"Ny... Runt?" Hastily correcting herself, Dimi quickly glanced up and down the wooden corridor before returning her gaze to the motionless Nyx.
"Hello~?" Getting no response, Dimi stepped forward and waved her hand in front of Nyx's plain, white mask. As she did so, her body tilted forward as she tried to get Nyx's attention.
Lightly huffing, she hesitated for a moment before rotating her hand and knocking gently on the mask with her knuckles. "Dimi calling Runt. Are you there?"
While her actions and movements appeared friendly and carefree, for those that were experienced, they would notice that Dimi's tense muscles could be seen faintly through her robe. At the same time, her opposite hand was raised slightly in a defensive position, and her weight was shifted towards the back.
"What?" After a few seconds of awkward silence, in which Dimi's heart rate was steadily increasing, Nyx lightly slapped Dimi's hand away. As her arm swiped out, her pale, skinny hand was momentarily revealed as the robe's sleeve fell, displaying the black sigil on the back.
"Thinking of the man that is wearing your mark?" Dimi revealed a taunting smile.
"What? No." Nyx shook her head, her voice sounding slightly absentminded.
Not getting the reaction she wanted, Dimi's muscles relaxed as she tilted her head to the side, letting it rest against the wooden wall to her right as she folded her arms. "Do you have to wear that mask? I thought you said you didn't want to hide anymore and it makes it really difficult to talk."
"You mean it makes it difficult for you to know what I am going to do next?" The expressionless, white mask rose slightly, giving the impression that Nyx was starting at Dimi.
Just as Dimi was about to respond, much to both her and Nyx's surprise, two disciples in grey robes suddenly appeared from the corridor left of the T junction they were standing before. The pair were whispering, their heads close together, and seemed almost as shocked as Dimi and Nyx that they had run into someone.
Due to her stature and white robe, their eyes were instantly attracted to Dimi, causing their pace to significantly slow as they started to bow politely as they cupped their hands. However, it was only moments later that their bodies and facial expressions froze as they noticed Nyx's black-clad figure and white mask in the dimly lit hallway.
The two young men, appearing to be around the age of twenty-five, stared at Nyx as if they had seen a demoness before quickly completing their bow and turning around. With hurried steps, the duo disappeared rapidly in the same direction they appeared from.
Since she had first spotted a flicker of colour appearing around the corner, Nyx had watched every action and movement the pair made intensely. This was especially so during their drastic change in body language, aura and expressions when they had first noticed her.
While the strange behaviour had surprised her, what caused her to frown most was the spark of desire that erupted from her core when she had seen the fear etched on their faces. It was so strong that she felt her body move slightly as she barely resisted the urge to give chase.
Feeling the strange, predatory sensation diminish rapidly, Nyx returned her gaze to Dimi who was smiling with a smug, almost mocking expression.
Nyx and Dimi continued to stare at each other for some time before Nyx quietly snickered and shook her head. "So~ I take it you can't tell that I am waiting for an explanation on why they acted like that?"
"Nope. Not in the slightest." Dimi's lips twitched slightly as she attempted to restrain the smile threating to erupt on her face. "To me, all I can tell from that mask is that you are enamoured with my beauty. But now you have said that it's not what you think. I haven't told a soul about anything that has happened between us."
Nyx chuckled, shaking her head again. "Between us?"
"I mean what happened.” Dimi rolled her eyes. “Unlike a certain little Nightmare in front of me, I like males. Thank you very much."
Not thinking much on what Dimi had called her, believing that it was more of a reference to her personality or her past, the strange silence once again descended as Nyx hesitated for a moment before slowly raising her hands to her face and starting to lift the mask from the bottom. As she removed it, Nyx's straight, black hair was snagged by the elastic string attaching it to her face, resulting in it becoming slightly dishevelled.
Staring at the mask's plain surface, Nyx sighed lightly before revealing a small smile. "You're right. Although I hate being seen by others and love obscurity, I guess it isn't the right time to wear this."
"What?" Dimi scratched her head as watched Nyx. "When did I say that?"
"Do you have a travel bag I can have?" Nyx ignored Dimi's question as her hand fell to her side. "Also, why did they act so strangely. If you didn’t tell them anything, was it the mask or~?"
"Timur already told you. Your black robes are the sign of a sect enforcer. Someone who has the power to judge and punish anyone in the sect, even elders," said Dimi. The tone of her voice rising with a tint of pride. "Of course, newbies would be terrified of you. Enforcers only appear, or reveal themselves, when something worthy of the Iron Hall's attention has come up. Something no one wants to be involved in."
