Riley washed off the paint from his face, each splash of water removing the remnants of his calculated disguise.
It was a close call—too close.
One misstep and the entire plan would have unraveled, resulting in far graver consequences than he dared to imagine. Nevertheless, his resolve was unshaken.
Marion would cooperate; Riley had made sure of that. No man, especially not one so concerned with his fragile reputation, would dare defy someone holding undeniable evidence of his crimes.
Marion had always prided himself on his status, yet his weakness lay in his easily malleable mind.
Riley knew that with the right pressure, anyone's decisions could be swayed, and he had deftly manipulated Marion, ensuring the man wouldn't cross him again.
After washing away the last traces of the night's ruse, Riley took a cold, bracing shower, hoping to cleanse not just his body, but the weight of the confrontation from his mind.
The icy water bit at his skin, but it did little to cool the smoldering unease that had settled in his chest. Marion might have been dealt with, but River—she was a different matter entirely.
Riley collapsed onto his bed, exhausted, yet his mind refused to still. His thoughts danced restlessly between Marion's fearful compliance and River's unsettling presence.
Although she hadn't approached him since the day of the incident, her silence was more troubling than her words could ever be. It was as if she were biding her time, watching him from the shadows, waiting to pounce when he least expected it.
The ominous feeling that she was planning something tugged at him, gnawing at his confidence. What was her angle? What did she know?
---
"There are seven series in the Nexus Ascender Rank. The lowest being Level One," Alana's voice rang out across the classroom, her tone calm but commanding.
Riley sat up straighter, his mind snapping back to the present as Alana continued her explanation of the Nexus Blessing.
"The highest is Level Seven, also known as the God Level. Level One is called a Drifter. It's named that because none of you will be able to resist the pull of the rifts leading to the Nexus realm when the full moon arrives."
"Drifter can also be referred to as level one Ascender, or Series One Ascender. and the number keeps going up until number seven."
Her words sent a ripple of unease through the class. Riley leaned forward slightly, focusing on every word. Alana continued, her voice tinged with a slight note of resignation,
"Your soul will drift across the Nexus Realm until the Trial finds a suitable host for your soul or modifies the memories of those in that world to make you fit in.
But it's very rare for the Trial to modify memories."
A bitter smile tugged at Riley's lips. 'Rare?' he thought, recalling his first Nexus Trial. "It happened to me," he murmured under his breath, his mind flashing back to the strange, disorienting feeling of being inserted into an alien world, his very existence seamlessly accepted by its inhabitants.
"Is there no way to resist the pull of the rift?" a student asked, his voice tinged with concern.
"We've tried everything we can," Alana admitted with a sigh, "but there's no proper way to avoid it. The only way would be if the Sovereigns decided to intervene.
Sadly, the Sovereigns believe that facing the Trials head-on is the only way to make humanity stronger, strong enough to resist the Nexus Creatures that invade our world."
Riley's eyes narrowed at the mention of the Sovereigns. He had heard the stories, but something about them always seemed... off.
He filed the information away as Alana continued, explaining the different levels within the Nexus series.
"What level do the Sovereigns belong to?" another student asked.
Alana paused, her expression shifting slightly before she answered, "The highest level humanity has reached in hundreds of years is Level Four—Sovereigns."
A murmur of disbelief swept through the room. "Level Four? But then the Nightmare Series is what?" the same student asked, incredulous.
"They are Level Three," Alana replied with unsettling calm. Her words hung in the air, the weight of them settling heavily over the class.
The progression from Drifter to Godhood was clearer now: Level One was Drifter, Level Two was Dreamer, Level Three was Nightmare, and so on.
Sovereigns ruled at Level Four, and beyond them lay Deity, Half-God, and finally, God at Level Seven.
Riley's thoughts turned inward as Alana's explanation continued. He noted everything meticulously.
His clan training had never gone into such depth about the Nexus Trials, focusing more on survival than understanding.
Yet, now it was glaringly obvious—the Nexus Trials were a path to godhood. For someone like Riley, who had experienced the full brutality of these trials, this realization was both exhilarating and terrifying.
---
In recent days, Riley had been experimenting with his soul essence, attempting to master the few abilities he had uncovered.
One attribute in particular intrigued him. He had learned to stop time for a brief window—ten seconds, no more. It was an invaluable tool, one he had aptly named
"Dead Time." It had allowed him to vanish from Marion's view during their encounter last night.
