Heeding her warning, Ryuuko and her twins were left alone by the Espers and Guides, afraid that they would risk not just their safety, but Ryuuko's and her twins' as well.
The newly awakened Esper and her children were led to one of the Paragon Alliance Guild's branches in Luzon— a Paragon Alliance Guild branch which was stationed in Metro Manila, built beside one of the state universities of the Philippines.
There are two more branches of the guild in Luzon, scattering one of the three branches in the northern part of the first geographical division, the second was built somewhere in the middle, and the last one was built in the southern part of the first division.
The representative Espers and Guides had led her to the second branch since the rift opened near the state university.
Lavanya and Xavier were left to cater to the mother's needs at an arms length, pressing their hands on each arm of Ryuuko just to not trigger any negative reactions.
The twins, on the other hand, have been nothing, but an angel to the two of them.
They were trying to start up a conversation to not make the atmosphere inside the van awkward and tense.
From the look on their mother's face, they could tell that she was not comfortable nor pleased with the high-ranking Guides' touches, but has no choice, but to accept their guidance.
To lighten the mood, Rozia turned to the left and opened her mouth to speak.
"Ms. Guide, your name is Lavanya Sharma, right?" Rozia asked, peering up at the lady while blinking her midnight black eyes innocently, "Does that mean that by touching mom, you're helping her feel better?"
"Yes, my name is Lavanya Sharma, but you can just call me Lava if you want." Lavanya said as she smiled and nodded her head, answering the little girl's question, "That's right. I'm helping your mother feel better."
"Is that so?" Rozia blinked owlishly and turned to her mother, "Are you feeling better, mom?"
Ryuuko nodded her head as she forced a smile, "Yes, sweetheart. I am feeling better."
That was a lie though.
Their guidance might be helping, but it wasn't enough to ease the pain still creeping inside her body.
She could feel something crawling, clawing, gripping every fiber inside her body, making her want to curl into a ball and destroy everything around her.
Not only that, the pain would occasionally feel like her blood was getting injected by an acid, melting her nerves, muscles, bones, and skin, too— it was agonizing, and the mere touch of guiding from the Guides by her side wasn't enough.
"You're lying again." Ruziel said, pouting as he looked up to his mother, "I told you to stop lying to me or Rozii, remember? If you're hurting then just say that."
"But I really am not." Ryuuko insisted through the pain with a kiss on her son's chubby cheeks, "I'm really feeling better. At least, better than we were inside that place."
After awakening as an Esper, the duration of her ability took a while before it stopped. She didn't feel anything at first so she thought that nothing bad would happen, but that was just a wishful thought.
She helped her children out of the bubble she created, helped them out of the rift, protected them from the Espers and Guides, and even managed to threaten the Espers and Guides before she went with them.
The aftermath of awakening crushed down on her entire being like a bus falling down on a person, bone shattering and tear-jerking.
The pain was unbearable and the ripples it sent to her muscles were enough to accept the offer of the Paragon Alliance Guild Guides to bring her to their guild.
She was glad that none of the Guides from another guild tried to whisk her away while she was in the middle of experiencing the first wave of backlash because if they did, she would have done something else than wrapping them in a golden bubble.
Lavanya and Xavier convinced her with the best of their ability to go with them, both were concise and formal.
They were clear that they would tend to her and fill her in with the basics in the guild, promising with their career on the line that they will not take advantage of her clouded mind and force her to register nor join their guild.
With the Paragon Alliance Guild known for its neutrality, Ryuuko didn't really have to worry.
"We will take good care of your mother once we reach the Guild." Xavier reassured the little boy, focusing his eyes on Ryuuko's arm and did his best to ease the corruptions.
For some reason, even if he's an S-rank Guide, his guiding doesn't seem to seep through Ryuuko's toxic layers of corruption.
There was no sign of stabilization in her system as far as he can tell, the pale face, dripping sweat on her arm, the clenched fists behind the twins, and the tainted energy she's emitting are telltale signs of that.
Xavier swallowed thickly, his eyes shifting from his hold on the mother's arm to her clenched fists, gathering enough courage to ask for permission to hold her hand inside of her arm for more efficient guidance.
"Why don't you two hold my hands instead?" Ryuuko suddenly spoke up, taking the liberty of telling them what to do.
Xavier breathed out a sigh of relief and nodded his head as he coughed, "I was about to ask permission.. I didn't want to impose your space by suddenly grabbing your hand out of nowhere."
