Chapter 12: Wings of fate

Nyxon glared at the necklace Patrica gave him for his birthday; it was his favorite. He laid still on the tree branch he was on as he was scouting for dinner for the night. Nyxon sat up as he jumped to another tree; he was starting to get bored of waiting. Nyxon skimmed through the trees. Jumping from tree branch to tree branch, he let his cloak flow freely in the air as it flew behind him. Nyxon was hunting again tonight. It started to become something he was good at now. Nyxon has been living in the forest with Lapis for the past month. She wasn’t getting any better with the poison she was inflicted with by Magnus. Nyxon was trying to help her in any way he could. Food seemed to be the only cure Nyxon knew for her. He tried looking for anything he could that was big enough for him and Lapis, but it looked like there was nothing good this time.

“No animals again…” whispered Nyxon. He planted himself up on a branch to get a good look at all the animals below him.

The food wasn’t looking suitable for Nyxon. The most he could do was try and find a rabbit again, like yesterday for Lapis. Lapis only seemed to get worse over time. She wouldn’t even talk to Nyxon. She was too weak to speak, even with her mind. Nyxon’s ears started to alarm him. He heard something in the bushes trembling loudly. He dashed over silently, ensuring he didn’t scare his potential dinner away.

Finally, food was in front of him. A rabbit was sitting in the grass, eating away quickly. The wind started to blow slightly against Nyxon. The hair on his shoulders started to flow as he reached for his bow. He pulled carefully as he inserted the arrow, ensuring he was as still as possible. He kept his breath steady, his mind empty, and his posture still. Soon enough, the task was over– the rabbit was now Nyxon’s.

He clasped his hands together, praying over the rabbit. It was something Luna taught him. He didn’t know if it would do anything, but it put his mind to ease knowing he was doing this for Lapis. He started walking back in the direction of the cave. The smoke in the air acted as a compass to Nyxon. It smelt of firewood and wet, damp grass as Nyxon continued past several trees. He couldn’t help but think about everything still in the kingdom. His wife, his family– well, the ones that seemed like family to him. He missed Luna’s sweet humming, the food she would make, the jokes she would say. He also missed the children. He could imagine Cormac being silly and Neve and Lev trying to correct him. It made Nyxon feel a sense of hope that he could return to that feeling one day.

Nyxon kept his pace steady until he heard something strange in the distance. Nyxon flashed his sword quickly, trying to show whoever was out there that he was ready. Nothing happened again. Nyxon tucked his blade away as he continued his trail. Nyxon’s ears perked again as he heard another footstep. He checked every corner of his sight as he tried to figure out what was happening. He kept his sword out this time, hoping he was ready whenever something did happen. He kept his pace steady and his breath calm. His grip tightened around the grip of his sword as he backed into a field.

The field was covered in fog. It was thick enough to even mess with Nyxon’s sight. He saw a figure standing in the fog. Only its red eyes were visible through the fog to Nyxon. The figure was much taller than Nyxon. The figure had red pointy horns, and her robe flowed with a dash of red with flowers printed over it. Nyxon kept his sword firm. He didn’t move a muscle, not even when the figure moved closer to him. He could hear the figure whisper, “I thought I told you– this forest isn’t for you,” she hissed. “For the past month, you’ve been taking refuge in the forest of lost souls and disrupting the process with your pitiful hunting.” the figure added on.

She started approaching Nyxon; her walking added a sense of eerie to the fog plaguing the field. Nyxon could feel the scales on his neck twitch. He knew he was about to fight again. “My name is Kogohime, and I’m here to stop you now.” hissed Kogohime. Nyxon saw her reach behind her back. She started to pull out a spear of some sort. It was long enough to even measure up to Kogohime’s body. It sent a shock of fear along Nyxon’s mind. Nyxon could feel his hands shaking, but it didn’t make his stance fall. He wasn’t going to give up.

Kogohime’s power started to flow from her. Her purple aura touched the ground softly as Nyxon kept his fighting stance intact. Vines started to sprout violently around Kogohime. She stretched her hand toward Nyxon. Nyxon dashed– and Kogohime struck at the ground. The vines started to swarm around Nyxon. He dodged and sliced through as many as possible before being overwhelmed by Kogohime’s powerful strikes. Nyxon found himself maneuvering around Kogohime. He continued to duck and dive underneath her vines in the process. Nyxon’s chest started to hurt. His heart could pop out of his chest at any moment as he continued to leap from vine to vine.

