Today,despite the cold, I felt a strange warmth from the clothes they had given me earlier. The sensation was foreign, unfamiliar. It wasn't the physical warmth of the fabric, but something more,something akin to comfort. I didn't understand it, but I let it pass.
As we moved through the village, I couldn't help but notice the whispers that followed us. Conversations hushed as we passed, eyes flickering between Freya and me. Some recognized her as the ruler's daughter and quickly averted their gaze. Others seemed more curious, their eyes lingering on me as though trying to piece together a puzzle they couldn't solve.
Freya led me to a secluded spot near the edge of the settlement, where the tunnel walls gave a clear view of the wasteland beyond. The frozen expanse stretched endlessly, a barren, lifeless terrain under the eternal moonlight. Freya released my hand and turned to face me, her expression unreadable.
"Do you know why I brought you out here?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with an edge of authority.
I met her gaze but said nothing. It wasn't my place to answer unless commanded.
She sighed, her breath visible in the cold. "You're different from the others, Null. I see it in your eyes, in the way you carry yourself. You don't belong in a cage."
Her words hung in the air, but they stirred nothing in me. Belonging was an abstract concept, one I had never concerned myself with. I existed where I was placed, nothing more.
Freya seemed to sense my detachment. Her expression softened, and she turned back to the transparent wall, her eyes distant. "Out there," she said, gesturing to the frozen wasteland, "lies death for most. But some find freedom in it. A chance to escape this prison we call life."
I followed her gaze, my eyes tracing the desolate horizon. Freedom. Another abstract notion, as distant and cold as the stars.
Before I could dwell further, Freya spoke again, her voice lower this time. "Tomorrow, you'll be sent out there as bait." She paused, glancing at me. "I don't want that for you."
Her concern was evident, but it fell on deaf ears. My fate was already decided. Whether I lived or died held no weight in my mind. I was a tool, nothing more.
Freya seemed to struggle with her next words. Finally, she said, "I'll find a way to change things. For now, just trust me."
Trust. Yet another concept I had no use for. Still, I nodded, more out of obligation than belief.
As we stood there in silence, the cold wind howling around us, Freya reached out and placed a hand on the glass. "Do you ever wonder what lies beyond the stars?" she asked softly.
I followed her gaze once more but remained silent. Wonder was a luxury I couldn't afford.
Freya sighed again, her breath fogging up the glass. "Let's head back. There's still much to prepare."
She took my hand once more, and together we walked back through the village, the whispers following us like shadows.
Inside, the warmth of the house enveloped us. Julius greeted us with a smile, his booming voice breaking the silence. "Ah, there you are! Did you enjoy your little outing?"
Freya nodded, her cheerful demeanor returning in an instant. "Yes, Grandfather. It was... enlightening."
Julius chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Good, good. Now, let's talk about tomorrow." His gaze shifted to me, his expression hardening. "Null, you'll be going on your first hunt."
Jason, who had been silently observing, stepped forward. "He'll do fine. He's tougher than he looks."
Freya's smile faltered, but she said nothing. I simply nodded, accepting my role as always.
---
One cold night passed, and morning arrived
or at least, what could be considered morning in this frozen world. The moon remained ever still, its frozen glow a constant companion in the eternal twilight. I couldn't tell the difference between day and night anymore. The others moved with unknown purpose, organizing themselves with an efficiency I didn't yet understand. Breakfast was simple.
Then Julius announced our departure in six hours. I couldn't help but question how he could measure time with such precision. The moon's unchanging light offered no clue to the passage of hours. Was it instinct? A learned ability? Before I could linger on the thought, something rough pressed against my back,a sudden, jolting pressure.
I turned my head slightly and found Julius there, his massive arm guiding me down the hall. His touch was heavy but not harmful, though I couldn't ignore the feeling of being pulled toward something unknown. The room he led me to was crude and dirty, patched together with scavenged materials. Still, it served its purpose. A training room.
Once the door closed behind us, Julius's expression shifted. The lively demeanor he often carried dimmed, replaced by something thoughtful, perhaps even hesitant. His massive frame seemed smaller in the dim light as he crossed his arms and spoke.
