---- Dae ----
Song, in a rare display of consideration, didn't ask about Dae's dazed expression or drastically improved condition. She spared a nod of appreciation and got down to business. Song was the group's leader. There was hardly a situation where Song wasn't the leader. Not only were her physical abilities far beyond that of any other Esper in the nation, she was also the best strategic mind in the guild.
She'd earned the nickname Ody, as in Odysseus-- Their guild had a thing for Greek mythology --The name came from her quick thinking and clever solutions. She also had absolutely no sense of direction which probably contributed.
Dae didn't appreciate the nickname given her mythological counterpart managed to get his entire team killed. Not that Dae was in any position to voice his complaints being named after a man who got his son killed. At least for Song it was just a nickname.
"Rowan, Kane, I need you both checking in on the coms constantly. We don't know if the kids are all together so we need to survey the area separately. If you find more kids than you can carry, stay with them and send out an SOS. If you see an SOS and you still have a free arm go to it. If you can afford to drop a kid off before going back for more do so."
"Three of the kids are siblings and all of them know each other. Ages range between 3 and 9. Our priority is not just to get them out but to get them out with as little trauma as possible. That means keep them from seeing anyone injured or deceased."
Rowan and Dae nodded in confirmation.
"We have been cleared to administer sedatives to reduce the mental strain." As if sensing the question on her comrades' minds she added, "Such high priority has been set for their mental wellbeing because the three siblings are all Espers. Only the oldest, the nine year old, has received any training."
"If we don't handle this properly we could have three overloads on our hands. We don't have time to wait for full profiles on all the kids so we have to treat all of them as potentially volatile."
Dae frowned as Song handed out the sedative patches. Meant to be administered on the back of the neck at the base of the skull, fast acting but not instant. Dae had only ever used the injections meant for adults. These patches were small, with cartoon kittens printed on them. A bitter reminder that even children weren't safe from Espers violent nature.
"Any word on the kid's abilities?" Rowan asked. The look on Song's face sent fear thrumming through her comrades.
"I don't know about the younger ones, but the oldest has mind control."
Rowan and Dae shared a look of horror, "So do we have clearance to sedate the kids before we send out an SOS if they're all together?"
Song shook her head and rubbed her hand across her face in exhaustion, "No we need them to be able to move just in case. Just try to be as gentle as possible."
It was clear Song wasn't the one who had made this decision. Mind control Espers were some of the most dangerous, specifically to other Espers. While it was a horrible feeling to have your autonomy taken away at the best of times it was infinitely worse when it happened to another Esper. Creating an individual who effectively wielded multiple abilities. Esper kids were bad at controlling their powers. Their emotions made it more likely to lash out. With mind control this could cause them to activate their powers every time they spoke. Unintentionally forcing their desires on everyone around them.
Hopefully the nine year old would have had enough training to understand how dangerous their abilities could be. Maybe even have a basic level of control. But that was Dae being hopeful.
"We ready?" Song asked.
"Yes,sir." Rowan spoke as Dae said, "Not even a little."
Song glared at Dae and smacked him upside the head again. Her eyes flashed with something gentle and sympathetic, "You've got this."
Dae smiled at her. From the outside their relationship may have seemed antagonistic, but Song was his closest friend at the guild behind Tessa.
Song had been the person who recruited him to Titan. She had been aware of his reluctance to go into gates or receive guiding. Her belief in his tech gave him the opportunity to work with the best materials money could provide.
He'd been determined to prove that her faith wasn't unfounded. She seemed to sense this so she had never held back. She always pushed him to be his best self. If Dae ever voiced how much she'd done for him she would have beaten him to a pulp for being too sappy. Even as she smiled with every blow.
Song stepped forward into the gate waving her hand for Rowan and Dae to follow.
Stepping through a gate was like falling into a black hole. Being compressed and stretched to a breaking point. Lower level Espers(and Dae) got motion sickness the first few times they entered gates. Dae stumbled as his feet hit the solid ground on the other side. Rowan pulled up Dae's shirt to slap on a nausea patch even as he laughed at Dae mockingly.
"Constant check in's!" Song shouted as she began marching straight away from the gate. Rowan was off to the left and Dae went right. Song and Rowan may have the most experience together, but they'd all worked together enough to be a well oiled machine. There was little need for communication outside of the initial brief.
This gate's pocket dimension was impersonating a medieval European village. The tight cobbled streets and wooden, thatch roofed buildings spread out infinitely in every direction. It seemed abandoned but Dae knew better than to believe first impressions.
The urban environment was a blessing even if it created hiding spaces for gate beasts. It meant his ability wouldn't be totally useless. His outfit included several metal chains and a pocket with a small aluminium bar weighing about one pound. Any more than that would start to impair his movement or risk making too much noise. If he'd stayed on top of guiding he could have used his powers to displace the weight and still movement.
