Lindsey ruffled her hair after Nico told her about his encounter with Elayne, specifically leaving out the part about him and her getting down to "business." Lindsey was filled with anxiety, her stress palpable as Nico also starting becoming a little worried.
"She can't be that bad," he spoke up as Lindsey paced back and fourth.
"Are you stupid?!" she shouted at him while pointing her finger.
"Never, in a million years, have I thought I'd hear you, of all people, say that. To me, no less," Nico responded nonchalantly.
"Quit it with the jokes! You don't understand the type of woman that... woman is! She's valued at 1300+, has killed countless players and is considered the strongest hunter in our world! And, to top it all off, she's only human! She has the potential to achieve a second awakening, increasing her stats! How the hell did you get tangled up with her and live?!"
Nico shrugged.
Lindsey groaned and rolled her eyes. "That woman's dangerous. Make it a point to avoid her, or you will die. Understood?"
Nico nodded his head like a grade schooler. "Can I sleep now?"
Lindsey groaned and got into bed, covering her head in a blanket. Nico rolled his eyes and fell asleep on the couch. In his dreams, he saw himself holding hands with Elayne, which caused him to giggle in his sleep, annoying Lindsey.
***
The next morning came. As always, Nico and Lindsey greeted Melissa at the front desk, Nico being the one doing the actual greeting, and took on a bunch of missions for the day. When they left the adventurer's guild, they found someone standing in the middle of the rain, her face somber and sorrowful.
Lindsey wore the exact same expression as she instantly recognised the person standing beneath the rain. Her tears mixed in with rain, and her heart beat faster.
"Lin... You're actually here..." Laura said, her eyes glassy.
"Laura..." Lindsey said as she slowly approached her sister, relief and sadness mixing with her emotions. But, before she could take an additional step, Nico extended his arm, stopping Lindsey from going further.
She looked at him, feeling disgruntled, questioning Nico's actions. Then, she noticed the serious look in his eyes. His blood red eyes were glaring at Laura, cautiously examining her and questioning her actions.
'Why is she here? Why now? After a literal week later?' he asked himself as he stared at Laura.
"Nico...?" Lindsey asked as she looked at him in confusion.
"Were you sent here to take me out? Or maybe, to drag Lindsey back to Genesis?" Nico inquired, pulling out his Voided Xiphos out of his inventory and gripping it tightly. "Because if you are, I won't hesitate to beat the brakes off of you."
Lindsey looked at Laura and stepped back, her eyes slightly narrowing. Laura shook her head. "I just came to talk."
"Start talking then."
"... I saw you and what you did... How you moved, how you took out Ace... You're really strong..." Laura said. "I also realised how strong Lindsey has become. She's changed. I've never seen her fight as she does with you... And, it pisses me off," she admitted. "Why does she prefer being with you over her own sister? It's frustrating..."
"It still doesn't prove that you won't drag her to Genesis without her own free will," Nico countered. "... There's something else. You're hiding something."
Laura tensed up. "... Fine... In order to join my sister and make sure that she's safe for myself, I made the decision to leave Genesis... I don't care about you nor what your obsession with him is. All I want is to be with my little sister again..." she said as she wiped her tears. "You don't have to trust me... or like me... But... I want to be as close to her as possible... So... please, let me be with her..."
Nico glanced at Lindsey, who was also wiping her neverending tears. He looked at Laura and lowered his sword, putting it back into his inventory. "Prove it. Prove to me that you have no ill intent."
Laura opened her status screen and began typing. A few seconds later, Nico recieved a notification.
{ You have one new companion! Lex1 has joined your party! }
Nico gritted his teeth and sighed. "This means nothing to me. But... if you do anything to make Lindsey feel coerced, I'll kill you," he said coldly, his red eyes glowing slightly.
Lindsey ran towards Laura with no warning from Nico, causing him to panic. But, to his surprise, Lindsey only hugged her sister tightly and cried loudly, Laura doing the same thing.
The sisters got on their knees and continued to embrace each other, the pain of being separated and the joy from being reunited amalgamating into one big weird ball of emotions.
As he watched them hug, Nico couldn't help but be concerned about Laura. He killed Ace, the real root of Genesis, and on the same day, he met Elayne, Genesis's right hand man.
The day right after, Laura, the one who refused to leave Genesis when Lindsey did, suddenly shows up. According to Nico, if she truly wanted to find Lindsey, she would've already done so days ago, long before Nico found her in the alley.