"Kid," he began, his voice rough but deliberate, "Have you heard of Paragons?"
The word was unfamiliar, alien. My expression betrayed nothing as I replied flatly, "No."
He laughed, a low sound that echoed faintly in the confined space. "Of course you wouldn't. You're still just sixteen."
My body stiffened. Sixteen. The age I thought I might be but was never sure of. How did he know? His eyes seemed to pierce me, pulling apart details I hadn't shared. I took a step back before I could stop myself, the instinct to retreat overwhelming.
Julius tilted his head, a smirk forming on his weathered face. "Don't be afraid, boy," he chuckled. "I'm not here to harm you."
The reassurance did little to settle me, but I forced myself to focus. Fear would get me nowhere. Information, however, might. "What are Paragons?" I asked, my voice steady despite my unease.
He paused, as if weighing his words carefully. Then he gestured for me to sit, and I obeyed, though I stayed tense. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and began to speak.
"Paragons," he said, his tone carrying weight, "are beings chosen for something greater. I was one of them, chosen as a candidate when I was seventeen. The process starts with a trial, a test in another dimension created by something... unknown. We call it Tenno."
His words seemed heavy, each one sinking into my mind like stones into water. "The trial is simple on paper but deadly in practice. You're thrown into a desert, given a choice between a knife or a sword, and water or meat. Survive for a week, kill as many creatures as you can, and prove your worth. Those who succeed are called Paragons."
"And you survived?" I asked, though the answer was clear.
"I did," he replied with a faint grin. "Even placed my name in the Hall of Fame, a leaderboard of sorts, visible to the world. It's a mark of accomplishment, though it means little outside those tunnels."
"What's the point?" I pressed. "Why put people through that?"
His expression darkened slightly, and his voice lowered. "The world is different now. The cold, the creatures... we aren't meant to survive this. Paragons are gifted abilities
,supernatural powers that let us fight back. The trial is a test to see if we're worthy of those gifts."
I remained silent, processing his words. A part of me found it fascinating, while another part questioned the truth of it all. Yet there was a conviction in his voice that made it difficult to doubt.
"Why are you telling me this?" I finally asked.
He met my gaze, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Because I thought you might be one of us. Your eyes, boy, those reverse eyes of yours. They're not normal. I thought you had Awakened already, but..." He paused, shaking his head. "It seems I was wrong."
I nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond. His words left a strange weight on my mind, one I couldn't easily shake. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, I had more questions than answers.
---
So, Paragons? The word lingered in my mind, carving an uneasy path through my thoughts. Did this mean I was destined to be a candidate? Though I didn't know what fear truly felt like, there was a faint pull of discomfort at the edges of my awareness
an unease I couldn't explain. The notion of being dragged into something I didn't understand, of becoming something I hadn't chosen, left an unfamiliar weight in my chest.
Before I could explore these thoughts, Julius shattered them with his voice. "If you aren't a Paragon, but those eyes of yours are clearly unnatural... then what are you? And tell me, how much can you see with them?"
I looked at him, unflinching. The answer was simple, but strange. "I don't know."
Julius studied me in silence before removing one of his leather gloves. He held it up, his weathered hand steady in the dim light. "What color is this?"
I glanced at the glove, the pale light from the frozen moon barely illuminating the room. I answered without hesitation, "White."
He froze, his features tightening ever so slightly before he hummed, a sound that carried curiosity and surprise. "White, you say? Interesting." He turned the glove in his hand, almost as if doubting his own reality. "This glove is black. It seems you see the world only in black and white. Maybe it's some strange illness I've never encountered. Or..." His voice trailed off, the faintest smirk forming on his lips. "Maybe, once you awaken as a Paragon, you'll be healed."
The thought struck something within me,
dull and fleeting. Healed? The word felt alien. What would that even mean for me? I couldn't imagine a world that wasn't starkly divided into light and shadow. The concept of color existed as an abstraction, not a reality.
Healed? I wonder....