---- Dae ----
Dae's hand stung. He looked up at Helena nervously and she rolled her eyes.
"Wait."
Dae looked down and nodded. He didn't know what he was waiting for but he would wait all the same. Even as the scent of sugar and vanilla filled the room he stayed still. Hands folded in his lap and his feet dangling off the couch.
Helena tapped on her watch and music filled the uneasy silence. On days when Helena was gone Dae would turn on her playlists and sit on the couch. Having her sitting there with him felt wrong on a fundamental level.
When she wrapped an arm around Dae and pulled him close it only felt stranger. Still, Dae leaned into her warmth and smiled. The wrongness didn't make it bad, just different. Dae liked this difference.
"The person coming by works for the government," Helena didn't look at Dae as she spoke, instead staring out the window as if she were speaking to the clouds, "They have to keep track of all the little guides and Espers. So they're coming by to see you use your abilities."
Fear and apprehension fought for center stage in Dae's expression. Helena looked down at him and smiled sadly. She smoothed a hand through his hair and cupped his face. His brows knit together and he could feel tears stinging the back of his eyes.
"It's just like when your trainers ask you to try ok? Be honest with them and do your best. You can have a cookie after."
The front door rang. Dae looked towards it. Helena moved away from him and he almost fell over trying to chase her warmth. She walked to the door and opened it to a mousy looking man with glasses even thicker than Dae's. The man and Helena exchanged introductions but all Dae could hear was his nervous heartbeat rattling in his own skull.
The man walked over and held a hand out to Dae. Behind him Helena made an exaggerated smile and pointed to it. Dae smiled at the stranger, as convincingly as he could manage.
"No need to be nervous young man! You can call me Mr. Usher. I'm a guide who helps with the census. Has your mother explained what I'll need from you?"
Dae's eyes met his mothers over Mr. Usher's shoulder. She nodded at him and he swallowed. He returned his focus to Mr. Usher and nodded. Mr. Usher smiled and kneeled down in front of him. He put a hand on Dae's knee. Dae flinched away on instinct.
"Don't worry son, I won't guide you unless it's an emergency. I just need to check the size of your vessel." When Dae tilted his head in confusion Mr. Usher smiled even brighter and rushed to elaborate, "An Esper's vessel is the container in their soul that holds their powers. Everyone's vessel looks different. It grows as you do so right now it probably isn't very big."
Dae's eyes fell to his lap. Tension drained from his shoulders and he felt a smile spread across his face. Small, his power was small.
"Now don't worry!" Mr. Usher held a hand up. His eyes twinkled with excitement, "As I said, it'll keep growing with you."
Dae shook his head and his smile fell away. Mr. Usher frowned and his head twitched ever so slightly.
"How do I make it stop?"
Mr. Usher laughed nervously and looked back at Helena. She'd crossed the room during their conversation to sit down next to Dae. She wrapped an arm around his shoulder and squeezed him consolingly.
"You can't control it kiddo. Just like you can't control how tall you get." Dae frowned and buried his face against his mother. She laughed softly and Dae felt it vibrate through her chest, "Some day you'll be taller and your vessel will be bigger. Don't you want to get taller than me?"
Dae wrapped his arms around his mother's waist and shook his head vehemently. Both adults laughed but Dae couldn't find anything funny with the situation. Helena grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back, away from her.
Every fiber of Dae's being told him to throw himself against her again, clutch onto her shirt and bury his face in her chest. But the grip on his shoulders was tight enough to bruise and the look in her eyes told him to stay still.
"I don't want to outgrow you." Dae admitted softly. Mr. Usher laughed even more. He clutched a hand against his heart and smiled warmly between Dae and Helena. This time, Helena didn't join him. She looked down at Dae fearfully. Like he'd turned into a spider in her grasp.
She dropped her hands from his shoulders. This time Dae knew better than to follow her touch. He looked down at his lap and waited silently as Mr. Usher caught his breath. He wiped a tear from his eyes and put his hand back on Dae's knee.
"Aren't you two adorable." Dae didn't feel adorable. Adorable was for the class bunny stretching its back legs out. This was closer to being caught in a lie, "Helena, you didn't tell me he was such a momma's boy."
Helena laughed and crossed her legs, leaning away from Dae. Dae shrunk in on himself more. That was her bad laugh. Unhappy kind of bad. She used it in front of her coworkers when they talked about Dae's abilities. Dae wished Mr. Usher would move on.
