Grey Gear 4

“What is it?” I asked, breathless with excitement.

Grey shifted slightly and lowered the empty half of the relic as his focus on the crystal intensified. The subtly glowing crystal immediately blazed with bright purple light.

“What the—” Grey exclaimed as that half of the sphere jerked out of his hand and floated to the ground at his feet.

My hand went involuntarily to my mouth, and we watched, stunned, as the crystal began to disintegrate before our eyes. A cloud of shimmering particles rose up to hover above the half-relic, each grain carrying some of the crystal’s light. When the last piece disappeared, the cloud let off a strobing flash of light that made my head spin, and I forced myself to look away.

Puppy Regis winced as he held up a paw to cover his eyes. “I’m pretty sure this is how demon overlords are summoned!”

Glancing from the corner of my eye to make sure the flashing had stopped, I let out an astonished gasp. “Vritra’s horns…”

The cloud had coalesced into an opaque oval hovering in the air, which Grey was pacing slow circles around. It had an oily sheen to its surface and was radiating a dim purple light.

“It’s an ascension portal, it has to be,” I said, sinking further back into the couch. “But one you can activate anywhere…That means—”

“I can go to the Relictombs whenever I want,” Grey finished. Facing me, he held up the other half. “What do you think this one is for then?”

I considered the silver half-sphere and the matrix of organic supports within. “Well if the other one takes you in…”

“Then this one might bring me back?” Grey was nodding, and his serious gaze turned back to the portal. “Caera, wait here.”

I shot up from my seat, nearly sending puppy Regis tumbling. “What? You’re going to go now? Without any sort of research or tests?”

“This will be the test,” he stated, his eyes still glued to the shimmering gate.