Beyond The System
Chapter 135: Confession

There was a pause. Everything stilled and it felt like a mist clouding my mind suddenly cleared. I pulled back immediately.

“What… What was that? NO!” I shouted, recoiling, simultaneously refusing the offer.

“Where did you get that?” The caring face was gone. Until now, outside of the mouth, I’d never seen a single flicker of emotion from the entity, but now it was different.

That flawless image had twisted. Its blazing eyes narrowed under heavy hairless brows, tension pulling the cheeks tight with shock.

“Ugh…” A crushing pressure seized me, tossing my form in invisible waves, but the pain didn’t truly begin until I felt the monster’s rage.

“WHERE DID YOU GET THAT!”

“AHHH!” It was like a knife twisting in my skull. I screamed. One glance and I saw something far worse than shock.

A demon.

Its hair waved like tendrils in a storm, gleaming with raw energy. Particles radiated from its face so thick they leaked downward like liquid light.

As the pain threatened to splinter me apart, it eased, just barely, when another appendage stretched out from the darkness.

“Where have you been? WHY CAN’T I SEE IT!” The voice was pure fury. Fangs jutted from its mouth, still growing from its incisors as it roared.

The hand reached toward me, pale as its porcelain skin, tipped with claws like ivory blades.

Another pulse. I felt it this time. Something from my Nexus, from inside it.

The hand froze and the pain vanished instantly.

I lay there, panting, recovering. Then, slowly… “Heh. Haha…” A fit of giggles escaped me. “Why—” I sucked in a breath. “Why did you need my permission?”

I looked up and the thing staring back at me could only be described as the embodiment of beautiful anger. Molten eyes locked onto mine, framed by silver moonlight hair and sharpened horns.

“You showed me everyone receiving your blood as it rained from the sky.” I said, letting the joy rise inside me. “But why ask me?”

“You think your home is safe?” His voice hit in overlapping deep tones, now a harmony of menace. “I did not lie, you worm. I can make it much worse.”

I started thinking. My world wasn’t perfect, but it was far more advanced than this one. Most beasts here wouldn’t survive against a well-placed bomb or heavy firepower. I wasn’t an expert, but creatures that could, must be rare, even here.

“Who will refuse my help when more and more beasts appear?” he continued. “Who will refuse my power anyway? The promise of strength. Of growth. Everyone will belong to me. Devote themselves to me, and they will hate you.”

Each word hit harder than the last, but none of their energy reached me.

I wasn’t under any illusion about knowing his full story, or what was truly happening back home. But at least now, I knew not everything from that vision had been real. Maybe there were monsters. Maybe the world had suffered, but it wasn’t ruined.

“I’ll continue to grow,” I promised. “I’ll take everything I can from you.”

Almost instantly, the demon’s form folded back into porcelain perfection. He inhaled deeply, pulling back the leaking force that had spilled out around him.

“I offered some encouragement during our first meeting,” he said. “But now, Peter… I’m truly looking forward to meeting you.”

He smiled, confident and calm. “Grow. Grow so high that I can finally act.”

Then softer: “Or stop, and die peacefully.”

Everything began to blur, and my awareness turned inward again.

Nothing had really changed except for one thing. My internal flame had shifted.

It now circled my Nexus slowly, like a guardian. It had joined the red dragon of lightning, my Beast Force.

And though the flame wasn’t any bigger… it burned with more force. It was faster, wilder.

I’d figure it out later. For now, there were arms around me to deal with.

“Thea?” I placed a hand on her back, rubbing lightly as I opened my eyes, but she didn’t budge. Not even a twitch.

The others had all moved in, hovering nearby, their faces lined with concern.

“You okay, man?” Trevor asked. He must’ve come over while I was out. “That was a pretty bad scream.”

I nodded, managing a small smile. “I’m fine. Did everyone hear it?”

“Hard not to,” Lyra said gently. “But we told them we’d keep an eye on you.”

Bristle still hadn’t budged either. I didn’t want to call him out, but if I had to guess, he couldn’t have cared less. Maybe I woke him with the scream, but considering he hadn’t moved since... yeah. He probably went right back to sleep.

“You’re really okay?” A tug came from the side opposite where Thea was holding on. Velea looked up at me, wide-eyed, clearly shaken.

Right then, I seriously started considering whether she should delay Body Refinement until she was older. Thirteen, and having to see that thing?

