That very night, in the quiet observation room, Zephyr's eyelashes fluttered faintly.
Lost in a dream, his fingers trembled slightly, but his eyes remained shut.
Amidst the darkness of his unconscious mind, a gentle voice echoed all around.
"Oh, pitiful child... you have been selected by the Gaya System as one of the chosen."
"Congratulations, Zephyr. Your journey has begun late, but it has begun nonetheless."
A radiant golden light burst forth from far above, illuminating his solitary figure and cutting through the surrounding darkness of his dream with a soft, comforting glow.
The voice spoke again—neither male nor female, just calm, soothing, and gentle.
"As a chosen one, you have been granted a Gaya Skill. But remember, unlike the others, you, Zephyr, are very special. Your rank will remain hidden from all prying eyes, except for those you choose to reveal it to."
Zephyr looked up, his eyes blank.
He didn't even see the golden light.
His mind was still reeling from the shock, so he had yet to recall what had happened in the prison—how his body had been torn apart, and how he had found his salvation.
"Who…?"
The word echoed in the darkness, fading in an instant as he reached out blindly, trying to uncover the identity behind the voice.
Anyway, had any other Chosen One heard the Gaya System speak in such an absurdly gentle tone, they'd have called it two-faced!
For them, it had coldly announced their selection as Chosen Ones, delivered the details of their Gaya Skill like a machine!
Then vanished without another word!
But with Zephyr, it was different.
He was being given special treatment!
Gaya spoke again.
"Who am I? I am someone far away… yet always with you. I am now transmitting the information about all your skills and special ability directly into your mind. Your current intelligence is low, so it will take time for you to fully understand and master them."
Zephyr blinked, confused.
Normally, he could at least sense the faint, shadowy presence of anyone nearby—but this time, there was nothing. Really.
Just absolute emptiness.
Then, without warning, a sharp pain shot through his head as the information Gaya had promised began flooding into his mind.
His unconscious body trembled on the hospital bed. And just before the voice faded, it left him with one final, cryptic message—stranger than all the rest.
"Child, maybe you were granted so much power because you are not greedy. Just cherish your life and don't throw it away."
After several long minutes of intense pain, Zephyr's eyes snapped open. He gasped, clutching his pounding head. His sudden movement caused him to fall off the bed, hitting the floor with a soft thud.
Disoriented, he hurriedly fumbled around, trying to make sense of his surroundings.
But as he used the bed to steady himself and rose to his feet, he felt it—his body…
It was quite different.
"Huh...?"
Though he was blind, he could sense it.
His perspective was taller than before.
His muscles felt more defined.
He quickly touched his face and let out a quiet sigh. That seemed to be the same.
"What's going on?"
Then, like a sudden wave, the memories of what had happened before he fainted came flooding back. He hissed as another sharp throb pulsed through his head.
The earlier pain had only just subsided, leaving his mind overwhelmed with too much information all at once.
Right—his body was torn apart.
Nothing had been left of him.
He remembered it clearly.
So how was he standing now?
How had he recovered?
Did the beautifully warm person who grabbed his hand somehow heal him?
And if so—where were they?
Did they leave after saving him?
No… no, he couldn't let that happen.
He had to find them.
Zephyr didn't even try to process the knowledge flooding his mind, let alone register the fact that he had awakened.
Instead, he rushed off blindly in a random direction—only to stumble when his lower body collided with another bed nearby. The curtain separating his bed from the other tore from its hooks and fell to the floor.
His blank eyes caught a faint shadow beneath him, and for some reason, it felt like his falling body had slowed down—so much so that, just before he could land on the figure lying in the bed, he managed to catch himself by grabbing the edge of the mattress, his heart pounding in panic.
"S-Sorry… sorry."
Yet, he got no response.
Awkwardly positioned, he tried to stand up but failed badly. He knew he shouldn't be touching someone without permission.
"Can you please help me?"
Zephyr spoke softly again, hoping for a reaction—but again, utter silence. Was he mistaken? Was there no one beneath him?
But then what about the shadow he had briefly caught? He finally turned his head.
At that exact moment, Lucien—who had finally been able to sleep like a dead man—opened his eyes, disturbed by the noise.
The shock on his face was indescribable when he found another face barely an inch from his own. What the hell—?! He froze, his fists instinctively clenching, ready to punch the perverted bastard hovering above him!
That's when he noticed the scar on the bastard's earlobe—and finally realized the man was Zephyr, the side character he had saved before fainting. Still, if the man dared to try anything funny with him, Lucien would absolutely punch him without hesitation!
Zephyr froze as well—but for an entirely different reason. The scent coming from whatever was beneath him was familiar... exactly like the one he remembered from the person who had saved him.
He parted his lips, about to speak—giving Lucien another tiny heart attack—but Lucien ended up staring at the man's lips instead, completely forgetting to punch him away.
Zephyr's voice snapped him out.
"Is that you?"
Lucien blinked. Who? What? Where? Why? His mind short-circuited. Then he held his breath as Zephyr leaned in even closer.
Fuck—was he about to lose his first kiss just like that? To a side character he'd just met? Okay, sure, Zephyr was handsome, but he definitely hadn't signed up for this shit!
Lucien squeezed his eyes shut, forgetting he could just push him away. Maybe—just maybe—some part of him was bracing for something. Something questionable. But what happened next left him deadpan.
Instead of a kiss…
Zephyr sniffed him.
Like a dog.
What the hell again—!?
Why was this side character sniffing him like a dog?? Suddenly, Zephyr's eyes lit up.
The familiar sweet scent of lavender and white tea—the one he had sensed before!
"It's really you."
Lucien finally shoved him back—though he held back his foul mouth, reminding himself he was in the presence of the one and only SSS-rank Esper in existence.
"Dude, ever heard of personal space?"