Chapter 258: Is that right

By four in the morning, the world was still mostly asleep.

The sky beyond the windows was an indistinct shade of blue-black, and the streets below lay almost entirely deserted. There were no crowds, no traffic, no indication that anything out of the ordinary was about to happen.

And yet, in a few hours, everything would change.

Blake stood before the portal, his hands resting against Myles’s shoulders as he hugged him goodbye.

Neither of them seemed particularly inclined to let go.

"You’ll all be careful, right?" Blake murmured.

Alexis gave a loud scoff. "You should be asking yourself that."

"I’m serious."

Blake pulled back just enough to look at Myles. His face was as composed as ever, but there was something in his eyes that made Blake’s chest tighten.

He leaned forward for one last hug, holding on a little more tightly than he intended. Myles returned it without complaint, one hand resting against the back of Blake’s head.

Then, finally, they separated.

"Stay on guard. You won’t do anything, but if they mess up, I can trust you to fix it."

Alexis gave a hard glare at the two of them.

One by one, they stepped through the portal. Their silhouettes disappeared into the shimmering light, and soon enough, the portal closed behind them.

The room fell quiet, only Estelle, Myles, Blake and Tania remaining.

"Well," Tania said behind him. "Shall we?"

Blake turned.

"Right."

And with that, the two of them set off.

***

The elevator took them upward, carrying them toward the surface. Neither spoke during the ascent.

Blake glanced at Tania as they stepped outside.

Their metal suits were already fitted and secured, the mechanisms along their backs and legs humming faintly as they powered up.

Immediately, they took off.

The ground was a considerable distance below them.

The force of the acceleration pressed against his body as they shot upward and then forward, quickly leaving the building behind. The city shrank beneath them, its streets and rooftops dissolving into a patchwork of dark shapes.

The sky was beginning to lighten at the horizon.

Blake adjusted his position, allowing the suit to stabilize his flight. The propulsion systems emitted short bursts of fire, carrying them forward at a speed that would have been impossible to achieve through ordinary means.

By plane, the journey would ordinarily take around two hours.

With their suits, however, they expected to arrive in approximately one.

Not bad, all things considered.

Blake glanced at Tania.

She was flying close enough that he could see the faint reflections of the sky against her visor. Her movements were precise, almost effortless.

She didn’t waste energy making unnecessary adjustments, nor did she seem particularly bothered by the cold wind rushing past them.

As always, she was quiet.

Not that he was particularly eager to talk, in a situation like this especially. After all, this wasn’t exactly an ordinary morning.

They were on their way to participate in an assassination attempt.

An assassination attempt that, according to everything Blake knew, was practically guaranteed to succeed.

He wasn’t anxious about his own safety. His role in the operation would keep him well away from the most dangerous part of the plan, and he trusted the others to carry out their respective tasks.

Besides, there was little point in worrying over something that had already been set in motion.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was approaching the edge of something enormous.

This wasn’t merely the death of one person.

It was an event that would alter the course of an entire country.

Perhaps even the entire world.

Blake looked toward the horizon.

The sky was growing brighter.

’I wonder what Myles is thinking about right now.:

They’d only been apart for a short while.

He really needed to stop being so clingy.

He shifted his attention back to the scenery, watching the clouds drift past as the suit carried him forward.

Minutes passed.

The only sounds were the steady hum of their propulsion systems and the wind rushing around them.

Neither of them spoke.

Eventually, Blake stopped trying to think of something to say and simply let the silence continue.

Almost an hour passed that way.

"Blake."

He flinched slightly.

Tania’s altered voice had come so unexpectedly that he nearly turned too quickly, forcing his suit to make a small adjustment to compensate.

He glanced at her.

"Yes?"

She was looking straight ahead.

"We never had the chance to be alone like this."

Well, that was unusual.

Tania initiating a conversation was rare enough. Tania initiating a conversation about the two of them spending time together was practically unprecedented.

"That’s right..." he replied cautiously.

She was quiet for another moment. Then she spoke again.

"I wanted to ask you something."

Blake’s eyebrows twitched.

Oh, dear.

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about this.

"G-go right ahead."

"Are you spiritual?"

Blake raised an eyebrow.

"...What?"

"Are you spiritual?"

"I heard you. I’m just wondering why you’re asking."

Tania finally turned her head toward him.

"As you know, I can perceive higher dimensions."

