This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This work contains mature themes, including violence and sexually explicit content, and may not be suitable for all audiences. It is only intended for readers 18 years and older. Reader discretion advised. 

For the second time in less than a week, Alexei woke up in a room he did not recognize– this time, handcuffed to the bed. The identification tag around his wrist clinked against the metal cuff as he tried to roll over, and he grumbled as he realized that regardless of if he could get out of this set of cuffs, he'd been shackled to this place from the moment he arrived. A hazy sort of seasickness crept over him and he pinched his eyes shut to avoid looking at the shadows dancing on the far wall that sought to upturn his stomach.

“You’re awake,” said a voice from the corner. Alexei, brow still pinched and furrowed, didn’t even need to turn his head to recognize it. 

“Bishop Kerrigan,” Alexei replied without emotion. It wasn’t a question. He’d known the man for years, studying and working under him throughout his time as a priest, and aside from that, there was no mistaking the playful lilt that twinkled along the edge of the man’s accent. Alexei harbored no hate in his heart for the man, but he’d hoped beyond hope that their paths would never cross again. 

“It’s been too long,” the bishop was saying as he walked out of the shadows, unaffected by Alexei’s lack of surprise. “When I heard one of my former priests had ended up in the med wing, I could hardly believe my ears.”

When Alexei finally looked at him, the bishop was smiling, and the man nodded as if to soothe his former subordinate’s visible anxiety. Kerrigan’s dark hair, now greying at the temples, only served to enhance the charm of his face and provided an illusion of starlight on either side of his icy blue eyes. Alexei was grateful for the bit of warmth, assuming the bishop didn’t intend to scold him for abandoning his post immediately, or hopefully, at all.  

Alexei broke eye contact first, letting his eyes scan the immediate vicinity. This room, unlike the previous one, was without a doubt a hospital room– evidently located, according to the man now standing at the edge of the bed, within the Lamb Center’s medical wing. A small rolling cart was visible at the foot of his bed, and a not-entirely-sheer curtain partitioned off the left corner of the room, blocking some of the natural light that filtered in from the window. The machine beside him beeped and he turned to watch his heart rate for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh. 

”So this is still the Center, then?” Alexei asked.

”Yes,” Kerrigan replied as he unlocked the handcuff from around Alexei’s wrist, “and apologies for the restraint. We were worried you might be disoriented upon waking. Daniel is just fine, by the way. He’s stable, and they–”

”Daniel?” Alexei was puzzled. The last week had been nothing short of a whirlwind to be sure, but in all that time, he couldn’t recall a single person by the name of Daniel. Had he harmed someone when he passed out trying to save that Butler? 

Bishop Kerrigan pulled up a chair, crossing his legs as he settled into the squeaking leather. He flashed his familiar smile up at Alexei once more. “Ah, yes,” he continued, “I must apologize on behalf of the Center for that miscommunication. The man you know as Butler #4 is in truth, Daniel, one of our Merciful, and your new partner.”

Alexei stared at him in disbelief. Granted, he was not the most educated when it came to the Merciful, but to his knowledge they were supposed to be the most elite espers Oclesa had to offer. Gallant and brave, with no ambitions aside from protecting the people and showcasing God’s divine blessing. How could someone so unstable find a place among their ranks? In ten years, there had never been a single instance of misconduct connected to any of the Merciful– lower-ranked espers, sure, but never the Center’s prized S-Class heroes. On top of that, as he thought back on the times he’d seen them on television, he couldn’t recall any of them having mousy brown hair. 

”That man is not my partner,” Alexei groaned, his head falling back against the pillow, “To start, he’s a lunatic, but more importantly, there’s no way he’s not six feet under. The blood loss was so–”

Remembering the bloody scene, Alexei’s vision started to narrow and the room started to shrink back down to a pinprick– just as it had when he’d been unfortunate enough to experience the sight in person. The beeps on the monitor picked up speed, and Kerrigan rose, nimbly pressing a button to administer an IV push without a word. Alexei wasn’t exactly sure what was entering his IV, but within moments he felt considerably more relaxed, so he decided not to raise a fuss. 

”Daniel is doing well,” the bishop pushed on, “All thanks to your guiding, of course. It was not the way we intended your first guiding session to play out, but Daniel is quite naive. It was an oversight on our part, and we can assure you it will not happen again.”

So that was why they sent Kerrigan. They might have Alexei caught between a rock and a hard place when it came to his mandatory enlistment, but he still had rights, and if word got out that the Center had locked a brand-new, inexperienced guide in a room with a knife-wielding madman, well, it was sure to be front page news. The warm smiles felt a little tainted now, but Alexei couldn’t complain too much, as it seemed Kerrigan was also inclined to let their shared past go in exchange for a bit of understanding regarding Daniel’s behavior. 

During his time in hiding, Alexei had never looked up the exact charge for abandoning one’s duties as a priest. Originally, he’d feared it was excommunication, but as time went on, he no longer believed that spiritual severance would make any difference what-so-ever in the protection or damnation of his soul. That is, of course, if he even had one. The punishment was likely a hefty fee, something to compensate the parish for his education and their inconvenience in training or finding his replacement. Then again, that was only taking into account the laws before the first gate. The laws were different now, and that was what caused him the most anxiety.

