Nyx's eyes slowly opened. His body was aching all over and the light facing him from the ceiling wasn't helping his situation. He clenched his fists slowly before releasing them to feel what he was lying on.
His fingers ran through the soft material he was lying on.
Wait. Ceiling? Light? Soft material?
He sprung up at realisation that he wasn't where he remembered he was. His eyes were now fully open but all that did was bring less clarity.
"Where am I?" He muttered to himself.
He was in a white room—no pictures, no clocks. However, there was something he failed to notice first before any other thing.
In the corner of the room, a man sat down staring at him the entire time. The man had a black hair with yellow tips and wore huge glasses that Nyx had guessed to be recommended. Just looking at him, it was obvious he was a Nexus. Furthermore, the amethyst badge on his cloak gave him more meaning.
Startled, Nyx jumped off the bed and stood in readiness to defend himself. He gently touched the side of his injured torso due to the pain he felt after suddenly moving like that.
The man stood up—his eyes still very much stuck to Nyx's. The man wasn't as tall as Nyx was. Nyx could tell just by looking that he was about five feet nine inches, a little lower than Nyx who was six feet and an inch.
"Don't be startled," the man said. "Your body doesn't need that right now."
Nyx didn't say a word back to reply him and neither did he listen to the man's advice.
"I'm sorry, you must be very confused," the man sighed. "My name is Atlas. There is no need for you to be alarmed, you're safe."
Nyx's eyes roamed his clothing.
He's a Legionnaire.
"Where the fuck am I?" Nyx demanded.
"You're in the Legion," Atlas replied.
"What...?" Nyx muttered in disbelief.
" Yes. You've been out for about twelve hours, Nyxander, though I blame you not for this—"
"Where's Orion? And Frieda? And everyone else?"
Atlas paused. He was thrown aback at how untrusting Nyx was. Is not the fact that he's in the Legion enough to calm him down? he thought.
"All your friends are safe, and they're here in the Legion as well," Atlas assured him.
Nyx unwillingly sat down on the edge of the bed, refusing to let his body totally relax. "So what do you want from me?" Nyx asked.
"Do you remember what happened last night?" Atlas asked. "You may not feel obliged to answer that question, however it would be of incredible assistance if you do."
Scary images of the scarred bull flooded Nyx's memory like a torrent of water. He was remembering everything that happened.
"By the time we found you all yesterday, the bison was already dead," Atlas continued. "You all were heavily injured but still alive luckily."
"The Bison..." Nyx muttered. There was ringing pain in his head as he slowly regained his memories.
"I was hoping you could tell me whatever you could remember, Nyxander."
"I..."
"Let's start from the very last thing you remember."
Nyx tried hard to remember, not for Atlas but for himself. He was unsure about the reason why he couldn't easily remember anything. The horrid sight of the camp was easily remembered, however the things that took place there, not so much.
"Heat," Nyx finally answered.
"'Heat'?" Atlas's eyebrows furrowed.
"Yes. It was unbearably hot. That's the very last thing I can remember."
Atlas got up from his chair and paced around. "Anything aside from that?" He asked.
"Uh... We got back to the camp... Everyone was dead, then Claudius fought the bison. But the God Bison, it was too strong. I hardly remember but Claudius was struggling to kill it after it discovered where we were hiding. Then I blacked out."
Atlas stopped from pacing and faced Nyx. "Make me understand something, why do most of you refer to the scarred bison as 'The God Bison'?"
"That's what they called him."
"'They'?"
"The Disciples."
Atlas exhaled deeply. "Let's forget about these Disciples for now. Is there anything else you can remember from last night?"
Nyx shook his head.
"Alright. Well, Nyxander, your story matches the one your friends spoke about as well. However, it's almost like your experience is different from theirs. There's something I'm missing."
"I just told you what I know."
"I'm not saying you're lying—I'm saying you might not know the whole truth. You're missing out some parts of the incident that happened at the Wendi camp."
Nyx now sat down comfortably to listen to what Atlas had to say with concern in the back of his mind.
"After you blacked out, the bison was very much still alive but just like you said, Claudius wasn't able to handle it. With the help of Kerith, they put the bison down."
"That's great!" Nyx smiled with relief.
"However... It disappeared."
"What?"
"Only to return with the essence of one of your friends."
Nyx frowned. "Tell me what you mean. Essence? What's that? Which friend?"
"I believe he went by the name Alto."
Nyx slowly laid his back on the bed and looked up at the blinding light bulb hanging from the ceiling. Hearing Atlas refer to Alto in the past tense only meant one thing.
"I'm sorry, but he didn't make it out alive," Atlas said.
"What happened next," Nyx asked in a now timid and low voice.
"Because of what essence is, the bison grew much stronger. It easily overpowered them all—by paralysis—rendering them helpless. It was only Frieda and Daphne who were left when something they all referred to be 'unbelievable' happened."
Nyx sat back up.
