Chapter 4

Skye opened her eyes and met Noctus's eyes gazing at her, sitting on a chair between her bed and Raina's.

"You can't sleep." It wasn't a question but Skye nodded anyway, glancing over at Raina who was sleeping soundly despite all her complaints about her aching body.

Noctus followed her gaze and sighed. "She was really unlucky with her mutation. She is in constant pain when she is awake and her physical changes are crippling to the point that it is strange that she could fall asleep."

He sighed again, deep in thought and muttered.

"Her power must have something to do with dreams, her physical mutation is perfect to protect herself and she doesn't seem to be in pain while asleep"

Silence filled the room as Skye eyed Raina before asking. "I could have ended up like her or worse, couldn't I?" Noctus turned to her, hesitating a second, but finally he nodded without a word.

"You knew something like this could happen but you didn't even give me a choice to undergo this transformation." Skye pointed to Raina. "Even for her ! She didn't know the transformation could turn her this way and you didn't warn her!"

Skye's voice had began to slightly raise as she spoke and she was now growling as she began to release her power shaking the objects around her. However, Noctus only raised his eyebrows as he replied calmly.

"It wouldn't have changed anything if I gave you that choice. Not even that I warn you. You found this city, which had remained hidden for millennia, you entered the temple with the obelisk and you did not shot her nor me." He looked at her derisively as he continued.

"You just argued and showed that you were against it when all your actions showed that you wanted to know what would happen. As for Raina, I can recognize ambition when I see it. She was convinced it was her destiny, warning her would have changed nothing."

Skye had calmed down in the middle of the his diatribe and was now staring into space.

After a few moments she spoke, her voice now soft and fragile. "I have searched for my origins all my life, searching every database I can access with my hacking skills for information about who I was. I infiltrated Shield because I discovered they had information on me." Skye paused for a second as she remembered.

"I haven't found the answer here, but the Shield has become a family for me. They took care of me and gave me a purpose. But when my biological father found me and told me that I had inherited a gift from my mother and that I would obtain it in this city?"

Skye was now staring at Noctus, her voice shaking. "I know I hesitated. And now I find myself with a dangerous, uncontrollable power and Raina has turned into a porcupine!" Skye straightened up and was staring at Noctus with obvious self-loathing.

The young man replied back, still composed. "There are always choices that we regret making, even if we make them subconsciously. Some remain regrets your whole life while others become blessings in disguise, making you grow up and learn from your mistakes. But in the end, you just have to accept the consequences and keep moving forward if you want to continue to be able to make those choices. I decided to drop the obelisk and you decided not to interfere. You need to accept it." Skye looked down at Noctus' firm tone.

"You're right, sorry." Seeing her like this, Noctus softened and took her hand to reassure her.

"I've also decided to help you control your gift so don't worry, you're not going to be alone." Skye froze when she saw Noctus smile at her before her body relaxed, laying down on the bed.

She looked at Noctus smiling back and thanking him. "Thank you for your help, we are really going to need it. I could teach you how to access classified information when we have time."

"It will be appreciated." He said picking up the tablet he had put on the bed and showing it to Skye. "Although the amount of information is really large, I have already assimilated the important events and major social changes of the past two centuries, now I just have to catch up with the cultural changes so as not to seem behind the times but it will take me a bit Longer." Skye looked at Noctus with wide eyes after noting the implications of his words. 'He assimilated two hundred years of events into just what? A few hours ? It's ridiculous.'

Seeing her reaction, Noctus seemed to realize the significance of his words and tried to explain how he had done it by showing her a wire that was connected to the tablet and her outfit. The technologies that have been developed over the past decades have helped me greatly, I just had to connect Thoth to internet via the tablet and let him compile the informations into memories transferred to my mind."

Silence filled the room again when Noctus stopped speaking, Skye staring at Noctus speechless. Seeing her in this state, Noctus coughed. "I just made it incomprehensible rather than amazing right ?"

Skye nodded, still slightly stoned. "Every time you answer a question, you create ten new ones, it's almost admirable at this level." Noctus scratched his head with a sigh making Skye laugh.

The silence this time was somewhat pleasant but still did not answer the questions of the young woman who could not help but ask him.

"So Thoth? Like the Egyptian god?"

Noctus nodded. "It's my, in modern terms, virtual assistant. It's an artificial intelligence that I developed with a friend to help us organizing our ideas. He has helped me greatly since his creation." Noctus raised his arm and an holographic interface appeared.

"Say hello Thoth, Skye seems to need a demonstration." The Shield agent watched in amazement as the hologram displayed a face with no recognizable features but moving to show expressions.

"Nice to meet you Skye." Thoth deep voice began before turning to speak to Noctus. "I don't think a demonstration was necessary Noctus, humans have grasped the concept of artificial intelligence for over half a century." Noctus stared at Skye that was looking at Thoth with wide eyes and chuckled.

"Even if she know what you are, it doesn't mean that you existence is less exceptional in her eyes."

After a minute, Skye regained her senses and looked at Noctus with a complicated expression, a question burning on her lips.

"What do you gain here ? You doesn't need anything from us. You said it yourself."

"I dont need to gain anything from you, aside from a good story to hear and live. You may not believe it, but living as long as I did, the sad reality is that I crave for entertainment. So when I find people that seems to live interesting life, I try to become a part of it. I participate in their stories in hope to live new sensations." Noctus looked at Raina then at Skye again before continuing. "That's what I'm here for. Because I feel that if you have arrived in this city, it means that you will play a key role in great changes. And I want to be there to live them at the front row."

"I… Don't know how to answer." Skye replied after a second of thought. "On the one hand it's a compliment, you think we're going to be part of great things, but on the other hand? Yeah, I guess that's just another story for you."

Deciding to end the conversation, Noctus leaned back in his chair and smiled.

"Now you should really sleep, the next few days are going to be busy."

Skye wanted to continue the conversation but noticed that she finally felt tired. "You're right I guess, the world is getting crazier every second. Good night Noctus."

"Sleep well Skye."

The young woman laid down and finally closed her eyes, letting herself be carried away by sleep under the gaze of Noctus who began to assimilate the informations Thoth had collected.