“Fuck you, fuckyou…” Eiden’s voice caught, and he cried out in pain as the thick liquid was injected into his arm.

Kyrian leapt forward to help hold the Esper down, both anxious that he would lash out and how the guard would treat him should he have offered first. He wrapped an arm loosely around Eiden’s neck to steady his head, the other hand restraining his free arm that threatened to flail.

Bleached blonde hair tickled his chin as Eiden squirmed and continued to cry, chest heaving. His voice was hoarse, pitiful, but filled with so much agony Kyrian felt dizzy. His throat tightened with a lump as he realized the cruelty he was involved in.

“Our job is done, Mr. Averin.” The nurse pushed the trolley towards the door, and the technician also began getting ready to leave.

Kyrian slowly turned his head towards the staff, dazed and face expressionless.

“Hel…p… burns…” Eiden grit his teeth against the pain of the injection, and his voice broke into a soft whimper. For a moment it seemed to have stripped the fight from his body, and his energy was all but nonexistent by this point. Whatever it was, it worked quickly.

Suddenly he bucked against Kyrian’s grip and let out a crazed snarl, “Fuck you!”

His body went limp after the surge of energy, and in seconds Kyrian’s hold to restrain ended up being the only thing supporting the Esper.

Stomach churning, and aware of the eyes watching him, he slid off of the bed and gently laid Eiden onto his side. 

As soon as he withdrew, Eiden turned to hide his face in the pillow, his thin shoulders trembling.

“Let’s go,” Kyrian muttered, turning his back on the broken mess he knew he helped cause. His jaw clenched as he walked away. There was no changing things though, this was how Cerberus did things, and he was merely under contract.

I just need to get him…stable, and I can get out of here.

Eiden’s muffled groans were drowned out by the eerily calm heart rate monitor, beeping steadily, and Dr. Kroft’s voice cutting through the air.

“That was a fairly unproblematic operation, we appreciate your cooperation Mr. Averin.” His tone sounded smug, gloating about the fact that Kyrian had helped with any part of this.

His shoulders tensed as he fought the desire to glance back, and instead left the containment room with the staff, head held high.

***

Voices murmured reports and comments, excitement and giddiness flared among the researchers in the observation room.

Kyrian’s gaze never left the window into Eiden’s room, even when someone dropped their pen by his feet and they muttered a hurried apology as they retrieved it. 

His chest was tight with guilt as he had watched the man thrash about one moment, only to curl on himself tightly the next. It had been a gruelling experience watching as the Esper inhibitor had finally run its course.

His energy was a faint flicker compared to the torrential storm he had experienced before, and after hours of pain he had fallen asleep. His breathing appeared calm, the vitals steady and normal.

It was as if he was a regular human now.

Or that was what Kyrian could almost convince himself, if it weren’t for the subtle spikes of his energy.

“I can’t believe we achieved such a high success with this iteration of the injection,” Dr. Kroft leaned awkwardly over a table that was too short for his lanky frame, and rubbed his chin in thought. “88% is incredibly high for an S-Class.”

Beep. Beep.

Kyrian’s gaze wavered over the limp hand lying on the mattress. The fingers twitched.

Is he awake?

“How long will the results last before side effects begin presenting?”

The question tore Kyrian’s attention from the window for the first time in what felt like hours. He was surprised how numb he felt, as if he had turned off his senses to preserve his resolve.

“The side effects?” He asked forcefully, dragging himself back to the present by digging his nails into his palms. 

Nurses and staff seemed to flinch when he engaged the conversation, but one woman, she had been among the staff who had shown him where the prep-zone was, nodded. Her hands fidgeted with a tablet she had been taking notes on, betraying her nerves.

“Generally… there are a lot of side effects we’ve seen with these types of inhibitors, that’s why we’re still in the testing phase.”

Dr. Kroft interjected, giving the woman an intense glare. “What my colleague here forgets is that if they were all immediate successes she would have no purpose here anymore.”

A few of the staff broke into smiles and snickers at the grotesque joke, one laughing too loudly for the Guide’s liking.

Kyrian’s eyes drifted back to the figure on the other side of the window, the staff murmuring amongst themselves about whether or not they should risk doubling the dosage next time. Ultimately they decided to let this trial’s outcome dictate the next dose, and how they proceeded with future tests.

Eiden’s body trembled, but no one seemed to notice nor care, they were too busy running numbers and tracking vitals.

It was frustrating to him how not a single one of their interactions had been under good terms. They were necessary, forced, and messy. Never with consent.

‘I behave, you force me. I misbehave, you force me…’

Eiden’s bitter words rang in Kyrian’s ears, heightening his unease.

“Erm… Excuse- excuse me Mr. Averin,” a voice murmured, “were you not made aware of the side effects beforehand?”

The researcher who had answered his question about side effects was standing beside him. For a brief moment her gaze followed his own to the Esper asleep on the hospital bed, but she quickly turned back to Kyrian with a wavering smile.

Her concern, chillingly, was not directed at the individual who would be experiencing the side effects, but at Kyrian for not knowing what they were.

He swallowed thickly, and shook his head quietly in response.

“It shouldn’t be too dangerous for us, the confinement room is reinforced to withstand a medium ranged rampage.” She offered a smile, trying her best to comfort the Guide.

Her attempt only left him feeling more unsettled, but he forced a smile in return. “Thank you. Are you expecting a rampage?”

She glanced back at the rest of the staff and doctors bustling around their glowing screens and machines, and shook her head. “No, that’s why we have you here today. Though they are possible.”

“Talia, get yourself back over here to your station!” Dr. Kroft barked.

Without another word, she scurried away from Kyrian’s side, leaving him to watch for potential signs of a rampage. The energy was still painfully faint, curling around his chest like it was begging him to come closer, but he ignored the light pressure. He couldn’t do anything about it right now even if he had wanted to.