@Fallenreaper/Luna-Colette and Darell/Aarem
Colette gasped as she felt Annabeth’s hand slip from hers and everyone vanished from her view. Hearing her demons panic she looked towards them, only to find an entrance of a max before her. This was no ordinary maze, oh no nothing about this mission has turned out normal. First zombies, then being dragged down into the something equivalent to hell, almost been made a meal by an ugly spider thing and now she was in front of a shifting maze.
”I'm going to ask myself now, what the hell did I do to deserve this? Iam so not telling Keri any of this”Her voice seemed to echo back to her. Colette saw the maze shift until there seemed to be a visible path that she could take.
Making sure her rapier was out in front of her, she began to take the path with her demons backing her, reading to fight anything that could possibly attack them from behind. When she reached the end of the path, she stopped.
”Hello?”Darkness shifted and warped, swirling from pure black to dark and light greys before a lithe, tall figure emerged outside Colette’s range of sight. His raven black hair curled thickly against his pale skin, his hooked nose turned down the direct where the sound echoed from. His onyx eyes narrowed and considered something for a moment. Gradually, his shape began to liquefy into something more putty like and promptly began to twist his shape into something more… acceptable to mortals.
Now where a old, powerful God stood… there was a young, timid looking boy looking no older than about fifteen. He could easily been mistaken for one of the students back from the original trip as he cautiously stepped forward. A small cap covered his dark, curly hair causing him to adjust the oversized garment with a breathless curse. Gradually he stepped into Colette’s view when he spoke, his attire pretty basic in cotton trousers, shirt and furred coat like many of the Nox students wore in the winter trips.
“Yes-s, w-who’s there? Show yourself! Please. I don’t...I don’t know where I’m at or how I got here. Help… someone.” He hollered back while he made his way toward her, his appearance looking very frighten.
Colette jumped when she heard his voice and she looked around rapidly for the owner. She relaxed when she saw a boy not far away. Her eyes looked relieved when she saw another student, or what she thought was another student.
”Oh hello. My name is Colette”Colette said nervously as she got into his sight, the red marks still fading from her exposed skin.
”I am so glad I am not alone in this hell” The boy seemed to fight back a frown at her last comment, but quickly turned his head to hide it. His eyes scanned the darkness and swallowed a bit, the saliva collected at his throat back while he thought about what to think, “You’re named Colette, right? My friend mentioned it because you were one of the few vampires on the trip. I’m Darell. Do you know where we’re at?”
Despite the fact he already knew exactly where they were at, the boy feigned ignorance in favor to learn how much the young vampire actually knew. A test, through some might call it a game, to learn her worth.
”Well, I want say the Nox, buuuut I don't know. I never learned about this before. This could be something else for all I know” Atticus bumped against Colette, watching around to make sure she stayed safe. Colette patted his head to praise him.
”Where do you think we are at”“I would say the Nox as originally this is what our teacher taught us it would be like,” Darell stepped toward the nearest wall then touched it, feeling the cold sprout from the solid mass. However, that wasn’t what it should’ve felt like. Usually the walls were thriving, almost alive, with a pulse all its own but now that was missing. This concerned him greatly though he kept silent about it when he returned to face Colette, his disdain at seeing the demon nuzzle up against her caused him to ask a simple question.
“Why do you let that thing nuzzle against? Don’t you know it’s a demon and if given the chance, it would slit your throat without any regret in the least. Who would want something like that to love on them?”
”I am different. Demons have feelings and I have fine controlling them both. I had to train to get control over Atticus here, but they are loyal to me and I am happy about it”Colette said sharpy, her personality going a complete 180, going from a timid person to a girl that had mannerisms of a noble female.
Darell stepped back, his eyes narrowed and jawline tightened. His tone was bitter and angry with each word he replied with, “So you think. All demons are the same. They are created by sins from mortal souls and when people think they won’t hurt them… they never wake up because it’s too late.”
His head tilted toward one of the directions, his figure seemed drawn to it. Ignoring Colette’s ignorance to the nature of demons, the boy’s eyes stared into the darkness farther down the tunnel, “I wonder if this is the feeling our teacher meant when he said the seekers will find the route.”
Colette watched him with a narrowed eye look. The longer she watched him, the more she seemed to take notice that he seemed to glow like Althalus does. Was he really a student,or something posing as a student to lower her sense of security. She looked at rune, wondering why it hadn't gone off in a while, which could be considered a good thing, in her mind.
She could feel her anxiety just rise. She was in the nox, a place A: she was not suppose to be here and B: She had absolutely no knowledge of, So she already felt unsafe and the fact that she was with a student she never met that talked about demons the way he did, yeah that was already asking for a bad time. She walked around,being silent about it.
””I don't believe what you said about demons. Sure they are made from sin, but some people are just as full of sin as well. I have done some horrible things and I'm not going to lie about it, but it is never too late for me to gain redemption” Colette continued to walk, determined to stay away from Darell.
