Date: January 7th, year 1286 Location: Village of Oakvale

  Nyx was happily frolicking in the grass, followed by Andreas and the restrained wounded soldier. Alice chose to stay at the house, refusing to engage with Nyx’s antics. She did try to convince Andreas not to go, but he was adamant. Eventually, they reach the small village, which Nyx was told is called Oakvale. Quickly enough, a crowd of curious villagers surround them. They all looked as worn out as their clothes were, some of them having unnaturally pale skin. A large, burly man in the crowd speaks up:

  - “Andreas, is that your daughter? Isn’t she supposed to be eternally sleeping? And what’s up with her eyes?”

  - “She… uh… woke up.” Andreas hesitantly replies.

  - “We saw a big explosion at the farm!” A boy in the crowd shouts, excited. “All the soldiers went poof!”

  - “That was me!” Nyx waves to the child.

  Upon hearing that, the people in the crowd start whispering to each other before slowly dispersing. They were giving wary looks to Nyx, and the boy is forcefully dragged away by what seems to be his mother.

  - “Well that’s one way to thank the person who saved the village from these guys.” Andreas grumbles.

  - “Why are they leaving?” Nyx asks.

  - “I think they’re scared. Mages are… Well, they’re dangerous to people who can’t use magic. Can’t really beat a fireball with a pitchfork.”

  - “I could!”

  - “I’m sure that’s the case.” He ruffles Nyx’s hair. “Don’t worry about them, I’m sure they’ll warm up to you eventually.”

  They continue their way through the village, and finally arrive at their destination a few minutes North from it. In front of them was a pond, in the middle of which a giant hole was creating a vortex. It was so deep and dark that even Nyx couldn’t see the bottom. Dead trees were surrounding the pond, covered in moss and surrounded by oddly long grass.

  A beige and brown frame tent was visible nearby, with a little bit of flickering light coming from inside, most likely from one or multiple torches.

  - “So that’s the pit you wanted to throw my father’s wife in?” Nyx asks the captured soldier.

  - “Uh.” His remaining hand starts shaking. “We… can talk about this.”

  - “About what?”

  - “Don’t throw me in there, I have a family and-”

  - “Oh you do too?!” Nyx happily exclaims, before settling down. “Oh wait, aren’t all humans supposed to have families? I don’t think you guys can just… start existing, like me." She pauses, trying to reorganize her train of thought. "Why are you telling me this actually?”

  - “Yeah you don’t get to play the family card pal.” Andreas adds, not without taking a second to stare at Nyx after that last comment.

  - “Who goes there?” A powerful voice shouts from the tent.

  A tall man emerges. He was wearing a set of black and gray plate armor, with a longsword at his hip. He had long, light brown hair and a chiseled face, with a visible beard shadow. His eyes were a strange blood red color, and his right eye featured a long, vertical scar running down to his beard.

  - “It’s me!” Nyx replies.

  - “You?... You are supposed to be in a coma…” The man looks around, and notices Andreas along with the tied up soldier.

  - “Captain!” The soldier shouts. “Be careful, she’s also a mage!”

  - “Hey, you aren’t-” Andreas starts as he turns to the soldier.

  - “Is that so?” He draws his longsword, and a few sparks emanate from his hand. Quickly enough, the blade is covered in bright orange flames.

  - “Oh so this is magic!” Nyx exclaims. “Congratulations, I guess Solomon did a good job teaching you all!”

  - “Nyx.” Andreas speaks up, worriedly looking at the fire-covered sword. “Be careful, this is the man who took over the village and started sacrificing people to this pit.”

  - “Hmm? Why is he doing that?”

  - “No one knows, not even his own troops.”

  - “Huh.” She turns towards the captain. “Hey, why are you doing that? I’m really curious!”

  - “None of your business, child.” The captain answers as he steps forward. “Return to your home now, unless you long to be sacrificed again.”

  - “Captain?...” The captured soldier asks, audibly confused. “Why would you even offer to spare them?...”

  - “I…” The captain looks at the tent behind him. “I do not wish to fight here.”

  - “Hey, me neither!” Nyx comments. “We shouldn’t fight, I really don’t like extinguishing humans.”

  - “You really don’t want that fight, pal.” Andreas adds. “She vaporized almost all of your men in one spell yesterday.”

  - “Is this why I’ve been getting no reports today?...” The man replies as he looks to the captured soldier, who nods. He then stops to think, glaring at Nyx who was staring at him with a wide smile.

