Second Genesis

Grey barely had to register two facts.

First, Baron Giyoto was more than capable of displaying an emotion other than kindness. Whatever that face was, it was probably at least a mixture of rage and anxiety, topped with a sprinkle of sadism as though he would be willing to do anything to stop Grey.

Second, Baron Giyoto was far stronger than Terran. It wasn’t even close.

Grey had seen a glimpse of Captain Terran’s power, and it was like he had been staring at the roof of a house from street level. Without stairs or key to the home, he was stuck there, forced to watch as the Captain did whatever he wanted to him.

But Baron Giyoto was a light so bright he couldn’t see its origin. He could only squint into its infinity, blinded by its might.

And then the Baron was suddenly before him, a curved katana piercing right through his chest before he even understood what was happening.

Somehow, though, other than the pain, Grey couldn’t feel his life slipping away. It took him a moment to realize that that was because Giyoto had so perfectly controlled his blade that it slipped right through the most vital parts of his body.

And yet, by the same token, just the slightest twitch from any of them was rip a slice right through Grey’s heart, killing him.

"How is it you?" Giyoto was truly baffled. Maybe he hadn’t had the time to register who he was charging toward until he landed, more worried about making sure his plans didn’t go awry.

Grey coughed, a mouthful of blood pooling out of his lips.

"Hey, bud. Nice weather we’re having, ay?"

Giyoto’s frowned turned into a mask of unreadable indifference. There was a chill in the depths of his eyes.

"Hold on, hold on, we don’t really have to do this, do we?"

"Did you kill Silva?" Giyoto asked.

"Kill? Such a hard word. I just sneaked away, why would I have to kill him. Your butler is quite accommodating, you know. By the time he noticed I didn’t actually need to take a massive dump, it was too late."

Giyoto frowned, but he accepted the explanation. As far as he was concerned, Silva was too strong to die to someone in the Proving Class. But there were always potential variables that might crop up.

He felt that Grey’s Frame was very strong, and the only way for him to make it here and even find the altar by having exceptional Frame Control talent. Either that, or...

"Who sent you?" Giyoto asked coldly.

"I’m just a little bit over curious. No one sent me." Grey said, clenching his teeth to push through the pain.

"Is that so?" Giyoto’s eyes frosted over as he grabbed Grey’s wrist. "As expected. Dark Kin."

Grey opened his mouth to reply, but then he cursed inwardly. Was that because of the Vampire Lord Frame? Or was it because of his inventory?

Either way, the answer didn’t matter right now.

There was a slight tremble in Giyoto’s katana and Grey sucked in a cold breath.

’This really fucking sucks.’

"Listen. I’m not one of the Dark Kin, I just happened to kill one of their vampires and benefited from the Frame, that’s all. I’m only here because that Terran guy is going to kill me if I don’t find a way to undermine him, and Silva wasn’t exactly accommodating. When I asked him to explain the situation for me, he refused so I just had to rough him up a bit. I took his keys and searched your house, and that was how I found the secret passage under your desk and made it here.

"Honestly, I’m just looking for a Holy Frame so the Church is forced to accept me and that bastard can’t put a blade between my eyes."

"This is not a believable story." Giyoto said.

Despite this, his katana didn’t move again. In fact, it was because it was such a ridiculous story that he was even still listening.

But that might have also been because Grey was trying to spin something up on a whim.

Plus, when Giyoto thought about it, the idea of a human grasping a Dark Kin’s Frame might very well track with how Grey managed to get here in the first place.

This child was so hated by so many people, and yet he was somehow still alive. It had to mean that he was quite the talent.

That, however, wasn’t good enough for Giyoto to leave him alive. He would rather try to find another technician that fit his needs than to risk everything falling apart because of a pawn he couldn’t properly control.

"What about it is not believable?" Grey asked.

Maybe of all the responses, this was the last one Giyoto expected to hear. It didn’t seem like the type of response a person teetering on life and death should be giving.

"The Frame of Dark Kin cannot be taken on by just anyone. Our Neural Frames are not primed for such darkness."

Grey’s mind spun with thoughts and he came up with an immediate response.

"I bet you thought the same about your own lock and key to get into this place, but I’m here now, aren’t I?"

Giyoto’s eyes narrowed. It was like Grey had practically read his mind.

"As far as I see it, this is really simple—."

Giyoto cut Grey off with a shake of his head. "Your words are nonsense for more reasons than that alone. Terran cannot act arbitrarily. He has more restrictions here than maybe anyone else. He cannot afford to slip up."

This time, it was Grey’s turn to frown. He had learned about Terran’s background, but that sounded like he pretty much had free reign here. And he had definitely been on the other side of his "free reign" several times already.

What Baron Giyoto was saying didn’t really make much sense.

Was he lying? No, that was unlikely.

Then did that mean there was another reason Terran was so alright with being so aggressive? Now that Grey thought about it, he still didn’t even know why Terran was so intent on killing him in the first place.

Unfortunately, Giyoto’s response meant that even he wouldn’t know why.

’Dammit, I’m running out of time and I haven’t learned anything worthwhile.’

Grey grit his teeth.

"Think about it for a second, old man. What will happen to me if I miss this knighting? How would the Goddess and her servants take that? You think I’m here with a few minutes to spare just because I like risking my life? Do I look strong enough to go against the entire church?

"Even if I was a descendant of the Dark Kin, joining the Church is exactly what I should want to do to infiltrate, why would I be risking that right now?"

Baron Giyoto was really starting to piss him off, but Grey could tell that that was purely because the man was looking for an excuse to kill him.

Grey’s words did seem to get through to the man, though. There was a clear hesitation in Giyoto’s eyes.

"I’m running out of time!" Grey said. "Is there a Holy Frame I can use or not?"

After a long while, so long Grey felt his toes curling, Giyoto shook his head no.

"Holy Frames aren’t so easy to get your hands on. I don’t have such a thing. Any that exist are more heavily guarded than even spatial items."

"FUCK!" Grey roared.

It was the last thing he could get out before he started screaming.