Gabriel moved to stand beside Darius. He asked, "What are you doing?"Darius sighed and turned to look at him. He said helplessly, "Don't you think we've wasted too much time here? If I were you, I'd track Borisin down and try to find out what happened. After that, I'd deal with this matter with Noah."Gabriel smiled at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. Darius hated the look on his face. He said, "I thought we'd achieved a sort of balance. Yet, you don't look too pleased. That look on your face is upsetting me."He put his hands behind his back. Gabriel frowned and parted his lips to speak, but Darius waved a hand to stop him. "Look, we've been at this for a while. You've said many things, but none of them are what I want to hear."He sighed. "That's why I've decided not to say another word to you until you give me a proper explanation. Or a way to resolve this, at least."Gabriel snorted. He put his hands on his hips and spat, "I wasn't gonna say anything, but you're really pushing
"Based on what the enlightened martial artists' alliance wants, I should bring you to them. I doubt things will turn out well for me no matter what I do. That's why I'm leaving the decision to you. Which would you prefer?" Gabriel asked.Darius didn't expect this of him. He raised an eyebrow and stared at Gabriel for a long time. Then, he said, "I'll be honest with you. I'm surprised by your actions. I'd like to know what you think, though. Do you have any suggestions for me?"Darius was calm, but the same couldn't be said for Gabriel. His eyes widened in astonishment. He didn't expect Darius to ask him for his opinion. And his instinct told him Darius would go with what he suggested.Gabriel exhaled and smiled. "I'd suggest we deal with the authorities first. Then, I'll take you to the enlightened martial artists' alliance. They didn't tell me much about the situation. I'm doing all of this of my own volition."Darius raised an eyebrow in surprise. He'd never met anyone like Gabriel
In the end, Gabriel sighed and raised his head. He looked tormented. "Darius, you've already made your feelings on this matter clear. Unfortunately, this is as far as my help goes."I've already decided to hand you over to the enlightened martial artists' alliance. As for what happens after that, I won't be interfering. Where you go from there and how they treat you is up to them."All I need to do is complete my mission." Gabriel put his hands behind his back.Darius sensed his determination and smirked. "You're losing your grip on your emotions again. Is your intention to kill me?" He raised an eyebrow. "Because you can't get the answer you want from me."Gabriel felt frustrated. He shut his eyes and exhaled. A few seconds later, he opened them again. He smiled at Darius. "Thanks for the reminder, Darius." He looked up at the sky."I can't control my emotions at all right now. As soon as a thought forms in my mind, it aggravates me. This is a problem I realized long ago, but I don't
Though unwilling to rain on Gabriel's parade, Darius had to curb his excitement. "I can see how excited you are, but you need to calm down. I may be willing to go with you, but it's easier said than done."I have to deal with my internship, the Reid Consortium, and West Atlantics Int'l. In other words, I'm incredibly busy. How long will a trip to the alliance take? Time is of the essence, and I can't waste too much of it on the alliance."And because of this, I can't promise I can head to the alliance with you at such short notice."Gabriel didn't expect Darius to say this. He smiled. "I'll make sure we don't take too long."Darius raised an eyebrow, then nodded. "Alright, then. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt." He smiled. "Now that we're on the same page, let's not waste more time here." He put his hands behind his back.Gabriel couldn't understand his sudden eagerness but took it in stride. He nodded. "Great. If you're agreeable, we can leave now."Darius watched him silently
Darius put his hands behind his back and looked at Gabriel calmly. Gabriel sighed. "I kept thinking you were unaware. That's why I've been hinting at it this whole time."Darius raised an eyebrow, looking disdainful. "Sorry, but I didn't catch any of those hints."Gabriel bit his lip. He didn't know what to say in response. He found that he couldn't decipher Darius' thoughts and decided not to say anything.Darius straightened up and tucked his hands into his pockets. "Alright, let's move on. We need to head back inside the building to deal with Noah."Gabriel raised an eyebrow at this. He suddenly felt like he was making a mistake by bringing Darius to the alliance with him. Maybe he wasn't a good fit for them. The alliance prided itself on striving to achieve a singular goal; emotions were secondary.This was the opposite of how Darius acted. Indeed, he was hardworking and willing to go the extra mile. But he acted on his whims and did as he fancied. Gabriel had never come across an
Darius didn't even say anything else. Gabriel didn't know how to act around him. This awkwardness lasted until the elevator doors opened. Darius silently walked out.Gabriel didn't know what had caused this sudden mood swing. He parted his lips to speak, then pursed them and remained silent. What could he say? He felt that anything he said would anger Darius.Gabriel frowned and exhaled. He looked helpless. Not that Darius noticed or cared. All his attention was on himself. He could sense his emotions were starting to go out of whack. This reminded him of how Gabriel had lost control of his emotions twice.He guessed something in this building was aggravating them without them realizing it. Darius shut his eyes and sighed. He tucked his hands into his pockets. A flurry of thoughts raced through his mind, but he didn't voice them out.Darius stopped. He could suddenly hear Noah's piercing screams from where he stood. He turned to look at Gabriel. "Can you hear that?"Gabriel smiled and
When Noah had first appeared before Darius, they'd gotten into a fight. Later, one of the black-robed people had come to him and also introduced himself as Noah. Oddly enough, Darius hadn't questioned it when it happened.That in itself was an oddity. Darius shut his eyes and exhaled. He felt confused and frustrated. His hands trembled as he balled them into fists. He couldn't accept that something like this had happened.Never once had he imagined he would overlook the presence of an enemy. And this was despite said enemy standing right before him! Darius breathed deeply, trying his best to calm himself.Gabriel stood before the room where Noah was locked. He exhaled. He could tell Darius was in a bad mood. Maybe he could appease Darius if he were to step inside the room and get an answer that was to Darius' liking.At the same time, if the answer he got wasn't what Darius wanted, things probably wouldn't turn out well for him. It would probably even make it a lot harder for him to d
Gabriel sounded gentle, but everyone knew that was far from the truth. This was especially true for Noah, who sat across from him. He felt incredibly nervous. He shut his eyes and breathed rapidly.Noah never would've expected to still be in danger after being taken in by the authorities. He frowned and looked up at Gabriel. "So, are you determined to help Darius now?" His voice was shaky, and his eyes were wide because of his nerves.His emotions were clear as he looked at Gabriel. Gabriel bit his lip, feeling like he was about to laugh. To stop Noah from noticing, he quickly exhaled and sat down with one leg over the other. At the same time, he leaned forward to place his hands on the desk.He tapped his fingers on the desk quickly but rhythmically. Gabriel's eyes were devoid of emotion as he looked at Noah. "Tell me, Noah. What happened between you and Darius? Earlier, you said he was the one who injured you. Do you have any proof?"Because we checked the surveillance footage, a