Nox mentally reached out. 'Auraelia?'
A clean, almost too-bright text box popped into his view, separate from the mess of the main chat he'd seen earlier.
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] NOX! Hi! You're using the private chat! I'm so glad! ✨ Are you feeling much better now? That Minor Regeneration Potion is pretty good for starters!
He processed her wall of text. 'Yeah, it helped. Thanks.' He let a beat pass. 'What is all this? This system, these gods, what happened to the world?'
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Oh! Um... 😅 Well, Nox, those are super, super big questions! And honestly, it's all very complicated. I'm not sure I'm even allowed to explain all of it right now! It might be better for you to find out as you go, you know? Like, part of the grand adventure! But you are doing amazingly well! Truly! 💖
He didn't reply immediately. 'So, you can't tell me anything important.' It wasn't really a question.
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] It's not that I don't want to! It's just... rules, and spoilers, and things way above my pay grade! But I can totally be your number one cheerleader! And hey, I used a whole bunch of my Channel Points so we could have this nice, quiet chat without everyone else screaming in your mental ears. Totally worth it to talk to my favorite Player! You have no idea how much that costs, but for you? Anything! 😊
Channel Points. Sounded like Twitch or something. He wasn't sure what she'd actually spent, but it seemed like a big deal to her.
'Thanks,' he sent her way. 'For the help earlier. And for... this.'
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!! 🥰💖✨ NOX! You thanked me! A real, genuine thank you! Oh my gosh, I am just over the moon! You are the absolute best! Here, you're going to need these for the Shop later! It's not much, but it's a start! 🪙🪙🪙
Another notification.
[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks has gifted you 100 Divine Coins!]
[Divine Coins are a universal currency usable in the System Shop.]
He wrapped up the mental chat and turned back to the girls. They were moving down the hallway, a bit slower now that the dog-things weren't on their heels.
"So," he said, his voice still a bit raw. "You guys feel any different? Stronger, maybe?"
Kendra balled and unballed her fists. "Yeah, actually. Feel like I could dent a locker now, even without using my skin thing."
Vasa gave a slight nod. "My control over the ice... it's more focused. Takes less out of me."
Yeda, walking next to him, just kind of shrugged. "I... I don't know. I am still tired, but maybe a little less freaked out by those things."
As they talked, he saw their stats update in his vision.
[Armor Skin: Intermediate]
[Ice Manipulation: Intermediate]
[Abilities: Soul-Linked Blade (Sealed - Body Overload)]
He registered their improving numbers. 'They're getting there,' he thought. A brief sense of approval registered with him, then it was gone.
"Good," he said. "Keep it up."
They kept walking. The girls talked among themselves, voices low, about how weird everything felt, having powers and stuff. Nox mostly just listened, throwing in a word or two when they asked him something directly.
They finally made it to the cafeteria. The main doors were still standing, which was something. Inside, it was packed. Students, a few teachers, all crowded together. Some were in small groups, others looked like they were trying to figure out what to do with a pretty sad-looking pile of food.
The second he and the girls walked in, the chatter died. Every head turned their way. Or, more like, Nox's way. He saw people recognize him. Then expressions changed. Fear showed on some faces, anger on others.
A teacher Nox sort of knew, Mr. Henry, stepped out from the crowd. "Nox," he said. His voice was trying for firm, but Nox noticed his hands weren't quite steady. "You need to leave. Now."
"What? Why?" Kendra shot back, moving to stand a bit in front of Nox. "We just got here. And we dealt with those monsters in the gym, by the way."
"We know what he did," some kid near the front yelled, his voice shaky. "He murdered Mark Julike. He's a killer."
More voices piled on.
"He just left us in the classroom!"
Kendra's jaw tightened. "Oh, for crying out loud, Mark was a sadistic piece of—"
Nox put a hand on her arm. She stopped. "It's fine," he said, his own voice even. "We don't need to stay here." He looked at the faces staring back at him. 'Not worth the hassle,' he thought.
Kendra looked like she was about two seconds from telling them all off, but she caught Nox's eye and, after a moment, her shoulders dropped a little. "Fine," she mumbled. "Their loss."
Vasa and Yeda didn't say anything, just stood there, ready to go if he said so.
As they turned to head out, Nox's eyes met someone's near the entrance. She was partly blocked by a clump of other students. Ava. She was looking right at him. He couldn't quite figure out what she was thinking.
They looked at each other for a beat. His mind flashed to what she'd said earlier, the words that had bounced around his head in the gym. "You're a fucking jerk." "A complete and total asshole who only cares about himself." Then the "pathetic loser" jab, and her saying he was "scared."
Kendra, noticing him pause and who he was looking at, nudged him. "Hey, Nox, who's that? You know her?"
Yeda peeked around Kendra. "I think I remember her from one of the other classes."
Vasa, always watching, said, "She appears to be looking at you with some degree of interest."
Kendra's voice took on a teasing tone. "Ooh, is that your girlfriend? You holding out on us, Nox? Got a secret girlfriend?" She grinned.
Yeda let out a quiet giggle, her eyes flicking between Nox and Ava.
He finally looked away from Ava and faced Kendra, his own expression not changing.
"No, she is not my girlfriend," he said, his voice level. "I only talked with her for a little while earlier today."
From where she stood, Ava watched them. Nox looked different. It wasn't just the torn and bloody clothes. Something about how he stood, how he carried himself. He seemed more... there. More sure of himself than the quiet guy she remembered, the one who usually got picked on.
And the girls with him... they were looking at him like they knew him, even teasing him. They were a unit, and he was, pretty clearly, the one they looked to. Ava processed this. She'd chosen to stick with the main group, written Nox off as some dangerous loner. Now, seeing him with his own crew, she found herself questioning that choice.
Nox glanced at her one last time, quick, unreadable, then turned for the exit.
"Let's go," he told the girls.
They followed him out.
Ava watched them leave. 'Why do I feel like... I made a mistake?' she thought, the question lingering as the doors swung closed behind Nox and his group.