With his guard up, Qeff left the devastated Posseto and headed toward Nein.
'His appearance hasn't changed.' Qeff remarked, remembering the opportunity he once had to meet the somewhat famed 6174.
'Has he become an Infusionist?' Qeff wondered, 'No... No, no!' He shook his head, 'That terrific display of power earlier. He must... he might have turned into a beast boasting high offensive power, definitely.'
'There's... no other way to explain his earlier display of strength.' His heart fluttered. He had a voice in his head denying his own assumptions, 'Then why did the Hybrids fail to identify them as such?'
He sighed heavily, his eyes meeting with Nein's. As he paid attention, he realized the latter's eyes were deformed. His heart thumped, 'They seem as if somebody pulled at them horizontally and hence their shapes changed slightly.'
'But this proves him as a Hybrid. But... But the other hybrids, with their exceptional ability to sense Comatose... they should've realized he lacked any inside... and was a hybrid.' He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, 'He lacks any major features which give him away to be a Hybrid. He has his mysterious strength... but that could be a strength-related Craft. There's just one way to test him.'
"A pleasure to meet you, Nein, I take it? I am Qeff, an army official at the post of Captain. I know you have a bunch of questions, confusions and everything in your head is just jumbled up and everything. But I assure you. Currently, you have nothing to be wary of." He gave him a bit of time to digest it and offered his hand for a shake, while continuing, "Do you trust me?"
Nein blinked his eyes cutely and glanced at Qeff's earnest smile and his suspended hand. After a moment, he slowly reached out and shook his hand.
"I... think so."
Qeff chuckled at the unexpected reply. But under his smile, he sneakily willed the dormant Comatose inside his body to travel through his palm.
Nein's expression suddenly turned odd, a grave frown hung on his forehead. "Something's... You are doing something!"
Qeff instantly retracted his hand, his instincts urged him to retreat, his last few memories especially urged him. But he resisted and forced a smile.
"I-It seems... you are human!" His voice was loud and clear, enough so that his men could hear him.
He was warning them all to drop any countermeasures they had put in place and divert their attentions, lest the one before found them out and lost his whole trust.
Nein's face turned even more bewildered, "Hu-man?"
Qeff's eyes fluttered, resisting his impulse to point him out and berate him, he asked somewhat humbled and confused, "Are you... Are you saying you don't know what a human is?"
Nein hurriedly nodded before shaking his head. Scratching his stinky, wavy hair, he opened his mouth and put his dilemma to light to the best of his abilities, "No! But yes!"
Qeff's head leaned to the side as he crossed his arms while awaiting further clarification. He had dropped some of his guard sensing no hostility from him and after acknowledging him as a human.
"Umm!" Nein tensed up somewhat realizing the absurdity of his perplexion, "Aw... it's like, I understand what you mean... But I don't!! I-I know the word human. But... But I don't realize... what it signifies!" His eyes glowed. He felt sorta relieved as if he finally managed to scratch the itch on the side of his back he couldn't reach.
"Oh!?" Qeff's face turned solemn as he asked, "Do you perhaps have... lost your memories?"
Nein's eyes opened wide, his gaping maw giving way to his sudden realization, "Memories, I think, no... I don't remember." He turned his head back, his eyes moved past its bold name glowing in red. "No! They are not there, my memories... I don't remember anything... past waking up in this... building!"
Qeff's eyes glinted, "And here I was mulling over how to politely question you about your imprisonment before your Slumber."
Nein's brows creased further, "Im-prisonment!?"
"Haha!" Qeff feigned a cough and nodded before turning back. "Come along. If you feel like it."
Nein blinked his eyes helplessly seeing the latter getting further and further and resigned himself to fate, 'Not like I can do anything besides following.'
Qeff paused in front of the newbie group surrounding Seff in the middle.
Seff had his face turned, and continued to speak his usual, even though he had sensed the one behind him. But he ignored it.
Just as Srid and Mika were about to inform him, Qeff spoke up, "Se--"
"Lieutenant!" Seff strangely snapped, bringing Qeff to an abrupt stop. "Please address me as Lieutenant."
Qeff's expression turned stoic, sighing, he complied, "Lieutenant. I will have you accompany me to my office."
Seff's habitual poker face broke into annoyance, "Certainly there's a reason?"
Qeff smiled politely, his eyes wandering toward Rua, "Bring along this boy as well."
"Huh!? Me!?" Rua looked left and right to assure himself he had made a mistake.
Qeff kept smiling and continued to walk over, followed by Nein whose head couldn't rest at a single spot.
He glimpsed toward Posseto who felt as though the world had slipped under her and sighed heavily, 'There might be something more to the case.'
"Lieutenant Posseto. Arrange whatever clothes you can for this gentleman within five minutes. Also, arrange a private ACP for just the three of us." As he gave his orders.
He ambiguously brought light upon Nein of his nudity. His eyes, emptied, slowly rose from his toned body.
'Definitely not flustered.' Qeff chuckled internally, 'Though... I have my fair share of doubts about him. About his power. And about his... humanity.'
'I need to make sure, absolutely, that he possesses no threat... To anybody!' His eyes sparked a trace of fear.
'But that explosive power of his. He may be an Infusionist... I can hardly beat him as his. I first need to assess whether he needs to be eliminated and inform the higher-ups.' Qeff felt something strangling him. Suffocating him. The pressure upon him had just increased tenfold.
'After all... there must've been a reason... that he had to bear imprisonment in the sinisterest prison in the world. And even in that prison... he specifically forced the authorities to construct a special chamber... just to keep him locked.' Qeff heaved out a ghastly breath.
'This world... may just have awakened its second calamity.' His eyes trailed the endless clouds in the sky, 'Or maybe the awakening of a demon lord?'
'How would an... author name it?' He scratched his light beard thoughtfully, 'Oh! Maybe the second coming of the demon lord who killed five thousand humans, personally, by hand!?'