Nyx Techne
2218A.D. 6 years before the Academy
After the descent, a lot of things changed with the world. One of the most notable being the isolated ecosystems that came about after mana was introduced into the environment.
The Acadia Forest is a prime example of this, having been an ordinary northeastern forest just before the descent. The formation of a mana-well beneath caused the forest to experience unprecedented growth and changes. One such change was the emergence of mana-rich plants. With these plants appearing all over the globe, the revival of alchemy went into full swing.
With the Acadia forest being one of the densest mana-rich environments in what was once the United States, it wasn't long before it was swarmed by beasts, and humans alike. It was on the edge of this forest where a young golden blonde girl and her mother could be found harvesting ingredients for alchemy.
“Mom, is this the correct one?” A delightfully cute voice was heard. It was a young girl on the cusp of becoming a twelve-year-old. Golden curls flowed down her back reflecting the morning sunlight producing an angelic glow that seemed to radiate from her. Her emerald eyes full of curiosity, and excitement at the possible find. A large blue mushroom was held in her gloved hands.
“Sorry, Nyx that's just a Demanger mushroom. It’s used for anti-itch cream.” Said the mother as she hunched down digging underneath the decaying leaves, trying to catch sight of what they came here for. The mother was a stunning beauty who looked no older than 25. Her hair was jet black compared to her daughter's bright blonde, but she did have the same brilliant green eyes as Nyx. She was known by the people she did business with as Acadia’s Witch, but her actual name was Terra. “The Peneva mushroom is what we’re here for. It looks similar to the mushroom you have in hand but it's smaller and has white veins on the cap. She lectured as her hands dug deeper into the rotting vegetation.
“Darn, I was sure this was the right one,” Nyx said just slightly dejected before becoming excited to go searching again. “Mom, can I head out a bit further from here?” Inquired Nyx having become bored of the current location. “Sure sweetie but, make sure to say within the wards I’ve set up, they should keep out all the beasts from this area.” Said Terra now having moved to a fallen log to continue digging around. After gaining her mother's approval Nyx began heading towards a clearing she saw earlier when she, and her mother first arrived at the forest.
The minutes rolled by as Nyx eventually got to the clearing, and got a better view compared to before. There seemed to be a distinct lack of plants in the clearing leaving here curious as to why. Besides the few tufts of grass scattered around the area, it was mostly just gravel, and rocks. It gave the clearing the appearance of a dying region, as though all the life in the area had withered away. Closer to the middle there was also a small deep pit just large enough for her to fit through.
Nyx’s eyes widened as warning bells rang in her mind about the situation. She wasn't sure if she had found a beast's hideout just on the edge of the wards but Nyx wasn't going to risk getting any closer. Nyx was just about to return to her mother, and inform her of the situation when a whisper tickled her ear.
“Child, come to me…” A faint, yet chilling voice came from the pit. It seemed to resonate through the air with an authority that wouldn’t accept any form of disobedience.
Nyx having read plenty of stories that didn't end well for those who chose to listen to disembodied voices began running away as fast as her legs could carry her. It was as she was about to leave the clearing that the voice once again spoke. “Don’t be afraid child,..... your help is all I require…..” The voice continued again even fainter, but now instead of authority, it was laced with desperation and despair.
Even though Nyx began to feel bad for the voice, she wasn't going to take the risk and ran full speed towards her mother's location. In less than a minute, she returned, finding her mother smiling as she held a Peneva mushroom in her hands. “Ah, sweetie I found it....” Trailed off Terra as she noticed the panting and scared state of her daughter.
Her body quickly got ready for action as the ground around her began warping and shifting. “What is it Nyx! Is there a beast nearby?!” Terra’s voice was filled with worry, not for herself but for her daughter. Any beast that could get through her wards undetected would be a tough foe, but the difficulty would skyrocket since she would also have to defend Nyx.
“Mom! I think I found a spirit!” Wheezed Nyx, not use to the physical exertion. Her bright hair now a mess from her sweat and the twigs stuck in it. “Its voice felt just that of the phantom in the bottle you keep at home!.”
While Terra remained vigilant after Nyx finished explaining the situation, she wasn’t as tense as before. Unlike phantoms, spirits were limited to roaming 50 meters from the location that they had died.
“Mom he sounded terribly depressed.” Now that she was next to her mom she felt safe enough to think back about what the ghost had asked her. “How could I possibly help a ghost?” Nyx inquired of her mother.
Terra took a deep breath to calm herself. “I was planning on teaching you after you turned twelve but I guess now is a great time for a crash course. The spirit you found was probably extremely weak or close to fading away. Otherwise, it would have been a simple matter of it using compulsion on you, forcing you to move towards its voice. If it had managed to do so it would possess you, destroying your soul in the process, leaving you as an empty husk that it could inhabit without any issues.” The relief of the danger her daughter had avoided was enormous for Terra.
Having finished explaining what could have happened, a terror rose in Nyx’s eyes, as she realized how close she had come to dying. Seeing this Terra hugged her daughter and consoled her promising she would deal with the ghost. After some time Nyx relaxed believing in the skill her mother possesses.
As they made their way over to the ghosts den, the ground trembled lightly wherever Terra walked by, she wasn’t very pleased with herself. How could she possibly have forgotten to add spectral detector function to her wards? Her mistake had almost cost her the life of her daughter. Next time she brought Nyx out, she would be sure to include as many different types of wards as she could manage.
The mother and daughter duo slowly pushed through the thicket, entering the site. When Terra sensed the lack of mana in the area any doubts of it being a ghost were completely erased. The spirit was sustaining itself on the mana around its den, slowing down its eventual dispersion.
“Ok Nyx hold on tightly to this ward, it’ll block the spirit from being able to attack your soul.” Terra dung into her bag, and handed Nyx a wooden ball with runes carved all over its surface. Nyx held the ward with a grip tight enough to cause her knuckles to whiten.
