Nox drifted in the water, his eyes closed as he let the cold seep into him. It was familiar, and he knew where he was. Well, not exactly, but he knew somehow that his consciousness was in a different space—one that Veil controlled solely. Nox drifted lazily, enjoying the quiet, when he heard a voice he would rather not hear.
"'Child,'"
Veil's ethereal voice resounded through the still water. Nox furrowed his brows but still opened them, staring blankly at the light dancing on the surface. "What is it?".
"'You need to wake up-'".
"Nooooooooo! I don't want to! I wanna sleep~!". Nox flailed about in the water. "'Hahaha! One does not care!'". Nox froze. "... Wha- AAAAAAAHH!!!".
With that, he was yanked upward rapidly toward the surface. Just as he broke through, his eyes snapped open. He looked around to steady himself. The room was similar to the one he had slept in when he first arrived at the estate, except the furnishings were in beige, coffee brown, and navy blue. His duvet was thick, navy blue, soft, and smelled suspiciously of a unique fragrance.
'... Frost pine?... Auntie Rakï doesn't use Frost pine cologne... Zayne doesn't use it either. Heck, not even that bum uses this fragrance...'
As Nox wondered what the hell was happening, a melodious voice with a peculiar, cursive accent spoke directly into his mind,
"Awake?".
Nox's drowsy eyes snapped wide open. His gaze grew sharp as he scanned the room, his muscles tense and ready to throw a jab at the very least. When he saw the owner of the voice, he froze.
"... Aunt Madonna?".
Nox stared, wide-eyed, at an older woman around forty years of age. She was clad in a crisp white and phthalato green, cowl-neck, sleeveless jumpsuit, with a black shawl draped over her shoulders. Her mahogany skin tone contrasted sharply with her outfit's bold colors. This was coupled with gold hoops in her ears, a gold pendant resting on her neck, gold bangles on her right wrist, and a sleek watch on her left. She crossed her legs, resting her head on her knuckle. On her feet were phthalato green wedges. On nine of her fingers were gold rings inlaid with precious gems; on the tenth was an obsidian ring, worn from use and looking a bit out of place. Her neck-length, ink-black hair shone neatly, and her peach-blossom, honey-gold eyes looked back at Nox calmly. Nox noticed two scars running across her eyes—one through each eye—and another that stretched over her nose.
She hummed and touched his forehead, checking his temperature. That same melodious voice spoke directly into his mind. "Hmm, normal. Do you want some water?".
Nox felt sweat drip down his back, but he just nodded. Madonna reached for a glass off the bedside table next to a miniature water dispenser. She moved the glass underneath the tap, and a voice spoke, though her lips didn't move. "Water."
Water filled the glass. She handed it to him once it was full. Nox sat up and took the glass. His hands trembled slightly as he sipped the water, looking as if he were being held at gunpoint to do so. Madonna watched, her eyes glinting. Nox finished his glass of water under her intense stare and almost choked.
She took the empty glass and set it aside while simultaneously rubbing his back. "Good. Do you want lunch, or do you want to nap some more?".
Nox smiled wryly, puzzled by her sudden appearance. Suddenly, Nox's stomach let out a low growl. They both froze. Nox turned a darker shade of red.
"Lunch is fine. Thank you, auntie."
Madonna smiled back in turn. She stood up and walked out. As she did, Nox noticed something. 'Aunt looks around six feet in height... Wait, why am I seeing so many of the relatives? First auntie Rakï, then auntie Madonna?'
As he thought about this, Meimei crawled out from underneath the bed, shook the dust off her fur, and pounced on Nox. "Master! Meimei missed you!".
Nox was caught off guard and knocked flat back onto the bed. Meimei rubbed her face against his chest, and Nox patted her back. "There, there. Don't be sad. I've only been asleep for a few hours. Relax."
At this, Meimei looked at him with a questioning gaze. "A few hours? Master has been asleep for a full day and night!".
Nox felt like he had been struck by lightning. Just then, the door slid open as Silvanus walked in, Zayne and Nevia trailing behind with trays of food. Nox immediately tensed upon seeing his father. Silvanus sat on the couch, indifferent to the boy's discomfort, as his subordinates set the food down on the ornate glass center table.
"Come and eat, boy. We must talk."
Nox looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Meimei directly hissed at Silvanus. Nevia's tail flicked as she stared at Meimei curiously. Zayne stood with Nevia to the side, watching the show with a light smile. Silvanus looked straight at Nox, and the two stared each other down.
"... Nox, if you don't come yourself, I will make you."
Nox glared at him. "I slept for an entire day and night! How do you expect me to just get up and start moving about?!".
Nevia sucked in a small breath. Zayne's expression didn't change. Silvanus leaned back into the couch. "Nevia."
Nevia stepped forward and bowed. "Yes, sir?".
"Carry my son here. Don't injure him."
Nevia's expression didn't change, but inwardly, she wanted nothing more than to jump out the window. Zayne stifled a laugh, at which Nevia gritted her teeth and walked toward Nox. Meimei hissed at her, but Nevia didn't even flinch. She wrapped her fluffy snow leopard tail around Meimei, lifted her up, and turned to Nox. "Excuse me, Young Master."
Before Nox could protest, he was wrapped in the duvet like a caterpillar and princess-carried toward the couch. Zayne shut his eyes and tried to stifle a laugh, barely succeeding. Silvanus remained indifferent.
Nox was set on the couch opposite his father. Meimei settled beside him as Nevia scurried over to Zayne.
"Now that you're here, eat," Silvanus said. "I will fill you in on your schedule from today until you receive the Mark of the god."
Nox was resentful, but the delicious smell of the food distracted him. He undid the caterpillar wrap and began to eat. Silvanus watched him for a bit before speaking.
"Starting tomorrow, Nevia will train you such that your body can keep up with your growing strength. The restrictions we imposed on you will be lifted as well, so you may use and learn how to control and wield Xenon. Your Auntie Rakï will teach you more about the family, and Zayne will take care of your daily needs. That's all."
Nox paused his actions and stared at Silvanus, dumbstruck.
"I'm gonna do what?"