Chapter 94: You Are Still Human
Serian’s smile softened a little. She saw the question was not just about power, not for him. It was about safety.
"The monsters of Lifewoods are of many kinds," she said, "some like the hounds of Gorok, but others far older. Some are born of mana, some from the very earth."
She paused, then looked at his face. "But that is not what you wish to ask about, is it, Nox?"
He shifted, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. He hated that she could see through him, that she knew when he was trying to hide something.
’Damn it, she’s too sharp.’
"That nightmare a few days ago," she continued, her voice lower now. "You spoke in your sleep."
He stiffened, his jaw tightening. He had told her it was nothing, just a stupid dream. He hated that she remembered.
"You said a few words," she went on, ignoring his silence, "about a school, about people who watched. And you woke with such... anger."
He looked away, staring into the fire. The heat felt good on his face, but it did not warm the coldness in his gut.
"What was it like, Nox?" she asked, her voice insistent. "Before this world broke. What was your life like, that it brought such anger to your sleep?"
He did not answer immediately. He picked up a small stick, poking at the embers. He wanted to tell her to shut up, to mind her own business. He wanted to go back to being alone, to not having anyone ask about the parts of him he kept hidden.