Nox's face flashed through Dae's mind. The amount of energy he'd been given from their brief interaction was astounding. Memories of his classification test drifted through his mind and an idea began to form. He let his powers stretch out the way he had back then. Tried to feel vibrations in bolts and metal detailing around him. It didn't sing to him as it had back then, it was more like a murmur. A murmur coming from his left.
Dae's mouth twitched up into a grin made lopsided by the scar reaching from the left corner of his lip, past his chin and down his neck. The first exhibit in the museum of his regrets.
He remembered climbing a tree and watching creatures circle below him praying that someone would find him. The memory of Nox's smoke-like energy drifted around him, a spectral sense of comfort. Dae had used the thought of meeting Nox again to keep going.
That thought was pushing him forward now as well. Though the children were a bigger priority. It was only due to Nox's guiding that Dae had any idea where to go. He would need to thank Nox the moment he got out. Maybe he could treat Nox to dinner.
Before that line of thinking could distract him any further Dae heard the sound of shoes scraping along stone. A small someone ran towards Dae. He assumed it was one of the kids but he began to pull at the surrounding metal just in case. A small dagger formed in Dae's hand made of the bolts and chains of a nearby sign. The wooden sign thudded, dully against the cobbled streets.
Shadows peeked around the corner of a building ahead of Dae. Two young looking kids tumbled into the street in front of him. Both looked dirty and scared but unharmed.
"Found two, sending SOS." Dae announced over the chatter of updates. Both kids looked up at him. The youngest had tear tracks running through the grime on her face. Dust and ash turned their warm umber skin greyish. The irritants reddened the rims of their large round eyes. They had matching purple ribbons braided in their hair. Dae assumed they must have been two of the three siblings.
Dae crouched down in front of them and held out his hands, quickly shifting the dagger into a set of rings, "My name is Esper Kane. I was sent to help you, have you seen anyone else?"
The youngest threw herself into Dae's arms, sobbing in relief. The older one held back and looked behind herself anxiously.
"Kris was with us. A tall man with no face that kept following us. Kris took it away. She said run as far as we could. I didn't want to. I had to keep Mandy safe." Tears began to well up in her eyes as she finally reached her breaking point.
Dae pulled her into a hug and patted her back, "You did great kiddo. You were so brave. We're going to get you and Mandy out of here. If you tell me where you came from we'll be able to keep Kris safe too. Could you tell me your name?"
The little girl balled her hands into fists and tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes, only succeeding in smearing the grime around. Dae used his free hand, the one not holding Mandy, to pull out a handkerchief and wipe some of the dirt away.
"My name is Senna."
Dae smiled at Senna and patted her on the head, "I need to tell my team members about your sister ok? Can you hold onto my coat while we wait for them?" The little girl nodded and grabbed onto Dae.
"Ok I've found two of the sisters and they say they can lead me to the third. Who's closest to me?"
"I am." Rowan's gentle timbre rumbled through Dae's ear piece. Dae felt relieved. It wasn't that Song was bad with kids. Rowan's demeanor and abilities would just be more effective in getting these two to safety comfortably, "I see you."
Dae turned and saw Rowan emerging from the thick fog settling on the town. Dae and Rowan realized how poor the visibility was getting simultaneously. Right on que Song's voice crackled through their earpieces.
"How's visibility with you two?"
"Bad." Rowan responded quietly. Dae was thankful he could only hear him through the earpiece. Dae turned back to Senna.
"This is my buddy Esper Rowan. I need you to show me where you came from then go with him ok?" Dae's hand reached up to gently cup Mandy's head. He pressed the patch onto the back of her neck.
Senna frowned as she saw the powder blue circle, "This is medicine we give people who get stuck in places like this so they don't get too stressed. Your sister was crying a lot so she needed it. We're gonna have to give you some too but I need you to tell me where Kris is first."
Senna nodded obediently and Dae breathed a sigh of relief. Senna had made it sound like Kris was the oldest but there was no way of knowing for sure, Dae didn't want to take any chances of two of the three rescuers being under the control of a traumatized kid.
Dae handed Mandy's sleeping form to Rowan who summoned an ephemeral dog. He cradled Mandy and let the dog sniff her before sending it to check the surrounding area. Rowan lifted his free hand to cover one of his eyes. Allowing him to share the sight of his summoned creature. Something that could fly would have been better but a gargoyle would probably scare Senna. Scent tracking with Kris' siblings would have to do.
Dae thought they could find Kris without Senna's help but asking her served two purposes. It made her feel more in control in a scary situation, and gave insight on the creature that had approached them.
"We ran from that way, we mostly just went straight… we might have turned once but I don't know- I still get my rights and left confused. I'm sorry." Senna looked near tears again. Dae put a hand on her shoulder and told her it was alright and asked her to keep going, "The monster followed Kris I think. And Kris went the other way. She said we had to split up, I didn't want to."
"I know, kiddo. It must have been so scary for you. You did the right thing. You were very brave. Can you tell me more about the monster? Anything you remember."
Senna sniffled and nodded, she was a brave kid, "It was big and tall and it looked like a person. But the arms were short and the legs were too long. Its body was really small. It had horns like a devil."
