Chapter 58: Exchange
As seen from Rowan's reaction, Gray figured he couldn't escape the misunderstandings from this encounter.
He couldn't help but sigh.
Gray glanced at Nekare.
Maybe Rowan's reaction wasn't so far-fetched.
If Kathy saw the two, she would surely have a similar response.
This was the first time he had ever hung out with a girl, after all.
'Well, let's hope he won't say anything to her.'
"Are we going to your house?" Nekare asked, looking quite embarrassed.
Gray coughed dryly.
"…Follow me for the time being."
'Don't have these thoughts, Gray. It's too soon for that!'
…
The two had been walking for a while, until Gray came to a sudden halt.
He finally realized it.
His revelation involving Nekare…
It seemed like he couldn't avoid it.
…This frightened him a little.
If a meager revelation like that couldn't be avoided, then what about the future ones?
But wait.
He had escaped many prophecies ending with his death.
Why couldn't he escape this one too?
Gray began to categorize his prophecies in his mind.
Dream Divinations, the main kind, were activated during sleep. They had a symbolism to unravel, and from it, an Onironaut would learn about their future.
Real-World Divinations were the prophecies activated in conjunction with Xanadu. They had no symbolism to unravel, and they would always prove to be the set-future, unless someone decided to escape it.
…But.
Nekare's revelation of their future was different.
While every Real-World Divination was something that would surely happen, it always was a recent future, one or two minutes ahead at most.
The one he received near her wasn't like this.
It seemed a far-away future, maybe months or even years ahead.
How could this be?
Gray had a hunch.
Maybe Xanadu could power Genesis in two different manners.
Maybe it could showcase a far-away future only once, and could showcase the recent future in short bursts, allowing Gray to have many uses.
But even there, why had Xanadu decided to activate near Nekare?
…Why her?
Gray felt awfully uncomfortable.
The threat of being a subconscious pawn to The Monolith had not disappeared yet.
Thus…
Could Nekare be someone 'He' needed to fulfill His plans?
…Could He have been manipulating Gray's actions in the shadows, bringing him closer to her, not allowing him to escape from the future they had together?
Gray's head ached.
His brain began to pound against his skull, as if trying to warn him, telling the young Nephilim to stop thinking about things not meant for him to understand…!
And even if the truth wasn't as Gray was making it up to be…
He was somewhat close to it…!
Xanadu's activation really signaled her importance in Gray's future!
Gray massaged his throbbing forehead.
He looked around with his brows furrowed.
The familiar spray-painted walls, the familiar writings and drawings he was used to read every time he had to train.
Everything told him that the warehouse was near.
If so…why was it not there?
Gray had wanted to speak about the Nephilim inside the warehouse, as it was possibly the safest space to do so. Even when the miasma wasn't active, he never saw or heard someone else near it.
And so he started thinking.
Right as he had told Casanova about his dreams, the man had given him a yellowish paper, making Gray utter an oath of silence with his blood.
Blood…!
Not only did Casanova tell him this, he had also told Gray to wander whenever he wanted, aware that he would surely find the place needed!
Not only had Casanova only used his blood for the oath, but also somehow used its connection with Gray to subconsciously lead him towards the warehouse.
And since Casanova had not used Nekare's blood for the mysterious ritual of his, the warehouse possibly detected her, cloaking itself so no important knowledge of theirs could possibly leak out!
'This warehouse wasn't made to protect me…it's something to protect Casanova from the forces he's running from…Hence, it means I can't bring her in.'
'Is he also trying to tell me that some matters can be spoken about in the real world freely, without the fear of being detected by the otherworldly creatures or other Nephilim…?'
Truthfully, every option seemed to be true.
"…You." Nekare's tone shifted.
Her expression became tense.
"Hm?"
"Where are you leading me?"
Gray was slightly dumbfounded.
After realizing, he gave a brief chuckle.
"…Yes, sorry. This really is about to show me in a bad light, isn't it? The abandoned buildings don't help at all."
He couldn't help but chuckle again.
"I really look like a brute, don't I?"
As he stopped laughing, he spoke.
"Sorry, Nekare. Studying isn't the main goal of this encounter." he said, tucking his hand in his pocket.
Nekare froze.
She felt danger!
Right as she was about to activate her ability, Gray took out a worn, beige piece of paper.
A bloodied, Five-Pointed Starred Pentagram was carefully drawn inside, the Elemental Tokens placed on their respective sides.
Gray took a deep breath.
"Esh."
The Five Starred Pentagram lit up before unraveling, the tips of the Star forming a blood red spiral.
Swoosh!
Instantly, a thin yet tall flame—50 centimeters at its peak—ignited, a sudden wave of hot air coming from it.
Gray stared at the flickering flame, its orange brightening his face.
This awfully reminded him of that Sult'Hurni's scepter.
He wondered if his weapon had used some means similar to this.
