the eye. Penelope holds up an arm between her and Sara.

“N-No-No don’t get her wrong, Shura is only doing her b-best,” Penelope shoots a look at the blue-haired Esper. Is it a glare? Sara can’t tell, but the blue-haired Esper steps back when Penelope raises her voice. “Y-You shouldn’t make Miss Khalida misunderstand you! Y, You’re the one who saved Miss Angkara when she’s h-hurt!”

Oh, Sara looks over at the Esper once again. So the blood on her shirt was from Amara’s injury—the shrapnel that nicks near her shoulder area.

“I—I am really sorry for my powerlessness!” somehow the blue-haired Esper bows in front of Sara. Then as her back straightens once more, she does a military salute. Sara only watches the Esper with an astonished look. “I was informed that you’re the Guide who helped Miss Angkara, so I want to thank you personally!”

Sara tilts her head to the side, “Thank … me?”

“O, Okay, how about you sit down, Shura, let me e-explain things to Miss Khalida. C-Calm down, okay?”

Sara isn’t sure what to comment between the two. Somehow Penelope acts as though she is the older sister of this ‘Shura’ Esper, and Shura, when prompted by Penelope, shrinks in response. Shura only sits down beside Penelope when Penelope asks for it, and Penelope explains things for Sara.

Apparently, during the vanguard mission, once the Sentinel is defeated, their broken legs begin to self-destruct. Amara, who makes sure that everyone returns to the back line, gets caught in the crossfire and suffers her wound. Then, Shura Varia, this Esper, is the one who helps to teleport Amara to the first response barrack on Monolith 7889.

The wound itself isn’t fatal, as Livia Valendorf had explained before, though somehow she falls into a state similar to coma that’s quite taxing for Sara to guide. Naturally, Sara doesn’t share anything to them about the Guiding details, and lets Penelope wrap up her explanation while half-chiding Shura.

“What I s-said before for you to explain things gradually?” Penelope pouts.

“I-I’m sorry, I was panicked! Miss—Miss Angkara saved us, and if something was bound to happen to her, I’ll feel-”

If something was bound to happen to her— Sara was thinking the same. She’d feel guilty, even though Amara is not her responsibility.

She happens to be the only Guide who can do Guiding, when others can’t, the burden was on her, and other Guides who were present with her knew about it as well.

“Um,” Sara interrupts them as they chatter around. “Miss Penelope, just who’s Miss Varia exactly?”

“Right, I’m sorry, Miss Khalida!” the high-tension young woman salutes again, Sara can only shake her head in resignation. “Shura Varia, A-Class Teleporter, on your service!”

“S-She was under my care. You can say that she is like a l-little sister to m-me.” Penelope adds. Sara stills. She once had an impression that Penelope is younger than her because she’s meek and withdrawn, but it seems that she’s older. Perhaps also older than Sara is.

Sara listens to them as Penelope reprimands Shura most of the time, like watching a comedy routine where Shura almost on her knees to apologize while Penelope berates her about manners even as she stutters and (cutely) huffs. Sara can tell that they’re really close.

“Again, I have to thank you, Miss Khalida, for saving Miss Angkara!”

“It’s … just a duty as a guide.” Sara says, the corner of her eyes twitching. It is indeed strange to see when some people are … appreciative.

Shura begins to slightly rave about the situation that happened in Monolith 7889 flank, especially when Amara quickly devises a tactic to handle the sudden coming Sentinel.

It faintly reminds Sara about what happened back then, though this time the C-rank Sentinel is easier to defeat, likely thanks to Amara’s timely response and the tenacity of the defensive team.

“Well, now that you got to say your thank you,” Penelope glares at Shura again. The poor lady shrieks. “Y-You need Guiding. Your eyes clouding and y-you're trembling. O-Or do you want me be the one to Guide you right now?”

The bright Esper quickly gets on her feet, slightly flustered, “N-No need!” 

Shura Varia then escapes Penelope’s wrath, leaving both of them there alone.

“... Does she, erm, have something on you?” Sara lets out a dry laugh.

Penelope crosses her arms as she sulks, “Shura is always like that whenever I ask if I c-can Guide her.”

Sara taps her chin. Somehow her whole image of Penelope in her mind changed greatly with how she acts as an older sister figure. But then, she can understand how Shura won’t want to be the receiving end of Penelope’s ‘wrath’. Though she wonders if Shura is actually avoiding Penelope?

Nah, no need to think too hard about it.

“You look so t-tired, though, Miss Khalida. D-Do you need to go to the Healing Specialist?” Penelope chimes in again as she gently touches Sara’s cheek. Guide has keener eyes about a change in physical condition, so it is no wonder that Penelope may have noticed that something is off.

“I will soon.” Sara forces a smile. Now when everything has dwindled, the fatigue begins to set in, she can feel it in her bones. 

The situation is unlike Mental Out or Zoning, yet somehow it takes a lot out of her, and the ‘voices’ she hears… hopefully it is not a sign for another bad omen.

Also Sara has to worry about her information about her Guiding with Amara is going to be scrutinized for further analysis. Unlike her, Amara as an A-Class is an indispensable asset, she is tied to bigger operations and has more credits to others rather than such infamous Guide who is a talk to the Guild for being cold and rebellious.

“Miss Khalida? Is, is there something wrong?”

“No, no. I think I’m really exhausted. Can you see me until I reach the Specialist's room?” Sara asks. Penelope happily obliges.

There are several principles to Guiding, and it’s not like you can force yourself to do Phase 2 or Phase 3 to mostly everyone. 

There is respect and privacy, though at times Esper would try to push to Phase 2 or Phase 3 in reality. One reason is that Espers found comfort or ecstasy in Phase 2 or Phase 3, which is another matter of its own. In some cases, only Phase 2 or Phase 3 Guiding can work better for someone.

Phase 2 Guiding, Mind Diving , can be a better solution to bring back Espers from their Mental Out back to their senses when they’re unconscious, but it takes a lot of concentration. Utilizing a wire-like ‘thread’ in one’s mind to materialize one's spirit animal, two minds can connect on a deeper level and Guides can enter Esper’s consciousness via linking.

Mentalist Guides can easily materialize the thread, hence they’re far suited for Phase 2 Guiding more than any other Guide types, but basically the skill itself is available to any Guides.

Her exhaustion, as the Healer surmises, must be because she borders between Phase 1 and Phase 2 unconsciously as she overexerts her Physician power. This never happens to Sara before, and the revelation surprises her, although some things begin to make sense to her.

It is said that Guides can channel their power unintentionally as it is natural for them to do so, and it can be traced back to compatibility between the Espers and Guides. Any Guides are able to do Guiding to anybody, as long as they reached the agreed 50% minimum threshold. Someone like Mrs. Isabella Angelo, S-Class Guide who’s said to be naturally highly compatible to most Espers, is said to be ‘universal Guide’.

It can only be said that, despite Sara not knowing the report between her and Amara yet, she dared to guess that their compatibility is high.

Is it a good thing, then, being compatible with highly-regarded Esper? Sara can’t really say.

Her Guiding to Amara started off back then as a first aid, then her second Guiding had them in critical situations.

It isn’t like she doesn’t want to cooperate or be useful to Esper as a Guide—Sara doesn’t want to let anyone down, and definitely not the one esteemed in such an important position?

Then again, who would want to stick with someone who finds it hard to trust anyone else, someone who’s contemptuous as a Guide after being grieved with her past and other Espers’ treatment?