Ryuuko raised an eyebrow upon hearing his statement, letting the lady and the gentleman hold her hand instead of touching her arms, and much to her relief, the guiding this time seemed to seep through her little by little.
Compared to the slow guidance she was receiving earlier, holding hands seems to work better.
It looks like the more intimate the physical contact is, the better. The mother Esper took a mental note as she stared at the hands that held hers.
"Do you feel better for real this time, mommy?" Ruziel asked, his eyes looking at the man beside his mother before he looked at her, noticing the brief appearance of relief in her eyes.
"I felt better since earlier, baby." Ryuuko assured her son with a small smile, "You really don't have to worry."
"It looks like she's not lying anymore." Rozia commented, keeping her eyes on her mother's genuine smile, "You should stop lying to us, mom. It's not nice, especially when it was so obvious that you were in pain."
"I wasn't lying." Ryuuko denied their truthful conclusions quite adamantly with furrowed eyebrows, "I do feel better."
"Uhuh." Rozia hummed, not believing her words and turned to her twin brother instead, "Anyways, what would you do once we're back to school next week?"
"Oh!" Ruziel's eyes brightened up as he shot his twin sister with a wide smile, "I will tell everyone that I have a cool mommy!"
The remaining time towards the Guild was spent by listening to the twins' ramblings about what they will do once they're back to school.
The Guides and the loving mother watched the kids converse among themselves, the two of them being their only sole source of entertainment throughout the entire ride to the guild.
It wasn't that long before they reached the guild. Xavier was the first one to get out of the black van, opening the door for Lavanya, Ryuuko, and her twins.
He held out his hand to Ryuuko while Lavanya stood on the other side, holding her hand out to her as well.
The twins giggled their way out of the van, ignoring the adults who helped their mother out of the black vehicle.
Ryuuko didn't bother pushing their hands away and opted to place her hands on top of theirs, letting them resume their guidance.
Ryuuko's black eyes landed on the building in front of her, making her eyes go wide and swallow thickly.
The exterior of the building was a modern and sleek design, constructed with a mix of glass, steel, and concrete. The building is ten stories, standing tall and proud, reflecting the sunlight off of its panels like a mirror.
The windows stretched from floor to ceiling, providing unobstructed views of the surrounding area.
She couldn't help, but wonder how much money does the Guild master make to have a luxurious building like this built in the three geographical divisions of the country without leaving a dent on his bank account.
She didn't have enough time to admire the exterior design of the building before she was pulled by the two A-rank and S-rank Guides, following her excited children who kept looking back at them.
Unexpectedly, the interior of the ten-story guild building was even more impressive than the exterior.
The guild's lobby is a spacious and well-appointed room— lined with white and black marbles, making it pleasant for the eyes.
There are comfortable looking sofas and armchairs arranged here and there, and expensive looking furniture and paintings on the walls which depict the guild's history and achievements.
There are several potted plants arranged at the corners of the room, adding a touch of natural beauty to the surroundings which already appear classy and cozy.
Ryuuko and her twins were led to the side, her gaze landing on the entrance of the elevator where she was pulled by the Guides, leading to the upper floors.
"This place looks cool!" Rozia squealed, looking around as Xavier pressed the elevator's button.
"That doesn't mean you can take advantage of our mommy." Ruziel quickly added on, narrowing his wide black eyes to the Guides who forced a smile.
"We won't." Lavanya assured the little boy.
Ding!
Saved by the bell, Lavanya and Xavier rushed inside the elevator, dragging Ryuuko which made the twins follow suit.
There are buttons for different floors, and the controls are well-marked and easy to understand for Ryuuko's eyes.
The interior is spacious enough to fit at least ten people, and the walls are lined with mirrors for people to check their own appearance.
She could that the male Guide had pressed the tenth button on the mirror which made her tighten her grip on his hand, making him turn his head to her.
"Who am I meeting?" Ryuuko narrowed her eyes at him, a speck of gold appearing in her irises, a warning.
"The leader of the team A." Xavier didn't waste any second to save his life, coughing out nervously as he looked away.
"She's an S-rank elemental esper." Xavier started off, "She's the manager of this branch which makes her the first person to go to when there's any trouble. She gave me the task of bringing the newly awakened person here just in case something happens."
"You won't take our mom away, will you?" Rozia asked, crossing her arms as she shot a glare to Xavier, "Because mommy can set this place to kaboom if you try!"