When I walked into my dorm room later that night, I was met with a teenage boy casually laying on my bed as though he were posing for a painting. He wore purple slacks, black dress shoes, a black button up, and a purple waistcoat. He appeared rather pale, and had inky black hair that fell to his shoulders and was pulled back in a simple half-up style.

“There were about a dozen bugs in this room,” he sighed, propping himself up into a sitting position. “They’ll probably attempt to replace them soon using some sort of construction ploy; plumbing, lights, something like that.”

“How did you get in here, 57?” I asked with a sigh upon recognizing him.

He looked at me, brow raised. “What happened to the names policy? And I thought it was 57-2?” He hopped up off the bed, smiling mischievously, “Nix Phillips, pleasure to make your acquaintance, Doctor Calvin Davidson.” He formally bowed.

“How did you get in and why are you here?” I questioned. “And what was that about bugs in my room?”

“Oh, just a few listening devices and cameras,” he shrugged.

My eyes widened. “What? Th-that’s against regulation!”

Nix put his hands on his hips. “Do you really think regulation matters to these guys? Don’t worry, I got rid of them. I’ve draped this room in protective sigils that should stop any more bugs from transmitting signals.”

“...Should?”

“I’ve only been doing this for three years, I’m no professional,” Nix appeared genuinely offended. “But do be careful about what you say in this room from now on.”

“What are you doing here, Nix?” I asked. “Aside from searching for recording devices in my room?” I narrowed my eyes, “How do I know that you weren’t planting bugs, or that you’re not here to hurt me? You and your sister did show up not long after Ice. You could easily be working for the bad guys.”

Nix chuckled, nodding, “Fair point, you’re smart. I’ll give you a hint; my blood and a certain boy who paid you a visit a few nights ago.”

My eyes slowly widened. “Inner gold.”

Nix nodded, “Indeed. Both my brother and I have golden blood. Very special golden blood, as you likely know from my file.”

“Brother?” I echoed. “That boy is your brother?”

“Spiritually speaking,” Nix shrugged. “We are of the same kind.”

“The same species,” I slowly nodded. “But, he said he was the last?”

“A necessary precaution,” he replied. “Besides, I don’t think he was expecting me to get involved. I wasn’t expecting me to get involved either,” he lightly chuckled. His smile dropped. “The war is beginning to boil.”

My chest and stomach tightened. “What’s going on?”

“Isaiah’s close to running, for one,” Nix sighed. “He’s the only one that can truly end this. He’s the only one that can get rid of her.”

“Her….” I thought for a moment. “The same ‘her’ that Ice spoke of?”

“Yes.”

“And… who’s Isaiah?”

Nix paused for a moment. “I can’t tell you that. But I can tell you that he’s thinking of running, already making plans with one of the archangels, and, when he does, she’ll be after him. She’ll probably use the Federation to do so. She got Michael off the board years ago, and now Ice. Got Saber and… I do believe you’re calling him Kay ‒ off, too. Trying to get the Rainbow Kids distracted by using their new human friend, not to mention the kidnapping and torture of‒ Well, they’re trying to hurt us. A lot.”

I took a deep breath, taking it in, “So, she’s getting the strongest off the board and overall trying to cause disarray, that makes sense. Ice told me that Kay is damaged, mentally speaking. But who’s Saber? And… the Rainbow Kids?”

Nix blankly stared at me.

I sighed, “Top secret, okay. So, how can I help?”

He shifted, crossing his arms. “You can stay safe. Try not to ask too many questions, that will only anger her and endanger you. The General is likely to contact you soon, she’ll communicate through her brother. I’ll be… around….” His eyes glassed over. His scleras turned black.

“Nix?” I touched his shoulder.

He gently placed his fingertips over my mouth. “I’m having a vision.”

I blinked, then released him and took a few steps back.

He squinted, as though trying to see against the sun. His legs trembled. I stepped forward, arms out to catch him if he fell.

After a few moments, he blinked, and his scleras returned to white.

Nix looked around the room, then to me. “Calvin, you may want to sit down,” he motioned to the bed.

I slowly sat, and he sat across from me.

“What is it?” I carefully asked, “What did you see?”

Nix took a deep breath, “I… see things. Things from another time; the future, to be more specific. Well, recently, I’ve seen some… odd things. Things concerning you and Ice.”

I frowned, “What sort of things?”

He shook his head, “It’s…. It’s difficult to explain. They’re blurry most of the time, just flashes, like…. Like being heavily drugged and fading in and out of consciousness.” The look on his face clearly said that he knew exactly what that felt like. “I suppose that’s the nature of the future, ever changing from one action to the next. I’ve seen… black wings, blood, the silver cybernetics, glowing graffiti in so many different colors…. It’s all so confusing and I never really know how to interpret them. I have seen you and Ice in them, though, most definitely.”

“So… what do you think it means?”

Nix sighed, shrugging, “I have no idea. The future always changes. Always. Best guess: you’re gonna be more important than we want to believe. More threatened than we want to believe.” He sucked in a breath, brushing back his black hair and muttering, “Gonna have to inform the General about this.”

I sharply inhaled, both at the mention of the General and that I would likely be in even more danger. “And… the vision you just had?”

He shook his head, “It wasn’t about you, although there were some flashes. I distinctly saw… someone else.” He seemed shaken and confused, almost concerned, and muttered something to himself. He stood up. “Get some rest, Doctor, you’ll need it.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help…,”

He smiled, although it was tired, “Just be careful, okay? And maybe brush up on some fighting techniques; you might need ‘em.”