An eerie chill overcame Caecus when he awoke.
It smelled… sweet.
He felt a sharp ache, stemming from his neck, and when the memories of the conversation with his sister resurfaced, he panicked.
When he looked inward though, his soul core was still intact.
"Awake?"
The voice came directly from his side.
Caecus only fully regained consciousness in that moment, his soul essence separating from his body, so he could sense his surroundings, by using his concept.
He was in an bed. Not his, but Nyx's.
The girl was sitting up, back resting against the backboard of the king sized bed. Right beside him.
"W-what happened?"
Nyx didn't respond right away, she squinted, as if analyzing him.
"You reached the Manifestation stage."
Caecus now sat up as well, not removing the blanket that was covering him yet. "Yes… I'll tell you about it later."
Nyx's scrutinizing gaze didn't leave him yet.
"You didn't tell me that your sister was the Zenith."
The blind boy almost choked on his own spit.
"A-ah about that… I think you understand the circumstances that come with it… haha…." Letting out a forced laugh, Caecus rubbed the back of his head.
"...Okay. Anyways, you should be grateful. I saved your future."
"Saved my future?"
"Correct."
Caecus' head turned sideways.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well… I just wanted to go to the cafeteria, and left my building, when I sensed Aurelia approaching. Along with… your soul. I got confused, but when I saw her carrying your unconscious body, I talked with her."
"Oh."
"Yes. She wanted to cripple you and send you home. I convinced her otherwise."
Caecus' pupils dilated.
'She would actually do that? Wait… that means the cripple attempts in the tournament were probably her.'
Cold sweat started pouring down his back.
Seeing Caecus' distressed expression, Nyx's gaze softened, and she reached out, patting his back with her hand.
"Th-thank you. I owe… well… my future to you."
Nyx's eyebrows raised.
"That's self reflected. So how do you want to repay me?"
The air got colder.
"R-repay you? I… I'm not sure."
Nyx's serious expression turned into a bright smile.
"Pfft. I was joking. This is what friends do right? I'm sure you would've done the same."
A wave of relief washed over Caecus. A self deprecating smile formed on his face, as he kept his head low. "Yes I would. What time is it now?"
"9 PM."
"Nine?! It's already nine? I need to go to my room now, sorry."
Quickly, Caecus removed the blanket that was covering him, and sensed his soul phone resting on Nyx's desk. He grabbed it.
"That's your thanks? You could've stayed a bit longer." Nyx said teasingly.
"O-oh… Thank you Nyx. Truly. We'll talk tomorrow okay?"
A knowing smile was on her face.
"Sure, Good Night."
"Good Night."
Caecus rushed out the room.
…
The next morning, he didn't bother with knocking on Titus' door. He had given up on that practice a week ago.
Nyx did text him though.
They met in the cafeteria at the agreed time.
"Hungry?"
Caecus nodded in response.
Grabbing a tray, the blind boy loaded food onto his plate, and already sat down on his usual table. They had been using the same table every time since attending the academy, and no one ever seemed to take it.
Nyx sat across from him, she had her usual coffee, with some nutrient dense foods on her plate.
Eyeing her plate, Caecus shook his head, and placed a chocolate bar on her tray.
The heiress acted as if she didn't notice anything, and simply smiled, starting to eat her food.
"Release your Aura. I want to see what color it is."
Caecus shot her an annoyed glare. "So we attract the attention of the whole cafeteria? Why would I do that?"
"Don't worry, I'll use my concept to stop your aura from leaking out."
"I thought you could only use it on yourself?" The black haired boy's head turned sideways.
Nyx nodded. "Indeed, I could only use it on myself. Did you think my training bore no fruit?"
Before he could react, he felt a cool hand grab his, and a foreign soul essence entered his body.
'This feels…'
Unlike her hand, Nyx's soul essence felt warm, and comforting.
Then her soul essence left her body, but before anyone sitting around them could notice it, it was gone already.
"Now use your Aura." she didn't let go of his hand.
'She probably must be in physical contact…'
Releasing his soul essence of the shackle that was his body, Caecus let it stream out.
"What color is it?"
"Blue, a pretty cobalt blue. It fits you."
'So that's what blue looks like…'
Caecus retracted his soul essence back into his body, and Nyx finally let go of his hand.
"What about your concept? What's the name?"
Cutting his pancakes, Caecus responded. "Sea of Waves. I thought it had something to do with water, and considering my aura color, it must seem that way. But water… water wasn't it."
Nyx now didn't look at her food anymore, but straight into his empty eyes.
"What then?"
"Well… it's more about the waves in itself… the ripples in the water, and everything else. I think the sea is a metaphor for something that contains the waves."
The girl's finger tapped on the table.
"Concepts are always tricky. What's your innate ability?"
"I haven't really figured it out yet. It has a passive and an active part. The passive allows me to sense the waves around me, even when I'm not using my soul essence. By waves it can be everything… and there are way more waves than my mind can comprehend, so I always limit myself to one specific frequency. The active part… allows me to shape my soul essence into waves, and send them out. They normally surround me from all directions."
"And what does that achieve? Do they do damage?"
"...No. I'm not sure of their full capabilities either, but I can sense anything they touch, so they are a good means of sensing my surroundings."
Nyx's face lit up. "That means you don't have to constantly echolocate anymore! Isn't that perfect for you?"
Caecus returned her smile. "I guess it is."