“Now that you have this there shouldn’t be any danger left from the ghost. This makes it the perfect opportunity for us to harvest some spectral fruit. It's a special type of mana plant that grows in the location where the spirit's soul is anchored to the world. It’s a great catalyst for improving the effectiveness of certain alchemy potions. Once I shatter the ghost's connection to this place its soul will disperse and we can properly gather the plant.” Terra explained while Nyx listened closely. Now that her mother was in lecture mode she relaxed just a tad bit, and a new excitement for harvesting ghost plants began to bounce inside her mind.
The pit once they reached it was silent, as though the ghost had already met its demise. Seeing as the hole was only large enough for someone with a small frame like Nyx to fit in Terra waved her hand as earth attribute mana surged around her. The pit quickly became the size of a sinkhole, as the dirt seemed to melt and shape itself into a simple staircase leading down into an underground passageway.
“Let’s go Nyx if its soul’s still down there the anchor should be past this tunnel.” Terra began heading down the stairs with Nyx sticking close behind her. The tunnel didn't seem to have been artificially created, and most likely lead to a naturally formed cavern. Terra warped the earth around them smoothing out the rough floor so that Nyx wouldn't trip on it.
It didn’t take long before they entered a limestone cave filled with stalagmites and stalactites. The steady drip of water caused a wet shimmer all over the cave. The entire room made Nyx feel as though she were standing in the salivating mouth of a monster, ready to chew them up at the slightest disturbance.
They made their way forward, and Nyx watched in fascination, as the stalagmites sunk into the ground making a pathway for them. Today was the first time she ever saw her mother really use her abilities in a way that wasn’t related to witchery. It was a refreshing feeling that filled Nyx’s mind with the possible things she herself could do in the future.
On the other side of the wall, they finally saw what they came here for, the spectral fruit. It resembled a pineapple without all the spikes, and its color was of an ashy grey. Sensing the fluctuations in the air Terra was astounded. This was a fruit born of an extremely powerful soul that should have had the capability to become a phantom the moment it died. Yet for some reason, it chose to remain as a spirit, imprisoned in this underground cave. This ghost must have had something extremely important on its person, enough for it to accept the risk of fading away.
The glowing fruit hung there, it’s lifespan now reduced to a few short weeks. “It must have used the last of its power to try and lure you in Nyx. Now that it’s gone the fruit will ripen in a few days, which will be the ideal time to use it.” Some joy tinged her voice as the thought of improving Nyx’s coming of age elixir by a large margin.
“Mom, should we look for its bones?” Not one to be afraid of something that can’t harm her Nyx softly asked her mother. Even though the ghost had tried to harm her, it still deserved a proper burial. Agreeing with Nyx’s proposal Terra first harvested the Spectral fruit carefully as well as the vine, and roots. While they weren't as effective as the fruit itself they still had other uses.
Once the picking was done Terra’s mana once again surged as she dug out the spot where the fruit had just been. It wasn't long before they found the remains. It was quite the shock though when they saw the entire skeleton was pitch black, and the skull had what looked like rams horns. While the skeleton was almost identical to a human, those two features were unlike any Terra had ever seen on a human.
“Why is its skeleton so strange? Was it a humanoid monster?” Nyx was puzzled she hadn’t ever heard of any creatures that this closely resembled a human. Her mother remained in thought before she shed some light on Nyx’s question. “I’ve often heard rumors of other worlds. Worlds that have had the system for a lot longer than Earth. This thing with horns must have been a resident of such a place, and a powerful one at that to have been able to travel between realms.” Nyx’s eyes widened in shock as the information her mother gave her sunk in.
The thought of exploring another world sparked a desire in Nyx’s stronger than anything else she’s experienced before in her life. She was giddy as her imagination ran wild.
Nyx’s excitement cooled down after a minute, but the desire still burned hot deep in her soul. It was at this moment though that the pair noticed that there was a glint of metal inside the skull of the skeleton. To Terra’s surprise, Nyx reacted first and shoved her fingers in the eye socket of the skull without showing any form of disgust or respect for the dead.
She quickly pulled out a silver lined bracelet from the skull. It was bare besides the intricate carvings all over the small links. As she admired it Terra quickly pulled it out of her hand. “Nyx you have got to be more careful, what if the bracelet had been booby-trapped? Annoyance at her daughter's irresponsible behavior was evident in her words. While she doubted that it contained any dangers, the wild way that Nyx reacted could be very dangerous to her in the future if it wasn’t corrected.
“Sorry, mom… I was just really interested in what an item from another world looked like.” Said Nyx in a dejected voice. She was aware of the danger but the desire in her screamed to grab the item.
“Just promise me you’ll be more careful in the future please.” Terra’s tone was serious but she knew her daughter was smart and would learn from this.
Terra began examining the strange bracelet, even though she had some inkling as to what it could be. Minutes went by before she spoke to Nyx. “After poking it around with my mana it appears to simply be an odd storage item, but I can't seem to get it to show me its contents.” Any sort of imprint had long ago faded but there was still something else blocking her from peeking inside.
Annoyance began to fill Terra as she pulled out a few things from her bag, and began pouring, and sprinkling different potions on the bracelet. It wasn’t long before a deep violet began appearing around the object. “Ah that's it, it's only accessible to those with the space attribute, how rare.” Terra finally got the answer she wanted but was now annoyed because she herself didn’t have the attribute, and would have to find someone else with it to inspect the bracelet. This would be an issue for her because she didn't know what sorts of riches a world traveler might possess, and it wouldn't be easy finding someone she could trust to help her.
Nyx stood there staring at her mother’s annoyed face, but then her gaze turned back to the bracelet. She really wanted to see what was inside the bracelet and it saddened her that she probably wouldn't find out until her mother found someone to do it.
Terra was pondering about how to go about with the situation when Nyx came up to her and asked to hold the bracelet. Terra wanting to let her sate her own interested didn’t stop her, and just as Nyx touched the bracelet something Terra would have never expected to happen occurred. The moment they made contact, the mana around the bracelet became agitated and produced a reaction with Nyx’s own dormant mana. The deep violet began crawling up Nyx’s arm as it eventually completely spread all over her petite body.
