As Jin regains consciousness in the guideverse — his senses overwhelmed by the hum of unstable energy and the strange, foreign sights of Veyra — his eyes land on a figure crumpled in a nearby alley.
Rael, the powerful yet unstable Esper, lies there, struggling to control an outburst of uncontrollable power. The energy around him crackles in wild, erratic bursts.
Jin approaches cautiously…
Jin takes a few careful steps toward Rael, his heart speeding up. The air around them seems to shiver, charged with Rael's chaotic energy. As he gets closer, Jin sees more clearly — sweat beads on Rael's face, his breathing is ragged, and his limbs tremble... but there's something else too.
Underneath the raw, explosive power, there's a fragility, a raw vulnerability, a desperate need for stability…
Jin feels a strange pull—like gravity shifting in his chest. It's not just instinct. It's *recognition*. Without knowing why, he kneels beside Rael and reaches for his hand.
The moment their skin touches—
**Silence.**
The storm stops.
Rael gasps—not in pain, but in relief—as if Jin's touch just pulled him back from the edge of unraveling. The wild energy around him collapses into soft ripples, curling gently toward Jin like breath returning to body.
Rael opens his eyes slowly—deep violet, shimmering with residual power—and stares at Jin with disbelief.
> "You… felt it too?" Rael whispers hoarsely. "Like I've known you before this life."
Jin doesn't answer right away. Because he *has*. Flashes—his last breath in the old world: headlights blinding him, impact—but then warmth… a voice calling through the fog… *"Come back."*
Was it Rael?
He doesn't know yet.
But one thing is certain—their bond was written long before this meeting.
And now?
It's no longer fate waiting.
It's beginning.
---
Rael slowly sits up, still holding Jin's hand. He's visibly calmer, but his powers flicker uncertainly around him. His gaze locks onto Jin—curious, intense. In that moment, it's like Rael's really *seeing* him.
> "Who... are you?" he asks softly... as if seeking confirmation for something already half-recognized.
>
Jin meets Rael's gaze, his heart pounding. In spite of the bizarre situation, his voice stays steady. His grip on Rael's hand tightens, as if reassuring them both.
"I... don't quite know," he admits, "I just woke up here. But I think... somehow, I've known you before this."
Rael's breath hitches. His eyes seem to widen slightly, pupils dilating. He feels it too—the uncanny sense of familiarity, the faint echo from the past.
Rael's free hand brushes Jin's cheek, exploring the contours of his face. His touch is both cautious and tender, unsure yet desperate to confirm if he's imagining it all.
> "Impossible..." he murmurs, his fingers tracing Jin's features, as if to read the answers beneath his skin.
Jin leans into the touch, letting Rael's fingers map the planes of his face. It's like they can both feel it—the truth in their shared recognition, the silent whisper of something deeply and inexplicably linked.
"Maybe..." Jin says softly. "But here we are."
Rael's touch pauses at the corner of Jin's mouth, his thumb tracing the curve. His other hand, still clasped in Jin's, grips just a bit tighter, anchoring them to this strange moment.
> "Before…" he murmurs, almost to himself, "Do you remember anything?"
Jin closes his eyes, focusing on the sensation of Rael's fingers against his skin. The hum of Veyra's unstable energy seems distant now, overpowered by this quiet connection.
> "Flashes…" Jin whispers back. "A crash… a voice, calling."
Rael nods, his eyes fixed on the movement of his own thumb against Jin's lip. There's something almost reverent in his touch, like finding a long-lost piece of his own soul.
> "A voice… calling you back," he echoes softly.
Jin leans into the touch, their breaths mingling between them. The air is charged with both their powers, but also with something else—a magnetic pull that makes it hard to tell who's stabilizing who now.
> "You?" Jin asks quietly, "Do you remember anything?"
Rael's free hand drifts up, tangling in the soft, tousled locks of Jin's hair. It's an intimate gesture, one that feels both tender and possessive. He pulls gently, tilting Jin's head up, their eyes locked on each other.
> "Flashes," he whispers, his voice husky and low. "A voice… calling, like a beacon."
Jin shivers at the touch, feeling a surge of something primal at the raw emotion in Rael's eyes. It's as if their shared past is stirring some deep, unspoken hunger in both of them.
Rael's fingers slide down, tracing the line of Jin's jaw, the curve of his throat, like marking a path of unspoken claim. His touch leaves a trail of goosebumps in its wake, a silent language speaking to something visceral within Jin.
> "The voice… it said your name…"
Jin can't look away, caught between the intensity of Rael's gaze and the heat that's suddenly coursing through him. Hearing his name on Rael's lips feels like a puzzle piece slotting into place, something profound that's been waiting for this exact moment.
7:35
Rael leans in slowly, his breath warm against Jin's ear. His voice drops to a whisper, low and intimate.
> "I called you… I called you back."
Jin gasps softly, his body instinctively arching toward Rael despite the sudden rush of emotion. It's overwhelming—the realization that Rael had been the one calling to him through the fog...
Their bodies gravitate closer—Rael pulling Jin almost onto his lap. Their hands still clasped, their chests nearly touching, the hum of Veyra's energy is now a secondary background, drowned out by the throb of their racing hearts.
> "I felt you."
Rael's words ghost over Jin's cheek, his grip tightening. There's raw, unfiltered intensity in his voice, a need that mirrors the one pulsing through Jin.
Rael presses their foreheads together, noses almost touching. His fingers in Jin's hair, his other hand holding Jin's in a grip that's almost desperate.
> "I felt you... slipping away."
Jin feels the words like a punch to the chest. The raw honesty in Rael's voice, the desperation in his touch—it leaves Jin breathless, his heart racing for more than just physical proximity.
