Rebirth: 100 Days Before Doomsday - Chapter 55

Chapter 55: The Dangerous Neighbor (III)

“What’s going on?” Grace asked as the pull became stronger, almost creating a fog around her brain that made it hard for her to clearly understand what was suddenly happening to her.

It was weird feeling… and powerful. She felt like whatever that force was, it was trying to invade her, study her, and see her strengths and weaknesses. But what felt even more weird was that she felt something from inside her responding to that force and its probing.

“S-stop!” She said through gritted teeth, not liking the vulnerability that she was suddenly feeling against that force.

Thankfully, before things could have worsened, Rune let go of her hand. The sudden loss of the heavy force made her stagger on her feet, leaving her slightly light headed as all those weird feelings suddenly disappeared as if they were never there in the first place.

The next thing she knew, a strong arm was circling her waist and she was pulled against a hard body to stand upright. A sweet scent attacked her senses and her gaze locked onto the familiar pair of icy-blue orbs.

“Are you alright?” He asked and she was surprised to see genuine concern in his eyes while he searched her face for an answer.

As her head cleared and the strength returned to her legs, she quickly pulled away from his hold and stepped away to put some much needed distance between the two of them. Her gaze landed on his hand and she quickly grabbed it, pulling it closer to look at the jade ring.

[Master, the system has confirmed – this jade ring is made of the similar jade as your bracelet. Not only that, but both this ring and this man possess some kind of otherworldly powers.]

2025 quickly provided the information that the system offered about the mysterious jade ring and its equally mysterious bearer.

“What just happened?” Grace asked as her wide eyes shifted from the ring to the man’s face.

“I’m sorry Ms. Blackwood, I had no idea that you posess no powers. That’s why the imbalance happened. I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.” Rune apologized sincerely, still finding it hard to believe that the woman standing in front of him was a mere mortal and was still accepted as its master by the jade bracelet.

“Imbalance? Powers?” Grace repeated as a frown formed on her face. She found herself at a complete loss about what the man was talking about. Her gaze once again shifted to the ring and then to her bracelet. “Your ring and my bracelet…”

“Both are created from the same piece of jade and by the same person.” Rune completed her unfinished sentence, surprising her further by the unexpected reveal.

“What do you mean? How can…” Grace’s gaze kept shifting between the two pieces of jade and the man. “Tell me exactly what’s going on here.” She demanded while fixing her eyes on his face. She noticed how a smile suddenly bloomed on his lips at her demand.

He suddenly took a step closer to her, forcing her to crane her neck further to look up at his face. Once he was standing right in front of her, he spoke, “That’s all you will get to know for now. But if you want to find out more, you are always welcome to come and find me in Unit 2102.”

And then, he suddenly lowered his face and inched closer, placing his mouth next to her ear before he spoke again. “I’ll be waiting for you. After all, I need to prove that I’m anything but a kid.”

A shiver ran down Grace’s spine as his warm breath fanned her earlobe. She forced herself to stand in her place and not move away, watching as he finally pulled back and straightened.

“See you later, Ms. Blackwood.” He said with that signature smile of his before he turned around and walked out of her apartment while she just stood there in a trance.

There was silence in the apartment after he left, and it wasn’t until several long moments passed like that, did Grace decided to speak.

“Should I just kill him?”

There was no humor or hesitation in her eyes as she made the suggestion. There was no denying that she actually meant what she was saying.

“I don’t think he will go down easily. After all, he possess that jade ring and the system has detected some sort of powers in him. Attacking him doesn’t sound like a great idea when we know so little of him.” 2025 voiced its opinion as it materialized next to her.

Grace turned her gaze toward the little creature and asked, “What kind of powers does he have? Like the ones Shadow Rain will bring?”

2025 appeared thoughtful before it slowly shook its head and answered, “It’s hard to confirm exactly what kind of power he carries. They could be similar to what the Shadow Rain brought to this world in your previous lifetime, or they could be something entirely different. It’s hard to say anything for sure unless we see him using his powers.”

Grace closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. The more she was learning about this mysterious young man, the more she was finding him weird. At this point, she was sure that their first meeting during the minor accident was a scene he planned himself, and even then, he knew who she was despite her disguise as Ms. Brown.

Then, he appeared again as her neighbor and was now trying to get close to her. His every move carried a purpose, and she wasn’t sure if his purpose was good for her or not.

“You can’t possibly want me to walk right into his trap to find out more about him, do you?” She asked the creature.

2025 once again replied in that serious, professional tone that it always used during these serious situations. “I want you to play it by ear. Let’s see what this man wants from you.”