Conflux System: I Can Merge Anything-Chapter 34: When I Say Wait

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.

And Zane was ready to say any prayer except that would take place at sunset.

The church bell would ring at any time now and before it could happen, he wanted to distance himself from the area.

He had too much religion for the day and he suffered many things in a very short span of time. Only problems would come if he stayed more here.

Xavier was walking beside him, matching his speed.

"At least ask why I was following you." He said.

Zane rolled his eyes.

"You were following me because you wanted to kill me or bite me in return or something like that. There is no need to think about it anymore."

"Yes. I wanted to bite you in return but don’t you want to know why I helped you so many times?"

"Alright. Fine. Say whatever you want. But just keep it short."

Zane gave up. He had no strength to argue.

Xavier smiled and started talking.

"I threw a stone at that girl because I knew she would make the Enforcer stop from shoving his baton inside your mouth."

"Hmm? How did you know that she will stop the Enforcer?"

"Well, girls don’t like such stuff, right? Especially pretty girls. So I used my brain. If she sees a baton inside your mouth, her mind will replay that image and she won’t be able to manage it. So she stopped it out of her fear."

Xavier smirked as if he solved world hunger.

"... That’s a leap of logic. But it worked. Thank you."

Xavier shook his hands, not caring about Zane’s gratitude.

"Don’t you want to know why I wanted to save you from that Enforcer in the first place?"

Zane clenched his jaw.

"Look, I want to know many things. And you won’t stop telling me. So reveal anything you want. Don’t ask if I want to know it or not."

Xavier went silent.

Zane tensed up.

Shit. I forgot about his mood swings.

He expected Xavier to get angry because of his harsh tone but the Commoner...

"Sure."

Xavier didn’t mind it for some reason.

Zane sighed in relief. His mood was already bad because his relic merging plan failed so his tone came off as rough.

He wouldn’t want to face Xavier’s mood swings as well today.

I will talk nicely now.

Zane made a mental note and Xavier continued:

"You got the Enforcer’s attention when you called the Haloheart a stone out loud. But the Enforcer wasn’t the only one whose attention you got, you earned mine too."

"Why?"

"Because I am just like you."

Zane jerked his head at Xavier.

He looked at him head to toe. His black shoes, brown jacket and a leather belt.

Xavier raised his hands.

"I meant emotionally. Not financially."

Zane nodded.

Xavier carried on.

"You called it a stone and I liked it. It means you also don’t like to eat what is being served to you without knowing what’s on the plate. You like to ask before eating. You don’t accept something just because it has been told for hundreds of years. I liked that in you. That’s why I helped you."

I called it a stone because of my hatred. Nothing special there.

Zane didn’t clarify himself and let the commoner speak.

"But when I tried to talk to you, you bit me out of nowhere! And you bit me hard. You have teeth of steel. Do you eat rocks?"

"You can say that."

"After you bit me, I was angry. After I awakened my skills from the slab, I ran after you. I was furious and wanted to kill you. Or beat you at least."

So the intent was coming from him.

"I was waiting to ambush you but for some reason you started looking around and I had to hide. Did you sense me somehow?"

No wonder I didn’t find him.

"Yes. It’s a perk of living as a filth."

Zane didn’t share his skill of sensing threats. Xavier might have saved Zane’s life but it wasn’t enough for him to reveal everything.

"But at one point, you attacked empty air. You shouted stay away! to no one and that for some reason calmed my anger. I used to believe I am weird, but you swapped the prize for that. After all, I never took a fighting stance in front of a crowd against the air."

"Are you dumb? I just said I sensed danger. And when the danger increased, I shouted stay away. It wasn’t directed at the air. It was directed at you."

"Oh. Right. Makes sense. Anyway, that antic of yours made me rethink my motive. My anger vanished and now I just wanted to have a chat with you. So I quietly followed you."

So that’s why the intent disappeared after I shouted. But if he wasn’t angry at me after that, then why did I still felt a threat? And that intent was thicker. Could it be someone else targeted me after him?

Zane thought back to the time and recalled the church incident.

The next moment, his eyes lit up.

It was the heretic. The time for prayer was near and he chose me to kill. Two people wanted me dead today. Not counting Jaryun.

Zane shivered thinking about that crazed laugh and mangled meat lumps on the floor of the church. He still couldn’t believe it could be him.

"So after my anger vanished, I followed you. The church bell rang and I went inside. After that, you already know what happened. I saw that heretic looking at you and then doing something. I didn’t want you to die so I jumped in and saved your life. Therefore, I think we should become friends. What do you think?"

Xavier stopped talking.

They both were still walking at a high pace and Zane turned his head at the commoner.

He stared at Xavier, squinted his eyes.

"To save me, you threw another Gutterborn to his death like it was normal. Then in the line, you batted no eye when Jaryun snapped on that old man.

His dead body isn’t on the streets anymore. The Wardens took him and probably dumped him in the Canine Dumpster. He died because of Jaryun’s sword when he had no fault and didn’t even receive a proper burial.

And for all this while, you only talked about me and yourself. You focused on stealing candies and only when I was in danger you jumped in to help me. I can understand hating the Halocrats but I am a gutterborn and those two were gutterborns too. But you chose to help me at the expense of those too. Yes, you have my gratitude for saving me. I would have died if not for you.

However, you have to accept one thing. You treat different lives differently, Xavier. Instead of a helping hand or a strong warrior..."

Zane stopped walking and peered at Xavier.

"I would rather be friends with someone who has a heart."

...

Xavier lost his expressions.

Zane’s word landed like rain on an exposed wound.

His eyes couldn’t leave the gutterborn and Zane with no remorse, resumed walking.

But...

Zane stopped.

Not at his will.

Someone held his hand.

Zane rolled his eyes.

"Let me g—"

"Wait."

The air changed.

Zane’s heart picked up pace.

He looked over his shoulder.

"I have to lea—"

"Shhh.."

Xavier clenched Zane’s hand.

Zane groaned.

But the pain on his hand was nothing compared to the horror of the sight in front of him.

Xavier was right in front of his face, his dark eyes hidden with his hairs.

Zane opened his mouth but before he could say something...

"When I tell you to wait..."

Xavier spoke and his deep voice pierced Zane’s heart.

"You already lost your right of defiance, empathic man."