"Is it ok if we get started, Deadalus?" Mr. Usher looked at Dae expectantly. Dae swallowed and glanced at his mother. She didn't look at him, posture tight and expression even worse. Dae looked back to Mr. Usher and nodded.
"Your mother tells me you can manipulate metal, is that right?" Dae nodded again, "Do you know what types of metal you can manipulate?"
Dae shrugged, "If it conducts electricity and heat well I can move it."
Mr. Usher did another nearly imperceptible head tilt, which seemed to be his tell when he was surprised, "How well is well?"
Dae shrugged again. Then, when it seemed he was expected to elaborate further, he slipped off the couch and went to his room. He pulled a poster down from his wall and brought it out to lay on the coffee table, next to the cookies. His eyes went to the cookies for a split second before he refocused and pointed to the poster.
"Easy," He pointed to the metals on the periodic table. He drug his finger across towards the metaloids, "Harder but possible," Then finally he pointed to the nonmetals, "Impossible."
"Learned man, I see!" Mr. Usher laughed to himself and Dae stared back, blankly, "Well do you have some metal you could manipulate for me?"
Dae looked to Helena again, she remained transfixed by something imperceptible in the middle distance. He turned and went into his room yet again. This time retrieving the metal marbles his mother had told him to clear away earlier. He hesitated in his room. He rolled the marbles across his palms.
Outside Helena offered a cookie to Mr. Usher. He accepted and Dae listened to him make a muffled noise of appreciation while complimenting Helena's cooking. The marbles grew warm in Dae's hands.
He returned to the living room and held out his hand. Mr. Usher had half a cookie in one hand and cookie crumbs in his thin beard. Dae's eyes brushed over these details before settling on his own palm. Mr. Usher knelt down in front of Dae and nodded encouragingly.
Again, Dae checked with his mother first. Helena was no longer on the couch. Now she stood next to the window, looking out and facing firmly away from Dae. Dae decided this was for the best.
He tried his best to focus on the marbles in his hand. To run through the drills his teachers had taught him. Meld them together, then flatten them out. They began to press together, two raindrops sliding in until they merged into one. Mr. Usher watched excitedly and took another bite of the cookie.
Dae tilted his head down, trying to make his whole world the two warm marbles merging in his hand. When they joined Mr. Usher made a happy noise that Dae tried his best to tune out. He angled his body away from the window and focused on flattening them out.
As the orb began to elongate and flatten. Dae caught a whiff of vanilla and butter. It made his eyes sting and his lip quiver. All of a sudden the puddle of metal in his hand became a cookie, with one almond sitting on top. Dae's eyes went wide and he jerked his head up to look at Helena.
She was still facing out the window. Before Dae could breathe a sigh of relief Mr. Usher spoke, "My goodness! That's amazing!"
She spun around and Dae could see the exact moment she processed what he'd made. Her eyes went wide and she took a half step back. Her mouth opened slightly and her eyelid twitched subtly. On instinct Dae closed his hand, crushing the metal cookie in his palm. Mr. Usher made a confused noise. Dae started to apologize.
The older man reached out and put a hand on Dae's shoulder, "You have nothing to apologize for! That was amazing! And for a child your age? Incredible" He turned to Helena, "Did you have any idea how much of an asset someone like him is?"
Helena smiled thinly at him then turned her attention to Dae, "Trust me, I know exactly what he is."
Liquid metal dripped from between Dae's knuckles and began to stain the carpet. It made a soft hissing sound as it mingled with the polyester fibers. The sound drew Helena and Mr. Usher's attention. They made twin sounds of distaste and shared a look that made Dae nauseous.
"You can stop son," Mr. Usher sounded nervous as he reached out towards Dae's metal filled hand. Dae looked down and bit his lip to stop himself from crying. He dropped to his knees and held his free hand out to collect the wayward metal. Helena excused herself and fled to the other room, leaving Dae with an increasingly enthusiastic Mr. Usher, "You're doing amazing, son."
Mr. Usher held out a hand to help Dae up. A hand Dae ignored, instead opting to brace himself on the coffee table. He pulled himself up on the couch once again and held out his hand. In the palm of which sat two metal marbles, now returned to their original form.
