Chapter 16: The key And Door

Nexus could tell that Marcus didn't believe him, and he wasn't bothered by it. He felt that in time, he would come to understand what he meant.

Silence settled between them. A few minutes passed before Nexus sighed dramatically. "You're really not going to ask me anything? Not even about the False Pages? Where do they come from? Why are they here?"

Can't you just stay quiet for a while? Marcus thought. He wanted to know the answers to these questions, and more, however, he didn't know whether he could trust whatever came from Nexus's mouth.

"Not really,"

Nexus grinned. "Then I'll tell you anyway."

"False pages are fragments of a greater power." He stopped there letting the silence stretch as though he was dangling bait on a hook.

Fragments of a greater power. That's it? Keep going.

"Is that all that?" Marcus asked, masking his interest with disinterest.

Damn kid. I've been playing such games way before you were born. Trying to use the same tactics on me eh?

"No," he replied smoothly. "But you didn't ask. So what's the point of telling you about Apoca—ah, forget it."

They both knew what this was. A cold little war of words. One was waiting to be asked, and the other was refusing to give him that satisfaction.

Tension lingered in the air. Neither spoke, but the rest of the truck waited in anticipation. Nexus's squad exchanged glances, surprised that their captain—who they knew to be eccentric, cruel, and unpredictable—rarely tolerated insolence.

And yet here he was, sparring with a barely-ranked Iron Marshal like it was a game.

The other Marshals, those not under Nexus's squad, looked at Marcus like he had a death wish. They couldn't fathom talking back to Lead Sentinel—especially one like this.

Ignorance's bliss… They thought. And so is a quick death.

"How powerful does one have to be for them not to come after you? And who did you have to bow your head to?" Marcus asked.

He had learned a few things about Nexus over the little interactions that they've had. The man was twisted in his ways—unorthodox, unpredictable. Where most followed a path from the beginning to the end, Nexus preferred to start at the end, then loop back just to invent a different conclusion. That alone made Marcus feel like he could speak to him this way—direct and a bit defiant.

"Powerful enough to break mountains with a simple punch. Powerful enough to be considered a national threat. So powerful, that even the Imperial Families would have to step in to squash the beef, while also offering you their daughters' hands in marriage just to get you to their side."

Every single sentence from that response sounded like a joke to Marcus's ears.

Break mountains with a simple punch, is that even possible? If he were a national threat, he would have been put down a long time ago. He's messing with me again.

"Are you that strong?" Nonetheless, he decided to play along.

"No. But I do well for myself."

Marcus resisted the urge to groan. This man is exhausting.

"You mentioned before that there are very few ways to become an Awakened." He said, steering the conversation back.

"Yeah, I did," Nexus smiled knowingly at him. He seemed to enjoy the rhythm of their exchange. "Most would have to use False Pages, or even better, Broken Diaries—which are a lot more powerful than the former. And others, well, a more extreme and suicidal path."

"So… False Pages are fragments of Broken Diaries?"

"Smart," Nexus nodded slightly. "But wrong question."

"Where do they come from?"

"No one really knows," he smirked. "But, there's an adage that says; if the page is false, then it must have come from a Broken Diary. What once drew from the beyond and the beyond drew from wholeness. If the world is about to be destroyed, then blame the Apocalyptic Diaries."

The words hung in the air like an omen.

"Captain, I've never heard of that adage before," Waldolf interjected.

"Shut up. You can't read." Nexus snapped.

But I can read. How else would I have made it this far in the military? He sulked, but obeyed, falling silent under the weight of his captain's glare.

Marcus pressed on, undeterred. "So both False Pages and Broken Diaries are fragments of Apocalyptic Diaries?"

"Bingo,"

"Then what exactly are Apocalyptic Diaries?"

"Well… that, I don't know. And I don't think there are even a handful of people who have an idea of what they truly are. They don't exist anymore. However, many say that they are grimoires. The key and the door to a higher dimension."

"If False Pages and Broken Diaries exist, then surely the original Diaries are still around. If they can be pieced back together… right?"

Nexus tilted his head, as if impressed. "Haven't the world already been destroyed once? Perhaps you are right, if one can gather the right fragments and piece them together, they may be able to revive an Apocalyptic Diary… or end up with an even bigger Broken Diary—an abomination." Nexus shrugged his shoulders.

Marcus seemed to be lost in his thoughts for a few seconds before he spoke.

"I suppose those who awakened with a Broken Diary have some sort of power advantage over those who awakened with False Pages."

"Hmm, it's a give and take thing. Awakening with a Broken Diary can possibly increase one's potential, and some other benefits, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they're stronger than those who awakened through a False Page. They are more fortunate, yeah, but not stronger."

"How so?"

"The False Pages and Broken Diaries are only a means to awakening, they are not the awakened. In other words, whatever you have awakened as, was always hidden in you. You can see them as the spark that ignited the flames within you. While you have always been the dry wood. You are the fire.

He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "One advice, if you want power, never believe the catalyst to be stronger than you, however, it is what it is as a result of you."

Marcus stared at him. "What about the Apocalyptic Diaries? Are they also only catalysts?"

"How am I supposed to know that? Heck, they alone without a wielder could probably destroy continents." He started to laugh.

Marcus gritted his teeth. This fucker! Then how am I supposed to take your words as they are? If so, then they can't only be just catalysts!