Ilyas was the only child in his family.
Thanks to his grandmother's reputation as a powerful shaman, people paid a lot to get divination from her. Because of that, his family could live quite a well-off life. Their house was always full of love and warmth, something Ilyas was grateful for.
His father was a doctor and his mother was a teacher so they had hoped Ilyas would follow their footsteps. But when Ilyas reached university, he chose a business major instead, claiming that he would become a businessman who would innovate things.
Since he was a child, Ilyas was drawn to music and intended to use this excuse to build his own music company. It was a naïve kid's dream but even then, his parents were supportive of him.
It wasn't until the incident that took away his parents' lives that Ilyas realized life wasn't as great as he thought it would be.
"Live on Ilyas, you still had a dream to fulfill, don't you?"
His mother's words as she held his hand in their upturned car were still vivid in his mind. From then on, his mind turned blank. Still bandaged from head to toe, Ilyas forced himself to attend his parents' funeral. He was lucky he only got broken bones and bruises.
It was a case of reckless driving.
They were in an intersection when the green light turned red and a speeding car crashed into them from behind. At the same time a truck was going at a relatively high speed from their left, as a result three vehicles crashed at the same time – with Ilyas' family car suffering the most damage.
His father died on the spot, while his mother, although the medic team had arrived, in the process of being transported to the hospital, she drew her last breath. Leaving Ilyas as the sole survivor of this accident.
At that point, Ilyas was living solely for the sake of keeping his mother's dying words and to take care of his old grandmother. His mind didn't have a chance to wander or mourn.
The hospital bills plus his school tuition didn't care if Ilyas was mourning or not. Life kept on progressing with no regards of his emotions.
With no one who could earn money for his family Ilyas had to apply for part-time jobs. His salary, combined with his parents' inheritance could only last him and his grandmother one year at most.
As Ilyas was still a freshman at the time, it would take another three years before he could graduate and seek a proper full-time job. That's why he was forced to sell his family's house and move to an apartment in the outskirts of the city.
When he saw his grandmother, he asked why she couldn't predict this incident and tell her son beforehand.
His grandmother only gave him one answer, "We are not gods, we can't bend fate."
Using shamanism could help change one's life but it came with a huge price. Something even his grandmother couldn't afford.
So his parents' death was a predetermined fate.
'Why didn't I die together with my parents?'
That question sometimes came up inside Ilyas' mind.
He hated the one who crashed into his car that day, he hated the fact that his parents were taken away from him, he hated other people who instead of helping them, just watched on the sidelines until medics came. He loathed the world and fate itself for making him went through this misery.
He had lost all hope in life and humanity.
Even when he awakened as an S-Rank guide, Ilyas never felt any joy. He followed basic guide training – including how to guide and some self-defense techniques – and became a full-fledged guide because of the salary.
That's it.
Because of the salary.
Until he met the members of Team Zero – the team he was assigned to.
His first meeting was with Ethan, one that was really unexpected. Ethan had saved him from a car crash that could have taken away his life. But after making sure Ilyas was fine, he immediately checked on the driver's condition, even using his ability to save him.
At that moment, Ilyas' years of unmoving heart started to beat, as if someone had turned the clock for him.
'So there is still someone that doesn't just watch from the sideline.'
Watching Ethan's action made a spark of life and hope grew inside his heart.
'Maybe this person is different, maybe this person can help me regain what I've lost.' That's what Ilyas thought.
Who would have thought that a similar incident that happened between different time and circumstances in his life would both become a turning point for him?
One took away the joy in his life, yet the other slowly returned it to him.
When he met the other two team members however, his expectation went down. Both espers had strong personalities, each with their own problematic behavior.
But Ethan easily shut them down, slowly changing the dynamic of the team as their captain.
Before long, Ethan became the center of their team. He was like a star in the cloudy sky – shining brightly, undisturbed by mere obstruction. Perhaps that's also the reason why Ilyas was pulled towards his axis.
At first, it started as curiosity, then that feeling transformed into something more instinctual, the feeling to protect. It grew stronger until it turned into something darker, the desire to possess.
Ilyas enjoyed being with Ethan and he wanted Ethan to spend more time with him. Being with him brought back the feeling of love and warmth his family once had.
And he craved it.
He was selfish and ignorant.
So he wanted all the love Ethan gave to others just for himself.
He wanted Ethan to only look at him.
But he waited. He knew Ethan would be burdened, so Ilyas gave him room and time. He respected Ethan's feelings and decided to leave the choice up to him. In the meantime, he would learn how to seduce Ethan, slowly taking bits of his heart.
Fortunately, his patience paid off.
He and Ethan had formed a relationship and that was the greatest joy he had felt in his life. He didn't want this joy to be taken away from him again, so if there's something hindering him this time, he would fight back.
'I'll definitely treasure this bond of ours, even if fate itself defies it.'