"According to all of them, a person arrived in a gush of wind, taking the Bison's two heads off at a go."
Nyx's mouth gaped wide open. He wasn't conscious at that time but he couldn't imagine someone just ripping off the Bison's massive head just like that.
"They described the person as having glowing red crimson eyes," Atlas continued. "After killing the beast, he walked towards them with the head still in his hand. He got in range for them to see him."
"Who was he?" Nyx eagerly asked. At mind, he had wondered which Legionnaire came to their rescue.
"That person was you."
Nyx's face lost expression immediately. His mouth twitched and stretched into an awkward smile and then a mocking laughter came right after. In fact, the laugh was so loud that it could be heard from outside the room.
"Do you find that funny?" Atlas asked at seeing Nyx's reaction.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Nyx wheezed. "That's just fucking ridiculous!" He laughed intermittently.
"And why is that?"
Nyx stopped laughing after a few minutes had passed. "Because it is," he answered Atlas, still smiling. "I don't have powers, Atlas."
Atlas looked concerningly at him. "But you're a Nexus."
"Yes! My powers never came even after I hit puberty up until this point—still fucking powerless."
"How else would you explain what they saw?"
"They were scared and tired. Not to talk about being knocked around too by that beast. They probably saw something else that looked a lot like me."
"And all five of them would describe the same thing? Quite unlikely, don't your think? And how would you explain the heat you spoke about?"
"Look! I don't know!"
Nyx hated when people weren't black and white with him—false hope was the only kind of deception that he knew he'd been a victim of almost all his life.
Atlas telling him that he killed the bison, was as good as telling him he had abilities because no normal Nexus strength was able to pull off such a feat.
"I believe you," Atlas walked to him. "You don't have powers. However, there's something else I would like to discuss with you aside from the Wendi camp."
Atlas gave him some clothes from a box that was under the bed they were seated on. "Wear this," he gave them to Nyx, "meet me outside."
Nyx collected the clothes from Atlas and put them on. He walked to the door and gave the white room one last look before he opened the door.
Atlas stood at the side of the door in wait for Nyx. "Shall we?" Atlas gestured making way for Nyx.
As they walked Nyx's eyes could not stop roaming his surroundings. They were several feet high from the ground. The place was bussling with Legionnaires of different ranks and status.
The most amazing thing however was the building's structure. The inners were of metallic colour—like iron—and the staircases went in circles. If one stood and looked over the railing, the building parts below would look like an abyss. The floor was tiled and had a cream colour.
A huge banner descended from the highest floor down to the lowest and on it was the flaming shield sigil. This was in fact the Legion.
"Don't let the building overwhelm you," Atlas smiled.
Nyx just glanced at him and went back to feeding his eyes with the amazing sight.
"About what we were discussing earlier," Atlas reminded Nyx. "There's something else I would like you to know."
Nyx's attention shifted to him. "What's that?" He asked.
"When you all were brought here, we ran some tests on you to know your state of being. In particular, your result for core examination came out as negative."
"What does that mean?"
"It means you have no core."
The two stopped walking. Nyx looked away from Atlas's incoming gaze. It was most likely the shame of knowing Atlas was right that caused him to do such.
"Well, it's not a shock to me," Nyx dryly said.
"It is to me and it should be to you," Atlas corrected. He continued walking forward without waiting for Nyx. "Do you know how Nexuses work?"
"What sort of a question is that?"
"Answer however you can."
"They're just born—some without abilities and some with. Both categories grow and gain Nexus abilities once they hit puberty."
"Shallow is your knowledge about this I see." Atlas opened a door and waited for Nyx to walk through. The door led down the stairs.
They continued their walk, descending the floors of the massive building.
"Three things are involved to make Nexuses what they are—aether, a core, and essence. You must have heard of all but the latter. As much as the latter isn't widely acknowledged, it is the most important of the three. Do you know why?"
"Because it comes first, I don't know," Nyx guessed.
"In a sense, you're correct. When a Nexus baby is born, he comes out without a fully developed core and no aether. However, essence resides in him. As he grows, his core develops and matures to the point of ripening to bloom his abilities. At puberty, that core becomes filled with aether which grants him control of the already formed power that resided dormant in him."
Nyx couldn't help but be amazed at the way Atlas explained it. But he had not still understood Atlas's point.
"Now, listen. Essence is the entity—it is you, the Nexus," Atlas continued, "It's what grants you that physical supremacy over regular humans. It makes you able to survive a 50 feet drop without shattering all your bones like a human, smash objects like walls, chairs, and dent iron. It is what makes you live up to 200 years if not killed before then. It solely is the blood that flows through your system and the composition of your organs. You are essence."
"So what does the others do?"
"The core is a powerhouse. It stores your abilities and potentials even before you turn 13—your powers have already been decided. The aether is what allows you to access those powers. It is the final thing to bloom at puberty. Do you understand what I'm trying to get to here?"
"I'm not certain."