Mr. Usher took them out of Dae's hand and clinked them together in his own palm, "You're something else," Dae's shoulder slumped inward and his head turned down, "I mean that as a compliment. This kind of talent is once in a lifetime. Especially with a skill like- well you understand…"
Dae didn't understand. He didn't understand how everything had gotten so out of control. He went to all of his infusions, he listened to his teachers, he followed every rule and never used his powers unless he was told to. So why were his abilities still growing?
One of his classmates, a child of two Espers instead of one guide, told Dae that metal manipulators were weak. They said he'd be lucky to get a specialized job and that no guild would look at him. He'd believed them, he had to believe them. Because if it was getting better, if he was getting stronger then…
Dae looked to the doorway his mother had fled through. Her absence felt sharp, it was worse than the nights she didn't come home at all.
Mr. Usher was still gushing about Dae's ability. When Dae tried to focus on what he was saying all he heard was a low droning. Before Dae had time to prepare himself Mr. Usher was leaning towards him again, hand outstretched.
"I'm just going to check your vessel, there will be minimal, if any energy exchange,"
Before Dae could protest, run, smack Mr.Usher's hand away, do anything to keep this guide from making Dae hurt him, they were in contact. And Mr. Usher had been wrong-- Not wrong, he'd lied.
A white lie told to children, like the lie that shots don't hurt, or that carrots are good for your eyesight. The lie was meant to protect sensitive children from being afraid of a guide interfering with their energy. There is no way to interact with a vessel that does not exchange energy. Just as you have to touch a door to open it.
The moment the exchange began, Dae felt ice spreading from where Mr. Usher touched him. He bit his lip and dug his fingernails into his palms to keep from crying out. But he didn't need to, Mr. Usher made a noise of his own. A hissing choking noise you might make if your bathwater was too hot. He pulled his hand away and clutched it against his chest.
Helena sprinted back into the room. She pushed between Dae and Mr. Usher. She wrapped her arms around Mr. Usher. Helped him to his feet while glancing over her shoulder at Dae. All Dae could do was stare, an apology pinned between his teeth and lip.
The two guides spoke to each other in hushed whispers. Dae wouldn't have heard what they said even if they'd been screaming. His whole world narrowed down to his own reflection in his mother's eyes. Her pupils were blown wide and her focus shifted all over him.
At some point Mr. Usher left. Helena collected the plate of cookies and took them away. The whole time Dae remained completely stationary on the couch. Hopeful that if he was still enough, quiet enough, unobtrusive enough, good enough, his mother would stop shaking. It didn't work.
Dae watched the last light of day leave the sky outside the window and remained unmoving. He stayed still as the light flickered on and the blinds were pulled shut. Stony as his mother sat next to him on the couch. It was only when her fingers brushed over his skin that he finally jolted to life again.
He muttered apology after apology while she pulled him into her lap. She rocked him gently and hummed the song she'd been singing back when she'd been cooking. A lifetime ago, before she knew what Dae was and before Dae knew what she thought of him.
Her shaking fingers pressed two metal marbles into Dae's hand. He looked at them then up at her but she was still avoiding his gaze.
She sighed and opened her mouth as if to say something, only to close it again and stand up. As she entered her bedroom she closed the door behind her, "Goodnight…my little scorpion."
Dae hadn't dreamed of his mother in years. When he first moved away from home her voice constantly shook him awake. A whisper, a shout, a murmur, any variation but always with the same phrase, "Goodnight…my little scorpion."
It still disrupted his sleep as much as the first night she said it. The night she stopped being able to see him as anything but an Esper. It was no surprise that the stress of the last few days could dredge up the memory. Dae might have brought it on himself when he thought of calling his mother while walking away from 609- from Nox.
Regardless of the reason for Dae's sudden relapse in childhood insomnia, Dae was awake. The sky outside was dark and would remain so for hours. There was no point in trying to go back to sleep.
Reasoning that no one else would be in the training room, Dae made his way down. While Dae had no intention of going back into the field, the previous mission made it clear some training was in order. A little light sparring with holograms could do him some good.
Above all, Dae hoped the ache it created in his muscles would keep his jumbled mind from thinking about Nox. Nox, now in his late twenties with a full head of white hair and a lifetime of exploitation at the hands of Espers like Dae. An organ. Dae had taken an organ from Nox.
The holographic figure dissolved as Dae swung his staff through it.
How had Nox looked when he first saw Dae? Before the mission, cleansing, and total drain. What went through his mind? As much as Dae tried to imagine it, he couldn't. The memory got hazier and hazier the more he combed over it. Dae would cast an expression on Nox's face, anger, disgust, fear, excitement. But all of it looked wrong. Like drawing someone from memory.
