I slowly opened my eyes and sighed tiredly as I held the cold hand of my friend, the woman I loved so dearly. Just as slowly, I picked my head up and looked up at her still form. Were it not for the condensation forming in that mask of hers... I'd struggle to tell if she was alive at all.
Unfortunately for me, rather than hearing her giggling or any other number of silly noises. Noises that I'd sacrifice anything to hear again. All there was, was the sound of expensive machinery going about their business. Sharp, heart-breaking beeps and uncomfortable ticking.
That is all there was...
"What is it, the millionth time we went through that together?" I croaked out to my beloved friend as I slowly brought my aching body upright. And the whole time, I desperately hoped for even the slightest flicker of those eyelashes of hers. The white of her eyes was the greatest marble in the world, and at their centre, priceless, blue gems... But I would not see it this day, just like every other day.
And as I reminded myself of that fact, I slowly moved around to her head and held it gently. She didn't move it herself, but I liked to pretend that, that slight move of her head. That gentle flop into my palm... I liked to pretend it was her drowning me in affection in a way only she could, simple and uneventful as it might've seemed.
But that was a lie...
"I hope you haven't forgotten my promise, I haven't. How could I...?" I whispered to her as I gently moved my palm around in a sluggishly slow circle. Then, the light of morning broke on through the vast wall of windows this place had. Many probably found it to be the best time of day. A beautiful event they could watch with loved ones.
All I got out of it was seeing the one I cared so much about be illuminated by it. It was the only time her cold, freezing body ever got warm. After the orbital-halo had risen up, that is. She was always so cold...
"I am sorry, but I have to be going now, Larishazza. I hope you don't mind as well, but I am going to snatch one of your treats." I tell her as I took off my hat and mask to eat up one of Liada's delicious treats. Lari really needed to eat them, so they wouldn't go to waste...
And, reluctantly, I left the extensive room she slept in and moved out into the hallways of the hotel. A jammy cake in my claw as I walked through the artificial light. But rather than going out into the innards of the building further, I went to the glass. I unhinged it and finished my food with a single, aggressive snap.
I carefully moved through the growing gap and let gravity handle the rest. Calmly, with refined expertise, I put my mask and hat back on as I fell to the ground below. But, rather than striking the earth as I might've done years ago. I pulled my arm back and shot it forward with an arcane construct that latched onto a nearby tower.
With a sudden burst of speed, I pulled myself in, tucking my legs in as I swung through the air. And as I went into the sky, I repeated the process again and again. Then, once the buildings began to lower down, I used the early morning air traffic to keep up my momentum. All the way until I found the street that I had grown so accustomed to seeing.
"Are you up yet or did you leave the door unlocked?" I asked Liada even though she was neither out here nor even likely knew I was here. I couldn't even see signs of her being downstairs, but, all the same, I walked up to the door and moved to open it. It opened up without issue and I walked on in. Briefly looking behind my large frame as early morning joggers hurriedly went back to their business.
Keeping the door closed had its benefits as well, it kept all those delicious smells locked up inside these walls. And I walked into the building depths as I locked onto Liada's aura. Once again, she seemed to have fallen asleep downstairs. An assumption that quickly found itself proven correct.
"O-Oh... Morning, Ni... Morning, Nin." she let out as she slowly got to her feet. A chill had clearly set in despite her size and locale.
"You mentioned the other day that something had come for me?" I asked her immediately as she slowly made her way about the room.
"Y-Yeah..." she answers with a sigh as she tries to find what it was that I was owed. I admit as well that I had no idea what it might be. Normally it would just be handled by Inerish or her staff. I never got anything.
Not even from that contemptible shit... That utter disgrace to the world...
And as soon as it appears before me, I take it and look at it, "A letter?"
"Yeah, directly from the people at Suhur..." she began to say before I made way for the door, "Are you...?"
"What?" I asked her as I stopped and looked back at her.
"Nevermind... You always say no anyway..." she complains with a tremble of her lip as she disappears into the kitchen.
And I open the door and leave, holding the letter up before me as I considered that one detail. Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding. That was a place that had so little relevance to me now. The closest I ever came to it was just being within sight of the place.
Yet, nonetheless, I heaved myself back into the sky and made way for the walls of Thrurstradtur. With a final big swing being made around a clocktower once I was within the final jump. And, as I contorted in the air, I thrust my palm out at the wall to give me more momentum. With a calm thud, I then landed amidst the grass of the vast plateau the city sat on.
And I proceeded to walk the rest of the distance that remained as I began to open up the letter. Breaking the seal and then tearing at the thicker paper around it, I got to the rather rare contents within. These people didn't often use paper if at all. But all that concerned me was what it said.
