Chapter 8: The Awakening of Nyxria
The world hadn't changed.
But Ren had.
When he opened his eyes, everything was sharper. Clearer. The threads of mana in the air danced like strands of silver silk, twisting in impossible geometries.
And then there was her.
A voice, no longer only in his mind. A presence beside him in the chamber—shaped from shadows, static, and the seal's broken fragments.
She stood barefoot in the gloom, clad in a flowing cloak of ink-black ether. Her hair shimmered like obsidian, eyes glowing with violet flame.
"You are… my anchor?" she asked, tilting her head.
Ren stared, breath caught. "You're… Nyxria?"
"I am what remains," she whispered. "A void-echo. A forgotten god's shadow. You heard my name because you broke the First Seal. Now I am bound to you."
Lira backed away, hand instinctively reaching for her blade.
"Ren… what did you do?"
But Ren wasn't afraid. Not anymore.
Nyxria stepped forward and extended her hand.
"Wield me, Ren Kamizuki. You who carry the Codex. You who were betrayed by gods. Let us burn the heavens and unmake the chains they forged."
The Codex Nullum floated between them, pages flipping violently—before slamming shut.
The chamber shook as a new weapon formed.
A blade of voidlight.
Curved. Silent. Ever-shifting.
Its name burned into Ren's mind:
"Nullfang: Form II – Nyx's Requiem."
Meanwhile, aboveground…
Kael Veylor stood at the academy's dueling arena, surrounded by his loyal House.
"Ren has awakened something dangerous," he said, voice cold. "The Headmaster won't act… so we will."
A dozen students saluted. Each bore a brand of House Veylor—and each one had been enhanced with hidden relics.
"We strike tonight. No more shadows."