When Kenneth got back to the dorms, he didn't bother checking the room like he usually did whenever he went out. He slammed the door shut and flung his bedroom door open brusquely.
His entire body felt like it was on fire, and the feeling only amplified whenever Lucien's face would cross his mind. "What the fuck?" He muttered as he removed his clothes, as if his life depended on it.
But even with the light breeze that brushed over his naked body, Kenneth still felt like his skin was on the verge of burning off. It wasn't so much a painful feeling as it was uncomfortable. It was the same sensation you would get after being burned, and your body becomes numb from the pain; all you can feel is a sting. Like your body is trying to tell you you are in pain, but your brain won't let you feel it. It was hell, but it was a bearable hell.
He walked up to the full-length mirror in his room, unnerved by the man looking back at him. There was nothing noticeable on his face or body, at least not at first. He looked the same as he had when he'd left this morning. There were no cuts, bruises, lacerations, or anything that could explain how he felt like he was being flambéd in real time. The dull ache he felt at the pit of his stomach was ever the more present. So what was happening to him? As he touched his body, looking for anything amiss, he saw something in the mirror. His eyes widened as he noticed how red they'd gotten, almost as if they were glowing. Not only that, but there was a faint halo of light surrounding his body.
Kenneth was a hundred percent sure he was seeing things. The pain was more severe than he'd initially thought and was causing him to become delirious. That was the only explanation for this. Right?
"Yeah," he chuckled drily. "That's gotta be it."
Before he could have the time to convince himself he was seeing things, the energy inside his body exploded, rippling through his nerves, coming forth with a momentum that would leave the strongest, most stoic of men stunned. It was as if shards of light had burst through a well-kept glass, broken into a tiny million pieces from the pressure alone.
Kenneth would've found it beautiful had he not been momentarily paralyzed by the sharp aura that was coiling around his body like a serpent looking to choke out its prey.
His reaction was almost immediate as a startled yelp escaped his lips. Kenneth had never been startled before. Not once. But when faced with such an unprecedented situation, it would be strange if he didn't react.
Kenneth Sanchez was a man of science, even if he didn't understand it most of the time. He knew technology had advanced at alarmingly fast levels, but this was something he couldn't comprehend. It was akin to magic. How could a human body emit such a bright light?! Was this the same aura he'd seen around Lucien and Alexandria before?
Lucien…speaking of Lucien. Thinking of the dark-haired annoyance made his energy flare up even more.
Kenneth started to panic. "W-What is this?!"
He had no choice; he needed to call for some reinforcements. He didn't know what this was, but it couldn't be anything good. And so he called out to his V Watch and called the one person he knew would understand what was happening to him.
"Send a message to Fae Martin. Tell her it's urgent!" He yelled.
~*~
"Uh, Kenneth, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough around me that you can show yourself in a state of undress like that, but I feel for the sake of our friendship…you should put something on."
Kenneth glanced down, realizing he was butt-naked in front of her. Fae, a woman. He cursed under his breath. His skin was so unbelievably hot that he'd forgotten he'd taken them off. He quickly excused himself and came back out once he was fully clothed.
Fae offered him a smile, though it was an awkward one. Though Kenneth felt bad that she had to see that, he had more pressing issues at the moment, and Fae could see that.
Her shy smile vanished and was replaced with concern. "What's going on, Kenneth?" She asked.
He frowned. He didn't have a response to that, mostly because he didn't know how to respond. How could he tell her what's going on, when even he didn't know?
Fae's brown eyes swept across his face before moving down to his body. She could see the faint ring of light around him and sighed. Her reaction made Kenneth sit up straight.
They'd moved to the living room after Kenneth's little "accident". Fae was holding a bottle of water he'd offered her after taking a seat. Neither had spoken much, at least not until now.
"Do you…remember the conversation we had the other day?"
Kenneth knew what she was referring to without having to be told. He nodded.
Fas pursed her lips. "Well, I wasn't being completely honest…that thing you're experiencing isn't just adrenaline or nerves—well, not completely anyway."
No shit, Kenneth thought to himself. "What is it then?"
"….It's something called Projection, or it would be more accurate to call it projecting. It's an instinctive, semi-conscious reaction anchors have when they encounter a compatible Striker." She said in a low voice.
Projecting? Instinctive? Compatible? The words rang in his head, repeating in a loop like an annoying song you couldn't get out of your head.
"What does that mean exactly?"