Eventually, once she was covered in the deep violet, other colors began to emit from her mana. From white to black a wide array of colors began swirling around her. Nyx’s mother was beyond astonished, she had never seen anything like what was transpiring before her. Her daughter's dormant mana had been awakened days before Nyx’s twelfth birthday, but that wasn’t even the most amazing part. The fact that Terra could count thirteen different colors in the aura covering her daughter’s form could only mean one thing, Nyx’s soul contained all of the main attributes. This was an unprecedented event.
Nyx began laughing, as she felt all the different attributes flow over her. As she looked at herself and counted the thirteen different colors she noticed how some took up more space than others. Five of them took up over 80% of her body while the remaining eight were spread around. This indicated which of the attributes Nyx was most in tuned with.
Terra slowly overcame her shock, but then a powerful sense of jubilation overtook her body as she grabbed her petite daughter, and swung her around laughing in ecstasy. “Oh my beautiful, cute, amazing, brilliant girl, you're going to do amazing things in your life, and no one in the world would dare say otherwise if they saw you now!” Terra could barely contain her happiness. As a mother, she could feel safe knowing that with a little of her guidance, and Nyx’s own hard work she could become an extremely powerful mage with this ability of hers.
Nyx’s face was a deep crimson as she felt the heat all over her face. While she loved being spoiled by her mother, what had just occurred was would make anyone feel just a tad bit embarrassed. As her mother explained to her what was happening Nyx excitement reached the previous fervor of earlier. She understood that being able to access all the attributes meant that she could cast just about any spell that existed if she was able to learn it.
“This must be your arete, though if you're lucky it's probably one of its passives. Try, and see if you can already access your profile screen.” Terra was hoping that Nyx had somehow gained access to her screen early since her mana had become active. When wanting to access the character screen usually all the individual would have to do is think about it but for kids that had just turned twelve, they required some more effort so using a small chant inforced the concept of having the screen appear.
“Oh Great Tree of Yggdrasil, show the leaf that is me.” Nyx chanted exactly as her mother had shown her, but unfortunately, all she got was a fuzzy image appearing before her. It seems that even though her mana had already awakened she still couldn't completely access her profile screen.
When Nyx told her mother she sadly couldn't access her screen she responded without missing a beat. “Ah don’t worry Nyx I already expected it, I just wanted to see if anything else had awakened beside your mana. Well, we are just going to have to wait a few more days before we learn what your actual arete is but for now this is good enough.”
The multicolor mana around Nyx didn't go away until she let go of the bracelet. Her mana slowly began diffusing as it sunk into her body making her feel relaxed, but as soon as she took hold of it the same thing occurred once again. It appeared that until Nyx completely awakened, her mana wouldn't be under her control.
This ended up being a useful side effect for Terra since she knew how to control a willing individual's mana. Though this is something only done by healers, and those who are extremely close to you since when someone has control over your mana they could kill you with a simple thought. There was nothing for Nyx to worry about though since her mother would never harm her.
“Ok keep the bracelet in between your hands, I'll begin right now.” Terra put her hands on Nyx’s back and took a hold of Nyx’s mana. This allowed Terra to feel a connection with all the other attributes that she herself didn’t have a connection with. She eventually found the space attribute and began to bring it out.
The aura of mana around Nyx began to shift as A deep violet became the dominant color. Terra focused the mana towards the bracelet and easily gained access to its contents. What she found astounded her. The Bracelet was actually 10x10m, which made it an S storage device at the minimum, but that wasn’t all. She could also feel the effect of time attribute through Nyx in the bracelet probably indicating time passed slower inside, which made it perfect for storing plants and other perishables.
As Terra shifted her mind around she found things such as mana crystals, and metals such as platinum, and small amounts of mithril. This world traveler didn't seem to have brought much of value with him for someone of his capabilities. Either the world he came from lacked resources which Terra doubted, or the individual must not have had the time to gather his resources.
That worried Terra, since usually unless one was running from something they wouldn’t travel so lightly. This made the largest amount of sense to her since it could also explain how he had died here on another world in an underground cave. He must have been wounded and had barely escaped only to find out his wound was fatal.
“What could you have done to have been chased so ruthlessly, Mr. World Traveler.” The thought occupied her mind for a bit before she continued, Nyx’s connection was getting weaker as she slowly ran out of mana. Terra scanned the last area of the ring which was a collection of floating notes and books that were written in a language that couldn't be found on Earth.
As her senses went over an ordinary looking white book, it opened, and its pages suddenly began fluttering at unimaginable speeds, she felt a sharp energy lash from it easily breaking her connection with the bracelet blasting her away from Nyx, and into the wall in the other side of the room.
Nyx saw her mother get launched away, screaming as she dropped the bracelet, and began to rush over to her mother praying that she was ok. She had never seen a human being thrown like a ragdoll and wasn't sure at the condition that she would find her mother in.
The bracelet fell down to the ground but just before it made contact it stopped. A powerful mana fluctuation was emitted from it, and as the power began to build up the chained links of the bracelet started shattering one by one. Eventually, it glowed like a beacon in the dark, and then it exploded. “BOooom!!!” The explosion ended up destroying everything within 10 meters, leaving a smooth sphere-like shape around the blast area. In the middle of the sphere, the sight of a simple white leather book could be seen.
Its pages fluttered as all the attributes of mana roared around it. It just floated there for a few seconds before a colorless pulse of mana was released from it. It quickly went through the entire cave, and soon Nyx who was by her unconscious mother crying felt the mana rush over her.
The moment that occurred the book has found its target turned into a beam of light and was instantly before Nyx floating there with a regal aura. It pages fluttered, and words began to appear on its pages. ‘Child I have searched for millennium, been in the hands of some of thegreatest best magic users the system has ever seen, but this is the first time I’ve encountered someone worthy of my full potential. You may call me the Omni-codex, as my creator named me. From now on you will be my own, and with our full potential we will lay conquest to the rest of existence.’
As Nyx read the lines in the book, a deep and vicious fury overtook her. She swung her arms at the book hoping to knock it away from her and her mother. “Why would I ever help, you hurt my mother! Get out of my sight I don’t want anything to do with you, stupid book!” Hatred towards the book fills her heart. She truly wishes she could tear the book apart, and light it aflame.