Dae relayed the information to Song and tried to keep his anxiety hidden. It was rare to have bipedal gate beasts. They tended to resemble things like bears or wolves, sometimes a bird. Anything that looked more human was a big risk. The closer it looked to a human the more intelligent it tended to be.
Rowan had the same thought. He leaned down and asked Senna if she was ready for her medication before scooping her up in his other arm.
"Did I help?" Senna asked as her eyes fluttered closed Dae smoothed the patch on the back of her neck while she looked at Rowan and responded softly.
"You did great, kiddo."
Rowan nodded at Dae and bent down so they were level. Dae leaned forward, between the two girls to press his forehead against Rowan's. A blurry, black and white image flashed across Dae's vision. What Rowan's summons saw. A creature, its form flickering as it circled overturned crates.
Senna's description of the creature had been very accurate. She had failed to mention how pointed the short arms and long legs were or how unsettling the faceless head was. Though Dae surmised the latter from how frightened she was.
Dae pulled back and nodded at Rowan. Rowan's abilities were much more oriented towards defense than offence. It was clear which of the two of them would be heading off into a fight and which would be escorting the kids back.
"Esper Rowan is taking the two siblings Mandy and Senna back to the entrance. We have eyes on the final sibling, Kris, She is currently being attacked by a humanoid gate-beast. Permission to engage, Esper Song?" Permission was a formality, Dae was already running the direction the girls had come from.
Just as expected, Song responded, "Granted, I've found the other two and will be taking them out as well. Keep that SOS on, we'll come back for you if we have to. She's relying on you, Esper Kane."
Any other day Dae would have felt sick knowing someone's life was in his hands but the comforting layer of smoke-like energy swirling around him acted as a shield against doubt and fear.
"Going dark." Dae called out, letting his team know he would be unable to verbally respond while engaging in combat.
Up ahead of him Dae could hear scraping and cracking noises. There was a muffled impact sound and an inhuman shriek. Dae exited the alleyway just in time to see Rowan's summons thrown to the ground and demanifest. Dae's eyes went to where it was thrown from.
It hadn't just been an effect of the unstable connection making the creature flicker. Its physical being seemed unstable. While it was possible Senna had neglected mentioning this unnerving detail, it was far more likely that Kris had commanded it to 'go away' at some point. A phrase like that, infused with panicked energy, could start shredding a being's existence.
The creature charged at Dae, who side stepped it while taking in the surroundings. The pile of overturned crates caught his eyes. The dust around them was disturbed and the sun faded sides faced different directions. Dae didn't see any signs of blood which he hoped meant Kris had used them as a shield and not been crushed by them.
"Kris?" He called out as the creature charged him again. This time he pressed towards it and knocked it back. He began forming a sword from his aluminum bar, "My name is Esper Kane, I'm here to help. Senna told me where to find you."
A box shifted to the side. Dae saw small fingers curled around it, "Senna and Mandy are safe?"
Dae wanted to answer but Kris' movement made the entire pile of crates unsteady. Dae could see and sense them caving in on little Kris. He fully pulled his focus from the creature and used all of the nails in the boxes to hold them upright. They were heavy enough to put significant strain on Dae's abilities.
As he was distracted the creature sunk its arms into Dae's back. Dae let out a grunt of pain and Kris shrieked. She pushed her way out and ran out towards Dae.
"No!" Dae yelled. His hold on the boxes broke less than a second after Kris extracted herself. The creature's short arms dug into Dae's back, ripping at his muscles and pumping some kind of poison into his body. Dae's sword fell from his twitching fingers.
The creature's legs lifted up and began to contort. It had more joints than a person should. All of them creaked and cracked as they wrapped around Dae's arms, immobilizing him. Dae fell to his knees and bit his lip to stop himself from screaming.
"Please Kris, go the way I came from." Dae wriggled his watch out from where his arms were pinned together and tossed it towards her, "That watch will tell the other Espers where you are and they can get you out ok?" Before Kris could respond, Dae threw himself as far away from her as he could, landing on his back and pressing the creature's arms even further into his body. This time he wasn't able to suppress his scream of pain.
Kris didn't move to pick up the watch. Instead she took another step towards Dae. Dae shook his head and opened his mouth to yell at her again.
"Don't-"
The moment she spoke, both Dae and the creature were rendered motionless. Her mental hold on him was absolute. He couldn't even open his mouth to warn her to be careful choosing her words.
Her icy gaze fell on the creature poking out from under Dae. Dae knew she would try to compel it. Dae hoped she'd been taught what precautions to take when giving commands.
"Kill yourself!"
She didn't know. The beast's arms pulled out of Dae's back and he heard a squelching sound as the creature drove its arms into its own body over and over. After a moment the legs holding Dae in place went slack. No longer restrained, Dae felt the command pulling him up like an obedient puppet.
The rings he had created to calm Kris' sisters became a knife again and he began to struggle against the desire to bring it up to his own throat. He looked at Kris who was staring at him in complete horror.
