My head hurts!
That's the first thing that came to mind as I opened my eyes.
I was laying on the floor for some reason-
My eyes widened upon noticing that I was laying next to a broken ceiling fan.
"Dammit!" I cursed as I got up.
I'd always known that stupid thing was going to fall eventually and that good for nothing landlord never fixed it.
Ah well.
Might as well throw it away.
I slowly crawled onto my feet and looked around to find that it had gotten rather late. Barely any light made it into my room, but it wasn't too dark so I could at least see where I was going.
I dragged the fan to the doorway and opened the door to find that, although dark, the sky was cloudless and not the whistle of wind could be heard.
I hated days like these.
Days where nothing happened.
Well, nothing other than nearly dying at the hands of a fan.
I sighed deeply before taking the fan downstairs to the place where most trash was disposed of and to my surprise, the entire apartment building was quite.
It wasn't an extremely large building, but still…
I shrugged my concerns aside before making my way back to my place where I turned on the TV before grabbing a bag of chips.
[I'm telling you, this truly is a testament of how well this place was built. So many tremors and yet not a single building fell. Amazing!]
[Yes and according to reports from the police and fire departments, no one died during the earthquake. No one of note at least.]
Such things were said by the talking heads, but no matter how long I stared at the TV, I couldn't focus.
All I could think about was-
I rapidly flipped through several channels, surfed through various websites, but no matter how hard I tried, my mind was all fuzzy.
At some point, the white noise in my head got so loud that I couldn't even hear my thoughts and so, after taking some headache medication, I plopped onto my bed and blankly starred at my apartments four walls.
It was an open plan space and so the bedroom seamlessly transitioned into the living space which transitioned into the kitchen.
It was a small, but comfortable place.
My home.
My… home.
The place where I spent almost all of the year's days.
For several years.
Alone.
Just like in this moment.
My eyelids slowly fell, but for the first time in what felt like forever… I felt lonely.
.
..
My alarm loudly forced my eyes open and after fulfilling all my morning duties, I made my way to the restaurant where I worked.
I boarded the morning train, which was pleasantly empty, and eventually reached my workplace.
It was just like any franchise.
Big bright colours, flashing signs and neon lights.
I entered the place via the employee entrance in the back to find that I was rather early.
I looked out of one of the many windows and saw that it was still pretty dark and even though it was this early, I felt rather energetic- or weightless.
I put on the ridiculous cap they made us wear along with an apron before manning the counter.
Nothing happened as I stood in that spot.
No cars passed and no customers entered.
I then heard a certain beep, meaning that someone was needed in the managers office and since I was the only one present, I made my way to the office where I found a dark figure clad in a dark suit from which wisps of black smoke arose.
The figure's skin was completely black and ashy, as thought it were made of stone and a twisted hole of flesh sat where his face was supposed to be.
I sat on the chair in front of his desk and waited for him to speak, but no matter how long I waited in the silence of the room, he didn't speak. Not that he had a mouth to speak with.
I opened my mouth in an attempt to ask if he needed anything, but just as I did, my mind was bombarded with the noise from before.
I clutched my head tightly as the noise intensified by several folds.
"Riley!"
I blinked to find that one of my faceless co-workers was glaring at me while holding a tray of food.
"What's wrong with you? Get going!" She barked.
The noise and pain was gone, leaving me shaken, almost fearful of its return.
I mindlessly nodded before taking the tray over to some faceless customers.
I did this for several customers of the course of my shift and after it ended, I removed my silly cap and apron before taking the train home.
However, as the train arrived at my destined station I thought about someone I hadn't thought about in a long time.
I dashed out of the train and with a trembling heart I made my way to my apartment where I grabbed a certain set of keys.
I then returned to the station and boarded an inter-district train.
I impatiently tapped my foot as the train sped out of the city and into the countryside.
It eventually stopped at a certain station and after waiting for an unbearable amount of time, I boarded a bus which took me to a town called Hithe.
At this point, my heart was beating so quickly so powerfully that it felt as though the world was shaking.
The bus eventually reached the small town and after leaving the bus station, I hopped into a taxi which took me to Hithe's eastern side.
At this point, it had gotten extremely dark, but even then, I could still see the town's retro aesthetic.
We eventually reached my destination and after paying the driver, I exited the taxi and found myself in front of one of the many old homes that lined the street.
I nervously approached the front door and quickly realized that none of the lights were on.
I gently knocked on the door just as the white noise from before returned.
It was faint at first, so I ignored it and knocked again.
No one answered and so, after taking a deep breath-
"Mom?" I called. My throat was tight and my legs trembled.
It been so long that I didn't even know what I was going to say if she opened the door.
