Chapter 136: Just an innocent Guide
The rest of the eting with the Guides went well. Or, as well as it could go. They were still a little hesitant around Kellen’s Mom, which she was very understanding of. She let them approach her, like startled and scared cats, and Kellen didn’t really watch her. While she was trying to get closer to the other Guides, Charlie welcod Kellen over easily. He was all smiles, as if he could sense sothing was wrong with Kellen.
Maybe he could? S Class Guides were supposed to be rare. There shouldn’t be potentially three in one room at a ti. That shit was unheard of, and given that two of them were under the age of 20 really had Kellen angry and worried.
Charlie didn’t poke or prod into what was wrong with Kellen, instead offering him a space in their circle and letting Kellen explain outworld things when Charlie couldn’t. Kellen gave rather different descriptions of things when compared to how Charlie did it.
Charlie was more emotional, speaking with a level of emotional intelligence that Kellen was appreciative of. He was able to paint pictures of the outside world with a romanticism that Kellen feared he’d never be able to.
When Kellen spoke, it was far more practical. He wouldn’t say it was basic, since Kellen never gave just basic information. He gave what was important. He talked about how strong structures were, the improvents that they had made. As well as what to expect when entering a certain place, how to act, those kinds of things.
The Guides didn’t seem to mind that Kellen’s approach was different to Charlie’s. Charlie also seed pleased. He was smiling, happy that Kellen was doing this with him. It also appeared that the Guides nearby, who were also Kellen’s students, were pleased to hear Kellen speak as well.
Rhys and Gunther didn’t co back to the room for a while, and eventually Kellen’s Mom glanced at her phone and scowled.
"Kellen, do you not have your phone with you?" She asked and Kellen paused mid conversation. He patted his pockets, all of them and realised with alarm that no, he did not have his phone. She shook her head at her son. "No wonder Rhys ssaged . You didn’t respond to his text so he ssaged
as well. They’ve gone up to his apartnt. Gunther needed so ti." She said and Kellen nodded, appreciating the update.
"Thanks for letting
know. Can you tell Rhys that too?" He asked and she glanced at him.
"With or without expletives?" She asked and Kellen rolled his eyes.
"Without, Mom." Kellen told her and she shrugged, before responding back to Rhys’ text. Charlie was staring at Kellen when Kellen turned back to the group.
"Are you two fighting?" He asked. It was direct, in the way that only Charlie could. Kellen sighed.
"It’s..plicated. Rhys has been keeping stuff from
and I just..." Kellen trailed off and Charlie frowned.
"He’s been keeping things from you? That’s not good." He was so genuine in his statent that Kellen found himself smiling slightly. Kellen could tell that the others who overheard him were smiling as well.
"No. It’s not good." Kellen admitted. "He’s very regretful, but I’m still mad at him." Kellen admitted and Charlie stared at Kellen, before it looked like sothing went off in the back of his mind. He shuffled closer to Kellen, cupping his hand around Kellen’s ear as he whispered.
"Is this about you becoming an S Class Guide?" Charlie asked and Kellen felt his body freeze. His blood ran cold as Charlie pulled back, staring at Kellen with wide, curious, child-like eyes. It was baffling to Kellen that Charlie could tell, but then again, maybe it wasn’t surprising at all.
"W-What?" Kellen asked, a little stunned and Charlie looked a little embarrassed. He pushed a strand of hair back behind his ear, and Kellen just watched him.
"Well, I wasn’t quite sure if I was right, but I did feel a shift of sorts. You felt different from , and your powers were different from mine for a long ti. Then you ca back from the gate and you felt...like . I was kind of expecting you to bring it up to
first, but then you didn’t and your behaviour was different. Plus, when you were showing
all of those little booklets you didn’t say it was sothing that we experienced, so I wondered if it was a secret. You know, like you told
that it should be. So that bad people don’t know." Charlie said and Kellen wasn’t sure what to say.
Charlie...had noticed right away, but he hadn’t been sure what it ant. Having that kind of confirmation made Kellen wonder what even was the fucking point of getting the machines when all of the S Classes in his life were telling him the sa thing. And the professionals who dealt with S Classes on a regular basis.
Kellen dropped his head, staring at the floor in shock for a long mont. One so long he wasn’t aware of it until Charlie put his face in Kellen’s line of sight, worry etched onto his skin.
"Are you okay? Did I upset you? I didn’t an to." Kellen knew that Charlie was sincere. The man wasn’t exactly good at lying.