"B-but I didn-"
"I know sweetie, you were trying to help. Please, I need you to tell me to stop. Can you do that for me?"
Kris swallowed nervously and opened her mouth before collapsing. Dae was hardly able to register the wound on her leg creating a pool of blood around her before he began to feel his own knife biting through the flesh on his neck. His world went dark and the last thing he thought of was Nox. Nox's gentle smile as Dae had rushed off, leaving him again. Figures he would die the moment he found his guide again.
----Dae 7 years old----
"Where's your guardian sweetie?" The soft spoken receptionist looked at Dae with gentle pity-tinged patience. She was new at this clinic, had to be since all the other workers would recognize Dae.
Right on que another receptionist leaned over and tapped her on the shoulder, "Tina, that's Helena's kid," She turned her attention to Dae, "Do you have your mom's badge sweetie?"
Dae nodded silently. Sliding it over the counter towards Grace, a worker he knew well. She smiled at him placatingly. It was an expression he was used to. He assumed they'd look at any of the Esper kids with guide parents that way.
She looked over her clipboard and instructed Dae to go to chair c7. He nodded and mumbled out a thank you. For some reason it got hard to speak when the workers looked at him like that. It felt like his throat was full of stuffing and he had trouble swallowing. But he always tried his best, these ladies were like his mom so they must be just as tired.
He realized he'd forgotten his book right after he sat down. He rummaged through his backpack and pouted over its absence. Each chair had a tablet slotted in the right arm but Dae didn't like reading on the tablets, the light made the headache from the transfusions worse.
In the absence of a book to entertain himself, Dae pulled out two metal balls he kept in his bag. Adults didn't like Espers using their abilities unsupervised. They said corruption built too fast in little bodies. But the staff liked his little tricks and said if he was going to use his powers right before a transfusion was the best time to do it.
The two spheres clicked against each other as he rotated them in his hand. He tried his best to focus on them. His teachers said metal manipulation was hard because metal was everywhere and it took a lot of focus to specify what you wanted to use your powers on.
To Dae it felt like vibrations in a spider web. He knew his power had locked onto his intended goal when he started to feel vibrations filling out its shape. The two spheres hummed in his palm then lifted out of it. He could still feel them as if they'd never left his hand. His eyes narrowed with focus as the balls click-clacked one over the other, building up in the air like a sports team stacking their fists.
A nurse, a guide, stopped in front of Dae's chair. He was tall and thin. If he weren't so tall Dae would have worried he was too young to be a guide. His face was soft and covered in acne, he looked like the middle schoolers who sat behind Dae on the bus. His tag said "James."
"Hello Dae! Still making sure we've got plenty of corruption to cleanse, I see." Dae looked away, the balls fell back into his open palm and the nurse chuckled. He set down several packets with various supplies for setting up a peripheral IV. Dae held out his left arm facing up and clenched his fist over and over again to get the blood pumping.
"Didn't we use the left last time?" James looked over Dae's chart, frowning.
Dae looked at him and nodded silently before pulling up his right sleeve to show the bandage wrapped around it. James flinched and whistled sympathetically.
"What happened? You're always so well behaved, I just can't imagine you getting into trouble like that."
Dae sighed as he considered whether or not to answer the question. James' concerned expression pushed past Dae's embarrassment. It was clear where James' mind had gone and Dae couldn't bear his moms coworkers making that kind of assumption about her.
"Was trying to cook myself something. Tried to reach across the burner. The chair I was standing on wobbled and I fell."
James' frown deepened. Dae wondered if he should have just lied.
"Want me to look at it? Burns are serious business. I know Esper's are heartier than other people but you can still get infections."
Dae wanted nothing less than for James to undo his bandage and see just how bad the burn was. If James saw it meant Dae's mother would hear about it. Dae had done such a good job hiding it from her. She didn't need any more to worry about.
"Don't tell my mom," Dae mumbled as he offered out the injured limb. James gave Dae a sympathetic smile that clearly told Dae he would not be honoring the request. Not that Dae really expected him to.
The burn was along the inner part of Dae's arm. It stretched from mid forearm, past his elbow, and almost to his armpit. James hissed as he unwound Dae's pathetic attempt at bandaging the area. He shook his head and pulled a few patches from the dresser next to the chair. He ripped it open and carefully plastered it over part of the burn. He repeated this with the other bandages, overlapping them to fully cover the area.
"Dae that's going to scar. You should have told your mom as soon as it happened."
Dae looked away and remained silent. Fully aware that nothing he said would make him or his mother look good. James shifted to Dae's left side and Dae laid his arm back on the armrest. James stayed silent as he tied the band around Dae's arm and disinfected the vein. Dae was thankful for the peace.
The needle breaking Dae's skin stopped hurting a while ago. He was a big boy and he'd been getting these treatments for a long time, long enough to have permanently damaged some of his veins. The taste of Saline filled Dae's mouth and he breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to be stabbed again.
