Chapter 37: Rebirth (In Utero)

The orange light emitted by ancient looking lamps shone warmly in every direction; the smell of incense permeated the air, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Gray was greeted with the sight of an incredible amount of vintage clocks.

There were intricate and patterned long-cased clocks with pendulums flowing down; small, golden mantel clocks, decorating the store with their beauty; and there were also cuckoo clocks depicting houses, bird nests, and many other events.

The rest of the store was cluttered with ancient trinkets, potteries, old manuscripts hiding unknown knowledge, and many articles of furniture.

In the middle of the room there were also many display cabinets made of reinforced glass arranged in a square layout. They held ancient jewelry that belonged to lost civilizations that floated seamlessly inside the river of time.

Some were: bracelets, feathered earrings, pearled necklaces and headbands with minerals attached.

Inside the square an ornamental sword was laid horizontally on a decorative pedestal; the ancient blade hidden by a sheath patterned with flowered, jade-like engravings.

Gray walked towards the counter, quickly noticing it lacked any employees.

Since he figured that either Franz Kaldiri or the girl named Selene would be in the many other sections of the shop, he decided to wander there. In the meantime, however, he decided to send a text to Franz, informing him about his arrival.

Stepping on the wooden floor, he quickly entered inside a different booth.

‘Woah…’

This one was filled with weapons belonging from every era of mankind.

Roman daggers and pilums; Indian whip-like swords and steel forged clawed gloves; Italian rapiers and stilettos; and German Zweihanders were just some of the many articles of war attached to the walls of the store.

Resembling the store entrance, there were also many patterned armors, designed by the best known armorers.

Although some seemed archeological finds that had been repaired, it was obvious that many others others were only replicas.

Nonetheless, he kept on observing the place.

He had to get familiar with it, after all.

…

After he pretty much stared at everything inside the booth, he went inside the one close to it.

This one was visibly smaller and filled with ceramic jars, teapots, glasses, and other kitchen utensils.

Since many plates were scattered on the wooden floor, and ceramic itself wasn’t a durable material, Gray quickly returned inside the war booth that connected to it.

If he broke even one of them, he and Kathy would go bankrupt!

Or rather, Kathy would go bankrupt.

Gray would be dead.

‘Not worth the danger.’ he silently chuckled.

He wanted to check if Franz had replied to his phone text, and after a brief moment, he saw that he didn’t even read it.

‘I thought he wasn’t busy…’

’Well, it doesn’t matter for now. I’ll check the last place, and then, I’ll just wait for them near the counter. I would wander inside every section of the store, but I fear it would be considered too rude… All things considered, I’m here to make a positive impression.’

As he ventured through Mnemosyne’s Antiques, he found an half-closed, wooden door. The many objects inside the store acted like a mantle, preventing onlookers from seeing it.

Originally there was something written on the door, but now, either due to the passage of time, or by human intervention, the words had been scraped off.

‘Is this a different booth?’ he asked himself.

Afraid that it was an office or a place used by the employees, he decided to steal a quick glance without opening it.

Craning his neck, he gazed at its insides, seeing a pale girl with long white-hair flowing down to her waist. She stood unmoving in the middle of the den, her back facing him.

‘What the…?’ Gray’s eyes were agape.

The room was almost bare; there only was a chair in the middle of it. On top of it, there was a blonde wig. She bent down to pick it, the white tips of her pin-straight hair reaching the floor.

Just then, a delicate, illusory air began to pour from her body, resembling the soft moonlight.

This action could only mean one thing; she was a Nephilim!

Gray was about to turn around, to run away, to do anything possible to not be noticed, when the girl suddenly twisted her head; her red, almost blood-like eyes beginning to glow with intensity, casting reddish shadows that pierced the illusory moonlight.

Just there, he felt danger—he felt a primal urge, a subconscious voice in his head scream for him to…

GET AWAY!

Gray fell on his back, his body trembling violently.

“Did she see me?! Shit!” he muttered under his breath, his heart beating at an alarming pace.

Not daring to stay in there for even a second longer, he stood up and began to run away, nimbly dodging the various items scattered across Mnemosyne’s Antiques.

‘This place is dangerous—Franz Kaldiri is not the only Nephilim residing here!’

As he vaulted over one of the display cabinet arranged in the square layout, he immediately noticed that the illusory, moonlight was starting to fill the store.

He covered his mouth and nose with his hands, aware that it might be dangerous to breathe.

He couldn’t stay like that forever, however. He had to get outside to take a breath of fresh air!

As he instilled strength in his legs so he could leap over the display cabinets in front of him, he felt his energies dwindle.

As he jumped, his shin hit the reinforced glass, causing him to tumble forward. He instinctively tried to cover his face with his hands, but failed, hitting the ground immediately after.

He tried to stand up, but he felt his body and his own brain turn into a groggy, sluggish mess, as if he hadn’t slept for three days straight.

“What…the…”

Using the reinforced glass as a means to support himself, he slowly stood up.

Since he couldn’t run anymore, he had to hide!

He crawled on the display cabinet to then fall on the ground below, deciding to use their square arranged layout as a means to hide.

