The world was blurry when Nil opened his eyes. It felt like he’d been asleep for an eternity. His eyes didn’t just need to adjust to the light but refocus as well. His head felt fuzzy as well. More accurately, it was like someone had forced an immersion blender through his right eye socket before scrambling his skull’s contents. When his vision finally focused, he found all his dinner guests except his family looking down at him. Selia was the closest. She stroked his hair and smiled.
“Welcome back, sleepy head,” she said before planting a soft kiss on his lips. Selia kneeled next to him and brushed back her hair. She looked healthy but exhausted, and her usually well-maintained, dark-brown hair was an unbrushed, knotted mess. “You had us worried for a moment there.”
The others stood over the pair, looking relieved. Andrew flumped down on his bottom next to the couple. Unlike Selia, it looked like he hadn’t slept in days.
“Welcome back?”Nil asked, sitting up. It was then he realized that they were in the Nexus, sitting next to the fountain of Pyrene. “Did I go somewhere?” All the fuzziness left at once as he recalled what had just happened. “Did everyone get out? Baba, Emmy—”
“I got them to Piccadilly Circus before the bomb went critical,” Selia said.
“It proved unnecessary,” Susan added, smiling down at Nil. Shawn stood next to her, and she placed a hand on his shoulder. “You two did it. The damage didn’t go past the pantry. Only the two of you were injured.”
“You’ve been out for ten days,” Shawn added.
“Ten days?!” Exclaimed, jumping to his feet. “What the hell?”
“There is nothing on Earth that can fix the type of injury you suffered,” Selia answered. “Susan stabilized you, fixed all the brain stuff, internal bleeding, and fixed your lungs. Rib fragments shredded them.”
“It was a lot more than that,” Susan said as Nil mouthed a thank you, still struggling to process how much time had passed. “If I didn’t ascend my power seed to Silver it wouldn’t have worked. A little less magic or control and…”
Susan trailed off, eyes drifting to her hands. Nil reached across and took one of them. “That’s the second time you’ve brought me back from sure death. Thank you.”
“Well, you saved everyone. They’re calling you a hero back home. Wildshape Wilson has already made a martyr out of you. He’s pinning it on anti-Summoned terrorists and Jaqueline the Shredder’s fanatical fans.” Susan squeezed his hand. “They’re halfway right. That’s a stupidly dangerous thing you did.”
“How did I get here?” Nil asked, rolling his shoulders and stretching his neck. Nothing hurt. In fact he felt stronger and fitter than ever before. Then he remembered his Might ascending to Bronze. He was sure that the attribute’s growth contributed to his survival.
“We had to get you awake enough to consent to a Nexus teleportation,” Andrew said, smiling weakly. “We were starting to get worried it would never happen. You stirred a bunch of times but were never really awake until a few minutes ago. We’ve all been taking turns at your bedside. In the end, you had enough sense to agree during my shift..”
“He got frustrated and shocked you, actually,” Susan told Nil.
“Thanks, Andy.” Nil reached out to his friend and clasped his shoulder. “You always know what’s best for me.”
“Don’t thank him.” Susan frowned at her partner. “He wanted to do it on day two and it would have hundred-percent killed you. It only worked because you had about ten days to recover and even then chances of success were low.”
“It was a stupid decision,” Layla said through one of her pink clones. “But, as your people say, it's not stupid if it works. I was worried we lost you there. Would be a shame given how valuable an asset you are.”
“Do we know who was behind it?” Nil asked. Someone in a group nearby whistled as he stood up, and he immediately felt self-conscious. Nil hadn’t noticed earlier, but he had nothing on besides a hospital gown, and the usual breeze blowing through the Nexus caressed his muscled bottom. “Because I’m not buying Wildshape’s anti-Summoned terrorist talk or fanatic Shredder fans.”
“Why don’t we move to my office,” Layla said. Another one of her clones handed Nil folded garments with a pair of slippers on top. “Get dressed first. I don’t want your naked butt on my chairs.”
The caseworker’s office now had two simple love seats and a pair of armchairs. They all took seats before she continued. “I put Susan and CIT on the case, and we found answers.” A giant screen appeared before them. Several videos played simultaneously, following the investigative team’s members. “Andrew was smart enough to swipe the box’s lid on his way out. We also called in a favor with Katherine Park. Forensic analysis and studying the remnants of Mind Magic led us to the Pits.”
This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.
Two faces Nil hadn’t seen in a while appeared on screen: Chain Knight and Winter Hunter. It came as no surprise that the siblings had turned to the Pits after failing at the qualifiers. Susan and CIT fought and pursued them, along with several others. The attendees of the illegal fighting ring fled, and CIT ignored everyone but a small group, along with the siblings. Nil recognized most of the pursued. They were individuals on the list of Summoned connected to Symbiotech and either had a corrupted soul weapon or were preparing to receive one.