"Mom?" I called again, but no one answered.
I then grew impatient and decided to unlock and open the door.
I entered the house and stepped into the main hallway for the first time in years, but any nostalgic feelings I had were drowned out by the ever intensifying noise and pain in my head.
I walked towards the entrance of the living and room while biting my teeth due to the pain and anxiety.
"Mom?" I called as I stepped into the room and just as my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, I saw something which made my face twist in horror.
Sitting on the couch was a burnt corpse. Only… it was far larger than I remember my mom being.
The corpse belonged to a woman who was no shorter than three or so meters. The hair on her head that hadn't burnt was so long it gathered in a pile behind the couch.
The noise intensified once more and the world grew several times darker.
[Mother!]
I heard someone scream.
Not the kind of scream one makes consciously.
No, it was more like a guttural choke.
Black smoke filled the room and I fell to my knees as I could no longer stand the pain.
[AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!]
The voice screamed.
Such a pained, yet almost childlike scream.
I wondered what could cause someone to make such an ugly noise.
My thoughts eventually grew far too muddled and all was eventually consumed by darkness.
.
..
Light.
A blinding pillar of light, beneath which I roosted.
I opened my eyes to find myself sleeping on Yna's lap.
She rested her head against the wall as the slept. An odd habit she had.
The bright, morning sunlight bathed her cabin, allowing me to see, with great clarity, the gold lines that marked her otherwise smooth skin.
I looked at the scars that covered her body and the beautiful white strands of hair that messily covered her face.
I sighed before crawling out of her embrace.
I then exited the cabin via a small door Yna had cut into the main door.
Upon exiting the cabin, I was met with many dark buildings.
They looked like normal medieval homes, except they were made almost entirely out of crystallized darkness.
They stood along a perfectly straight grassy street that led to various parts of Coh.
I looked around at all the houses and part of me felt joy that one day they would provide a home for someone.
That joy was quickly snuffed out by an incredible sense of anguish that I knew didn't belong to me.
Streams of black smoke rose from my body as my chest ached painfully.
I quickly ran east and after passing a short fence, I found myself in what was the heart of my sanctuary, the heart of Coh, the waterfall.
I walked up to the riverbank and plopped down onto the cool fresh grass.
I then took several deep breaths before calling out to a certain someone.
"Kenos? Are you alright?" I asked, but received no reply.
The pain slowly faded and I was left with a feeling of emptiness.
I felt as though I had lost something precious to me and beneath that sense of loss was a rage.
A rage that was the main cause of the plumes of black smoke that rose from my body.
I was beginning to understand how the controlling of Aspects worked.
They were deeply rooted in conscious and subconscious thought.
If I wanted to make a brick out of darkness, I simply willed it so. However, if I felt a strong emotion, one that I had no hopes in controlling, it seemed as though those thoughts, those feelings would conjure out darkness at a rate and in a form I could not control.
I took several more deep breaths as the pain finally subsided.
I'd have to talk to Kenos about this.
Those feelings.
That dream.
The smoke eventually cleared and I heard a yawn from behind me.
I didn't bother turning and instead began munching on some grass.
"Good morning." Yna said as she stood next to me.
I simply nodded as she removed her leather jacket.
"Need to let out some more steam?" I asked.
"Yup." She said while removing her shirt.
"What's getting you so worked up? You do it so frequently nowadays. Are you… are you stressed?" I asked as Yna slipped out of her leather pants. Revealing more of her tall, muscular frame.
She undid her ponytail, allowing her long white hair to carelessly hang and her eyes were as bright and as golden as ever.
"No, not really. We knights have passive mechanisms that continuously absorb our respective aspect. This speeds up when we're excited, stressed or battle ready." Yna said as she stepped into the stream.
"Is there a limit?" I asked with a full mouth.
"Yes. Although it'd take an inconceivable amount of time, you'd simply stop at the point just before you'd become a host of your respective aspect." Yna explained as flares of light appeared around her body.
I promptly stood up and watched as she rose from the water's surface.
She then floated mid-air as the light around her intensified.
I cautiously backed away as her entire body was consumed by a ball of white light.
Loud snaps, cracks and gusts filled the air before everything lowly died down.
The ball of light touched the water sending out a plume of steam and as usual, some of that steam reached me, but it had cooled somewhat, so I wasn't cooked alive.
The ball of light disappeared and Yna emerged from the stream.
I then watched as the water on her body dried while she grabbed her clothes, which she wore as she approached me.
After fully dressing up, she grabbed me and keenly eyed my legs.
I looked at them as well and saw that the fur from the bottom half of my legs was pitch black.
A symptom of my usage of the more subconscious aspect of magic.