"It means exactly what I said. It's something we do, sort of like a resonance we form when we meet someone we deem compatible enough to meet our expectations as anchors. It's usually something anchors feel first. We don't always realize it, at least not in the beginning, until it starts to affect us physically."
Kenneth blinked, unable to process what he was hearing. Fae bit her lip before putting down the bottle on the table in front of her and leaning forward. Her face softened as she looked at Kenneth.
"You said you were feeling agitated, your heart would race, you'd feel a spike…did you always feel this urge to challenge another Striker?"
The young man nodded slowly, recalling all those times he'd felt a rush whenever he was around Lucien, wanting badly to fight him, to tear him down.
Don't tell me—
"It's a defensive mechanism we have," Fae said.
His brows lifted. "A defensive mechanism? against what?" He asked incredulously.
"Against a Striker. If we sense a Striker whose energy overwhelms or deeply resonates with us, our body instinctively raises emotional "walls.""
Kenneth frowned, feeling more confused than before. "How is that even possible? How could my body know I've met a compatible Striker? Don't the tests decide that?"
Fae shrugged in response. "I don't know, I've never experienced it myself, but I have read about it. Maybe this is something you should ask Instructor Barnes about, or maybe you should pay the anchoring Centre a visit."
Kenneth was at a loss, but Fae made a good point. There was no use mulling over something like this when he could get some help as well as some answers.
Fae watched Kenneth closely, her gaze steady yet gentle, as if she were waiting for him to piece things together on his own. When he didn't, she decided to nudge him along.
"When did you start feeling like this?" she asked quietly.
Kenneth opened his mouth, then hesitated. His fingers twitched against his knee. The real answer hovered at the tip of his tongue, the moment he first saw Lucien. The dark-haired Captain, wielding his sword, his movements precise, body in complete sync with his weapon as if it were an extension of himself. His pale eyes so completely focused in his space, it caused an itch Kenneth hadn't realized was there, one he desperately wanted to scratch. He'd lost control in that moment and let out his bloodlust. Kenneth had felt it then, a strange pull he couldn't explain. But he wasn't about to admit that. Not to Fae, not yet.
"Recently," he said instead, scratching the back of his neck. "It just… started happening, I guess."
Fae tilted her head, her expression unreadable for a moment before she gave a slow nod. "Maybe there's a Striker who's caught your attention lately. Sometimes, the reaction's stronger if your energy's already tuned to someone specific. Knowing who it might be could help the Centre narrow things down during testing."
Her voice was calm and measured, but Kenneth could tell she was studying him carefully.
He hesitated, his chest tightening as he thought of Lucien again. The memory of those blue-grey eyes. Cold, assessing, and yet strangely magnetic, flashed in his mind. He wanted to deny it, to brush off the thought entirely, but lying to Fae felt pointless.
"There… might be someone," he admitted finally, avoiding her gaze.
Fae raised an eyebrow but didn't press. "That's good. Having a lead will help. Do you mind telling me who that is?" She asked, her voice soft and soothing to the ears.
Kenneth glanced at her, saw the faint curiosity she was trying and failing to hide. The way her fingers tightened around her water bottle made him sigh. She was being polite about it, but she was dying to know.
"It's Lucien," he muttered.
Fae blinked. "Lucien?" she repeated, as if making sure she heard correctly. "Wait—you mean Lucien Saint-James?"
Her voice rose an octave, her composure slipping for the first time since she'd arrived. "As in the Third Division Captain Lucien Saint-James?"
Kenneth grimaced but nodded.
Fae's eyes went wide. "Oh, fuck."
Kenneth's head snapped up, startled. He'd never once heard her swear. Not even when Yoosung and Andrei would give her shit during training.
"Kenneth, I don't think this is something you can take lightly. You're going to have to go to the Centre, and soon. I don't know how long the projecting phase lasts, but it can't be good for your body to be under this constant strain."
He suspected as much. "Don't you think it'd be better to wait for our results first? Then worry about this projecting thing?"
Fae's normally sweet and angelic face twisted with disapproval. Kenneth didn't know why, but he didn't like being on the other end of that look. "Do you think you'll be able to handle this for another six days?"
Kenneth thought about it.
He'd been through a lot over the past two decades. He was certain he'd be able to make it through the next six days, no matter how long and excruciating they might be. But then he thought about having to go to class as well as training, and his own personal workouts having to feel like a piece of meat flayed on a cast iron skillet.
Not to mention the glowing light around him. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place.
He sighed. Yeah, there's no way in hell I'm going to make it.
"Guess it's time to pay the anchoring Centre a visit."