Dae dodged an axe that came whirling over his shoulder.
Dae's deepest wish had always been for Nox to remember him. He'd held it in his heart through all the years. To have it realized like this. Knowing Nox did remember him, for all the wrong reasons.
Nox's biggest regret.
Dae's fingers loosened around his staff, it almost fell from his hands.
Dae was Nox's biggest regret. A regret now doubled as Dae smashed his way into Nox's life again. Unwanted and disastrous.
The simulation around Dae went red. Dae turned to see a holographic sword skewering his chest. He followed it up to the faceless figure wielding it. Both the figure and the sword dissolved, followed quickly by the rest of the simulation.
Dae gripped his staff and leaned his head against it. A thin sheen of sweat covered his skin and his breathing stung. All signs it was time to call it quits.
"Well Daedalus! I wasn't expecting to find you here."
Dae's head shot up and he locked eyes with Jin-won. She was smiling but in a way that spelled doom.
"I'm just finishing up." Dae set the words in front of himself as a shield. An out. A declaration that Dae had no desire to spar with her.
"I just finished speaking to the guildmaster," Jin-won ignored Dae's feeble barrier. She walked up to him and grabbed the staff from his hand. Dae closed his eyes, trying to hold back tears as she settled into a combat stance.
Whatever conversation Jin-won had with the guildmaster put her in a bad mood. The type of bad mood Dae's mother came home with on the days she dealt with violent Esper's. The kind that begged to be shared with everyone around them. Helena's preferred warfare was shouting and icy dismissals. Jin-won leaned more towards physical discipline.
All Esper's powers influenced their emotions. When Dae was in distress his body became a sort of weak magnet, enough to attract paper clips and rattle loose plating. Though Jin-won denied it vehemently, hers seemed to manifest through the desire for sparring.
"You're going back on active duty. There'll be a meeting tomorrow, don't be late."
Before Dae could complain, Jin-won landed a kick on Dae's shin so solid it brought tears to his eyes.
***
The limp Jin-Won had given Dae faded just in time for the meeting the next day. He was one of the first to arrive, likely due to his flexible schedule compared to other guild members. He tapped against the table anxiously as other members filtered in. There were a handful of Espers, ranging from B to A-rank, two guides, and a smattering of office workers. Adding Dae and Jin-won, this was clearly going to be a challenging mission.
Dae's inclusion alone was enough to signify the severity of the situation. At the meeting's start time the lights dimmed and a screen lit up. Everyone blinked, adjusting to the darkness, and looked at the images flashing across the screen.
Images of the ruins of a medieval castle. Blood dripped from the walls and collected between the stones that made up the floor. Suits of armor lined the halls. Then, they didn't. Taking up defensive stances blocking passage. At some point the images changed from body cam footage to drone footage. The curious hum that filled the meeting room before was gone. Everyone was still and silent.
Death was unavoidable in their line of work. Stepping through a gate meant accepting the possibility that you wouldn't step back out. That was why Dae had created his energy well. It gave smaller guilds an alternative to entering the gate. If no one had fallen through, you could set up his well and suck up the energy. Preventing a gate imploding without fully losing out on profit, since the harvested energy could be used to power a household for at least five years.
For larger guilds the real money was made on materials collected inside of the gate. The energy could be brought out with the core, normally found in boss monsters or behind various traps, and in the meantime the pocket dimensions could be drained of resources in place of the earth.
But, to do that you needed confidence your combat team could clear out any gate beasts and/or traps. It was more common for smaller guilds to sub-contract with guilds like Titan and become their collection team. The smaller guilds received compensation for their labor, guaranteed safety through the larger guilds, and a small fraction of profit from the materials they collected,
Titan had no dedicated collection team. Their focus was solely on combat and research. The dedicated research team was what had drawn Dae to Titan. His S-class status made it easy to join. It was clear from the beginning that Guildmaster Mirr wanted to turn Dae into a combat Esper. Giving over production rights to his energy well design was the only thing that let him focus on his lab work.
The images didn't directly show any bodies but they were still chilling. The screen flickered off as the scan of the terrain in the gate came to life in the middle of the u-shaped desk. Dae could see a dangerous excitement building in the younger Espers. It was easy to guess what they were thinking.