Nyxon started to find himself repeating the same movements from the beginning of the battle. Kogohime saw an opening in Nyxon’s movement. She grabbed Nyxon as he tried to scream and shout from her grasp. Nyxon managed to plunge his sword into Kogohime’s hand.
“YOU–” shrieked Kogohime. She threw Nyxon into the air, waving her hand in pain.

Kogohime soon let her aura flow from her body again. She struck the ground violently as she watched a wave of vines sprout in Nyxon’s direction. “IT’S OVER! YOU CAN’T MOVE OUT THE WAY IN TIME!” shouted Kogohime. She was still covering her hand in pain.

Nyxon’s eyes widened as he saw the vines flowing toward him. He acted fast– he sprouted his wings from his body as he flew into the air, dodging the vines as best as he could. Nyxon could smell something off about the vines. The vines were poisoned. Nyxon cut and thrust through as many vines as he could. Kogohime was getting annoyed. She groaned in annoyance as she used both of his hands to sprout vines from the ground again. She caught Nyxon violently and slammed him against the ground, creating a shockwave in the distance. Nyxon’s body ached as he tried to keep his screams of pain to himself. He kept thinking about what to do if he couldn’t get to Lapis in time. She must be starving by now.

Kogohime dashed to Nyxon. Her spear could be heard dragging across the ground. She lifted her weapon and thrust it back down to the ground, hitting Nyxon in the shoulder. Nyxon couldn’t move, the vines tied his hand, and he couldn’t breathe fire; too much grass was in the way. He could set the forest ablaze on accident if he used any. Kogohime stopped thrusting, and Nyxon was thankful. Kogohime turned to Nyxon, admiring the damage she’s done. “I’m gonna go talk to– what’s her name again? Lapis?” muttered Kogohime. Nyxon’s eyes widened. Kogohime laughed as she sensed the fear in Nyxon’s eyes, “That’s who you keep thinking about, right? Lapis?” You seem to think about her–she must be important.” Nyxon could hear her mocking him. It was starting to get annoying.

Kogohime started to sprint away at incredible speeds away from Nyxon. Nyxon was scared, his eyes couldn’t stop shaking, and his arms wouldn’t budge. He shouted again, trying to loosen his mouth from the vines to plead for Kogohime to stop. His power started to flow from his body. His blue aura nearly lit up the forest in a bright light. Kogohime noticed immediately, as she was nearly halfway there to Lapis. Nyxon flew from the vines– he angrily shouted Kogohime’s name as Nyxon tackled her into a tree.

Kogohime finally managed to toss Nyxon off of her. She planted her feet on the ground as she prepared for another attack. She looked at Nyxon angrily, annoyed that a fight could even come to this now. She was even angry enough that Nyxon could see her vines popping from her forehead.

They circled around each other like beasts. Each breath they drew was even heavier than the last. Kogohime dashed fiercely to Nyxon, thrusting at Nyxon while she kicked fiercely stylishly. Kogohime quickly tripped Nyxon against a tree, forcing Nyxon to defend himself. Nyxon guarded his head and face to his best ability. He was trying to control his emotions while thinking about defeating Kogohime.

Kogohime went for a slash to Nyxon’s head. Luckily, Nyxon could dodge swiftly in time and jump onto Kogohime. He started to tug at Kogohime’s long red horns as she knocked herself into a tree, trying to shake Nyxon off. Nyxon wasn’t budging; no matter how rough Kogohime was or how hard Nyxon’s hands started to bleed– he kept his hands on her no matter what. “GET OFF!” shouted Kogohime. She tried to stretch her hands to Nyxon to grab him again, but Nyxon managed to dodge her again. Nyxon’s breath was all over the place. He was scared.

Nyxon couldn’t stop thinking about how hard things were already. He needed to save Lapis no matter what, but things were looking slim. Nyxon let his mind waver for too long. Kogohime could latch on to him as Nyxon tried to maintain his focus on the fight. She tossed Nyxon, almost like a toy, to a nearby tree. He was being toyed with. Nyxon’s head started to hurt, and his head just kept spinning circles around him. His hands started to hurt even more. Luckily, Nyxon was able to heal from his injuries. While the pain still remained, it was nice to have the bleeding stop for now. Nyxon tried to draw his sword again, but vines quickly swarmed him. He flew into the forest, trying to lose the foe in the tracks of trees.

