Chapter 32: The Icy Embrace and a Reluctant Kiss

The current phenomenon was a stark contrast to the previous time, when only the small room in the old rectory had succumbed to the cold. Back then, it had merely coated the walls and ceiling.

This time, however, every single object within the house was not spared, trapped in an icy embrace. Even the small fragment of parchment resting on Yanis’s desk.

Even the candle that usually cast a warm glow in Yanis’s bedroom late at night was now frozen solid.

“Nothing…” Emil whispered, bewildered. “I didn’t feel anything at all.”

“This is quite serious,” Yanis observed.

Yanis replied with remarkable composure.

“Can you reverse it?”

He tried to recall the sensation he had learned with Yanis—that profound sense of peace, stability, and balance. Yet, it was no use.

Each time he attempted to focus, something felt fundamentally wrong, askew. As if to underscore Emil’s worsening state, a small pillar of ice erupted from his toes.

“Oh, no.”

Seeing the ice pillar, a wave of anxiety washed over him. He had been so certain he could manage it, but now he was only making things worse.

With every surge of Emil’s apprehension, the ice pillar grew incrementally larger. Soon, another small pillar of ice rose beside the first, which had already reached his knees.

“No, I hate this…”

Before the second pillar had fully formed, a third and then a fourth began to sprout, slowly but steadily. Emil’s breathing grew increasingly ragged.

The situation was relentlessly pushing him to the very edge of his control.

Unwanted ice pillars steadily encircled Emil. They would surely grow, he realized, until they completely encased him.

He would be trapped within a prison of his own making.

“No, no…”

Cold sweat trickled down his skin, yet Emil barely registered it. His only thought was to escape this suffocating predicament.

“Emil.”

“H-huh…”

Yanis gently drew Emil back to reality. He took hold of Emil’s shoulders and pulled him into a comforting embrace.

“Don’t worry,” Yanis murmured. “You haven’t fully mastered your power yet. It’s perfectly understandable.”

“But I’ve been fine recently…”

“Situations like this can arise at any time.”

Yanis calmly worked to soothe Emil. Though Yanis’s words offered little solace, his warm embrace felt remarkably comforting.

Leaning closer, Yanis whispered softly into Emil’s ear.

“This is precisely why Guides exist. Don’t be afraid.”

Yanis spoke tenderly, his hand slowly stroking Emil’s back. At his gentle touch, Emil’s shoulders gave a slight tremor, and he slowly exhaled, taking a deep breath.

By now, the tenth pillar was rising around Emil. Its growth had noticeably slowed, but the previously formed pillars showed no signs of disappearing.

A sudden realization struck Emil. While Guides, as Yanis had said, assisted Espers in controlling their abilities, Emil’s ultimate goal was not mere control.

He yearned to eradicate the power entirely. If he kept relying on Yanis, he might never be rid of it, instead needing constant assistance from other Guides.

“Open your mouth.”

The man’s voice jolted him back to full awareness. This wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted to accomplish this on his own.

He didn’t want the man’s help; he wanted to resolve this situation entirely with his own strength. Emil struggled to regain control of the chaos he had unleashed.

He couldn’t become like his mother, who, despite decades since her Esper awakening, still couldn’t manage her powers.

“Wait, Yanis.”

Yanis remained silent.

“Please, give me a chance.”

Emil swallowed his tears, pleading desperately. Although he was currently an Esper, his reason for seeking Yanis was to completely detach the ability from his body.

He couldn’t simply rely on Yanis every time such an incident occurred. Anxiously, Emil tried to make the ice pillars he had created disappear.

His will was formidable, yet it was insufficient to control the situation with his own power. As if mocking his efforts, the ice pillars only grew larger.

“Emil.”

“Oh, please.”

“Emil.”

“Please, I can do it.”

“Emil. It’s alright.”

Only then did Emil look up at Yanis. Just as desperate as Emil felt, Yanis too appeared to find this situation unbearable.

Perhaps, as a skilled Guide, Yanis truly understood Emil’s torment.

“Don’t try to shoulder too much.”

“I have no intention of causing you distress.”

“But, I…”

“Emil.”

Yanis called Emil’s name, his voice imbued with a newfound firmness. Hearing the tremor in it, Emil could no longer stubbornly resist.

‘Please, Emil.’

“Please, allow me to help you.”

Yanis made his request politely. Even after hearing him, Emil hesitated for a long moment. It was unbearable to think that he had messed up the man’s house so badly, and now he had to rely on his help once more to fix it.

Nevertheless, Emil had only one choice.

