Dr. Kroft’s voice chased him from the observation room, but he was determined to save the nurse before the guards got there.

Faster— I have to be faster!

His feet hit the white tiles with a muffled thud, each one heavier than the last. 

The sound of the alarm blurred with his racing heart slamming against the inside of his rib cage. 

Ahead was the steel door to the confinement room, a red warning light flashing overhead. 

Not taking the time to open the door properly, he slammed his fist onto the emergency release panel, shattering the glass. Shards sliced his hand open, but he couldn’t stop to assess the damage, the thunderous footsteps of approaching guards filled him with an enormous sense of urgency.

When the door opened the first thing Kyrian saw was Eiden still strangling the nurse, though her body had long since fallen still.

Flashes of a familiar scene filled his vision, and his chest tightened. Unlike that night eleven years ago, this time he moved. His body wasn’t frozen in place any longer, nor was he powerless as he had been before.

Shaking the haunting memories off, Kyrian tackled Eiden’s slim frame to the floor in a tangle of cords and wires. 

“No!” Eiden yelled, arms and legs desperately thrashing against the hands trying to hold him down. 

Had he been in better condition it would have been easy to free himself from the Guide’s hold, but with the heavy medication in his system dulling his senses he was no match.

Panting heavily, Kyrian maneuvered his arm tightly around Eiden’s neck, pinching the carotid arteries in a practiced chokehold to overpower him.

Eiden gagged and clawed at his arm, eyes rolling and full of tears.

“Don’t - don’t hurt me -” Eiden slurred, the plea choked by spit and tears.

Cerberus guards poured through the open door, rifles raised and aimed.

“Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!” Kyrian shouted loudly, trying to catch his breath as the thrashing body in his grip lost power. 

He gritted his teeth, aware of Eiden’s tears soaking his sleeve, and supporting his body against his own. His pulse was fluttering weakly beneath the pressure he applied, fading quickly. He wasn’t sure when to let go, his mind white with adrenaline, and trembling.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, “forgive me please.”

***

“Mr. Averin, please hold still.” The nurse grumbled, unhappy to have him as a patient. Nonetheless she continued administering the antiseptic to the side of his hand that had been injured by the glass.

Kyrian winced, the cuts stinging as she callously dabbed them with a cotton swab.

This was not the only wound he had suffered during the ordeal, but this was the only one that required attention. One of the cuts had even needed stitches, and he figured he deserved to suffer through at least this much for his reckless behavior.

If he hadn’t managed to catch Eiden and knock him unconscious, what could have happened?

“Is the other nurse alright?” He suddenly asked, lifting his head to the nurse working on his injured hand. 

Her sharp features pinched, a displeased scowl on her face. 

“Don’t worry about her,” she snapped, “Cerberus turn-over rate is ridiculously high. Just wait, you’ll most likely be replaced in a few weeks yourself.”

Kyrian flinched, but his gaze stayed on her face, searching for even a hint of unseriousness as she cinched the bandages tightly around his hand.

Surely it’s not that bad….

She ignored his questioning look, and slammed her medical supplies back into their carry-case.

Though she did not speak again, Kyrian caught on that she was finished with him. As he stood, he dryly acknowledged that her foul temper complemented Dr. Kroft’s eerily well. Perhaps the man only hired abrasive people like himself.

Realizing that he would get an earful should he linger, he left the medical ward. He needed to sort his thoughts, and more importantly, contact his supervisor Seok to let him know he was still alive.

He flexed his tender hand that had been constricted in sterile bandages, perhaps imagining his fingertips tingling with numbness. Gazing down at his palm, his eyes flickered towards the sleeve that was still damp from Eiden’s tears.

His expression darkened as his uninjured hand patted the dampness, almost checking whether or not it was real.

Eleven years ago he had watched an Esper lose control and strangle someone with their bare hands. The scene overlapped with today’s experience, leaving an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He had learned after the fact that it wasn’t rampaging, it was something far less explosive and externally destructive. An Esper who reached their shatter point was stripped bare, a hollow shell that couldn’t even recognize love. They forgot the faces of those they once cherished, and blindly lashed out. When there was no one left to hurt, the destructive behavior turned inward.

His jaw clenched, standing still in the hall like a frozen statue.

You don’t know that’s what's wrong with him- don’t jump to conclusions until you’re certain.

He drew a slow breath in through his nose, and took a step forward. It had barely been a week since he first arrived at Cerberus, and he was already nauseated with unease.

There was no one to ask questions to, without risk of getting in trouble. Cerberus kept its secrets close, and Kyrian was only now realizing just how many secrets they held.

Huff.

His breath escaped his lips, and he mulled his thoughts during his silent trek to his quarters.

By the time he reached his room he felt as though the entire weight of the world was pressing down on his chest. His hand throbbed, the stitches finally starting to cause some discomfort, and he truthfully did not know how he would be able to maintain his composure through another event like today.

He had only met Eiden twice, and both times ended in near disasters with lives at stake.

Kyrian sat on the edge of his bed, arms rested on his knees, and stared at the floor. His fingers gently massaged his temples, eyes closed, and a headache pulsing at the base of his skull.

‘Just walk away.’

“Not yet,” he spoke out loud, hand reaching for the communicator he used to contact Seok.

Today’s events would not be included in the debrief. It wasn’t a hopeless situation, yet, and Kyrian wanted answers before he made any decisions that could prove to be detrimental to Aegis.

He’ll understand someday… maybe.