"Anyway, if you think that was funny..." Dimi reached into her robe pocket, pulling out Nyx's silver badge. "wait until you see their reactions when you wear this. An enforcer is still bound by many rules and regulations where an executioner only answers to the sect master or the Iron Hall master, Timur. Even if someone manages to prove that they are innocent, they will be punished heavily if they resist the judgment of an executioner. Outside the walls of the sect headquarters, their words are law."
After taking the familiar object from Dimi's outstretched hand, Nyx revealed a thoughtful expression. After turning it over a few times and revealing a slight smile, Nyx carefully put the badge away in her robe pocket.
Seeing the badge disappear into Nyx's pocket instead of being placed on her chest, the joy on Dimi's face dimmed slightly. However, moments later her gaze almost seemed to come alive as she quickly looked up and into Nyx's eyes.
Nyx didn't notice this at first as she was looking down at her black robes, as well as thinking about her current situation. Sighing, Nyx finally looked up and decided to ignore Dimi's strange expression before making a request. "Would you be able to get me some grey robes?"
"What?" Dimi's expression fell even more. "I know I said that stuff earlier but the colour of your robe won't make any difference. In fact, you will need it to make the others keep some distance from you. While the blindfold might work in bright light, it's still easy to guess your origins if you spend enough time thinking about it."
Nyx chuckled as she turned around and started walking back towards the room they had left earlier. "Thanks in advance."
“Oh, you have guts.” Dimi watched Nyx's figure as it walked down the corridor, her expression not changing much if you excluded the slight twitch from her right eyelid.
However, even while Dimi was slightly irritated by Nyx's attitude, she still felt uneasy. She had witnessed Nyx's tribulation and see the many faces and personas she had adapted to survive and overcome the challenges thrown at her.
It was only after Nyx's figure vanished from sight that Dimi shook her head, her brow furrowed deep in thought, as she turned around and started heading off to get a grey robe.
"Oh, and a mirror." Nyx's voice travelled down the corridor, causing Dimi's body to tense. It wasn't because of the sudden appearance of the sound but because it was so quiet that Dimi had to check to see if Nyx wasn't directly whispering into her ear. Something that should have been impossible due to the layout, formations and materials used to create the building they were in.
"Yes, your majesty." Recovering from her shock, Dimi snorted loudly before releasing a soft, grumpy growl as she stomped forward, Nyx's tinkling laughter ringing in her ears. "You better not get used to this. Ordering me around, an Agate Lioness, as if I were a common slave."
Less than ten minutes later, Dimi was once again in the small room with Nyx, who had changed into the dull, grey robe.
After wrapping her mask carefully, as if it were a precious gift, in her black robe and placing it in the leather rucksack that Dimi had given her, Nyx put it at the foot of the bed.
Dimi was watching from her slouched position in the chair near the corner. Her leg was dangling off the left edge, swinging lazily. "You change your mind like a human maiden changes clothes."
Nyx smirked, the vague recollection of a song from her past faintly resonating from the depths of her mind. However, instead of responding to Dimi's provocation, she grabbed the small mirror that was laying on the bed and held it out in front of her.
Rolling her eyes at being ignored once again, Dimi shifted her body as she made herself more comfortable. "Why do you need a mirror anyway? It's not like there are any decent males around. Actually, looking so ill and sickly is a good thing. Including Jorm and Hrafn, ten high ranked male beasts are roaming around this branch. If they find out you are an eleven layer female beast, they will try every means under the sun to force you under them."
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"Twelve layers," responded Nyx absentmindedly as she focused on her reflection's eyes. ".... And I can't bear children. The parts needed have been removed."
"What?" Dimi straightened up, her mouth opening and closing a few times. Nyx's rise in cultivation once again was shocking, but at the same time, Dimi could see that Nyx had hesitated before telling her the last part. She had temporarily forgotten about Nyx's origin and could only sympathise with her as any female beast, most of which were renowned for their maternal instincts, would.
Dimi finally decided to remain quiet, noticing that Nyx's expression had become somewhat cold after revealing what she assumed to be a closely guarded secret.
It wasn't long before Dimi's attention was drawn to the small tendrils of black mist that had begun forming at the corners of Nyx's eyes. Once they had almost become stable, they started to snake towards Nyx's irises. Upon reaching them, the tendrils turned into small spikes as they dug in and quickly vanished. While this was happening, Nyx's blazing blue eyes started to darken at a rapid pace.
During this time, beads of sweat had appeared on Nyx's forehead, and her breathing became more strained. She had regained a bit of essence while sleeping but was nowhere near her peak state, making the entire process much more difficult than it needed to be.
"What the..." Dimi who had been watching from the side jumped to her feet, sending the chair she had been sitting on flying, and moved forward. Her eyes had never left Nyx's, taking in every change as she repressed the flood of questions that she had knowing that she couldn't distract Nyx while doing something so delicate.
