Nyxara
The way they looked at me now—with caution—made me feel justified.
"Alright then, no, we aren't whatever a human is. We are descended from cosmic beings. Over time, we became the diverse races known as shifters, vampires, blood-forged, demons, witches, and psychics."Keir said, surprising me by being the one to explain first. "I don't want to overload you right now with the history details, so let's move on to the questions about what we call designations. Tag you're it, Lux." I almost jumped out of my chair when I noticed the holographic image of Lux sitting between Aspen and Keir. When the hell did he get here? He was not here a minute ago. I gave Lux a small wave. His amused smile made me blush a bit.
"Picking up where Keir left off, on our planet of Asari, each race will typically present as one of the following designations: Alpha, Beta, and Omega between the ages of twelve and sixteen, though some may present earlier or later. No one can choose their designation. A person's designation is an essential part of their core identity. It influences a lot about a person's personality and essence craft."
Intrigued, I leaned forward. "When you say present; what do you mean by that?" My hand visibly twitched with my desire to jot down notes. I looked down to find a wrapped package being placed on my lap by my mom. I glanced up confused with the sudden gift-giving. "It's comforting to know that some of your tells haven't changed," Momma says with a soft smile. They all had pleased smiles on their faces.
Their genuine smiles melted my icy feelings a little. I still felt on guard, but even doing that was exhausting me quickly. With a nudge from Momma and my curiosity piqued, I tore off the wrapping paper and opened the box to reveal a blue-purple tablet, notebook, and pen inside.
I carefully removed the items from the box, letting Momma take the packaging and wrapping paper away. I eagerly examined each item. As soon as I touched the tablet screen, it glowed and displayed a message indicating that it was loading my preferences from the cloud. I paused the download and opted for the sync later option. It would be better to select what I want to sync later. Who knows what access other Nyx had granted to others in the past?
I set aside the tablet to let it continue with the initial setup procedures. I opened the notebook to find that it had lined blank pages. Looking up, I couldn't help but give them all a grateful smile. "Thank you," I said. "Now I don't have to try to remember everything without being able to make reference notes."
"You're welcome, little wolf," Lux replied through the speaker of the holo device on the table. "This gift box is from Mom and me. That pen doubles as a stylus and an ink pen. You can switch the function by twisting it."
"I love this gift. It's perfect. Let me write down a few notes then you can pick up where you left off talking." I quickly wrote down what I had been told by Aspen about myself yesterday, and the facts I just heard from Keir and Lux. Once I finished that, I jotted down some questions I had formed based on what I know so far.
After making bullet points, I turned my focus back to Lux, ready to hear more.
Seeing me ready, Lux picked up where he left off. "To answer your question about presenting, your body will start expressing your designation. Not just biologically, but chemically and essence-wise as well."
Papa leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees. His voice rumbled when he spoke. "Let's start with Alphas. They're usually more dominant, physically stronger, and naturally protective. But that's only the surface. Alphas carry a catalytic essence signature—our essence doesn't just exist—it initiates reactions. An Alpha's instincts and abilities are inclined to amplify, protect, and catalyze transformation."
Keir smirked. "Translation? Alphas can be pushy bastards. Present company included. That would be me, Korran and Lux. But I will give Aspen, who is a beta, props for giving us a run for our money in that department on the occasion."
Aspen punched him in the shoulder—twice. "The second one was from Lux, obviously." His arm passed through Lux's hologram, which distorted his image during the attack.
"It appears your older brothers need to remind you of your place. I'm sure we can arrange a demonstration when I return from my trip." That was all Lux said, and it was enough to get the promise of violence across.
Papa gave Keir a long look that spelled doom. "Program: Christmas Tree."
Keir paled. The twins whooped.
I giggled, sharing a grin with Momma as the men devolved into chaos. She took the moment to continue the lesson. "Betas make up 70% of the population. Balanced and stable—both energetically and behaviorally. We're not as heavily driven by instinct as Alphas or Omegas. Betas carry a stabilizing essence signature— our essence balances various energy threads well. Our instincts and abilities are inclined to creating natural bridges, harmonizing energy, and often being intuitive mediators. Aspen, you and I are Betas."
I nodded and jotted things down. "And Omegas?"
Aspen's voice shifted—low and reverent. "Omegas are focal points. They're the rarest of all designations across all races, but not so rare that there are only a few of them. Omegas are typically deeply intuitive and empathetic. They have higher essence capacity than any other designation. Their essence signature is considered the most pure. Some consider them the weakest designation, but in my opinion, that couldn't be further from the truth. They are caretakers and fierce guardians in their own right. They remind us not to judge someone by their appearance."
That stunned me. I looked at my notes again, this time reading between the lines. "So… this isn't just biology or personality stuff. It's structural design."
"Exactly," Lux said. "Designations aren't a hierarchy—each designation has a function in our essence system."
Momma picked up the thread. "Some fringe groups try to claim Alphas are superior, Betas are average, and Omegas are liabilities or playthings—but that thinking only gained traction at the end of the Tragic Era. Those of us who remember the truth know better. Know that we are all important and we must never forget that."
"I see," I murmured, tapping my pen against the page in thought. "I'll need to come back to this topic later—after I've had time to process everything you've said."
I glanced up briefly, scanning their faces for signs of hesitation, then back to my notebook. "For now, I'd like to shift focus. I have some questions about my personal past—some things Aspen mentioned yesterday that I'd like clarified."
I paused, keeping my voice even. "Unless, of course, we need to end things here due to prior obligations. I wouldn't want to keep you all if this is meant to be a short visit."
Let's see if my doubts about their commitment are just that—doubts.