  Eventually, he sighs and the flames on his sword go out. He sheathes it, and takes a deep breath.

  - “What is it you want?”

  - “To know why you’re doing what you’re doing!” Nyx patiently replies.

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  - “Is that all?...”

  - “Yes! I really need to get better at communicating with humans, I don’t get why they’re so confused every time I say something that sounds basic.” She comments as she turns to Andreas.

  - “It’ll come in due time.” He replies.

  - “...Very well.” The captain finally answers before turning to his tent. “My conditions are that you free my man from his bindings, and swear on Serafim’s name that you will not turn aggressive while I speak to you.”

  - “Okay!” Nyx replies as she turns to the captured soldier. “You can untie yourself!”

  - “What?...” The soldier replies.

  - “Untie! Yourself!”

  - “He needs someone to untie him.” Andreas cuts.

  - “Oh he does? I thought he was just playing along.”

  - “Why would I do that?...” The soldier asks.

  - “For fun ? To experience new things !”

  The soldier stays silent as Andreas unties him, and he uses his only remaining arm to pick up a rock from the ground.

  - “Just give me the order, Captain.” He says as he stares at Nyx.

  - “Whoa, no funny business man.” Andreas says as he stands between Nyx and the soldier.

  - “Stand down, Eric.” The captain commands. “You do not have to throw your life away meaninglessly.”

  - “Oh it isn’t meaningless!” Nyx intervenes. “Don’t worry, I remember everyone’s stories, so you’ll always have meaning to me! Do you want me to kill you now, or do you want to give a speech first? I know humans love dying after giving speeches.”

  - “You…” The soldier named Eric starts.

  - “Eric, I told you to stand down.” The captain repeats in a more authoritative tone, mixed with a tinge of concern.

  - “...Understood, Captain.” Eric drops the rock.

  - “Now that you have freed my man, you must agree to my second term.” The captain continues.

  - “Oh, swearing to Serafim? Why would I do that?” Nyx asks.

  - “To ensure the reliability of your word. Anyone swearing on Serafim’s name and breaking their promise will be personally judged by the god of War.”

  - “Oooh, that’s new! Is Serafim trying different stuff now?”

  - “New?...” The captain replies, taken aback. He frowns. “Lord Serafim has been the god of War and Revenge for as long as the kingdom was established.”

  - “Good to see he’s having fun experimenting with stuff! Well, I swear on Serafim that I won’t get aggressive or stuff like that while you talk to me!”

  A dark haze suddenly fills the area, calmly swirling around all living beings. It lingers around Nyx for a few seconds, forming a vortex around her. It almost seemed curious, or inquisitive.

  - “Nyx! That’s way too hasty!” Andreas exclaims.

  - “Hmm? Why?”

  - “If you break your promise, Lord Serafim will kill you!”

  - “Oh, that’s what he meant by judged. Well, I don’t know where that promise thing is, so I can’t break it! Also, I can’t die.”

  - “You don’t know what a promise is?...”

  - “Kind of?... I’ve heard that word be thrown around by humans, but it doesn’t seem to have much meaning.”

  - “A promise is… like an agreement. That you can’t go back on, and that you have to fulfill to the best of your ability, whatever it takes. For example, I promised to myself that I would protect my family from now on.”

  - “Oh, that… makes zero sense!”

  - “It doesn’t?”

  - “Why can’t you go back on what you said? Just say you changed your mind!”

  - “That’s the thing, it’s about building trust. People can’t live together without trust, which is why we have promises.”

  - “Hmmmm, human culture is more complex than I thought.”

  - “It is! Also, don’t think I didn’t catch that. You definitely CAN die, so please be careful. Vanessa’s life also rides on this.”

  - “If you are done, follow me.” The captain cuts as he starts walking towards his tent.

  Nyx and Andreas follow him and enter the tent, while Eric stands guard outside, occasionally glancing at them. The interior of the large, frame tent held by wooden beams was lit by the torches that were visible from the outside. The floor was made of dirt, and a wooden desk with a rustic bed next to it was visible in a corner, along with a wide array of weapons neatly disposed near the walls in racks. On the far wall, a very large, closed wooden crate was visible. The captain walks towards it, and pulls out a key from under his chestplate that he was apparently wearing around his neck as a pendant. The lock clicks, and the captain slides the heavy cover to the side. A wave of cold, white smoke erupts from it, and when it settles down it reveals a girl inside the crate, half encased in a block of ice. Her long hair was a light brown, and her eyes were closed as if she was sleeping, her chest slowly going up and down as she drew breath. She was wearing a simple white and brown peasant dress that was in a surprisingly clean and undamaged state.

