The shocking revelation of Tobias’ face being linked to one of the most interesting urban legends he’d ever read about was too much for Will. He spent the rest of the night and the next day in a state of shocked silence. From what Noratuk reported, Edward was in a similar state. Will tried his best to come up with an argument that disproved his new firm belief but failed miserably. Tobias had known enough about the Nexus power to bypass Edward’s condition, he thought. Or maybe he didn’t bypass it. He could ignore the condition and wound Edward like any other man.
He sent Rachel a message with his phone, containing the man’s picture and asking if she’d seen him anywhere before. But judging by the time difference, she would be sound asleep, or else in some area of the country without reliable service. She didn’t send a reply that first night. She didn’t reply at all. Instead, he received a call just after lunchtime on the following day. It was from his father. He answered at once.
“Hi, Dad,” he said. Charlisa, sitting nearby and reading a new book, looked up curiously and gave a small wave. “Charlisa says hi.”
“Oh,” His dad sounded very distracted. “Hi, Charlisa.”
Will passed along the greeting, rewarded by a smile from Charlisa. He smiled back, adoring her at that moment. “What’s up, Dad?”
“Will,” his dad said his name like a sigh, which immediately concerned him. “Whose picture did you send to Rachel? She’s been acting weird all day since she got your text.”
Will sat up straighter in his chair. “She recognized him?”
“Apparently. At first, she had no idea who it was. But then she woke up this morning in a panic, saying she knew who he was. She said something about him being ‘the one and being responsible for everything.”
“That’s what I thought!” Will put in, a thrill running through his body. He tilted the phone away from his ear and turned to Charlisa. “Rachel recognized him too!”
Charlisa’s eyes widened. “Really? Was he the one that gave her her power?”
Will could only shrug. “I think so, but she didn’t say it outright.”
“Will,” his dad was speaking again. Will put the phone to his ear properly. “She hasn’t eaten all day. I’m worried about her.”
“I know, Dad,” he replied sympathetically. “Edward and I have been experiencing the same issue.”
“What?” His dad sounded panicked. “Are you alright? Are you sick or something?”
“I’m fine!” He said hurriedly. “I’m serious Dad. I was in a bit of a slump until you called, but I’m not sick or anything.”
He decided not to mention the agonizing headache he’d experienced over an entire day. That seemed to be a unique problem. “Just talk to her, Dad. She’ll be alright. I think it’s just shocking at realizing who he is.”
“So who is he?” His dad asked at once. “You still haven’t told me.”
Will took a deep breath, considering for a moment. What if his dad had the same horrifying realization? But his curiosity made him say it. He had to know, to be sure. “Remember the man that attacked us in Tokyo?”
“The one that used all the Nexus powers?”
“That’s the one. Well, I saw his face then. Now, remember when I told you about that urban legend where thousands of people had dreamed of the same face? The theory was that it was the face of God?”
“Oh, you’re not serious,” his father said, catching on quickly. “Wait. So… That’s the man who created the Nexuses?”
“I think so,” Will said breathlessly, listening intently for his father’s reaction. “It would explain why he was able to injure Edward and Kevin, and why he had the powers of multiple Nexuses.”
“That does make sense.” To Will’s relief, his father sounded normal, if a bit surprised. “But why couldn’t you guys remember his face until now?”
“I don’t know that. I only know what I remember of the urban legend. He’s gotta be the one.”
“I see.” His father had regained his composure somewhat. “Man, that’s gotta be rough for Rachel and Edward. But tell me, son, did he affect you in any way?”
Will hesitated. Then, for the first time in several years, he decided to lie to his father. “No.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah. I think I was just affected by Edward’s mood. I got a strange connection to him since he’s my Alpha. I’m sure you’ve noticed something like that with Rachel.”
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“That’s certainly true,” his father replied, sounding convinced by his answer. “Well, at least I know now. I’m going to go try to get one of the Nexians to keep checking in on here, then get back to practicing. Stay safe, Will. Don’t do anything rash at the tournament.”
“I promise I won't,” he assured his father. “Have a good one, Dad. I can’t wait to see you use your powers.”
“I’ll show off plenty,” his dad said with a laugh. “Give my love to Charlisa.”
With that, his father hung up, and Will settled back into his chair, slipping back into deep thought. He only glanced up when he realized that Charlisa was staring intently at him. “Dad sends his love.”
“You just lied to him,” she said with an accusing note in her voice. “Why?”
Will felt a flush creep up his neck. “I don’t want to worry him.”
She sniffed delicately and picked up her book once more. “I’m not sure that was wise.”
“Well, I’ll pay the price for it if I have to,” he said firmly. “I don’t regret it.”
Before either of them could say anything else, a faint chime rang out. It was the intercom, they realized, looking up at it. It was the first time it had gone off since they’d departed from the station. The conductor’s voice rang out of the metal box. “Attention all passengers, we are now crossing into the dead zone.”
