Chapter 1
Espers and Guides started being in existence a little into the 1960s, following the outbreaks of wars that nearly cost the Americans a lot.
It was during this time that Vance Thorne finally made his first special human. This being was created with overly too much energy and power, possessing a beauty that America described as one of the wonders of the world. He was too tall, too handsome, with very long hair that shimmered under the lab lights. No woman had ever produced such a beauty from her womb, but Vance Thorne's very own lab did.
They called him Caspian.
The name was chosen for its elegance, yet he was undeniably dangerous. Half of his power was enough to clear an entire city twice over. The government saw an opening; they found the perfect asset. This was exactly what they wanted, a human weapon. There was no more need to focus on making guns when Caspian existed.
They invested everything into him. He was all the government needed, or so they thought. But as younger scientists conducted more research, they realized Vance Thorne's invention had a serious anomaly. Caspian would destabilize after exercising his power. His entire body temperature would hike up, his emotions would shatter, and he tended to become violent and impossible to manage.
He couldn't be controlled as much as they wanted him to be. To solve this, Dr. Sterling found a solution: Guides. If the Esper had Guides, then he could be better regulated. A Guide would be a human specifically trained to absorb and balance Caspian's overwhelming power.
"It should be someone attractive, someone the Esper won't be able to resist," Sterling said during a meeting with Vance and the science officials.
A few selected government officials witnessed the first guiding. It was such a massive success that Dr. Sterling's name entered the history books alongside Vance as a creator of something great.
For a while, it worked smoothly. But the scientists were greedy; they wanted a second attempt at making an Esper. Meanwhile, they pulled from everywhere to find more Guides, young soldiers, both male and female, and even children from orphanages were trained for the role.
The job was grim. Not every Guide survived long after absorbing the Esper's raw power or trying to handle the intensity of his physical needs and libido.
Then, Rose happened.
She was the youngest Guide they had ever recruited, and she was the very first person the Esper didn't look away from. From the moment she stepped into the lab, his eyes were locked on hers.
"She is to be your Guide from today henceforth," Dr. Sterling and Dr. Vance told him.
Caspian was sitting up in his bed, several wires plugged into his body to regulate his fluids and his sharp DNA. They were even extracting fluids from him to try and jumpstart the creation of a new Esper.
Rose darted her eyes all over him, taking in the sight of the needles and the tubes. "Isn't he in pain?" she asked.
Caspian's gaze sharpened immediately. He watched her closely.
"All these machines are plugged into him... all these things on his skin?" she continued, her voice filled with genuine concern.
Not only was she beautiful, but she dared to take his side. In the ten years since he had been brought into existence, no one had ever asked if he was hurting.
"He doesn't feel pain," Dr. Vance said, dismissive. "That's why he's a special human."
"What do you mean he doesn't feel any pain? Look at all this," Rose argued, pointing to the red marks where the wires met his skin.
"His body actually regenerates," Dr. Vance continued, while a trail of young scientists followed behind him like shadows. "His skin will quickly cover up scars as soon as they are made."
Rose's eyes met Caspian's again. Her expression was clear: There is no way this doesn't hurt him. Caspian could read the look on her face. For the first time in his life, someone cared for him. He couldn't believe it. He didn't even know what it meant to be cared for by another person.
"Now, it's time for him to undergo his examination," Dr. Vance announced.
Rose couldn't believe her ears. "Examination? What do you mean by an examination? Apart from these ones he's already having?"
Dr. Vance and the rest of the scientists ignored her, wheeling Caspian's bed into the examination room.
The room was cold, filled with heavy metal equipment and monitors. Wires were plugged into every part of him, and an iron-like machine was placed over his chest to monitor his heartbeat. He was placed inside a glass chamber while Rose watched with horror.
Suddenly, the room began to hum. His entire body charged with electricity. Caspian began screeching and groaning, his muscles locking up. He wasn't crying out loud, but Rose could see the agony in his eyes. She knew a human being couldn't withstand the kind of shock they were pumping into him.
"Increase the voltage," Dr. Vance ordered a young scientist.
The machine hummed louder.
"He's going to collapse!" Rose yelled.
"No he won't," Vance replied calmly. "He is regenerating. He needs to be controlled, otherwise, he may shut down the lab someday. He's too powerful. In the next ten years, he might become completely uncontrollable."
"Isn't that why the Guides exist for him?" Rose asked, her face white with horror. Caspian's eyes were becoming lifeless, yet he was holding onto the last bit of strength he had.
"Guides are not strong enough for him yet," Vance said. "We don't have a Guide who can withstand this much heat. In the last seven years, Caspian has had twenty Guides. You are the twenty-first. Do you know how many survived? Only three. And maybe you, for now."
Rose's eyes fixated on the glass. Her hands pressed against the barricade that separated them. She grew more nervous as the minutes passed, watching him suffer.
"End this now!" she shouted in a panic. "End it now! You will kill him!"
"Miss Rose—"
"You heard me! End this now!"
Before anyone could stop her, Rose forced her way past the barricade. She reached for her sidearm, lifted the gun, and blew the glass apart. It shattered across the floor in a thousand pieces. She rushed to him, her hands reaching for the wires, trying to pull them from his body.
Caspian winced in pain as the metal tore from his skin.
"I said shut this thing down now!"