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Nyx - The Shadow Princess
A1:C10 - Return of the Princess::Part Two

A1:C10 - Return of the Princess::Part Two

Even though Nyx liked her hair's new colour, thinking it would look even better if she grew it out a bit, she couldn't help but wonder just how much time had passed for it to grow to this extent.

"Maybe it was just the byproduct of being pumped full of too many potions and healing essence?" said Nyx to herself, a habit she had formed in the underground cell when she was pondering a question.

It wasn't because of loneliness, the abyss being far worse than any solitary confinement could ever be, but for the simple reason that she could. Having a voice, and being able to use it freely was a novelty she didn't believe she would ever get bored of.

Nyx moved her attention to her eyes, finding them bottomless and enchanting, and without realising, lost herself in their depths.

Somehow, she could almost feel the perfection she was aspiring when she did. The comforting darkness now merged with the constant beat of the strange, otherworldly drum.

An unknown amount of time later, Nyx was startled when the door was suddenly opened.

A young man with brown, messy hair, dressed in a miss mash of leather armour and cultivator robes froze as soon as his gaze fell upon the empty bed.

Blinking repeatedly, as if would change what was seeing, a panic-stricken looked appeared on his face, however, just as he was about to turn and shout out, he spotted Nyx in the corner.

Nyx had slowly backed away towards the corner as she had been able to gauge his cultivation level, a two-layer core realm expert, and knew she wouldn't be his match.

However, that typically wouldn't have stopped her attacking to prevent the man from alerting overs. Instead, what caused her to hesitate was the shock that somehow, without her knowing, not only had she reached ninety-one per cent attunement with her body, but she had formed her core.

While it was just the core formation stage, for any cultivator, this was the first step on their chosen path and a joyous, once in a lifetime, occasion.

It was just Nyx couldn't remember doing so.

"CAMILIA!" The panic on the man's face evaporated as he dropped the small bag he was carrying and rushed towards Nyx, his arms held out as if he was going to hug her.

This action immediately jolted Nyx from her shock and sensing the man held no ill intent towards her, instead of attacking like she initially wanted to, she dodged away to the side.

As her legs were still a little unstable, Nyx lost her footing slightly and stumbled into the wardrobe, but her actions were enough to stop the man in his tracks.

Many emotions flickered across his face before finally settling on a mixture of sympathy, pity and awkwardness. "Camilia... I'm sorry. They said you might not want any physical contact for a while. I was just so happy to see you that I forgot."

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The man put his hands in the air as a sign of not being a threat. However, he looked a little hurt that Nyx didn't say anything to refute or acknowledge what he just said.

Nyx had learnt that sometimes, the best way to gather information was to remain silent. People tended to fear awkward silences and would try to fill them.

Also, as she didn't know anything about the current situation, or who this man who seemed to know her body's former owner was, she decided to use this tactic while avoiding putting her foot in it by revealing she was someone else.

Nyx also believed that due to her experiences, people would not only expect a change in behaviour but she would be able to get away with any weirdness it as long as she didn't do something too outrageous.

"Dad and mom are worried sick as well, they are going to be overjoyed that you have finally woken up," said the man, seemingly the princess's brother but Nyx couldn't be too confident as the previous owner might just have had close relations to his parents.

While she could make some mistakes, messing up something like that would definitely raise alarm bells.

A man who looked like a guard, wearing ornate, silver armour, stuck the upper part of his body through the door, having heard the commotion. Seeing Nyx standing there, he quickly entered the room and saluted with his first to his heart. "First Princess, I am overjoyed to see you awake and on your feet."

At the mention of the title, First Princess, Nyx noticed that the young man had somewhat cringed, but as she couldn't ask why or think of a reason, decided she would think about it later.

Suddenly, as realisation dawned on him, with an angry face the young man turned to the guard and spoke with a threatening tone, "Gerald, get out! Can't you see my sister isn't dressed."

Bowing to the young man, Gerald quickly retreated however at the door he turned around, not daring to look at Nyx who had remained where she was. "Prince Harold, would you like me to inform the King and Queen?"

And with that single sentence, which Nyx had the feeling she could trust, Nyx at least knew who she was meant to be dealing with.

"No, let me. It's not like they would visit anyway." Even though Harold had said that her parents would be relieved that she was awake, Nyx couldn't mistake the bitter resentment in his words as he said they wouldn't visit.

However to Nyx, while slightly strange and reducing her confidence that everything was at it seemed, she felt relief that she wouldn't have to deal with something so troublesome.

If she got the chance, she would probably try and slip away unnoticed. She didn't believe that she could fool her new bodies, biological parents.

Thinking about parents, Nyx couldn't help but try and remember her own children. Her memories had become fuzzy, not being able to recall their features accurately if she focused on them. Instead, the harder she thought, the more they into a blurry mess.

Sadness filled Nyx's eyes, as she released a mournful sigh.

This was not missed by Harold who instantly regretted mentioning their parents and their inability to visit. He quickly waving Gerold away before putting on an apologetic appearance. "Sis, It's not like they don't want to visit. It's just..."

A hint of anger appeared on Harold's face but vanished again as awkwardness took over. "The council has forced them to..."

Harold struggled to find words. It was clear he wanted to say something, that he just didn't know how. After a minute of half sentences, that made little to no sense, he shook his head and gave up.

"Camilia, I just want you to know that no matter what, we are family. You will always be my big sister. I have to go now. I'll let the doctors know you're awake and come to visit you tomorrow." With that statement, not waiting or expecting a response, he turned around and picked up his bag before quickly leaving, closing the door behind him.

"Camila's dead," spat Nyx, her eyes revealing a dangerous glint. To a soul that's life was intrinsically linked to their identity, being called by someone else's name was like questioning their existence. "I'm Nyx,"