CHAPTER 7

Nexus, the Storm of Destruction; it was a Monster that suddenly appeared just before the Third King of Demkil’s reign and had proven itself to be the most powerful Supernatural that Humankind, let alone Demkil had ever faced. It was a ‘Shapeshifter,’ a creature with the unique ability to transform its appearance to that of other creatures. Sometimes, it appeared in the forms of a lion or a phoenix, and though there was no record of it, it seemed likely that it could appear as a Human as well. No matter what form it took, there were always two signs of its arrival: the black thunderstorms it conjured, and the aftermath of the devastation it had wrought.

Some believed that it represented the First King’s wrath towards Humankind, as it only wished to destroy Humans and everything they have ever built, leaving alone everything else. That was the only factor that separated it from other Monsters; whereas the Supernatural usually corrupted all of the creatures around them, Nexus threatened only Humankind, leaving alone the other natural life forms. In fact, it even destroyed other Monsters, if they were unlucky enough to get in the way of its path.

It seemed too abnormal, even for a Monster, but the clincher was its evident hatred towards Demkil specifically. It first arrived just a couple of months after the Second King’s coronation, and rather than attacking right away, it presented itself just to warn Demkil.

“I am Destruction incarnate. If I consider Humans unworthy of this world, I shall wipe them all out, starting right here with Demkil. You’d all best watch your steps, and make sure you don’t end up on the wrong path: the one that leads to me.”

As an example of its power, it wiped out an entire city in an instant, after summoning a storm that could have razed everything within Demkil to the ground. After that, it simply disappeared as if it had no more business with Demkil for the time being. Defeating such a Monster seemed impossible, and all anyone could do was turn to the King for a solution. However, the response offered by the Second King was mostly considered unsatisfying; rather than seeking a Monster that left behind only destruction as a trail and challenge it to a hopeless battle, he instead proposed that they did everything they could to avoid a second encounter.

Demkil went about five years without another incident, at least nothing near the same level, but inevitably Nexus arrived once again, randomly destroying villages and cities across the lands. There was no telling what triggered it, but since it had appeared with malicious intent, the Slayers were called into action to save whomever they could and dispatch the threat, if they could. Needless to say, most of them were wiped out, and the incident ended with the disappearance of the Second King, who was assumed to be killed in action since there was no sign of his return a couple of months afterwards.

Since then, Nexus had not made another appearance, but Demkil’s change was set in stone; the Third King began his reign with centering the prophecy of Demkil’s ruin around Nexus’s existence, and preventative measures such as the “Test of Humanity” were put into place. It took little time for everyone to believe that Nexus, the Monster that despised Humankind the most, would certainly return in the form of a Human, just to spite them as it brought ruin from within. Thus, Nexus was predetermined to become the “Cursed Child.”

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“There you have it,” Swinger concluded his explanation. “Just as foretold, Nexus has returned as a child of Demkil. I hope I have cleared things up for you.”

Vilda, who had no prior knowledge of past events involving Nexus, had difficulty dismissing the information Dalton provided due to what she had seen from Axis beforehand. However, there were definitely holes, or at the very least, details that were left out of Swinger’s account. Axis also noticed a contradiction and decided to call it out.

“That smells like bullshit to me… If Nexus hated Humans so much, why the hell would it want to take a Human’s form? A Monster that’s already powerful enough to erase Humankind taking on a form that’s weaker than its standard? That’s stupid.”

“Who knows?” Dalton responded while shrugging his shoulders. “We have yet to understand how many Monsters think, even after dealing with them for hundreds of years. Every time we make a new discovery, we encounter a new mystery. Yet another reason why our establishment is so important, as well as your cooperation with us, Nexus. We can both find answers to our questions if you would just work with us.”

Vilda could easily see Swinger’s ploy, and if looks could kill, then he would have died a dozen times over from her icy stare. Axis, on the other hand, couldn’t tell exactly what Dalton was planning, but he was still dissatisfied with the explanation given. Regardless, he decided to move on from that discussion.

“Screw it,” he said after a brief sigh. “I don’t care about being Nexus, or whatever anyway. I have more important questions…”

“Actually,” Swinger interrupted sternly, “That will be enough questions for tonight. I’ll be happy to respond to more inquiries tomorrow, during our ‘session.’ It’s time for us to return, Nexus.”