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By now, he couldn’t hold his breath anymore.

Whether he liked it or not, he had to breathe the illusory air.

He slowly inhaled and slowly exhaled, his grogginess increasing two-fold.

‘What else…can I do…?’

He tried to move, but nothing—not even the tips of his fingers responded.

‘My body doesn’t listen to me…anymore.’

He tried to breathe, but even that was becoming difficult—almost impossible to do.

He tried to come up with ideas to escape from his predicament, but nothing came out—even focusing was becoming too hard.

‘Is there…Is there nothing else I can do…?’

As his head slumped to the side, his lips and fingertips gradually acquired a bluish color; every sensation quickly draining away from his body.

‘Could be this be my end…?’ he thought, afraid.

‘Move…’ he stared at his limbs. ‘You have…to move. How will Kathy stay sane…if I leave her too?’

’How will I repay her, if I’m gone…?”

As his eyelids naturally drooped over, he fought off to not let it happen, as it would mean a certain death.

With every single ounce of his strength, he bit his tongue with his last energies, hoping that maybe, the pain would make him last.

Even the pain he now desperately hoped to feel was quickly draining away from his body, becoming a long forgotten friend, a faded memory, a thing he couldn’t quite seem to grasp anymore.

Memento Mori was the phrase he had read a countless times, be it forums or books.

It meant: ‘Remember that you must die.’

Every living being, whether willing or not, must take the deep dive towards death. Nobody was excused.

No matter how deep their regrets were; no matter the people they would leave behind; the matter the objects that would soon be forgotten, it was something everyone had to face against.

He used to love the phrase—but before becoming a Nephilim, before even forgetting about the phrase itself, he never thought that ‘he’ would be the one who would face death so suddenly, before even living two full decades.

Gray was a relatively healthy person, he lived inside a safe neighborhood and didn’t frequent any dangerous people nor partake in any violent activities; but even then, there was truly nothing he could do to avoid ‘death.’

The realization of his certain passing; the realization of leaving so many things behind; the realization of leaving his sister alone crushed him.

The only thing he could do was beg.

Beg for life.

’Someone…’

Whether the Grim Reaper answered; whether the Devil itself came to bargain; or whether something incomprehensibly worse—beyond his understandings—hissed a deal, he would take it without batting an eye.

‘Please, someone…’

‘Help me…’

But even in this world filled with whispering daemons, slithering creatures unseen in the night, maddened gods who uttered maddening hymns, nobody heeded to his call.

His breaths became shallow—his heart-beat became slower and slower, until only a faint, rhythmical thumping resounded inside the illusory air.

Thump…! Thump…! Thump!

Thump…Thump…

Thump…

Until that too, stopped, leaving Mnemosyne’s Antiques silent.

…

“Wake up, sleepy-head,” a voice spoke.

“N-Not now, Kathy…” Gray turned his body away from the feminine, tender voice. “I’m tired—I’m really, really, tired.”

“Kathy…? Pfft…” she emitted a couple of muffled snickers.

She bent down, running her long, slender fingers through Gray’s hair.

“It suits you. Are you taking care of it properly?” she asked.

In turn, Gray groaned.

“Let me sleep…” he shooed her away.

She then puffed her cheeks.

“You never change, don’t you? You really have to fix this bad habit.”

He didn’t reply.

“Graaaayyyyy...” she nudged his face with her finger.

He still didn’t reply.

“Looks like I have no other ways…” she sighed, pinching his soft cheeks, evoking a pained response.

“Argh! Ka-Kathy, stop!” he shuffled around, but she never released her grip.

“I-I will wake up, I promise!” he slowly opened his eyes. “But Kathy, please, release me!”

The light that shone behind her was too bright, causing him to squint his eyes in response.

The only thing he could now see was the blurred figure of the woman.

“Took you long enough,” she smiled warmly.

“What was the point of doing that?” he lamented, rubbing his eyes.

There, her face became clearer, and the image of his long-haired, beautifully dressed mother shone in his eyes..

“M-Mom…?”

He drew a shaky breath, unsure if the sight before him was a dream.

He was about to do the reality-check Casanova had taught him, to try to understand what was happening to him, when his mother grabbed his arm, stopping him midway.

“Not now,” she looked around, her expression unreadable.

“H-How are you here…? You are—you are dead,” he mumbled.

Just then, he remembered about the real world—and most especially, what was happening inside it.

“N-No…. This is not possible.” he touched his face.

“I’m not dead—I can’t be!” he turned around abruptly, seeing the world he was inside.

He stood inside a vast, completely white space; countless libraries extending as far as the eye could see.

“I-I have to go.”

“Kathy needs me. I-I don’t want leave her alone—I cannot leave her alone!” he ran desperately, trying to find an exit.

His mother looked at him silently, placing her hands over her heart.

Yet, she did not move nor follow him.

Gray ran and ran, searching for a door—for a portal, or for whatever could help him escape.

But nothing like that was there.

He screamed at his helplessness, cursing everything that caused him to be so weak—Genesis, his own body, his lack of knowledge and fighting abilities.

