Verita laughed to herself, "Maybe you'll come to understand some day." Her eyes darkened dangerously, flashes of gold shining in the depths. "But for now-"
Pwoom!
Verita lept back, narrowly avoiding the wide swing of the sword. Her next step fell harder than the rest, the ends of her coat rising up from the disturbance.
Nox recognized the figure standing in front of him. 'This seems... oddly familiar.'
"Too busy causing trouble in the morning?"
The relief he felt quickly overpowered the brief flash of annoyance. "It's not like I go looking for it."
Claude frowned at the amount of wounds covering Nox.
"He'll be more than fine," Verita reassured the newcomer, a spark of interest in her gaze. "And who might you be?"
Claude didn't respond as he struck out, his sword slashing through the corner of Verita's black coat.
For the first time, a look of surprise passed her face as she was unable to fully dodge in time.
"You're..."
Her eyes glowed again but this time tiny sparks appeared in resistance. "Kuh…!"
Astonishment made her look more human.
Shaking off the flecks of light, Verita stood straight, staring at the dark sword gripped in Claude's hand. "How do you have the Greater Demonic Longsword?"
Claude paused, straightening himself. "How come a Serpent is here?" Hhe threw back calmly.
Verita sighed, a rare look of annoyance on her face. "Seriously, what is going wrong this time? It's like those fools are broadcasting their existence for the whole world."
Nox narrowed his eyes at her statement.
"No need to be so guarded," Verita teased.
Seeing the serious expressions of the two men in front of her, she couldn't help but play around a little bit longer.
Especially with the blue eyed one. She only glanced away and her main source of entertainment already found such a loyal guard dog.
"I can see it. We're not so different, you and I." Her smile momentarily disappeared, lips pursed in thought. "In this world of chaos, monsters hiding under human skin can be found by the same kind. There is no need for masks between us."
Nox frowned sharply. "You're wrong. Even if you have become a monster, I'm still a human. There is nothing I need to hide."
The tip of the Greater Demonic Longsword rested against the ground, a silent warning.
"We'll see how long your mindset will last. In the meantime-"
"Why don't I leave you with another parting gift?"
Before Nox could fully comprehend her words, a large pain spread from behind him. He watched as Claude whipped around with a thunderous expression, but the wound had already been inflicted.
"Hurrek-!"
Nox spat out a mouthful of blood, clamping in a scream of pain as he stared at the pale hand protruding from his abdomen, fingers wiggling playfully.
His mind went blank at the pain.
... She considered this as a 'gift?'
The large wound forced Nox to become conscious of the pain he suppressed before. His body hurt all over. The cuts littering Nox's body pulled uncomfortably, the open wounds stinging at the exposure.
Nox fell, painfully knocking his knees against the ground with a groan.
Claude flew towards the culprit, forcing Verita to withdraw her hand.
Between their quick exchange, a section of black cloth fluttered in the wind.
'This witch, was she just playing around before?' Nox thought glumly as the two dealt a series of invisible blows at each other. He held a hand against his bleeding abdomen in an attempt to slow the flow of blood.
A triumphant smile appeared on Verita's expression despite her torn coat. "I see now."
Nox watched helplessly as Claude skidded to a halt, unharmed.
She casually wiped her bloody hand on her coat, saying cheerfully, "You'll thank me later."
Humming off-tune, Verita took a step back. "I suppose I should honor my word. It would be quite hypocritical of me not to, as the Calamity of Truth."
"I'll watch over your progress with great interest."
She directed these words to Nox, but golden eyes flicked over to Claude as well.
With a wink, she disappeared into thin air.
Nox grimaced, his abdomen throbbing in protest.
Claude walked over and handed Nox a small glass bottle.
"Does it hurt?"
Nox rolled his eyes, "It hurts like a bitch. Help me unscrew this." He thrusted the bottle back towards Claude, who took it and easily dislodged the stubborn metal cap.
Nox let out a long sigh, looking down at his own bloodstained hands; he was still standing in the rather large pool of blood.
His own blood.
For some reason the notion didn't seem as frightening as it would have before.
The adaptability of humans was scary.
At least the bleeding from his wound had slowed down to the point that he wouldn't die from bloodlust. Considering his ability's name, it was highly unlikely that he could anyway.
