Genetic Ascension

Chapter 2031: Speciman

It had to be understood that the separation between Real and Demon wasn't just a simple matter of location. It was a fundamental twisting of fates, diverging lines that split and could never come into contact once again. Sylas would have said that it was the perfect definition of what it meant to be parallel if there was any reason to believe that those of the Real World and those of the Demon World even went in the same direction to begin with.

The gap between the two forms of life was simply enormous. It wasn't the kind of thing that could just be hand waved away.

To put this matter into context, there was a higher chance of a human having a child with a cow than there was a chance of a human having a child with a demon.

The fundamental make ups of what made life, life in each World was too vastly different. It wasn't just a matter of mindset, it was beyond that.

"I know what you're thinking. I didn't think it made any sense either. But here I am, no? How else would I have Demonic Will? I do have a special inheritance, but thing about the inheritance is that the First Humans of Earth don't seem to have anything related to this. Plus, I've had this Demonic Will since before Earth began its Summoning in the first place.

"It's not the sort of thing that I can explain any other way."

Sylas didn't say anything for a long while. He believed that Alex was telling the truth. Though this man had deceived him many times before, the reality was that when push came to shove, Alex was usually good about pushing his cards to the middle of the table.

The issue was whether he still had other cards up his sleeves or not. At this point, Sylas really didn't put anything beyond this man.

However, for some reason, Sylas found himself really not wanting to kill Alex.

A pang filled Sylas' chest again and he moved with a little bit of discomfort, pressing his hand against his heart.

This really wasn't good. There was only so long that he could ignore this.

He had to complete a feat of Pride, and it had to be a good one.

But the problem with a feat of Pride was that it wasn't measured arbitrarily by the standards of the Key. Though it ranked them, the feats of Pride were measured by Sylas himself and his own sense of self.

This was the reason why the Madness Key had never asked anything of him before. Sylas never needed to do anything because his Pride was always at an all-time high.

Now, however, he was in a cycle of self doubt. Did it matter if he defeated someone he knew he could defeat already? What good would that do for him?

This was the problem with having a Pride you only ever measured against yourself. Sylas was at a level where he couldn't even begin to gain his Pride back until he, well... regained his Pride.

It was an endless, vicious cycle with no obvious end to it at all.

It was the worst sort of situation to be in.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked.

'What the hell is going on today?' Alex asked himself. He never pondered he would ever be asking Sylas of all people that question, but here he was.

"I'm fine." Sylas said.

'What the fuck he actually answered? That means he's definitely not fine.'

Alex diagnosed Sylas like he would have his own wife. They never mean they're actually fine when they say they're fine.

Sylas' normal answer would be a non-answer, Alex was sure of it.

Alex cleared his throat a bit, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There was something about the words that tasted like sand paper. It clawed up his throat-or maybe it was down because it really didn't want to come out. And yet, here it was, making itself at home in the air he was trying his best to breathe.

Sylas didn't answer, and Alex almost sighed a breath of relief. That was the response he actually expected to get, not whatever this was.

But when he finally drummed up the courage to look Sylas in the eyes again, he located that Sylas wasn't looking at him at all. Instead, he was looking out into the distance, almost like he hadn't heard the question at all.

"Sylas?" Alex asked. "Just for the record, I really don't swing that way. Truly, you're quite the handsome specimen of a man if I do say so myself, but if you can't knock me out with your tits I don't want it."

In a rare moment, Alex became dead serious. It was like he didn't register the actual words he was saying at all.

Sylas still didn't respond to this and an awkward silence hung between them.

"What is your goal?" Sylas eventually said, meeting Alex's eyes finally.

"My goal?" Alex's lips pursed. "I don't know, I've never really had anything. I don't know who my parents are, I don't have any family, and I've been a puppet of Legacy since ever since I could walk. I don't know what it means to have a goal. Insofar as I do have one, it's probably to finally get out from under their thumbs. But whether I'll be able to pull that off or not... I don't know."

"So they are the ones who attacked you."

"Yes. It was them."

"What did they take from you?" Sylas asked.

"I... honestly, I'm not even sure. I think they took my Will itself, but I don't know why they would want that. My Will is nothing special without the fact that I also have Demonic Will as well. I haven't even leveled it up to a decent level because I've been..."

Alex's voice trailed off, but his words were obvious. It was hard to level your Will up when you were under someone's thumb the entire time. This time, he wasn't referring to Legacy at all.

"But you somehow reforged that Will on your own?"

"I think it's something that comes from my Demonic half. I've always been able to eat humanoids and grow stronger. Legacy forced me to several times. But it's not something I do." Alex spoke quickly before he shook his head and laughed. He was talking to Sylas, this man didn't give a damn about that.

It was the one nice thing about all of this.

"-But Sylas." Alex said, growing serious again. "If they're doing all of this because they sensed a chink in your armor, I hope you understand it means that it is certainly related to either Nosphaleen or Cassarae."

Sylas didn't say anything. Clearly, he had already come to understand this as well. But he didn't know how it helped them.

Reviving someone or bringing them back from the dead... was that possible? He had reached the pinnacle of Rune Mastery and he still couldn't see a path to do that.

Were they going to target Cassarae? But she was far too insulated and protected.

His little sister, then? But why would they need Alex to do that?

A black feather suddenly slowly fell from the skies.