01-17-2023, 04:25 PM
It had been a whirlwind of practices. It felt wrong. Raffe wasn’t there, but Nox put it out of his mind. He was taking care of himself; he kept saying. And that’s what he was doing. Even if it was over, Nox still cared about Raffe. He could be just friends if he had to. Life moved on. He had to move forward, even if it wasn’t moving on. He had to keep getting up. Had to find that purpose that would drive him to live. Right now, it was a struggle.
He hadn’t stayed at Kallisti even after the girls urged him to. He couldn’t look at the empty door and not cry. He had to be away from his home. And sleeping in a hole in the wall where the sun didn’t shine fit his mood one thousand percent. Jay’s words still echoed in his head. He heard his voice still saying the words. ”If you ruined your life, it’s because you don’t fucking deserve it.”
He closed his eyes, and the nightmares played. Those words starting him awake when they spoke the first time. Closing his eyes had been near impossible. Nox did the only thing he thought possible, went for a run. He didn’t bother going topside. He grabbed his land warriors, wove an illusion over the hole in the wall he’d been sleeping to keep his possessions safe, and tied them all down with bonds of air before he took off at a run through the tunnels.
The tunnels weren’t always the same size, height or width, or even clear of debris. It was a new challenge. Nox took heart in the new adventure. He used the power inside to brighten the world and the surrounding sounds. He made easy work of his footfalls, ducked in time before smashing his head — most of the time. But with a quick weave of air, he was righting himself before twisting an ankle.
He wasn’t winded by the time he wound back to his starting point, but he was tired. It was a good workout for both his body and his ability. He didn’t stop with running; he was in a foul mood. And fighting an invisible opponent in the underground worked for him.
By the time Nox’s alarm sounded for him to get up, he was exhausted and sweating. Using the mind to create magic was tiring. Doing so in multiple flows while being physically active even more so — but that’s why Nox felt it important to do it. How could he fight a monster if his body gave out in the middle — What if he really had to fight someone like Jay or the Ascendancy? Jay was a soldier. The Ascendancy was the most powerful person in the world, and no one knew exactly how powerful he truly was. How powerful any of them were.
The Atharim had defeated the gods once. But it had taken traitors to do it — traitors to the gods. Maybe it was in his blood — destined to betray everything he knew and loved.
Whatever benefit he’d gained from his workout had shattered into a thousand bits when the thought shifted back into his own darkness. His failures…
”Fuck destiny!”
Nox pushed through the darkness, pulled the fake mask of his life on. A smile didn’t touch his eyes, but it was there. Fake it till you make it. With his belongings in tow, Lily held close to his chest as he ascended into the world to grab breakfast before the big day — before he took stage for the second time and hopefully not the last.
He hadn’t stayed at Kallisti even after the girls urged him to. He couldn’t look at the empty door and not cry. He had to be away from his home. And sleeping in a hole in the wall where the sun didn’t shine fit his mood one thousand percent. Jay’s words still echoed in his head. He heard his voice still saying the words. ”If you ruined your life, it’s because you don’t fucking deserve it.”
He closed his eyes, and the nightmares played. Those words starting him awake when they spoke the first time. Closing his eyes had been near impossible. Nox did the only thing he thought possible, went for a run. He didn’t bother going topside. He grabbed his land warriors, wove an illusion over the hole in the wall he’d been sleeping to keep his possessions safe, and tied them all down with bonds of air before he took off at a run through the tunnels.
The tunnels weren’t always the same size, height or width, or even clear of debris. It was a new challenge. Nox took heart in the new adventure. He used the power inside to brighten the world and the surrounding sounds. He made easy work of his footfalls, ducked in time before smashing his head — most of the time. But with a quick weave of air, he was righting himself before twisting an ankle.
He wasn’t winded by the time he wound back to his starting point, but he was tired. It was a good workout for both his body and his ability. He didn’t stop with running; he was in a foul mood. And fighting an invisible opponent in the underground worked for him.
By the time Nox’s alarm sounded for him to get up, he was exhausted and sweating. Using the mind to create magic was tiring. Doing so in multiple flows while being physically active even more so — but that’s why Nox felt it important to do it. How could he fight a monster if his body gave out in the middle — What if he really had to fight someone like Jay or the Ascendancy? Jay was a soldier. The Ascendancy was the most powerful person in the world, and no one knew exactly how powerful he truly was. How powerful any of them were.
The Atharim had defeated the gods once. But it had taken traitors to do it — traitors to the gods. Maybe it was in his blood — destined to betray everything he knew and loved.
Whatever benefit he’d gained from his workout had shattered into a thousand bits when the thought shifted back into his own darkness. His failures…
”Fuck destiny!”
Nox pushed through the darkness, pulled the fake mask of his life on. A smile didn’t touch his eyes, but it was there. Fake it till you make it. With his belongings in tow, Lily held close to his chest as he ascended into the world to grab breakfast before the big day — before he took stage for the second time and hopefully not the last.
![[Image: nox_sig.gif]](http://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/nox_sig.gif)