Standing behind the outstretched mirror, Dimi continued to watch in silence as Nyx's irises slowly turned black. Occasionally, a dim flicker of light would race across their surface, fading from the original bright white into a dull grey.
Seeing that Nyx was no longer manipulating essence towards her eyes, Dimi took a deep breath as she organised her thoughts.
"Nyx... is that... a body transformation skill?"
Turning her head slightly to each side, keeping her eyes locked onto their reflection, Nyx carefully ensured that the essence masking her natural eye colour was even. Once happy, she quickly wiped the sweat from her brow before looking at Dimi. "No."
Feeling Dimi's intense gaze, after a moment’s hesitation, Nyx continued. "How could I possibly be able to use skills restricted to the diamond realm and above? Anyway, even if I could do that or had an innate ability, I wouldn't. I am who I am. I will never change myself for another."
"Then... what was that?" Dimi frowned as she observed Nyx and slowly crept forward.
"A mask for the eyes." Noting that Dimi wasn't appeased with her reply, Nyx turned and moved towards the window covered by thick curtains nearby. Stopping just in front, Nyx reached out and placed her hand in the thin strip of light that had managed to enter through the crack at the bottom.
As she waited, Nyx turned and looked at Dimi. However, instead of feeling any joy at teasing the lioness, she felt a strange, tight sensation in the pit of her stomach as she saw the intense gaze directed at her. "It's just a condensed film of dark essence embedded into the surface of my eye. If you look carefully, you will notice its dark blue not black. If I blocked out all light, it would severely impact my vision. Even now, it's hard to make out the minute details. After I get used to it, I should be able to release and reform it as needed. And it's only a temporary measure until I form my Gem core."
Nyx smiled, seeing that her answer had finally resolved some of Dimi's burning curiosity. "After that, even if your sect won't step in or shield me, I'm confident that there isn't a power on this continent that will be able to restrict my movements."
As she spoke, the smile on Nyx's face grew to an unnatural extent as Dimi sensed a faint aura of bloodlust. As it did, the dull grey flickers of lightning started to increase.
"Our sect." Even though Dimi felt her skin starting to prickle, she quickly made an attempt to correct Nyx. "Timur and I have already accepted you. Only my sister has the power to stop you from becoming a member, and she wouldn't do something so foolish."
"Hmm... Nothing in life is certain. Not even death." Nyx didn't pay Dimi's words much attention as she moved her sight onto her hand currently being bathed in the early morning's warm sunlight. After another ten seconds, she pulled her hand back as she used the other to hold the mirror.
With the tip of her index finger, Nyx lightly poked her left eye. As she did, thin strands of black mist rose up and seemed to latch on. When she moved her finger away, a small amount of yellow-white light returned to her iris along with the black cloud.
Dimi frowned, wondering what Nyx was up to now. It was almost groundbreaking that someone could change their eye colour, even if it were just a cover, with their essence and so she was curious to see what other tricks Nyx might reveal.
The process repeated itself countless times, streams of tears falling down Nyx's face even though it remained emotionless before Nyx was finally done and moved onto her right eye.
"What are you doing?" Dimi moved so she could get a better look, noticing that tiny, varying sized dot's of light had appeared in Nyx's left iris.
The lights were not constant, dimming and brightening at random intervals, nor were they stationary. Occasionally a flicker of grey lightning would flash giving Dimi, who was gazing into Nyx's eyes, an incredibly mystical feeling.
Finally finished, Nyx used her sleeve to wipe away her tears and returned her attention to the mirror, once again tilting her head at different angles.
Dimi found herself momentarily lost in Nyx’s eyes, yet, instead of being impressed with her effort, a frown steadily grew on Nyx’s face.
Nyx closed her eyes for a few moments as she released a bitter sigh. "Not even slightly close but I guess this will have to do."
"Slightly close to what? A night sky?" Dimi's frown was even more profound than Nyx's. "I thought you were doing this to keep a low profile? If so, you have completely failed. Though not as eye-catching as before, your eyes are so captivating that I almost want to set up a betting ring for the number of fights you are going to cause."
Seeing Nyx wasn't going to respond, Dimi grit her teeth as her fists clenched. "Nyx. You better stop ignoring me, or I am going to beat you into the ground. It won't be breaking my word as I will still protect you from everyone else."
Hearing Dimi's threat, Nyx lowered the mirror and grinned. "I thought you told me not to tell you anything that would draw a tribulation?"
Dimi's mouth, which was about to retort, slammed shut as slight popping sounds came from her clenched fists.
"If not, I don't mind telling you. The guardian laws seem to be pretty forgiving if I am the one talking." The tiny motes of light in Nyx's eyes seemed to sparkle as Nyx's smile grew. "Anyway, how long will it take for us to find prey tonight?"
