Becoming leader of the village was like being thrown off the deep end of a pool. I barely had time to surface before I was swept into an emergency council meeting.
The villagers had come ready to air grievances and pitch their visions for the future. They all lined up one after another after another.
Some things were easy to sort—like a gardening feud between two elders, or a noise complaint about one of the younger tinkerers building instruments. But things turned difficult quickly.
A small faction, emboldened by our victory over Hexa, argued for a return to a traditional Rotcastor way of life. They believed we could seize the power vacuum left by Hexa's death, especially now that Nox was within our walls. Without her return, there would be no clear heir to the lands Hexa had ruled.
Lyric, unsurprisingly, was their loudest voice.
"With Corrin as my vision aid, no one would touch us," she said sharply, eyes shining with conviction. "We wouldn't just survive—we'd thrive."
Many people agreed with gusto.
Priya, thankfully, backed me. "We need every fighter here when Hexa's loyalists come back for revenge."
I could tell from the stir of people that Priya's word held weight. Lyric, though, did not back down.
"Maybe we should stop acting like victims," Lyric snapped, earning more murmurs of agreement. "How long do we cower, waiting for death to come knocking? I say we take arms and fight these loyalists."
A soft breeze whispered across my back. I turned slightly—Nox had slipped into the circle, mostly hidden behind me.
"I still think we need to talk about Nox Quell," someone said, eyeing her. "She's valuable."
I felt Nox clutch at me in fear. Gently, I uncurled her arms and stepped forward with her.
"I won't hear any more of using her as a token," I snapped. I felt Nox tense up, and then she cleared her throat.
She cast her gaze across the crowd and they stayed stony. When she spoke, it was a whisper.
"Ever since I could walk, talk—ever since my birth—I've been a Quell," she said, voice crackling with emotion. "I know what I am. And what Hexa was."
The villagers stirred up in anger, and I pulled her away from them. I led her a few paces away and knelt in front of her so we were eye to eye.
"Do you understand what awaits you if you go back?" I asked softly. "I won't let them hurt you if you wish to return, but you must understand."
She nodded, slow and stiff. "I've always known who I am."
"Then you need to hear this: the person who tried to kill you was one of Hexa's Castors." I tried to say it gently, but it still came out too harsh for my liking.
Her eyes widened—first in disbelief, then in sudden growing rage. Then I watched the rage drain and her face pale, tears filling her eyes.
"My mother died in battle… They all say it was—" she said numbly, unable to finish. "Hexa took me in like a sister. She raised me as her own."
"We don't know if she gave the order," I said gently. "Only that someone in the Quell clan did."
"Hexa could be cruel," Nox whispered, shaking her head. "But she cared about me. She helped me when my brother died. When my mother—"
The rumors rose again in my thoughts. Had Hexa orchestrated those deaths?
"This is a lot to carry," I said. "But you have choices. You have the right to take the Quell crown—if that's what you want."
Nox tore away from me and ran back to the house before I could stop her.
I watched her for just a moment before I made up my mind.
"I'm sorry, excuse me for a moment," I told the circle.
Behind me, voices clashed—some rising in panic. Priya tried to restore order, but I was already moving.
I found Nox curled up inside, rocking herself in a tight ball. She looked so small, so delicate.
I sat down and leaned against the wall near her.
"Why?" she choked out. "Why would they want me dead?"
"Because of who you are," I said, kneeling beside her. I took her small hand in mine and squeezed it. "Your strength scares them."
"I gave everything to my family. I gave them every part of me," she sobbed. "And now my only friends hate me too. I don't know who I am supposed to be anymore."
I pulled her into my arms, holding her the way I once held Vivid when nightmares clawed at her. Now we were both rocking, a much gentler rhythm.
"Shush," I said, putting my chin on the top of her head. "It's going to be alright."
"How do you know?" she sniffed, and I felt the shaking in her body intensify.
"Because you're strong, Nox Quell, you're so strong," I whispered. "And you have friends here. Me."
"Not all of them. They look at me like I'm poison," she said into my shoulder. "They want me to leave."
"That's because they only know you as a Quell. They haven't seen Nox yet."
"Is that why you saved me?" she asked, and her body tensed up.
I wondered if she thought I had only saved her because of a name—a throne.
I paused. "I saved you because I see you as a person. I see your soul—bright, growing. You could do good in this world. You could do so much good. You just need to get a little older, have time to practice…"
"Train me," she said through a ragged breath. "Train me to be good like you. Please train me."
I let out a soft laugh. "I'm not pure either." I saw Hexa's eyes again as she died.
We fell into a short silence. Nox surprised me by being the one to break it.
"Do you have family?" Nox asked.
"I did," I said quietly. "I lost my little sister. Her name is Vivid."
"I'm sorry," she whispered, patting my back awkwardly. "I lost my brother Cael. I think he would have liked it here. He wanted to change the world too."
We pulled apart a little.
Then she reached out her hand. "I pledge to be your apprentice. Teach me how to be a good Codewright."
I smiled and took her hand. "Then I pledge to guide you, Nox Quell, on your journey. I will guide you to the best of my ability."
"And I pledge to help you, Alis De Aura. I want to help you find peace like you've given me," she said with a shy smile, wiping the last of her tears. "Can I stay here, in your house? Everyone else looks at me like I'm a ghost."
"Of course," I said without hesitation.
I had time to smile down at her before a distant explosion rocked the house.