Nothing about the arena indicated that people out of the ordinary currently called it home. If it weren’t for the palpable aura of power that Will could feel radiating out from somewhere in the center of the building, he might have been mistaken to assume that the complex was abandoned. But his finely tuned senses couldn’t ignore the evidence that was bearing down upon him. There were other Nexians inside this building apart from himself, James, and Kenta. And, judging by their auras, they were most definitely Alphas.
“Sometimes I hate being right,” he muttered, keeping his voice low so that only his compatriots could hear.
To his right, he could sense, rather than see, Kenta nod in agreement. “They’re Alphas, no doubt about it.”
“What’s the plan, Will?” James asked. The tension of the moment registered in his voice, making it a bit thinner and higher than usual. “We fighting, or getting out of here?”
“Who said there was any plan to fight?” Will asked. In spite of himself, he almost wanted to laugh. “You’re so eager to prove yourself that you’ll take on three Alphas at once?”
A slight flush crept up James’ neck at his comment, and he didn’t bother to reply. Instead, he repeated his previous question. “What’s the plan?”
“We have to meet them. We need to know what we’re dealing with, and we need to bring that information back to the Council.”
“So…”
“So no fighting,” Will clarified. “Only attack if they do, and your first objective is to escape. But there’s still a chance this can be resolved peacefully.”
Neither of his companions could think of a way to refute that. So, taking a deep breath and making sure he was ready for combat, Will strode purposefully forward. The narrow hallway they were in ran for a surprisingly long stretch, and the other end was awash with bright light. It reminded Will of a train tunnel from his visits to Japan. Though this tunnel, of course, might lead to something even more dangerous.
“Will Andrews!” A deep, booming voice rang throughout the arena. In another lifetime, the sheer volume of the voice would have made him jump. But he was a powerful figure in his own right. Alpha of the Thunder Nexus. One of the five leaders of the Nexus Council. He had to stand his ground against these strangers.
He stepped into the arena as confidently as he could, attempting to portray an aura of self-assured strength, as though this meeting was no more important than a stroll through the park. The part he had to play, he thought with an inward snort of laughter.
Though the arena was brightly lit, he could see quite clearly to the opposite end. There, on a slightly raised platform placed in the end zone, were three large chairs, and in them, three figures. He could immediately identify them as the source of this near-overwhelming aura of power. Yet, strangely, there was a slight difference, now that he was this close. Was it just his imagination, or did the three of them feel… slightly different?
“Welcome,” the figure in the middle said. He was the owner of that booming voice. Even seated, he was clearly tall and had long black hair that he allowed to flow freely in waves down to his shoulders. He wore robes, mostly black save for some silver embellishment that Will couldn’t make out clearly. “Welcome to Minnesota. We thought a neutral location would be better for all of us.”
Will did not reply at once. Instead, he allowed his gaze to drift to the sides, taking in the other Alphas. One was clad in rather normal attire for a Nexian. Faded jeans, high leather boots, and a dull leather jacket over a white shirt. He looked no different from the average biker. He even wore a pair of shades, though they were pushed up and into the spiky brown hair that was cut short. He was built like a mountain - large arms and legs. A man that was no stranger to fighting.
The man on the speaker’s left was much smaller than his companions and painfully thin. He had a sharp, angular face that matched the square spectacles perched on his nose quite well. His hair, a pale blond in color, reached down to his ears and was a terrible mess. He brought to mind an introvert who rarely saw the sun, and spent the great majority of his time reading or playing games.
Finally, Will decided he could ignore the leader’s greeting no longer. “A neutral location, you say.” He glanced pointedly around the stadium. It could sit thousands and thousands of people on a game day, but for now, it was abandoned. “So you are not from here.”
“I am not,” the leader agreed. “I was originally from Toledo, before the first war of your people. Now, I live in Cleveland.”
Will nodded as if he understood, but filed the information away for future reference. Knowledge of where this man lived might come in handy in the future. “You know my name. This puts me at a bit of a disadvantage, as I don’t know yours.”
The man smiled at that as if it were a humorous joke between friends. “True, I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Silas Redman.” He pointed to the muscular man, then the thin. “These are my compatriots; Jack Anderson from Pittsburgh, and John Taylor, from New York City.”
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The two nodded as their names were mentioned, and Will inclined his head. He would show that basic respect, at least. Then he cut right to the chase. “You are Soul Nexians.”
“Ah,” Silas said, and for once he did sound a bit uncertain. “I was worried you would arrive at that conclusion. We are, and we are not.”
“You have the presence of Soul Nexians,” Kenta said, speaking for the first time in this strange meeting.
“That is true, I suppose,” Silas agreed, inclining his head in Kenta’s direction. “But we are only a part of the whole, each of us.” He gestured to himself. “It took us quite some time to figure out the difference. We read all the history that the Lorists had to offer, and we’ve come up with an explanation.”