After the gate, consequences for all crimes became more severe, even for civil issues. Alexei remembered watching a trial on television and being blown away at how cruelly they treated the defendant. She was a young woman, maybe eighteen or nineteen at the time, who was working as a waitress at a diner downtown. The night before the first gate, she’d had a bit too much to drink and never made it to work the next morning, causing another employee to come in and cover her shift. It was during that shift that chaos erupted, and despite downtown’s distance from the gate in Masonville, it took only a few minutes for the beasts to fly the distance. The other waitress was killed during her shift, and her family sought compensation. There was no precedent in place for a death like this, and the government was hesitant to claim this was an act of God, fearing it would cause the public to think they’d been abandoned. 

Due to those concerns, the young woman was found guilty of negligent homicide, establishing a precedent for many trials to come. Alexei remembered watching in horror as she was dragged off to serve her jail time which would be followed by a mandatory military enlistment. He would never forget the tears streaming down her face, or the way she plead over and over that she was sorry. It had left him shaken to his core. 

Alexei suddenly became acutely aware that he hadn’t spoken to Bishop Kerrigan in some time– he’d just been staring at a bright, swaying patch of light on the wall. “Is that so?” He finally said, remembering the conversation at hand. “And how did you plan on our first guiding session playing out, exactly? How could he possibly have misinterpreted the instructions so badly?”

The bishop’s eyes flickered open as he muttered a few final words in Latin, bringing his hand lightly to his forehead to conclude his prayer. Alexei felt slightly offended, but was unable to pinpoint exactly why the man’s behavior bothered him the way that it did. Maybe his nerves were still on edge, leaving him feeling a bit more temperamental, or maybe the drugs were stronger than he thought. 

”The S-Class espers that make up The Merciful are unique,” Kerrigan said. “As you know, there are seven of them, along with two S-Class guides, yourself included. Each of the documented S-Class agents were awakened on the day of the first gate, and each of them, aside from you and the other guide, joined the Center during childhood. Because of this, our espers have lived rather sheltered lives, I’m afraid. In addition, they are not permitted to engage in any intimate guiding unlike their lower-ranked counterparts, nor are they allowed to live outside the facility. You are the first new S-Class guide the Center has seen in seven years."

It was a lot to take in. Part of it felt familiar, the clergy was structured in much the same way as the Center. That was no accident of course, they were technically one organization, but it still shocked Alexei to hear that these god-like humans were living such regimented lives compared to their social status. He’d expected them to live lives more akin to that of a celebrity or a rock star. All that power, yet they’re stuck living like cloistered monks. It was hard to imagine. 

”And what's that got to do with Butler— I mean, Daniel, or whatever his name is?” Alexei asked.

”Daniel is a bit of a hopeless romantic, you see.” Bishop Kerrigan continued, pulling out a personnel profile and placing it on the bed next to Alexei. “He’s always dreamed about matching with his perfect guide, so when your testing showed a 96% match, he became rather excited.”

Directly below the Center’s emblazoned logo, Daniel’s name, identification number, class, and date of birth were all typed out in a sterile, proprietary font alongside his photo.  Alexei stared at it. The man pictured had sharp, elegant features, though his hair was swept back behind his shoulders in a soft, romantic fashion. No mousy brown hair to be found. Alexei had seen this man before, even outside their unfortunate first encounter. Truth be told, he’d always assumed the green-haired Merciful was a woman, but it seemed now that he had been entirely incorrect in that assumption. Thinking back on it, Butler #4 had been rather poised and slender, moving in such a way that one might associate with a classically-trained dancer. It had been an honest mistake. From green-haired woman, to Butler #4, to now finally being revealed as Daniel. At least that was one mystery solved. Alexei caught himself chuckling under his breath at the absurdity of it all, then his laugh quickly soured at the thought of having to wear such a tight-fitting uniform himself. 

”Excited?” He scoffed, passing the paper back to Bishop Kerrigan. “The man came unhinged! I told him I wouldn’t guide through intercourse and he pulled out a knife. How am I supposed to work with someone like that?”

Kerrigan flinched, but regained control of his face quickly, training it back into a placid smile. He fiddled with the personnel file for a few moments, folding it in half, then in half again before tucking into his pocket.

”Daniel was not supposed to perform your orientation. Put plainly, he disguised himself, used his powers to incapacitate the butler assigned to you, and then took his place in an attempt to see you sooner than was allowed. I can assure you that he will be punished once he has fully recovered. I know it may seem hard to believe, but he truly did not mean you any harm. He’s been taught from a very young age to never, ever harm a guide. We believe that is why he turned the knife on himself in a moment of desperation.”

”You said I healed him,” Alexei pressed, “but I don’t even know how to do that.” 

The bishop was growing wearier by the minute, and Alexei couldn’t blame him. He wanted out of this room just as badly. He doubted very much that the man next to him had ever had to explain something like this. It was far more likely that he was happily tucked away in his palace most days, only leaving the grounds to attend mass, meetings, and public events. Alexei’s rectory had been a modest domicile, but bishops, especially the one overseeing Oclesa proper, had access to a palatial estate. He’d only been there once, but it had left a lasting impression. He imagined Kerrigan wanted nothing more than to check this necessary inconvenience off his list and return home. 

”If our estimations are correct,” Kerrigan went on, “it is likely that you were also awakened on the day of the first gate. Guides feel that awakening in less obvious ways than espers, as they typically gain no visible traits or powers. It’s possible you’ve been guiding the people you’ve come in contact with all this time without knowing. Even laypeople can benefit from guiding, did you know that?”

“No,” Alexei replied flatly, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, “and I want to get out of here.”