He ducked and dodged out of all the vines he could possibly move by, but Kogohime was still too fast. She leaped to Nyxon at incredible speeds; Nyxon was too busy trying to dodge a vine, so he didn’t notice her. Nyxon was soon struck in the chest. His body slammed into the ground, sending a shock of pain throughout Nyxon’s body. He wanted to scream– but they were quickly quieted through Kogohime’s spear. She shoved her spear into Nyxon’s chest, pushing down on him as Nyxon tried to hold on to the blade as his hands bled again. Kogohime kept pushing harder and harder; Nyxon could feel how much Kogohime wanted him gone. Kogohime started to grunt and shout, “And once I’m done with this– she’s next!” said Kogohime. Nyxon was starting to get angry.

Nyxon couldn’t let Lapis get in trouble. He started to feel his hands get hot like he was starting to burn from the inside. His head started to hurt. His hands started to act on their own. He wanted to beat Kogohime. He wanted to save Lapis. That was Nyxon’s goal in mind. Nyxon started to change. His hair started to flow violently as his power swelled from his feet. Kogohime could sense Nyxon’s violent awakening as she tried to push harder against Nyxon. Nyxon started to grab Kogohime’s weapon violently as he started to shout. It made her eyes widen in fear as she witnessed sparks of lightning shoot from Nyxon’s body. “STAY AWAY FROM MY SISTER!” shouted Nyxon. He sent out a lightning shock from his palms; it was powerful enough to push Kogohime away into a tree, cracking the base as leaves fell from the branches.

Kogohime landed on the ground in pain. Her echoes of cries reached Nyxon’s ears. It was enough to calm him down and realize what he had done to Kogohime. Nyxon was terrified of his power. He was terrified of himself even more. His arms started to feel weak. His mind started to flood with his angry thoughts. He couldn’t handle it; he needed to return to the cave. It was a long run, but he did it. The smell of smoke and ash in the air was almost intoxicating.

He silently wandered into the cave. Lapis was still fast asleep, thankfully. He started to untie the rabbit from his waist. He tied it by a string that proved tough enough in battle. He slowly started to cook it by the fire, twisting Lapis’s meal on a stick. Hopefully, she wouldn’t wake up. Nyxon noticed her hair was a mess again. It got like this when he didn’t brush it every day. He watched the flame spark underneath the rabbit as he leaned over to Lapis. Her breath was steady, and she looked warm underneath Nyxon’s scarf.

He moved behind Lapis quietly. He brushed her hair with his hand evenly as he straightened it again. Her hair was soft but covered in knots from how she was raised in the castle. It looks like Magnus never cared for her hair. Nyxon started to notice the food was almost done. He got up quietly as he removed the rabbit from the stick. He placed it on a stone, cutting it piece by piece with his sword. He wanted it to be small enough for Lapis to chew with, so he kept going until he thought it was good enough. Now for the hard part, waking up Lapis.

He shook her lightly, trying to wake her up without startling her. She opened her cold gray eyes, admiring Nyxon’s hair over her. She weakly raised her hands, brushing his wavy hair out of his face to see her brother. Nyxon smiled–he hadn’t done that in a while. “Here,” said Nyxon. He was trying to feed Lapis as she tried to sit herself up. “I brought dinner again,”

“Where’s yours?” whispered Lapis. She needed to keep her voice low for her to speak. She opened her mouth weakly as Nyxon started to spoon-feed her. Nyxon managed to get a glance at Lapis’s teeth. They were just as sharp as Neve’s– the same jagged edges. They looked like something like a shark would have.

Nyxon shook his head, “Don’t worry about it,” replied Nyxon. He was trying his best to avoid conversation.

Lapis continued eating as she watched the warm fire before her. She soon noticed the scratch marks on Nyxon’s face. She got curious and asked him–but Nyxon said he had tripped on the way there. Lapis didn’t believe it. She knew her brother was a bad liar. She kept eating until she was full and ready to fall asleep again. She laid back down as she adjusted the scarf around her neck; it was very warm. She asked Nyxon to make the fire warmer for her, and Nyxon did it happily. He started to breathe sparks of fire onto the logs, trying his best to make them as hot as Lapis wanted.

Suddenly– the fire went out. Nyxon was confused; he was just trying to make it burn over a second ago. Nyxon kept trying to make the fire spark again, but it kept going out. The cave was dark and cold. Only the sounds of Lapis shivering were the only thing Nyxon could hear now. Nyxon tried to make the flame strike again. And just when he did– a vine crashed into the cave. Nyxon drew for his blade– but he was slammed into the wall and quickly bound to the cold hard surface.

