Nox froze as he heard the female voice.
He swung his gaze towards Lei, who yelped in surprise at being exposed. "Did you say something?"
Lei shook her head, equally bewildered.
Claude said nothing, observing Nox minutely. Eyes scanned their surroundings quickly. Seeing no immediate threats, Claude let out a light breath.
"Hello?" Nox called out in the silent space.
Had it just been his imagination?
[Is that you Nox? If you're dead, I swear I'll burn this world into a new hell. Wait, but then this wouldn't have connected...]
That familiar rambling, and that familiar voice- "Rox?" Nox blurted out in disbelief, hearing his sister's voice ring out in the house.
The trio hiding in the corner fully emerged as Roxanne's voice sounded again, half relieved, half angry.
[Where the hell are you right now?]
"I'm in B City right now," Nox answered, still taking in the sudden turn of events. Where was her voice coming from?
A light tap on his shoulder had Nox glancing at Claude, who pointed to something above his head. Black eyes widened in surprise as they spotted a faint outline of a conch floating in the air, shimmering in a light blue light.
[Was I that much of a burden that you decided to run all the way there?] Roxanne's voice cracked slightly as she tried to play off the joke, anger still evident in her tone.
Nox didn't miss the hurt underlining her words.
"Don't ever think that." Unknowingly, Nox's tone became steely as he responded. "The trial I got pulled into lasted a week."
[Trials don't last a whole week.]
"Mine did. We encountered some problems." Nox focused on Roxanne's voice. It didn't seem like she was in any immediate danger. She actually sounded... the same.
In between all the sudden changes, Roxanne was the only presence that hadn't changed. A small part of Nox selfishly wanted it to stay that way. Even though nothing would go back to how it was at this point.
[... Are you telling the truth?]
He could picture her brow furrowing, trying to judge if he was being honest or not. "I am. When have I ever lied to you?"
[That time you took my strawberry parfait and ate the whole thing then told me Claude did it.]
His eye twitched slightly at the memory. "Why are you mentioning this now?" Back when Claude had still been around- this scene had been years ago. He was surprised Roxanne even remembered Claude.
[I've just been feeling nostalgic for a few days and recalled it.]
The guilt hounding Nox swelled at her response. "I'll come back right away." There were enough abandoned cars scattered everywhere. Running a few miles with his current stamina wouldn't pose a problem either.
But his thoughts came skidding to a halt at Roxanne's response.
[No.]
"Huh?"
[No, Nox. I... I don't want you to come back.]
Her voice remained even and composed even as she paused between her words.
"What do you mean?"
[You don't need to worry about me, I'm doing fine by myself. Fay and Chang Feng have been looking after me and I'm getting better at controlling my ability.]
"But still-"
[It's not lame like yours. I get to shoot out golden flames whenever I want.]
"Roxan-"
[Nox.]
[You understand, don't you? I don't need you here to survive. I'm already strong enough to fend for myself.]
Nox frowned, "I'm not saying you're weak, but don't you want me to-"
[I don't want you to do anything]
[I'm going to walk forward with my own strength. Let's meet again when our roads naturally merge, okay?]
"... I understand." Thousands of protests threatened rose in his throat, making him choke on his response. But he swallowed all of them back down. There was almost nothing he could deny Roxanne from, once she'd made up her mind.
'Do you doubt your sister that much?'
'If she needs your protection, then maybe she isn't suited to live in this world.'
Claude's words rang in his mind.
Nox lowered his head.
He understood too, that she shone brightest when she drew out her own potential. Roxanne was capable of being seen, making her voice heard.
And the vision he had, of his hand pierced through her abdomen... perhaps it would be better if he stayed further away from her.
"Is that woman still in the city?
A beat of silence, and then Roxanne spoke up again, a hint of embarrassment in her voice. [I forgot you can't see me. No one's seen her since that day.]
Her response didn't help dissuade his worries like he hoped it would. "... If you say so. Stay on guard. Thank Fay and Cheng Fang for me, okay?"
Roxanne responded in exasperation, [They aren't babysitting me! I'll pass on your message though. Ah, I also met one of your friends here.]
Friends? Nox could count on one hand the number of friends he had.
[Ki. Kazuki? That calm guy with gray eyes. You only have like, two friends so I recognized him right away.]
