NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5: The Union
When Lane opened up his eyes the next day at noon, he was greeted by a somewhat familiar sight - Noah Murray's bedroom, which he recognized from the young man's memories. He was lying on the bed, just as he requested.
Of course, that wasn't much of a surprise. Noah couldn't disobey his orders - he was under hypnosis, after all. But there always could be some unforeseen circumstances, such as other people getting in the way.
Even though everything went according to the plan, Lane still was not happy at all.
That was because his head hurt so much it felt as if it was going to split.
After all the drinking, Noah ended up with a massive hangover. Which now was left for Lane to experience.
"Fucking hell…" Lane groaned, massaging his temples. "I should have waited a day or something…"
But what was done was done. There was no point switching back now - after all, he couldn't leave any instructions to prepare for a comfortable possession without meeting Noah in person again. Not to mention, it could be inconvenient if Noah were to discover the spacial bag - who knows what he would do with it before Lane possessed him again?
Still, Lane had no intention to suffer the consequences of Noah's excessive drinking. Pressing two fingers on his forehead, he activated his healing ability. Although it wasn't a particularly powerful one - the Esper he stole it from was merely a C-ranker - it was at least enough to alleviate the pain.
Once he managed to get himself to a functional state, he dragged himself out of bed. There was a busy day ahead of him, after all.
Munching on some snacks found in the cupboard in the kitchen, Lane quickly went through all the notes Noah had prepared for him on his laptop. There was quite a lot of it - Noah did his homework diligently, writing down all the tiny details he could possibly think of. It was way too much for Lane to bother to memorize it all.
Starting with his uni schedule. Noah had two lectures in the afternoon… But, naturally, Lane had no intentions to go. He tossed all of the information about Noah's major aside.
He took over his identity to change his life, not to lead the same boring existence!
Besides, 'Noah' just had his 'awakening' as a Guide. After becoming one of the Awakened, who in their right mind would still care about their major they were not even particularly good at? Certainly not La… I mean, 'Noah Murray'.
Instead of doing something pointless such as continuing his studies, Lane got dressed - while complaining about Noah's fashion sense - and headed out.
***
The Guide Union
By Guides, for Guides
Working toward a better tomorrow!
The big signs above the entrance announced proudly.
Lane glanced at them briefly, before lowering his eyes in annoyance, holding himself back from clicking his tongue. The slogans got on his nerves no matter how many times he saw them. As an Esper, he had a natural aversion to the Guide Union.
All the Espers, as well as the government, did. The Guide Union prioritized the Guides, practically putting them on the pedestal, after all.
It has been eight years since it was established, after the massive wave of Guide strikes that happened worldwide. After the Gates and the Awakened appeared, all the Guides were quickly claimed by the government, becoming pretty much public property. They were exploited by the government, then frequently physically and sexually assaulted by the Espers, only to be exploited by the government some more. Unlike Espers, they didn't have a strong physique or any powerful abilities, so they appeared rather helpless…
But they were indispensable. When they finally became fed up with the situation and refused to cooperate, the world quickly fell into chaos.
Without Guides, Espers couldn't use their abilities, or they would go on a rampage and become even worse than the monsters from dungeons. But they had to use their abilities and fight, or else the dungeons would overflow with monsters, causing the monsters to escape through the Gates and flood the streets…
So, the government had no choice but to surrender and accept all the Guides' demands.
From then on, the Union assisted all the Guides. While all Guides were still required to register with the government - all the Awakened did - they could choose the path they wanted to take afterward. Whether they wanted to join the Awakened Association - that is, the government organization employing the Awakened, join one of the Guilds, or work as a freelance Guide, they had the right to do so. On top of that, they were no longer forced to endure any harassment - one word from a Guide, and any Esper who dared to touch them without their consent would suffer a heavy punishment.
Truth be told, Lane didn't mind most of it. With all of his faults, he had never actually sexually assaulted anyone. He found the people who did honestly quite pathetic - were they so unattractive that nobody wanted them, thus they had to resort to such means?
No, Lane always seduced his targets first, and also made sure that both parties ended up satisfied. It was simply a matter of pride.
And the Union actually benefited him in some ways, not only as an acting Guide, but even as an Esper. The Union protected ALL the Guides - even those who provided their services illegally or lived in Forbidden Zones. For Lane, who was using his abilities without authorization, it made it so much easier to receive guiding under the table.
The only complaint he had was that ever since the Union was created, Guides became the top of the societal food chain, while Espers were pushed to the very bottom.
…Or at least that was how Lane felt about the situation. In his opinion, it was Espers who should reign supreme, using their abilities to their hearts' content. They should be followed by Guides, as their helpful assistants. As for mortals… Well, who cared about them?
That was how the world should be. The world of the Awakened.
…But, for the time being, Lane had no choice but to play along. He shook his head, pushing all of those thoughts away.
Right now, he was 'Noah Murray', a young man entering the Union to register as a freshly awakened Guide.