17 Smile

Cray's father looked at him and laughed. He said,"It's because you haven't mastered it yet. You've only started to use the first stage and is still in the early phase of Brace. There's still a lot to learn before you get to look cool like me."

He then made another stance as he stood straight, this time without saying anything his body began to exude flames. "This is the final form of my power. Hell Flames Armor!"

His body that was wrapped in flames began to produce a bright light. Soon a full body armour covered him from head to toe.

The black armour likewise had black flames that were emitted from the gaps. "Look here son, this is the prized armour of your father! Amazing right? Isn't your Papa really cool?"

Cray was a bit ashamed, he didn't want to be treated like a child, but he also considered the feelings of his father. He hadn't been able to see him grow up and now that they were reunited he had no idea as to how or what he should act like. In short, he felt very awkward.

"Uhm... Yeah, it's really cool." Cray's voice was slowly diminishing. He thought that he should call his father Papa, but he wasn't really used to doing it.

"Anyways, it's really great that you've managed to use my power up to the Brace stage." His father who was joking earlier now had no signs of doing so as he had a very serious face.

In his mind, though he was really ashamed as he accidentally slipped up after reuniting with his son. He was also a bit frustrated at the fact that his son didn't call him papa like he used to do when he was just a baby.

Right now, he felt relieved that he managed to change the topic and avoid that awkward moment with his son. "It took me half a month to be able to fully manage to use all the powers at the Brace stage, but it would probably only take you one to two weeks. But don't get carried away."

He then strictly warned Cray, "The reason you can do so is because you are my son. I was able to safely integrate your Grandfather's power the same way as you did, and because of that I got carried away and almost got killed so be careful." Saying that his body was turning transparent.

Cray noticing this said, "You-Your hands? You're disappearing already?" He couldn't believe that they would part so soon. He had a lot of questions that he had just thought of to ask him. He had just met him, yet he would once again leave him.

Seeing Cray's sad look, Nick then smiled and said, "Don't worry, if you get stronger we'll see each other again. I promise it."

And just like that Nick's figure slowly blurred out and disappeared as if it wasn't even there in the first place. His disappearance left Cray's lonesome figure standing in the dimly lit corridor.

Now that he was left alone here he began to notice things that he didn't before. He saw that there were five doors that were placed at the end of the corridor.

He saw one with his own name and a nameplate saying "Funf" he uttered it as he caressed the carvings of his name. He tried to open his door, but he found it hard to open, it was as if it was stuck and wouldn't even move a budge.

As he looked towards the left he saw a similar one that has his father's name with Vier written together with it. He tried to open the door only to feel disappointed as it was locked.

He tried to open the other doors but all of them was locked so he had returned back to the corridor only to see a staircase that was brightly lit.

He then slowly made his first step. When both of his feet were on top of the stairs he looked back but surprised he didn't see the dark corridor nor did he see anything. In fact, he literally couldn't as everything was just pure white. Freaked out he then made his way up.

He continued to climb the stairs till he saw an exit. He kept on running towards that exit and as he did he suddenly felt the air. He was stepping on nothing but air!

Back in the real world, Cray was in a kneeling position. His back was resting at the wall with each of his limbs were wrapped by a metallic bangle. They were giving off green flashes of light as each second pass. His neck was also tightly being wrapped by something that looks like a slave collar but was metallic with one blinking light that was giving out a red flash.

In the next second, Cray's collar then gave off a green flash of light. His eyelids began to move as he eventually opened his eyes.

All he saw was that he's currently in an enclosed space that didn't have any windows nor doors. It even made him wonder how he was even brought inside here.

He then saw how he looked, his limbs were restrained. He tried to speak but no words came out of his mouth. He then noticed the collar that was around his neck. Seeing the collar, the first thing he thought of was the necklace that he was wearing.

He then copped a feel through his shirt. He already had a feeling that they would take it away from him, but he still couldn't believe that it was really gone.

Still feeling unbelievable he then stretched out his shirt and took a look at his own neck only to see nothing but his bare skin with a black tattoo.

That tattoo continued from around his neck towards his chest. In his chest was the tattoo which had the same design as the one in his necklace.

He then tried touching it and called out Note in his mind.

Note, if you can hear me please respond.

He waited for something.

He waited.

He continued to wait.

He did until he heard a voice.

"You over there!"

A voice that he was not expecting was what he heard, he looked towards the source of the voice only to find a man inside the room.

"You are Cray right?" The man asked him, he wanted to say yes but no sound came from his mouth, so he just nodded.

Seeing that the man took out something from his pocket. "Oh, right I forgot to remove the silent function." He then smiled as he pressed a button.

"Try speaking now." He then looked at him with his smiling face. He wanted to know more about the person who the emperor tasked them to capture.

"Nice to meet you, Cray, I am Robert. The man who captured you." He made his best smile as he introduced himself.

This however terrified Cray, he thought that it was one of the scariest smiles that he had ever seen.