Whispers of a Dead Empire

We all wandered through the hall of the stronghold. Kharon was a few paces ahead of us, with Nyx standing walking next to him, asking questions about magic and, strangely enough, about potions. I don't think I've ever seen her as animated before, and it made me happy to see her like that.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel pressured into doing this." I broke the silence between Alessia and I as we walked just behind the other two.

She shrugged as she effortlessly glided down the hallway. "I just wasn't expecting it at all."

"Yeah, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing between him and I. I should have asked you before I decided to do something like that. Or even just sicking Nyx on you like that, for that matter." It was wrong of me to assume it was alright to just to make choices for someone else here.

"You are lucky that you are both cute." She turned her head slightly toward me and gave me a quick wink. I relaxed when I heard those words, and I knew that she wasn't mad. But I would have to be careful in the future. I needed to respect her and her feelings and not just assume that she wanted to do what I wanted her to do.

I chuckled as I took another step and brushed against her. "I'm glad you think so."

The sound of metal squealing filled the air as a door opened on its hinges, and I pulled my gaze forward. The light of the midday sun cut through the amber light of the torches that burned perpetually, and a gust of wind broke the tepid air.

The light, for a moment, took over my vision. As my eyes tried to adjust to the change. My eyes watered slightly as I looked around to get my bearings. The stronghold, which was usually busy, was still outside of the troops that stood at the ready on the wall.

The others had vanished, but the plume of smoke that rose into the air exposed their location. My heart broke slightly as I watched it waft into the far reaches of the sky. I missed the funeral, but maybe it was for the best. When the next city was taken, I would more than likely spend more time there if I wasn't in my office. It felt cold doing it like this, but I wouldn't be here that much soon. I needed to retract my presence the best that I could and let them function without me. I sent a silent prayer for those who have fallen and hoped they had found peace.

"Mother, do you think I could get some potions from you?" Nyx's voice tore my gaze away from the dark smoke that filled the sky.

"What do you need them for?" I asked as my eyes settled on her. She gazed up at me, trying to sway me to her cause with wide eyes and a hopeful smile. The damn child was spoiled.

"I want to know how they work and what they are made of."

"Well, I can give you some, but I don't think I have anything that would help you in that regard." The last I checked anyway, I had nothing in my templates that could be used as a chemistry set. Maybe when I visited outside the domain, I could pick some stuff up for her.

Her face fell slightly at my words. "Oh, okay." She turned around and wandered back up towards Kharon, who stood in front of me, gazing at me with his crimson eyes. The emotion that lay within was indiscernible.

"Nyx, if you give me some time, I'll get something for you to use, okay? But it will be a surprise."

She stopped, turned around, and flashed me a much happier smile. "Okay, mother."

I smiled back at her and resumed our walk back towards the training ground. Which was, thankfully, empty. It was still a short way away, but that was good; it would give me time to plan on what to buy Nyx and let me clear my mind from the other things that have been bothering me.

I settled into one of the bleachers, with Nyx using me as a pillow. Not that I minded, of course. She laid her head on my lap, rested my hand on her, and ran my fingers through her hair. "Mother, I'm excited."

"Me too. I've only seen Kharon use magic before, and that was when I made him that violin." I replied as my fingers traced their way through her hair. It was amazing how soft it was. It was like silk under the skin of my fingers.

"You made that?" She sat up suddenly and looked at me. Curiosity burned in her eyes all the more, and so did a hunger that sat behind that.

"I did. I made it as a gift for him. He couldn't decide on what to use for his class. So I settled on that."

Her gaze shifted between Kharon and I as her mind worked to whatever conclusion seemed to fit her. "Do you use magic to create stuff?"

"I'm not really sure how to explain it. It might be magic, but I can't really explain it. It's just something that I do." That was the most honest answer I could have given her at that moment. Really, I would assume that it was magic, but the runes I see when I create and destroy things don't seem to match what I saw in her notebook. But then again, magic really wasn't my strong point.

