Nox surfaced slowly from the dark, a dull ache throbbing behind his eyes. His body felt heavy, wrapped in warmth and the faint smell of old wood.Above him, ceiling beams loomed, aged, dark, and strangely familiar. For a dazed moment, he thought he recognized them. The roof looked just like the one from the house he grew up in, the same roof he opened his eyes to every morning.A shaky breath left his lips.So it was all a dream, then. The fire. The beasts. The red-haired man.Maybe it was just a nightmare.He almost let himself believe it. Almost.Then a loud clang shattered the illusion.A bucket hit the wooden floor beside him, water spilling cold against his side. Nox jerked, and the fog in his mind burned away. The memories came back sharp and merciless, the flames, the claws, his mother’s silver hair clenched in that bastard’s fist.His chest tightened until it hurt. He turned his head.Juro sat on the floor nearby, shirt torn and chest bandaged, his trembling hands reaching fo

Nox and Juro tore into the food like starving wolves."This is the best meal of my life," Nox mumbled, drooling even though his stomach was already full."What are you on about? It's just rabbit stew." Juro bit into his apple with a loud crunch."I don't care. It's divine." Nox licked his plate clean, then eyed Raizen, who sat a few meters away, his back against a tree, looking like a tired old man.Without warning, Nox stood up, eyes blazing."Where are you going?" Juro asked, grabbing his collar, but Nox brushed him off and marched toward Raizen with a glare.Juro sighed and settled down to watch. Well, this should be good.Nox stopped in front of Raizen and snapped his fingers twice. "Hey, old man, what was that today? Were you trying to kill us, or is that your idea of training now?"Raizen cracked one eye open. "You sure talk a lot for someone who almost fainted mid-run.""Fainted?! I almost died!" Nox shouted.From behind, Juro loudly bit into his apple again. Nox shot him a gla

Nox launched forward at blistering speed, barely in control.WHAM! His fist smashed toward Raizen.CLANG! Raizen blocked with the flat of his sword. For a heartbeat their eyes locked. "Move!" Juro's shout cut through the clash.Nox twisted left just in timeJuro's sudden strike closed in. Raizen turned, lightning exploding from his blade.BOOOOM! The two forces collided, scattering dust and rock in a shockwave.But Nox was already clinging low to the ground like a lizard. In one motion he vaulted upward, strings of raw instinct pulling him. A blade clamped in his teeth, another in his left hand, his right fist cocked back,three threats all at once.Raizen's eyes narrowed. From watching Nox he knew he was ambidextrous, each attack could land with lethal weight. Which one would it be?Then he caught Juro hurling down at terrifying speed from above. His back pressed against the wall of the crater."Tch… fine. I'll blow you both away!"KRAKOOOM! Thunder ripped the air, blasting them acro

The forty seconds were up.But Raizen still didn't move an inch."What the hell is he waiting for,I thought he said forty seconds."Nox's grin slowly faded, the devil's own smile only stretched wider.It raised its hand toward Nox.Nox had neither the energy nor the will to lift even the smallest muscle.So this is it?I'm really going to die like this, without finding out if my mother's alive or dead, without making that red haired bastard pay?His heartbeat thundered in his chest, louder than war drums, as death loomed over him.The beast's fist came down.Nox shut his eyes, bracing for the inevitable.Thud.But the impact never came.He snapped his eyes open, the monster's arm was severed, cut clean off before it could touch him.It roared and swung again, another slice, its limb split apart mid strike as if carved by an unseen blade.Raizen? No, he craned his neck, desperate to glimpse behind the monster. Raizen still stood motionless, eyes closed, as though in deep meditation.Th

Nox dreamt of eating Raizen's rabbit stew. Not that he would ever admit it was delicious, but the smell was vivid, almost intoxicating.He slowly opened his eyes to a familiar roof, one he had stared at before in this very position. This time there were differences, his body wasn't in pain, and a soft noise came from his left side.Turning, he saw Juro sleeping soundly, the morning sun slipping through the cracks of the wall and bathing his face in a golden glow.But something else was different. The smell of Raizen's rabbit stew. Turns out, it wasn't just a dream.Determined to get to the bottom of this, Nox staggered upright, tired but resolute, and made his way to the living room. There, by the fireplace, sat a steaming bowl of stew.No Raizen. No Juro. Just the stew, sitting majestically as though waiting for him.Nox's eyes darted left and right, but the house was empty. At the center, that bowl of deliciousness called to him. He approached, finding an entire pot simmering on the