Blake nodded slowly.

"However," she continued, "humans have their own ways of achieving something similar. Spiritual awakening is one of them."

Blake hummed.

He definitely didn’t like where this conversation was going.

Tania was the sort of person who could casually mention something that sounded like nonsense, only to explain it in a way that made him question everything he’d previously understood about reality.

And, unfortunately, Blake had enough secrets already.

He didn’t need another person discovering something strange about him.

"Right," he said carefully. "I see."

"There’s something I’ve noticed about you."

Blake’s smile stiffened.

"Is there?"

"There’s always a residue of something around you. Something I can’t quite make out."

For a moment, Blake forgot to breathe.

’Oh, no.’

Well, that was certainly unfortunate.

Because he had a pretty good idea of what she might be talking about.

Spoon.

"Ah, I’m not sure about that," he said with a small laugh. "I’ve never experienced anything similar myself."

Which was technically true.

He’d never undergone a spiritual awakening, nor had he deliberately tried to perceive higher dimensions. As far as he knew, he was just an ordinary person with an unusually complicated life.

"Why?" Blake asked, attempting to sound curious rather than nervous. "Do you think it’s something negative? I’ve never noticed anything around me."

"I wouldn’t say negative." She paused. "It’s just something I’ve never quite seen before."

Blake swallowed.

He glanced at her, trying to determine whether she was suspicious of him. But well, she had a whole helmet on, so...

He wondered, not for the first time, whether she had noticed that he didn’t belong in this world.

Could she sense that, too?

The possibility made his stomach tighten.

But before he could dwell on it, Tania spoke again.

"It might be a guardian spirit."

Blake stared at her.

"A... guardian spirit?"

"Possibly. They usually remain close to the soul they’re assigned to protect."

For a moment, Blake couldn’t help himself.

He laughed.

Not loudly, but enough that Tania turned toward him.

’A guardian spirit? Spoon? That thing, being a guardian spirit?’

The idea was so ridiculous that he almost wanted to laugh again.

Blake shook his head, still smiling faintly.

"My guardian spirit, huh?" he said. "It would have to be a pretty unruly one, considering the amount of trouble I get into."

"No. I would say your soul path is the one you’re following."

Blake’s smile faded.

His eyes widened.

"Really?"

He turned toward her more fully, nearly forgetting to maintain his flight position.

"You can tell something like that?"

"I can perceive higher dimensions. That also means I can view people’s higher selves."

Blake gulped, he wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

He’d spent a considerable amount of time worrying about the possibility that other people might discover something unusual about him. The system was one thing, but if Tania could perceive something as fundamental as his soul...

Well, that opened up an entirely new set of problems.

He hesitated before asking, "Then... what do you see when you look at me?"

Tania didn’t answer immediately.

For the first time since they’d taken off, she seemed to be searching for the right words.

"It’s not easy to say," she admitted. "But your vibrational state can be quite unstable."

Blake stared at her.

His vibrational what?

Tania continued, seemingly unaware of the confusion spreading across his face.

"The only times your soul seems to be stable are..."

She paused.

"With Myles."

Blake’s eyes widened.

"With Myles?"

"Yes."

He looked at her, genuinely stunned.

"Is that right?"

Tania nodded.

Blake turned his gaze toward the horizon, trying to make sense of what she’d just said.

He’d known that he felt different around Myles. More settled, perhaps. Even when he was worried or confused, there was something comforting about being near him.

But he’d never imagined that it might be something Tania could actually perceive.

Or that it would be so obvious.

He swallowed.

"What... exactly is a vibrational state?"

Tania considered the question.

"It’s a way of describing the condition of your energy and consciousness. Whether they’re in harmony or constantly shifting. When they’re stable, your inner self is more consistent. When they’re unstable, you may feel conflicted, disconnected, or pulled in different directions."

Blake went quiet.

Pulled in different directions.

For some reason, those words struck a little too close to home.

"I-I see," he murmured.

He tried to laugh, but the sound came out weak.

"Is that normal?"

Tania didn’t answer immediately.

By then, the landscape below them had begun to change. The stretch of land ahead was becoming more distinct, and the faint outline of their destination was emerging through the morning haze.

They were almost there.

Blake looked away from her momentarily, focusing on the approaching scenery. He found it easier to look at anything other than Tania.

"Mh..." she said.

She didn’t answer.