In the Maze of Destiny, Noah was being thrown into a wall.
BOOM!
The golden walls of the Maze rang like a struck bell. He slid down them, robe of dreams and nightmares settling around his ankles, obsidian crown still turning calmly above his head, and stood back up, brushing gold dust off his shoulders. One eye gold. One eye obsidian. The thin film of Shinjitsu over his skin, veined black and gold, stayed perfectly smooth.
Across the corridor, Kir One loomed, its many faces turning, one of them still chewing on something, its Ancient Immensity rolling off it in thick waves that made the golden seas beyond the walls slosh.
"Are you alive?" one of the faces asked.
"I am!" Noah said.
"Unfortunate," said another face, and Kir One came at him again.
They had been doing this for some time. Kir One was an excellent sparring partner. It hit very hard, and it had no idea how to hold back, and it seemed to genuinely enjoy the work.