His tired eyes followed the thick red liquid racing along the saline filled line, chasing the clear liquid away until the entire line was solid red. James told Dae that he was all set and promised to check on Dae again in fifteen minutes.
The two metal spheres were still in his hand. He opened his fist and saw that they'd been crushed down, shaped to fill the spaces between his fingers and palm. It was always easier to shape metal when he put it in his hands. He'd imagine it was clay and knead at it until it took the shape he wanted. Unfortunately, the contours of Dae's fingers had made sharp ridges. Dae frowned and focused on rounding the shape out once again so he could put it back in his bag.
An alarm went off next to Dae. He whipped his head to the side and saw his pump flashing two warnings
"Increasing Corruption"
"Ineffective Guiding"
James was at his side in an instant. He turned off the alarms and put a hand over Dae's head. An icy feeling spread from where James' hand rested. Dae shivered and James frowned.
"The infusion isn't helping…"
Dae stood and tentatively grabbed the bag to better read it. Instantly, Dae was able to find the issue. It was in the 'provided by' section. The ID number who'd donated the blood was listed as Guide 141, Helena Kane.
James caught on fast and grabbed the bag to check for himself. He cursed under his breath and pressed a button on his watch. A tech came running up, looking nervous.
"You gave him his mom's blood. Is it that hard to check the damn chart? Now his stats are up even more." The tech sputtered out an apology to both James and Dae before wandering off presumably to get a new bag.
"We don't have any other A+ that isn't from 141." The tech looked at James as if bracing to be blamed for the shortage. James just shook his head and grabbed a rolling stool that he situated next to Dae.
James offered out a hand and Dae took it reluctantly. That icy feeling spread up his arm, making it achingly numb. He scrunched his nose up and pressed his eyes closed, facing away from James. After a minute or so he opened his eyes again.
To Dae's horror, James looked terrible. His head was wobbly and his eyes were unfocused. He kept blinking like he was trying to refocus but the more he tried the more detached he looked. Dae pulled his hand away and held it against his chest. James, disturbed by the motion, toppled forward into Dae's lap.
In spite of Dae's best efforts, a wail clawed its way out of his chest. The tech from earlier rushed over and hauled James off of Dae. He put an arm under one of James' and looked at Dae fearfully.
"Uhh, I'll send someone to help you in a second…" Then he rushed out, supporting James who limped along with him.
Dae stared down at his hands despondently.
The help that the tech promised ended up being Grace from the front desk. She walked over and gently led him to a chair behind the desk with her.
"Sweetie, I think we're gonna need to send you a town over. You know how to ride the bus right?" Dae nodded, swinging his legs so the spinny chair swayed back and forth.
"I'm gonna call the center in Haleway. I'll make sure they have someone waiting for you at the bus stop. Here…" She scribbled on a sticky note, "Give this to the bus driver. It's got my phone number so if they have questions tell them to call me. The center will cover your ticket so don't let them charge you!"
Dae nodded mutely. She had always been kind to him. It was nice she was putting so much effort into making him feel safe. Why did it make him feel so hollow? Grace handed him his mother's badge while she spoke to the center in Haleway. Dae didn't pay much attention to the conversation, just the way Grace glanced at him nervously.
He shouldn't have played with his marbles. If he'd just sat still like they said James wouldn't be sick and Dae wouldn't have to ride the bus to Haleway. Grace wouldn't have to look so sad and anxious.
The wait at the bus stop felt eternal and nonexistent all at once. When he stepped up on the bus steps the driver frowned at him and he handed over the note. Her face got sad just like Grace's had.
"Sit right behind me sweetie," She said gently. The person who had been occupying that seat glanced over and smiled at Dae softly before moving to make room for him.
Dae didn't like how everyone could tell what he'd done. He didn't know what was on the note. He'd been too tired to read it. It must have been bad since the bus driver had to keep an eye on him and the passenger was too scared to sit with him.
He took the seat that had been cleared for him and turned to face forward. His fingers clasped around the metal bar on the back of the seat and it crumpled under his touch. He shot up and fell backwards, glancing around frantically.
Tears started to sting at his eyes, made worse when the driver turned back and noticed what he'd done.
Would Grace be disappointed in him for being kicked off the bus too? Would she stop being nice to him and giving him candy? Would his mom decide to switch back to the night shift to punish him?
As worries started to drown him a soft hand patted his head. He looked up and saw a little girl with long black hair. She had her knuckles shoved in her mouth and tilted her head at him. Her expression was passive, no hint of anger OR pity. Dae hiccuped and she laughed. Her eyes sparkled and she clapped her slobbery hands together.
Someone else stepped in and picked her up. Another girl, She was taller than Dae, by a lot. She looked just like the little girl, her hair was long and pulled into a ponytail. Both of the girls had bright red eyes.
"You're Espers too?"
The older girl turned to Dae and hummed with a questioning lilt. Dae stared up at them and pointed between their eyes. The older girl turned to the younger one and locked eyes with her, "Oh, yeah, the eyes."
"Bye! Bye! Bye-Byies!" The younger girl echoed.