"As no one of the original inhabitants still reside within Dormitory Forty-One, regular cleanouts have commenced. However, as a previous, contactable inhabitant with property amassed, we offer a chance to take up anything of note from our compiled stash." I paraphrased out loud, my brow rising higher and higher as I read it. Did everyone leave? Even Tiyanat...?
It confused me for a moment, it did. And I nearly spent a stationary moment considering the details. It struck me as strange at first, at least, until I remembered how long it had been since I left Suhurlodst. It had been five years or there about since Lari had been attacked by that shit.
Five, heartbreaking, painful years...
But, what did they mean by that they had my property? I had owned surprisingly little over my time at Suhurlodst. If this was all insignificant rubbish, then it would just be a slight detour before I turned around to train with the usual individuals. Which, it most likely was, so I might as well have just ignored it.
Yet, that curiosity remained, what was it that I owned that Suhurlodst's staff was about to throw away? I really couldn't think of anything that I had been forced to and or willingly left behind all that time ago. It perplexed me, but I would have an answer soon. Thankfully, it wasn't that far.
"Strange nostalgia given my history with the place." I remark emotionlessly as I came up to the cleared-out dorm building. No pests had to be cleared away from the clearly marked chests nor were there any curious nosy-types. Perhaps it was just the time of day, or maybe they knew who used to be in this dorm.
And, interestingly, there wasn't much here. At least, not much that could possibly be mine. Attire belonging to Vadei, Einervaene, Rose'lhia... It was all here.
"So what is exactly mine?" I asked no one as I rummaged through it. Then, a letter fell out of some of Vadei's stuff as I set it outside the chest. And there it was, clear as day. My name, though, not with handwriting that I recognised.
I held it in the air and looked at it for longer than I should have. But, there was something about this letter that I couldn't shake off. It felt... Familiar.
But why did it feel familiar? I did not recognise the writing and with how much it was now occupying my thoughts... I should've been able to recall who this was from. Yet, I couldn't.
"Obvious way is obvious..." I comment quietly as I sit down on the steps to the empty dorm building. With a fine blade of magic, I then cut open the paper with some difficulty. And I unfolded the contents as my other set of claws held the sliced envelope. It was a somewhat awkward grip, but that was just a limitation of having only three digits.
And as I started to read the writing, my jaw dropped and my eyes widened. I wanted to believe that this was some kind of joke or trick. But Smiling Jhurack couldn't appear out here... And why did Vadei have this anyhow!?
"Hello, Nin... It's me, the one you owe a significant piece of yourself to... Undwote... Now, don't worry, I am only pulling your strings a little, I am no threat to you as you probably figured. I just wanted to..." I paraphrased out loud as I put my other claw to my mask so I could force it up and reach my face. This wasn't making any sense. Why did Vadei have a letter from Undwote? Why did she have a letter meant for me from the God of Death...?
Why!?
"Right... Right..." I muttered as I read further, "By the way, my father, the Equilibrium, he says your dark attire reminds him of a crow."
And as I finished this strange letter, I shakily folded it up and put it back inside the envelope. It was a... I didn't understand. Why would he send me such a letter...?
Why couldn't he just tell me this during any one of my sessions where I raved at him!? Where I demanded that he stay away from Larishazza. I threatened him and did my best to scare him from the bottom of my heart... So why did he not speak to me at any point over these last five years?
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
I guess it didn't matter, nor did the contents of the letter, really. He was just telling me not to worry, that he wouldn't be coming for me, that I was free to live my second chance at life... It included comments from the others I had met during my time aboard the Vightorhian. Which was, a first, really, the temples and shrines have long since turned quiet for me.
I was alone in my hunt for this killer. Everyone has vanished, no one cared enough to join me. Mortal or divine, it didn't matter. Only I was standing in between Lari's soft skin and that accursed blade!
"I-" I started to vent out into the open before the sound of approaching footsteps filled my ears.
"Now there's a face I can say I am always interested in seeing." my old house head remarked as he stopped in front of me with a pile of tablets. Was I in his way or had he taken a detour? I suppose it didn't matter, I should be going now anyway.
There was nothing here that was mine.
"Not even a word to the man who saved your life all that time ago?" he asked as he adjusted his load.
"You didn't do that... Larishazza did..." I told him with a low tone as I stopped right near him. And I made a point of showing off how I towered above him. I would not suffer someone detracting from what Lari did for me.
"An opportunity that would have never occurred had I not interfered at the processing station... Six years ago, more?" he points out to me as he keeps his smile and that inquisitive gaze of his.
"What do you want?" I ask as I keep up the posture even as he shows how he is not intimidated by it.
"Nothing, really, but as one of my most memorable students, I thought I would humour myself with a greeting."
"Laugh heartedly about it, then." I dismissively comment as I turn to leave.
"You know, many don't know why you do it. Why you go out every night to fight that man."
