Gabriel's POV

Waking up again in hospital, I looked around and saw Elliot sitting upright, eating from a tube of jelly. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and wiped my face as the lingering lethargy from the contamination slowly began to lift.

Crossing over to Elliot's bed, I sat on the edge and, noting the drawn look on his face, gave him a slight smile. "How are you feeling? You look like shit."

He gave a grunt between bites. "Better than I should, honestly. I know how far along the contamination got—I should've been out for two weeks, minimum."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Waking up after just two days, I couldn't believe it. Did you see the video from the incident?"

"Yeah, I saw it. Poor guy. I couldn't believe how hard John went after him. I swear, the man doesn't have brains—just muscles. It would've taken him all of two minutes to realise it wasn't him. He was just trying to help us, and he ends up treated worse than garbage."

"I know. I'm going to raise it. John's actions were way out of line, and his obvious hatred of Normies is only getting worse. He's also making all his goons fall in line with the same mindset."

Letting out a heavy sigh, I looked back at Elliot. "You saw the video, right? We were acting really strange…"

He stopped eating and placed the spoon and jelly on the side table. "Yeah. We were clinging to him. Normally, we'd be in so much pain if anyone touched us in that state. I don't remember much, but I do remember a warm feeling—so comfortable. Something smelled really nice… and then I just went to sleep."

I nodded again. "Same for me. It was so warm and comforting. I didn't want to let go."

We stared at each other, bewildered. Despite having the highest matching rate for Espers and Guides, Elliot and I had never been able to do high-level guiding—the kind that involved bodily exchanges, mostly sex. Most matched pairs got married quickly and marked each other to make it clear they were taken.

That had never been an option for us. We weren't each other's type in any sense of the word. We were just best friends—partners for almost a decade. We'd been matched young, and the higher-ups in the Association had hoped we'd become something more, but it never happened.

That left us with only one option: guiding through physical touch, mostly hand-holding. It meant we had to work harder—spend more time—just to reach the same stabilisation levels as other pairs.

Looking back at Elliot with a mock glare, I said seriously, "You're not off the hook for the contamination, by the way. You drank from a random guide?"

He looked down and began twiddling his thumbs. "I'm sorry."

Heaving a long sigh, I felt like the strict older brother again. "We've talked about this. You can't trust other guides or Espers. You've been food-spiked five times already, and this is the third time your drink's been tampered with. That's why we have personal kitchens and chefs—because of all the previous incidents."

Still twiddling, he mumbled, "I know you're right… I just felt bad. I was the only one saying no. It looked like all the other guides and Espers got the same drink. I didn't think they'd be able to spike it so quickly."

Meeting his blue-grey eyes, I held his gaze. "You have to stop doing this. You cannot trust them with food or drink. Almost every spiked item has come through you. We can't afford this. What if I'm not nearby next time? What if they catch you off guard?"

The look of shock in his eyes made me feel guilty. The first incident had nearly ended in disaster and left Elliot deeply traumatised. We'd only been teenagers, and I'd managed to get there in time before anything truly serious happened. But I still remembered him crying himself to sleep for months afterward.

I reached over and gently patted his hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. But please—please promise me you'll be super, super, super careful from now on. The drugs they're using are getting stronger. They're sending our contamination levels way too high."

He gave a small nod and offered me a faint smile. "It's alright. I know you didn't mean to. I promise—I'll be more careful from now on. I'm getting tired of all this, too. Have we figured out who did it?"

I shook my head, frustrated. "It was done really subtly. I think there were several guides involved—ones who knew which cup to avoid. Quite a few of them have marked Espers. We're at a bit of a standstill—tensions are rising on both sides."

"That tracks," Elliot muttered. "I grabbed the cup that was closest after most of the others were taken. I was too trusting. It was probably planned. And I haven't heard of anyone else being hospitalised, so they clearly avoided it themselves."

Getting up from the bed, I moved to stand by his side, lowering my voice to a whisper. "I can't be certain yet… but I've got a strong feeling that Guide Helen's involved. Keep this between us. She's got enough influence to sway the other guides and Espers. She's also been after you for months. We thought she'd lose interest after getting matched with that A-class Esper, but it looks like she's still as ambitious as ever."

Elliot let out a pained sigh and leaned back with a huff. "I think you're right. She wasn't part of that group, but I remember spotting her from a distance. She was watching way too closely. I'm sure they were protecting themselves from being caught."

I nodded and returned to my bed, lying back down with another sigh. "Let's have the investigators keep digging into the incident. Maybe someone slipped up during the purchase. It's worth a try."

Picking up my phone from the bedside table, I noticed a message from Axel—the head of security, and an A-Class mind Esper. I trusted him far more than I ever trusted John. Axel didn't discriminate—he didn't trust anyone. He saw the worst in people, and it shaped everything about him.

He'd sent over a list of potential guides and Espers involved in the spiking. Interestingly, Helen's name was on it—even though she hadn't touched any of the drinks. I expected no less from Axel.

He also mentioned that he was digging deeper into the supply chain to see who might've purchased the substance. With his government connections and mind-based ability, I knew he had a good chance of getting results.

Looking over at Elliot again, I saw his eyes were starting to droop. Before he could drift off, I interrupted, "Just a quick update—Axel's on the case. Hopefully he'll find something soon. I'll keep you posted."

Elliot turned his head and gave me a small smile. "Thanks. I feel better knowing he's on it. Can you remind me when I wake up that we need to find the person who helped us? I saw the footage—he looked terrified, but he still helped us anyway, even though he knew he might get in trouble. I want to give him a hug after everything that dickhead John put him through."

I chuckled. Elliot rarely swore and was a complete goody-two-shoes out in public. Nodding along, I agreed, "I'm with you. We should thank him properly—maybe even give him a gift. You rest, and in a few days we'll sort it out. "

Gabriel nodded as sleep crept closer again. "I really want to get that warm feeling again… it was the best sleep I've had in years."

The end of the sentence was barely audible as he finally slipped into sleep.

I gave a soft chuckle. "Me too… I really want to feel that again."