Nyx passed the mirror to Dimi, who threw it on the bed without a shred of carefulness.
"An hour or so. There are some camps to the north that are too weak for the sect to deal with directly." Stomping back to her chair, Dimi collapsed into it as she glared at Nyx. "Are you going to use that as an excuse every time you don't want to tell me something?"
"Yep," Nyx copied the smile that Dimi had given her earlier in the corridor, even to the point of her twitching lips.
Dimi snorted, turning her head away as a smile appeared on her lips.
Seeing this, Nyx chuckled as she picked up the leather bag. Throwing it over her shoulder, she swept her hair over her left shoulder. "Let's go."
"I'm not moving until you tell me where we are going. Last time I thought we were going to hunt but instead I was forced to get a mirror and your clothes." Dimi yawned as she got more comfortable in the chair. "Oh, I know. This all started when you found out about him. Now you think you have made yourself more attractive are we off to go see the man who has copied your mark?"
Dimi stood up slowly, stretching lazily with a slight smile on her face.
Nyx's eye twitched as she stared at Dimi with an open mouth. "What? How did you come up with that shit? I'm starving, and it has been an age since I could walk around a town freely."
"Uh huh." Dimi raised an eyebrow, folding her arms as she revealed a disbelieving expression. "Nyx, The Nyx, is going to eat at a restaurant, wander around a peaceful town, and what... buy some pretty dresses?"
"Why can't I do that?" Nyx's eyes narrowed. "What? Would you prefer it if I went on a rampage, slaughtering and destroying everything in sight, bathing in blood as I munch on human arms and salt the land?"
Dimi shuddered slightly, remembering some of the scenes she had been forced to witness. Shaking her head slightly, she raised her hands in a surrendering gesture. "That's not what I meant. I just thought you might want to see the man who supposedly worships darkness, has your sigil and quotes you. He's fighting in death matches and could die at any time. As the saying goes, the dead tell no tales so if you are even the tiniest bit curious, we should probably see him sooner rather than later."
Dimi shrugged. "The rest was just teasing. Sorry."
As she sighed, Nyx's shoulders sagged slightly. "If he dies, he dies. It just means that he wasn't up to the task set by..."
Nyx's sentence abruptly stopped as her gaze locked onto Dimi, her lips curling at the corners. Around her, the air faintly crackled with a tiny, almost unnoticeable amount of blue lightning.
Seeing this, Dimi revealed a mirthless smile as she shook her head. "And I thought you were actually upset. How the hell do you know enough to be able to hint at a tribulation strike with a simple sentence? Wait! Forget I asked. I don't want to know."
Nyx smiled, though it was clear that it was slightly forced. "Honestly, it wasn't this easy before. If it was, do you think I would have had to suffer so much? I could have just spat out a bunch of words and been blasted into dust. I wonder if it has anything to do with those guys?"
"Wh-" Dimi slammed her mouth shut, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Seriously... If I can't hear all of it, or if it will trigger a tribulation just don't tell me alright. I already have to sleep in my natural form."
Nyx rubbed the corner of her eyes, grimacing slightly at the intense itch. "What? Did you think it would be easy being my friend."
Dimi's expression froze for a moment. "So... we're friends?"
"Until you betray me, die, or I have a reason to kill you." Nyx stomach rumbled noisily. "Come on, stop wasting time."
"Actually..." Nyx had been walking towards the door when she suddenly stopped. "Where's my bag?"
"Timur found where you stashed it at the camp and brought it with him. It should be in his room." Dimi walked towards the door, taking the lead. "Shall we go get it?"
Nyx frowned. "No. I don't want to see him or anyone else. At least not until I have recovered."
"Why do you need it?" Dimi opened the door and stepped through, glancing at Nyx over her shoulder. "From what I heard it only had a few raw beast cores, some herbs and gold coins."
Nyx pouted slightly as her face contorted as if she had just sucked on a lemon. Following Dimi out of the door and letting it close behind her, she took a deep breath. "I need money if I want to have something nice to eat and drink, buy some decent underwear, maybe a refined dark beast core or two and, if we have time... rent a room with a large, hot bath."
Dimi nearly tripped on her own legs, turning around and staring at Nyx with wide eyes. "You really wanted to do that?"
Nyx's jaw clenched for a moment as she flexed her hands. "Dimi, remember when I said that we were friends until you gave me a reason to kill you. We are very rapidly approaching that point."
The surprised expression on Dimi's face vanished, replaced with a huge grin. "Alright, I'm only messing with you. It's often said that those with bleak pasts find comfort in the simplest things. Let's go, today is my treat."
Seeing Dimi turn around, the expression on Nyx's face slowly eased. Yet, even as they left the strange building and stepped into the bright sunlight, a hint of sadness could still be seen on her features.