'…I can feel a strange feeling of familiarity between me and the flame.'
'I can change its shape willingly.'
He tweaked the spell lightly, making the flame become a skinny, waving long-nailed hand.
'And if I want, I can dispel it'
'Yet I must experiment.'
Gray had to understand how to calculate his quintessence with more precision.
In one weeks, he'd have to perform the ritual again—just in case Xanadu's quintessence was still circling around his body.
Upon seeing this mystical art, Nekare's green eyes widened.
Gray dispelled the ritual.
And right as he was about to inform her about their identity as Nephilim, Nekare suddenly spoke.
"So it's true…" she said, seeming to be in a daze.
"You're like me."
"…?!"
Gray subconsciously stepped back.
"…You knew?"
He pointed his finger at her.
"…Your words make it seem as if you've had this suspicion for a while. How come?"
Nekare lowered her head.
"Everyone saw some subtle changes within you…but I'm the only one who chose to do some reconnaissance on my own."
Gray tilted his head.
"…Changes? What changes?"
'What does she mean by investigating? Could she have used her ability? How much does she know about me?' he wondered, feeling tense.
Her ability was truly remarkable.
Having caught the attention of someone so unpredictable made him feel nervous.
Who knew just how many times she had been watching him!
Nekare's gaze lowered even further.
"…You look different, Gray."
"…You look distracted, even distant sometimes. You try to mask it with jokes, but lately it's not working anymore."
Her cheeks flushed.
"…I look at you sometimes. I've noticed that, when nobody pays attention at you, your gaze tends to harden—as if you're always pondering upon a painful memory, carrying that weight deep inside your heart."
"I thought it was just me at first, but then other people started noticing something similar…"
"They said your eyes focus towards something beyond, like you're staring at a world different from ours."
"We aren't good friends like you are with Rowan…but I just wanted to know whether everything was okay."
Her eyes dimmed.
"My brother had your distant gaze too, years ago."
"…He didn't make it."
"Living became too painful for him. This is why, even if it means butting inside a situation I don't have any business in…If I can help you in the slightest, I want to."
Nekare unbuttoned the sleeve of her green blouse before raising her wrist.
"…And by investigating…"
"I meant this."
She inhaled.
Crackle…
Her pale hand became grainy like the static of an old television.
Her hand then disappeared!
"…"
Gray barely paid attention to her ability.
Her words had left him speechless.
He had no idea that someone other than his closest ones could understand him so clearly. Her being almost a stranger compared to them made it even more impressive.
Truthfully, among all the Nephilim he knew—himself included—she was the most 'human.'
He couldn't help but give a weak smile as he looked at her.
"…Thank you, Nekare. You made me realize things I never knew about myself. And you're right. I'm carrying a weight deep inside my heart."
His smile faded bit by bit.
"Do you know what's the name of the ones like us, those who bear abilities?"
"It's Nephilim. A title we were given is,"
"Cursed by Fate."
Gray continued.
"Not every Nephilim is like us two. Most are devilish, horrible creatures. They harm the other for their own selfish gain, employing humans they need for their experiment and the weaker Nephilim alike."
"That's why…That's why I must always focus on getting stronger—just so I can protect my loved ones."
His gaze became firm as he faced her.
"You have to be careful too, Nekare. Like a quiet, dark forest—in our world—the ones who make the most noise…are the first who get cut down."
"Do you understand what I mean? Weeks ago, I had some unbiased, paranoid hunches about your identity as a Nephilim…I personally monitored you with the help of a friend, soon finding clear proof of your identity as a Nephilim."
"…The proof was your ability. I've been aware of it for quite a while. You had been too careless…Nekare. If I had been a different Nephilim—if I had been someone who wanted to hurt you…you would have been in great danger."
Ironically, while Nekare worried about Gray's safety, he too, had been worrying about hers.
Gray gazed at the sun above.
'I don't know whether what I'm doing is going to kick-start the revelation I'd seen about Nekare, making me a pawn in His hands.'
'Yet even if I'm unknowingly following The Monolith's plans by informing her about everything. If this meant that I could save Nekare by letting her know about what's happening in our world…'
'I believe this is what my mother would want me to do.'
"…I couldn't let you wander around aimlessly, unaware of the uncountable dangers we face. And this…this is why I decided to ask you to come with me."
"I'm sorry for fooling you in this manner, but I needed a place where we could talk without the fear of being heard."
"…So you didn't want to study?" Nekare questioned.
Gray lowered his gaze, giving a silent 'no.'
"I wanted to tell you about everything concerning the Nephilim. The unwritten laws, the inner-working of our abilities, what you should be careful about and so on."
"…Got it."
Gray felt the need to apologize.
"I'm sorry."
Nekare gave a deep sigh.
She looked slightly disappointed.
"…It's fine. I guess I deserved it. I should've thought about being more careful with my ability."
