AN: Does anyone know an artist of whom I could commission a drawing from them? Won't be able to pay them until the start of next month, but it would be nice to have a cover art for this story.

As always, folks, thank you for reading thus far. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know down below.

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A month had passed since the birth of Nox, and it was a tiring one. For starters, the boy-child, Nox, grew far too rapidly for my tastes, but it didn't damper my mood. However, his unnatural growth spurt began after he fed on blood and meat once he was awake. Afterwards, he fell asleep, and shadows began to condense around his small frame. There was naught, but shadows where he lay. Once it reseeded, his body looked to be that of a cycle old boy child. What was truly odd was him shouting, "Papa," every time his eyes laid upon my form. No matter the illusion, he seemed to know it was me, and he wasn't deterred when my bones were coated in a basilisk's poison. In fact, he seemed to be immune to it. He truly was a strange one.

Ah, but that was not all. He continued to age rapidly, which greatly alarmed my person, and sent the thralls on a quest to find answers. They scoured the library within the castle, even going so far as to pull out ancient manuscripts, searching for an answer. However, their search came to a halt when Nox stopped aging after the sixteenth day. Yes, he even looked to be as old as those who are sixteen cycles old.

His entire physique had changed, merging wolf, bear, and human into one perfect entity. Yes, his feet and hands were still the same as when he was a child, as were his ears, but the rest of his body was a perfect blend of the three. Many, when spying his form, often times openly stared at Nox, and many were seen to have drooled at the sight. These were not just the Undying, but also random nobles that would come to visit the castle on occasion.

However, there has been a few instances where someone would try to steal Nox away from the castle, to do who knows what to them. It was in these instances where the entire castle would mobilise to prevent such actions, and it was here that led me to take up teaching him my own brand of magicks.

It was around a month after his birth that he would come before me to learn what I wished to impart upon him. Yes, he would learn this world's grammar and numbers, just like his sister Puella does, and yes, the pair were introduced as brother and sister to one another.

At first, Puella was ecstatic to have a baby brother, even if she didn't know who the real parents were. On the other hand, when she saw his unnatural growth, she became scared after some idiot said that he may die within a few months, if he continues to grow at an alarming rate. This idiot should have kept his mouth shut, else he wouldn't have found his way to the torture chamber.

She had come to me in tears when he said this to her, which set the entire castle hunting for an answer, but it was for naught when he stopped growing. To this she was grateful, but still scared she might lose her new brother. So, every day, the pair could be seen together with Puella latched onto Nox in some way. It was truly an adorable sight to behold, which was quite entertaining. Especially when he would become embarrassed by her actions of protectiveness for him.

For now, the pair of them were sitting on a sofa in front of my kobold self, as I hadn't revealed my skeletal form to Puella just yet. I did not wish to see her frightened. Anyways, I was telling them how different my own magicks were to this world, even going as far as to say that I was not a part of it. They were confused by this, so I explained, "The world I am from has my own kind living upon it. However, they are being hunted down and exterminated at every turn. It is because of that world's religion that has kept us from truly flourishing.

"This world's late king, Samiah the Greedy, summoned myself, and a few others, to this land. I do not know what they went through before they were summoned, but for myself, I had died." Puella gasped, as did a few others, while Nox simply sat forward. "Do not worry yourselves. Yes, I had died, but I was given the option of living once more, and took it. Although living once more had weakened my body somewhat, I was able to walk among the living. However, the moment I awakened, the greedy king summoned myself, and the others, to this land."

"What happened to the others, Father?" Nox asked, staring up at my person. His entire body looked as though he were about to explode from wanting to ask all of the questions within his mind.

"Ah," I sighed slowly, "I killed them."

They were stunned by my explanation, and inquired as to why I did such a thing. "Why? Because they were too naive and trusting, believing that they would do great things against a populace who had done nothing wrong, except being born. For you see, children, the outside world is rife with chaos, death, and slavery. If you were born elsewhere, and a large group of humans came upon you and your family, you would have ended up a slave to some unknown's whims, or dead.

