Beginning Of A New Life

Nox's memories were hazy. They came and went often, occasionally showing him glimpses of his early life on Earth. The majority of his memories though were pertaining to general knowledge and the like. Anything about his personal life seemed to leave his head as quick as it came, like a dream. His new, immature mind struggled to endure the stress it was under without being exhausted.

Most of his time in the first few months was spent sleeping. Every bone in his body seemed to scream for sleep leaving little time for much else. For the few brief moments that he could remain awake, he spent them puzzling out what was happening.

He could clearly remember that he had lived another life before although he struggled to remember what had happened in it exactly. He knew that he had been born to loving parents but that they had gone away for some reason.

When trying to remember his past life proved futile, he focussed on the new place he found himself in.

His new home was extremely big, bigger than anything he could ever remember seeing. A giant of a woman carried him around often and explained things to him. He could only assume this was his new mother. He found her appearance very warm and relaxing, but something about it made him feel hurt, though he couldn't understand why.

Regardless, their journeys together let Nox discern that his new home was a castle of some sorts. There were countless rooms that he saw along the way. Grand banquet halls that could accommodate hundreds of people. Opulent bedrooms with huge beds that were only meant for one or two people. A bustling kitchen full of servants running here and there carrying with them plates full of delicious smelling food. The servants would bow to his mother in passing and give him a wide smile which he reciprocated.

Finally, his mother took him to the largest room in the castle: the throne room. This room was largely empty space, but that only accentuated the prominent few features. Several crimson-red tapestries draped from the ceiling bearing the symbol of a sword with large wings fanned out. Towering columns of stone supported the high ceiling and lined the red carpet that approached the room's centrepiece. An imposing black and red throne, easily four meters tall stood solitary at the end of the path. It appeared to be carved from a colossal black boulder and was embedded with swords, giving off a menacing aura.

"That's where your daddy sits when he has to look scary," the woman chuckled as she wagged her finger towards Nox's mouth.

"Hopefully he'll be back soon. He's headed to the neighbouring region to help out his friend. They're really struggling over there, unlike us, since daddy is super strong" her smile brightening the room.

Nox also smiled at the words. He didn't really understand what she said, but her tone gave away that it was something to be happy about. Soon after though, he released a long yawn, and his eyes began to get a little teary.

"Looks like we'll have to put you to bed little man" his mother giggled pleasantly.

- - - - -

"so this word is said..." a wizened old man in his sixties taught as his finger traced a page in front of him.

"I know, I know already. It's said 'golden'. The sentence is 'Until eventually, a golden spark emerged from nowhere'. This is too easy. Haven't you got anything else?" a young boy around three years old pleaded.

Sighing, the man glared at the boy as he massaged his temples. This kid would be the death of him.

The man's name was Leonard, and he'd been asked by Lord Clark to tutor his son in all of the basic proficiencies: language, writing, mathematics, etc. He had tutored Nox for around two years now, and with each day that he did, he felt his pride take a hit.

The boy was only three years old and yet he could read, write, and speak fluently without issue. Moreover, he was proficient in mathematics far beyond his level that seemed to make no sense. The boy almost never paid attention in his classes the last couple of months. Any time he would reprimand the boy and try to catch him out on his inattention, Nox would proceed to answer any question asked perfectly, often going beyond what was even asked.

Leonard could only grit his teeth in that case.

"Alright, you're dismissed. Get out of here before I get a migraine."

Those words brought some light to Nox's disinterested face. He shot up from his door and ran from the room, paying his teacher no respect.

"Damned brat" the man grunted, quickly feeling his head begin to ache.

Nox hadn't left in such a hurry for no reason, however. No, he had only left so urgently due to the time of day. It was around noon, meaning his father would be training in the main courtyard about now.

Dashing through the halls as fast as possible, much to the servants' disgruntlement, he clambered up a set of stairs until he reached his bedroom. Bolting through the door and slamming it behind him, he rushed through to his balcony.

A creature curled up on the rug at the end of the bed was startled from its sleep as it shot Nox a look of resentment. It was around eight feet long, dark grey and furry. It vaguely resembled a wolf except it had eight legs and strange compound eyes.

"Sorry buddy!" the boy managed to squeeze out before he gazed over the balcony. The beast hissed reluctantly and returned to sleep, placated.

Outside, the sun blazed in the sky and illuminated the courtyard below. His father stood shirtless in the scorching heat, exposing his chiselled muscles. His hands were clasped tightly around an enormous sword, similar to a zweihander from Earth. Letting the blade drag along the ground, he slowly approached his adversary.

His opponent was a wooden mannequin covered in strange drawings and inscriptions. It stood upright and silent much like a statue, however, Winston's words caused it to spring to life,

"Rank 7 Initiate! Sword and shield!"

From the figure's dark eye sockets, an azure light gleamed ominously. A similar azure light swirled around its hands as a simple metal shortsword and heater shield materialised.

Before Nox could even react, the two had shot towards each other, launching clouds of dust into the air. He stood rapt with amazement as he tried to watch the fight. The movements were far too fast to follow with his eyes, but the violent clanging gave away the progress of the battle.

