17 Gabriel

Standing in front of Nero was a skinny teenager, close to Nero in age though he was a little shorter with incredibly bright red hair. He did not seem surprised to see Nero. Instead, his welcoming smile looked as if he had been expecting him for a long time.

"Gabriel, I should have expected this," Nero said, once he recovered from his surprise. But instead of returning to the same carefree and excited teenager he had been in front of Perry. There were small, subtle shifts not only in Nero's tone, but in his stance and bearing as well. He stood just a little bit taller, pushing his chest out just a little bit more. His words took on a commanding tone, as if a superior was appreciating a subordinate.

Perry, for all his simple-mindedness, was still a veteran, and noticed the change. But instead of commenting on it, he decided it was time to leave.

"You have your room keys, but your room also has a specific mailbox that you all share. I'll have someone deliver the key to you in the morning. Remember, just because you have the key does not mean you can open other's mail. It's a serious offence, so only keep an eye out for your own mail, if you're expecting any."

"Thank you, Perry," said Nero, shaking the man's hand and looking him directly in the eyes. "You've been a great help. I'll see you around the hostel."

Perry only nodded with a smile and left.

Nero returned his gaze to Gabriel before walking in. The redheads frail physique was extremely deceptive, as it was packed with incredible strength. In all technicality, if it came to just brute strength, he was probably even stronger than Nero.

Nero looked around the apartment style hostel room and found it quite snug. The door led into a small sitting room that also had an open kitchen, as well as three closed doors.

"When you sent me the message in the morning about stabilising, I knew you'd be coming so I made arrangements," Gabriel said, walking up to him. "One of the guys was more than happy to move out, giving our apartment on the first floor a vacancy. It was only natural that you'd be put in the first free room, which was this. I didn't really need to put in any special effort."

Although Gabriel said that he did not put in any extra effort, Nero knew that it was unlikely. The entire reason they had an understanding with one another was because Nero had learned of how competent Gabriel was. Many mistook them for having a close friendship, but it was more of a partnership. They both could benefit from each other's skill sets, and so they decided to work together.

"Although I was not so sure if you'd make it after I heard about the incident at AAB," Gabriel added at the end, his voice lowered.

Instead of immediately replying, Nero looked at the apartment once more.

"Which room is mine?" Nero asked, looking at the three doors.

"The one on the left is the bathroom. The centre door is a room with three bunks, and the one on the right has two. You're in the double with me. I'll introduce you to the guys later. They're currently out for a night class."

"So we're alone?" Nero asked, his tone and look clear that the topic he wanted to discuss was sensitive.

"Completely alone. The rooms have pretty good soundproofing, so you don't need to worry about our voice travelling out."

"The incident in the morning was unusual," Nero said, as he began to explore the apartment. He checked all the kitchen cupboards as well as the fridge, before moving on towards the bathroom.

"I can't say for sure whether or not they were really just terrorists, but I can tell you for certain that they had an assassination as one of their targets."

The bathroom was surprisingly clean considering five guys used it, with everything quite neat and organised, just as it had been in the kitchen.

"Who was the target?" Gabriel asked with surprise and curiosity in his voice. Nero gave him a look that clearly stated that he wouldn't say more on the topic.

"The timing of the attack is also questionable. The chairman of the AAB is an old family friend, so I know that he's an Eldermyst Mystic. But when the attack happened, he was not around. There's no way I would have missed the signs of a Mystic fighting. There's also news of some event happening in the hills that's attracted a lot of the army's attention."

"Yeah, the event that caused the draft notice, I heard about it," Gabriel said, nodding. Though he did not immediately elaborate. He was pondering the various intricacies of the events that had happened during the day.

Nero walked into the room on the right and was welcomed to a small room half the size of his previous one. There were two beds, one on the left and one on the right, both raised high in air as if bunks. Underneath the beds was a study table, and a couple sets of drawers. 

The table and drawers on the right were clearly in use, so that left Nero to take the one on the left.

Everything was very neat and tidy, which very much appealed to Nero. He gave a subtle nod and turned to look at his new roommate.

Gabriel had an unusual background that he never mentioned much, but Nero could surmise that he was from some prominent family. His mannerisms were very much in line with someone of means, and his training and knowledge was a cut above others.

He had very deep insight into matters relating to Eldrim cards, and he could read so deeply into events that even Nero could not compete. But then again, that was his forte.

Between the two of them, Gabriel was the one who always had a lot of information about a lot of seemingly random things. Often enough the information he had shared should have been confidential.

If he were just making things up, then over the past year that they had known each other he would have slipped up, at least once. But despite how closely Nero scrutinised Gabriel, he never detected a flaw or mistake in the information he had been given, or caught him in a lie.

Nero began checking his own drawers as he continued to speak.

"As far as I can tell, whether it's the assassination or the event on the hill, neither have anything to do with us. We should just focus on school and continue to train ourselves with the focus on applying to KMA, like we had already planned."

"Agreed. But we also can't ignore them completely. Right now, I cannot foresee how this situation will develop, so we need to keep up to date with all the latest information in case anything happens.

"I'm sure you haven't heard of this yet, but the rumours are that there was an earthquake which uncovered some hidden Eldrim ruins. That's why the army has reacted so strongly."

Nero paused and looked at Gabriel in shock.

"Is that true?"

"There's no way of knowing right now. It's all just rumours. It could easily just be a planned diversion. But in the event it is true, it makes sense that even the chairman of AAB was called out. What truly causes me to hesitate in believing the rumour completely is that if the ruins were uncovered by an earthquake, then that is something that could not have been predicted. So then how did the terrorists know to strike precisely at that time? It's too much of a coincidence to be true.

"If I really had to explain it somehow, I could say that the terrorists had been surveying the temple for a while, but that is unlikely as they would have been caught. The only other explanation is that they were actually deployed by some powerful local force who was abreast of the news and took advantage of it to complete some hidden objective."

Nero let out a disappointed sigh. There was no night suit or uniform in his drawers, which meant that until the next day he was stuck wearing torn pants.

"Do your research if you feel like it is important, but remember to remain discreet. I for one have no personal interest in whatever is happening so long as it does not become a roadblock to my plans."

"What if it provides unique opportunities?" Gabriel asked, a sly grin on his face. But Nero was not swayed.

"We are Neophytes. We do not belong on the battlefield. Even if the ruins are real, we're more likely to die there than get anything substantial for them. If you want to go and die, feel free. But don't drag me down with you. Unless absolutely necessary, I want to avoid unnecessary trouble."

Without waiting for Gabriel to respond, Nero left the room and walked into the bathroom. He undressed himself and got into the shower, uncaring that the water was bitingly cold. Due to his new ability, the cold didn't really have that sting anymore.

"Marick," Nero repeated the name in his mind. It was the name of one of the soldiers who assaulted him. He burned the name into his memory, but then pushed the memory away. Just as he told Gabriel, he had a plan, and he could not afford deviation from it. He had to grow as strong as possible as quickly as possible. He had no time for side quests.

He raised his right hand in front of him and lit a tiny blue flame on his index fingertip.

"Flame is not extinguished by water," he made a mental note, and began studying his innate ability. Tomorrow, he would officially start training with it.