Chapter 371: 17 Mins
"That’s 17," I muttered, looking at the watch on my wrist.
Before I activated Night Walker, I had taken note of the time: 10:27 a.m.
Now it was 10:44, meaning I had spent 17 minutes in the dream, a time below my ability, considering I had spent over 20 minutes in Tobi’s dream.
My attempts to influence the nun’s dream were to blame for this, especially given how many times I had failed.
Bringing my left arm down, I looked at the thick, short lady who was still passed out, the stupid smile still plastered on her face.
I had hoped to get some insight into the happenings within the Vatican, hear a rumour, or catch a clue that might lead me to my target from the woman. But all I had learned was that she was a slut.
A big-time slut who had a thing for huge men and had also witnessed someone being sliced in two.
"What a waste."
No, I wasn’t referring to my time, but rather to the woman who had been cut in two in the nun’s dream. The nun might have been focused on her face, but the woman’s ass had made its presence known.
It wasn’t massive with extra-wide hips, just well-shaped, with cheeks that dropped in a way that was both firm and soft. Such asses were not only great to grab but almost always turned out to be incredibly soft.
"Time to leave."
Unaware of the nun’s background and wary of her questionable Psion reserves, as well as her means to amplify it, I had no desire to confront her.
Making sure to reopen the door from the inside, I moved behind the altar and bent my knees.
My neck craned as I looked up, eyes focusing on the barely visible balcony high above. But as I called on my Psion to help bolster the jump I was about to make, a train-wrecking headache slammed into me.
Caught off guard, despite my best efforts, I staggered to the side and dropped to a knee.
Two more sharp waves of pain ran through my brain before I snapped my eyes open.
I pushed myself off the ground, sending my body into a double spin to the right, then chopped down with my left arm.
Not even understanding what had happened, the nun fell to her knees and then collapsed on her face, returning to her previous position at the altar.
The pain in my head hadn’t come from her, but from my mind. I had depleted my Psion Sea too quickly in the nun’s dream and experienced a backlash. It was a funny coincidence that, in that second of weakness, like a ghost, she had gotten up and tried to take me out with a fierce claw. Unfortunately for her, not only did I have mind vision, but I had seen the attack before she even made the move.
Sadly, I could not just leave the woman lying on the floor, I couldn’t allow her to be 100% sure she had seen an intruder in her little sinful room.
With disgust, I picked her up and deposited her back on the altar, my palms never having felt so dirty.
Minutes later, I was on my way back to the hall, my steps steady and confident.
"Sir, the Pope is already in," a man with a solemn expression, dressed in a plain black outfit, said.
"I see." The man seemed about to offer more words—probably advice—but one look at me and he swallowed them.
I reached the door, about to turn the handle and step in, but paused and turned back to him.
"Excuse me."
The man’s expression was unreadable as I wiped my hands on his body. He seemed lost, only able to watch as I did my business, then turned and left.
When I first stepped into the hall for the gathering, using one of the doors on its side, only those close by had noticed my presence. This time, though, the low mutterings that had pervaded the hall were gone.
There was dead silence as the Pope spoke, and my entry, quiet as it was, wasn’t silent enough.
Eyes turned toward me, and I swear I could see Ninja Momma cursing my ancestors from where she stood.
To make matters worse, the Pope went quiet, and somehow, we both looked at each other.
Beautiful white robes, a thick rosary around his neck, a small red cap on his bald, shiny head.
The wrinkles on the old man’s face made me wonder how he found the energy to lead a religion that spanned the globe. And then I waved at him.
Despite looking into his deep black eyes, I read nothing of what the man was thinking, but I could feel my body crawl all over as if all my secrets were laid bare before him.
I searched for Psion or any foreign energy invading my mind, but found none.
Before I could think up another method to understand what was happening, the old man looked away.
"Marcus, control yourself."
The urge to use Echo crawled through my body like an itch, I wanted revenge for my dignity, which had been lost. It was fortunate my brain overruled my ego.
Stiffening my fingers, as the Pope resumed speaking, I moved and joined the small crowd, rolling my eyes. A noticeable berth was given to my existence.
"You’d think I fucked on holy ground," I mocked in my head, then had a thought.
"Is fucking in the Vatican a sin?"
While my mind wandered, the Pope continued, some of his words slipping into my unholy mind.
"Allowing the spirit of truth to guide us toward solutions that serve the common good.
We are called to embrace one another’s perspectives with humility and courage, trusting that together we can sow seeds of peace.
In these tribulating times..."
I caught sight of Kitty, her narrowed eyes making me frown, then I looked at Lazarus.
Surprisingly, lust still bridled within him, and it was steadily rising.