12 | Heart (I)

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Xanthy found Nyxis back in their given room

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Xanthy found Nyxis back in their given room. She didn't know what compelled her to follow Nyxis but here she was, pushing the door open. The door closed behind her in a quiet thump.

Nyxis had his head on his knees on a corner. His satchel lay discarded beside him.

"Hey," Xanthy stalked closer as if approaching a wounded ipleex.

Nyxis flinched. His head snapped up. Something like fear and suspicion flashed on his face. "Oh, it is just you," his expression relaxed.

Xanthy smiled and crossed the distance between them. She dropped next to him and sat cross-legged. "Are you alright?"

Silence.

She glanced at Nyxis to find him toying with the strap to his satchel. What was even inside that thing? A sigh clawed its way out of her mouth. "Look, I know we just met but it would be better for you to speak about your troubles," Xanthy stretched her legs and let her skirt pool over her feet. "I hear it lessens the load."

"It is...nothing," Nyxis shook his head and opened his satchel. Xanthy had a brief glimpse of vials and strange equipment.

"Why did you follow us into the room?" Xanthy reached up and twisted a lock of hair with her finger. "You could have stayed away like you planned. I thought you are just hitching a ride until the Temple."

Nyxis scoffed. "I lied, of course," he took out a handheld mirror from his satchel and frowned at the face reflected in it. "I knew there was something going on between Furloth and the textiles. I just have to wait for the right time to get to the bottom of this. And...it just happened to be now."

Xanthy knitted her eyebrows. "Why would you not trust your father?"

"He is not my father," Nyxis brought down his mirror to look at her.

Oh.

The light from the lamp flickered weakly. If possible, it dimmed and plunged the room in a dark orange tinge. Xanthy laid out her hand towards Nyxis. "You got a spare fairy potion in there?" she jerked her chin at his satchel.

Nyxis raised his eyebrows. "I could make you some," he shoved his hand deep into his satchel and began rummaging.

"Why would you learn how to feed the fairies? They are your enemies."

"Fairy, Human, Half-blood. It does not matter," Nyxis shrugged and drew out a mortar the size of his palm. That's...actually genius. "We must help every person we could regardless of what they are."

Xanthy pursed her lips at that. It's true. Over the course of a few weeks, she had realized that not all humans hate fairies and half-bloods. Not all fairies wanted humans gone from the map, either.

Fairy, Human, Half-blood. They're all the same. So why were they trying to destroy each other? Why did the purges exist?

"Who are you, Nyxis?" Xanthy blurted.

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