The book had easily evaded her attack, and it pages fluttered again as words began appearing on its surface. ‘Unfortunately for you child, it's not your decision. You will accept me, and eventually realize how much of a boon I am. As for your mother, she will be fine, I have been dormant for a long time, and as she scanned me using your mana I awoke. She will regain consciousness in a while, in the meantime, I shall now commence the bonding.’
Nyx screamed as she felt herself rise into the air, as though an invisible force was lifting her. She pulled out the ward her mother had given her earlier but it was instantly reduced to ash. Terror was all that coursed through Nyx’s body as she was brought up 2.5 meters into the air right before the book. Its pages flipped faster than Nyx’s mind could comprehend.
The book release a small burst of mana giving Nyx a small cut on her palm. She couldn’t resist at all as it siphoned the blood from her bleeding palm. The crimson stream floated, and then made its way over to the surface of the book slowly. The surface of the book slowly absorbed it, and words once again rose on its pages, but this time they were written in what could only be Nyx’s blood.
‘I the Omni-Codex shall be at the service of you child. Regardless of your opinion, we will strive for a future where even those that call themselves Gods would have to bow before our presence. No matter what happens from this moment onwards our souls are tied, we are part of each other now and we will forever be two sides of the same coin. Together forever we are bonded.’
Agony beyond anything the young Nyx had ever experienced fill her mind, and soul. To her, it felt as though her mind was cracking, and beginning to shatter as her soul was slowly torn in two. She couldn’t remain awake, and within seconds the sweet relief of her subconscious overtook her.
As she hung there in the air, eventually the bonding concluded, and both the book and the unconscious Nyx slowly began to descend towards the ground. Ever so lightly the book released her from its hold so she didn’t hit the ground too hard. A bright light could be seen from the palm of her hand. The Omi-Codex then turned into a whisp and entered the small book tattoo that now existed on Nyx’s palm. Its job was done for now, and all of its reserves were empty. A rest was all it needed now.
As the mana in the cave went back to its ordinary state, a heavy silence was all that existed now. Only the soft patter of water dripping down could be heard as peace returned to the cave. For the next five hours it silence was dominant until a soft moan escaped the lips of Terra on the other side of the cave.
Her mind was fuzzy and unresponsive. She had no idea as to where she was. As Terra began to slowly regain her bearing, and remember where she was a panic overtook her. “NYX!” Her raspy voice yelled as she remembered where she was. She dug into her bag, and pulled out a very expensive elixir that both healed, and cleansed the mind. Half the elixir was down her throat within seconds, and she quickly began gaining back full control over her body.
She rose at an amazing speed and then pushed out with her mana targeting all the earth around her to be repelled away so she could quickly find Nyx. The cave went from having stalagmites, and stalactites in its entirety to a flat round room. Nyx’s unconscious body was spotted quickly, Terra was before her daughter in an instant pouring the elixir in her mouth hoping that nothing had happened to her. Terra’s heart was on the verge of shattering, but thankfully Nyx’s started coughing up some of the elixirs.
Dull green eyes stared into Terra own vivid ones. “Mom….i'm tired… can you take me to my bed?” The softest of whispers escaped Nyx’s mouth, which was followed by her falling unconscious once more.
“Of course sweetie, I’ll tuck you in real soon so just relax ok.” Tears were streaming down Terra's face as she huged her daughter. She wasn’t sure what had happened since she passed out but for now, she knew she had to get home and deal with the issue once Nyx was safe.
One Week Later
It has been a week since the incident at Acadia’s forest, and Terra was in an extremely distressed mood. Having returned home with her daughter Nyx, tears streaming down her face, Terra place the small unconscious body on her bed and began using different elixirs in small quantities on Nyx in order to figure out what had occurred to her. She quickly came to the conclusion that it had something to do with Nyx’s soul. Since she herself wasn’t as experience with the soul, she made a call on her Vox, got a close old friend of hers to come to her residence to diagnose Nyx’s condition. Due to her friend's current location even with teleporters not being uncommon it still took a week for him to arrive. That week ended up being nothing but tension, and anxiety for Terra.
Terra did at least find solace in the fact that Colton was never late to any meeting he made. Exactly on the dawn of the 7th day, Terra heard a knock on the door and rushed to open it. There she saw a large dark skinned man around 210cm tall. His head shone in the morning light, though bald his face was one of a youth. His size might lead one to assume him to be a warrior, but they couldn’t be farther from the truth. Colton was a Healer that specialized on the soul. His actual battle prowess was quite low compared to his peers but as a healer, he could be considered one of the top 50 in the world.
The moment she made eye contact with him the tears that she had held back with pure willpower began to flow down her face, and she hugged her longtime friend. “Thank you so much Colt! I knew you were busy in the Himalayas but there was no one else that could help me!” Terra’s distressed voice shocked Colton. Though he knew his reason for the visit, he had never seen the normally strong-willed Terra in such a state, in the 40 years that they had known each other.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Do not fret so much Ter I’ll fix up Nyx, and leave her soul stronger than before,” Colton reassures Terra in a soft, and soothing voice that didn’t match his size. Giving her a squeeze back, and Colten made his way into the house, which was in a state of disaster seeing as Terra couldn’t be bothered to clean up the messes she has made in the last week.
Colton made it to the bedroom that belonged to Terra, and slowly opened the door, and hunched to enter the room. The sight of a young girl entered his eyes. The once beautiful golden curls were gone, replaced with an even more stunning platinum white. She was extremely peaceful as she laid there in bed. Terra quickly entered after Colton and stood by the bed her hand grasping onto one of Nyx’s own.
“So Ter, how did this happen?” Colton asked as he prepared himself. Terra quickly gave Colton a brief explanation of what had transpired in the Acadia forest from Nyx’s discovery of the spirits den to the point where she was knocked out. She left nothing out.
Colten sat down beside the bed Nyx slept on, took a deep breath, and exhaled. A bright green gas seeped out of his mouth and condensed around his hands forming what looked like gloves. This was a technique that was part of his arete and made him so adept with handling the soul. He steadily put his hands over Nyx’s heart and her head then suddenly pushed down. With his massive hands the petite girl would normally be crushed from such an action but what actually ended up happening is that Colton's hands seemed to phase through, and wrap around Nyx’s soul. The soul having the strongest connection to these two organs provided Colten with a doorway to Nyx’s own soul.
