The library was quiet, save for the scratching of quills and the whispers of turning pages. Damian sat beside Abby, her silver gleaming faintly in the light.
"Do you know about The Brand?" She asked softly.
Damian tilted his head, his face as unreadable as stone "The Brand?"
"Yes" Abby murmured , resting her palm gently on the cover of the book. "Look, every Nexus awakens through trauma. That's common knowledge. But when the trauma is ... extreme, when it pushes a person past what most could endure, something else awakens alongside the Nexus." She paused as though tasting the weight of her own words. "That something.... Is called The Brand"
Damians gaze sharpened. He said nothing, letting her continue.
"Those who beat the brand are often stronger than most, even nobles. They are far stronger than normal Nexus wielders. They grow stronger just like any normal shade but...." She exhaled slowly. " They loose pieces of themselves. Their sanity slips, their humanity rots. The stronger they become, the worse it gets. Some can't be considered humans after their entirety has been consumed by the brand"
Her voice lowered. "There used to be a group.... The Brandborn. They weren't nobles, weren't soldiers. They were monsters. A rogue cult filled with brand awakeners that slaughtered, plundered, destroyed. They call themselves freed by their pain".
Damian tapped his finger quietly against the table.
"And they disappeared?"
"No one has heard of them for decades " Abby's eyes flickered with something unreadable, then she gave a small, humorless smile. "But their legend still lingers in whispers "
Silence stretched between them. Damian studied their face. The way her lips pressed tightly, the way her eyes flicked away just slightly. He leaned back in his chair "why" he asked slowly "are you reading about them?"
Abby met his gaze. "Because I thin...." She hesitated,her voice dropping even lower, "well I thought I had awakened it"
Damian expression shifted-- the fainted narrowing of his eyes.
Abby added "I wasn't sure. After the trial..... after what happened.... I've been feeling things. Different kind of emotions, all at once. Rage. Hatred. Helplessness. Even despair. But" she placed a hand firmly over the book "The text are clear. The Brand awakens only when your Nexus awakens for the first time. Mind didn't. Not then"
Damian thoughts lingered on her words. She seemed calm now, almost at peace with her confession. Yet, deep inside, he wondered. If she had awakened this Brand she speaks of, what would that mean for the girl sitting next to him.
Abby stood up placing the book in her bag and looking at him with a smile that seemed almost too bright. "Enough from talk, we should train. See what our new shade has given us?"
Damian let out a small exhale.
"You're right. I haven't tested my abilities properly since advancing"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
The academys training ground was nothing like Damian expected.
When they arrived, a vast hall stretched endlessly before them, a place so wide and high it seemed unbound by walls or ceilings.
Towering white cubes floated in symmetrical rows, suspended in the air as though held by invincible strings. The ground shimmered faintly with embedded runes, and the very air thrummed with nethera.
Damian inhaled sharply. The nethera here was.... Concentrated, heavy, alive, as though it had been gathered from countless veins of the world and forced to dwell within these walls.
Abby grinned faintly at his reaction. "Impressive, isn't it?. This place..it's like an entire fortress built only for us to break ourselves".
At the entrance stood a tall, metallic machine. Abby placed her academy watch against it's surface. A thin beam of light scanned her wrist before humming in acknowledgement. Damian did the same, and a second later their bodies dissolved into ripples of energy.
When the light faded, they stood within an empty, sealed chamber. White walls. White floor. No door. No ceiling. No end.
"Private training rooms" Abby explained "No distraction. No prying eyes" she lifted her hand, ice swirling around her fingers "shall we".
Cold mist spread around her as frost solidified into shape, with a few moments and focus. There's glimmering swords of ice floated before her. She seized one by the hilt, the other two orbiting around her shoulders like vigilant guardians.
"The control of affinity is way different on the graven level" she said
"You seem to already have a form in mind"
"Yeah, my older sister fought this way" she said, her tone half-proud, half- nostalgic, finally sounding a little like the nobles.
"She would summon a dozen at once, all spinning, all striking, all defending. She does this all at once, a perfect offense, defense and counter.
I can't do that yet obviously, but ..." She twirled the blade in her hand, and the two orbiting swords shifted, pointing outward in perfect synchronization. "Three is enough to start"
Damian nodded slightly, his expression unreadable, but inside he was impressed. Offense and defense, never chosing one ove the other and her control was sharp, refine-- as expected of a noble.
"And you?" Abby asked, lowering her blade slightly "what do shadows become in your hands"
>>>>>>>>>>>
Far away, in a lavish chamber lit by silver chandelier. Clark knelt before his father. His fist clenched, his body trembling with barely contained rage.
"He humiliated me, dad!" Clark spat, his voice raw. "He made a fool of me in front of everyone. And now the nobles glare at me like I'm some disgrace. A commoner, a mer commoner!"
His father, known to be one of the 7 strongest in velthria, sat at a high- blacked chair, his face calm but eyes sharp as blades. After a long pause, he asked "what is his name, the name of this boy that humiliated you so greatly"
"Damian Damian Quin"
"Alright, what do you want son? His death"
Clark teeth clenched. "No, death is far too merciful. I want him humiliated, in front of the entire school.... I want him expelled. And then, dead"
His father leaned back, his lips curling faintly. "Very well, if that's your wish, consider it don't.... However"
"However?"
" If truly the nobles are against you, don't you think this boy getting expelled out of nowhere will displease them. They would know you had a hand in it and if they do my name will be stained further".
"Bu... but "
"Don't worry son, your wish will still be fulfilled. A new test will be held. A new harmless tes, that can be punished severely if one failed to pass" letting out a disgusting smile, Clark stared in excitement.