A sprawling castle spread out before them. Stone passageways, parapets, and a throne room at the dead center. The man giving the presentation waded into the hologram and pointed at a purple dot pulsing around the center of the castle.
"This is the core. We have no images of what it may be. Neither the combat team nor the drones were able to pass the possessed armor guarding it. That armor is exactly why this gate has been handed over to us."
All eyes shifted to Dae. He withered under the attention, trying to keep his focus on the hologram as if he were unphased. One of the younger Esper's shifted the room's attention away from Dae as they spoke up.
"Mayflower isn't a small guild, they have-" the esper's eyes flickered to the now blank screen, "well they at least HAD metal manipulators. If this gate is so dangerous, why didn't they just use the energy well?"
Dae already knew the answer. But he let the presenter respond.
"The energy well can only handle certain types of energy, the wavelength coming from this gate is too unstable. Trying to collect it would at best, create a new kind of nuclear bomb and at worst, open several new gates."
Eyes flickered to Dae again. He was used to this. Titan did its best to present Dae as some sort of genius, a master inventor, the Da Vinci of his time. But every creation had its limits. Multiple rounds of revisions and simulations made Dae confident in his creation, but not delusional. His mother had given him his name for a reason. He had no desire to convince people his wax wings could withstand the sun.
The first time someone attempted to collect from an unstable gate an entire city had been wiped off the map. Titan was strict with who they let use the energy well. That incident had forced them to add a clause that any unstable gates be handed over to them in case of combat team failure. Titan gained a reputation as the reaper guild, swooping in to gates littered with the corpses of another guild.
Here they were again. Being asked to step over bodies towards an unknown foe they were expected to beat. Some members of Titan resented Dae for the grim duty he had forced onto them. Another bullet point on the long list of reasons he would prefer to be in his workshop.
"Squad Alpha will handle the harpies residing in the parapets on the outer walls. Esper Jackson will provide flying summons to all of you so your team's guide will be focused on her and your healer."
"Squad Beta will deal with the reanimated corpses in the inner grounds as well as the mages controlling them. Mayflower noted that even after taking out the mages the corpses continued to attack so you'll have to burn them or immobilize them."
"Squad Gamma you will be tasked with guarding Esper Kane and his 'dedicated' guide as they handle the armor inside the castle."
A wave of curious murmurs went through the meeting room and Dae sat up straight. He was just as confused wondering who his 'dedicated' guide was. He glanced around at the guides present, but none of them were above B-rank. Then Guildmaster Mirr walked into the meeting room with a familiar figure stepping in behind her, bringing with him the scent of woodsmoke.
Wearing a blue sweater reminiscent of his EGC uniform and smiling gently, Nox peered out at the group. When his red eyes locked on to Dae, Dae snapped his head down, finally noticing a new notification on his watch.
Exclusive Guide contract from Nox Levi available.
Dae's eyes went wide. The notification was time stamped from the beginning of the meeting, over thirty minutes prior. How had Dae missed it?
"Everyone," Guildmaster Mirr said in her silky, intimidating tone, "This is Guide Nox Levi. He is A-class, universally compatible, and field certified. He recently joined our guild so I expect you all to treat him with kindness. He is going to be an amazing asset to Titan!"
Nox nodded politely at everyone and took a seat near the door. Guildmaster Mirr walked around to stand by the presenter and motioned for him to keep going.
Dae used his watch as an excuse to avoid Nox's gaze. Still, he could feel it burning into him as the presenter droned on and on about battle strategy. Dae knew he should be listening but the blood was pounding in his ears too loudly to focus.
He covertly glanced at Guildmaster Mirr, who was staring him down with a calculated jubilance that sent shivers down his spine. All of this was her doing. When Dae had asked for Nox to be compensated, he hadn't meant for him to get roped into this nonsense. Nox being an 'asset' to Titan was the last thing Dae wanted. And on top of that he was being forced into an exclusive contract with Dae.
Dae pressed his lips together and knitted his brows while looking down at the request on his watch. He ignored the tight feeling in his chest and swiftly pressed decline, like ripping off a bandage. He wasn't brave enough to see how Nox reacted so he kept his eyes either down or forward for the rest of the meeting.
Nox greeted several people as the meeting concluded. Dae was surprised to discover that three B-class Espers already knew his name. He did his best to pretend to be busy long enough for Nox to finally leave. The plan backfired when they became the last two left in the meeting room.