Once contact was made, Colton was able to slowly sense Nyx’s soul, and what he found stunned him so strongly his mind soared into the sky for a brief moment. The most beautiful soul he had ever sensed lay before him. He could feel all the 13 main attributes revolving around it slowly as strands of the wisps made contact and were absorbed visible strengthening the soul before his eyes. As Terra saw his face go wide with surprise she tensed up fearing the worst, but this didn’t go unnoticed by Colten who quickly reassured her everything was fine but explained what he had sensed to Terra.
“This phenomenon within her soul most likely has to do with her arete. How long has it been since she turned twelve?” Colton was curious about Nyx’s arete, but unless you were extremely close it was considered impolite to ask for information on such a matter.
“Her waking isn’t for another three days Colton, she awakened her mana but not her connection to the system, and I fear it might be what's inducing this coma.” This is all Terra has been thinking about for the last few days. Her joy at her daughter's arete quickly shriveled up as she began to wish that Nyx’s could just have an average ability if it meant that she could wake up.
While Colten hadn’t expected another surprise like this his reaction did not show on his face like before, but the fascination at such a unique event got the researcher in him wanting to study Nyx’s condition for more than just healing. This could lead to a breakthrough for his healing skills that had begun to stagnate recently. While his prime objective was still to help Nyx and calm down Terra he would be a fool to ignore this opportunity.
“Well Terra I will begin a deeper scanning of Nyx’s soul so for the next few minutes I will become unresponsive.” Colton closed his eyes as he began to strengthen the connection. The world around him began to fade as all he could see was 3 souls around his vicinity. Terra’s deep amber, his own brilliant green, and his main focus Nyx’s iridescent soul.
More details pertaining to Nyx’s soul were revealed to his him as his focus intensified. He had to figure out what exactly was causing the coma, and as to whether, or not it had to do with the partial awakening. While the center of most souls ranged from all sorts of uneven shapes, Nyx’s own was a perfect sphere without any imperfections. This was something that was rarely heard of let alone seen.
Having past the first 2 layers of the soul, the umbra, and the centrum Colton went deeper until he could sense the third, and deepest layer of the soul that was currently understood, the semita, the pathways of the soul. If Colton could still feel his body what he found would have left him terrified. The presence of an unimaginably large soul could felt as it wrapped itself around that pathway of Nyx’s soul.
Colton could feel the connection this soul had to Nyx’s own. The young girl's soul struggles meekly as the more powerful soul remained unmoving as a mountain. This is what was most likely causing Nyx’s coma, but how could he even fix something like this when the Outsider had such a powerful soul.
Not wanting to get noticed by the larger soul, and get attacked Colton approached slowly as he examined the pathways of Nyx’s soul. Her blood pathway only had 3 thin paths indicating that she only had 3 direct relatives alive. He then shifted his attention to the next path of her soul the Attribute pathway. It was through this that different attributes could influence the soul and its strength. This pathway glowed like a rainbow as the connection to all the attributes could be seen.
Now beside the pathway connected to the outsider soul, all of the other pathways were undeveloped since Nyx was only an unawakened child. Seeing no issue with the rest of the soul here Colton began his dangerous attempt at studying the last pathway.
The presence of the outsider soul was suffocating as it pressed down on Colton's mind. It wasn't yet conscious of his intrusion but that could change at any moment. Forcing himself closer he was at last able to get a proper look at the pathway. This was the moment, and even Colton’s own humble ego was shattered. Today he had experienced surprise after surprise, but this made him completely question himself for having thought he deeply understood the soul.
The pathway the outsider soul was using to connect to Nyx’s own soul was the bonding pathway. This told Colton the outsider soul wasn’t even a human, but an object with its own soul. But that wasn’t the end of it because he could now easily see that Nyx hadn’t been willing so the outsider soul forcefully bonded itself leading to this horrifying existence where one soul was at the mercy of another.
It was then that Colton discovered what was truly causing Nyx’s coma. The outsider soul was pumping massive amounts of mana into Nyx’s own soul then waiting for it to absorb it before it ruthlessly filled it up again. He had never thought something like this was possible but seeing this showed him that the soul’s possibilities have many secrets still waiting to be discovered.
The cycle of mana infusion was likely too painful for a such a young child to be conscious for, which is why Nyx’s soul was subconsciously keeping her in the coma to prevent trauma. What the outsider's soul was trying to achieve by strengthening Nyx’s soul in such a dangerous manner was beyond him. All he knew was that until the outsider decided to stop there was nothing he could do to help Nyx, which he knew when he told Terra would devastate her.
Feeling that he had done as much as he could, Colton's sense began to recede, and return to himself when all of a sudden he felt a burning pain from his soul. The outsider soul had noticed his presence and was trying to consume his soul. Never in his life had he experienced such a powerful soul attack. There was no warning or time to prepare defenses, just a violent, and vicious attack.
This could be the end for Colton if he held anything back so without a care for his lifespan Colton purposely ignited his soul to experience a sudden burst of power within his soul, and while it wasn’t nearly enough to fight back against the Outsider Colton could now escape the connection he had made forcefully tearing himself away causing both damages to his mind, and soul.
While all this was happening Terra’s gaze never left her daughter or Colton's connection. It had been a few minutes when she saw Colton tense up and then suddenly pull out his hand from Nyx. His breathing was now rough and his nose was bleeding from both nostrils. The massive man looked terrified, and couldn’t think straight after the self-inflicted damage from the escape.
Terra swiftly reacted, as she grabbed Colton, and tried to ask him was he was going on. “Colt, what happened!” The worry thick in her voice. The only time she had ever seen individuals like this was from those who suffered soul, and mental damage. This terrified her because she understood how skilled Colton was when it came to the soul, and for something to leave him like this it must have been unbelievably dangerous.
