(Ch 29)Noxis

'Gods of magic what the hell are those and why are there eight of them?' - Faith thought to himself.

[Are you telling me that your kind isn't aware of the founders of magic. I might've been gone too long] - Adra mused, wondering how mortals could possibly forget such colossal existences.

[Well whatever, in any case, this door means your also a child of Noxious and thus my little brother] - Adra said getting back on track inside Faiths soul space.

Faith intently stared at the door but found nothing special about it from the last time he looked. It was just a finely designed black door. It didn't look nearly as remarkable as what Adra made it out to be.

"But wait, if I'm your sibling because I can use darkness magic, or rather shadow magic, wouldn't that make everyone with an aptitude for the darkness element your or our family to?" - Faith asked In genuine confusion.

Adra chuckled at this looking at the little white-haired demon like his was an adorable little thing, which granted he was, then quickly answered his confusion.

[Being able to manipulate an element and being blessed by the deity of that element are two different things. Dragons and spirits being handcrafted by the gods themselves could be considered closer to them, even perhaps their lesser kin. That is why all dragons are granted one blessing of the god closest to them while all spirits are given a minor blessing by all the gods] - Adra answered, giving him knowledge his father had never told him.

While he'd understood why Faith had always wondered exactly how it came about that dragons were restricted to one element. Now it became clearer Faith wondered something else.

'Does that mean there are also minor deities for deviant magic, is that what the shadow harbinger was?' - Faith wondered

[No there are no minor deities and this shadow harbinger you speak of wasn't one, though I do wonder how you know that name?] - Adra answered, slightly curious into how the little boy knew a name far before his time.

"Do you know him?" - Faith asked, his interest in Aura growing by the second like the curious little dragon he was.

[I knew of him. It's hard to forget one of the eight founding dragons even if I wanted to. They were all pompous pricks, after all, going around saying shit like "I was handcrafted" and "Mother loved me the most". The little shits were annoying and given their two-winged status it didn't help much] - Adra snorted, though it didn't surprise Faith.

'Yeah he did seem like kinda an asshole' - Faith thought.

[You met him?] - Aura asked, curious as ever.

"No I just saw him in a dream" - Faith answered, not thinking too much of it.

[Dammit I was hoping the little shit hadn't gone to a higher realm yet, I would've Torn off one of his wings to teach the bastard to stop bragging about it] - Adra said coldly, making Faith doubt the two hadn't actually met.

"Are you talking about his two pairs of wings" - Faith asked remembering the dragon wings this apparent founder had two pair of.

[Yeah, all the founders used to brag about it like there was no tomorrow. You see whenever a god of magic spoke to them it would take the form of a dragon since the gods of magic are formless by nature, or at least I assume. Anyway, the gods of magic all had three wings in their dragon form and the children of the founders all had one. So they got it in their special little heads that the arrogant bastards were born one step into divinity and immediately started ear-bashing everyone about it. Worst century of my life] - Aura answer, hoping to never hear their damned voices again.

Faith meanwhile was still standing in awe and shock of what he'd just heard. He wasn't sure how old Adra was but it was clearly far more then he thought. He still didn't bring it up though because he wasn't sure of Adra's gender. Faith wasn't one to ask a lady this Ancient her age.

"On another note, do you know what that is?" - Faith asked, pointing towards the chained door opposite his blessing.

[No fucking clue. I know a lot for someone on this realm but not much compared to anyone above that] - Adra answering talking about things Faith had never heard of.

[Speaking of beings on this realm, it looks like I have more guests though they may be unwelcome] - Adra said bringing Faith and Adra back to the bottom of the pit.

In it, Faith noticed a rather frightened-looking Rexel and a minotaur with part of his skin blacked and huffing like he'd just ran a marathon.

[I know you and the Rexel are related but who is this one?] - Adra asking gazing at the half man half bull lounging around with an angered expression.

"I AM FAD-" - The minotaur tried to address the being but being given a slight glimpse at the sheer size of the thing that surrounded them he flinched back in horror

[I did not ask you] - Adra said in a cold apathetic voice leaving no room for a reply.