Speaking of Marion, Riley couldn't help but smirk. The man looked miserable today, his pallor ghostly, with dark circles beneath his eyes betraying sleepless nights.
Sarah, ever the dutiful companion, hovered around him, offering comfort, but Marion remained unresponsive, trapped in his own spiraling anxiety.
Riley's smirk deepened as he observed them from afar. The memory of last night's manipulation still amused him.
He had manipulated darkness, warping the very shadows around Marion to drive him to the brink of madness.
The fear in Marion's eyes had been palpable, and Riley had relished every second of it. "It was better than CGI," he chuckled to himself, recalling the terror that had painted Marion's face. But as the chuckle left his lips, a chill crept up his spine.
He felt it again—that eerie sensation of being watched. Slowly, he turned his gaze to the front of the room, where River sat, her piercing eyes locked onto him.
When their eyes met, she held his stare for a moment before calmly looking away.
"Damn it," Riley muttered under his breath. The last thing he wanted was to deal with River's scrutiny. She was dangerous, and not just because of her power.
There was a cold, calculating sharpness to her, like a blade waiting to strike. Riley made a mental note to avoid her for as long as possible. He wasn't ready to face her, not yet.
Maybe once he reached Dreamer status, he'd have a chance. But until then, he needed to stay off her radar.
---
Combat training was next, and the class was herded to the training grounds. The atmosphere shifted the moment they arrived. Gone were the murmurings of rank and power. Now, it was all about survival.
Riley threw himself into the grueling exercises, pushing his body to the limit. The weightlifting, sprints, and sparring sessions were relentless.
Each session was more brutal than the last, and Riley could feel the toll it was taking on the students around him.
Some of them wouldn't make it. He had no doubt that more than a few had lost their lives to the intensity of this training in years past.
By the time training ended, Riley's body ached in ways he hadn't thought possible. Despite the pain, he welcomed it.
The exhaustion grounded him, momentarily silencing the chaos in his mind. He limped back to his room, grateful for the brief respite.
As he reached his room, Riley pondered the lack of Nexus items in his possession. His first Trial hadn't rewarded him with anything tangible, and he had long assumed that his items had disappeared along with the system.
Yet, after days of experimentation, he discovered something remarkable. By pouring his soul essence into objects, he could refine them, making them his own.
It wasn't an easy process, and it had taken several failures to figure out the exact method, but he had succeeded.
He had stolen some supplies from the academy's warehouse, using them to test his theories. One such stolen item was the paint he had used during his confrontation with Marion.
---
That evening, Riley headed to the cafeteria for dinner.
The academy provided only two meals a day—breakfast and dinner—and although the food was far from gourmet, it was leagues better than the rat meat he had been forced to eat during his time in the alleyways.
He grabbed his plate and retreated to a secluded corner, observing the students as he ate. Each one had paid a price for the power they wielded, and Riley was determined to figure out what that price was.
The Nexus Blessing always took something from its recipients. Some had lost loved ones; others were robbed of their ability to feel, or to lie.
Everyone had suffered, in one way or another. As for Riley, the Nexus Blessing had stolen his sister and erased him from the memories of those who had once known him.
His thoughts were interrupted by that familiar prickling sensation—someone was watching him.
Glancing up, Riley spotted River again, her gaze piercing through the cafeteria. "What is her deal?" he thought, exasperated. "Has she fallen in love with me or something?"
Chuckling at the absurdity of his own joke, Riley quickly finished his meal. He couldn't afford to linger. The full moon was only two days away, and there was no guarantee he'd be sent into the second Trial.
If he was left behind, he would face endless questions, not to mention the terrifying prospect of government experimentation. He had to be ready for anything.
Back in his room, Riley let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. With a quick glance at his stolen phone, one he had swiped from a student as he exited the cafeteria. And texted Marion.
A devilish smile etched on Riley's face as he finished sending the message, then he walked calmly to the counter and brewed himself a coffee. It had been a very long time since he had drank coffee. As he sipped his coffee, he took his phone out and opened the news app.
The first line was:
[New Gate Formed; Europe has fallen to the Nexus Creatures.]
This was not a very good sign, the last time a continent fell before the second trial, the ascenders who were sent into the second trial didn't return alive... they all perished, except one, who cannot be considered human... and the worse case scenario was if there's a blood moon, no one would return from the trial alive.