Chapter 25: The weight of an S Class Esper on a Guide

Rhys saw them off to a nice-sized office nearby his own office. They weren’t able to use his office since he was technically in a meeting right now. Kellen was pissed that he had abandoned the people who he was speaking with, but Rhys waved it off with a smile.

He was an S Class. His Guide showed up to visit him in the office. They would understand.

Kellen wasn’t so sure that they would, but he just rolled his eye, kissed him on the cheek and gestured for him to take a drink. After that was done, Kellen grabbed his own, motioned for Charlie to do the same, and then they dropped the rest off for everyone else.

They had barely sat down when someone came by with a tray of baked goods that looked suspiciously familiar. They looked suspiciously like one of the trays Kellen himself had brought in for the others to eat because his kids had made him so much damn baked goods.

Kellen narrowed his eyes at the secretary, since that wasn’t her job, but she just smiled, nodded, and dropped off the tray anyways. One would have to be ballsy to work with Rhys after all. Kellen just sighed, shook his head, and gestured for Charlie to take a few treats.

“This could potentially be a long conversation. Have some snacks.” Kellen offered up and Charlie nodded.

The room they were in had a desk, but it was tucked against the back wall without a proper office chair anywhere near it. Most of the room was taken up by two smaller couches with a glass coffee table in between them. It was set up more like a meeting room with a few decorative plants around then it was as an office, but that could change. Kellen thought it was pretty smart that they were still using the spaces that they had made extra of. It was certainly benefitting him right now.

Kellen sat across from Charlie, needing to see his eyes as he spoke to him. Charlie had wanted to sit next to Kellen, but Kellen had gotten up and moved to the other couch. Charlie had looked hurt, but Kellen explained that he wanted to be able to see him eye to eye and that seemed to calm the other man down. There was no reason to have Charlie worked up before they even got to the topic.

“So, let’s talk. About what I began speaking about downstairs.” Kellen started and Charlie, who had been mid bite a square of some sort, paused, lowering the square from his lips and nodded, his cheeks pink.

“Yesh. Of coursh.” Charlie said, the square muffling his words. He looked even more embarrassed, but Kellen just smiled.

“You can still eat. I’ll be the one talking anyways.” Kellen told him with a chuckle and that seemed to make him even more embarrassed. Kellen stared at the kid who he was going to ask a big thing of and felt his heart hurt. “I’m suggesting this because I think you are the best person for the job. Rhys himself is rather hesitant because…he’s had issues when it comes to guiding.” Kellen said. “Outside of me. I haven’t given him any issues…uh outside of one.” Kellen said and Charlie seemed curious.

“What? You gave him issues?” Charlie had finished the square in three bites. Kellen nodded.

“You know that I jumped Classes, right?” Charlie nodded. “Well, half of what we said publicly was true. The other half wasn’t quite true.” Charlie looked a little concerned. “On my own, I jumped to B Class. With Rhys’ ’help’, I jumped to mid range A Class.” Kellen told him. Charlie looked concerned by Kellen’s words.

“His help? How did he help you?” Charlie ask and Kellen sighed.

“The only reason I’m telling you is because I trust you and you have to promise you will tell no one else about this.” Kellen warned and Charlie crossed his heart. It was a small act, but it told Kellen how serious Charlie was. Kellen nodded. “Rhys has the ability to reverse guide, but to the extreme. He had gone too long without guiding and when he realised that my guiding wouldn’t hurt him, he drained me.” Charlie’s jaw dropped.

He sat across from Kellen, staring at him in shock.

“What?” He asked, outraged, and Kellen gave a shrug.

“It’s okay. I have an ability which I’m not allowed to test,” Kellen tried not to sound too bitter about that, “where I bounce back, and stronger. Which is why I became not just B Class, but A Class.” Charlie looked absolutely horrified.

“Why isn’t Rhys arrested? He could have ruined your life!” Kellen almost felt like he was spending too much time around Kellen’s parents. That was a response his Mom would make, had made when she realised what had happened to Kellen. Kellen smiled.

“Because I knew I was fine. He was also beating himself up enough to compensate for anything I could have done. If I had asked for almost anything, he would have given it to me. He might have even given me the Guild if I wanted it.” Kellen said casually with a shrug. Charlie was staring at him.

“You-I, Kellen! If I had lost my powers I would-I think I would kill myself.” Charlie told him seriously, and Kellen’s smile faltered. He swallowed, staring at the child before him and remembering the little bits of his past that Charlie had told him. Yeah, he bet Charlie would kill himself.

“Charlie, while much of my worth is tied to the fact that I am a Guide, Rhys would never intentionally harm me. Which is why we are also taking precautions before we would even dare to offer this risky task to you. You will not be in danger like I was. Rhys is nowhere near where he was when he offered to be my testing partner. If he was, fuck what Taylor and Carlos would say, I would guide my man.” Kellen said sternly. Charlie sat, staring at Kellen, before he nodded.

