Kryst

I've never had much of an imagination. The real world keeps on interfering, and besides, you'll never get anywhere stuck in your own head. Maybe because I was never good at imagining, I've never gotten scared that much. When I was in a test, I swore a lot, but never got scared being too distracted by other things like almost getting killed. Even getting battered by the loan sharks, who by the way never traumatized me, I swore like hell but never got scared, only got angry and pissed off.

So, even though our test to ascend to the 23rd floor would take place tomorrow, I wasn't scared. I got pissed off more easily but not scared. And you'd think that other teammates might feel scared or apprehensive, but it's like we're going on a Zaharddamned picnic. Nathan doesn't care, and Cosmos is just happy to let Laesa wind me up. Alasis is acting a little tense, but I don't think she's failed a test since she got here, and Enryu alone knows what Hanaki thinks. At least Nathan agreed to train together with me.
I was no genius, and couldn't think of any of those fancy maneuvers you saw on the Box. Hopefully, we'd just be facing normal opponents and not anyone from the 10 great clans. Nathan still wasn't able to create three baangs, but he could create two more quickly and fire them within a second. His aim still wasn't that good, but that was what I was for. We didn't really need much training, and we were soon standing around awkwardly.

I always hate silences, I find them awkward. So I tried to break it "How long did it take you to climb up to the 20th floor?" I continued on knowing that Nathan wouldn't want to answer. "I did it in 7 years. Nothing spectacular, but I didn't fail many tests. And then I got to the 20th floor, and I guess you know the rest."

Nathan still didn't say anything, and it just got on my nerves "Why the hell don't you say anything?" I asked "Is it because of this image that you think you have to maintain? Is it because you think you're better than us? Why don't you talk?"

Nathan looked at me sharply "Is that what you've thought?"

Well, at least he started talking "What, that you don't talk? Yeah. Know why? Because you don't talk!"

Nathan started chuckling "I thought you knew, so I didn't tell you. Guess I overestimated your intelligence once again."

That hit a sore spot. I've always been proud of my intelligence "You overestimated my telepathic skills, if you thought I knew what you were thinking. Why don't you tell me what's going on, Nathan Blitz!"

Nathan sat down and looked up at the ceiling before looking at me, and I noticed that he probably hadn't slept well in a long time, judging by the bags around his eyes. His pale skin looked ghostly in contrast with his bright red hair. "What do you know about the Blitz clan?" He asked. It didn't seem like a rhetorical question or anything, so I answered honestly

"Nothing much. Just that their notorious for being insane and pyromaniacs. You definitely fit the bill, at least in the pyromaniacal direction."

Nathan chuckled a little "and I hope I never fulfill the description. You see, I don't advertise my name, not because I'm ashamed of it, but because I'm informally disowned. Not officially of course," seeing my reaction of disbelief "the paperwork and publicity wasn't something they wanted; but, they've made it clear that I'm no longer welcome to the privileges a member of the Blitz clan would normally have."

So that's why he was going laid into by the loan sharks on the 20th floor. I realized I'd never heard him talk this much at one time before, but he continued talking

"They disowned me because I wasn't insane enough." He said, meeting my gaze. What the hell was he talking about? What did he mean?

"Well, that's not what they said," Nathan kept on talking "but I didn't enjoy killing things and I reflected on what I did. People of the Blitz clan... they don't do that."

"So they disowned you?"

Nathan sighed "I haven't thought about this in years. It was when I was fourteen. There were these groups of boys that were roasting insects alive. You could hear them squealing in agony. I didn't like it, so I scared off the kids."

I raised an eyebrow "when you say scare off, do you mean..." I trailed off and he laughed.

"Yes, I hear their burns took a while to heal."

"And the insects?" I asked

Nathan was silent for a while, and I thought he wasn't going to speak. Then he said "I put them out of their misery."

I looked at him and couldn't think of anything to say. His face didn't betray any feelings, and I couldn't tell if he was remorseful or not.

"Anyways," he said "I was heading somewhere before I got sidetracked."

Oh, I wasn't aware there was a point to that. I normally just talk because it feels nice, having people understand where you're coming from.

"I'm not insane yet, but sometimes I feel it calling to me. When you tell yourself something enough times, you think it's true. Insanity is when you tell yourself things and only believe what you tell yourself and don't listen to anyone else. Listening to you talking all day every day... it keeps me sane."

It was pretty deep stuff, and I didn't really know what to say. This was one of the times where talking just added to the awkwardness. "So, basically" I said slowly "You want me to keep on talking while you listen because it keeps you from turning out like the other Blitz kids."

For some reason Nathan found this hilariously funny and convulsed on the ground laughing. When I asked him he just said "I could have just told you. I could have just told you."

I didn't get what the hell he was talking about, but he just shook his head and resumed his normal chuckle and said "Let's get back to practice."

I shook my head, but followed him and practiced. I'd always accepted Nathan as a friend; well, not always but ever since we became a team. I didn't get what was so hard about making friends, but apparently Nathan only just accepted me as his friend now.

People sure were weird.