* * *
“What is it?”
“This spot here—it looks strange.”
“…?”
Raon walked over to where Mikhail was pointing, crouched near the wall.
He gestured at a section near the floor.
Just as he’d said, the area seemed to have partially collapsed.
When Raon moved aside the awkwardly stacked stones, a hollow passage was revealed behind them.
“So there was a passage here.”
It must’ve gotten blocked by falling stones as water filled the chamber.
Thankfully, the rocks were loose enough to clear by hand, and the entrance soon opened up.
“But can we even fit through there?”
“Hm…”
The passage was barely wide enough for one person.
It looked exactly like what people call a “dog hole.”
Raon stared, uncertain, and Mikhail let out a low groan as if just as dismayed.
“I think we could crawl through…”
“Crawl through? Like, on our stomachs?”
“Yes.”
“Ha…”
Mikhail, who had clearly lived a refined life, visibly trembled at the idea.
Raon gave him a slow, deliberate once-over.
His hair was soaked and a mess now, but usually not a single strand was out of place.
Even though he was wearing combat gear instead of his usual suit, it still clung perfectly to his broad, solid frame, giving him a surprisingly sharp look.
This man, born different from the rest—an English aristocrat by blood, and, rumor had it, a descendant of Russia’s last royal family—was now being told to crawl through a tiny hole like a dog.
Of course his pride would be wounded.
No matter how many gates he’d been through, he’d probably never had to deal with this.
But Raon had no intention of backing down.
This underwater cave system, deep beneath the ocean, felt unstable.
If they tried to widen the tunnel, who knew what might happen to the structure?
Instead, Raon met Mikhail’s gaze boldly.
“Hoo… fine. Guess we have no choice.”
Eventually, Mikhail relented with a sigh and nodded.
Since Raon had the smaller build, he went first.
The passage was tight—he had to flatten himself completely and crawl using his elbows.
It faintly reminded him of military training before he’d been possessed.
“Ugh.”
He finally reached the other side and pushed himself up.
Thankfully, the tunnel wasn’t very long.
Drip. Drip.
“Huh?”
He heard the soft sound of water droplets falling somewhere. Was water starting to seep in?
Raon quickly looked up, a chill creeping over him.
If the place flooded and Siwoo or Hamin weren’t around, there’d be no way to escape.
“……!”
But what he saw was nothing like what he expected.
The space was smaller than the previous chamber, though its structure was similar.
What stood out was a strange, round object attached to the ceiling.
It looked like a massive light fixture, glowing far more brightly than the other luminous stones in the cave.
Raon swallowed hard, tense without realizing it.
Water droplets were falling from the sphere.
Though “water droplets” might not even be the right term—they seemed to contain light, seeping into the floor as they fell.
‘Is that what’s making the stones glow?’
It must be the reason the stones embedded in the cave walls emitted light.
But something about the orb felt… wrong.
A strange, creeping unease wrapped around him as he clenched his trembling fists.
‘Don’t tell me those glowing stones are…’
Back in his world, luminous stones—so-called “night pearls”—glowed because of radiation.
This might be a gate, and the laws of nature could be different, but structurally it looked too similar to ignore.
Even if it wasn’t radioactive, it could be something just as dangerous.
“Ugh, what is that thing?”
“Mikhail!”
“Hm?”
“That thing—it’s going to blow!”
“What?”
Mikhail looked utterly confused as Raon suddenly grabbed his arm, shouting.
“We have to—!”
But there was no time.
Raon’s instincts were screaming at him—something was about to happen.
Right on cue, the massive orb began to hum ominously.
“Mikhail!”
“Got it!”
Only then did Mikhail realize the gravity of the situation and reach out his hand.
He pulled Raon into a tight embrace, preparing for the worst.
In the next instant, a luminous bomb burst open with a pop, flooding the area with a dazzling light.
“Urgh…!”
Who would’ve thought there’d be a bomb waiting in a place he’d wandered into by chance?
Raon squeezed his eyes shut against the blinding light and instinctively clung to Mikhail.
Whether it was the bomb or the aftermath, their bodies kept trembling. Mikhail, pressed up against him, let out a stifled groan.
‘Boom. Rumble. Rrrrrumble.’
“Ah.”
Raon opened his eyes slightly at the thunderous sound.
From Mikhail’s hand, something black had materialized—it was sucking in the remnants of the bomb.
Raon’s eyes widened in disbelief at the familiar yet shocking power.
Mikhail, who controlled gravity, could create small black holes.
