The Princess of Light and The Knight of Shadow

Year 1: Sixth Month, Part 4

Dread clutched Estella's heart, though she didn't know why.

The sphere of darkness had cocooned Nox, but it didn't stop there. Soon it enveloped a startled Karsos then began to spread outward like a disease. Whatever it was, even the overseer and the teachers found it unsettling.

The crowd murmured as the sphere expanded outward in growing speed. Murmurs turned to agitation, for the darkness continued past the edges of the stage.

"We should leave," Aldros said, rising swiftly and pulling on the handles of Estella's wheelchair. "I don't like this."

Estella wanted to protest. Nox was still on the stage, and she could feel his fury boiling like lava. But there was something else too. A malevolence that was not there before.

She shook her head, thoughts of destruction crossing her mind. Don't give in, she said through her connection with Nox. For whatever was happening, it was undoubtedly caused by her squire.

Then the darkness reached the seats, and all light vanished. The crowd screamed, and Estella felt Aldros looming protectively over her like the golems of old watching over the walls of Faven. Chaos would overtake reason soon, Estella knew, and there would be a stampede that could get a lot of people hurt.

The Headmaster's calm voice boomed across the school, magnified by magic: "Everyone, please remain in your seats to avoid unnecessary injuries. This is merely a special, ah, event to enhance our viewing pleasure of this one-in-a-lifetime duel. Everything will return to normal in a few moments."

To say that Estella was stunned would be an understatement, for she knew that what the Headmaster had said was only an alibi. There was no way this darkness was part of the duel.

Still, she and the others had no choice but to comply and remain where they were. Not that they could do much anyway. At least the Headmaster had the sense to pacify everyone before things went out of hand.

And it was not as if the fight had stopped. Though the darkness robbed everyone of sight, they could still hear. The sound of clashing Animarta rang from the direction of the stage, mixed with a lot of shouting and thunderous explosions.

At first, Estella thought it came from Nox. But soon she realized that it was Karsos, his voice somehow tinged with panic. Whatever was happening in there, he sounded... worried.

One part of Estella was glad for that. Karsos had given her nothing but trouble, and she loved to see the bastard be put into his place—by her own squire, no less. And yet a part of her was curious how such a strong Wielder could struggle against Nox in mere seconds when their earlier fight saw Karsos winning decisively.

Against her better judgement, Estella closed her eyes and sent her thoughts through the Resonance, hoping to glean something of this strange phenomena. More than that, she wanted to know how Nox was faring after hearing Karsos's words earlier.

It took her several minutes. The connection was unusually muddled this time, as if her mind waded through a rushing river, and Nox's thoughts flowed to her in a jumbled mess.

Rage. Pain. The desire to kill, the desire to destroy. Protect her, protect her, protect her. Have to restrain myself, have to—NO, DON'T!

Estella gasped and withdrew to herself. In the direction of the stage, Karsos yelled, seemingly terrified. Then a loud rumble shook the grounds, rattling Estella's wheelchair. She felt Aldros's hand steady her, but her thoughts were elsewhere to fully comprehend everything.

Nox's mind, his emotions, she didn't know what to make of them. His presence was there and yet not there, as if another entity had gotten hold of him.

What was happening?