"Not bye-bye, eyes. Eyes!" The older girl brought a hand up and pulled one of her eye lids down slightly to emphasise her point. The younger girl grabbed the older girl's face and stretched it, emboldened by her sister's reaction.
The older sister squirmed only to give up almost instantly, simply letting her sister use her flesh like putty. She turned back to Dae, "I'm a guide."
Dae shuffled back. His eyes were wide with fear and his heart beat as fast as it could in his tiny chest. His gaze flitted towards the bar he'd dented then back to the guide. She screwed her face up like she was annoyed. By her sister or Dae, Dae couldn't tell.
She walked towards Dae, slow with the burden of her sister writhing in her arms. She tried to bend towards him but thought better of it as the bus started and she almost fell forward. She chewed on her lip absently then kicked her sandal off and kicked Dae in the arm.
A shock of pleasant warmth traveled through Dae. It eased the aching cold from James' guiding.
The older girl's eyes went wide and for a moment Dae was worried he'd hurt her too. Before he could apologize she beat him to the punch.
"I'm so sorry!"
Dae looked at where she was pointing and realized that her toenails must have cut him, he was bleeding. Before he could reassure her that she was fine an adult man swooped in and put his hands on her shoulder.
"Oh Batty! You can't guide strangers! I'm so sorry!" The man turned towards Dae and gave him a sympathetic smile. He looked exactly like the girls. Dae wondered if all girls looked like their fathers. Everyone told him he looked like his mother and he was a boy. So maybe all girls got told they looked like their father.
A woman approached and pulled the little girl from the older girl's arms. Dae scrapped his theory. Both of the girls also looked like their mom, even though their mom didn't look like their dad.
The only thing that was different were the eyes. The mother had green eyes and the father's were brown.
"Here kiddo," The father reached out and helped Dae up from the ground. Dae silently complied as he was led back to his seat by the kind looking stranger, "We're gonna go back to our seats now. Again I'm sorry about that."
Dae stayed silent. He watched the family retreat. The youngest girl lunged forward and tried to climb into the older's lap. The mother held her back and was rewarded with the little girl pulling her hair in response.
But all of them just laughed. They smiled at each other while the father gently untangled the little girl's hand from the mother's hair. The older girl reached out and made grabby hands towards her little sister. The mother relented and let the little girl go to her sister. She wasn't that much smaller than her sister so she nearly covered her as she turned forward and started sucking on her hand again.
The family got off on the stop before Haleway and the rest of the drive felt so lonely.
---- Nox ----
That empty void, the unknowable expanse of endless energy. Nox would have recognized it even if he hadn't recognized the face of famous Esper Daedalus Kane. Despite the hundreds of Espers Nox had treated in the meantime, Esper Kane had always held a space in the back of his mind. Esper Kane was one of two Espers Nox had failed to help, and the only one he could still redeem himself with.
Kane started appearing in the news three months after leaving Nox. It had been a hot topic at the center since they were mentioned by name as the institution that trained him. Nox still had the article saved somewhere. The headline "S-Class from the middle of nowhere clears gate at 18 years old" along with a picture of Kane looking mostly unscathed being supported by two women in guide uniforms.
Since then Kane had been in the news time and time again for his inventions and other accomplishments. Nox expected no less given the energy he felt in Kane. It had been a little shocking to find his name in Nox's inbox along with a memo for all field certified guides to take a course on Kane's energy well.
Since Nox had gotten so used to seeing Kane in the news he had foolishly assumed he was prepared to see Kane again in person. But nothing could compare to seeing new scars on that gentle boyish face. His hair, once unruly fluffy, now trimmed short and styled professionally.
He was also now nearly a head taller than Nox. A detail that couldn't have been conveyed through news reports. Kane's face was slimmer than it had been back then. Nox didn't know if this was just Kane shedding his baby fat or if it had something to do with the dark shadows under his eyes and the unacceptable level of corruption swirling inside of him.
Nox hadn't really been able to hear a word Kane said before he pulled down Nox's mask and locked their lips together. The shock of seeing Kane in person made Nox's ears ring. He was brought back to his senses the moment they came into contact. Owing in no small part to the sting from the gash in Nox's lip.
Nox couldn't believe the state Kane was in. It was reprehensible that Titan was letting one of its three S-classes get so bad. Nox had to bite down on his own tongue to stop himself from cursing the guild out loud.
As Kane pulled away Nox examined his face for any signs of recognition. Kane's cheeks stained a familiar shade of red and he pressed his lips together anxiously. As soft and sweet as he'd been all those years ago.
Crackling from the gate behind Kane drew Nox's gaze. The other two S-class Espers from Titan were waiting for Kane. Kane also noticed. He averted his gaze and muttered an apology before darting away to join his guildmates. Nox tore his gaze away from the Espers and looked down at his phone. He shot off a quick text to his boss letting her know that he would be late. Her response was a quick and simple confirmation.