"..."
"Ki's okay?" Li Zemin interrupted, "What is he doing all the way in Z City?"
[Is that your perm head friend?]
"Hey!"
[Apparently he was on his way to visit when the Eclipse suddenly hit. We're on the same clearing team.]
Roxanne's voice became slightly distorted at her next sentence. [Nox, this item has a time limit and three uses.]
So she wouldn't be able to reach him for a while.
"Stay safe, Roxanne."
[...You too.]
Her voice vanished.
_______________________
As soon as her brother's voice disappeared from the coral conch she held in her hand, Roxanne sank onto the floor.
The tension from worry and anger slowly unwinded as she replayed their conversation in her head, only leaving behind a feeling of exhaustion and something too heavy to explain in words.
In the end, hearing his voice again strengthened her conviction.
The dark bags under her eyes were visible from a distance, but a fond smile was on her face.
"I lied… I really want you to be here with me."
It was hard to swallow the lump stuck in her throat.
In the small room she claimed as her own, Roxanne drew in her knees and buried her face. "I'll come find you when I'm stronger."
She would go to him this time.
_______________________
Spiritless, Nox wandered into the living room and dropped his numb body onto the couch, staring dully at the ceiling.
Lei and Li Zemin mentioned something about searching for food, slipping out of the house easily.
Nox couldn't even find the energy to feel annoyed that Claude gave them permission to leave so easily.
It had only been a week, and Roxanne already made her resolve. He should've expected it, but still- the feeling of being abandoned always left a hollow feeling in his chest.
What was he supposed to do now?
The couch dipped under the addition of another person. Nox glanced at the wolf-eyed bastard who sat down next to him uninvited.
Soft footsteps sounded as Liam also came to sit down on the couch, offering Nox some company.
"Mister has a sister?" the young boy asked softly.
Nox hummed, leaning his head against the back of the couch. "She's an adult now."
Liam fiddled with his fingers, "I'm an only child," he told him. "Mister is a good brother."
"Where are your parents?" Nox asked.
Liam had appeared with Bak Soomin, but he highly doubted that the sharp-eyed woman was his mother. He looked too much like a foreigner, with none of Bak Soomin's striking features.
"Mom died in a trial."
Nox observed the young boy's unchanged expression as he told him, as if he was reporting the weather. "Were you there?"
Liam shook his head. "She always leaves a lot. She came back when the moon turned red. They were matching."
"Matching?" Claude spoke up from the side, seamlessly inserting himself into the conversation.
Liam nodded, "They were both red."
"...."
Claude's voice broke the silence first. "How did you find Roscoe?" Lazy blue eyes swept across the room, searching for the sneaky fat raccoon.
"I hid Roscoe under my bed and fed him. Mom never found out." Liam pushed up the sleeve of his baggy sweater and showed them a healed scar on his arm about the size of an adult finger. "He got scared when the moon turned red."
Nox frowned, "You were at home? Then how come Bak Soomin was with you?"
Liam smiled shyly, "Dr. Bak came to get me. She said it wasn't safe so we left."
If Nox remembered correctly, Bak Soomin was Liam's doctor. But for a doctor to retrieve one of their patients when the entire world was suddenly thrown into chaos... there was a part of the story they were still missing.
Claude asked, "Where is your dad?"
Liam hesitated, grasping his sweater with small hands. "... He's not there. Mom said- that he would still be there if I hadn't been born." His small face scrunched up in confusion. "But I couldn't stop it. So Mom got mad at me a lot."
An uneasy feeling rose in Nox. "Liam, how old are you?"
The young boy held up nine fingers.
The two adults exchanged a look.
Liam's overall appearance and mannerisms made him seem much younger than he actually was. The soft sweater he had almost swallowed his entire frame, leaving his bony wrists to stick out. His face didn't show any signs of malnutrition, but it didn't seem like he was particularly well fed either.
Nox had a feeling that if he picked up the young boy, he would hardly feel the strain.
Bang!
Someone pounded on the front door, giving Nox a moment of deja-vu.
"Yo, I know you're in there!"
When no one answered them, the harsh knocks continued. It was like the person behind the door was trying to break it down.
"Come out, you reclusive brat! You have some explaining to do!"