As Emil reluctantly parted his lips, the man’s tongue slipped inside.

“H-hnnn…”

The man’s tongue gently caressed the sensitive membranes inside his mouth. It slowly swept across his palate, then intertwined with Emil’s own tongue.

The soft, fleshy contact felt somewhat peculiar, yet it also brought a strange, ticklish sensation in his lower abdomen. The man’s long fingers threaded between Emil’s, intertwining their hands.

Their lips met and parted carefully several times. Just as the man’s tongue began to feel a little familiar, a wave of pleasure washed over Emil, accompanied by the familiar sense of tranquility.

‘Now,’ Emil thought, instinctively recognizing the moment. He pictured the normal state of the house, repeatedly visualizing his desired outcome.

Slowly, the interior of the house, once encased in ice, began to return to its original state. Emil could feel the characteristic chill receding.

Even as his surroundings transformed, Yanis continued to draw on Emil’s lips. The man’s hand slid around his waist, embracing his back, but Emil had no capacity to notice such details.

Yanis had completely enveloped Emil within his arms.

Whenever Yanis’s hand brushed against Emil’s waist or flank, Emil’s jaw would tremble subtly. He would try to open his eyes just a slit, eager to check the state of the ice.

But each time, the man’s face would fill his vision, compelling him to close his eyes once more.

After a considerable time, Yanis slowly released him. The man’s tongue withdrew from Emil’s mouth with agonizing slowness.

Only then could Emil finally look around.

“Ah…”

“Well done,” Yanis praised softly. “I knew you could do it.”

The house had returned to normal. Everything, that is, except for the ice pillars still standing before them.

****

Yanis didn’t hold Emil accountable for anything.

‘Do not worry,’ Yanis had said. ‘Losing control of your power is something that can happen. You’ve experienced it many times before.’

‘But there haven’t been any problems until now,’ Emil had countered.

‘You were on an upward trajectory. Didn’t you realize you used your power yourself this time? That alone signifies a change.’

‘Even so, I’m just too anxious…’

‘Humans are prone to making mistakes. Are not humans beings of sin? That is, if what you told me is correct.’

Yanis, surprisingly, had used religious doctrine to try and persuade him. While the man’s words held a certain logic, they did not entirely alleviate Emil’s unease.

Yanis offered Emil a cup of tea as he nervously scanned his surroundings. Sipping the warm beverage, Emil felt a slight easing of his tension.

He pondered why the ‘power’ had suddenly erupted, but no clear answer came to mind. One thing, however, was certain: if he couldn’t control it, problems would arise later.

His ordination ceremony was fast approaching. He had to completely eradicate his power before then.

Emil lay on his bed, lost in deep contemplation. Despite Yanis’s reassuring words, Emil couldn’t shake his worry.

Perhaps it was natural for Yanis to be optimistic; after all, it was Emil, not Yanis, who was to be ordained as a priest.

“I need another solution,” Emil murmured to himself.

He whispered it aloud, alone in his bed.

Yanis had gone to meet the Priest. He had mentioned that today was his last consultation. With his consultations, wedding preparations, and house calls, Yanis had been incredibly busy, so this would surely bring him some relief.

For Emil, it was a golden opportunity to seek help from Yanis.

Rising from his bed, he paced around the house, attempting to organize his thoughts. If only he had more time. What if he postponed the ordination?

Emil seriously considered delaying the ceremony. Though rare, some individuals did receive their ordination later, after graduation.

Ordinarily, ordinations were postponed during wartime, in times of national crisis, or when a candidate was too ill to move. However, it was far too late to claim illness now.

Sending a letter to the diocese and receiving a reply would take at least two weeks.

The cathedral was already preparing for his ordination. While larger cities held ordination ceremonies almost every year, it was rare for a small village like Calley to host one.

As far as Emil knew, this would be the first in decades.

Returning to the village after graduation to hold the ordination was also intended to showcase this sacred and special event to everyone. The ordination wasn’t just significant for Emil alone.

The villagers had been eagerly awaiting it, treating it like a festival. To postpone the ordination now would cause immense disappointment.

Emil’s gaze drifted to the ice pillars. He would often reflect on them, seeing the pillars near the entrance as a symbol of his penitence.

‘Had not ignorance and idleness allowed this problem to grow so large?’ he wondered.

People who came to Yanis for consultations would stare bewildered at the sudden ice pillars, asking what they were. They gazed at the pillars that had erupted inside the house with curious eyes.

“Then, after all…”

There was only one way. He had to erase this mysterious power from his body, no matter what.