'She's already proven that she's capable of tracking people down. She said she saw me kill Ace and how Lindsey killed the various monsters we hunted. And yet, she couldn't find her sooner? Either the remaining members of the Poncho Faction told Genesis and she overheard their conversation, or she was instigating the entire thing...'
"Just so you know," he said as he stood a few feet away from them. "I'll be keeping my eye on you, Laura."
Laura nodded. "As long as I'm with Lindsey, you have nothing to be worried about."
***
Meanwhile, Elayne returned to Genesis in order to report back to him. Expecting good news, he leaned in, his golden eyes gleaming through the shadowy room. "Well?" he asked.
"I know who our guy is," she responded as she typed on her status screen. A couple of seconds later, Genesis recieved a notification on his status screen and read the contents. "Through his name alone, I was able to get his details."
"'Nicholas D'Angelo...' His profile has 100 likes, no content and... he has 2 companions..." Genesis read.
"Laura left too?"
"Those two were always disposable. There are two types of people in the new world; those that believe in gods, and those that are dumb enough to follow god-killers."
"Just so happens that this Nico is not only the guy who killed Ace, but the guy who's been snooping around and fighting our men. What'll we do?"
"... I think we've given him enough time to... get accustomed to the place... I think you and I should get rid of him. Together."
Elayne nodded. "I'll need some time to prep."
"You aren't ready?"
"Dude, I'm spent. It'd be better to take care of him when I'm well rested and with a plan."
Genesis grunted, but reluctantly agreed. "Fine. Tomorrow."
Elayne nodded and left the room, leaving Genesis alone. "D'Angelo... you're dead meat."
***
Nico stood on a voided floor with nothing but darkness surrounding him and stars dancing within it. He looked around him, and couldn't find the Goddess.
"Boo!" she tapped his shoulder from behind, making him jump slightly. Nico turned to look at her, only for her to disappear again. He looked around him anxiously, trying to locate Nyx, but failing.
"I was certain that Ace was going to kill you. You came so close to death afterall," Nyx said, appearing in front of Nico again.
"Could you stay still for one second?" Nico asked as he looked into her starry, silver eyes.
Nyx chuckled softly and pinched Nico's cheek. "Oh, you're adorable. You can't command the darkness, Nicholas. So, how's it feel?"
"Terrible! I've had my ribs broken multiple times and I keep getting hunted down by women! What the fuck?!"
"I told you that that would be the price you pay for my power. You can't be spoon fed everything, child. You must learn to live with suffering. Strength is born through weakness."
Nico crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Oh sure, it is. I haven't even recieved a new ability from being beaten senseless."
"Don't be a fool, Nicholas. I never promised you a new ability with each painful encounter. Besides, your [Dancing Fire] has been raised a rank, along with yourself. Now, instead of simply waving fire, you can garner it."
Nico rubbed his chin and remembered how his entire body was engulfed in amber flames. "Then... if I'm not here to complain, why am I here?"
"A god will be descending soon in an attempt to take your life. And, he just so happens to be the worst type of god. And so, I wanted to inform you that you are quickly running out time. Go to GoldHallow and recruit a ghoul. He will assist you on your journey to find the tiger's jaw dagger."
"I can't leave Red Town. Not yet."
"Ah, of course you wish to save that prostitute that you're attracted to, even though the thief is much more charming," said Nyx, unimpressed by Nico's words.
"It's not just that! I mean-! It isn't that! Lots of people are dying because of Genesis and his little operations. I'm the only person who is actually doing something about it. Genesis knows about the gateway to heaven! I can't leave until I find that out for myself! I need to stay!"
"No, you do not. Stay any longer than 8 hours and you will be murdered. How will you kill those gods if you're dead? How will you return home? How will you please yourself using those pictures of animated women?"
Nico gritted his teeth and glared at Nyx. "... Very well then. I shall provide you with yet, an additional skill. It will assist you in a dire situation, such as tomorrow. But, you can only use it once per week, so use it sparingly."
Nico nodded. "Does that mean-?"
"Yes, yes! It means you may stay in Red Town for a few more moments. Anything longer than a week, and I will kill you myself. Understood?"
Nico smiled brightly. "You won't regret it!"
Suddenly, Nico fell asleep and Nyx caught him once more. Like a mother giving in to her son's wish to play the game a little longer, Nyx sighed and smiled softly.
"You truly are like him..."