She grabbed the chair and forced him to sit down. His mind was unfocused and unresponsive. Not knowing what else to do Terra once again went and got one of her emergency Elixirs, and fed the entire flask to Colton. It wasn’t until it was empty that Colton's stiff body and jaw began to relax. He slowly settled into the chair and then his mouth opened. A stream of blood flowed down his jaw, and onto his white robes. The shock had caused him to bite down straight through his tongue leaving him unable to talk until it completely healed.
The situation was dire for Terra. Her daughter was still in a coma, and her close friend was now severely hurt mentally, and physically. No answers had been found, and now only more questions for her rapidly deteriorating mind to crack under. If it wasn’t for her willpower she would have gone mad right then and there.
She did some of her breathing exercises to temporarily calm herself down. She needed to make a more specialized Elixir to speed up the recovery of Colton’s mind and tongue, and she wouldn't be able to do it while hysterical. She double checked on Nyx’s, and Colton's conditions before she set out to gather the ingredients she was missing. Before leaving though she set up her most powerful wards at her disposal, created a 3 story tall stone golem that would remain behind and, defend the home from any intruders. It consumed over 40% of Terra's mana an hour to sustain it but was in no mood to preserve the forest and she would damage it if it meant she could gain the ingredients she required faster. Five minutes rolled by after Terra left when in her bedroom soft movement from the bed could be seen.
Nyx was stirring, but the displeased smile on the face showed that she was struggling with something. This went on for awhile before Nyx went completely still. Then all of a sudden her eyes open suddenly with a strange sight. Her once bright emerald eyes were shifting from color to color. It went on like this for a while before it finally settled on a stunning grey.
Nyx’s slowly rose from the bed as the platinum white hair, and grey eyes on an emotionless face provided an eerie yet beautiful sight. The young Nyx slowly began floating up from her bed and made her way over to the unconscious Colton. The aura she emitted was both regal, and powerful as though she was a queen taking a stroll through her kingdom. As she stopped before him she waved her hand and forceful woke Colton, even going as far as to heal him enough to become lucid again. As Colton stared at the levitating girl he knew that this wasn’t Nyx before him.
Nyx’s body rubbed her throat and then spoke. “Meddling soul-mage, this is what happens when you try to interfere. I have shown you mercy because of your connection to this child mother, so be grateful. Now onto business.” The cold voice that emerged from the young Nyx felt primal to Colton as he realized he was before something truly ancient.
The being controlling Nyx’s body suddenly shoved its hand into Colton but like his own ability it was nonphysical and the hand seemed to phase into his head. “Unfortunately you know too much so to retain secrecy I must wipe your mind of the more recent memories, this one included.” Colton was terrified, a being more powerful than anything he's ever seen was about to wipe his mind, and there was nothing he could do to resist. He also worried about the poor Nyx who seemed to be possessed by the soul she bonded with. Then there was Terra, she would live with this being not being the wiser. Tears began flowing down his face before everything went blank, and he fell unconscious once more.
The Omni-codex that was currently controlling Nyx’s body slowly made its way back to the bed. It now realized that a week might have been excessive for the young girl's soul. This inexperience when dealing with younger, much less powerful individual made it forget that children couldn't receive the same amount of training as adults. Deciding it had done enough enhancing for Nyx’s soul it chose to let her awaken from the slumber, and regain control of her body. He had already instructed her subconscious not to inform others of its presence otherwise it wouldn’t be merciful anymore. The subconscious Nyx had responded with venomous acceptance. She wasn’t happy with the book fusing their souls together and controlling her but she wouldn’t put her mother's life at risk.
The Omni-codex set Nyx’s body exactly how it was before it moved, and slowly let go of its connection to the body. Now that it had stopped pumping mana into Nyx’s soul the connection could be established within a few hours, and then Nyx would be able to break the coma.
As 2 hours passed by the doors were open suddenly, as Terra made her way through the room holding two different Elixirs in hand. She rushed to Colton and tilted his massive frame upwards so she could feed him the elixirs. Once he had consumed both of them a few minutes passed and then his pale ashy face became normal once more. Sweat could be seen on his forehead as he slowly gained his bearings once more.
“Uhhhhh where am I.” His eyes fluttered all over the room trying to understand what was going on. Terra seeing him regain his lucidity was ecstatic. She would finally get some answers. She patiently waited for Colton to become fully aware before asking him anything. Eventually, Colton spoke once more.
“What happened Ter? All I can remember is sitting down to examine Nyx then everything's blank.” Coltons voice was troubled, he’s never had white spots in his memory before.
Terra’s world seemed to finally shatter at Colton's words. She wouldn't be getting any answers and her daughter might forever remain in a coma. Despair surged within her heart as she collapsed on the floor. The earth outside began to shake, quake as Terra in her despair began releasing her emotion through her mana. Emotions were a powerful force when used with an attribute, and while no real control could be held the amount of power shown could be multiple time higher than the individual's ability.
Terra was losing control, and the land miles around them was beginning to shatter and fold in on itself. It looked like the end of the world was descending. If it wasn't because the house was made of a very solid magical stone it might have already collapsed on them. Colton seeing how Terra had lost control was about to try, and calm her down before he, and Terra both heard a ruffle from the bed.
All of a sudden the earthquakes, stopped as Terra stared towards the bed where she saw the eyes of her daughter flutter before opening. When she had seen Nyx’s hair turn white she was worried that it was the stress caused to her mind, and soul, and she could understand that, but when Nyx opened her eyes what she saw made no sense to her. The once vibrant emerald eyes that they both shared were gone. In its place was a pair of eyes that were arctic grey, a sharp, strong color.
The eyes were unstable at first but once they focused they landed on Terra who was on the floor, with her bloodshot eyes, and unkempt appearance. A tremor ran through Terra's spine, as the sharp cold eyes landed on her. Terra couldn’t keep going through all these mood swings, nothing made sense to her. She was about to start crying because she thought that her daughter hated her now after what had happened.
It was at that moment that Nyx spoke up. “Mom, what are you doing on the floor? You look as though you fought a tornado won then had to fight a hurricane.” Hearing this Terra looked back to Nyx’s face, and this time saw the face of her daughter from a week ago. The eyes were emerald green again and full of warmth, and while the hair color remained unchanged it didn’t take away from the sight that Terra so desperately needed.