"That thing is no man..." I hiss.
"The expert in it, I am sure. But, again, the 'why' about you is not known to the people of these joint cities."
"It doesn't matter if they know why I do it." I tell him as I keep on walking.
"Surely you have noticed how much friction you still face each night?" he loudly asks.
"What of it?" I snort in response. What he spoke of was an annoyance, but not one that proved impossible to circumvent. Though, it had been used often as a means for that vile bastard to escape through...
"Get your side of the tale out there, let people know why you do it. Let them see more than just the osibindah that chases nothing at night."
"What I chase is real!" I hiss as I aggressively snap a turn towards him.
"I am not calling you crazy, I am not doubting you. But you know how Smiling Jhurack plays the game, how he-"
"Dances to the tune..." I finish for him, recalling the dance-related phrases that I hated with a passion. Yet, it showed a conundrum everytime I thought about my anger towards it. Lari loved to dance... It was her most favourite thing in all of the world, dancing, she loved it so much...
"Not what I would say personally, but, I digress. My point is, Vigilante Nin, is that it would be ideal for you to make yourself presentable."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"And the world is deaf to such pitch, speak to them softer."
"I am not wasting my time on preach sessions."
"All I ask, on behalf of others, is but a few hours of it. You will have the night to yourself and still the whole day even." he explains.
"What would you have of me?" I ask as I consider breaking away from the tradition I had all but welded myself to over the past five years. Practice combat during the daylight. Display my ability to hunt all throughout the night. Stumble to bed a failure each time...
"There is a group of students within this House of mine that want to interview someone as part of their entrance exam."
"I thought this was a magic school?"
"Despite the Inter-House Talent Display and the arenas abound our grounds, Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding is not a military nor a martial arts academy. It is a school for magic, and magic is a wonderous, multi-use thing." he tells me with clear distaste at my obvious lack of appreciation for all it could do. But, I think I could be excused in seeing magic as little more than a weapon and a means to fight.
All I have done since I got it is fight. I have fought for my own life. To save others. Especially in order to save others, especially...
"Why not just let them interview someone else as part of their test, then?" I inquire as I try to consider some form of ulterior motive here. There were better, more easily attainable people to be interviewed.
"Because even if they do fail, I can send them out on their miserable ways with something that can make something out of them if they are smart about it." he answers as the more paternal aspect of a teacher comes out of him.
"Very well, I'll go." I answer as I look about the sights I had grown so used to. People looked at me with awkward fascination. People looked at me with scorn. A rightfully hateful people.
"Excellent! Same building that you took your entrance exam in." he says with a smile as he immediately makes his departure.
"Now?" I ask myself quietly as I turn towards that building where a handful gathered to ensure my survival. A handful brought together by the charm of Larishazza. I owed her so much. This was probably something she'd want as well, for me to go out there and show how I could be their friend too as she might have put it.
So I went and walked to the large building within the neutral part of the vast academy. I was certainly drawing quite the crowd. So I made a point of making sure my mask and hat were on properly. And I carried on ahead without paying any of them any mind.
I certainly scared the woman sorting out the students as well. So many of them and each of them were anxious and scared about what was about to happen. The fear that the woman exuded proved how permeable the crowd was as well. Those from Jherikra backed away as they caught fleeting glimpses of my covered-up biology, as the steady click of my mouth echoed softly in the air.
"T-T-This is for exam takers o-only..." the woman tells me.
"I am the exam." I tell her as I walk past her and into the building. From there, I wandered a little and I found myself reminiscing of all things. But, given this was the place where Lari's efforts came to fruition. I quickly understood why.
"Oddity-House Head Frihdeicalkbr just said you would be coming." a seemingly confident blonde said as she came striding out to meet me. And her hand lurched out for me the moment I was within that very avoidable gap.
"Nin Urtuan." I introduce myself as, as I shook her hand. And, behind the mask, I nearly found myself smirking as that confidence evaporated from her. But, I was left wondering what caused it. My strength, what I was, the state of my bandages?
There were a few fair answers.
"I... I... I'm Lorreabry..." she introduces herself as, "Hopefully, a soon-to-be-student of Suhurlodst Academy of Arcane Learning and Understanding."
"And you want to ask me questions to do it?"
"W-Well... Anyone would've done just fine but... I am grateful for the opportunity! Especially considering how I will be the first to ever get a one-to-one with you!"
"Most people are not that excited about sharing a room with an osibindah." I point out.
"I admit... I... I am not entirely comfortable at the moment!" she laughs awkwardly.
"Let's just get this over with."
"O-Oh, my exam hasn't started yet!"
"It does now." I snap as I head towards where her group is lightly held up at. It was an assumption at first, but the way they corralled around her as I went into the room proved it true. And, once I was near one, I sat down on a cushioned chair and waited. Listening out for whatever and waiting.