"I see you declined my request for an exclusive contract." Nox's tone was neutral and his expression was flat as Dae glanced at him. Still, something told Dae that those words had some bite to them.
While collecting files from the conference table Dae attempted to school his own expression to match Nox's, "You sent that request yourself?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Dae saw Nox shift his body weight and roll his shoulders.
"Of course, outside parties cannot propose an exclusive contract."
Dae could feel tension building in his body. His shoulders pulled up and he felt like collapsing in on himself. He pretended to be paying close attention to his watch as he responded.
"Yes, outside parties can't directly propose an exclusive contract, but it can be a stipulation for other types of contracts, say a requirement when signing on with a guild for example."
Dae heard Nox laugh bitterly. His head whipped up and he looked directly at Nox for the first time since he had walked into the conference room. As always, Nox was ethereal. The combination of fluffy white hair creating a halo around his head and piercing red eyes made him look otherworldly even in the unflattering fluorescent lights of the meeting room. His arms were crossed against his chest and he was scowling at Dae.
It was a shock to see Nox drop his professional expression especially for such a scornful look.The shock doubled as Dae found himself the subject of said scorn. Dae wanted to drop to the floor and beg for forgiveness.
"Do you really think-" Nox shook his head and looked away from Dae, "For your information, Esper Kane," Nox spit Dae's name out like poison, "I was asked to join Titan just like yourself. I'm not some groupie desperately following a famous Esper. I know my place."
Dae tried to speak but Nox's sharp glare froze him, "I was told my guiding was efficient for you and that you've been struggling to find a guide. So I offered to help. But I can tell when I'm not wanted."
Nox was out of the room before Dae could process the interaction.
"Not wanted?" Dae spoke the words to an empty room. When it came to guide Nox Levi, Dae couldn't seem to do anything right.
Training session requested
Dae stared down at his watch as if it had just announced his death. He was still aching from his training session with Jin-won the other day. With the new gate assignment Dae would practically be living in the training room. He was rusty. The rescue mission made that painfully clear. Dae's hand went to his throat, anxiously running his hand across his new scar. Yet another pivotal moment of Dae's life he owed to the guide who now hated him.
Despite his dislike of training, of using his powers in general, Dae made his way towards the training center obediently. He stepped into the elevator and looked at the details of the training request.
Request Partner: Guide Nox Levi
Additional information: Guide's contract stipulates training with Espers of appropriate ability types.
Dae's mouth opened with the elevator doors. A training staff flew at Dae and he hardly managed to catch it. He looked up and saw Nox. He'd lost the sweater in favor of a tightly fitted sleeveless shirt. Dae got a clear view of the myriad of bite scars that covered Nox's shoulders.
Nox grabbed Dae by the arm and yanked him out of the elevator.
"Ready for a training session, Esper Kane?" The way Nox said Dae's name still sounded resentful. Dae flinched. Nox seemed to notice it because he dropped Dae's arm and smoothed out his pinched expression.
"I don't know if I'm an appropriate sparring partner for you Guide Nox," Dae looked at the ground. The delight at Nox requesting him specifically and the desire to stay away from Nox battled inside of him. His fingers flexed around the training staff anxiously.
"Well, let's see who's down here." Nox looked around the training room. Aside from three pairs already sparring there were only two other Espers. Nox called one over, "What type of abilities do you have?"
The younger Esper with warm, sepia-brown skin and soft, boyish eyes, observed Dae anxiously then averted his gaze, "I have fire based abilities."
"Hmm," Nox hummed in faux contemplation, "So I assume you have minimal training with hand to hand or weapons training?"
"None, guide Nox." The younger Esper replied stiffly.
Dae blinked in confusion at the Esper knowing Nox's name, "Guide Nox, how long have you been part of our guild?"
Nox was about to answer when the Esper spoke up, "I only found out Nox was part of the guild today! I used to go see him at the EGC. I live outside of the guild so I use the center sometimes."
Dae stared at the Esper, dumbfounded.
"Thank you Kaspar, go ahead and start your training again. If you need me feel free to send a request. My schedule is suddenly very open." That bitter edge returned to Nox's voice and he glared at Dae. Dae shrunk away, tail between his legs.
The only other Esper in the training room had come over to see what all the commotion was about and to Dae's distress, it was Tessa. She beamed at Nox, clearly having heard the tail end of his conversation with Kaspar.