The predominant sound was a thundering collision that seemed to create shockwaves in the surrounding area. Occasionally, a different, light clang could be heard, but only very rarely. It seemed the fight was progressing rather one-sidedly.

At one point, a wooden limb wielding a sword came hurtling out from the cloud, crashing harshly into a nearby wall. Nox ducked instinctively as he heard the projectile shoot out, but thankfully it didn't reach him.

Things only continued for a minute more until a conclusion was reached. Nox clenched his hands on the railing of the balcony in anticipation. His eyes beamed brightly, trying to decipher the outcome amidst the huge cloud of dust.

When things settled, his father remained standing with a large gash across his torso. It ran from his left shoulder to his right hip and bled crimson blood profusely onto the ground. His ponytailed hair had come loose and flowed down his exposed back, looking frayed and at irregular lengths in some places. Despite that, he had a broad grin spread across his face.

Across from him, his opponent was missing its right arm and its head. A strange green liquid ran from the limbless stumps and a few other gruesome gashes across its chest and legs. The remains were sprawled across the floor pitifully.

"Phew, that was some good exercise" his father sighed in relief.

He proceeded to close his eyes and something strange happened. His body which previously seemed to brim with strength and power, became dull-looking. It looked like the man had suddenly grown sick, his complexion paling.

Nox didn't worry seeing this though, as he had already seen what came next a few times.

The large gash across Winston's chest seemed to respond to the loss of strength as the flesh rippled gruesomely. Visible to the eye, the wound closed. Blood stopped spewing, muscle grew from nearby, and the skin stitched itself together. Within thirty seconds, what had once been a large wound was nowhere to be seen.

With the healing complete, his father reopened his eyes, and his strength and colour began to come rushing back until he regained his normal healthy hue.

"Best get back to work" the man sighed reluctantly.

Before leaving, he commanded the mannequin,

"Reset."

The word triggered a peculiar reaction as the dismembered body began to absorb an azure energy from the surroundings. With each second that passed, the body stitched itself back together until it was identical to it had first been: standing silently like a statue.

As Winston paced back into the keep, his head shot upwards until his eyes met Nox's. The stern gaze of his father stopped Nox's heart for a second. He could only reply with an awkward smile and a scratch of the head. After all, he was supposed to be attending Leonard's lesson right now.

Luckily, his father let him off with an exasperated smile and a shake of the head. He quickly returned inside, leaving Nox alone.

The boy's thoughts were wild as he truly processed what he'd watched. It didn't matter how many times Nox watched his father, he was equally astounded every time.

At three years old, Nox's memories were still very foggy. He could vaguely remember that he had come to live with his uncle after his parents had gone away and that he didn't like it very much but that was about it. Despite that, he was sure that he'd never seen anything like what his father could do on Earth. He was sure he would've remembered something so incredible.

Nox's eyes were bright like lanterns at that moment, hopeful that he would one day be strong like his father.

Without his memories, Nox had a childlike innocence and curiosity about the world.

That didn't last long, however.

- - - - -

Pacing back and forth, Maria was restless. Her face was marred with worry as she fretted over the room in front of her.

Winston was also present. He had tried to placate his wife several times already, but with little success, he decided to just stand silently. His face was similarly concerned but also hid a tinge of fear which he desperately hid from Maria.

Inside the room, was Nox; this was his bedroom after all. His pet spider wolf was nowhere to be seen, leaving him completely alone. He sat at the end of his bed, his head cradled in his hands.

The atmosphere was gloomy, and Nox's expression was dark and cold.

The reason for his parents' concern had been the previous day's dinner. What had started as a perfectly ordinary dinner had led to the now five-year-old Nox abruptly passing out. His head fell forward, ploughing through the plate of food in front of him. His body began to shake erratically as foam formed at his mouth.

In that instant, a suffocating presence emerged. Maria was paralysed in her seat.

Winston, vanishing like a shadow, reappeared next to Nox. He lay the boy down on the ground and gravely urged the boy to wake up. As he did so, he closed his eyes and focussed his senses on Nox's body. What he felt was a violent, icy energy running rampant within his body. Winston's face fell at the sight.

Holding his son tightly, he channelled his power until it seeped into Nox's body. The two forces clashed. Winston's power was domineering and oppressive whilst Nox's was cold and eerie. The contest appeared even at first but, eventually, the oppressive energy won, and the cold energy continually shrunk until it vanished entirely.

Immediately, Nox's eyes shot open as he gasped for breath desperately. Maria took a huge sigh of relief and slumped into her chair, seeming completely exhausted. Winston's concern did not fade, however, but only grew.

It was Nox's eyes.

Before, they contained a youthful optimism and spirit, but now, they were frigid and malicious. Quickly, he shot to his feet and excused himself before darting to his room and firmly locking the door behind him.

He hadn't come out since then. It had been nearly an entire day and yet Nox had missed every meal and hadn't said a word, merely remaining in his room. Maria was rightfully worried at his bizarre behaviour, but Winston was even more so.

He couldn't help but think back on what Cain had said that day. He prayed that he was wrong.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Nox was sifting through his ten years on Earth. His memories had finally returned, and with them, his previous personality.

Nox was back.