While an emotionally constipated guide sat plotting how to seduce the hottest S-Rank Esper in the guild—said Esper was on a mental spiral.
Devon had his arms folded, standing still in an elevator leading to the last floor of the Phoenix Flight HQ. His mind replayed different things that had happened tonight.
Including... That little boy.
"He called me papa." He murmured, eyes squinted on the glistening metal walls. "And... And his eyes..."
Those golden eyes mirrored his even if he wanted to deny everything else. Also, was it just him or did his hair resemble Ambrose's? It was as if someone had spliced his features with Ambrose's and compressed them into a smaller frame.
But even with that confusing encounter, one incident seemed to make it pale and forgettable in comparison.
He'd touched Ambrose's cheek.
A mere fleeting physical contact instantly brought about a noticeable change.
The headache he's been having for some days now after overexertion in an A-Rank dungeon cleared. Instantly. Like it was never there to begin with.
Other than that, his thoughts flowed more easily, and his memories weren't blurry.
All that shouldn't be possible.
Unless—
—Could Ambrose Hale truly be his fated Guide?
A ding from the elevator as it came to a halt made him straighten.
Last floor.
Finally.
The doors slid open, revealing an area restricted from other members of the guild. The command suites of the S ranks.
"Oh, Devon." A female Esper with long braided hair and dark skin waved at him, on her way to her suite. "You're still up, huh?"
She was one out of five S-rank Espers in the guild. And one of the only ones he could tolerate.
"Alisha," Devon managed a smile, taking slow steps out of the elevator. "Yeah. But I'm about to go get some shut-eye now."
Alisha squinted when he got beside her, hazel eyes sharp and assessing. "Right—Guide Han isn't sticking close to you this time?"
Devon arched his brow.
A clear signal that he found the questions too much.
"Hey, I'm just making an observation." She raised her arms with a small chuckle. "You've made it quite a habit of keeping him close. Even if it's just a temporary link, I guess his constant presence helps keep your psyche calm."
Calm? Maybe.
But was it anywhere close to the mental cleanse that touching Ambrose brought a few minutes ago? Absolutely not.
Devon couldn't tell her any of that though. "I'd reserve all this talking energy for when we'll have to raid that S rank dungeon tomorrow if I were you."
Then he kept on walking through the golden-lit hallway, raising a hand in a small wave. "Good night, Alisha."
"Ugh, you're no fun. Sleep tight, jackass."
Her door clicked open before shutting completely, making Devon let out a breath.
On getting to his suite door, he hesitated, hand lingering inches away from the knob.
Standing here pulled him back to when he first knocked on Ambrose's door.
"Am I losing it?" He scoffed, swiping his key card on the lock.
His suite opened directly into the command chamber.
The space was wide and open, dimly lit, the air cool and regulated. Floor-to-ceiling reinforced glass stretched along one wall, overlooking the city below.
At the centre of the room sat a curved holo-table, inactive and dark like polished obsidian. The moment he stepped inside, it flickered to life, blue projections rising in layered grids.
A vertical display panel occupied the opposite wall, currently black and waiting for instructions.
There was no clutter.
No unnecessary furniture.
Just a single desk integrated into the structure, a coat stand holding his formal jacket, and a mounted blade encased in transparent shielding.
Behind a seamless sliding door lay his private quarters, which were equally minimal.
He pulled out the chair in front of the desk, exhaling as he brought his eyes to the papers spread on it. All containing information on the S-Rank dungeon they were set to raid tomorrow.
The first S-Rank rift in Aurelia City. In an airport of all places. When officials detected its energy output, the two top guilds in the city were alerted immediately.
S rank dungeons weren't only dangerous. But the monsters and entities within could quickly break out if left unchecked.
"This is going to be one of the toughest missions of my career," he remarked, rubbing his chin. "And I'm doing it without a permanent guide. Recipe for disaster if I've ever seen one."
He sniggered to himself, brushing a hand through his hair.
Ambrose's face and words flickered in his mind for a second.
Could he... Really be his permanent guide?
A C-Rank Guide. Permanently paired with him?
How would he even keep up in missions?
"Hmph." He shook his head, arms folding in front of his chest. "It has to be a mere coincidence. There's just no way..."
Yet, as his vision blurred while staring at the documents—he couldn't help but ponder on one gnawing question:
What if?
★★★★★
Next morning.
[Rise and shine, hon.]
Sunlight trickled into the bedroom through the window blinds above his bed.
Ambrose groaned, turning on his bed and squinting at the holographic screen blinking in front of his face.
[Time left for side mission: 17 hours|55 minutes|22 seconds.]
'You couldn't even wait for me to wake up properly?' he rubbed his eyes before placing his hands on his chest. 'I need tons of caffeine today.'
[You're barely getting started.]
"Daddy!" Orion's shrill voice shook off any traces of sleep left in his system.
Oh, right.
He had a child now.
When the little boy got beside his bed, he beamed. "Good morning, Daddy. I've been waiting for you to wake up." He paused, turning to the alarm clock on the lamp post. "It's six am. From where I'm from, you used to wake up by five AM every morning."
Ambrose flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Sounds like torture."
"Huh?"
"I–I mean..." He laughed awkwardly, ruffling the lad's lush blonde hair. "... It must've been so fun for him."
Fortunately, Orion giggled, hopping along to another part of the bedroom.
That gave Ambrose the chance to fix his eyes on the system screen. 'So, other than permanently linking with Devon, I also need to convince him to raise this little urchin with me. If not—'
[Total erasure from every timeline and universe. Yep, yep.]
How comforting.
With a disgruntled heave, he flung his bed sheets aside, placing his feet on the cold marble floor.
He was seconds away from heading to the kitchen to prepare something for him and Orion to eat and then maybe making a plan to gain Devon's attention—
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
A violent knock on his front door made him freeze, his heart jumping into his throat.
This time, he glared at Orion before he could go answer it, signalling him to stay put.
[Scanning visitor...]
It seemed the system could sense people as they approached.
That sounded like it could come in handy.
When Ambrose got to the living room, arms stretched in an exhausted yawn, the system dinged with a new notification.
[Scanning complete! The visitor has a guide energy signature. A-Rank.]
That made Ambrose's brows knit.
An A-Rank guide?
Wait—the past Ambrose was only close to one A rank guide.
Upon remembering that, he stopped just a few feet in front of the door, his fists curling.
Guide Han…