Even among high-classing Espers, that was an extremely rare ability.
Yet Mikhail could do it.
These miniature black holes were immensely helpful in combat, swallowing anything in their path—but they didn’t distinguish between ally and enemy.
And if the black hole grew too large, it became too unstable even for Mikhail to handle.
It wasn’t a power he used lightly.
He usually avoided using it altogether, concealing the extent of his abilities.
In fact, Raon had only seen it once—during the Irregular Gate incident, before he regressed.
“Huff, haah…”
Having absorbed all the bomb’s energy, Mikhail let out ragged breaths.
The black hole had been small and disappeared quickly, but it seemed even that had caused a significant drop in his contamination level.
“Are you alright?”
“Urgh… I’m fine…”
“I’ll guide you.”
“…!”
Without hesitation, Raon took his hand.
Jaime had once mentioned how hard it was to find a guide whose wavelengths matched—he always had to go it alone.
It had to be the same for Mikhail.
His ability was just as rare as healing.
Even if their resonance wasn’t perfect, Raon—an S-Class Guide—figured he could manage some level of guidance.
So he grabbed Mikhail’s hand without a second thought.
The moment their palms touched, a jolt of electricity zipped across his skin.
Startled, Raon looked up at Mikhail.
“Just how high is your contamination level?”
“That’s…”
It felt just like the first time he’d guided Siwoo.
No—maybe even worse now, since Mikhail had just created a black hole.
Raon’s gaze filled with disbelief, but Mikhail clenched his teeth and looked away.
“I’m keeping it under control… just enough to avoid going berserk. It’s fine.”
“You call this fine?”
“Urgh… It’s pointless anyway, so let go.”
Mikhail tried to pull his hand away, but Raon only gripped tighter.
Though his words said let go, he couldn’t bring himself to pull away as soon as the guiding energy started flowing.
Instead, his hand trembled uncontrollably.
“I told you… it’s pointless—ugh.”
“Just stay still for a moment.”
Raon clicked his tongue at Mikhail’s stubbornness, like he was dealing with a child.
How could he be walking around in this state, pretending everything was fine?
He couldn’t understand the Union, nor Mikhail’s choices.
But… hadn’t he seemed in better condition before the regression?
Or had he just been pretending to be okay back then too?
Raon couldn’t be sure.
He’d never guided Mikhail directly before.
“This is… how…?”
“See? I told you. Just wait a little.”
“….”
Mikhail’s eyes widened in disbelief.
No wonder—he had never been able to find a compatible guide, even within the Union.
He had every reason not to trust the process.
Even when they’d argued during that reverse-guiding incident, he likely hadn’t felt any resonance.
But Raon’s guiding didn’t rely on wavelength alone.
With Siwoo, their match was so perfect that subtlety wasn’t even necessary.
But for Espers like Mikhail, Raon had trained himself to continuously adjust his guiding energy to sync with even the most incompatible Espers.
That effort was finally paying off.
“Just hold on a bit longer. I can’t see your exact contamination levels, but I can feel them steadily…”
“….”
“Mikhail Esper?”
Out of habit, Raon glanced at his watch—but since Mikhail was a Union Esper, no readouts appeared.
He looked back up when Mikhail didn’t respond—only to meet a pair of burning blue eyes, alight with intensity.
“Urk!”
Raon’s back hit the wall with a thud.
Mikhail had grabbed his shoulders and shoved him back.
The look in Mikhail’s eyes as he stared down at him was anything but calm.
“Mikhail Esper—ugh! Step back!”
“…Haah.”
“Mikhail Esper!”
Raon raised his hands and pushed against Mikhail with all his strength, but the man didn’t budge.
They were both S-Class, but that meant little—Raon was a guide, Mikhail an Esper.
His resistance wouldn’t mean anything to someone who had lost control.
Things like “Guide Protection Laws” only applied when the Esper was in their right mind.
Right now, Mikhail’s eyes were completely gone.
For the first time since becoming a guide, Raon felt utterly powerless.
He couldn’t move.
Couldn’t stop what was about to happen.
Mikhail grabbed his chin roughly, and Raon shut his eyes.
And in that moment, one name surfaced in his mind.
‘Siwoo.’
It’s just guiding.
Even if it’s forced, it’s still in service of saving the world.
So why…
Why, at this moment of all times, is Siwoo the one I think of?
He could feel Mikhail’s hot breath just inches away, and he gritted his teeth.
Bang!
At that exact moment, the entire containment dome around them shuddered violently.
* * *
