The X Guide

Jarred’s body was quicker than his mind. Before he processed it, he already raised his hand. Georgina was also surprised, the fierce expression dropping as quickly as it appeared.

"Everyone, go back into your positions!" Jarred’s authoritative voice rang, and he swept his gaze over. His heart was tense, but none of them showed on his face.

Years in his position had already honed him to hide his real feelings in front of his subordinates.

The others were confused, but as Jarred already spoke, they could only glance at the group one last time before they dispersed and returned to what they were doing.

Any minute now, and the clan forces might harass them again.

Jarred and Georgina approached the group.

"Uh, may I know the reason for your visit?" Jarred muttered, anxious but still respectful. Georgina only fell silent. Unlike her reckless nature, she seemed awfully behaved.

Jarred was also in the same situation, not having the time to notice her expressions.

"We heard you saved a guide?" This question stumped both Georgina and Jarred, not because of the question itself, but the voice and tone of the one who asked this.

It was low and calm, even soft, not sounding like the two SS-class espers they knew.

Jarred could see both Devion and Khal, but also noticed someone between them. Before he could observe further, another voice interrupted him and his thoughts.

"Just answer." This time, it was commanding and deep.

Jarred nodded. "Yes, we did..." He had yet to finish when the one who had asked earlier interrupted him.

"Where is she?" There was now urgency in his somewhat soft tone, as though it had been suppressed to an absolute degree.

Georgina was surprised that they were talking about Keeran. She could not help herself and interjected. "Do you know her?"

Jarred snapped to her side and held her.

"Please, I’ll lead you there." Without hearing the answer, Jarred started walking with Georgina in tow. His back was drenched in sweat, and his face pale.

Georgina did not want to be dragged like this, but she noticed Jarred’s expression, which made her fall silent. She could not even look back again to see if the group was following them.

Jarred’s grip on her was tight enough for her to realize what she had done. Georgina bit her lips and lowered her gaze.

When they reached the room, only then did Georgina finally glance at the group. The ’bodyguards’ had spread out, fully exposing the three men they were protecting.

"Protecting" was a weird way to put it when it concerned two terrifying SS-class espers of humanity. Yet, those two espers were watching attentively as the man between them ran towards the bed.

Jarred and Georgina exchanged glances; their thoughts began to wander, but they had no way to ask what was going on. They could only watch.

Ayen’s whole attention was on the woman lying unconscious on the bed. It was Keeran...

He stood on the left side of the bed and observed Keeran’s condition. At the bruise at her lips, cheek, and even right eye. Keeran also had cuts on her right forehead, albeit small.

Ayen’s gaze lowered, and he saw her arm and hand covered in bruises. At this, Ayen could not see if she had wounds on other places because of her clothes.

He assumed there had to be more.

Ayen stared at her, his fist subconsciously clenched. He took a deep breath and closed the distance further, looking much more closely at her face.

The last time he had seen her unconscious, Keeran only appeared to be sleeping. It was the same this time around, but with the bruises and wounds on her face, Ayen knew she had suffered a lot.

Surely, she also cried. Keeran even froze, seeing a gate in the middle of the city to the point he had to carry her.

She must be terrified...

Ayen dug his nails into his palms, and before he could feel his blood drip out, someone held both of his hands. He did not need to look to see who they were.

Ayen gripped their hand, letting the rage in his heart be vented for a while. His chest painfully tightened as he tried to calm down, his shoulders tense.

"I want to kill them." Everyone who made her suffer like this... Ayen wanted to torture them twice... No, it must be more than that.

He did not know how to calm these emotions, the burning rage inside his heart that almost suffocated him. Ayen was not used to dealing with emotions.

"How... how can I calm down?" Ayen looked up at them; his eyes had become bloodshot, but there were no tears. His expression was complicated and in pain, almost pleading.

Ayen even saved Keeran because he did not want something to happen to her. And for the first time in years, he asked for help to save her. Now...

She was in this condition because of him.

Ayen’s lips trembled, grasping their hands as though asking for support. The two quickly face him, covering Ayen from the gazes of others in the room.

His figure was quickly hidden by their bodies.

"I feel like..." Ayen was used to indifference because that was what helped him live and survive for years. Suddenly, these emotions were making it hard for him to breathe. It was different from the emotions that Khal and Devion gave him.

It lacked that comfortable sensation. It wanted to consume him, and he was starting to be scared. Adapting to emotions at once overwhelmed him.

"...bursting." Ayen could not describe it fully. The moment he saw Keeran in this condition, all the emotions he suppressed on the way here burst out.

Ayen leaned against their chest and grasped their hands tightly. He failed to notice how Khal and Devion were watching him with surprised gazes before a shadow seemed to emphasize the darkness that shrouded their figures.

The mana around became calm... terrifyingly calm.

Khal and Devion engulfed him in their embrace. Ayen’s body, which appeared to become more delicately small than he had ever been, was trembling.

"Don’t worry." Devion’s gaze and tone seemed calm on the surface, but the sky noticeably darkened as though brewing a chaotic storm. "Vent your anger as much as you want."

Khal stroked his back as if coaxing him. Voice soothing, "No one can stop you."

The temperature dropped significantly as soon as he finished speaking.