[You have used 20 exp to meet with Noxian]
Kai's mind drifted back to the House of Night.
He was greeted by the same endless expanse, but there was a familiar house ahead of him, not too far away. A sense of excitement exploded inside him at the sight of the house. It was heightened even more at the sight of the being sitting on the porch.
Like the first time, Noxian was sitting idly like a statue.
But when Kai made a step forward, Noxian's head moved a little, and then looked up.
"Pass through," Noxian waved his hand passively. "I do not mind."
It was the same thing he said back when Kai stumbled to his place the first time.
Kai couldn't help but wonder how often other beings stumbled across this place when Noxian was used to say that to anyone who entered his territory. "Noxian," Kai called, making sure he looked unthreatening. "It's me. Do you still remember me?"
But then, Kai felt a pang in his mind upon calling out Noxian.
Eurgh… Am I not allowed to call his name still? It hurts to even say the name.
Hearing his own name being mentioned, Noxian instantly realized who it was.
A flicker of something other than boredom appeared behind his eyes.
"Son of the Final Night," He stood up, bragging his massive stature. "We meet again."
Kai smiled at the answer.
He was afraid that Noxian might not remember him and wouldn't be as kind as back then. Fortunately, that wasn't the case. "I hope you don't mind meeting me again this soon, but I came as soon as I learned your name properly."
"Learned my name?" Noxian tilted his head. He looked offended. "Don't be mistaken. You have only learned a fragment of my name. You're still far away from completing me, Son of the Final Night."
That's exactly what Kai wanted to hear.
It's hard to find another being in this place, so he was hoping Noxian had more in store for him. Perfect Slash allowed him to hurt others even without a proper weapon, but it's still not enough.
He needed more. He needed to grow. He needed to become stronger.
"I suppose you came here again to complete the fragment," Noxian guessed.
"Yes, but first, can you answer my question?" Kai asked.
At this moment, he didn't know anything about this place, and that's a problem.
Noxian is the only person he could ask. And he certainly knew more about this place since he lived here. "Since you have learned a fragment of my name, I will answer one question. I will answer once you have learned more."
"Fair enough," Kai nodded, accepting the terms.
A pause stretched between them.
Kai was gathering his scattered thoughts until he decided on what to ask.
"What are you?" He asked.
"There's no specific term for us," Noxian looked to the side, at the endless expanse as if he could see more—than an endless stretch. "Mortals call us Neverborn. Some of us preferred Nameless. Gods call us Voidling. But the Final Night calls us Nightborn, so that's what we are.
"Each of us represents an ending. I represent the Slashing Ending." He added.
"And what's your ties with the Goddess of Discord?"
"One question."
Kai clicked his tongue in displeasure.
He has a lot of questions in mind, like how he can find the others? And why do some of them like to be called Nameless when they have a name? Or even what is the outline of the House of Night?
It was frustrating not to get all the answers, but he could only take what he could get.
Shing—!
Just then, Noxian summoned a dark black katana out of nothing.
Nothing special about the katana, except that it was black to the core, made from what Kai could only describe as a sharp stone. Even the blade itself was devoid of any metallic gleam, but it was undoubtedly sharp.
Noxian threw it toward Kai.
He caught it and instantly felt the extremely heavy weight.
For a katana that should be swung around with speed, this was unnaturally heavy.
"What is this?" Kai asked through gritted teeth.
Every muscle in his arms flexed for him to even keep the tip from falling down. Just holding this thing for ten seconds is already making his arms burn. If he was going to train using this katana, then it'd be rigorously taxing.
It doesn't feel effective to start with this heavy katana.
"It's a piece of my being," Noxian answered and approached. He stood before Kai and lowered himself a little so that their eyes were at the same level. "In order to complete the Perfect Slash fragment, you need to train rigorously for a hundred years."
Kai's face went blank.
Perhaps the strain on his arms was cutting off circulation to his brain. He must have misheard. "Sorry?" he said with a nervous smile, praying inside. "I must've misheard you wrong. How long did you say?"
"One hundred years."
"What…?"
It was clear that Noxian was being serious.
Really serious.
Kai looked down at the katana again, but this time, it suddenly felt lighter.
His mind was weighed more heavily by the time it would take him to complete the Perfect Slash fragment. But then again, thinking back, making a stick sharp enough to even cut Matilda's skin should be impossible.
And yet, the Perfect Slash fragment made it possible.
Kai assumed that time might flow differently in this place, so he wouldn't need to be worried about what was happening in reality. But still, one hundred years… Do I really have what it takes?