”Maybe. Are we the seekers?”“Tch. You only think that because you never watch they hurt you or someone you love. I did,” Darell said, his tone filled with disgust and irritation at the vampire’s lack of understanding over demons, “Even the headmaster, a demonomancer himself, doesn’t fully trust his demons.”
He began feeling drawn to the tunnel’s end, his eyes noted Colette moved down the opposite from his attention and seemed determined to stay away from him. That was fine because she was like everyone else. His feet started to move to the direction as he continued, “If you’re a seeker, you can’t attack or influence anything within the Nox. Your sole task is to guide those that can. Considering I can’t do anything here, I know I’m a seeker. I would say you’re a guardian because you’re not glowing at all and that means you can pretty much kill whatever we come across in the maze.”
Each step drew away from Colette as he shouted back, “So I suggest if you want to get out of here, we need to finish the Nox trials. Honestly, I rather not die.”
She looked towards the area where his voice said and saw him vanishing. Confusion filled her mind. A guardian. She had no idea what that meant. She saw him vanishing down a trail that she didn’t notice before and rushed after him.Sure he was weird, but she was not willing to be alone. She hated being alone. Her demons followed after her, Hyllos made little noises as she did as Atticus was more silent in his following.
”What do you mean guardian Darell?” She asked as she caught up to him, not breaking a sweat or panting like any living person would be doing.
“It’s a nickname from the earliest students. As I said earlier, you pretty much are the muscle of the group and anything we come against is able to be killed by you. Usually Nox students are separated into two types: Seekers and Guardians,” Darell answered as he continued to walk, his hand hooked into his belt. His eyes peered into the path ahead and deeper they edged into the Nox, “Whenever we set out to do our Nox alignment, we group off for protection with the teacher watching our movements and ready to pull us when needed. Those that make it to the center can take one of three Alignments: Shadows, Decay or Pestilence. I’m going with Decay myself since it’s pretty useful and one of my best magics.”
A bit of silence endured before he asked his own question, “I take it you’re a vampire as you’re not breaking a sweat or even bothered from this walk. However, I’m getting a bit tired after wandering around earlier.”
Colette listened and absorbed the information he was saying about the Nox. She looked at him as he said his choice. He wanted to chose, but she had no idea what those words meant.
”Explain each of them in more detail, so I can make a choice myself” Colette said. She didn't stop looking at him as they both walked through the silent trail.
”Oh yes I am a vampire” she added real quick to what he said about her being a vampire.
Darell laughed in amusement, “You’re not a Noxomancy last I knew so it’s not important to you. The Nox has nothing to do with Demons because of Aarem’s dislike for demons, something I can relate to, and their god.”
As Hyllos fluttered rather close to him, he stepped away, his eyes narrowed in spite, “Keep that thing away from me.”
”If you say so Darell” She got Hyllos away from him and sat her on her bare shoulder. She looked around the area, wondering how long the trail was.
”If I was brought here, that has to mean something. It could have taken anyone, though I am glad i'm not that...thing’s next meal”she shuddered i repulse at the thought of being a meal for anyone.
She could heard Atticus chuckle in amusement at her and she gave him a nudge and a playful glare before getting back to seriousness.
”Tell me more about the Nox. How did it come to be? Is it connected to arachnite magicks?”Darell raised his eyebrow, silently judging her, then began to rely what he knew, “The Nox is Aarem’s domain and gives Noxomancers their power. A primary source for his power aside from what he gains from vampires, worshippers and other sources. Unlike the other gods, he’s constricted by his younger brother Ren after he killed another God, his hand stained with the golden ichor and bring fear from the other ruling gods.”
He skirted to the left, his eyes peeled through the darkness and continued to walk farther.
Colette listened and absorbed the information about the Nox. Her brows furrowed at what he said about the Nox.
”Hmmm, how come we never learned about this before. Then again, I am in demonomancy, so we learn more about demons and controlling them as well as our connection to the inferno.” Colete said as she looked down at the ground as she walked.
She looked up a few moments later and looked around.
”How long is this trail? “There’s a lot of things we don’t learn about each other’s magic because it’s optional, not required. Personally, I would never want to learn about demonomancy,” Darell stated as he shrugged at her last question, “I don’t know. I only know the
direction, not the length of the trip. I do know if we’re not careful, the maze will shift and we risk being crushed if we’re careless. The funny part, the Nox is a twisted mirror version of the real world. Each element represents Aarem’s understanding of our world.”
Colette shivered at his lines, horror and fear filtering itself through her other emotion like they were nothing but a strainor. If she wasn’t careful, she could possible never see the light of day again. The fear shoned a little in her eyes, breaking through the mask of courage she had placed on herself.
”I...I see. So I take it Aarem is never allowed in our own world, so he created this one to get a understanding of our world in this place....What do you think will happen when we reach the end?“No, Aarem is the most limited of the Gods as his punishment for killing another God. Hence, what he draws power from is limited to about three sources as I mentioned earlier. Ren did this so the other Gods wouldn’t simply ask for his banishment from Ivellios,” Darell corrected, his expression dropped with slight sadness as he recalled the memory. His pace slowed gradually before he shook it off then added, “No one ever wants to know the actual story behind why he did it and just assume he’s pure evil.”
