The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 1: Fifth Month, Part 4

"You really think I couldn't beat Karsos?"

Nox's question caught Estella off-guard. She stopped in her tracks, one foot already in the air. The uncertainty in his voice was clear even without the Resonance.

Lowering her foot, she turned to face him. "What's this all of a sudden? I thought we both agreed that I will train you until you could defeat him."

In the dim light of the lamp, she could see Nox looking at his feet, hesitant and unsure. The silence dragged for a minute. Estella crossed her arms. If her squire had something to say, she would wait for as long as needed.

Finally, Nox sighed. "I couldn't protect you yesterday."

Estella raised an eyebrow. "Nox, that was a Remnant. You're a second-year student. Do you really think you could defeat that on your own?" She shook her head. Was this what had been bothering him ever since they started following the underground river?

"I could—"

"Not even I could defeat a Remnant," she interrupted him. "I know you passed the Assessment Exam, but don't get too overconfident, Nox. You couldn't even defeat me."

It pained her to say that, and her heart ached when hurt flashed in Nox's eyes. But now wasn't the time for this talk.

She turned away wordlessly, resuming her walk. Nox followed in silence. The river rushed ahead of them to their left, swift and dark.

Estella had tried to forget about the Remnant, but Nox had brought back unpleasant memories. And with them were horrible thoughts. Did Aldros and Erian got away safely? Had the Remnant followed them? Or had it returned from whence it came, prowling the tunnels?

Was it chasing them now?

She shivered, and it wasn't from the coldness of the tunnel.

"Ella," Nox murmured in concern.

"I'm fine," she said softly, even though the Resonance would reveal her true emotions. Despite that, Nox didn't broach the subject any further.

They followed the river for an hour. At one point, it branched in two directions. Estella chose left where it flowed faster, the sound of its rush bouncing off the walls. A stronger flow meant that there was an exit.

It wasn't long until they came to another cavern, smaller than the one they had fallen into, but vastly different. The uneven ground gradually gave way to solid floors, and the walls were smooth and tall. Crumblings pillars, not unlike the ones in the Coltar Ruins, supported a wide domed ceiling. It was broken in many places, but the fading paint and patterns were still recognizable.

Estella observed it with curiosity. It was a mural of sorts depicting a battle between monsters and gods. One stood out in stark relief; a demon with four wings and shadows curling about its hideous form like flames. The demon looked eerily familiar, and it took Estella three seconds before she could put a name on the monster.

"Azrael," Nox said behind her. She turned to face him, but he was looking at the mural with an odd expression. Guilt, and a hint of annoyance.

"Azrael," Estella repeated. She returned her attention to the ceiling. Now she remembered; the name popped up in some books during the time she was trying to learn more about Nox's powers. But why did the dwarves painted the ceiling like that? Was this some kind of temple?

"Dwarves weren't native here, I think," Nox said. With a sigh, he dropped his gaze. "I think they just found this room during their excavations."

Estella muttered, "Which meant that whoever built this room was worshipping a demon." Great. Now that explained the Remnant.