Second Genesis

Petri watched Grey smile and knew they had made a mistake.

Grey Temolt was an impossible person to read. He stumbled around like a fool, spoke before thinking, picked fights he had no business surviving, and seemed to spend half his life distracted by women.

And then, somehow, with a single look it felt like he could see down to the depths of your soul. Petri had experienced it himself too many times already.

He had fought Grey and watched those strange threads move, had felt how dangerous they were. Grey’s control was absurd for someone of his Class, his strength even more so. He had power that backed up his sharp tongue.

But none of that explained The Relentless.

Petri would not have been surprised if Grey was involved in the Guardian’s disappearance. In fact, standing here now, watching that lazy grin spread across the boy’s face, he was becoming more convinced of it.

The problem was how. There was no way Grey’s threads could do it. A Dominion Class had control carved into the foundation of their being. Their Classes were built around it, and they were a step beyond anything a Command Class could fathom in that realm.

Grey had literally taken control of his energy and made it impossible for Petri to use it properly. Against a Dominion Class, there was no way that would work.

Against The Relentless especially? It would be utterly useless. But what made it more baffling was that they knew The Relentless wasn’t dead. If a Guardian died, the Pope would know.

Yet Petri looked at Grey and felt certain that somehow, some way, this foul-mouthed brat had done something to him.

Killing a powerhosue was one thing... but what did it take to make one disappear...? Somehow, that possibility felt even more ridiculous to Petri. He shuddered thinking what The Relentless might be going through right now.

Petri drew in a breath and stepped forward. He plastered a bright smile across his face. To everyone else, it was the same Petri they knew. Warm and cheerful. Almost annoyingly pleasant, but everyone’s kind friend. He was beloved by all but Grey who saw right through him.

Grey’s grin only deepened. Petri couldn’t help but wonder if his cheeks hurt cheesing like that. At some point, Grey had to stop enjoying ruining everyone’s day so much.

From where Grey stood, only he could see Petri’s eyes and Petri couldn’t quite hide his hesitation from Grey, or the slight hints of fear buried very, very deep within.

"Actually, Grey," Petri forced himself to speak, "we need your help."

The room went still and Grey blinked. Then he looked toward the monk who had been threatening to detain him less than a minute ago, then Rosie, then back to Petri.

"Oh?" Grey scratched his cheek. "That’s a pretty big jump from arresting me."

The monk’s expression hardened and Rosie’s eyes narrowed at Petri.

Petri forced himself to ignore both, not surprised by Grey’s lack of surprise.

"An Instance has opened beneath the Church."

Grey’s smile disappeared and a frown instantly replaced it, and it certainly wasn’t due to the reactions around him.

There were very few not shocked by the words, and those that weren’t were shocked not by the words themselves, but the fact that Petri had actually told him.

Still, Petri continued before either could interrupt.

"There is a restriction placed over the entrance."

Grey felt something ugly begin crawling up the back of his thoughts.

"What restriction?"

"Only those below the Command Class may enter."

Grey’s frown deepened.

That tracked a little too fucking well. The aliens he had run into so far were monsters compared to humans, sure, but most weren’t even in the Proving Class. The Genesis Games were still in their opening stretch.

An important Instance that locked out anyone Command Class or above? That sounded like it was exactly the sort of something the Genesis Games might open up to stall or tie into the third and final Chapter. Was this supposed to happen?

Unfortunately, there was another, more sinister thought...

Had Muse Incorporated shoved their heads in where it didn’t belong again?

They had already threatened him. They’d made it clear they intended to make finishing this Arc as miserable as possible. An Instance appearing now, right when Grey was trying to pull everything together, smelled like exactly the sort of bullshit they’d enjoy.

But it could also be natural. Grey wasn’t sure which it was.

"Beneath the Church..." Grey muttered.

His eyes narrowed. That was a problem. A big one.

The formation beneath the Holy Empire wasn’t simple. Grey had only started to understand its shape, but the closer you got to the center, the more complicated everything became. And The Church was too near that center. Only the palace itself was closer.

If that Instance damaged anything...

Grey’s jaw tightened.

The Mech Soul couldn’t just fix whatever it wanted.

They had already learned that lesson with Caldrin back in the mid-tier city. There were areas they had to be careful around because if too much damage was done, the underlying structure could become impossible to restore.

And now there was a fucking Instance sitting beneath the Church.

’All these fuckers are so good at digging. Go be a mole rat or something for fucks sake.’

Grey rubbed his forehead. Why did nobody like the surface where the sun was all of a sudden?

He looked back toward Petri.

Grey still didn’t know whether Muse Incorporated had caused this or whether it had always been part of the Arc. But right now, that distinction didn’t matter.

If the Instance was beneath the Church, it was literally in the most critical parts of the formation. Grey had seen what Instances could do. They could wipe out cities, reshape entire regions. One had nearly dropped and entire city straight into hell with everyone inside it.

If this one went bad, he couldn’t just assume the damage would stay contained.

Grey glanced at Rosie and the monk again, then back at Petri

He took a breath.

"Let me see it."

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