In accordance with protocol Nox flashed his ID tag and was escorted past the barriers. A blonde man with a slim build holding a tablet gestured for Nox to follow him as he began debriefing.
"We're with Titan, we've taken point at this gate." He pointed to where Kane and the other two Espers were next to the gate. A short woman and a burly man Nox recognized them even without the man's introduction "Espers Song, Rowan, and Kane. They're all S-class. Ability enhancement, Summoning, and Metal manipulation, in that order. State your name, rank, and qualifications."
Nox straightened his posture. This was where he was most comfortable. Helping others and following protocol.
"Nox Levi. A-rank. Universally compatible. Qualified in field work, sanguineous guiding, ability nullification and multiple Esper management. Three S-classes would be pushing it though."
The man beamed at Nox, "Quiet the asset we lucked into! You seemed to handle Esper Kane well, especially given his compatibility issues." Nox was glad the mask saved his pride by hiding his self satisfied smile. Maybe this was the chance he'd been looking for.
"My name is Liam, I'm the non esper commander, I work this side of the gate. Have you ever thought about joining Titan." Nox's eyebrows shot up and he looked away in discomfort.
Liam quickly regained his composure, "Sorry! Now's not the time for that. This is a rescue mission. Five kids. Three of them are Espers so we're lucky to have you. We may need you to go into the field. If you follow me we can lend you an armored jacket." Nox nodded and followed Liam to a tent marked medical.
A woman wearing a Titan uniform handed Nox a black leather jacket and a comms unit. Nox traded his office worker's jacket for the armored one. It was surprisingly lightweight and breathable. Nox examined it on his arms and realized it was made with Esper energy. Nox had no doubt it could take a substantial beating.
Working for the government meant working with a low budget. As such, Nox's previous field work had always been done in a bulletproof vest. Something that made guiding significantly more difficult. This jacket was light enough for his energy to pass through. And given the material it might even assist.
"So these are the benefits of private guilds." Nox laughed to himself and placed his comms unit.
"We have three children accounted for."
"Backup is still thirty minutes out."
"We haven't heard from Kane's guides yet. What do we do, commander?"
"We don't need to worry about that," Liam's voice startled Nox. The half second delayed echo created a disorienting effect, "We stumbled upon a remarkable asset."
Liam clapped Nox on the back. Again Nox was glad the mask hid his face.
"Commander Song has the other two kids. One kid is located but not secured. Rowan thinks it's one of the Esper kids. Requesting a guide to send in."
Liam looked at Nox with a question in his gaze.
Are you ready for this?
Nox nodded without a second thought. This was what he was made for.
Liam and Nox approached the gate together. When Liam swore, Nox turned to him in alarm.
"I forgot! It's so hectic. One of the Esper kids is a mind manipulator. They don't know if we already have her or not. Take extra care, Guide Nox."
Nox took in a shaky breath and nodded. There was no place for fear in the field. It didn't matter what abilities and Esper held. Children were easy to guide. Nox would handle anything thrown his way.
Nox stepped through the gate.
It had been a good three months since Nox's last field deployment. Though Nox doubted that experience would ever make him fully comfortable with the sensation. Outside of the gate, energy drifted through the air like wind. Nox could always see intersecting trails left behind by Espers and guides. Beyond individuals, even the air itself thrummed with energy. In comparison, gates were like stagnant ponds. It made it easier to find his Espers but it gave Nox chills.
Espers Song and Rowan were standing together in front of the gate. They nodded in acknowledgement of Nox but continued their conversation.
"Our back up isn't here yet, do you think Kane can manage on his own or does one of us need to go back?" Song had a cold expression but Nox could hear the concern in her voice when she spoke about Kane. Rowan shared a similar look of concern.
A spark of joy lit in Nox's chest, knowing that Kane had such good teammates..
Nox turned his focus to the children being held by both Song and Rowan. The children Song had perched on both of her hips were sleeping soundly. Nox held a hand out near them. Both showed no signs of Esper energy. Nox turned his focus to the children Rowan had. Both had flickers of energy appropriate for their ages.
"Do you mind?" Nox held his hands out towards one of the children and Rowan handed her over. She looked to be the youngest. She was dirty but unharmed, much to Nox's relief. He may be a talented Guide but he was no healer. Nox held the little girl against his chest and started the transfer of energy. If Esper Kane was an ocean, this little girl was a droplet. Nox was able to brush the edges of her ability instantly.
Corruption came in different forms. For Nox it was comparable to flavor. There were hints of stress based corruption in the little girl but no signs of ability use.
"She's not mind control. Swap?" Rowan and Song had turned their full attention to Nox as he worked. Rowan obediently handed over the older girl while staring at Nox in surprise.
"How can an A-class sense that?"
"Experience and compatibility," Nox said offhandedly as he cradled the other girl. Her energy was more developed but a similar shape. Her and her sister shared water manipulation abilities. Nox could also sense that it had been passed down from their mother but there was no point in bragging to S-class Espers.
"This one isn't either. We need to find Esper Kane now."