They're so close now, their lips almost touching, the air between them charged with an electric mix of tension and intensity. Rael's eyes seem to glow with a raw, primal hunger, a need to prove that Jin is truly here, and this isn't some cruel dream.
> "I couldn't let go."
Jin's free hand comes up involuntarily, resting against Rael's chest, feeling the frantic thrum of his heart. It's racing just like his own... echoing the same unsaid desires.
Rael's grip on Jin's hair tightens, pulling just enough to tilt Jin's head further back. His eyes roam over Jin's face, tracing a path from his eyes to his mouth, as if trying to commit every detail to memory.
> "You're *mine*."
The words are a growl—low, possessive, echoing the primal hunger in Rael's gaze. Jin's breath hitches, feeling the weight of those words like a claiming brand on his skin.
Rael's thumb brushes over Jin's bottom lip, pressing down gently, like he's testing the give and softness. Jin's mind blanks; his body responds before he can think, and he finds himself leaning closer, lips parting almost involuntarily.
> "Mine to keep…"
Rael's voice is a rough whisper, his eyes flitting between Jin's gaze and his lips. The hand in Jin's hair slides lower, cupping the back of his neck, holding him in place—and yet, somehow, never feeling oppressive.
7:38
Jin's breath trembles between them, his body humming with a tension that feels both dangerous and right. Rael's possessiveness should scare him—but it doesn't. It feels like home.
> "Prove it," Jin whispers, bold despite the shiver in his voice.
A beat of silence.
Then—Rael surges forward.
Their lips crash together—hungry, desperate, like two halves of a soul reuniting after lifetimes apart. It's not gentle. It's need given form—tongues tangling, breaths merging as if trying to breathe for each other.
And as they kiss—
The air around them stills.
The unstable energy of Veyra *bows*.
Even the wind holds its breath.
Because this bond?
It was never meant to be denied.
7:40
The kiss breaks slowly—reluctantly—leaving them both breathless, foreheads pressed together once more. Rael's fingers tremble at the nape of Jin's neck, his breath coming in shallow gasps.
> "You… feel it too?" he murmurs, voice raw. "Like we're meant to be this way?"
Jin nods faintly, heart still hammering. It's not just attraction—it's alignment. As if his very soul has synced with Rael's chaotic energy.
> "I don't know how… but I've been yours," Jin whispers back, "even before I died."
A soft pulse ripples through the air around them—the first true *calm* in Veyra since Rael was born unstable.
And for the first time…
He doesn't hurt.
He doesn't burn.
He simply *is*.
Because Jin is here.
And that changes everything.
---
A low, guttural growl pierces the air, slicing through the moment like a knife through tension. Both Jin and Rael freeze, the blissful bubble around them popping. Jin's head snaps up, his gaze following the sound.
A few meters away, at the mouth of the alley, a shadowy figure looms. In the dim light, the creature's form is barely distinguishable — but its presence is unmissable.
The creature lurches forward, revealing itself in the fading daylight. It's a twisted, hideous creature, its features a nauseating mix of bat and rat—a result of Veyra's unstable energy.
> "Damnit…" Rael mutters, pulling Jin closer to his side. "A voidbeast. Of course."
7:42
The voidbeast snarls, saliva dripping from jagged teeth as it crouches low, ready to pounce. Its eyes glow a sickly yellow — not just hungry, but *drawn* to Rael's lingering energy spike.
Jin feels the danger like ice in his veins. Without thinking, he steps slightly in front of Rael.
> "You're still weak after that outburst," Jin says sharply. "I'll hold it off."
Rael grabs his wrist — firm, urgent.
> "You don't know what you're doing," he growls. "That thing feeds on unstable power… and untrained Guides."
But Jin meets his gaze with the same soldier's resolve that carried him through death.
> "Then teach me fast."
And before Rael can stop him—
Jin yanks free and lunges—*toward* the beast—
With nothing but instinct and courage,
He slams both hands onto its head,
Channeling something deep inside—
Not magic.
Not training.
But *connection*.
7:45
For a moment, nothing happens. The voidbeast roars in confusion, thrashing, the air humming with unstable energy *and* Jin's power—raw, but *there*.
Then—slowly, impossibly—the beast stills. Its eyes dim, the yellow glow fading as it slumps over… asleep.
Jin gasps, stumbling back a step—and directly into Rael's arms.
> "Did… did I do that?" he whispers, looking up at Rael.
Rael stares back, eyes wide, voice laced with awe.
> "
"You stabilized it," Rael breathes, fingers tightening around Jin's arms. "A *voidbeast*—one of the most corrupted creatures in Veyra—and you *calmed* it."
His voice drops, thick with disbelief and something deeper.
> "No Guide has ever done that… not without training. Not without years of control."
But Jin did it instinctively—just by touching it, just by *wanting* to protect Rael.
Jin looks down at his hands—still trembling—not with fear, but power. A strange warmth pulses beneath his skin.
> "I didn't fight it," he says quietly. "I… felt its pain. Like I could hear its scream inside my head."
Rael's expression shifts—awe giving way to something sharper: concern... and desire all at once.
Because now he knows:
This isn't just any Guide.
This is the one who can touch chaos—and make it bow.
The one whose presence doesn't just stabilize him...
But might reshape the entire world of Veyra.
And as wind stirs through the alley again,
Rael pulls Jin close — not to comfort him,
But to hide what flickers in his eyes:
The truth he already knows—
> **"You're not just mine,"** he murmurs against Jin's ear, voice dark velvet,
> **"You're going to change everything."**