Kyrian glanced around the dimmed office space. It had a subtle air of luxury to it in the way it was minimally decorated, but it still felt overwhelmingly bleak and unwelcoming.

Steel plated walls, bare of any decor aside from a single abstract painting, sterile white lights buzzing overhead that were the Cerberus staple. Two floor-to-ceiling bookshelves framed the only window in the room that had its light blocking curtains drawn.

His gaze made a sweep around the room, landing on the two individuals sitting opposite from him at the large glass conference table. The Director of Cerberus, who publicly went by the name Inukado Tadamasa, and his secretary.

“Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Averin.”

The woman, who had escorted him to Floor-0, smiled at him in greeting, but the lack of warmth in the secretary’s eyes made it hard for him to believe she was actually pleased to see him.

“I apologize for making you wait, I had to pick up my keycard and badge from security this morning.” He bowed his head in return, and allowed his hands to comfortably clasp behind his back in a polite ‘at-ease’ position.

“Do not worry, we completely understand that you need time to settle in Mr. Avery– er, pardon, Averin,” with a bashful wave, the director brushed the apology away and beamed up at him with a gentle smile, eyes crinkling into kindly crescents.

“This meeting is a mere formality, as you were already briefed on the contents of the contract upon your arrival here yesterday. Now that we have confirmed your excellent compatibility with Esper Unit S-1, we would like to formally complete the contract.”

As he spoke, the older man’s hands trembled with excitement, barely able to hold the tablet steady. He was quite old in appearance, but his mannerisms felt practiced rather than genuine. 

Kyrian watched as he reached for his cup of tea, the tremor in his hands vanishing into a fluid dexterity. As he raised the teacup to his lips, his dark eyes locked with the Guide’s silently studying him.

A subtle sharpness in his gaze warned Kyrian that his intuition was correct, and that this man was in fact not someone to take lightly.

The muscles in Kyrian’s jaw tightened.

“Of course. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, I would still like to go over the contract one more time,” his voice trailed off, “just to be sure I understand.”

A dark look of irritation flashed across the woman’s face before she made a move to object to the request, but the older man lifted a perfectly unsteady hand to stop her.

“There is nothing wrong with briefly going over the details once more,” a crafty smile curled his thin lips upwards. 

A glare of anger pricked his skin, and Kyrian lazily swung his gaze to meet the secretary’s. He resisted a smirk, wanting dearly to provoke her further after being shut down once already.

“While you read, I’ll explain some of the contents in more depth. Would that satisfy your concern?” The director questioned, putting on an air of consideration as flimsy as paper.

In his hand was the tablet, and with an incredibly steady motion he passed it across the table to allow Kyrian access to the electronic contract.

“Until Esper Unit S-1 is stable, you will be required to be on standby for emergency guiding 24/7,” the director began confidently, “there will be no outside contact, unless it is periodic check-ins with your superior officer, Mr. Hol.”

Hov. It’s Hov.

Kyrian chanced a glance up from the contract to give the director a discreet look of reproach. 

“When handling Unit S-1, you need to remember that Privileges are restricted for Orange or Red coded Espers, and are not released until after cleared as Yellow or higher.”

“Orange or Red coded Espers?” Kyrian asked uncomfortably. 

Director Tadamasa paused, waving the air once more with a tremored hand. 

“Ah, well, the monitor in the Cerberus collars tracks Esper wavelengths. This allows us to accurately measure spikes in the psyche that may trigger a Static, or instability in their powers and the way they wield them.”

“Is this also how they’re subdued when being… disruptive? Through the collars?” The questions slipped from his tongue before he could check himself. A hint of a wince crossed his features, but he lifted his chin to await an answer.

“Yes, it is.” The director responded after a moment of contemplation. “We keep a very tight reign on unstable Espers, because they are such a huge liability… You understand, don’t you?”

Tsk.

The secretary showed her displeasure with a sharp click of her tongue, and looked away.

“... Yes.” Kyrian nodded, and dropped his gaze back to scanning the contents on the screen.

“On that note, we require Guides to have safe phrases for moments of high instability in their assigned Espers.” The tone of his voice chilled, but Kyrian refused to look up again.

“As for Unit S-1,” the director continued, “we strongly discourage from engaging in many hard-syncs, and forbid the notion of Tethering. Under any circumstances.”

Thump. Thump.

Kyrian’s heart pounded loudly in his ears. He didn’t understand why they would restrict such a high level Esper’s Guiding tiers. The thought of overlapping emotions and energies with another made his stomach churn with dread. It wasn’t as if he wanted a bond like Tethering… losing oneself in someone else was an unsettling idea.

***

The sensation of Guiding still lingered, making his stomach twist and drop anxiously. A prickling chill clung to his limbs, the feeling of his unstable wavelengths responding to a calming force. No matter how hard he tried, he could never control those waves on his own. It made him feel helpless, and at the mercy of others.

Overwhelming nausea pervaded through his chest as his thoughts dimmed.

A deep ache pierced through his eyes with every ringing ‘beep’ of the vitals machine. It was like a hot poker was being driven into his eye, scorching his flesh behind his skull.

That pain was the only thing keeping him grounded.

His vision was bleary, unfocused, and his head felt both as if it were floating and filled with lead. 

A sharp sting in his inner arm brought his dulled focus to the IV administering sedatives into his body. Most likely, the needle mark was already bruised…

It always is.

The collar around his neck pressed tightly when he swallowed, and his pale skin was marred with red scratches from trying to free himself from the cold ring of metal.

Every joint in his body was sore, but still he forced his body to roll onto its side. He wanted to watch the door. Ever since they had brought a new Guide, he felt a heightened sense of unease.

Weary, his eyelids drooped. 

Why can’t they just let me die… why must it be a new Guide? I don’t…

…need…

…

…him...