Arknights : Final Rebirth - Gladius Belii

[E] Chapter 32 - Visitation, Suggestion, and Decision.

"Mono/Dialogue"

'Inner thoughts'

Narration

[Message/communication apparatus]

Date: ???

Location: ???

POV: Narrator

Nyx opened her eyes when her senses suddenly registered an intruder getting into the room where she was currently recuperating. She pulled a gun from a nearby drawer courtesy of Kal'tsit who somehow knew that Nyx couldn't sleep well without a weapon nearby, while also pushing a button to signal Kal'tsit that something happened.

"I know you're there, show yourself." She aimed the gun toward a corner of the room... and saw that a Lion had entered from the darkness. She had prepared to face even a demon... not an animal... or perhaps that's the eldritch demon?

"Ha ha, quite an astute one and I do apologize for intruding while you rest."

"!?" She is surprised and half-convinced that this is an eldritch entity of some kind, no animal can talk... but before she pulled the trigger, the lion spoke once more.

"That was quite rude of you to think of me as an animal, but that's expected coming from you if we take where you're from into account." Nyx felt her blood freeze, she was panicking deep inside since the 'lion' could read her mind. She felt her finger getting heavier on the trigger, but somehow reluctant to squeeze it. She felt something holding her fingers and hand not moving, but couldn't see it.

"... Who are you and what are you implying? You better answer else I put an originium lead in your head..." She needed to keep up her composure and tried to gather information.

"Indeed I should start with an introduction. My name is Gareth, and for what I implied... You're not from this world." Her jig is up, she can't waste time. She would have tried to dismiss it, but this lion is anything but normal. She also recalled that daemons she had fought in her life had a penchant for toying with her by imitating something she knew.

Thus, Nyx pulled the trigger... and nothing...

"Huh?" Her gun is empty, how could it be empty? That doesn't make any sense since she had checked the gun thrice last night... Kal'tsit couldn't have betrayed her, could she? That's the sort of chaos enveloping her mind.

"Let's not be hasty, and talked like civilized sentient beings."

"... You made a bad impression by sneaking up on me, not so civilized really..." She finally realized that her surroundings look... hazy... illusion?

"Heh, yes that was uncouth of me, but fret not it won't take long and not everyone can intrude on your psyche... I was surprised myself that they let me contact you this way."

"They? Who even are 'they'?"

"Sadly I'm unable to truly comprehend their silhouette let's just say that they looked haggard and exhausted, yet still have enough prowess to force me to turn back but decided not to after I explained myself. They give me a stern talking to of course! hahahaha!" Gareth answered nonchalantly with a bellowing laughter, somehow its laughter irks her to no end.

"..." The Grey Serpent doesn't know what to make of it, of course, one moment she closed her eyes to rest after conversing with Kal'tsit some more. The next thing she knows she is in some kind of space and talking with an intruder who happens to be a talking lion and said talking lion calls her out for not being from this world.

"... I have so much to ask, but since you said they essentially allowed you here, the limitation must have been placed quite severely."

"Naturally we can talk more about it later and like what you just said, it is quite taxing even for me."