Chapter 8: Wings of fate

Manda exited the room. She heard her name being called as the smell of meat and rich fruits filled the air. She excused herself as she apologized to Luna for interrupting their time together. Manda shut the door as Luna jumped to her feet, "I guess that's it then." said Luna. Nyxon was still shaken by what Manda had told him. He didn't think it would come down to this. Luna nudged at Nyxon to talk to him, "Hey, I'll be here with you. If things get rough, I'll be here."

"I know you will," responded Nyxon. "I promise if anything goes wrong–"

"Nothing bad is gonna happen," said Luna, cutting off Nyxon. "If things get hard... I promise I'll do what I can," said Luna. She was trying to relax herself.

Nyxon thought of the only thing that could calm her down. He hugged her. Luna loved Nyxon's hugs. It almost felt like they were meant for her. Nyxon's hair brushed against Luna's chin. It was smooth, like a smooth river passing by. His hair smelled like strawberries. It was Nyxon's favorite food. They just couldn't stop hugging each other. They loved each other. But they also were afraid for one another.

Nyxon and Luna had headed downstairs. The smell of steak in the air made Nyxon's stomach growl. It was something to distract him from the door upstairs. Nyxon could see the food spread out across the table. The forks and knives were aligned with the plates of food. Nyxon and Luna sat down at their seats. Their names were pinned to the seat they were supposed to sit at. Luna peaked at who was sitting next to Nyxon. It was Brinks. Luna rolled her eyes. Dinner was about to start when a sudden entrance made itself known to Nyxon. He could hear Cormac shouting from a mile away. "NYXON!" shouted Cormac. Nyxon nearly had to cover his ears. Cormac sprinted to Nyxon's chair; he started to catch his breath as Lev and Neve were right behind him. Neve slapped Cormac, "You idiot! Stop shouting!"

"So?" shouted Cormac.

"So, it means we should be respectful. This is Nyxon's home," responded Lev. Luna smiled at Lev's response while Nyxon poked his head out.

"Guys? I don't mind you being in here– but who let you in?"

"Manda! Your sister-" responded Neve. She pointed to Manda, who peeked her head from the hall. She winked at Nyxon and the group.

More people started to flush into the castle. Patrica and Cleo walked to Nyxon and Luna in a shocking surprise. They were invisible, so Nyxon and Luna were scared when they surprised the duo. Patrica started to hug Nyxon, wishing him a happy birthday along with Cleo. She handed Nyxon a box, "Here, it's your gift."

"Thank you, Mom! What is it–"

"Woah! Don't open it yet. Save it for later." Patrica commented. Nyxon tucked the box away.

Magnus and Donnel arrived at the dinner table. Everyone started singing happy birthday to Nyxon happily except Brinks, who wasn't pleased to be there. Nyxon thanked Manda after every bite. Neve began to drink from her glass. Nyxon stared at his glass of wine. He wasn't thirsty. Lev was talking about school. Patrica and Cleo were asking about her grades. Cleo scoffed, "And you only managed to get a one-hundred?"

Lev shrugged her shoulders, "It's because I missed the bonus question." Lev pulled a paper out with her grade from school. It was about races and their immunities. "I missed the true or false question about Dragon's being immune to poison."

Magnus clapped his hands. "You are still very brilliant– not many people know that since dragons are very rare." Lev was embarrassed.

Nyxon nearly choked on his drink, "They are?"

"Well, they are around here, that is," replied Magnus. Suddenly, dinner was turning into an educational lesson. "You elves are knowledgeable. Unsurprisingly, you people are regarded as some of the most intelligent beings." Lev smiled after the compliment, along with Luna and her parents.

"Oh– that reminds me," said Patrica. "We would like to announce why the kids are here– pardon us, Magnus."

"It's fine," replied Magnus.

"Now. the reason they're here is because— me and Cleo have decided to adopt them. So now, they qualify as family."

"WHAT!" Luna shouted. She nearly scared Nyxon to death. "Mom– Dad– is this true?" asked Luna.

"Yes, that is why the three of them are here," answered Cleo.

The table soon started to clap. Nyxon couldn't stop smiling as the kids shouted their thanks to the Warbeck family.

Everyone enjoyed the dinner. Now, it was time for Nyxon's presents. Nyxon received a gift from each person at the table. Except for Brinks, which wasn't surprising for Nyxon– Brinks has never given him one. Manda had bought at least hundreds of books for Nyxon. She said it would be cute if she could read all of them to Nyxon. Nyxon was happy; although he didn't know how to read yet, he knew he would enjoy them even more once he learned. Nyxon had gotten a second gift from Luna. It was hidden upstairs in his room. Cleo had put it on his bed when he entered the castle. Donnel took a drink from his glass. "Nyxon," said Donnel. "How are you feeling about our fight this afternoon?"

