"You need me?" Cassiel hummed, one eyebrow raised in a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

He stood just a few feet from the door, watching as you staggered in, your breath ragged, each step heavy with exhaustion. His eyes skimmed over your disheveled form, scrapes, bruises, and blood.

As a guide, it was his responsibility to care for you after your missions, yet you had always turned him away. Always refused. But not today. Today, it was clear you couldn't handle it alone.

You were one of the few S-class espers left, a weapon for the country, constantly sent on missions that drained your body and mind. The idea of relying on anyone else, especially a guide, made you feel weak. Espers were supposed to remain in control, yet so many of them lost themselves, becoming nothing more than beasts, slaves to their own power. It disgusted you.

But the agency had its demands. They’d threatened to stop giving you missions if you didn’t accept a guide, and you couldn’t afford that, not with the weight of your responsibilities.

That’s how you ended up with Cassiel, an S-class guide from overseas. He’d been with you for months now, living under the same roof, yet you'd continued to push him away, relying on pills and sheer will to manage your setbacks.

Until now.

You’d been at an A-class gate for days, your power clawing at the edges of your control, every moment a struggle. But it wasn’t enough. You’d fought it for so long, but now—now you couldn’t keep it in anymore. You needed him.

Now.