"…Yeah."
The two stayed in silence for a while.
"So…are you going to tell me about these Nephilim?"
She looked at the time.
"If we have enough time we can also study. We are the only two with the slightest chance of getting a good grade. We both know that Veronica and Franco won't do anything."
"…Yes. But remember to not let anyone know these words."
And so, Gray started to speak.
He spoke of how the Nephilim were made, coming to learn that Nekare had found a strange artifact, soon being corrupted by its arcane properties and discovering her ability—Photon Concealment.
Yet, after her abilities had awakened, the artifact inexplicably disappeared.
Gray theorized of how she had an Illuminated Root, hearing of how the activation's method for her Mercurial Fragment was holding her breath.
She seemed slightly worried as she said this.
Nekare was about to ask Gray how he became a Nephilim—but—knowing he couldn't speak about The Monolith, Gray warned her to not ask of how a Nephilim had gained their abilities, as it could prove to be extremely offensive.
When she asked for the reason, Gray ashamedly revealed about his ignorance in the topic.
Instead, he simply spoke of how the contact with the arcane would affect a human, corrupting them to be the creatures known as Nephilim.
He explained the Roots and their Impurities he knew to her, avoiding to speak about which Root he belonged to, as saying everything about himself could prove to be harmful in the long run.
As he was talking, he tried to figure what Root Nekare was a part of. But since he wasn't fully briefed about every particular Root, he was unable to properly categorize her ability.
Then came the many warnings.
Gray warned her to not speak about the Nephilim matters on her phone, telling Nekare he would soon provide a communication device to her for the times they would talk about these arcane topics.
He warned her about the many unutterable and unimaginable creatures, avoiding to go into details for obvious reasons.
He warned her about the Cubes of Endrion residing inside the Astral Plane he had read about, letting her know of how creatures were created and molded inside the dimension.
He warned her to always be wary of the other Nephilim, as letting her guard down was extremely naïve.
"So you're telling me I also shouldn't trust you?" Nekare raised her head.
"Not even me." Gray said.
Nekare nodded.
After a few minutes of listening attentively to Gray's words, she spoke.
"…You told me I shouldn't trust you…but how am I not supposed to do so when you took it upon yourself to properly introduce me to this 'Nephilim' world, as you call it?"
Gray knew this topic would come.
He could not hide it from her.
And so, he began to speak.
"He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."
"I too, have felt the eyes of the abyss. Just like of how quintessence morphs our body to become closer to it, corrupting us into the beings we call 'Nephilim…'"
"Our minds aren't spared from such corruption."
"To fight against my madness with my remaining humanity—that's what I aim to do."
Nekare shook her head.
"But you aren't a bad person, Gray. Your actions have shown me that. You even placed barriers with Rowan so he wouldn't get worried about you…You care about others more than how you care about yourself—how could you become a selfish monster, evil like those rogue Nephilim you're talking about?"
Gray lowered his gaze.
He recalled murdering the four-eyed monster who had killed his sister and torturing the Sult-Hurni.
Who knew whether this would happen again?
They weren't human, yet it showed him something.
For Kathy…
There were no borders he would cross.
"…Yeah, you may be right. But…"
Gray thought about The Monolith and Xanadu.
The connection between the two was obvious.
He smiled bitterly.
"…If I ever were to lose my mind…"
"I'd ask you to get away from me."
'That gaze…' Nekare's heart sank.
The face of his brother and Gray's then overlapped.
…
"Nero…are you still awake?"
Nekare yawned as she straddled inside the messy room, avoiding stepping on the many ink-filled sheets of paper, carefully walking on the soft plastic covering the floor.
Nero turned around.
"…Yeah. Sorry." Nero gave a weary smile, the wrinkles on his dirtied, paint-filled face showing.
In front of him was an unfinished canvas.
Two colliding galaxies were carefully captured inside the painting. By looking closely, one could notice they faintly resembled a two-pupilled heterochromatic eye.
"Go to sleep…it's late." Nekare massaged her eyes.
"Can't." he scratched his brazen hair. "Tomorrow's the last chance to enter art school."
Hearing this, Nekare's expression softened.
This was the third time he had tried to enter inside his dream academy.
The school was highly prestigious. It was so acclaimed to the point where they did everything to not taint the school's prestige.
They actively avoided allowing students belonging to the lower classes inside the doorstep—no matter how skilled they were.
Instead, they preferred letting people through the aid of nepotism and donations.
If Nero needed a Gogh-like painting to even scrape the surface of the art school's doors, a rich student only needed a check from the bank.
Nekare knew deep down—this was a losing battle.
She didn't know if Nero himself was unaware or if he knew but didn't care, deciding to pursue his dreams with all he had.
"Take it easy…You need sleep if you want to pass their exam."
"Yeah." he smiled again, his distant gaze the same as Gray's…