Kings Game

Chapter 120 - Blank Canvas

(1)

Darkness, noise, humid air; all things Nul had let go of years ago. Now they smothered Nul in a cacophony of sensations. The room was pitch black in the early morning. Outside were the sounds of the house slowly waking up. The soft thump of feet, the clatter of dishes as the children brought coffee to the early risers. The hushed voices of Darling and the Matriarch discussing the day's agenda as they walked by the room.

Nul curled up under their thick comforter. Years of letting their etchings control their body temperature had left them struggling to cope with the constant shift in the spring weather. The nights were chilly while the days were warm. Instead of always being comfortable, Nul now spent the nights crawling in and out from under the comforter, trying to find a comfortable temperature and failing. Now the room was warm and humid while they were still somehow cold. Cold and alone.

The one saving grace of this fresh nightmare was how crisp the world was. Everything was sharp and clean. No sprawling landscapes from times gone past, no ancient scholars hovering over them, and no images of Karyn chasing after them in vain attempts to comb out their hair. Nul was, if nothing else, objectively sane again.

Despite knowing better, Nul crawled out from under the comforter and snapped their fingers, creating a small glowing orb of light. Even that little trick cost them, draining their meager energy reserves. A simple task that had once been as easy as breathing was now a struggle. How the mighty had fallen.

Before the meager light of their glowing orb faded, Nul slipped out of bed and put on their boots, overshirt, and found a lantern hanging in the corner of the room. Naturally, Nul had taken one of the few rooms in the house without a window, leaving them to rely on soulstone. Once the lantern was open and filling the room with a gentle orange glow, Nul did away with their light and settled down at their desk.

Rolling up their sleeves, Nul examined the patchwork of etchings along their arms. They were crude designs that didn't flow into each other properly, but they were functional. All of them were done in blood and ocean water, simple materials for simple etchings. Their godspell had initially been done in a similar way, but that had been under Akanos's watchful eye. While Akanos had lacked Nul's innate talent for crafting focus markings, he had been full of a wide array of knowledge about metaphysical engineering as a whole and had been able to fill the gaps. Now Nul was alone and such feats of simplistic genius were lost to them.

Someone knocked on the door.

"Enter," Nul said.

Matriarch Gwendalyn opened the door and entered with a tray containing coffee, sweet breads, and a large tin.

"Good morning, Nul," she said. "You seem to have slept well."

Nul shrugged a single shoulder and went back to examining their arms. A whole redesign was in order. Such a thing would normally excite Nul, it would give them the opportunity to start fresh, a blank canvas to create a brand new painting of powerful spells. Now, Nul simply saw an empty void where their godhood had once been.

"The supplies you requested were delivered. If they're lacking in any way, please let me know and we can get you some more elsewhere."

"Thank you," Nul said softly.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"Can you draw me a bath? And tell Roran or Kell that I'll need their help for a few minutes. I'll be in the bath for a couple of hours, so it can be at their convenience."

"As you wish."

Nul sipped on their morning coffee, burning their tongue on the first sip, another problem they hadn't had to deal with for the last couple years, and nibbling on the sweet bread. Eating was a chore when you had to digest your food yourself.