Terra practically teleported before her daughter and gave her one of the tightest hugs she could manage without hurting Nyx. Tears ran down her face and soaked Nyx’s shoulder. “My baby is finally awake, you can’t even begin to comprehend how you've made me feel this last week.” The floodgates were open now and Terra showed no indication of stopping anytime soon.
While everything seemed to have fixed itself, Colton couldn’t help and feel like something wasn’t right. He couldn’t remember what he had seen in Nyx’s soul so he wasn’t even sure if it was him who fixed this issue or if it resolved on its own. Then there was the issue of what had caused him to lose his memory. He wasn't about to ruin Terra's moment with her daughter so he just stood back and smiled happy that at least Terra could return to the strong willful person he knew. It was as he was glancing at the pair when he felt a deep chill in his bones. Trying to figure out what was going on his looked all around the room, and then saw what was causing it. Nyx was staring at him over her mother's shoulder her eyes becoming arctic grey once more. While there wasn’t any hostility from the stare Colton could feel a deep fear in his heart because of those eye’s and he couldn’t explain why it was happening.
He chose to exit the room and leave the mother, and daughter alone, but at the same time, he just wanted to leave the room. Laughable really how a 142cm ” young girl was making him a 210cm tall giant quake in his boots.
The pair remained in the room talking about what had happened during the last week. When Terra asked if Nyx knew what have could have caused the coma, Nyx replied with what the Omi-codex told her. She told Terra that she thinks it was because she awakened her mana early before her soul could handle it. While Terra had asked her, for the most part, she didn’t really care anymore just happy that Nyx was awake and healthy once more.
Eventually, the two stopped hugging, and Terra kissed Nyx on the forehead and told her to go to sleep and get some none coma rest. Terra made herself out of the room and found Colton on the sofa in the living room. His huge stature making the sofa look like a child's accessory. Before even speaking she went up to him and hugged him so hard she lifted him off the ground a cracking could be heard from his back. “Ooof Terrraaa, I can’t breathe.” The massive man was like a toy to Terra who lifted him without an issue and literally left him breathless with her strength.
“Haha, Colt I will never forget what you have done for me today. I’ve always considered you to be like a little brother to me but today you are officially my younger brother and I won't take no as an answer. You will be a great uncle for Nyx whenever you're around, and I will make you a permanent room in our home.” Terra was back to her old self and was overjoyed that everything was ok now. Besides the sight of a 175cm” woman swinging around a 210cm tall man, hearing Terra’s comment about him being the little brother made him sigh internally, but the amount of emotion in her voice made it impossible for him to resist. And while he did hold some form unexplainable fear towards Nyx he’s sure that it’ll go away eventually. He must not be feeling himself after the whiteout in his mind.
“I’d be glad to join your humble family…. Big Sis.” Colton found himself saying the extra words to tease Terra but she quickly locked on and turned it on him. “Do not worry little bro, I know as a healer focus others might decide to bully you but don't worry big sis will deal with all of them. Having had the tables turn on him so hard Colton couldn't do anything besides having his face warm up from embarrassment. They continued to exchange pleasantries and banter for a couple of hours before they both went to bed. It had been a hair pulling day for everyone, but everything had been solved in the end.
In Terra’s bedroom, Nyx could be seen staring at her hair and slowly stroking it. She had experienced hell for the last week while unconscious. While the pain wasn't as severe while being awake the pain of having your soul stretched and inflated was not pleasant. The entire first day was Nyx screaming in her inner space because of the pain. It went on like this until the fourth day when she finally got used to it. The pain was a constant for Nyx so she had to get used to it otherwise she’d have gone mad.
This experience made the young Nyx mature years in advance. During the week the Omni-Codex had transferred information over the bond. The Codex had taught her a lot of basic information she would need in the future, and while she resented the Codex, and didn't want anything to do with it, she did realize that it was information she would eventually learn anyway. Another thing she learned from the Codex though was information about other worlds. This was the major reason as to why she stopped completely resisting the book. The passion still existed in her even if it was now replaced with an even larger one. Her new goal in life was the eventual extermination of the damned book once she was strong enough. Until then she would make full use of it to accomplish her other goals.
The once cheerful girl was for the most part gone. Besides for her mother, her emerald eyes wouldn't be seen by others. At any other moment, only the cold arctic grey eyes would shown to the rest of the world. The book had also taught her one more major lesson even if it didn’t realize it. The weak will always be stepped on by the strong. This made her make a promise to herself that she will never again be the weak before the strong. For her future, this was the only option, and with that, the journey for power began for the young Nyx Techne.
Present day August 23, 2225/Deep within the Acadia forest
A bone shattering chill permeated the surrounding area. The trees had frost all over their surface, and the normally loud insects were dead silent having been frozen solid. A dozen wind wolves could be seen, in the area but they weren't moving. In fact, they weren't even breathing. Ice covered them from head to paws. Ice sculpture's were all that was left from this once mighty pack of wolves.
As to what could have caused such an execution you wouldn't have to look very far because in the middle of all the dead wolves a beauty that would make even goddesses jealous, levitating on the air like an angel. Her platinum white hair reached all the way down to her backside like a curtain of fine silk, reflecting the sunlight in the area. Skin that would be considered deathly pale on others only seemed to enhanced her ethereal beauty. She stood at 180cm with curves so well proportioned it wouldn't be wrong to say that too many she was perfect. All this would attract any man but the moment she stared at them with those cold sharp arctic grey eyes, any thoughts of getting close to this woman would be dashed with the hostility that her gaze held.
This young woman was the now grown Nyx, and she was doing some training before leaving for her first day at the academy. The Omni-codex had wanted to test her capabilities since once they reached the academy it wouldn’t be able to exert its power because of the chance of discovery. So unless it was life threatening situation the codex would refuse help Nyx. Hence the training was set up to test her to the limits with the codex always being there to step in only if a powerful beast showed up.
With these lessons including her mother's lessons on alchemy, and witchery. Nyx had done nothing but train for the last 6 years, making her capabilities far and beyond what her average peers could accomplish. It was as the Codex said, she was simply superior.
