Nexus Ascension: My Comprehension Defies the Heaven

Chapter 16: Alissa’s Dilemma

”I’m going out,” Grey said hastily as he stepped out of his room. He didn’t even bother closing the front door behind him as he rushed away.

”...”

Alissa’s gaze lingered on the open doorway for a moment. With a casual flick of her hand, the door shut itself and locked with a faint click. Her eyes returned to the television, but her thoughts didn’t follow.

”He’s not the old Grey...” she whispered, her voice low, uncertain. ”His soul... it’s completely different.”

For the past week, she had been watching him with growing suspicion. His sudden shift in behavior was far too unnatural, beyond anything she could brush off as a mere change of mood. The way he carried himself, the way he spoke, even the light burning in his eyes—it was all foreign to the brother she had once known.

Finally, unable to suppress her unease, Alissa activated her soul perception.

The moment her sight adjusted, she froze.

The age of his soul hadn’t changed. But its essence had.

The decayed, rotting soul she had always known was gone.

Alissa had been born with a peculiar gift—since childhood she could perceive the colors of souls. Through those hues, she could see into the core of a person’s heart: their nature, their intent, their hidden truth. Good, evil, and every shade in between had its color.

The Grey of the past had always carried a dull, murky brown soul—the unmistakable shade of corruption and vice. A soul that spoke of malice, arrogance, and selfish cruelty.

But now?

It shone with a deep, flowing blue.

Blue—the color of chaos.

Not good. Not evil. A soul unbound to either light or darkness, walking a thin line between order and disorder, creation and destruction.

Alissa’s chest tightened. A soul did not transform overnight. Such drastic changes were impossible. Even if someone swore to change, the essence of their soul took years—sometimes decades—to shift. For Grey’s soul to alter so completely in only a week...

Her eyes widened as the only explanation formed in her mind.

”A... reincarnator?” she whispered, voice trembling.

As a True Dragon, she had inherited fragments of her race’s memories. Among them were countless records of reincarnators—souls that carried over knowledge, will, and sometimes power into their new lives. And she herself, should she one day fall, would reincarnate as well, reborn with her True Dragon soul intact.

Her gaze turned distant. Complicated emotions clouded her eyes.

”Is he... really gone?”

The question lingered heavy in her chest.

The Grey she once knew—the rotten soul who had made her childhood miserable—was gone. Should she feel relief? The tyrant of her youth, the one who had filled her days with suffering, no longer existed.

Or should she mourn? For the truth remained: the brother she once knew, no matter how flawed, might truly never return.

How was she supposed to treat this new Grey?

He was no longer her brother, not in essence. And yet, he carried every fragment of the old Grey’s memories, wore his face, and spoke with his voice.

Alissa lowered herself onto the sofa, hugging her knees tightly against her chest.

”I... don’t know...” she whispered to the empty room.

Sector 6, Near the Great Outer Gate.

Grey queued among a small crowd of people, most of them obvious evolvers.

Since he was about to make a breakthrough, he had decided to leave Nova City and do it in the Outering, where it would be safer. Sure, he could attempt it in the evolver training facilities, but those places were filled with prying eyes. He had no idea what kind of phenomenon might occur during his first metamorphosis. Nova City was crawling with evolvers of terrifying life levels—it wouldn’t take long for one of them to notice him if he lost control.

If the secret of Nexus Energy ever leaked, his life would no longer be his own.

Weighing the risks, Grey had come to a conclusion: the Outer Ring was far less dangerous. Yes, it was crawling with corruption fields and mutated beast races, but at least out there he could act without scrutiny.

”Good thing I bought this sword.”

Grey’s hand brushed the sheath at his waist, where a long sword now hung securely.

Before coming here, he had made sure to prepare. He spent another 1,000 Union Credits purchasing not only the sword but also several energy potions. Just in case something went wrong.

He wasn’t reckless. He had already drawn dozens of miniature Golden Ratio Conversion Formations, each designed to channel cosmic energy into the pattern of Nexus Energy. They were neatly stored inside his spatial ring, ready to be deployed.

”I even configured them with timers, so I don’t have to activate them one by one.”

Grey nodded, satisfied with his own foresight.

He had many formations—enough to stir a storm if needed. He didn’t care if it caused an entire maelstrom of cosmic energy in the process. What mattered was only one thing: shedding his mortal shell and ascending as a new life form—a 1st Rank Evolver.

After a few more minutes of waiting, it was finally Grey’s turn at the booth beside the gate.

A uniformed military officer inside the booth spoke in a calm, measured tone.

”You are leaving Nova City. Beyond this wall lies the Outering, littered with corruption fields and mutated beasts of Rank 1 and higher. Ahead of the outer lies Blue Spirit City, our closest neighboring stronghold. If you intend to head there, follow the marked trade route—it is the safest path. Do not wander randomly into corruption fields. Avoid mutated beasts. They often move in packs, and underestimating them could cost you your life.”

Grey nodded silently.

”Leaving the city is free,” the officer continued. ”But reentry will cost 50 Union Credits. Do you understand?”

”Yes.” Grey nodded again and quickly paid the fee.

Beside the booth, a smaller door fitted into the massive gate creaked open. Without hesitation, Grey stepped through.

The world beyond was a stark contrast.

The moment he crossed, it was as if the world lost its color.

Ahead stretched a land scarred by corruption—vast globes of darkness streaked with veins of blood-red energy hovered ominously over the ground. No signs of civilization remained, only desolation.

Here and there, groups of adventurers and evolvers departed the city walls to hunt mutated beasts. Armored trading vehicles, their surfaces reinforced with layers of plating, rumbled slowly toward Blue Spirit City.

Grey tightened his grip on his sword’s hilt. His eyes, however, shone with excitement.

The Outering had always been dangerous. But to him, today—it was opportunity.