Chapter 51: Call

This was probably Ayen’s greatest urge to guide Khal and Devion since he began guiding them. It was weird but also intriguing, the changes in his life after meeting the two espers.

It was more than just how he perceived himself and others, but more so with how his emotions and thoughts were being influenced by this urge for something he had never imagined before.

And Ayen found himself not repulsed by these changes at all.

Lucian soon returned with Nolan’s phone.

Nolan forced himself to get up but was unable to do so alone. Ayen helped him, and he leaned on the headboard. His trembling hands fiddled with his phone.

“Uh, do you want to connect through my channel?” Lucian suggested.

Normal phone lines and channels were subjected to restrictions and disturbances, which was the reason for the delay. The more advanced the lines were, the greater the mana was needed to send a message, more so a call.

Lucian was always updated and never complained about such delays.

“No need.” Nolan refused, his lips pressed into a thin line.

“Do you want us to leave?” Ayen asked.

Nolan lifted his gaze, hesitation still evident in those eyes. He shook his head. “No need to.”

Lucian settled in his seat, and so did Ayen. They fell silent in case the esper answered the phone. A few minutes had passed; no one was still answering.

Lucian exhaled, looking tense. Ayen’s expression remained indifferent, but his mind was also thinking of the possibilities.

Nolan placed his phone beside his ears, fidgeting with the quilt in his fingers. Suddenly, he bit his lips and dropped his head.

“It’s me…” Nolan spoke in a low tone.

The esper finally answered.

They could not hear his voice and could only look at Nolan’s face to guess how their conversation was going.

Nolan merely listened, not saying anything for a minute or two.

“I guessed as much,” Nolan said after a while, then he chuckled, but there was no humor within them. He bit his lips and put his palm on his forehead.

“Come in secret. I don’t want to… Can you just… Please? This is what I want. Listen to me.” Nolan gritted his teeth and suddenly exclaimed a little louder. “Don’t speak nonsense! If you’ll come to insist about that again, then don’t come!”

Nolan hung up and put down his phone, gasping for breath. He buried his face in his palm. No one spoke. Lucian, who appeared to be the biggest gossipmonger, also did not ask.

Nolan took a deep breath and looked up. The corners of his eyes were red, but there were no tears. It looked like he suppressed them.

“I’m sorry you witnessed such a drama.” Nolan forced himself to smile, but his eyes could not lie.

“You can rest first.” Ayen stood up from his seat and walked towards the bed. Without saying anything, he helped Nolan lie down again and put the thick quilt to cover his body.

“Thank you,” Nolan murmured. “To you both.”

Ayen nodded. He was not used to such conversations, and he could only respond as such. Nolan was too tired to continue anymore, and he quickly fell asleep.

They could not stay there and had to leave and return to their room. After confirming Nolan was truly asleep, Ayen left with Lucian.

“I have something I forgot.”

“Huh?” Lucian was already inside the elevator.

Ayen waved his hand. “You returned first.”

He turned around; Lucian could only watch him until the elevator door closed.

Ayen lied. He did not forget something. Since he was not holding anything but Nolan’s bag. He went into one of the empty guiding rooms. He did not go fully inside but sat just by the door.

He had always stressed to Devion and Khal that unless something was urgent, they could only send him a message through the normal channel.

Spending a great amount of mana core to send a simple message was a waste. He had wanted to convince him that it was the real reason.

However, he was aware that it was merely an excuse.

He simply did not want to be more dependent on them. Ayen was afraid that everything would go out of his control, and he began to center his world on them.

He chose to distance himself from them despite his whole being urging him to stay.

Ayen did not think he liked them, or either one of them. It was too soon, and his heart was not yet opened to something like that.

One thing he could openly admit was that he liked their company. For Ayen, who only relied on himself, he found that he could depend on them, and it was scary.

The thought of him depending on others was scary. He was afraid that once they found another guide that was able to sense their wavelengths, he would be abandoned again.

And everything would return to what it used to be, but Ayen was not the same anymore. He might find it hard to continue adapting to such a life, to only rely on himself.

It was terrifying.

And yet here he was, contacting the two and wanting to hear their voices. The compatibility pull and his own deepest desire had merged at this moment.

Ayen could not stop himself as if he were under the influence of the backlash again. Which was impossible, as he had yet to guide the two.

This was not the first time this urge had sprouted inside of him. These past few days, as he passed by the guiding rooms, Ayen would inevitably think of the two.

Had he become addicted to such a sensation? Ayen wanted to ask Lucian and Nolan about this, but he hesitated each time.

Ayen suddenly did not want to share his experience, becoming possessive of such moments. It was crazy. He was becoming insane.

And the barely suppressed emotions suddenly emerged while watching Nolan converse with his esper.

Ayen suddenly wanted to call them, which led to this situation.

The call was not answered immediately. Ayen almost scolded himself. What was he doing? The two must be so busy, and he was bothering them.

His rationality was still there, and yet he did not hang up. He waited for the answer.

Only a few rings when it was answered.

[He… wait?] It was Devion’s song, and there were movements. [I checked. Ayen? Is this really you?] His disbelief almost made Ayen smile, and he bit his lip.

[Who?] Khal’s voice sounded beside Devion.

[Ayen, look. It’s him, right?] Devion sounded, seemingly, to pass the phone to Khal. [Did something happen, Ayen?] Khal asked, his voice closer to his ears.

“Hello,” Ayen spoke after a while.

There was a silence, then a curse. Khal’s chuckle was then heard.

Ayen subconsciously bit his lips, heat appearing on his cheeks.

He missed them… really missed them.

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