He paused as if inviting questions, but the three visitors said nothing, waiting patiently for the explanation. With a slight shake of his head, Silas continued. “We believe that the three of us have inherited a separate fraction of what the Soul Nexians could do. I, for example, have the ability to give or siphon life energy between humans and Nexians.”
That had indeed been one of the powers that Togai had used, to disastrous effect, when he’d fought Will. He didn’t say so, however, because he knew Silas wasn’t finished.
“Jack here, well he’s always been strong, as you can tell. But when he got his powers, his strength skyrocketed. He can move faster than any human I’ve seen, and he can lift almost anything that’s not bolted down. John, well, he’s a little different.”
The thin man leaned forward at that, pushing his glasses a little further up his nose. When he spoke, his voice was thin and reedy, further enhancing the introverted air he gave off. “I have the ability to mimic the abilities of other Nexians. I have already done this with fire, water, earth, air, and of course lightning. I can also sense your energy to predict attacks. That is how I know you’ve been a hair’s breadth from attacking if you sense hostile intent.”
Will took a half step back, his mind reeling. They had just stated the three primary powers of the Soul Nexus. How could these qualities have been divided into three? Or was it the case that this was the natural state of the Soul Nexus powers and that the combination of the three was what had made Soul Nexians so overwhelmingly powerful in the first place?
“So you three make up the Soul Nexus powers,” Will commented. “But you wiped out one of the Libera Terra bases in this city? That doesn’t sound at all like the Soul Nexus of old.”
“That is because we are not the Soul Nexus of old,” Silas said with a grin. “We only came into our powers a little over a year ago.”
“And nobody noticed?” James said, the disbelief evident in his voice. “You mean to tell us that the humans around you never noticed your Nexuses?”
“Well,” Silas said slowly, thinking over his words, “Humans aren’t used to the Soul Nexus, are they? It hasn’t existed for over half a decade, thanks to you, Will.”
At that, Will shifted his feet uncomfortably. Even years later, he didn’t approve of the fame and infamy he’d gained from striking Togai down. He never wanted to be known as a conqueror or killer. In spite of his best efforts, the world had learned of this achievement, however. He was the only living Nexian who had managed to kill another Alpha. He suspected he’d have to live with that for the rest of his life.
“But you are mistaken, I believe,” Silas continued, his expression growing serious, “That we have Nexuses. Jack and I have shared our powers with no one yet. We did not believe it was right to spread our powers before we could meet you and your Council. John has shared his power with only one other person, and they have agreed to keep his identity a secret. We’ve been waiting until we could meet you to reveal ourselves.”
“But why?” Will asked. “You have power. Why would you keep it a secret?”
“I’m sure it isn’t that hard to understand,” Jack said. His voice was deep and brusque. “You remember the fear and devastation that the Nexuses caused when they first appeared in the world. Why would we put the humans around us through that? They’re our friends and our neighbors. We have to protect them, even if it’s from ourselves.”
The unexpectedly polite and noble statement caught Will off guard, almost staggering him like a physical blow. He’d expected to find himself facing three powerful survivors of the old Soul Nexus, ready to take revenge on him for killing their old leader. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to meet such… honest people.
“You…,” he had trouble forming his thoughts into words. “You’ve never harmed or killed another human with your power?”
“None except the Libera Terra,” John Taylor said. “They represented a major threat not only to the Nexuses but also to the safety and peace of other humans. They had to be defeated.”
With an effort, Will forced his racing thoughts to calm. He shouldn’t make decisions just yet, and certainly not alone. These new Alphas were threats, yes, but were they a danger to the peace of the world? The evidence seemed to be against the idea. Was he being fooled? Was it their plan to present a good face, then strike out once the Council had lowered its guard?
“The Council,” he muttered, his lips barely moving.
“Yes,” Kenta agreed. “We have to see what the Council wishes to do.”
“This is fine with us,” Silas replied. “We know that a delicate balance exists, and we do not wish to harm it. We promise to abide by any reasonable decision that the Council might make, once you bring back the news of who and what we are.”
“But before you leave,” Jack said, leaning forward, “We should tell you. The outsider, Grimr, has met us already. He came to us a week ago.”
That caused a flare of panic to burst to life in Will’s chest. “He came here? So soon after the Nexus Games? Did he try to kill you three?”
“I believe that was his first intention,” Silas agreed. “But we were stronger together than his band is, so he recognized that he could not fight us.”
“So, if you weren’t harmed, why tell me this?”
“He wished us to convey a message, Will.”
The panic in Will’s chest evaporated, making way for an entirely new sensation, like that of an icy hand closing around his heart. How could one figure, less powerful than an Alpha, cause him such disquiet? Just the mention of him sent waves of unease over Will as if his presence could reach even this far. “What’s the message?”
“He wishes for you to know that his mission is not a personal one. He fights for the sake of his world. He bears you no ill will, but you are the seed of a threat that he must remove from Earth. He cannot allow you to retain your power, for it may one day spill over into his world.”