The resolve to withhold the day’s events was quickly trampled, as his supervisor hounded him mercilessly until he told him everything.

Despite being a little careless and unserious, Seok Hov was nothing short of aggressive when it came to his team members. He could tell as soon as the call had connected that Kyrian was holding something back, and that had been the end of it.

After much grief was given, Kyrian reluctantly relayed a heavily downplayed version of the ordeal. He attempted to omit the danger, and his demonstrated stupidity of barreling into the confinement room without a proper plan, but the story still sounded off even to his own ears.

‘Averin,’ Seok had lamented, ‘you’re going to be the death of me… how am I meant to live a long and healthy life when you’re always giving me such stress?’

‘... Seok, you know I’m not trying to cause problems here. This Esper is crazy.’

Rather than acknowledge the statement, a heavy silence had filled the air before Seok responded. 

‘You sound tired. I won’t keep you much longer, my friend. Get some good rest, and keep me posted.’

Eventually the call had been disconnected only once he had profusely assured his supervisor that he would be extra careful. Frustration had been palpable in the air, but Seok had kept his calm with his characteristic humor. 

Kyrian was still sitting on the edge of his bed with slumped posture, arms resting on his knees, and the  communicator discarded on the bed at his side. Minutes had turned to slow hours as he sat trying to process his own thoughts.The pain in his hand had not subsided, a dull throbbing let him know that the cuts were inflamed.

He suddenly clenched his hand tightly, intentionally making the stitches burn from strain, and chewed his lip.

Rather than push the issue, he knew it was best to press forward and either get through the job as quickly as possible… or break the contract. He knew that, but he couldn’t shake the hopeless feeling that was clawing its way up his chest.

Something had triggered in him today, even though he had encountered Espers at close quarters all the time at Aegis, this somehow had been different. 

His brow creased, eyes squinting shut at the idea of running away with his tail between his legs in the face of the hopeless unknown. The alternative to running was proving to be an incredibly difficult feat in its own right, since he hadn’t been able to even introduce himself properly to his assigned Esper. 

If he couldn’t make proper contact by the end of the month, he truly considered giving up.

Aegis could clean up the mess…but even as he thought it, he wasn’t sure he believed it.

He looked down at his fist, red bleeding through the stark white bandages. Realizing he had tore the stitches, he relaxed his hand and leaned his head back with an unsteady exhale. 

Clearly, he needed to work harder to get this Esper Guided. Only then could he get out of this prison-like facility.

***

“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour!”

Kyrian sharply looked up from his seat in the Cerberus canteen, to see a slender young man standing over him with dark hair and almond shaped eyes curved into gentle crescents.

“May I sit?” He asked when Kyrian did not respond. 

The canteen felt eerily quiet, as everyone was watching the interaction with vicious interest.

Feeling flustered, Kyrian nodded and made a sweeping motion to the empty seat across from him. The gazes watching them made the hair on his neck stand on end.

As the other person sat, he remained quiet and studied them, vaguely aware of the sweet smell tickling his nose. Round cheeks, porcelain skin, and a pleasant smile.

Most notable about his person was the ‘Classified Personnel’ lanyard he wore around his neck.

When nothing of importance seemed to be happening, the surrounding medical staff and employees quickly lost interest in the two, and the hushed quiet melted away.

“Are you an Omega?” Kyrian asked bluntly under his breath, watching his reaction in case they drew attention again.

His dark eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t seem bothered and quickly nodded with a smile. “Yes actually, though I’ve been told my presence isn’t very strong.”

He tilted his head, meeting Kyrian’s gaze, “I’m surprised you could tell so quickly.” The corners of his mouth twitched, and he abruptly held his hand across the table as an offering.

“I am Dr. Shion Kurozane, a Senior Researcher here at Cerberus Coppice,” he introduced himself so cheerfully, Kyrian felt obligated to take his offered hand in a firm shake.

“Kyrian Averin–”

The doctor quickly interrupted him with a wave of his hand. “I am very well aware of who you are, Mr. Averin- I’m sure everyone here at the Coppice is by now… I’ve heard a few rumors already.” He smirked with a slight shake of his head, amused.

Kyrian quickly schooled his expression, a prick of guilt in his chest for failing to stay under the radar. 

“That’s just how it’s happened, I didn’t go out of my way to be so problematic,” he muttered, turning back to his breakfast.

Dr. Kurozane laughed merrily, unbothered by the looks they received and Kyrian’s disinterest to converse with him over breakfast. “Oh I know,” he chuckled, “you’ve got yourself the chief of problems to tangle with. Esper Unit S-1 is quite a handful.”

Kyrian’s hand halted with a spoonful of rice halfway to his mouth. The metal spoon clinked when he dropped it to his bowl, and lifted his head towards the doctor. His mismatched colored eyes were piercing, an intensity radiating off of him at the mention of the Esper.

“What can you tell me about him?” He quickly asked.

After a night spent restlessly tossing and turning, Kyrian had vowed to change his approach somehow. This seemed to be the perfect opportunity to do so.

This doctor seemed strangely interested in him, and was not at all like the previous employees he’d had the misfortune of interacting with. He was friendly, polite, and him being an Omega was not justification enough to distrust him.

“You’ve taken an interest?” Dr. Kurozane asked back, answering Kyrian’s question with another.

Taken aback, Kyrian frowned and quickly shook his head. “No, I just need to figure out how to do my job.”