Will looked up. The conductor’s words took a second to sink in. Dead zone? What was he talking about? Then, as the meaning became apparent, he jumped out of his seat and moved to the window. What he saw was a scene that belonged in a horror film. Charlisa hurried over too, and her reaction was the same. It was the first time she’d seen it, he realized.
They were passing the last of the wildness at the edge of the midwest. Lush grasslands and tall, healthy trees suddenly gave way to a field of gray. The transition took less time than he could put into a breath. Expanding further than the eye could see, he saw nothing but entire stretches of scorched, ashy earth. It reminded him of the one time that Mt. Redoubt, a volcano in Central Alaska, had erupted. But this was on a much, much larger scale. Scattered across the landscape were bodies of water of different sizes. It looked like an entire swamp had been incinerated, killing all the plant life and leaving only the bogs behind.
Suddenly, he felt sick at the sight, and looked away, as if he were ashamed. Even though he hadn’t been there in the Nexus Wars, he felt guilty knowing how much devastation was outside the window. He met Charlisa’s eyes, seeing the horror there. If it was this bad for them, who were innocent, what was Edward feeling, now that he was back at the site of the most violent part of his life? It had to be crushing, he thought.
“You should see if your Dad’s alright,” He said croakily. She didn’t reply at first, her eyes still locked on the scene outside. He gripped her shoulders firmly, forcing her to turn and meet his eyes. “Charlisa.”
She shook herself, coming to attention. Tears were streaming silently down her face. “What?”
“Go check on your Dad,” Will repeated. “Right now.”
She grasped his meaning at once and nodded. She sniffed and wiped away the tears, then set her book down, hurrying out of the compartment. Will felt his eyes being drawn back to the window, and the seemingly endless fields of ash. The history books had said that most of the Midwest had been destroyed by the war between Edward and Rachel. But now that he was seeing it with his own eyes, he realized that it hadn’t done the truth any actual justice. It was nowhere near an accurate description of what lay before his eyes.
They’d be fighting in this horrible location, he thought. Hitori had planned this. It was a manipulation tactic. Why else would he force Rachel and Edward to return to this site, the same site where they’d been responsible for the deaths of hundreds, thousands of people? No wonder people were terrified of the Nexuses. This wasteland was a permanent testament to how much destruction they could cause if left unchecked. And this was only two Nexuses, he remembered. Only half. What would happen if all four went on the rampage? It could be the end of the world.
“He wants to stop this happening again,” he said softly. He hadn’t meant to utter the words, but as soon as they left his lips, he knew they were true. Some future event, either as bad as this or worse, was going to happen. Tobias wanted to stop it. Will felt a surge of sympathy and gratitude for him that he’d certainly never felt. But if he was the only chance, then he couldn’t hate the man, no matter what he’d done in the past.
Why did he create the Nexuses? Maybe he hadn’t known what it would do. The twin dilemmas reared in front of Will, two dragons that both represented ugly truths. He had to believe in one, and neither option was good. Either Tobias knew and had willingly sacrificed all those human lives, or he hadn’t known but was still responsible for the greatest tragedy in human history. Sure, the latter option didn’t make him evil, but it was still horrible to consider.
Something else of Tobias’ speech in his dream came to mind then. “It is the worst pain I could inflict on you, but with it, I have the greatest chance of saving us all.”
Was it the plan to kill Hitori? Was that the goal that both Edward and Hitori shared? Based on what he knew, Hitori had been the cause of the first great tragedy. Maybe he was planning another one but on a bigger scale. Will felt an intense, burning hatred for the man rise in him like bile, threatening to overcome him. That man had caused all this death and destruction. And he’d attempted to recruit Will! What if he, Will, had fallen in line with Hitori’s manipulation? He would have been targeted by Edward, along with the rest of his Nexus.
But no, Will thought. Instead, he’d been recruited to the Fire Nexus, and set up to be the very person that would end the Soul Nexus. He collapsed back into his seat, finally tearing his eyes away from the scene of lifelessness outside, and put his head in his hands. The weight of what he had to do had never felt so real to him, or so heavy. It threatened to crush him just then, to bear down on his mind until he went mad. Maybe it would be easier to lose himself. He could be a better fighter then, without care to distract him.
“No!” he said, punching the armrest of his chair. “I made a promise!”
And suddenly, he felt a new surge of determination. It wasn’t enough to wipe out the horror of his circumstance, but it supported him against the burden, lifting it just enough that he could gather his thoughts. That was right. He’d made a promise. To Edward, and most importantly, to Charlisa, even though she did not know it. He was going to protect her. Now he made another promise. He was going to protect them all. Not just Charlisa and his Nexus, but all of them. All of the people, so that they wouldn’t suffer again. And he knew just how to do that, and who would help him.