"Nyxander, without aether, you can't use the powers that your core has in store for you. Without the core, you are no longer a Nexus. But without essence, you seize to exist."
"Look," Nyx held the railing. "I don't think you understand. I don't have powers, like at all! And I'm not sure what they all saw last night but it was not me."
"Perhaps you're right, but have you considered how all of them could tell the same lie?"
"Maybe something dark happened after I was out—dark enough for them to make up a story that would fool you—"
"Have you also considered that having simply essence isn't enough to rip off the head of a scarred bison of 6★ magnitude?"
Nyx sighed. What Atlas was saying was believable, but Nyx couldn't just believe it.
"So what's your point," Nyx asked. "You did just tell me I have no core. Which, by your explanation, it's impossible."
"Your parents... Your mother is human and your father a Nexus?" Atlas replied him with another question.
Nyx nodded.
"It can't be genetic," Atlas exhaled deeply.
"So what are you saying?"
"It could either be that you're the first Nexus without a core and aether. Or... You have a spiritual core."
Nyx tilted his head slightly to the side. "The fuck?" He frowned in confusion.
"Have you heard of Ragnar Grendel?" Atlas asked.
"Yes, she's the fastest Legionnaire."
"Yes. She possesses a spiritual core. A spiritual core is a scenario where the core of the Nexus is heavily tied to its essence. The core isn't seen as a separate entity from the essence which would make sense because your results shows negative. The machine is unable to detect the core because of how bounded it is to the essence."
"Okay, slow down," Nyx interrupted him. "I don't know what you're thinking I am right now, maybe some sort of special Nexus... Any of that shit, it isn't who I am, alright?"
Atlas faced him. "You're not special, you're an abnormality. Just like humans who are deaf, blind or dumb, because of how common it became, the world saw it as normal. However, it is not because a complete human should have all their senses intact. The same goes for you and Ragnar."
Nyx got his idea now. Atlas didn't see Nyx as a huge asset, he saw him as a threat instead.
"I see—" Nyx attempted to speak.
"Abnormalities are usually uncontrollable. I'm simply trying to know how yours works," Atlas cut in. "If there is a possibility that you do have a spiritual core, then your aether would have taken a lot more time to manifest because it saw no difference between the powerhouse and the entity—which is you."
"Was that the same case for Ragnar?"
"Ragnar was 15 before she got her powers. Which is supposedly the approximate the two year delay calculation for those with this abnormality."
"So what you're saying is that... Depending on how tight the bond is between my essence and my core, my aether may have trouble identifying which is which and refuse to grant me access to what it's not sure it sees?"
"Yes."
"So if my bond is tighter, it may take a longer time to manifest...?"
"Or may never manifest at all."
Nyx began to think. He had never thought he had a chance at all of gaining powers. In fact, the night the bison incident happened, he had already come to terms with being powerless. He had accepted himself, but now, this UR Legionnaire stood before him to tell him otherwise.
Aside from Atlas, everyone else claimed he killed the bison.
"And Nyxander," Atlas spoke up. Nyx raised his head up from his deep thoughts. "That heat you felt, it's synonymous to the kind of heat people describe they feel when they use their powers for the first time."
"But I felt that all over my body," Nyx said.
"Yes, for usual people that heat would well up in your stomach. But, because you're an abnormality, your core is everywhere and not in a single place. Last night, you just might've gained your powers."
Nyx wasn't even aware when his face stretched into a smile. Just hearing it was enough to make him happy even if he wasn't sure if it was true.
"There's something else," Atlas continued downstairs. "The entrance exam for the Legion is to commence at the end of this month and applications were received few days ago. I put in yours as well as your friends."
"What? Why would you do that?"
"You all faced a scarred beast of 6★ magnitude without experience and survived. Not to talk of delivering the final blow, something an SR Legionnaire couldn't do. I'm not certain about you but that sounds almost like the stories of prodigies to me. This is all of course, if you accept this offer."
Nyx hesitated. He honestly never wanted to become a Legionnaire. But then it was not like he had to, he just needed to pass the exam and then if he didn't need to he wouldn't.
"What did the others say about this offer?" Nyx asked.
"Decide for yourself, kid. Do you want to do it or not? Find your own reason," Atlas advised.
Nyx remained silent.
There was a chance—about a 55% chance that he had an ability. It wasn't so sure and the opposing 45% was more than enough a probability that he wouldn't. However, the chance he had, even if we're as slim as a thread, he would take it. He had to know. Perhaps knowing would tell him the next step he was going to take.
"I'll do it," he replied Atlas.
"Great!" Atlas smiled. "I'm sure you're eager to meet your friends. Walk down that way, they're waiting for you."
Nyx motioned towards the large door. Beyond it, he could here noise—lots of it—like many people were chattering.
"Nyxander," Atlas called out to him. "Try not to mention to many people about your abnormally as well as Ragnar's. I'll explain why when the time is right."
He nodded and opened the door.