Dae had been avoiding Tessa since meeting Nox again. He knew he wasn't prepared to face Tessa's mocking on top of everything else. But that decision created the hellish scene playing out in front of him. Tessa, in her infinite intelligence, took one look at Nox and clearly connected the dots.
"Oh, are you looking for a sparring partner?"
Nox's eyes flitted over to Tessa anxiously, he eyed her up and down arched a brow. "I'm Guide Nox Levi, A-rank, universally compatible. I've been cleared to train with Espers trained in hand to hand and use of weapons."
Tessa looked at Dae, her eyes filled with mirth and mischief. Dae tried his best to beam his desire for her to shut up directly into her brain.
She was a psychometry Esper so there was technically a chance of her reading the imprint of his desperation reflected in the lenses of his glasses. But mind reading was a little out of her scope. Not that she would have listened even if she could read his mind.
"Well that's perfect! Dae here is mostly trained with weapons and hand to hand! Since we don't know how much metal any given gate will have! I'm sure he'd be more than happy to assist you."
Nox paused, lips parted ever so slightly, assessing Tessa and Dae. He seemed happy with what he saw because the edges of his lips quirked upwards, an echo of the shit-eating grin on Tessa's face. Dae couldn't tell if he was happy or devastated at how well Tessa and Nox were getting along.
"Our almighty S-class is afraid he would be 'too powerful' for me to handle." Tessa's grin stretched even wider as Nox spoke. Dae wondered if they were managing psychic communication. If Tessa was going to pull off something above her skill level it would be for the sole purpose of harassing Dae.
"Well there's only one way to find out! I'm sure Dae would be able to hold back from hurting you. If you're field certified then there shouldn't be much of a gap in abilities anyways. I mean it's not like he's using a metal weapon so technically he'll have no advantages."
Nox smiled and nodded along with Tessa's reasoning, "Actually…" he walked to the weapons terminal and typed something in. A metal staph materialized and Nox snatched it up. Nox took Dae's wooden staff then offered the other out to Dae but when Dae moved to take it Nox refused to let go. Dae stared at him in confusion.
"I want to test something. It's true I don't get to train with S-classes often so I wanna test myself. And as…" Nox spared a glance over at Tessa.
"Tessa!" Tessa supplied helpfully.
"As Tessa said, I'm sure you can hold back. So go ahead and try to change its shape."
Dae had no clue what Nox was getting at. But fearing upsetting Nox for the third time today he obediently did as he was told.
At least, he tried. As he felt his energy reach out and begin to act on the metal, nothing happened. He frowned and pushed more energy out. But no matter how much he tried to bend the staff, it refused to change. It felt like his energy was chalk washing away in a rainstorm. No matter how much he etched the sidewalk, the rain was stronger. After a beat of the frustrating experience Nox dropped his hand away, shaking it out as if it was sore. Finally the staff bent to Dae's will.
"I guess level differences don't matter that much for this." He gave Dae and Tessa a professional smile, "So are you ready to train with me, Esper Kane?"
"What did you just do?" Dae continued staring at the staff in disbelief. No matter his poorly managed levels, he should have been able to manipulate this flimsy staff.
"People think Guides cleanse corruption, but the truth is we cleanse any type of energy. That's how I got rid of the command that mind control kid gave you," Dae flinched at the memory and his hand went to the scar on his neck again.
Nox paused, his eyes took on an ashen quality, "It's also what I did just now. It's effective in neutralizing esper abilities. Most guides can do it to some extent. But it's affected by compatibility and rank pretty heavily. Our compatibility is pretty good even though I'm a lower rank, so I can still manage it."
Dae was aware of guide cleansing. He'd even worried over the toll it took on Nox after the rescue mission. But he had no idea the same could be applied to objects, "You're a very talented guide. I can't imagine one level difference impacting you that much."
Nox seemed taken aback at Dae's compliment. He tilted his head almost imperceptibly and his neutral expression held a whisper of pride. Which forced Dae to realize he'd never directly complimented Nox's ability. He assumed Nox knew how amazing he was. Nox's reaction made Dae regret not vocalizing his opinion sooner.
Nox quickly regained his composure. He locked eyes with Dae. Dae was struck with the same fear that had gripped him when Jin-won asked him to train the day before.
"I'm glad you agree that one level isn't that much. I'll take this as you accepting my training request." Nox grinned and Dae's watch lit up again.
Training Request
Request Partner: Guide Nox Levi