The X Guide

It was not all. Another report from a yellow zone arrived. The content greatly alarmed everyone in the conference room. It was almost similar to how the fallen city described the behavior of the infected.

"How..." The president massaged his temple. They could not let another yellow zone fell especiallyw ith such a large population. However, he was thinking of something amiss out of all this.

"Mr. President...?" Everyone had to talk to him again, seeing him lost in thought.

The man blinked his eyes and let out an aged sigh. He looked at everyone and made a decision. This was something that they could not handle alone. Especially as the other report had given another shocking fact.

The monsters... were behaving strangely as well.

At this moment, the city was holding well, but who knew when the situation would change? It was especially so because this was a strange disease or power that was highly contagious.

"Contact the Institute." He gave a heavy order and took a deep breath. "Tell them. We are seeking help for our SS-class espers’ intervention."

Everyone held their breath, but none objected; in fact, they all collectively sighed in relief. In times like this, it was when the presence of the SS-class espers, the very existence they dreaded, was very assuring.

Just as they were already planning to seek help regarding the unknown incident, the peaceful situation continued around the throuple.

While Ayen was still experiencing weakness, he was recovering quite well. Four days had passed since he underwent wavelength extraction for samples.

Khal and Devion had never left him and stood by his side. If it happened that they needed to leave, they made sure that one of them was left behind before they exchanged duties.

"I’m impressed. Mr. Ayen’s vitals and his wavelegnt recovery are faster than expected." Mikhael’s tone was genuinely surprised and not just saying this to praise Ayen in front of his superiors. He then smiled.

"With how this is going, tomorrow you can be discharged. There won’t be a need for IVs and monitoring devices as well."

"Then, when should we get the results?" Ayen asked, more concerned about this.

Devion and Khal did not even interrupt him this time. They had already come to terms with this.

Mikhael clasped the patient’s chart. His expression turned solemn.

"This is one I want to talk about with you." The three looked at him, indicating they were listening. "We thought we could see the results in a week or probably more. Honestly, we don’t know where to start. But, last night. The samples... "That is your wavelength."

Mikhael’s eyes flashed in admiration; excitement lingered on them.

"I thought of putting a cursed object around it. Since we are testing precisely about curses. Although the cursed object only had a minuscule curse energy around it, we have gotten a reaction."

Seeing the three only listening to him, he continued after taking a breath. Mikhael’s eyes gleamed as he looked at Ayen. It was the gaze of someone who found a very interesting subject.

Before Ayen could become uncomfortable, Mikhael consciously averted his gaze and looked at Khal instead.

"We will show you the results. It’s better if you can see it than me telling you." Mikhael smiled meaningfully. Khal stared at him.

He had known Mikhael for years, and as one who trusted such a huge facility, his competence was something he could guarantee. So, seeing him like this, the results must be truly impressive.

Khal looked at Devion and then at Ayen. The two nodded their heads at him. "Okay then, let’s go see it."

After a few days of recovery, Ayen did not need to be closely supported now. However, the two still made sure he could lean on them whenever he felt tired.

Mikhael and the other staff here were already getting used to such displays of affection. While surprised the first few times, they had to get accustomed to it by now.

Their impression of Ayen had only deepened, someone who could truly let two SS-class espers take good care of him. The room where they conducted the tests was not that far from his room.

They were then asked to put on a protective suit as they entered the laboratory. Since it was about wavelength, it was mana sensitive, and so it might disrupt the whole thing if they clashed with mana.

Although it was Ayen’s and that Khal and Devion were his espers, the wavelength had already left him and was already about to dissipate. Precautions were still necessary.

The inside of the lab was no different from the usual. Ayen had no interest in the equipment inside and only followed Mikhael as they went to a conspicuous table.

A cylinder was on it, and inside were constantly spinning lights. They gathered before disintegrating, repeating the process. Ayen found it incredible.

He knew that it was his wavelength, or once part of his. Now, it had only just become a formless energy, about to dissipate any minute now. If only not for the cylinder extending its existence.

"We’ll show you now." Mikhael nodded to the assistants there. Ayen watched as a woman stepped forward and approached the table, holding a small box.

Once she opened it, Ayen immediately frowned. He could sense the curse around the simple earring. It was not strong, and the object was merely tainted by a curse by now, but Ayen confirmed he did not like curses at all.

Devion noticed it and looked at him. Ayen held his hand, indicating he was alright. Khal had already been watching them since earlier, knowing the two were highly sensitive to curses.

Seeing that they were fine and even assuring each other made him breathe in relief. He did not let his guard down even for a moment as Mikhael started the experiment.

While it was an experiment, he did not do much. He just exposed the earrings around the cylinder before he put the object atop it.

Ayen focused on it, almost not blinking his eyes, afraid to miss any moment. It was not an exaggeration at all, this was something very important to him.

At first, nothing happened for a few seconds. The energy inside only repeatedly spun, and the cursed object occasionally emitted foul mana, making Ayen frown in disgust.

None of them made any noise and were only waiting for the reaction.

Ayen held his breath and subconsciously held Devion’s hand tightly as what they were waiting for finally happened. The changes happened around two minutes after they started.

The energy inside the cylinder suddenly gathered again, but instead of disintegrating as before, it began to move and rose to the ceiling of the cylinder.

They grouped even more tightly as though wanting to climb even higher, but the cylinder was preventing them from doing so. The group of light expanded a bit, now almost illuminating the cylinder’s head.

It was as though something activated within them, and the light they exuded increased. Ayen knew what they were doing. They were attracted by the curse, and they were trying to guide or purify it!

Ayen’s eyes shone, not only for him but for everyone. Even if the others already saw it once, they still could not help but feel amazed by it.

Because of the special container that was separating them, the earring did not get much of a reaction for a few seconds, even if the energy below it was in an excited state.

However, it was not for long when the earring suddenly shook slightly. The visible black smoke around it, a manifestation of negative mana in the air, became chaotic. It was as though the lingering curse inside was trying to escape the earring.

Yet, it was contained and could not do so. The one doing it was obvious to everyone. While it could not purify the curse because of the barrier, its presence was enough for the curse to be scared.

"This is my first time in years of researching curses that I’ve seen such a reaction." Mikhael’s eyes gleamed again, and he did not even realize that he was almost grinning maniacally.

It was an expression that would have graced all the researchers’ faces if they had also witnessed this scene.

"Curses are a highly dominant type of energy. It’s similar to mana but also different in nature. Curses can also devour normal mana, and so they can attach themselves to almost anything, and they loved humans the most."

Mikhael’s eyes sparkled, and he looked at Ayen.

"To us, they are always a mystery." Mikhael continued with a bit more vigor. "This is the first time I’ve seen a curse react like its natural predator is nearby. I believe... your uniqueness, Mr. Ayen, is indeed something that is worth studying."

Khal did not react when Mikhael was talking excitedly earlier, but as the other finished his words, his blue pupils flashed coldly. He stared at Mikhael, not unfamiliar with Mikhael’s excessive reaction, but such a fanatical gaze was new to him.

"Indeed."

Khal spoke after a while, his eyes meeting Mikhael’s, who suddenly blinked and subconsciously lowered his gaze immediately.

"Uh, sorry for overstepping... I was just excited." Mikhael apologized immediately; the others followed him and bowed as well. The temperature inside the laboratory dropped by a significant degree.

Khal’s brows moved and watched Mikhael and the others. Ayen was lost in thought, but saw the kind of excitement in Mikhael’s gaze.

Ayen knew... his uniqueness was very attractive to researchers.