As he screamed in agony, his mother slowly materialized in front of him.

“Gray, stop.”

He crumpled on the floor, grabbing at her dress like he did when young. “Kathy…I need to be—I need to be with Kathy.”

The realization that he couldn’t see her smile anymore—the realization that he couldn’t talk nor protect her anymore started to creep into his soul, forming deep cracks within.

He looked at her, despaired.

“I failed you, Mom. I failed you—I always did. I never became what you wanted me to be,” he hoarsely said.

“Living without you was hard.” he sobbed. “I never wanted you to leave us alone—I always wished that you could stay with us…forever. That way, maybe, living wouldn’t been so difficult.”

His mother knelt down to hug him, gently rubbing his head. “You and Kathy must have been through a lot, didn’t you?”

“Kathy endured everything. Compared to her, I didn’t suffer at all,” he continued, “She even had to abandon school, can you believe it…? She even abandoned school…she did anything—she did everything…for me!”

“I didn’t do anything to repay her—and now—now I’m even leaving her alone!”

“How could I stay still?”

“How could I possibly accept this?!”

She interrupted him.

“You won’t accept it—you simply cannot,”

“We Montoyas fight, even when odds are against us. We fight— because that’s the only way we can protect someone.”

Gray laughed bitterly. “Even if I were to return there, how could I possibly defeat her? I-I don’t even possess an offensive ability.”

His mother pointed at his heart, and with a gentle smile etched on her pale face, she spoke. “You still have Genesis, don’t you?”

“I cannot bring it inside the real world. I tried for weeks, but I’m completely unable to. Genesis only activates in random patterns, not following any rules.”

“You think so?” she giggled. “I don’t believe it.”

“Whether you believe me or not, the fact that it doesn’t work won’t change!” he shot back, furious.

“Do you know why I cannot believe you?” she glanced at him, looking straight into his blood-shot eyes.

“You are my precious son. I know that, if you put your mind to it, truly, you could do anything.”

Gray was speechless.

The infinite world then started to quiver.

“There’s not enough time.” she caressed his face.

To his harsh words, she responded with a gentle caress.

It was bittersweet.

“There’s not enough time for what…?”

“You will return home.” a slight tint of melancholy was etched on her words.

Gray’s lips quivered. “Does this mean that I won’t see you anymore…?”

His mother looked away, smiled bitterly, and said,

“Maybe one day, when the stars fade away, when the planets die out, and when time stands still, we will finally embrace again.”

He clenched his fists, a tear streaming down his face. “I will wait for you. No matter how much time it takes.”

She chuckled. “I know you will.”

The world then shook violently.

The libraries fell on the ground, their books flying out. Deep cracks started to form everywhere: on the white walls, on the books, on the libraries, and even on his mother.

“M-Mom…?” he reached for her hand.

“This has to happen.” she shook her head. “We don’t have a choice,”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I-I promise—I will protect Kathy, no matter what it takes.”

She smiled softly, holding his hand.

“Even when you doubted yourself, when you fell on the ground, and when you thought you failed, I never stopped believing in you. Because of this, I will always be proud of you.”

She gazed at the dying world.

”And if he were here, he would do the same.”

He wanted to retort on the last phrase—he wanted to tell her that his father wasn’t the man she thought he was anymore—he had changed.

But he just couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Slowly, his mother shattered like a marbled, precious statue, turning into fragments of memories.

Within them, he could see his past with her, unbounded by any shadows.

…

Inside a white hospital room, as she quivered in pain, she held a new-born Gray.

“Look at how tiny you are…” she caressed his features with gentleness, tracing his face with her finger.

Next to her, Kathy pointed at him.

“Was I that litt-” she quickly stopped herself. “No… Kathy is strong…”

…

Inside a lush forest away from the city, Gray tried to walk for the first time, his feet wobbling with every step, awfully resembling those of a penguin.

His mother watched him carefully, ready to save him from any danger.

“Come here, Gray! I know you can do it!” she encouraged him delicately.

One step, two steps, three steps…

As he was close to her, his ankle twisted. He was about to fall, and his mother started running towards him.

“G-Gray!” she thrust her hand forwards.

She was about to grab him, when suddenly, he regained his balance, beginning to walk towards his mother like he never did before.

As he reached her, his mother scooped him up in a gentle embrace, lifting him for more than several feet.

“Good job, Gray, good job!” she spun and spun, jumping up and down, hers and Gray’s laughter echoing in the forest.

…

The illusory air floated seamlessly across Mnemosyne’s Antiques, filling every single corner.

The white haired woman walked towards Gray’s motionless body, her expression locked with anger.

As she opened her hand, the delicate moonlight started to accumulate inside it, forming a thin, long rapier.

“I hate you, Gray Montoya.” she pointed her blade at him. “You stole everything from me.” she said through gritted teeth.

“I won’t let you do it again.”

As she thrust her rapier at his throat, Gray’s eyes suddenly flung open, a silvery, transcendental light flickering within them.

With a swift, steady, and precise motion, he dodged the blade by an hair’s breadth!