"The Rexels my blood pact and the minotaur tried to kill me for being part of the family" - Faith replied, having no mercy for the thing in front of him.

The minotaur had crossed a line and brought back memories Faith had buried, no amount of pity or empathy could make up for what Fadil had done.

[Is this true? Did you really try to harm one of my mother's children] - Adra asked, his tone growing colder and colder.

"I-I did and I do not regret it. Any spawn of that witch Noxis should be given no mercy and slaughtered like the parasites they are" - Fadil replied, his words holding barely any hesitation.

[You aren't wrong, mother isn't exactly fair, especially with your kind] - Adra replied, accepting his word just a little.

Then without warning a giant scaled hand with 6 huge claws of equal size appeared from out of the darkness that hid Adra. The Claws themselves were more than twice the size of the minotaur and carried a terrifying presence.

[But you aren't right either. Trying to kill a child, taking the life of my assigned guardian, trying to kill a daughter of Lurus. None of these things I can permit but above all…] - Adra said slamming its massive hand onto the minotaur killing it in an instant, like swatting a fly.

[You intruded on my home, nothing you said could make me forgive that, you poor mindless zealot] - Adra added, wiping away the scraps of Fadil's corpse with darkness magic.

Faith stood there staring at the pieces of the minotaur be devoured by Adra's darkness magic and felt a piece of longing as if it wasn't good enough unless he himself personally silenced the thing that brought out his demons.

He had to accept it though, so he did.

'Faith what is this thing and how are you so calm, Father told me to never come near this place and shivered in fear every time I brought it up' - Luna asked through their telepathic connection.

'It's all good, it's cool… I think' - Faith replied turning back into his normal rather carefree self.

[Now that the idiot been silenced permanently I guess you don't really need to stay here anymore, I'm sure your families worried sick] - Adra said slowly conjuring a shadow platform for them to stand on.

'I guess Adra can do shadow magic too, that makes sense though considering' - Faith thought, wondering if he'd found a proper teacher

[I can but only the basics, most of the secrecy behind shadow magic relies on the user. Even if I wanted to I lack the tools and knowledge to teach you] - Adra replied shooting down his hopes

Faith adopted a glum attitude as they ascended a little sad he couldn't take the easy path to knowledge and had to work his way through it.

[Don't get so down, I'm not gonna leave you alone without a parting gift] - Adra said as a tendril of darkness attached itself to his hand.

It slowly slid down his skin as he felt it attach to his Soul space itself, becoming a part of it as if it was the most natural Course of action.

"What was that?" - Faith asked, legitimately interested but Aura never answered and eventually he found himself and Luna risen to the top of the pit.

"Thanks, I guess" - Faith muttered before expelling what little mana he had left to go below 10% and thus be teleported back to his mother and safety.

Luna was about to follow, since Faith was her bond now for better or worse when she heard that same chilling voice behind her.

[Be careful Luna] - Aura spoke, now that the white-haired demon was gone.

[When that thing came into my home I was preparing to kill it while buying time with a question, its answer, however, left me stumped. It wears the face of a child while lurking in the shadows with unfathomable malice and despair. Yet when it answered its words had no lies. The thing genuinely has no idea what it is. at this point I don't know if the facade it creates is for others or itself] - Adra said, giving luna words of wisdom before sending her on her way, expelling her from Adra's forest.

[I don't know why you like to collect broken thing's mother, but I think you bit off more then you can chew with that one] - Adra spoke before leaving back to her pit.

The beast that lived with darkness didn't notice the slight quivering of shadows as their master was insulted right in front of them.

Like the damned elf both the Rexel and beast had assumed Faith was simply a monster, empty without compassion and simply putting on a facade. The shadows were hurt by this accusation as they knew their master better than anyone else.

He wasn't evil but he certainly was capable of it, he wasn't a devil but he certainly could be.

The one thing that separated him from the broken soul he'd been was the Faith he had in the world and in others. The Faith to change and be better. The Faith his mother had bestowed upon him, the Faith this world had given in an attempt to fix him.

Whether their method worked, only time would tell but the shadows were certain of one thing.

Their master was the perfect shadow of himself.