”Tell me. I wish to know” Clette said with sincerness that couldn't be faked.
”It's wrong to assume stuff instead of actually hearing the fact about people. That's why there is so much hate in the world, because people are fooled by stories and rumors they heard by others....For that reason,I nearly was killed many times all because I am a vampire”Darell sighed, “You’re not going to like it. It’s why he hates demons and as I said, I can’t blame him. It might ruin your perfect image of your pets after all.”
Not waiting for a reply, he moved onto the story as their steps echoed through the tunnel, “Aarem wasn’t always the God of evil but merely the God of the Nox, nothing more or less. After the wars with the primal creations of the universe, there was a few god remaining and co-existing in Ivellios at the end. Kudd used to be a God of Demons and Demonomancy at the time. The story revolves around three siblings, Duuri the Goddess of Psychomancy primarily, Aarem the God of the Nox and Ren the God of all. Duuri grew close to the son of Kudd who in turn grew lustful for her, finally raping her when her two brothers let their guard down.”
Darell’s voice stalled a moment, seemed to choke and struggle with the next words, while he forced them to pour from his lips as naturally as he could, “Aarem naturally found her first, the experience changed and mentally broke her enough to expand her domain into a negative one. While he attended to her… Ren was on the warpath. He took off and killed the lesser God, spilling the insect’s blood across the paradise’s steps in secret until Aarem arrived. Instead of letting his brother take the blame, Aarem took the spear and said it was him. In the end, Ren agreed and punished Aarem in his stead.”
“Over time, the Gods grew to fear Aarem and avoided him save his three siblings. Eventually, he became the role everyone bestowed on him until he could no longer tell himself apart from it,” Darell finished then looked at Colette’s face. He expected a reaction.
Colette listened without a sound or word throughout the story. She noticed his choke and struggle through it and she was reminded of someone trying to explain something of their past, but simply struggled. She now understood why Aarem was deemed evil. He simply wanted to protect his brother from being punished. She kept her emotions at bay but she showed sadness for Aarem.
”I don’t know how that makes me change my views, but I understood why Aarem did what he did. He wanted to protect his brother from punishment by taking it himself. He obviously loved his brother and would do anything to protect him, even to that extent that made the gods fear him. All I hear is a misunderstood god who is feared because of assumptions and drawn conclusions” She said, not a hint of deception in her voice or eyes.
“Would you honestly care for something that raped your sibling?” Darell said coldly, his expression frowned at her first statement. He was obvious angry about it and snapped his head away in frustration, the walking pace increased abruptly down a corner. They were drawing nearer to the others as he continued, gradually cutting down the distance.
”No. I wouldn’t, but he was simply under the control of his lust, it's no different than a vampire giving into its lust for blood. Some emotions are more powerful than others, no matter how hard people try to fight them and gods are the same, they have them too”Colette said in a sharp tone that said that she didn’t appreciate him assuming who she would or would not care for.
“So, it was the Goddess’ fault for tempting him? She’s to blame and he was feeding his baser instincts rather than control them? How is that right for her or mine?” Darell snapped back, his fury building at her words.
”Did I say I was blaming her? No! She can’t control who falls for her or not, not even gods can control that no matter how hard they try. I am sure she never meant to tempt him into raping her. Even some emotion gets out of control to the point of no return and by the time it's over, the damage is done. I'm glad she doesn’t remember that and have to live with the scars, unlike us mortals who suffered from anything traumatic for years or even the rest of their lives” Colette snapped right back at him fury gathering in her eyes, darkening them a little.
Darell didn’t care if he pissed her off, his own blood was boiling by this time, as he stopped her from continuing, “ She does live with those scars as that’s why she became associated with insanity, mental illnesses, and cripples. According to most worshippers, whenever they speak with her… her mind is broken into literally individuals. My own sister has been raped by a demon and believe me, she didn’t remember it but the effect is there in her eyes. She knows she lost a part of herself during that lost memory.”
”I get why Aarem blamed himself for the incident, but I do hope he was able to help her after it and made sure it never happened again. Gods make mistakes too, that what makes them a little bit mortal, if gods didn't make mistakes, the world wouldn’t be the way it is now wouldn't it?“Tch,” Darell said in reply.
”So don’t go snapping at me. I do have my views on this story and so would others if they heard it too. Not everyone thinks the same way as others. That what makes everyone different. They all respond to trauma differently, they all cope different, but they all have one thing in common, their lives are never the same, no matter how much they heal from it”“One day, a demon will prove you wrong. Then you’ll understand the pain many people go through with demons,” Darell warned as the pair gradually pulled into the group, their voices becoming louder and louder with each step. By this time the others would notice them arriving from the dark tunnel behind them.
