"Alright, hunters—listen up."
Meanwhile, as Ambrose mentally prepared for a life-changing decision, there was a meeting being held at Phoenix Guild's main observation chamber.
The observation chamber gleamed with white marble and mounted holographic screens, each projecting live feeds from across Aurelia City and other parts of America.
Bright white crystals lit up the space from above.
Desks and seats were placed close to each screen, but most were now empty.
Standing at the centre of the chamber were some of the most powerful members of the Guild. All prepared for one of the most taxing missions of their careers.
Among these gathered hunters were two familiar faces. Devon and Han.
Devon's expression was grim but steady as he watched the Guild master give a briefing.
"The S rank dungeon is still being monitored as we speak," the Guild master was a tall, muscular man with a grey beard and hair aged to perfection. Everything about him screamed power. "While we don't have much information on it right now, what we do know is that it's wild with an enormous amount of aether energy."
He paused, sharp golden-red eyes settling on Devon.
The latter stiffened, subconsciously keeping his head high and posture straight. He couldn't afford to show the slightest bit of nonchalance.
Not before the Guild master.
"I'll be entrusting Devon," He pointed, forcing everyone to turn their heads, "to lead this raid. The rest of you know what to do."
Alisha, who stood behind Devon, made a soft sound. Enough for him to hear but not enough to catch the Guild master's attention.
Devon's jaw worked as he nodded at the Guild master. "I won't let you down, sir."
As always, the man merely dipped his chin before continuing. "One last thing. Or rather—two." His pause tripled the tension in the room. "As you all know, due to the spontaneity of S rank dungeons, the government has insisted that another guild team join this raid. Glacier Talon."
Hearing that name made a few mutter amongst themselves. But Devon in particular balled his fists, his mind trailing to one person in that Guild he didn't want to meet.
'Hopefully, that bastard doesn't show up.' he thought to himself, nodding when the Guild master went on:
"Ensure you cooperate with their Hunters. I know our Guilds have always had differences but today we have one enemy." He spread out his arms. "The other thing is guide pills. Unfortunately, due to the recent shortages in Guides, you'll have to rely on those for this mission."
More whispers rippled through the group.
For this mission, three out of the guild's five S-rank Espers were deployed. The rest were five A ranks and finally Guide Han—an A-rank Guide and arguably the Guild's most valuable asset.
Guides were already rare to find.
Out of ten awakened humans, only nine end up as Espers. And one as a Guide.
On top of that, a high rank Guide like Han Jae-won was like finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. That might explain his popularity.
Other than being compatible and linking permanently with one Esper, a Guide's presence alone could give Espers mental stability. Even if minimal.
"That's all for now." The Guild master clapped once, already turning away from the group. "If there's nothing else, good luck and—"
A sudden mechanical whir signalling the opening of the metal doors made everyone turn their attention there.
Devon already sensed a shift before he even saw who it was. Yet when his eyes collided with the silver eyes of the person who walked in—words couldn't describe the wave of disorientation that hit him.
"Guide Ambrose." The Guild master's Baritone sounded more curious than angry. "You weren't deployed for this mission."
Ambrose briefly glossed over Devon and Han—the latter's stoic expression shattering as he glared daggers.
"I know, sir." Ambrose tore his eyes away from them, bowing once before the Guild master. "But I—"
"So you'd better have a good excuse for your interruption."
Since last night, Devon had been bothered. He didn't know if he was imagining it... But there was something different about the C-rank Guide.
Like he was no longer chasing.
Meanwhile, in Ambrose's mental space, he was ecstatic. 'You said there are how many Guides here?' he questioned the system hastily as he steadied himself before the group.
[Just one. Guide Han... Who's an A rank.]
On his way here, Ambrose noticed a new feature the system came with.
Anytime he came across a new Esper, the system would project a holographic screen over their head. These screens had only a few vital but VERY private pieces of information:
Gender. Sexuality. Rank. Power type. Attraction points.
Why the heck could the system detect someone's sexuality on the fly?! Wasn't there a universal law against systems outing someone or something?
[Oh please—info like that would be helpful in the future. You'll see.]
Right now, out of all the people gathered, only Devon was labelled as bisexual. His attraction points were still at ten... But the lingering look in his eyes told Ambrose that it was bound to change soon enough.
"I do have a good explanation, sir," Ambrose began, managing not to faint under the pressuring gaze of the Guild master. "I've heard about the Guide shortage and how a few of our best guides have switched to rival Guilds."
He halted, noting the way everyone's eyes hardened.
Hehe... Nerves successfully struck.
"I might be a C rank Guide," he eyed Han at that part, "but my aura could still prove helpful to the A ranks. There's only so much a guide pill can do compared to actual Guides."
No sooner had those words come out than Han sniggered. "A C rank is still just that. A C rank," he dropped that with so much venom while having a fake ass smile.
The words made a few either chuckle or throw condescending looks at Ambrose.
Han persisted. "You might want to sit this one out. We—"
"Very well." The Guild master's decisive tone made Han's face pale. "Guide Ambrose may join the mission. The group needs ten members anyway... He'll even it out."
Ambrose's mouth curved into the biggest grin.
That actually worked?
Han spun to the guild master. "Sir! He'll hold us back. If you want to even the numbers out we should just—"
The Guild master neither glared nor yelled.
He just gave a silent, emotionless look. Pointed at Han. That was enough to shut the asshole up, his jaw trembling as he gnashed his teeth.
As Ambrose advanced to the team, nervous and excited all at once, the Guild master boomed.
"Go make our Guild proud. The city and the whole country are counting on you."
When the group moved toward the metal doors, Ambrose's eyes slid to Devon again. They stared at each other for seconds, several unnameable emotions flickering past the Esper's face.
Surprisingly, Devon walked directly to Ambrose, making Han's eyes widen with confusion. "Devon? What are you...?"
Devon didn't glance back, all his attention pointed on Ambrose. His golden eyes were cold. Observing. "If you slow us down, even for a minute... I won't protect you."
Despite how much that secretly stung, Ambrose kept his smirk on, taking a daring step closer. "I wasn't counting on it."
Regardless of the open friction between the two, what no one saw hidden beneath the surface was their energies coiling and tightening deeper around each other.
Synchronising slowly...