“I…okay. I understand. I’m just having a hard time understanding how you can be so calm. How did he find out about this?” Charlie asked and Kellen froze. He knew about it, but he had never really questioned it.

“I…my guess would be that he did it to others. I never really asked more about it because…well, it didn’t matter to me.” Kellen said. “I had other things to worry about at the time.” Kellen said with a shrug and Charlie’s expression grew pained.

“So he drained other Guides? Oh Rhys.” Charlie said with a sigh. He shook his head, and Kellen couldn’t tell if he was disappointed in Rhys, Kellen, or both. He was going to go with both. “Okay, so what else do I need to know?” Charlie asked, sitting up in his seat. Kellen swallowed.

“He either is in pain during guiding, or causes pain. He can pull power from you, but that is different from…that. It’s just basic reverse guiding.” Kellen told him and Charlie’s eyes narrowed as he nodded.

“Alright. Understood.” Charlie mulled over the things that he had been told for a moment while Kellen took a sip of his very hot drink. He tried not to show that he burnt his tongue, but Charlie noticed and smiled. “Are you okay?” Charlie asked and Kellen nodded. It wasn’t that bad. Would probably last a day.

“I’m fine.” Kellen said, waving it off and Charlie stared at Kellen intensely.

“Rhys said that he agreed to this? He’s…okay with me guiding him?” Charlie confirmed and Kellen wouldn’t lie to him. He put his cup down and gave his hand a twist, making it look like it was wobbling back and forth.

“He’s…agreed, but he’s greatly worried. He’s taking this very seriously.” Kellen told him and Charlie looked a little relieved. Kellen smiled. “He doesn’t like hurting others, Charlie. It kills him inside. I’m sure while I don’t care all that much, he probably supports the Guides personally, from his own funds. We’ve never spoken about it and we don’t need to. I hope for his sake it’s at most, two people.” Kellen said and Charlie nodded. “We…need his powers right now. We’re at a standstill for research on the poison, so we need to look and see if there is a future where that changes, we need to find clues about Gunther and Brent, and what the next big things could be.” Kellen told him.

Charlie sat there, his face serious as he thought about what Kellen was saying.

“What happens if I say no?” Charlie asked and Kellen was actually glad that he asked. Kellen smiled at the kid.

“It’s alright if you say no. It means that we have to look towards a few other Guides and make sure that we don’t affect the inner workings of the Guild too much. We’re short staffed. We’ve been short-staffed since the betrayal, and we will be for a while, especially because we have a few down tied up in the gate explosion, and because some died.” Kellen paused, a cloud of sadness passing over him before he shook himself out of it. “With that being said, I’m offering this to you because I trust you, I trust Rhys, and…I’m taking what you said very seriously.” Kellen told him and Charlie blinked slowly. He looked up at Kellen, scanning his face.

“Is this related to what I said?” Charlie asked and Kellen didn’t see the point in lying.

“Partially. I’m also feeling a great amount of guilt over the fact that I withheld important information from you because I was stressed, I didn’t think you could handle it, and overall, I underestimated you. I apologise for that, Charlie.” Kellen’s words felt like chunks of his soul leaving him. Hard. Painful.

Charlie sat there, listening to Kellen before he nodded slowly.

“I…read the little booklet about S Classes, but I know that it wasn’t telling me the full truth. Not with the way that everyone was treating me.” Charlie opened his mouth, closed it. Thought for another moment and then tried again. “I…I think I needed you to be that gentle at the moment. I was…I wasn’t okay back then.” Charlie said softly and it broke Kellen that he knew that. Charlie straightened his back. “That’s not the case anymore. I was to know. I want to be better. I don’t want to be lied to anymore.” Kellen let out a heavy sigh.

He was right. Charlie was just right. Kellen didn’t want to be even a glimmer close to the people who had raised him. He wanted to be honest and open with Charlie.

“Even if it would be easier if you were?” Kellen asked and watched as Charlie’s gaze firmed.

“Yes.” He said and Kellen nodded.

“Alright. I’ll tell you the realities of being an S Class Guide, and why we’ve been treating you the way that we have been.” Kellen told him and Charlie sat up straighter, his back not even touching the couch. Kellen chuckled. “Sit back. It’s going to be a lot to explain, and I have the distinct displeasure of having known several S Classes, either through my Mom and Dad, or personally.” Charlie looked confused.

“Why is that a displeasure?” He asked and Kellen gave him a soft smile.

“They’re all dead, Charlie.” Kellen told him and Charlie paled. Kellen knew that this was going to be a hard conversation, and he hoped that Charlie was ready for it. He’d probably seen true terrors in his life. Things that Kellen could only imagine. Kellen should stop selling Charlie so low. He would be able to handle the truth. He’d just needed a little time to adjust to his new home.

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