In spite of the disadvantageous position Dalton and his servants were in, he still demanded Axis’s compliance as he gestured towards the building that Axis and Vilda had just escaped from. In response to his words, his servants took a step towards the one that could dispatch them all within an instant. However, Axis paid the servants no mind at all, glaring only at Swinger, who was noticeably taking steps back in a gradual retreat.

“Don’t you interrupt me!” Nexus scowled as his electric aura intensified. “I already told you: you’re going to answer my questions now! I still need to know what a Human is, damn it!”

Dalton smirked he responded, as if he had figured out something everyone else had overlooked.

“After studying the Supernatural for many years, there are certain things I have discovered: for one thing, the abilities they have are based on their ‘aura,’ the manifestation of their spirit. Monsters of certain types may share similar powers, but there is always a difference in how their influence affects others. However, there is one common drawback among all Monsters: the more of their aura they expend, whether it’s in battle or otherwise, the more taxing it is on them, especially while possessing a vessel that doesn’t yet suit them.”

As soon as he said so, Vilda’s eyes widened upon her own realization. It was something she hadn’t even considered, due to how easily Axis had eliminated the squad of knights prior. She also overheard Swinger when he mentioned Axis having “that much control over it already,” which insinuated that he had no control prior. If that night was truly the first time that he had unleashed that power willingly, then that meant that his body had not acclimated to it.

Nexus, however, still seemed unbothered as he retorted.

“So what? I doubt it would take much to kill these ‘employees’ of yours. That was a weak flex, but I should’ve expected that from the weakest one here.”

“Weakest…?!” Swinger snapped at first, but recomposed himself as he continued. “If you really believe that, then go ahead and defeat them. However, it would be a mistake to underestimate them. You should know already, but I don’t just accept anyone as my employee.”

With that, Dalton no longer bothered to hide the fact that he was running away, though Vilda mistook the reason for his retreat. She believed that he realized how dangerous Axis was and used his servants as scapegoats, in order to buy him time to reach the bell tower. However, Swinger only ran for a short time, only to distance himself to where he deemed that he was far enough away from Axis, Vilda, and his servants. After that, he turned back towards them while he raised a hand to snap his fingers.

It was very little, so miniscule that it usually wouldn’t be worth mentioning, but because he was the cause, Vilda was immediately alarmed. When he snapped his fingers, he released the restraints from his servants, which allowed them to shed their false humanoid appearance via transformation. It was a Magic Spell, albeit a very basic one that removed certain restrictions; even so, Vilda was disturbed.

Humans aren’t supposed to use Magic!

Yes, a power easily wielded by the Elves was not meant to be wielded by Humankind. In fact, the Elven race were one of the extremely few that were allowed the use of Magic in the World of Eva, as most of the previous races with this exception went extinct long ago. The races that could use Magic back in that time met their end in one of two ways: they either destroyed themselves as a result of their own intemperance, or they became something that needed to be destroyed, lest the world would suffer as a result of their acts. Either way, it was clear that Magic was far too dangerous to be shared among all living creatures, and by the time of Humanity’s Dawn, Magic was considered a lost art, or rather forbidden.

“You bastard!” Vilda called out to Dalton, clearly enraged. “How are you able to use Magic?! You shouldn’t have the ability to ‘inhale mana!’”

Of course, Axis had no idea what Vilda was referring to at all.

“‘Inhale mana?’ What the fuck does that mean, even?”

Of course, Swinger deflected the question.

“I believe I already said that the time for questions is over. That aside, you should really be more vigilant. The battle has already begun.”

Axis and Vilda turned their attention to the servants, who had each taken completely different forms. One of them had grown larger and more muscular, with horns atop its head and spikes protruding from its back. Two of them had grown fur across their bodies, as well as claws and fangs that seemed as sharp as blades. Another two were covered in scales, along with a strange substance akin to sweat. One of them had become quadrupedal, covered in needle-like hairs like the spines of a porcupine. The last one merely wore a shell made of stone as if it was armor, similar to a hermit crab; it was the least impressive out of all the servants, honestly.

Axis clicked his tongue in annoyance after examining each one of them. To him, they were nothing more than obstacles, but he had to admit to himself that they were troublesome. He didn’t know how to read the auras of others like Vilda, but he could instinctively tell that they would be far more formidable than the squad of knights they encountered earlier. Still…

“I won’t let anyone get in my way…” Nexus’s aura intensified as he faced the servants, fully intent on destroying them all. “I will find the answers!”