[Conditions for hatching ??? have been met.]
The light blue screen appeared in front of him, making Nox frown in confusion. 'Hatching?'
He took the healing potion from Claude but didn't make a move to use it.
[??? has evolved into Phantom Familiar. Your familiar has a blood affinity. Initial Skill 「Devour」 Lv. 1 has been acquired.]
Abruptly, the pool of blood beneath him… shifted. The whole mass moved, the shapeless blob of blood rising up to circle around Nox happily.
He recognized what it was instantly. 'Was this the gift she was talking about?'
"You're not connected to me anymore, huh?"
The bob stopped in front of him, tilted waywardly before it righted itself.
Chuckling softly, Nox raised a hand to let it nuzzle against his hand like a clingy pet. The consciousness he felt when using his ability had been transferred as a 'familiar.' He could still feel its emotions, but it acted separately from his ability now.
Nox quickly poured the healing potion onto his largest wound. The smaller cuts on his skin vanished within seconds. He reached a hand behind him, feeling the gaping wound heal until a mass of scar tissue remained.
Claude's hand clamped down on Nox's arm as Nox wavered slightly, black spots dotting his vision.
Once Claude confirmed that Nox could stand on his own, he studied the shapeless familiar with a neutral expression, unsurprised by its appearance.
Nox opened his Status Window, seeing the unnamed familiar under his profile.
[Phantom Familiar (Unnamed)
Affinity: Blood
Skill(s): 「Devour」 Lv. 1]
Nox turned his attention to his newly acquired familiar, feeling pleased by the addition even if it meant he had to donate half of his blood supply. It would be useful in the future.
He watched as it transformed into a falcon, flapping its red wings happily.
A shiver ran down his spine at its chosen form, eyeing the wings and talons warily. After his experience in his two earlier trials, he couldn't look at birds the same way again. He lectured it seriously: "I'm going to ask for a refund if you stay as a bird."
The falcon cawed sadly, dropping its head in dejection.
"Can't you change form?"
"Cawwr?"
Nox thought about it for a few minutes. "How about a four legged animal?"
"Crwee!" The bird looked at Nox judgmentally.
Claude spoke up from the side. "How about a fennec fox?"
Nox huffed. "Does it have to be that specific?" He turned to his familiar. "Do you know what a fennec fox looks like?"
Sensing the confusion coming through their bond, Nox tried to push a mental image of the animal through.
If he remembered correctly, it should be a small fox with large ears and wide eyes.
The falcon shuddered and its form scattered apart, a formless mass of blood reshaping itself until it resembled the large-eared animal.
"...Cute," Nox admitted, the corners of his mouth curving up. "Much better."
"Chii!"
The blood red fox hopped onto Nox's shoulder with ease, its small form tucking itself in the crook of his neck. The smooth movements made Nox feel like the little blood fox had always been there.
It was a comforting weight.
_________________________________
They went back to the house to find Bak Soomin waiting at the entrance. At her look of exasperation, Nox had the sudden urge to duck his head like a student being scolded by their teacher.
They went inside and she checked over his injuries, silently staring at the smooth skin where he had been injured in the fight before.
"...Thankfully these healing props came after the Eclipse or I wouldn't have a job," she sighed.
Lei poked his shoulder curiously. "Uncle, you have really nice skin. It's all white and smooth."
Nox batted her hand away, pulling his shirt back down. To avoid the injury on his abdomen from tearing open, it was bandaged securely.
Claude spoke up from the kitchen table where he was sharpening his sword. "You overestimate the power of props. These things are all limited- when there's nothing else to rely on, the most useful person to have is a doctor."
"Thank you for the compliment," Bak Soomin responded dryly.
Nox rolled his shoulder, feeling some of the stiffness disappear. He glanced around for the small red shape that was supposed to be nearby, only to find it missing. "Where did it go?"
Knowing what he was referring to, Bak Soomin tilted her head in the direction of the small backyard space.
"Chii!"
"Kiirt!"
Nox watched in amusement as his familiar and Roscoe circled around each other uncertainly, the fat raccoon sniffing cautiously at something that didn't seem quite right.
Liam stood between them, watching carefully in case something went wrong. Li Zemin stood behind the blond haired boy, watching over all three of them.
Roscoe curled his round body, tail swinging near the ground warily.