Nyx was at the moment resting up after having expended a majority of her mana to cast her largest spell Ice age. It was her first success with it and she was quite proud of herself. Casting such a powerful spell was no easy matter and even those a few years older would be hard pressed to cast such a devastating spell to freeze everything within 100 meters.
Now that she was well rested she decided to gather the materials. A bright flash came out from her palm as a white leather book came out. It floated there as it simply fluttered its pages then began turning the frozen sculptures into light as they began to appear on a page in the book. This was the codex’s storage option, and from what Nyx had found out it didn’t seem to have a limit, and time flowed at a 1000th of the regular speed while inside. This made it a great place for storing ingredients for alchemy, and necromancy, as well as foods.
After having gathered all the dead wolves Nyx set up a small teleportation formation to return home. Different from a regular teleport, this formation provided a lot more range and saved time and mana. Recalling the Omni-codex without a word Nyx activated the formation and disappeared from the winter wonderland she had created.
The teleport coordinates were set to drop her off in front of her home. She couldn’t bear the thought of leaving before saying her goodbyes to her mother. As she materialized out of the air she found herself face to face with Colton. Ever since her mother made him an honorary family member, Colton spent his off time at her home. This actually was a good thing though since she at least felt happy that Terra wouldn't be all alone while she was at the academy.
“Oh Nyx ready for the beginning of your new life? Oh, the memories this brings back from when Ter, and I attended the academy with our friends.” Nostalgia laced Colton's voice as he thought back to the past.
“Sounds interesting Uncle Colt, you’ll have to tell me more when I return for the holidays.” Nyx wasn’t really that interested and she didn’t want to stick around and chat too long, she had 15 minutes before she had to leave. So after saying goodbyes to Colton, Nyx went indoors to find her mother.
As she strolled her home she eventually found Terra within study/alchemy room. Terra was hunched over a chest in that Nyx had never seen before. Curious as to what her mother was doing she silently made her way over. She hadn’t moved more than 3 feet when her mother spoke to her. “Tsk tsk what have I told you about sneaking about? You should know I felt your tremors from the moment you entered the house, YES here it is.” Terra then pulled out what anyone could identify as a witches hat. It was a solid black color that seemed to absorb the light in the air and was simple in design She then closed the trunk and snapped her fingers as it blinked out of existence.
‘That must be her treasure deposit’ Nyx new her mother had a few secrets she still didn’t feel like informing her daughter about so she wouldn’t pry especially considering the secrets she herself carried. “Oh, my beautiful daughter is finally becoming a fully fledged adult.” While Terra’s eyes were a bit misty Nyx had never seen her mother cry again since the incident 4 years ago.
“I've prepared you this C- rank spacial bag for your use at the academy. While its storage isn’t anything large it's got plenty for emergency supplies, and your basic alchemy kit already packed.” Though Nyx didn’t need the storage bag because of the codex she still gladly accepted the gift her mother gave her. “Next we’ve got this witch's hat that belonged to your great-grandmother the first witch of our line of Techne. It was a gift that the system gave her for becoming one of the first witches. It won't give you any stats but it will will be a great medium for you to use when casting spells.
Nyx happily accepted the witches hat from her mother. While she knew the bonus it would provide would be subpar she still appreciated the gift and planned to use it to hid her face since she was going to eventually buy a mask anyway to reduce the stares she received. Last time she went to a gathering of alchemists she could feel dozens of eyes on her, and while she could ignore them it still annoyed her.
Terra took the Witch's hat and ceremoniously put on the hat on Nyx’s head. It was at this instant that soft ding went off in Nyx’s mind.
The Title APPRENTICE WITCH has been upgraded to WITCH. +10 To INT, and WIS. Using A Witches hat as a medium will increase the effect of Hex related spells.
Nyx was pleasantly surprised at the improvement. Her mother had never told her how to improve the title and she had always just expected it to eventually upgrade on its own once she reached a certain proficiency. “I really appreciate it, Mom.” The vibrant emerald eyes looked into her mother's own as they eventually hugged.
“They're not much to tell you besides please do be careful at the academy. While I am confident in your skills that only applies to the new first years. Older individuals could really be a problem if you're not careful. Terra warned Nyx as she let go of her and gave her small kiss on the forehead.
“Stay safe, and make some friends. They might help you begin to talk more, I do so miss how chatty you use to be.” This was one of the things that became part of who Nyx was 4 years ago. Unless necessary she usually just nodded her head or shook it while in a conversion. She just didn't feel the need to talk anymore than was absolutely necessary.
“Yes mom I’ll try my best, but I can’t promise anything.” The mother daughter pair eventually parted ways as Nyx set up the Teleport formation to the parameters the academy had sent them. It wasn't long before Nyx felt the space attribute mana around her begin to erupt, so she gave her mother one last look, and disappear. Nyx Techne was coming, and she would make sure that her name would resonate throughout the academy for decades to come.
Name: Nyx Techne
Current Condition
Arete:
Child of Mana
Cultivation Method:
Grasp Omnipotence
Spells
Martial Moves
Affinities
Titles
Bonded ItemSkills:
OmniCodex
Level:0
Current Health:100%
Primal Attribute
One with Mana
Shadow Lock-B
Telekinesis
D+
Darkness Rank B+
Witch
Omni-Storage
Species: Human
Current Stamina:82%
Supreme Psyche
Raise Minor Dead-B
Basic zUnarmed Combat F-
Death Rank C+
Omni-Codex Wielder
Takeover
Sex: Female
Current Mana:67%
Minor Teleport-A
Water Rank C+
Spell Enhancement
Cultivation:Mortal Realm LvL 9
Current Regen /m:
Hp/0.144 Sp/0.025 Mp/0.350
Minor Hex- A
Order Rank D-
Spell Copy
Buffs/Debuffs: None
Ice Spike-C-
Space Rank D-
StatusPeek
State of Mind: Unstable
Water Stream-A+
Ice
Rank D-
Ice Age-
F+
Every other Attribute Rank F
Base Stats
STR: 25
AGI: 25
END: 25
LCK:Hidden
WIL: 75
WIS: 450
VIT: 144
INT: 350
PER: 200