"Where to?" Yna asked.
"The northern wall." I said.
Yna then exited the enclosed area before making her way north, down neatly spaced buildings and we'll kept grass roads.
We eventually reached a tall dark wall, which Yna ascended via a staircase.
We arrived at the top and I looked out into a vast plane of grass and trees.
Coh marked the point where the Dark Expanse ended and where Lanceberg began, so I was looking into the kingdom of mankind.
I wondered when exactly mankind first arrived in Edenton and I wondered when I'd encounter other humans.
I sighed before tapping Yna's forearm.
She then hopped down the wall and made her way to Coh's residential area where a few young Rendaro could be seen sparring with each other.
Those that weren't fighting waved at us in greeting as we passed and we waved them back.
We eventually arrived at a certain dark building and Yna gently knocked on its door.
A moment passed before the door opened, revealing a rather old Rendaro. Farin.
He wore a neat set of woollen clothes and had his hair tied in a neat bow. Although I could see dark spots on his skin.
"Ah, good morning Katsíki, lady Yna. Is there something you need?" Farin said with a gentle smile and a deep bow.
"Mornin'. I've decided to swallow Coh whole and keep it safe in mine belly." I said flatly.
Farin looked at Yna, who simply shrugged.
"You must be feeling restless. Please, come inside." He said as he gestured that Yna and I enter.
"No! I'm serious! Today makes the beginning of my villain arc!" I yelled more nonsense while Farin led us into the living room where we sat.
I designed most of Coh's homes to be the same. Most of them had at least two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and an extra room that could be specially requested.
Farin asked for a small library and so I made him one.
Unfortunately, this meant he rarely ever came out to keep me company while I worked.
Yna placed me on the chair opposite Farin.
"Gonna go help make breakfast." She said before leaving.
I then deflated with a single sigh.
"What's on your mind?" Farin asked.
"I had a nightmare. Only, it felt less like mine and more like Kenos's. I saw a… a dead woman, who looked like a Rendaro, except she was way taller than even Yna." I said.
Farin nodded thoughtfully.
"The only Rendaro who match that description are the Ash Wraiths, but they're not that tall. They average at about Lady Yna's height."
"Oh? Maybe the woman was an Ash Wraith." I said.
"Perhaps."
Silence filled the room a I thought further about my nightmare.
It felt so… bizarre.
Every action I made felt like it was automated.
Like that's what I was expected to do.
Get up, go to work and frantically travel cross country to my hometown.
I shook aside all my concerns a I would have to dish them out onto Kenos later.
"Anyway, enough about me. What have you been up to?"
"I'm currently adding the finishing touches to my documentation of life in Eimval before you arrived. I hope you don't mind, but I may have to visit New Eimval-"
"We can go together!" I said, but Farin shook his head.
"You're needed here. The time for hanging out will come, but for now, I urge that you complete Coh." Farin said.
I narrowed my eyes and imagined how Farin would react if I sent him to that dark realm, but I shelved those thoughts before hopping off of the chair.
"Yeah. You're right. Anyway, come on. I'm sure breakfast is almost done." I said before leading Farin outside.
We then made our way to Shiru's house where the air was filled with sweet aromas.
"Mornin'."
"Oh! Good morning, lord Katsíki." Shiru greeted as Farin and I walked into her living room.
It was the largest of any house and it was the temporary solution to our dining problem. We usually ate together and I didn't want to change that.
There was a much large dining hall, but that wouldn't be used any time soon.
The young Rendaro all entered the room and they quietly sat on the many chairs that surrounded a long table.
This level of discipline came from the fact that they had been training with Yna.
I didn't wanna know what she did to them to make them so… well behaved so I didn't ask.
I looked up at one of the chairs, but just as I thought about hopping onto it, something jumped on my back.
"Katsíki!" Erna yelled as she tugged an my horns.
Part of me wanted to send her to the Dark realm-
"Oi. Leave lord Katsíki alone." One of Yna's students said as he tried pulling Erna off my back, but she tightly clung to my horns.
"No!" She cried before eventually giving in.
She sent out a flurry of punches at the Rendaro's face, but I didn't care as long as it wasn't me receiving all that abuse.
I hopped onto my chair, the front most one and got comfortable.
It wasn't like a typical chair.
It's seat was far higher and wider, allowing me to see everyone once they sat.
Yna and Shiru eventually served everyone their meals. Bowls of what looked like delicious porridge.
I, on the other hand, got a bowl of fresh vegetables.
I stared at Yna and Shiru as they ate.
I was the leader!
I'm the one who should be forcing others to eat their vegetables!
Yep. This really marked the beginning of my villain arc.