The Last Esper [BL]
Chapter 25: Fragments of truth

Chapter 25: Fragments of truth

The door opened with a slight creak.

Rhys reacted instantly. Still numb from sleep, he propped himself up partially on one elbow, his sharp gaze fixed on the entrance.

Eun-woo woke up too. He blinked slowly, disoriented, still wrapped in the warmth of Rhys’s body and the swaying of the fan.

In front of them, Caelan’s figure appeared out of the darkness, followed by Milo and Gunnar. They moved forward slowly but surely, crossing the threshold without raising their voices or turning on the light.

At the sight of them, Rhys exhaled a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.

Caelan raised a hand in a sign of peace. Milo stopped just behind him, his face serious, his eyes fixed on Rhys and Eun-woo, silently assessing the scene. Beside him, Gunnar kept his eyes glued to Eun-woo, observing him with a mixture of bewilderment and curiosity.

Milo took a step forward.

"We want to talk to him," he said, subtly pointing at Eun-woo. "Alone."

Gunnar nodded slightly.

Rhys frowned, as if his body hadn’t quite accepted the idea. Then he turned to Eun-woo and gently stroked his arm.

"Do you want me to stay with you?"

Eun-woo looked at him calmly, his eyes still somewhat sleepy but confident.

"I’ll be okay. Really."

Rhys hesitated.

His eyes moved from Milo to Gunnar, silently assessing them. There was no threat in their stance, no edge in their gestures. And yet, the idea of leaving Eun-woo was almost unthinkable.

He pressed his lips together, swallowed, and with one last touch to Eun-woo’s arm, forced himself out of bed. He took a step, then another, like someone reluctantly saying goodbye, and walked toward the door.

Caelan waited for him on the other side. Together they crossed the threshold, and before closing it completely, Rhys left the door slightly ajar, as if he wanted to keep a crack through which to continue watching over him.

Eun-woo remained sitting on the mattress, the blanket still covering his legs. The room was dim, lit only by the slivers of outside light filtering through the blinds.

Milo and Gunnar didn’t move immediately. They watched him. Not with suspicion, but with genuine surprise.

"He doesn’t look like the others," Gunnar murmured.

"No. The other Espers... just looking at them made you feel scared. This kid..."

"It’s different," Gunnar finished.

Eun-woo looked down. His hands fiddled with the edge of the blanket, uncomfortably.

Milo stepped forward, crouching down to his level.

"What do you know about yourself, Eun-woo?"

The question took Eun-woo by surprise. He blinked a few times, unsure of what to say.

"Nothing," he admitted. "They never told me who I was."

Milo and Gunnar exchanged a quick glance.

"You really don’t know what being an Esper means?"

Eun-woo shook his head.

"I’ve never heard that word before. I only know about the Guides."

Gunnar frowned.

"Who told you about the Guides?"

"A while ago, some strangers tried to... hurt me. A Man in White told me they were Guides and were dangerous. He said I should stay away from them."

"They tried to forcibly bond with you." Milo sat up slowly.

Eun-woo looked up, but didn’t respond immediately.

His gaze clouded over, lost in a memory he wished he could forget. He saw the shadows above him again, the hands holding him by the arms and legs, the weight of several bodies preventing him from moving. He remembered the clumsy fingers trying to remove his clothes, the cold of the floor against his back, and the panic closing his throat.

A shudder ran through his skin.

"I don’t know exactly what that means," he said. "But... I think I have an inkling."

There was a brief silence.

Milo encouraged him with a gesture.

"What do you sense?"

Eun-woo placed a hand on his chest, then looked down, embarrassed.

"Bonding is when I want to be close to someone...," he confessed. "Really close. Without... clothes."

Both men looked at him. The silence stretched for a second longer than it should have, until Gunnar burst out laughing. Milo followed shortly after.

Eun-woo blinked in bewilderment at their expressions, not understanding if he had said something wrong.

"Guess you’re not totally in the dark after all." Milo said, still smiling.

"Yeah, that’s a pretty important part of the bond," Gunnar added, scratching the back of his neck.

Eun-woo watched them, confused, not knowing whether to laugh or be more embarrassed.

He thought back to the times he and Rhys had showered in silence, the steam fogging the walls and the water running between their bodies. He remembered Rhys’s profile in the dim light, his scarred skin, and the serene rhythm of his movements.

Eun-woo had felt the urge to touch him more than once, to run his fingertips along the lines of his shoulders, his back, and his chest. But he always stopped himself in time. Something inside him told him he shouldn’t, that it wasn’t the right time, that maybe it wasn’t right.

And then there was the kiss, the one he’d given him after closing the Rift.

Eun-woo had never kissed anyone before. He didn’t know how to do it, or if he’d done it right. It was just that seeing Rhys there, breathing heavily but alive, something in his chest ignited and compelled him to act.

It was a necessity.

As if his body knew what the rest of him didn’t yet understand.

He came to when he noticed that Milo and Gunnar were still laughing, although more restrained now.

Milo cleared his throat and adopted a more serious tone.

"Listen, Eun-woo. You’re an Esper. Your body and mind have the ability to channel energy. Energy that’s not of this world. That comes from the Rifts."

He paused for a moment, giving Eun-woo space to process it.

"That energy," Milo continued, "is what makes you stronger than an ordinary human. More resilient. That’s why your body endures more, adapts more quickly, and why you feel things that others don’t. Physical, mental, even emotional reactions that you won’t always be able to control."

Gunnar crossed his arms and spoke in a deep but patient voice.

"The Rifts are tears between our world and something else. Something we don’t fully understand, but it’s there, lurking. The creature you saw today emerged from one of them." His eyes fixed on Eun-woo, as if gauging every reaction. "You’re connected to it. Not by choice, but by nature. You feel it in your skin, in your chest, whenever something draws near. Like an echo. But that link is also a danger."

"That’s why Guides exist," Milo nodded. "Guides are people who can stabilize that energy, contain it. Without a Guide, it’s like your body is a dam about to burst. Sooner or later, the pressure finds a way out. And it does so violently."

Gunnar leaned forward.

"A bond with a Guide isn’t just any relationship. It’s physical, mental, and emotional. A fusion so powerful that it can disrupt both if not formed properly."

Eun-woo silently absorbed the information, without taking his eyes off the two men.

"Does that mean I’m dangerous?"

Both men remained silent.

Gunnar was the first to speak:

"Yes. You are."

Milo nodded.

"Especially now with no one to keep that power in check. But that doesn’t mean you’re a threat. It’s just that the power you have needs care. And someone who doesn’t fear it."

Eun-woo looked down, his fingers playing with the hem of the blanket. The silence stretched for a moment before he looked up again, his eyebrows furrowed in an expression of genuine doubt.

"If I bond with someone..." he asked quietly, "would that person be in danger?"

"Yes," Milo sat down on the mattress, facing him. "Creatures that cross the Rifts can sense the bond. If they want to hurt you, they’ll attack your Guide first. It’s their way of weakening you."

Eun-woo swallowed. His eyes darkened with the shadow of a new fear.

"But don’t worry," Milo added, softening his tone. "Your strength will be theirs as well. By bonding with you, your Guide will share part of your strength. Maybe not as much as yours, but enough to protect themselves. More stamina, more agility... a kind of natural synchronicity."

"As long as they have a good relationship," Gunnar nodded from his corner, crossing his arms. "As long as they understand and balance each other, they’ll be fine. That’s what makes a bond work: connection. Not power."

Eun-woo listened to them silently, without moving, as if the words were beginning to rearrange something inside him.

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