An Unknown Being

After the strange pulsing and luminous core had been discovered by Nine and Nocturne, things took a turn for the darker. It wasn't obvious at first, but the swarms of undead slowly decreased.

At first, everyone celebrated because they thought that their efforts were finally making its appearance. Less and less undead came each night, and everyone was drunk off their supposed victory.

That is, everyone but Nine and company.

Nine had been swept by a sense of unease. There was a faint feeling that something big was coming their way, and she couldn't help but feel that the people of Cosmos City were unprepared for it.

Regardless of their wishes, Nine ordered for the entrance of their village to be barred, and the people who had been able to exit the city during the day were forbidden from doing so.

There were those who protested and rioted against Nine's decision, but the Emperor held fast, so there was nothing that the common people could do. However, this did not halt the discontent of those who protested, instead incurring more hatred.

Nine didn't care. It didn't matter that they didn't like her, but she would do what she thought was right. There was something coming, and it was big.

At this moment, in the workshop that Nine and Nocturne frequented for their experiments, Nine couldn't help but feel slightly worried about her students and those dear to her, but they reassured her with frequent reports about their wellbeing.

Nine sighed, staring at the strange core they had looted from the Undead Titan. Though they were able to verify that the Undead Titan and this core's essence were one and the same, that did not rule out the fact that many of the undead existing currently were probably undergoing similar mutations.

Nocturne was wearing a set of gloves made out of Magic Beast leather that would prevent direct contact with the core from the Undead Titan. Slowly, the man injected a small number of light particles into the core, flinching at the unexpected reaction.

Nine and Nocturne immediately closed their eyes at the blinding glare that the core gave off, their eyes watering from the harsh light.

Nine blinked away the tears that had formed from the unexpected reaction, her frown echoing Nocturne's.

Unlike the way the undead reacted to light elements or particles in the air, this core, on the contrary, acted like it was devouring the light elements instead.

The core that had previously been a low, dull glow, now emitted a stronger and more resplendent light. Just looking at it caused one to feel awe and wonderment at the beautiful refractions of light that were coming from the core.

Nocturne injected his magic into the core, receiving no reaction. He tried different elements that also similarly received no reaction, but upon using the darkness element, the light in the core squirmed and flickered, as if rejecting the darkness elements instead.

Nocturne set the core down, which made a clear sound, similar to when crystal hits glass.

Nine frowned, moving forward and pulling the gloves off of Nocturne, who had been mildly surprised by Nine's actions, but obligingly held out his hands.

Nine placed them next to the core, and both of them discovered that whilst the gloves were near the core, the magic that had surrounded the gloves were slowly being sucked into the core.

"…What do you think is happening?"

Nocturne hesitated briefly before summarizing his thoughts. "The core only accepts light elements. In fact, it is growing stronger by consuming the light particles. Though there isn't any sign of a lifeform, it's possible that something might come out of it in the future."

"This is a complete opposite from how the undead react towards light elements in general. Supposing that the core is grown from the Undead Titan, should it not reflect the attributes of the Undead Titan? Now, the only question is whether or not the other undead are experiencing the same thing."

Nocturne nodded. "Magic is non-elemental in nature, so that's why the core did not react. It's only when its converted into the light element that the core reacts. However, we can see from the gloves that it is indeed able to convert other elements into light. On the other hand, darkness element slows down the growth."

"Do you think that this core is really a result that's grown from the Undead Titan? Or did the Undead Titan grow out from the core?" Nine said slowly, pondering on the various prospects.

Both distracted by their thoughts, they did not notice the core's glow brightening by a shade, before dimming back down.

"This is part of the Elves' plans," Nine said suddenly. Her [Veritas] skill practically sang, but they were still clueless about just what the core was needed for.

Regardless, they would keep the core within their workshop, where only the two of them were left to look after. Those who needed to know already knew that the workshop was off limits for now.

Husband and wife were silent as they thought about the unnerving prospects about this. Though they had their information networks in place, they were unable to locate any real, concrete information, which left them in the dark.

Nine did not like this feeling at all. She was used to being at the top of the information food chain, so to speak, and the fact that an entire race was able to slip under her radars did not put her in a good mood.

Finally, Nine sighed, pressing a kiss to Nocturne's cheek. "Let's go. We should get some rest."

Nocturne felt his cheek warm then cool as Nine's heat left his cheek. He grabbed Nine's hand, dragging her out of the workshop.

As the doors shut behind them, the core's glow brightened as something noticed that the terrifying beings in the room had gone.

Bit by bit, the unknown being inside studied the workshop and the various tools within it. All of a sudden, the lights in the lab flickered unsteadily.

Pausing, the unknown being stared up, and the lights returned to normal. The core moved, ever so slowly, and the flickering of the lights became a steady heartbeat before shutting off completely.

The workshop was left in the glow of the core, the various items in the workshop illuminated by a ghostly glow.

Somehow, the room just seemed eerie and silent.

Slowly, the core moved towards the spot where there was the strongest magical signature, rolling off the table. Instead of shattering upon the impact of the ground, it landed with a soft clink, shaking.

Side by side, the uneven core moved like it was rolling itself towards the spot, eventually coming to a halt. The strange core practically vibrated as it basked in the spot, like a cat under the warmth of the sun.

It was the spot where Nine had been standing earlier. Left behind, unknown to them, was the presence of Nine's magic.

Her magic practically sang to the unknown being, and they couldn't help but savour the magic. Even as it was non-elemental magic, it was already a heavy, dense flavour.

Languidly, the unknown being siphoned the magic that was lingering into the core, converting the magic into light elements. Shivering, the being pinged around the core, feeling as if it was drunk on something.

The more it consumed, the more it fell into a lethargic state. It was akin to a person eating too much and going into a food coma, and the feeling was reflected in the unknown being.

As it went into a semi-dormant state, the glow of the core dimmed slightly in response, Nine's magic churning within the core.

Every so often, the core trembled, savouring the delicious meal it just had. It was hungry. More. It wanted more.

Resting in the spot where it was still warm with Nine's tantalizing magic, the unknown being closed its eyes and went into hibernation for the time being, until it could taste that delicious magic again.