There were more than a dozen of them, and CIT pursued the group through a maze of shipping containers. Susan’s dogs caught a couple, but the others only found fresh corpses. Screams rang through the docks. Some bodies were mutilated and ripped to pieces. Others appeared intact but sickly and pale for a Summoned. All had the same terror-locked expressions and lifeless eyes.
One of Layla’s clones approached with a tray of food and drinks. Everyone let Andrew and Nil have their pick first. Both dug in without paying attention to what they consumed. Their eyes remained glued to the screen.
All the members of CIT heard odd sounds and movements nearby, but the second they turned the corner, the source was gone. On a couple of occasions, Nil saw something spider-like moving in the shadows, but he couldn’t be sure. It was Susan who managed to cast light on the perpetrator.
She moved faster than the others, riding on Skoll’s back while Hati leaped between the stacks of shipping containers. The latter of the dogs glowed so bright the camera Susan carried struggled to capture a sharp image. When she finally caught up to the perpetrator, Nil’s stomach dropped. He recognized the slimy, sludge-like material that constituted the body. He hadn’t just seen it up close but felt it too.
Nil had wondered whatever had happened to the Symbiotech symbiote that consumed all of the Cursed Energy. Shina had told him the artificial creatures couldn’t survive without their designated Summoned host or outside of their patented containment units. The news reports also talked of sludge found under the building. Layla and CIT had written it off as the symbiote’s remains. They had an insider collect a sample through one of their sources, and all seemed above board.
They were wrong.
It was the symbiote that was built to become his soul weapon. Nil was sure because of the very human face on the amorphous woman-shaped body.
“Holy, fucking shit.” Andrew gasped, wide eyes darting to Nil. “Is it me or does that look like Aisha?”
The symbiote bore the same face as the Haunting Visage that had haunted Nil for almost eight years of his life. Hati dove at it, but the symbiote lost its shape and ducked, letting the dog fly through where it stood. Blade-like growths matching Fatima’s blood knives shot out of them, taking the canine’s sides. Susan and Skoll raced at it, but the creature turned into a puddle slithered between two shipping containers and disappeared.
“We searched for hours afterward, but it was gone,” Susan said. “CIT and I are dedicating all our efforts to finding it. They’re making more progress than I am.”
“We have some good news,” Layla said. The many screens merged into two. Both showed cells. One contained Chain Knight and the other Winter Hunter. “Winter Hunter has a corrupted soul weapon. She revealed during interrogations that it was implanted not long before we took down Symbiotech. Her brother was due to get one soon after. They weren’t involved in planting the bomb or its creation, but we’ve found evidence of them procuring some of the parts.”
“Shina was behind it,” Andrew added. “It's likely Pietro has a part to play in this too.”
Nil clenched his fists and jaw. He moved his family into the ludus to avoid the very thing that had almost happened. At first, there was enough plausible deniability around his survival and the company’s downfall. But after Nil and his friends took out six people with corrupted soul weapons, there was no denying it. It was clear he sabotaged them and was behind their downfall. It was also why Pietro challenged him. They wanted him gone and weren’t above targeting his family.
“What’s happening with the symbiote, thing, whatever it is?” Selia asked. “Are we going to hunt it down?”
“Not you or Nil,” Layla answered. “We worry this thing might want him given their past connection, and there is no telling what will happen if they meet or bond. Given your new relationship, you’re far too close to this. I don’t want Shawn involved in this either. Focus on the rest of your current quest, and I have the next assignment lined up.”
“But—”
“No arguments. CIT is on the case and has proven its worth. I’m also bringing in people who are more specialized in tracking and hunting such things from around the globe. They’ll take care of this. You too, Susan.”
“But this thing is dangerous,” the summoner protested. “More lives might be at risk.”
“Honestly? At this time, the Nexus doesn’t care about the endangered lives in question.” Layla’s tone was cold but professional. “They’re all people allying with parties and using tools that endanger life on your planet. However, we don’t want it to continue to feed and get stronger, either. Our priority is to track the creature, trap it, and kill it.”
“It’s weak to all things cold,” Nil said. “If anyone in this team you’re building has ice or frost-related powers, dealing with this thing should be no trouble at all.”
“Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind. Now, go home, rest, and get ready. You have just about ten days to prepare for your next fight.” Layla paused. “You should also talk to your family. They’re worried.” The caseworker appeared concerned and hesitant. “They also probably have a lot to tell you.”