Nox and Torven headed south to a quiet town tucked between low hills. The streets were narrow and lined with worn buildings, their walls faded and roofs sagging with age. A broken clock tower stood over the square, long since stopped.
They went door to door, asking if anyone had seen Nox, their missing brother. They gave a clear description, but no one recognized him. Eventually, they found the tavern at the far end of the square, tucked between a butcher shop and a closed tailor's stall. The sign above the door was chipped, the paint faded, but there was light in the windows and the muffled sound of conversation inside. It looked like the kind of place where people talked freely, perhaps the best place to ask.
Inside, the tavern was crowded. They pushed their way between tables, heading straight for the bar to ask the owner about the man who had left the horse at the stables. A broad-shouldered woman behind the counter furrowed her brow, thinking for a moment, then simply shrugged. She had no idea who they were talking about.
Just then, a voice rang out from one of the corners.
"Oi! Over here!"
They turned, and to their surprise, there she was. The teenage girl they had saved earlier. Both warriors raised their eyebrows in unison.
'What is she doing here?' they thought, stepping toward her table.
The girl looked up at Torven.
"Hi, handsome," she said sweetly, then turned to Nox.
"You're the one who needs me. But business first."
She held out her hand to Nox. He stared at her, confused.
"Coin," she said plainly.
He looked at her in surprise and instinctively reached for the coin in his pocket. She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"Did you really think I told you to keep that coin just to distract a dragon or something like that? Are you stupid? I need to pay for my meal, don't I?"
Torven didn't like the insult and was about to speak up, but Nox stopped him with a glance and reluctantly handed the coin to the girl.
They stayed in the tavern for quite a while. The girl had an enormous appetite. Plates piled up in front of her as she devoured everything at astonishing speed.
Meanwhile, Nox tried to recall the prophecy she had given him.
He will seem reborn, but the cost lies hidden in death, for he is the parasite of this world. Yet where the twilight lingers, the one etched with the seal of sky awaits, a silent force that may sway the currents of fate..
"Do you want to help me because I'm that silent force"? He asked at last.
The girl paused, swallowed what she had in her mouth, and looked first at Torven, then at Nox.
"No. He is that force. You're the parasite."
Then she went right back to eating.
Nox's eyebrows furrowed, but he said nothing and decided to wait for her to finish her meal.
...
Eventually, the three of them left the tavern.
"What's your name?" Nox asked.
"Syrren. Let's get to the point," the girl said, brushing all the other questions aside. "I hate to meddle, but clearly, you need my help. We have to find somewhere quiet, where no one will disturb us."
They made their way to the edge of the nearby forest, where a small clearing awaited, an isolated spot perfect for whatever Syrren had planned.
"Alright, parasite," she said. "Time to show you what you're capable of. I'll help you discover your capabilities."
Nox was uneasy about the strange girl and her cryptic warnings, wasn't thrilled about the idea of spending more time with her, but part of him needed to know what she saw in him that he didn't. It made him curious.
Syrren winked at Torven.
"I take it our cutie is volunteering as the test subject?"
Nox muttered under his breath, "I don't like this. Something is bound to go wrong." But seeing no objection from Torven, he didn't protest any further.
But that word - cutie - stirred something strange in him. Was it jealousy? He didn't want to share Torven. He wanted those dark eyes to look only at him. 'Hang on, what am I thinking again?!', he immediately scolded himself.
The girl clapped her hands, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"We're ready. Face each other."
Nox looked slightly nervous. Torven, on the other hand, was completely calm. They locked eyes, waiting for the girl's command.
"Now, parasite," she said. "Focus on his mind. Imagine a thread, something invisible, deep inside him. Gently pull. Try to bend his will. Think of something simple, like making him raise his hand. No actually... Scrap that. Torven, please show him your Mark."
Nox stared into Torven's eyes, but his thoughts weren't focused at all. They were searching for a sign that Torven wasn't interested in the girl. The big warrior's gaze was soft and fixed solely on Nox.
"Hey!" the girl snapped. "Are we going to stand here all day? Get to work!"
Torven obediently took his shirt off and turned his back to Nox.
Nox touched the large Moon mark on his back and made Torven flinch a little.
The skin beneath his palm was warm. Nox wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but it seemed to be pulsing with something alive. The moon's power flowed through Torven like a second heartbeat, steady and relentless. Nox's breath got caught as he felt the deep and constant current flowing through it.
He closed his eyes.
And then, something clicked.
Nox adjusted his intent, not to overpower, but to influence. A small shift and a quiet suggestion. He felt Torven's breath change, and there was a flicker of movement in his limbs.
... But his arm did not move.
The girl sighed.
"Again, Nox, try again."
He reached for Torven's Mark again. That current was still there. And this time Torven moved, ever so slightly, in response to Nox's silent command.
"There you go," Syrren muttered. "Now concentrate on the bond and take off your hand".
Doing as he was told, Nox couldn't help cursing under his breath when the link slipped instantly. Slightly discouraged, he placed his hand back on Torven's broad back.
This time, when Nox pulled his hand back, the connection stayed. Both men blinked, startled.
"Took you long enough. Do it again," the girl said calmly.
They tried several more times. Finally, Torven's hand lifted fully into the air without Nox having to touch him. No contact. Just intent.
Silence fell between them. None of them had expected it to actually work. Nox saw a flicker of amusement in Torven's eyes. For a moment, they stood frozen, Torven with his hand raised, Nox staring at him, stunned.
The girl cleared her throat.
"Shall we continue?"
Nox gave a mental command for Torven to lower his hand. They trained like that for most of the afternoon. Nox slowly began to understand his power. He was unsettled by what he could do and afraid of misusing it, especially on Torven.
As the training ended, Nox pulled off his glove and noticed the mark on his hand had faded a bit more. He got scared. How long could he do this for?
What he didn't see was the way the girl looked at Torven, or how the warrior gave the smallest shake of his head in response.
Syrren rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders.
"You will regret it."
Torven shot her a warning glance, "Tomorrow," he said quietly. "I will tell him tomorrow."