  - “There are humans who sleep on ice?” Nyx asks. “That’s weird, you guys tend to die when the temperature gets lower.”

  - “No…” Andreas replies as he stares at the crate, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. “This guy is probably dabbling in human trafficking.” He turns to the captain. “Is that why you didn’t want to fight next to your tent? To preserve your cargo? You’re-”

  - “This is my niece.” The captain cuts. “She has been in a coma for eight years now.”

  - “...Huh? What’s your niece doing here ?”

  - “I… I made a mistake. I used to be considered a prodigy among warriors. I grew overconfident, thinking my mere presence was enough to deter any would-be attackers, and started taking my duties less and less seriously. One day, I fell asleep while I was supposed to be on patrol, and the village me and my former comrades were protecting was attacked by a monster that directly feeds on the life force of its prey. I made it in time to rescue Josephine, but by the time I defeated the creature it was too late for my sister and her husband. Josephine, while alive, was seemingly plunged into an eternal sleep.”

  - “An eternal sleep?... And that Josephine is now surviving in a crate, inside a block of ice. How did you even do that?”

  - “I asked an acquaintance of mine, who is capable of freezing anything solid without killing it. It prevents her from physically aging too, which is something I requested for. I do not want her to be entirely robbed of her childhood by an… utterly foolish mistake of mine.”

  - “This is getting interesting!” Nyx comments. “What happened after that?”

  - “...I traveled the kingdom in search of a cure, but found nothing. That is, until I encountered that monster once more. At first, I was overcome by a wave of hatred, telling me to avenge my sister. But the monster cowered in fear and began speaking human language. It told me it could wake up Josephine, but only if it had enough life force at its disposal. I was hesitant at first, but I had no other choice if I wished to redeem myself. Thus, I accepted its proposal and set out to seek sacrifices, which led me to your village of Oakvale, four years ago.”

  - “You don’t mean…” Andreas starts.

  - “That was all for the sake of your niece?!” Nyx exclaims, elated.

  - “What brings you such joy? I nearly killed you, a few years ago.” The captain finally snaps, addressing Nyx’s attitude.

  - “Huh? I don’t remember that, it must've been Vanessa. But I like your story! You’re willing to sacrifice that many of your human peers for one person? That’s exactly the kind of irrationality that makes humans so fascinating! How many of them did you sacrifice?”

  - “You… you’re not human.” The captain says as he reaches for his longsword, locking eyes with Nyx. “I should have known.”

  - “Come on now, don’t be like that, I thought you didn’t want to fight around here ! Answer my question !”

  - “...A little bit under fifty people now. The monster still claims it isn’t sufficient to bring Josephine back, due to how much time has elapsed.”

  - “And you’re just going to keep harming innocent people?” Andreas asks, his face slowly turning red in anger. “You’re no better than this damn monster, tearing apart families for your own goals.”

  - “I am aware.” The captain replies, his shoulders slightly slumping as his hand gets away from the handle of his sword. “I will explain everything to Josephine once she wakes up, leaving out my cooperation with the monster, and swiftly disappearing from her life after that. After bringing her to safety, I plan to head towards the Dark Continent, and meet my end there. This is the only conclusion I deserve, for attempting to atone for my sins in such a disgraceful way.”

  - “That’s-”

  - “Interesting!” Nyx cuts. “I’ve thought about it, and I really, really want to meet that monster now. Where is it?”

  - “What?” Andreas stops his train of thought, distracted by this sudden shift. “Nyx, that’s pretty obvious.”

  - “Huh? How? I don’t see it anywhere.”

  - “Think, they were sacrificing people to the Pit. And the monster is the one requiring the sacrifices.”

  - “Uh huh.” Nyx nods along, clearly not understanding what he was getting at.

  - “The monster resides at the bottom of the pit.” The captain says. “But if you attack it, consider me your enemy. I need it alive to be able to atone.”

  - “Oh ! That makes sense now. Alright let’s go then ! You too captain man, this is your story after all ! I don’t want to miss a single second of it !”

  The captain has a deep sigh before he picks up the cover of the crate, and slides it back over it before locking it again.

  - “I’ll be back, Josephine.” He whispers as he follows Nyx and Andreas outside, towards the murky vortex in the middle of the pond.