"I am just...processing. That’s...a bit hard to hear. I thought...my strange reactions were from the poison." Kellen admitted and Taylor spoke up. She was rather matter-of-factly, which took so of the sting away from her words.
"It could have been both." Taylor said. She had her back to the group, but they weren’t being too quiet. "It’s not like what you went through and how it happened are exactly normal, Kellen. We don’t have anything to base what you’ve gone through off of. Sure, most in your shoes would be a little unhinged, but your body has also been trying to fight off a poison it has no capability to understand or battle. You are bound to be a little crazy because of it. Outside of any theories we have, you’re still unwell. There are so things that are going to be forgiven." Taylor said. Kellen heard her words and frowned. Charlie smiled.
"Well, that explains so of your behaviours. You have been rather...emotional compared to how you normally are. Even the books you gave
didn’t ntion that." Charlie said and Kellen sighed.
"Well, that’s geared more towards Guides who beco S Classes. It’s normally the Espers that are..." Kellen stopped, his voice trailing off as he realised what he was about to say and potentially, what that ant.
Taylor looked back at Kellen then, her jaw tight.
"You’re just emotional because of the poison." She told him, and Kellen sohow didn’t fully believe her. Kellen’s Mom, who overheard them, was also frowning.
"Taylor? What do you an by that?" She asked and Taylor sighed. She had been going through a few of the regular tests that she did with the Guides to see where they were at for physical recovery and she paused what she was doing. The Guides didn’t seem to mind, happy to listen in on what was going on with Kellen.
Kellen was unaware of it, but they were all rather intrigued by the handso Guide who showed up and walked like an Esper. Who everyone knew, including the Guides that they trusted at the Guild, and who everyone respected. The Guide who was injured, wore their arm in a sling and an eye patch, and yet the Guides felt safe with. A Guide who glared at Espers and told them to leave and the Espers did it.
The Guides didn’t know that they could do the sa thing yet, but that didn’t make it any less impressive.
So hearing more about the Guide, and that he was injured because of poison, was a rather interesting developnt. They wanted to know more about him, even as Kellen wasn’t sure he wanted to have the rest of this conversation in public.
While he wasn’t normally soone who got embarrassed easily, Charlie was basically admitting he was an S Class Guide for everyone to hear, including the Espers at the door. Did that an that Kellen didn’t trust them? No, but it was sothing dangerous that Kellen had warned him against letting others know, even in their own Guild.
S Classes were supposed to be rare, and practically endangered creatures.
So why were so many coming together at the Saturn Guild? Why were there so many in this small city? Why had Kellen jumped without imprinting on Rhys?
"I an that whatever Kellen is worried about, I’ve also been worrying about and it’s not sothing I can test for, so don’t worry about it." Taylor said, like that made it easier. Or better. Kellen’s Mom stared at Taylor, then slid her gaze to her son. Her expression softened, concern evident in her expression.
"For as much as the world has advanced in the ti that I’ve been an Esper, we are still lagging behind the way that the world itself is mutating." She muttered and Kellen didn’t have to guess what she was worrying about. She sighed. "My baby is still my baby, I just know that so people in your life are going to freak out when they learn the nuisance of this situation. One probably being your sister." It had originally sounded like she was speaking more to herself, until her last sentence. Kellen scoffed.
"Gwen will be fine with it." Kellen argued and his Mom smiled.
"Well, she’ll have no choice but to be okay with it." His Mom countered. "She doesn’t want to be excluded from her brother’s life." Kellen didn’t like the sound of that.
"Speaking of Gwen, have you done the practise runs on the others yet? I thought that was supposed to happen already." Kellen asked and Taylor blinked, before she slowly smiled. Relief was on her face, and her shoulders dropped slightly.
"We did it on two mbers, and they woke up briefly yesterday. It was only for a few monts, but it’s great progress. We think we found a way to process the uh, liquid too so that we can detoxify it." Taylor said and Kellen was glad to hear it. He hadn’t heard anything about anyone waking up, but then again, he’d been preoccupied.
His Mom jerked, pulling out her phone before she smirked.
"Speaking of people who won’t be able to handle your new changes well, your Aunt Dina is calling." She said and Kellen’s eye lit up.
"Oh? Can I answer?" He asked and his Mom paused, before a slow, calculating smile crossed her lips.
"Of course, Kellen. Here you go."
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