"However, you both have met my person," I laid a clawed hand upon my chest as I said this, "and your lives have been much better since then."

Pausing for a time, I allowed them to digest this information, and found Nox was hugging a frightened Puella who looked to be tearing up. Sighing at this, I knelt in front of them, and held her paws in my clawed hands. "You do not have to be afraid, Puella. No one will harm you, either of you, and I swear it." She nodded at this, then asked for a hug, of which I obliged.

"You two going to be okay for another confusing lesson about my magicks?" Nox nodded slowly, while Puella hesitated, then assented as well.

"Very well," Standing up, I stalked towards my original position, turned around, and began my speech, "Energy is everything, and everything is energy. From simply breathing and eating, to swinging a weapon, you are creating energy and agitating that which is already there. The smallest of movements creates minute traces of kinetic energy, which, when harnessed properly, can sustain a magick caster. However," I raised up a single clawed finger, "bear in mind to that which is in your surroundings. Just because you can use the energy of the world, and that which is created by others, does not mean you are not prone to exhaustion and the like. No, you are more susceptible to it.

"Ah, you may be wondering 'how can this be?'. It is quite simple, it requires energy and concentration to extract even the most minute traces of energy. Even then, there is no guarantee you will be able to extract anything at all. Yes, it is possible to do so, but it takes time to be able to attempt it.

"For now, you would have to go through the basics. Which is meditations, then come the practicing of the most basic of my magicks." I sat down upon the ground, crossing my legs, and placing my palms up with my forefinger and thumb barely touching. "Just watch my body for a time. I shall show you what I intend to have each of you do."

Closing my eyes, I fell in on myself, and visualised a cliff spreading out before my inner self. Once here, I stared over the ledge, and found it to be an inky darkness just waiting to swallow my entire being. It was here my inner mind began to concentrate, collecting the energy about my physical form, burning and purifying it within my inner self.

For a time, nothing happened, but then my inner self began to glow brightly. From here, I launched my it over the cliff, and into the inky darkness below.

*****

Father had just finished his confusing speech about energy being all around us, and in everything. How we can create, and even extract this energy to fuel our magicks was mind boggling. For now, though, Puella and I were told to watch his body, as he plans for us to do what he is about to do on a later date. I believe there might be more of his confusing words, and I fear we might not be able to understand it completely, even if he explains it.

We watched his kobold body for a time, until I saw my sister become bored and start to play with my fingers. I can see why Father kept her around, as her nature and curiosity were equally adorable. However, just as she was getting to my lesser claw, a brilliant light began to emit from the still body of Father. To this, we were stunned, and could feel as though the light was scrubbing us clean.

The feeling of cleanliness from the light was staggering, as I had never felt it before in my life. It was as though my body was scrubbed raw and healed in a matter of heart beats. Looking over at Puella, I could see her staring at her fur. For you see, despite taking a bath every day, she is still a very dirty child. Always, she would dance and play in the garden of the queen, becoming especially dirty. Even now, before our lesson of the day, she was playing in the dirt.

Now? Now she was clean, and very confused about it. Her eyes, an ocean of emerald surrounding widened, dark slits stared into my own hazel brown orbs with confusion and bewilderment, but I did not know how to answer her. Instead, I simply pointed at our Father, whose body began to fluctuate in a myriad of colours. There seems to be a pattern, one that ever flowed into the next so perfectly, I could not wrap my head around it. The colours flowed from red, to orange, to yellow, to green, to a light shade of blue, then a darker shade of blue, and finally a royal purple. Why these colours, and not others, confused me greatly, but I believe Father will tell us when he awakens from whatever he is doing.

However, there was something frightening about him. During this dance of colours from within his body, he opened his eyes wide. This action scared myself, Puella, and those who had came for a lesson in his magicks. For you see, they were a brilliantly bright pair of white orbs. Gone were the stars twinkling within, and in its place were a pair of orbs that seemed to be brighter than the star in the day-sky.

We are truly blessed to have him for a Father, as I would not wish to be his enemy.