Nyxon took a deep breath, "I think I'll win, yeah– I got it."

"Someone's confidant," Brinks blurted out.

"Someone sounds like a sore loser," responded Nyxon.

Brinks kicked Nyxon underneath the table. It was painful, "You're lucky today's your day–"

"Enough, boys," Magnus ordered. "Nyxon, how has training been going?"

"It's fine," replied Nyxon. He continued to ask for more food. Nyxon was given a bowl full of strawberries. He loved it.

"Oh, Nyxon," said Patrica. "You can open your gift now,"

Nyxon went to prying at the box he had kept in his pocket. He opened it and saw a beautiful gem. He placed it around his neck and admired it, "Thank you, Mom!" said Nyxon. He was happy.

"Of course! Oh– I just knew you would love it!"

"Oh– Big brother! Or, cousin?" blurted Cormac.

"Not yet," replied Nyxon. "What is it?"

"I-I got you a gift!" said Cormac. He started to reach into his pockets.

"CORMAC NO–" shouted Neve. But it was too late. Cormac had a pocket in which he carried an Elven Toad with.

The Toad jumped and croaked over the table, disrupting everyone's dinner. Manda was deathly afraid of Toads. She jumped over to her Father, who quickly moved away from the table. The toad quickly jumped in Nyxon's hand. He was confused, but he thanked Cormac for the strange present with a smile on his face.

Magnus wiped his mouth, "Yes, go play now– we have to set up the stadium with everyone now anyways."

Nyxon and Luna excused themselves from the table. They left to go upstairs while everyone downstairs cleaned the table off. Manda and Brinks glared at each other. Her anger still hasn't settled. Luna quickly closed the door behind Nyxon. She still noticed that he hadn't opened either of his gifts yet. "Nyxon, I want you to open both of these– me and my Dad went shopping the other day," said Luna. She handed the gift to Nyxon. It was in a purple wrap. "I think this will be useful in the future," said Luna. She pushed the advantage to Nyxon's chest as he chuckled.

Nyxon sat on the bed in suspense, eagerly waiting to unwrap his gift. He tore at the box– the wrapping paper got stuck on his fingernails as he tried to reach the center. It was a new set of armor. Nyxon was overjoyed. So much he already started taking the one he had on already off. It was a perfect fit. "Hang on– this fits really well. Too well..."

Luna laughed, "You're a pretty heavy sleeper– I got your measurements while you slept and had Rocks make it for you."

"Rocks made this?" asked Nyxon. "

"Somehow, yes– I had to pay him almost double the amount because it was so late at night," replied Luna. She reached over for the box on the bed. It was in a lovely white wrap.

She nudged the box at Nyxon; he had to stop admiring himself in the mirror to take notice of the next gift. He started tearing away at the box to reveal a lovely scarf. It was soft and brown and fit very nicely around his neck. "I love it," said Nyxon. He started to take comfort in how it felt around his neck. Luna was happy. She was happy Nyxon enjoyed it.

Luna and Nyxon chatted for a while. They were talking about everything they had done from that day. The conversation soon changed when the topic of the door in the hallway was brought up. "So... what do you think is behind the door?"

Nyxon's head started to burn. He felt like he was being set on fire. "I don't know, but it has to be something important if my own Dad keeps it a secret."

"Have you tried asking anyone else?" asked Luna.

"Hm, I asked Brinks, but that was never a good idea. Manda usually says nothing and tells me to do something else," replied Nyxon. Nyxon could feel his head hurt more. He couldn't stop thinking about what his Father could be hiding from. Luna edged her hand closer to Nyxon, trying to understand just what he was afraid of. She tapped his hand, asking if she could hold it to understand him. Nyxon nodded as Luna held his hand.

She could see it. She could see the nightmares Nyxon faced throughout the day. She soon faced a woman: pale skin and gray hair. Luna was confused, "Who is this woman?" asked Luna.

"You see her too?" said Nyxon.

"Y-Yes."

A knock came at the door. It stopped Luna and Nyxon from thinking together. Manda was just there to tell the two to go to the stadium. Nyxon and Luna nodded to walk together. It was time. This was Nyxon's time now. Luna summoned a falcon below her. "Hey, good luck– and don't worry about anything," said Luna. Those words stuck to Nyxon as Luna left. The crowd outside roared and shouted while Nyxon stood alone. He could hear his name echo through the tunnel. His body was shaking. He was afraid of what was next.