Nyxon shouted screams of pain and annoyance as he tried reaching for his blade. It was useless. The vines around his body slithered around him like a serpent around his hands. Nyxon’s luck only seemed to get even worse. His eyes widened, and his head burned when he watched Kogohime enter the cave. Her red scarlet eyes glared across the room as she watched Lapis sleeping and groan on the floor. Nyxon growled, “DON’T TOUCH HER!” but Kogohime continued to look over her despite hearing him shout. Nyxon started to gnaw at the vines as hard as he could. He tugged and tried breathing as much fire as possible, but the vines only seemed to quiet him down as they covered his mouth.

Kogohimelooked over at Lapis. Her pale skin and silver hair glowed from the moonlight. Kogohime reached down to her, sprouting what looked like a flower next to her head. Kogohime heard a snap– she looked over to find Nyxon was nowhere near the vines she had placed down. She twisted her neck to her side, only to be met with an angry Nyxon. Her neck touched the tip of Nyxon’s sword as she stared deep into his purple eyes. Kogohime knew her life would be over if she moved an inch. Nyxon kept his blade steady. He pointed at Kogohime’s neck as she stared deep into his eyes. Nyxon wasn’t going anywhere.

Soon after what felt like hours of staring, Lapis started to cough. But it didn’t sound like her usual coughs. It sounded… healthy. Nyxon soon noticed and took his sword away from Kogohime, to which Kogohime quickly patted her neck in a grateful matter. Nyxon was confused, “Why’d you– you saved her?” he said confusingly. He was stunned at the random gesture of Kogohime.

“Come outside. We need to talk,” said Kogohime, completely dodging what Nyxon said.

Nyxon quickly ran over to Lapis to check on her; she seemed fine. He went outside to check on Kogohime, still skeptical about why she was helping him. Nyxon exited the cave; he glanced at Lapis on the ground as she groaned at her surroundings. Kogohime stared into the night sky; her red dress was pretty with the moonlight shining. Kogohime stared at Nyxon, “Sorry about all of that-”

“Who are you?” snapped Nyxon. He had cut off Kogohime before she could apologize for everything.

Kogohime cleared her throat. “I’m an Arcana warrior from a planet far from here. Our Queen sent me out to find and help you for the future,”

Nyxon shook his head in confusion. “Future?”

“Yes. Your fate is already decided. You’re pretty popular with the Nobels out there.” chuckled Kogohime. “I only attacked you and your sister here to ensure you were strong enough… for the future.”

“Careful– Nyxon,” said a voice. Nyxon and Kogohime looked behind them to notice Lapis. She was limping outside of the cave.

“Be careful of what you believe.” Lapis looked still-faced as usual. Nyxon quickly ran over to support his sister as she continued to walk.

Kogohime shrugged,” You can believe what you want. But at least hear me out.” Nyxon nodded as Lapis turned her head sourly. “The Queen of planet Berutis sent me here to invite you.”

“To?” asked Nyxon.

“To our planet,” replied Kogohime. “She said you’d be safe there. You wouldn’t need to worry about anything there.”

Nyxon’s face changed. He wasn’t happy about the news. “I can’t,” replied Nyxon. “I can’t leave this place… there are still things I need to do,” Lapis looked over to her brother, admiring his choice.

“Is there something here for you?” asked Kogohime.

“My– future wife is here still. I can’t leave her,” replied Nyxon.

Kogohime’s eyes perked up. The news surprised her. “I see– here, take these,” said Kogohime. She started to pluck at her fingers, removing the rings she had attached to them. She dropped them off to Nyxon, who quickly stuffed them into his pockets. “She told me you would say that,” said Kogohime. “But, whenever you think you’re strong enough… take this-” she threw a compass to Nyxon. Nyxon observed it as it seemed to glow in a direction he pointed to. “Use that to find the bull worm. It’ll take you to my planet,” said Kogohime.

“How’s a worm gonna take us to a planet?” asked Lapis. She looked more confused as every second went by.

Kogohime laughed. “When you get there– tell them Kogohime sent you… ok?”

Nyxon nodded again in silence. Kogohime quickly took off her cloak. She handed it to Lapis as if it were a gift. Lapis accepted it. She was happy to be warm again.

Kogohime quickly turned her back to the group; she was ready to leave just when Nyxon tapped her shoulder. “So… does this make us anything? Friends? Allies?”

Kogohime cleared her throat, “I think acquaintances are more of order here,” she turned her head away from Nyxon. “I’m not eager to make– friends with humans,” responded Kogohime. Lapis’s face soon turned sour as the figure walked away.

Lapis quickly put it on the cloak– it was very comfortable. “What’s next now?”

“We… go back to Esmus,” replied Nyxon. He walked back into the cave as Lapis followed. “In the morning, we need to find Luna. I need to find her.”