Rowan and Song had identical tight lipped expressions. Nox spoke again, "I'm field certified. Does Esper Kane have any tracking on him?" Song let out a hiss and shook her head as if shaking water out of her hair.
"I'll give you access to his stats. We'll send someone in as soon as we're sure the other kids ar-"
Song, who had been in the middle of handing over the kids so she could access her watch, pulled both of them back into her arms as all three watches lit up red. Nox looked down at his watch and saw a harrowing message.
"It looks like you already have access so-"
"Watch has been removed." Nox cut Song off. Nox only locked eyes with Song for a second before sprinting down the path his watch told him led to Kane. He only needed a second to see his own fear mirrored in the S-classes eyes and know what he needed to do.
A thousand scenarios, all terrible, flashed through Nox's mind. An Esper wouldn't take off their watch unless under extreme duress. What could have happened to Kane in such a short time?
Nox could hear Esper Kane's voice up ahead. That fact alone would have been comforting if Nox couldn't also hear what he was saying.
"-I need you to tell me to stop. Can you do that?" Kane's voice was hoarse and strained. His breaths were coming out in ragged wheezes. Nox had never moved so fast in his life.
Nox rounded the corner in time to see the little girl collapse. Her energy swirled around her and Nox felt corruption on the wind. He scanned the area as he ran to the girls side. He fell to his knees and pulled her into his arms. She seemed to have a small cut on her leg but no other injuries.
Whipping his head around frantically Nox saw Kane. He was covered in gate-beast ash and his eyes were rolling back into his head. Worst of all, he was holding a knife to his throat. Blood was trickling down his neck and dripping on the ground between his spread knees. His body was beginning to go limp.
Nox heard his own voice crying out. He half ran, half crawled, still carrying the girl, to Esper Kane's side.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Nox gritted out as he put his hand on the back of Kane's neck. Nox could feel the child's energy swirling around Kane. He couldn't afford to stop helping the child but he needed to push this command out of Kane. Even as the rest of Kane's body began to collapse his hand held the knife steadily.
Nox had less than a breath to take action. With one hand he cut his fingers on the other side of Kane's knife and with the other he pulled Kane's face towards him. Their kiss before had been a gentle exchange of energy, exhilarating but refreshing. This kiss felt like falling into an abyss, especially as Nox reopened the wound on his lip to offer up his blood.
As if somewhere else, Nox was vaguely aware of smearing his blood slicked fingers across the child's mouth. The exchange of blood created a stronger drain from the child. Nox could feel himself being pulled apart. His energy being fully dedicated to both Espers at once. If Nox's mind hadn't been so far away he was sure this would feel like dying.
Esper Kane tasted like blood. That acrid, metallic scent brought Nox back to his senses. Both his own blood and Kane's mixed, staining both of their uniforms and even dripping onto the little girl's shirt. Nox pulled away for a breath as Kane's arm fell to his side. Adrenalyn and pride filled Nox. He forced himself to keep moving, to keep his eyes open. Kane still needed him, the child still needed him.
"I killed him." The little girl was awake again. Nox looked down at her as she began to choke and gag on Nox's blood.
"No, you didn't. If we work fast he'll be ok." The girl shook as she took in the scene before her. Nox held her close and turned her head away from Kane, "You don't have to look sweetie. But can you do something for me?"
The girl nodded against Nox's chest and Nox found himself smiling despite the situation, "I need you to use your powers again." The girl started shaking her head aggressively but before she could vocally protest Nox spoke again, "I know you're scared but I'm a guide, I can keep you under control ok? I need you to tell him to stay alive. It'll be hard and it'll make you tired but I can take care of you ok?"
The girl pressed her head further into Nox's chest and was still for a moment.
"His name is Dae Kane." Nox said encouragingly. The girl swallowed and pulled her head away from Nox.
"Stay alive, Dae." Nox could feel the command envelop Kane as Nox carefully eased his body down. Nox took Kane by the shoulder and flipped him face down on the ground, hopeful gravity would stop Kane drowning in his own blood.
"Perfect, thank you." Nox gently held his hand down over the wound in Kane's neck while he subtly slid a hand into Kane's pocket, fingers seeking a familiar patch. He snatched it and deftly pressed it against the back of the little girl's neck. He gently stroked the base of her skull as she drifted into unconsciousness.
With the girl asleep Nox was faced with the daunting task of stabilizing a dying man. The little girl's command was strong but no one could cheat death, all it could do was help Kane hold on a little longer.
Nox searched through his jacket pockets with one hand while still pressing down on Kane's neck with the other. He quickly found a pack of gauze. He ripped the packet with his teeth and clumsily moved it to Kane's neck. He quickly swapped out his hand for the gauze and pressed down again.
"Guide Nox asking for backup. Child safe and asleep, Esper Kane is injured. Send healers." Nox spared a glance at Kane's pained expression and pale skin, "please"
He sounded pathetic even to himself. It was unlike him to fill comms with useless chatter but he couldn't help himself. Esper Kane couldn't die here.