Despite his heart wanting to say yes, he knew he was still new to all of this.
He barely graduated from high school, so one hundred years scares him.
Even so, I'm going to try. I'm going to do anything it takes to be stronger and honor Bella.
Knowing what Kai was thinking, Noxian held his shoulder.
"You're the Son of the Final Night, you said it yourself," he said, as if that single truth should have assured Kai about everything. "You own this place. Every Nightborn is a part of this... domain. A part of Her. Their strength is already yours, in a way. All you need is something to keep you grounded.
"Something to hold onto, so the night doesn't devour you." He added.
Kai contemplated what Noxian said deeply.
He closes his eyes and imagines the one thing that would keep him grounded. Aware.
And almost instantly, Bella appeared in his mind. The sweet angel he never deserved as a sister. The sweet angel the world punished for being far too perfect. The sweet angel that was killed for the sin that this world branded him with.
If anything can keep him going, then it's her.
Kai sucked in air through his nose, smelling her scent that was ingrained into his mind like a black ink to a canvas. One that still lingered even when she was a corpse. Then his eyes opened, and the fire of hatred behind them burns brighter.
"I'm ready," He said with conviction.
"Don't focus only on the weight," Noxian took a few steps back and crossed his arms. "Focus on your surroundings. Feel the night around you, and demand its obedience. Call it onto you."
As Kai started to focus, gradually, Noxian's voice faded away.
His senses grew numb to worldly sensations.
Every part of him focuses on the night sky, and slowly, the night sky notices him.
It was stubborn.
Despite Kai's attempt, it didn't want to focus on him for long. It even tried to ignore him. Even in this, I have no talent… Am I destined like this? Maybe like Tiana to Dorian, the Goddess... also hates me.
Just as negativity begins to choke him, Noxian's words rang inside his head.
He owned this place.
He can demand the night to help him.
I'm commanding you to come here!
Swoosh—!
Noxian raised his brows when Kai's body pulsed—with darkness. Above, the starry night sky flickered before a stream of ink-black energy descended and struck Kai like a lightning strike.
An amused smile crossed Noxian's face.
He watched as the dark energy seeped into Kai's body and began to form a symbol on the forehead. A symbol of fire and a shaft right above it. An inverted torch, which was the sign of success.
Once Kai recovered from his stupor, he looked at Noxian, "Did I do it?"
"See for yourself." Noxian transformed his arm into a gleaming blade and angled it toward Kai.
Kai could see his own face with perfect clarity on the polished surface.
And there, he saw the mark on his forehead. It's not merely a mark, but a window to the boundless universe dotted with galaxies that are reduced to specks of stars. Every time he moved, the angle changed.
"Does this mean I've perfected the Perfect Slash fragment?" Kai asked excitedly.
"No," Noxian almost laughed at the question. "I appreciate your eagerness, but things are not that easy. What you did was only to connect with the night. Now, you're finally going to start.
"Feel the night within your mark, and channel it into the katana." He instructed.
Kai did exactly that, and before his eyes, the katana hummed.
It's shaking on its own, making it hard for Kai to even hold it in place, on top of it being extremely heavy. "N-Now what?!" He asked urgently, feeling that he would not last more than ten seconds.
"Now," Noxian sat down again on his porch. "You grit your teeth."
Psssh—!
Kai's eyes widened as the energy humming powerfully against the katana shifted into the color purple. It forced its way into his arms, splitting his skin open and branching through his blood vessels, muscles, and nerves.
He wanted to drop it, but Noxian looked at him warningly.
Just his gaze alone tells Kai that if he dropped it, he would be sliced to pieces.
Kai felt uncomfortable as the energy spread across his entire body.
And when it finally settled, the pain came.
"Haargh…?! It's getting hot! I'm hot!!"
From the surface, Kai watched in horror as his muscles convulsed involuntarily in a grotesque manner. He wasn't doing anything other than keeping the katana steady, yet it looked like he was exerting every muscle in his body.
"Raargghk!"
A scream tore through his throat when the hot sensation became unbearable.
It felt like he was exerting his body to the physical limit, and went even beyond that.
"What's happening to me?!" He exclaimed.
"Perfecting the Perfect Slash fragment required a hundred years of intense training," Noxian replied as he pressed his cheek against his knuckles, watching Kai with grim satisfaction. "Instead of training yourself, you'll feel exactly what I feel in my one-hundred years of intense training."
"You've got to be kidding me!"