One more day. One more day until Nero would be sent to the dream realm.
He had just one more day to prepare, but he didn't spend it on hunting any Nightmare creatures, nor did he spend it learning about the dream realm and how to survive in it with Cyrus.
He spent it doing the one thing that he dreaded most. Investigating Emma.
If she was truly malicious to one of them as he thought, if everything they had done till now was a lie, then he wasn't quite sure on how to feel. Would that just be it? What was all this even for? To build trust? She could've betrayed them at anytime.
'Was she waiting for us to do something first? No, no.. that is if she did mean us harm in the first place..'
Hopefully that wouldn't be true, and that he would just need to apologise to her the next time they meet.
Thinking about it now, there was a good chance that they would all see each other in the dream realm. Sleepers did tend to get dropped off in the same area after all, and it should be especially true for Nero and Epsilon who had the [Bond] Attribute.
At least he hoped.
'Brother should have a communicator now, so if I find out something is wrong, I'll warn him immediately.'
**
He stood in front of an old, deteriorating building with a corrugated metal roof and peeling yellow paint. The building appeared to be weathered, with visible cracks, damage, and missing sections of the roof and walls. The front of the building had a small porch area supported by thin yellow poles, with a metal-barred door at the entrance.
This was Emma's home.
Strangely, Nero actually didn't know where she lived. The only way he found out was by asking for a favour from Cyrus. Since none of them even had an official ID, nor place of residency, it was difficult and took a long time. But eventually, they made it work.
Nero could remember that every time he or Epsilon even mentioned or offered to go to Emma's house with her, she was strangely defensive or out right refused it. The only thing he knew of her home life, was that she had a dad and that he was busy all the time.
This only added to his suspicion even more.
Approaching it carefully, he knocked on the door twice, yet no one seemed to be coming.
'Is he not in?'
He knocked it again, and yet, no one answered the door. But a few moments later, he heard something crash inside the house.
Instantly alerted, he looked around for a way inside, and saw that a nearby broken window was left open. He jumped through it without hesitation, but what he saw made him quite disgusted.
The room was decaying. The walls were covered in faded, peeling wallpaper, and the ceiling had visible water damage and cracks. The floor, was littered with debris, and a worn-out rug partially covered it. A dusty, old couch sat in the dimly lit space, with broken furniture and scattered objects adding to the neglect.
There was a funky smell in the air that made Nero feel nauseous, yet he also found it familiar. It clicked in a matter of moments.
'Carnage..'
He had gotten a slight whiff of it when he and Epsilon opened it back then, not enough to make them trip out, but the smell was forever ingrained in their minds.
Another crash echoed from upstairs, followed by a long, loud groan of a man. Nero could feel him collapsed on the floor, and he wasn't in good condition either.
Sprinting upstairs, the nausea causing smell grew even more powerful and revolting, until eventually he just took a look in his innate abilities storage, and took out the gas mask that he kept inside.
'Much better...'
Emma's father seemed to be the only person in the house right now, if he was her only family that is. Nero was about to enter his room, before hearing the man struggling to get up as he shouted,
"THAT STUPID! STUPID GIRL!"
His hand was just mere inches away from the door knob, but hearing him cuss about Emma made him pause. He'd like to hear more, after all, it was easier to let your true feelings out when your alone, at least when you think you are.
"When she comes back, I'll teach her a lesson that she'll never forget! She thinks that just because she's going to become an awakened, and that she's gonna have status, that she's bigger than me? I'll show her! I'LL SHOW HER! SHE THINKS SHE'S SUPERIOR JUST BECAUSE SHE GOT LUCKY, WHILE I'M STRUGGLING HERE LIKE THIS??? I'LL RIP OUT HER TONGUE TO STOP HER FROM TALKING BACK AND I'LL BREAK HER LEGS SO THAT SHE DOSEN'T EVEN DREAM OF DEFYING ME! ME!"
'You think you'll even be able to hurt her?? She's going to be stronger than you, what an idiot.'
No wonder she didn't want any of them to come to her house, her dad is a jackass. It did make him feel a little betrayed though, that she was keeping this away from them. If she just asked, then he wouldn't've minded Emma moving in with them, and mother might've even welcomed her.
'Anyways, time to go.'
It was extremely obvious what was going on now. The smell of Carnage had only gotten stronger ever since he came upstairs, and even more so now that he was just outside his room. Even the gas mask was struggling to protect Nero from the smell.
Emma knew about it Carnage, not because she was in direct contact with the Red Sons, but because her father was a customer of theirs, and an incredible substance abuser at that.
Sighing, Nero turned around and prepared to leave.
'Well, I'm just as much of an idiot I guess. Why didn't I even think of this as the reason?'
He felt really guilty to think a friend of theirs was an enemy. He had betrayed her, just as much as she betrayed them, maybe even more so.
Either way, if he wanted to make it up to her somehow, he could at least report her father. Maybe after talking to her about it of course, she must've had her own reasons for not doing anything till now.
Nero was just about to leave, but then Emma's fathers next words made him rethink that choice,
"Stupid! Stupid! I do everything in this house! I took care of everything and everyone! BUT THAT STUPID WOMAN JUST HAD TO SPEAK ABOUT 'You've changed' AND 'What happened to you?' AND NOW SHE'S DEAD! SHE HAD TO OPEN HER GODDAMN MOUTH, AND NOW SHE'S DEAD! LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER! I'LL KILL HER TOO IF SHE DARES TO COME BACK!"
Panting heavily in frustration, he grabbed one of the half open packets of carnage, and threw it against the wall with all of his strength. It easily smashed to bits against the, as a rain of white powder scattered into the air.
"I'll kill her... I'll kill her...'
A few moments later though, the door to his bedroom swung open. Flinching, he quickly looked up, and his heart skipped a couple beats at a moments notice, as his eyes widened in fear.
Darkness crawled along the wooden floor, coating the massive husky creature that slowly walked inside.
It was a creature of both majesty and terror, with eyes that shined with a yellow ethereal light that was far past inhuman. Its feathers as pristine as freshly fallen snow, and four wings that opened wide in reverence and terror.
What was a Nightmare creature doing in his house, did a gate open near by?
Before he could even scream, a single feather, sharp as a blade pierced his throat. Blood spilled from the new wound and poured out even more from his mouth, and no screams could follow them too.
Even if he did, he doubt that anyone would even come to help.
Cowering, he scuttled back on the floor, with his legs growing weak, but the Griffin took another step forwards, inching closer to him as he went back.
"..E..LP...!", he called out, but his voice barely even escaped his mouth.
He inched back once again, but he felt his back hit a wall, and still, the griffin continued to approach, with every step inspiring newfound terror in him.
It raised one of its claws, and in the next moment, both of his legs were torn off in a single slash.
He tried to scream in pain, but it was useless, nothing came out except for his gasps for air and tears.
Blood seeped through his missing limbs as his consciousness grew weary, his vision, blurry. But just for a single moment, he caught a glimpse past the white monster in front of him, and saw just past the door way, a young boy with pitch black hair, staring at him with emptiness in his eyes.
He recognized him, even if his hair had changed colour, he knew who he was. And if he remembered correctly, he had a twin brother too.
He caught Emma playing with the two of them a long while ago, and he was sure that he forbad her from ever visiting them. Every man in this world that wasn't him, was evil after all.
'You!!'
Before any kind of emotions could even surface towards him though, the griffins claw plunged straight into his chest, easily tearing though his weak flesh and bones before crushing his heart.
[You have killed a Dormant human.]