I’d leave that choice to her and Thea. But still, something we’d have to talk about.

“Really,” I confirmed. “How about you?” I nudged her gently.

Her eyes softened, just a little, though confusion took their place. “I’m fine?”

I rolled my eyes. “I meant your training.”

“Oh!” Her whole face lit up. All the tension evaporated as she planted her hands on her waist. “I felt it! It was a little confusing at first, but I must be a genius, right? It was smooth and flowing all around me, and some of it started going in, but I ignored that part because it was confusing, and then—”

“Great job.” I cut her off before the flood continued. “Guess we’re moving on to absorption next.”

“You’d think he didn’t just meet some evil god,” Elric muttered, shaking his head. “I’m going back to training. The rest of you should too.”

“So insensitive,” Sia said, narrowing her eyes.

“You’re insensitive,” Elric fired back.

“No she’s not,” Lyra corrected casually.

“LYRA!” Sia gasped. “Present company!”

“Thea?” I tried again, glancing over with growing concern. She still wasn’t moving.

Then I noticed it, steady breathing, complete stillness. Are you kidding me?

“She fell asleep a while ago,” Velea informed me helpfully. “Dad used to say she was impossible to wake up, but I never really believed him until now.”

“Right after you screamed, she passed out,” Trevor added. “Once Elric checked you.”

“Forget about that. I want to progress!” Velea said, her voice bright and eager.

The others were already settling back into training, so I figured; sure, why not?

“Okay. It’s pretty simple. Almost instinctual, actually. Just push your Internal Force around your Nexus then you absorb,” I explained.

“Dude, you’re kinda skipping the whole ‘learning to move it around’ part,” Trevor pointed out.

“Sure, you can practice that first if you want, but it’s not too hard. Oh, and if you feel sick? That’s the limit. Stop immediately. I’m serious.”

Velea nodded happily and closed her eyes, already diving in.

I glanced outside. The sky had turned a deep orange signaling that the sunset was settling in. “Trevor?”

“Yeah?”

“You ever think about the others?” I asked, still watching Velea. “Our classmates? Anyone back home. Your parents?”

He shrugged. “My parents, of course, and… I dunno. Might sound heartless, but not really. Too much else going on.”

“Same, I guess.” I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. “This feels like the first full day of peace I’ve had in… a long time.”

“You just met with some terrifying monster and are heading into a death zone. What the heck do you not consider peaceful, you psycho?” he joked.

“You’re the only person I’ve met, you know.” I didn’t laugh. Though, I did think it was funny. “But we both saw plenty of people go into the portals before us.”

“I don’t know, man. Who even knows where they led? We didn't get dropped in the same spot.” he said, glancing up. “We’re in a completely different world. A big one considering that gravity’s the same, which is kinda wild.”

“Nerd,” I cut in.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “Point is, who’s to say this is the only place people were sent? Maybe some of our classmates weren’t so lucky. Could’ve spawned above an ocean...”

We let that settle between us, the silence stretching.

“Yeah. Could be,” I said quietly, then hesitated. “I—um. I need to tell you something. Something bad.”

He didn’t say anything, so I went on.

“I don’t know all the details. Not for sure. But that guy, the demon, I saw? He knows about our world.” I paused. “He pulled it from me.”

“Oh.” That was all he said.

“I mean, I don’t know how he found it, but it’s helping him, somehow. It matters to him, so I don’t think he’s lying. I think he’s changed it.”

I took a deep breath, shaky and uneven. “I don’t know. I—” The words started to stick. “It’s just… maybe the world has changed. With monsters. With other things. Like this place.”

“You. I don’t get it. Uh. how do you know?” He stumbled over the question.

“Visions. Dreams. But they weren’t completely true… I think.” I forced that last part. I suspected heavily that they were fake, but even with the creature's words, it was not smart to state certainties.

“So our families? Our friends?”

“Fine. Or not. I don’t know.” It was the only honest answer I had.

He stood up without a word and started toward the front cart.

“You alright?” I asked, watching him go.

“Going to train,” he said simply. “The big guy and Marcus help me out.” He opened the flap, stepped halfway through, then paused.

“Don’t blame yourself,” he said, voice softer now. “It’s that thing’s fault.”

He disappeared through the flap.

I sometimes wish my senses weren’t so sharp.