Kyrie sat across the woman who made her way around to him.
His body obviously tensed up as he knew the repercussions if this woman was capable of prying his real memories.
" Relax " the Scottish accent of Daphne came, seemingly calming down the building tension.
"If ye tense up, this would be difficult for the both of us " she said.
At this point Negan still remained unmoved at the entrance watching intently as things unfold.
Daphne had her hands still hovering around Kyrie's temples like she was merely testing the waters.
"Am about to touch ye now, don't fight it, let me in "
Kyrie nodded, though it was definitely not in his best interest to let her in.
Her hands soon touched his head– cool and delicate.
Her fingers snaking around as if looking for the best point of entry.
She closed her eyes to focus.
At first there was nothing, then like a needle been forced through fabric.
Kyrie could feel her presence slip into the edges of his mind. It was invasive, a violation masked as help.
He wanted to jerk her off but tried his very best to stay still.
Daphne's brows creased as she pushed further.
Then a coldness
This feeling ran across Kyrie's mind like frost dancing through the edges of glass.
It formed a protective barrier between his core identity and the invasive and probing presence of Daphne.
Sovereignty: Unbroken
Daphne frowned, unsure of what was happening, she tried digging even deeper even as her breath hastened.
It was merely a split second later.
The coolness suddenly became something else.
Hunger !
One moment, Kyrie felt like the protected prey and the next he was the predator.
The sense of insatiable hunger didn't come gradual but instant.
Its was like a maw opened in his mind. One that didn't care for anything than to consume.
The sensation was out of Kyrie's control but it's ravenous nature beaconed on Daphne.
The flow had reversed.Instead of her reading him, he was siphoning her.
Her Memories came flooding in. Flashes of faces wincing in agony, their secrets spilling out.
A much younger Daphne, practicing to sift through minds like it was nothing.
There was also the terror in people's eyes when they realized she read them like an open book.
Soon her techniques, aspects of her training, the feeling of another's thoughts unraveling under her mere touch.
Underneath it all, she was afraid and shocked.
The hunger didn't relent, only growing stronger, pulling more.
Kyrie tried to stop it, tried to call it back, but the nature of gluttony that inhabited the body had activated on its own, it was a passive reflex beyond his control.
Daphne gasped.
Soon her perspective flooded Kyrie. What she felt in that very moment.
It was merely darkness,A living void that simply wanted to take. Devour everything about her leaving nothing left.
She felt so much hopelessness but she was fighting tooth and nail to break off.
She tried to pull back.
Terror spreading through her. Daphne mustered a fair amount of strength and pulled her hands away forcefully.
She was stumbling backward, almost tripping over her own chair.
Only managing to catch herself in the last minutes, hands gripping hard on the edge of the table.
She was breathing heavily even as her face turned pale.
Her green eyes now stared at Kyrie, wide and horrified.
"What..." Her voice breaking. "What are ye?"
Kyrie's crimson eyes at this point were totally cold,his glare predatory but soon softened.
His hands trembled as he could still feel her memories, the taste of her fear.
His mind filling with unfamiliar knowledge, fragments from Daphne.
Whoosh
Negan stepped forward instantly, positioning himself between them.
"What did you see?"
" Everything and Nothing " Daphne said, hand on her chest as she tried calming her pounding heart.
" It was darkness. Darkness that wanted to swallow me completely. That mind isn't fractured nor possessed "
She looked at Kyrie again, her face a mix of awe, fear and disgust.
"I've seen my fair share of fractured minds," she continued, her voice still shaken.
"I've dealt with possession, with minds that had entities trying to claw their way in. But never like this "
She stopped, shaking her head still in disbelief
"That was by no means broken. That was whole and goddamn hungry."
Her accent heavy with emotion.
"What does that even mean?" Negan demanded. Eyes squinted obviously confused.
" It means I can't do anything more for him."
She spoke while reaching for a drawer at the back.
A bottle of bourbon in hand as she quickly poured herself a glass that she gulped in a go.
" I want ye both out now "
Kyrie at this point had stood up even as a notification appeared.
[Ability Absorption Detected]
[Telepathic Fragment Acquired]
[Skill: Empath Sense has been evolved → Psyche Resonance]
He quickly dismissed it, but not before reading the details. Psyche Resonance provided deeper emotional reading, access to Surface level thoughts, Emotional weak points and Enhanced empathy.
Negan looked at the woman who was visibly scared and attempting to throw them out.
"… We paid you know " He said confidently.
" I don't care, ye can take your money and get out"
Negan who still stayed between the two of them sighed.
" We are leaving "
They both walked up the stairs but with the corner of his eyes, Kyrie could still see Daphne turning another glass even as her eyes darted left and right in panic.
I might have broke her. He thought feeling a pang of guilt but very much relieved she didn't find anything.
In no time, they were outside the store and in the car, Kyrie waving at the lady at the front desk like nothing happened.
The drive back was quite tensed. Neither of them speaking at all. The sound of the engine filling the silence.
Kyrie reached into coat, pulling the prompter he'd retrieved earlier.
He'd ignored it all day, anxious about his visit to Daphne. But now seemed as good a time as any to check it.
The screen lit up, showing several missed messages.
Some were basic mundane messages about present fugitives and how to reach out to marshal's. New government policies.
But one name stood out amongst the bulk of messages.
V.
He didn't recognize it. The initials didn't stir any memory or connection.
Yet the messages had been accumulating even before he woke up.
"Where have you been?"
"We need to talk soon."
"Why are you avoiding me?"
He looked through them before catching a much recent one about an hour ago.
"Let's meet at your apartment. Come home tonight please . We need to see each other. -V"
Kyrie frowned. Someone had his address and the person seemed to know him well enough.
But he had no idea who that was.
Ding!
A notification appeared.
[Daily Quest Complete: Observe and understand Strevus society]
[Objective Complete: Interact with 3 different citizens - 3/3]
[ Objective Complete: Learn Currency and trade ]
[Rewards: +400 EXP, +1 Intelligence]
—-
[Current EXP: 450]
[Intelligence: 14 → 15]
He dismissed the screen even as he felt his mind expand slightly. His awareness and perception are more acute.
The car suddenly began slowing down.
Even as Megan's grip tightened on the wheel while he pulled to the side of the street, parking near an alley.
He finally turned to face Kyrie, his expression hard.
"Alright. Talk. What the hell just happened back there?" Palpable tension evident.