Nox's familiar reached out to prod Roscoe by stretching out its small paw. The action reminded Nox of when his familiar's consciousness would use his blood to explore its surroundings, before they had separated.
Abruptly, he realized he had forgotten an important detail.
"I should give it a name."
As soon as he mentioned it, a naming screen appeared in front of him. "... It can work like this too?"
Lei skipped to his side, a list of suggestions already prepared. "Luna? Fen? How about Bat for its giant ears?"
To the side, Li Zemin attempted to pick up Nox's familiar. As soon as the perm head stretched out his hands, the little fox squished itself against the wall to avoid his hands. "You still don't like me?"
It chittered angrily.
"Okay, geez."
Liam offered up some names of his own. "You could name them Bartholomew."
"..." Nox patted Liam's head indulgently.
After another round of debate between Lei, Li Zemin, and Liam, Nox raised a hand to stop them, typing in his choice and pressing the [Yes] button before anyone could refute.
"I'm naming it Kuna."
"What??!" Double exclamations came from Li Zemin and Lei.
"What if it's a guy?"
"Uncle, that's too random!"
Liam nodded seriously, "Mister chose a good name."
Nox leveled the other two with a look, raising an eyebrow. "Even Liam agrees with me. Who says Kuna can't be a guy's name?" He picked up the little fox to inspect it, but as expected it didn't have any telling features. "... Are you a he?"
"Chii!" The little fox bobbed his head up and down, large ears twitching happily.
He would take Kuna's word for it.
Liam looked at the blood fox excitedly. "Kuna and Roscoe can be friends!" He turned towards his chubby companion. "Roscoe, get along with Kuna, okay? You can't steal his things."
Roscoe let out a complaining 'uerkk' but reluctantly extended a paw. Kuna prodded Roscoe's paw, giving the fat raccoon a 'chee!' as he happily wounded his tail around his new friend.
That night.
The moon had disappeared behind the clouds. Outside the study window, the night sky was visible.
The map was spread out between Claude and Nox, the trial locations emitting a soft glow in the darkness. Nox turned on his phone to use it as a second light source. With Lei around, he didn't need to worry about running out of battery.
Claude crossed his legs, "It's important to gain initiative right away. Right now, this world operates by the most basic hierarchy."
"The strongest will dominate over everyone else."
"Yes. To become, you can't be a coward. You have to actively seek out trials. But trials shouldn't be our main concern."
Nox faltered, "... What do you mean?"
"Trials are only there to prepare us for the next level of hell."
Claude's statement sank between the two of them into somber silence.
Nox stared at the map in front of them.
Right now, half of the lights he saw before had gone out. Claude reassured him that it was only a matter of time before more appeared. The trial located in B City continued to glow steadily.
"...So this is just the beginning." It felt absurd to think that there was any more than this.
"Yes." Claude tilted his head back. Nox was unable to read his expression. "It's just the beginning of an endless abyss."
"What happens in the future?"
His hand twitched, "From what I've seen," Claude turned to face Nox with an indecipherable expression.
No- it was carefully blank.
'There is no need for masks between us.'
Verita's words echoed faintly.
But Nox couldn't bring himself to say them again.
"-far worse than you can assume."
"Ah-" Nox nodded, only catching onto the last part of Claude's sentence. He didn't ask again, feeling his silent resistance against the question.
Unexpectedly, Claude added on, "I think it is in our best interests to collaborate with Arcadia right now."
Nox corrected, "You mean with So Jiwoo."
When Claude referred to the organization, he spoke its name with indifference that could only mean he meant a single individual. It was clear that Bai Yu and Ye Qiu wouldn't receive the same reaction.
Claude smirked, "Arcadia is controlled by two bosses. Our collaboration is simply with the one who extended the invitation."
"If we work with Arcadia, we can avoid a conflict of interest," Nox nodded, "Under agreeable terms, we can use them to gather real time information." He quickly thought of a number of benefits they could receive.
Claude tapped the map between them. "In fact, I lied before." He spoke bluntly. "This map shows hidden trials. They can only be activated in a specific way. I can use my ability as a prophet to fool Arcadia in exchange for items and favors."
"Just one question."
Claude lifted his head.
"Why aren't you telling Li Zemin and Bak Soomin this?"