Page 177 of Gift from the Nexus

Breathing in her sweet coffee scent, I hold my hand out for her to lay hers in and I lift her arm so I can gaze at her now clear, fair skin. Unlike mine that already has swirling rays of shadows tattooed up my forearms, there’s not a blemish or black spot to be found on her arms, just the chill bumps my touch is leaving behind.

Focusing on the intricate designs painted all over my olive skin, I picture my shadows seeping out through the ink and taking form in my palms. My gift doesn’t rest in my chest unless it’s being restricted for some reason, so I feel it crawl throughout my whole body to its directed area.

When they reach the surface of my tattoos, I close my eyes and inhale deeply. In my mind, I work out exactly what I want them to create and when a weight begins to form across my arms, I quickly snatch up the weapon.

Pulling the string of the bow back, I launch an arrow through the air at the wall opposite us. I don’t allow it to penetrate the glass of the framed photo—not in the mood to deal with my brothers’ pissiness over a broken picture—so I command only the arrow to become shadows once more. On impact, they burst across the wall like a smoke bomb, but it leaves no damage behind.

If me and my gift weren’t so fine tuned to one another, I know the entire assembly would’ve fallen apart, but in the grasp of my palm, the bow stays as solid as I commanded it to be. I run my fingers along the delicate curve and over the engraved groovesthat match the swirls of tattoos along my arms. As I trace along the sturdy black surface, a dusting of shadows coats my fingertip before it sinks back into the design.

Gripping it tightly, I hold it away from my body and command it to shape out a spear, then a sword, then a whip, and finally, a rose. The perfectly bloomed black flower sits on the end of a thorny stem, and I graze the sharp barbs with my thumb, smoothing them all down before I hand the flower to my Primary.

“It’d seem we both got an upgrade, little Primary.”

My sweet Willow tilts her head down to sniff the rose and a small, whimsical laugh flows from her when the shadows dissipate and swirl around her hands, up her arms, and disappear into her hair. I stare, mesmerized, continuing to command their playfulness just so I can listen to her.

“Damn, that’s badass. I want to make my own weapons,” Draken says as he drapes his arm over my shoulder and a sly smirk crosses my face. “Oh, what the fuck, Cas?”

His shriek is a mixture of laughter and a shout as he throws the foot-long dick I formed in his other hand against the wall, and we all stare at it in silence as it hits the ground with a deafening thud.

Surprisingly, it’s the old man who cracks first. His wheezing laughter is contagious, and the entire breakfast room shakes with amusement. I call the shadows back to me with mirth still falling from my lips and a teasing tempo flowing throughout my chest.

I guess this crowd isn’t so awful.

“So the two of your upgrades are making weapons and willies. This is priceless.” Nikoli gasps out as we take our seats again and my Primary tosses a pastry at his head.

“All joking aside, kiddos, this is truly fascinating. I don’t recall in history a gift manifesting like this. Not only that, but it alsoseems Caspian and I’m sure Willow will be able to as well, can share your creations for however long you can hold them,” Gaster says.

“Do you think we’ll be able to make them permanent, though, like we can create things with our earth elements?” my Primary asks.

“I don’t see why not. I don’t believe anything is impossible for the lot of you.”

I mull over Gaster’s words. I’ve been reading and researching as much as I can on all our gifts because it doesn’t seem like they have a limit in their growth. Typically, once a Nexus is complete, the power boost comes and then that’s it, that’s your new manifestation, but with our Nexus, it seems to be trickling in controlled with no end in sight. Unless we’re just being upgraded in waves based on when Elementra believes we need.

“Do you think yesterday when I shot my shadows out, they somehow solidified then and that’s how the Summum-Master was able to touch them?” Willow asks. The light that was just in her eyes from our playful banter and amazing upgrades fades and I bite my cheek to stop myself from crossing the table to her.

Her full stop declaration yesterday was her way of saying she was on the verge of freaking out and needed a minute. This is the first time she’s brought anything up that has to do with herself or him since then. It immediately put her right back into the funk she was in.

None of us have or can even remotely begin to ignore the fact Keeper claims her blood is the key to opening the portals, but we understand she needs to process that on her own. While she does that, the rest of us will distract her, do our own research and when she’s ready to dive deeper into it, then we’ll be ready. We can’t ignore how big that news is for long, but we can for now. For her.

The pressure closing in around my Primary is growing daily and I wanted nothing more yesterday afternoon than to steal her away to my pocket dimension. Hide her away there while I buried myself in her. Just the two of us. I want her so lost in me, she doesn’t give a single fuck about what’s going on in the realm. I think she needs some alone time with us too to center herself back. My brothers may believe she’s enjoying all this company, but I think it’s overwhelming her more. She’s having to fake a brave face.

“I do not believe so,” Keeper answers her thoughtfully after a moment.

“Care to elaborate?” I ask with an arched brow.

For the most part, the vampire doesn’t bother me. I thought I’d have more of a negative reaction to him, but finding out the link between him and Draken shifted even more of my perspective. Seeing how he acts as though there’s been no lapse in time, like he’s known us forever, it’s easier to accept him. He’s free with his speech but respectful, and I like that.

“I don’t know what the Summum-Master’s original gift is, but whatever it may be, it has the power to shift the strength of other gifts. I’ve witnessed him merely rest his palm on the shoulders of shields whose reach could barely expand to three people, suddenly cover thirteen people. It’s more likely that he strengthened your gift for the time being to use to his benefit.”

“Shit,” I mutter.

I know what gift that is. It hasn’t been seen in…fuck, I don’t even know how long. My grandmother’s time maybe, but even then, it was never recorded to be of that caliber.

“He’s a Fortifier,” me, San, and Gaster all mumble at once.

“A what?” Willow asks, looking between all of us.

“A Fortifier is someone whose gift is predominately useless to themselves but extraordinary to others. Their main functionis to do just that. Fortify the gifts of other people, make them stronger,” San explains basically.

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