Oddly enough as well, I found myself thankful for the patience that bastard has managed to drill into me...
"Ri-Right! Alright, let's begin everyone!" Lorreabry lets out with an odd mixture of blatant, shivering nervousness and firm confidence. And seen as Frihdeicalkbr had said something about it, I briefly observed them for how they were going to use their magic. It seemed, they were using it in place of tools.
"Excuse me... Can you..." someone began to ask of me. They were full of worry but despite my posture, I was not bothered by it.
"Vigilante Nin, can you please lower or tweak your external-magic flow?" Lorreabry asked of me as I paid more attention to what that nervous girl was up to. She was trying to plant a spell of some kind on me.
"How much longer?" I ask after lowering it to a degree that they could work with.
"Soon, soon!" I am told as members of staff join a sectioned-off part of the audience. It was a lot busier than I thought it would be, given this was an exam. But... Lari's was like this too, so many turned out to watch her dancing...
She was so beautiful that day, and I was nearly as thankful...
"Nin? Hello?" Lorreabry repeated with a laugh of uncertainty.
"Hm?"
"C-Can you introduce yourself for the audience, please?"
"They know who I am."
"Vigilante Nin, everyone..." she awkwardly tells the crowd as she holds her arm up. Though, if she had the eyes for it, she would notice that the examiners were not scoring her on her showmanship. They were paying attention to the magic she and her team were using. She should focus on that and calm down.
"I never much liked that title." I admit given what this was meant to be.
"And why is that?" she asks me as she seems to adjust the flow of magic going onto this construct on me.
"I feel like it blurs why I am doing this. That I am just out to catch a criminal."
"That is what you have been attempting to do these past five years, no?"
"I have been doing this because that vile, evil creature attacked the woman I loved... Left her in a coma she has not so much as been nearly disturbed out of!" I hiss as I lean forward.
"Just another victim of the madman's reign, I see." she comments as she seems to lose her thoughts.
"Take a look around, these joint cities and their people do not care for me. They hate and revile me for what I am. I could care little for that vile creature's tally! It is when he attacked the one woman who actually showed me any form of kindness! It was when he decided to hold her life hostage after I found myself waiting for..."
"Waiting for what, Vigi... Nin, what were you waiting for?"
I was about to answer, but, some of the old me still remained, it seemed. A whiny thing that knew the world would laugh at him if he admitted to anything sincerely. I know without a shadow of a doubt that my love for Larishazza would be scorned... Despised as some unnatural thing...
"An answer..." I answered as honestly yet as cryptically as I could think of on the spot. And, it was a focused effort to stop my hands from moving up to my watering eyes. Thankfully, the glass was dark enough as was my shell to hide the details of it.
"I see, well, I hope you are able to get that answer." she says, clearly having caught on somewhat despite my efforts to cover it up.
"So, what is it that you want to ask me?" I ask as I try to keep my arms still. It was hard to keep my cool, despite what I have been doing this past half a decade. I missed her so much... She was always there for me in moments like this.
"Well, I guess, seen as we have just talked about what you don't like being called. How about what you would like to be called? How about we give you a proper identity?"
"I have an identity... The bug who has failed to stop Smiling Jhurack." I growl as my normally stoic thoughts on the subject are boiled away.
"For five years, yes. For five years you have kept that evil away from other women, you have kept it focused on you. For five years, you have diligently patrolled each night to make sure he doesn't go after anyone else. And not even just within the walls of Thrurstradtur! You are well known within the guilds and many others as someone who will take any job, even the lower-paid ones!"
"I don't do that out of kindness... I have costs to cover, a roof to keep over my head and hers..."
"But you still do it, others remember it, and I remember it." she admitted with a smile.
"What good does remembering any of this mean when I have failed in my goal for so long?"
"You keep trying, Nin, that is what matters." she tells me as she leans in with her smile.
"So that new name..." I reminded her so we could get back to why we were even here.
"Did this someone ever give you a nickname? Something special that drives you?"
"No, but, someone else has given me an idea." I say as I lean back slightly. It was quite recent, but, I don't think that would have mattered anyway. I had a letter from Undwote, God of Death, of the Cold, of Friendship. Not only that but remarks from all kinds of deities I had met and done stuff with.
Equilibrium, Eqkilibral, Kyarverin himself was amongst them... The Father of All. The Destroyer and the Builder. God of gods.
My dark attire reminded him of a crow... I didn't know what that thing was, but, I will take it as something mighty. Something that stuck out even to a man who really had it all and then some. A dark crow.
"Dark Crow." I tell everyone loud and clear as we all took in the familiar concept with that which was not. If I could ask about what a 'crow' was, I would. But, the fact I didn't gave me all the room I needed to define what it was.