Serian’s smile softened a little. She saw the question was not just about power, not for him. It was about safety.
"The monsters of Lifewoods are of many kinds," she said, "so like the hounds of Gorok, but others far older. So are born of mana, so from the very earth."
She paused, then looked at his face. "But that is not what you wish to ask about, is it, Nox?"
He shifted, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. He hated that she could see through him, that she knew when he was trying to hide sothing.
’Damn it, she’s too sharp.’
"That nightmare a few days ago," she continued, her voice lower now. "You spoke in your sleep."
He stiffened, his jaw tightening. He had told her it was nothing, just a stupid dream. He hated that she rembered.
"You said a few words," she went on, ignoring his silence, "about a school, about people who watched. And you woke with such... anger."
He looked away, staring into the fire. The heat felt good on his face, but it did not warm the coldness in his gut.
"What was it like, Nox?" she asked, her voice insistent. "Before this world broke. What was your life like, that it brought such anger to your sleep?"
He did not answer imdiately. He picked up a small stick, poking at the embers. He wanted to tell her to shut up, to mind her own business. He wanted to go back to being alone, to not having anyone ask about the parts of him he kept hidden.
But then, how long will he keep running from this? how long is he going to push people away when they try to co closer? And besides, Serian, she was-
’She’s not like the others.’
"It was nothing," he mumbled. "Just... school. Like everyone else’s."
"I do not believe that. You have a strength in you, a... hardness, that is not born of ’nothing’."
He let out a short, humorless laugh. "Hardness? Yeah, I guess so." He snapped the stick he was holding in two, tossing the pieces into the fire. "It was just... annoying."
He paused, then sighed. He did not want to talk about this, but the words felt like they were pushing their way out anyway.
"Every day," he started, his voice flat, "just... every single day. There was this guy, Mark. And his friends. They just... liked to ss with ."
He looked into the flas, the mories flashing in his mind like ugly pictures.
"They’d push around, kick . Shove my head in the toilet. Laugh about it." He could hear the laughter, even now. It was always loud.
"No one ever did anything," he continued, his voice getting a little colder. "Teachers, other kids, even the goddamn police. They just... watched. Or they laughed too. It was always like that. Like I was just... background noise."
He felt the familiar knot of ice form in his stomach. That feeling of being invisible, of being less than human.
"So I just stopped caring," he said, shrugging, like it was a simple fact. "Stopped feeling anything. It was easier that way."
She was quiet, listening to him. Her eyes were fixed on his face, but she did not look away. She did not look with pity, just with understanding.
"That is why you hate humans, for what they did to you." She said with a softness in her voice.
He nodded. "Yeah, sothing like that." He finally looked at her, his eyes cold. "They’re all the sa. They’ll smile to your face, then stab you in the back the second they think you’re weak."
"And you were weak, then?" she asked, her voice calm, devoid of judgnt.
He let out a harsh laugh. "Pathetic," he said. "That’s what I was. A pathetic loser who just took whatever they threw at ."
He rubbed his hands on his pants. "So when this whole world went crazy, and I got this... power, it just made sense. No more being weak. No more taking crap from anyone."
He looked at her. "I was going to kill them all, you know," he said, his voice completely flat. "Mark. The other kids. The teacher who just laughed. I had the gun. I was going to end it. All of it."
She flinched, a small, involuntary movent. But she did not look away.
"But then a power awakened in ," he continued, ignoring her reaction. "And everything changed. Now I can actually fight back. Now I can break things instead of being broken."
He felt a familiar surge in his chest, that cold, dark power that felt so right.
’This is what I am. This is what I was always ant to be.’
He t her gaze, his own eyes burning with a fierce, unwavering intensity. "That’s what made this way, princess. Years of being nobody. And now... I’m sothing else."
She reached out, her hand hovering just over his arm. She did not touch him, but he could feel the warmth from her fingers.
"You are still human, Nox," she said, her voice soft but firm. "And you are more than just power. You saved . You made them stay, even when you wanted to go alone."
He looked away, embarrassed by her words. He did not like being seen like that.
’She doesn’t get it. It’s just power. I kept her around because of the mission..’
"You chose to save , even when you did not have to," she continued. "You chose to return for your companions. You did not abandon them. You did not beco like the humans who wronged you."
He just grunted, not looking at her. He did not know what to say.
She pulled her hand back, a smile on her face. "You are not a monster. You are a warrior."
He looked at her. Her eyes were bright, and her smile was real. It made that strange warmth in his chest co back, stronger this ti. It felt good. It felt... confusing.
’This is so ssed up.’
Reviews
All reviews (0)