She grabbed her backpack, quickly reached in, pulled out her notebook and a pen, flipped it open, and quickly wrote what was on her mind. "Interesting. I feel like I'm much closer to something, but I'm not sure what it is. It's driving me nuts."

"Well, do you want to see it in action? It might help you out a bit." I offered my help since I wanted to see her succeed. It made me happy that she was finding a path in life that she wanted to take.

"Yes!" She jumped up and clenched her notebook in her hand.

I smiled at her, glanced towards the other two standing in the middle of the training area, and gestured to them that they needed to wait for a minute. "Alright, Nyx, you can look, but I need you to stand a few paces away so you don't get hurt," I told her as I stood up and set my sights on a set of bleachers close by.

"Okay, mother. Where am I looking?" She asked as she glanced around, unsure of where my sights were set.

"Right there," I replied and pointed towards the fourth set of bleachers.

"Got it. I'm ready." She flipped open her notebook and set her pen down on the paper while staring at the bleachers.

With but a thought, I glanced at them and consumed them. The familiar rune appeared underneath it, and a grey light fought against the warm midday sun. The bleachers existed for only a few scant seconds. Before, it turned quickly to ash and was consumed by the rune underneath it.

I glanced at Nyx and saw that she was quickly redrawing the rune from memory. It was a large circle, and within it was a strange snowflake-like shape that branched off into dozens of smaller pieces that reached out towards the outer circle.

"I knew it!" A triumphant grin stretched across her face as she stared at the rune on the paper.

"What?' "I asked as I looked over her shoulder. It didn't mean too much to me outside of the fact that it was one of the most vital tools in my arsenal.

"The magic is all interconnected. The question is now, how do I use it?" She brought the pen up to her lips and chewed on it in thought as she stared at it. Her mind worked in overdrive as she stared at it.

My jealousy grew slightly as I watched her. It was wrong of me; I know. But I couldn't help myself. She was learning quickly, and it all seemed too natural. When I first came here, I struggled. I still struggled with a few things, but it bothered me she was just so talented at it all. But should I stay jealous? I mean, she was just me in a different form. So, I guess it was alright.

She stared at the paper for a second longer before she shrugged and closed the notebook. "I'll work on this later. I want to see Mr. Kharon fight." She turned around, and she threw her arms around me. "Thank you, mother. You really helped me out on this."

Whatever negative feelings I had at that moment vanished as I held her close to me. "You're welcome." I smiled at her as she pulled away from me and sat down. She was humming quietly as she stared at the training ground, but I could tell she was still lost in thought regarding the rune she had just seen. As I wrapped my arm around her, I sighed. I really shouldn't be jealous.

Alessia and Kharon glanced at me, and I gave them a nod. It was time for the dual. Alessia gently placed her polearm on a bench, and I didn't blame her. The weapon was chipped and damaged and was a risk to her in a fight. So instead, she walked over to a weapons rack and drew two swords that rested there. With a quick flourish, the blades danced in her hands. "Are you ready, Kharon?" She asked as the two weapons came to a stop.

He nodded as he withdrew the violin from his robe. "Now the curtain rises." As the words left his mouth, a single black orb appeared in the air and quickly expanded, swallowing everything around us. At first, it was just darkness, and I could feel Nyx tense up next to me. But a split second later, a row of lights appeared above us and illuminated the scene.

The bleachers we sat on became a row of seats that circled around an impossibly large stage in the middle. Around us were skeletons that gazed down at the stage. Their clothing denoted that they were adventures, but that was the only thing that gave them away. These must be the poor souls that tried to challenge him. Now they were stuck, forever watching the stage.

Alessia glanced around before her gaze fell back onto Kharon. "I like what you have done with the place." She said as she took a ready position with her blades pointing towards my advisor.

"I'm glad you think so." The skeleton replied as he placed the violin against his shoulder and boney cheek. "Now steel your blade." He placed the bow against the metal strings, and tension hung in the air. I couldn't wait, and I knew that Nyx couldn't either.