The forest edge loomed ahead like a promise—a break in the twisted trees, the academy gates visible through the thinning mist. We emerged from Shadowveil, the air lightening instantly, the weight of the canopy lifting like a curse broken. The sun was high now, the world normal again—students hurrying across the grounds, mana-lanterns unlit in the daylight. It felt like we'd been in the forest for days, but it had only been a night and a morning. Time in Shadowveil bent in ways time shouldn't.
Elara exhaled as we crossed the threshold, her silver wards dimming in her palms. "We're out. The forest let us go."
Lyra wiped her brow, amulet still glowing faintly green. "Let us go? More like spat us out. I feel like I need a bath. Or three."
I managed a small smile, the egg's pulse—Nyx's pulse—still echoing softly in my ring. "Yeah. Me too."
We walked toward the gates in silence at first, the bag of moonbloom herbs slung over Lyra's shoulder, the egg safe but constant in my storage ring. The pulses were there—warm, rhythmic, like a heartbeat syncing with mine. The crying was faint, almost content, but it never stopped. Like a whisper in the back of my mind, reminding me it was there. Alive. Waiting.
Elara glanced sideways at me. "You feel it still?"
I nodded. "All the time. Pulses. Crying. Like the book's whispers, but… softer."
Lyra grinned, bumping my shoulder. "So Nyx is chatty. Good to know. If it starts giving advice, tell it to shut up."
Elara's lips curved—almost a smile. "It's not chatting. It's… bonding. To you."
I looked down at my ring. "What if it's dangerous? What if it's from the Abyss?"
Lyra's voice was light, but her eyes were serious. "Then we deal with it. Like everything else. We're not leaving you to figure it out alone."
Elara nodded. "We'll study it. Carefully. In the study. No risks."
I exhaled. "Thanks."
We reached the gates. The guard nodded us through—no questions. We headed straight to the alchemist guild hall—a low building near the library, smelling of herbs and bubbling potions.
The guild master—an older woman with ink-stained fingers—inspected the moonbloom roots. "Good quality. Full reward. Fifty Silberkronen."
Lyra pocketed the coins with a grin. "Easy money."
Elara just said "Not easy. But worth what we found"
We split the reward—seventeen for Lyra, seventeen for me, sixteen for Elara. She just shrugged, like one coin meant nothing compared to what we'd brought back.
Then we left the hall, the sun still high. Afternoon classes were in session, the grounds quieter.
Lyra stretched. "So… what now? Back to the study? Or do we parade Nyx around like a trophy?"
Elara shot her a look. "Study. Now. We need to understand it."
I nodded. "Agreed."
We made our way to Elara's private study—the narrow tower room with its bookshelves, desk, and single tall window. The Aschenmoon was visible—red and low, even in daylight. A reminder.
Elara locked the wards behind us—silver, green, indigo. The room felt safe. Sealed.
We settled in.
I pulled the egg from the ring. It appeared in my hand—still warm, still pulsing faintly. The violet and blue veins shimmered softly.
Lyra leaned in. "Okay, Nyx. Let's see what you are."
Elara pulled a tome from the shelf—old, leather-bound, etched with runes. "Mana eggs. Rare. Usually from magical beasts. But this… no mana signature. Like it's sealed. Dormant."
Lyra: "Sealed? Like it's waiting for something?"
Elara: "Resonance. Eggs hatch when the mana aligns. Could be days. Weeks. Or when the conditions are right."
I felt the pulse again—warm, insistent. The crying softened, like a lullaby in my mind. "It's… content. Like it's happy to be here."
Lyra grinned. "Happy? With us? Poor thing has low standards."
Elara's voice was soft. "Or it knows it's with the right person."
I looked at them. "Thanks. For everything. I couldn't have done this alone."
Lyra bumped my shoulder. "That's the point, glitch. We're in this."
Elara smiled—rare, genuine. "We are something like—Family, remember?"
The word hung in the air, soft and heavy at the same time. Lyra's eyes softened, and she leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand like she was studying me—really seeing me—for the first time in a while.
"Yeah," she said quietly, voice losing its usual edge. "Family. Weird, glitchy, cursed-book-reading family. But family."
I looked between them—Elara's steady blue eyes, Lyra's bright green ones, both watching me with something I hadn't seen before. Not pity. Not obligation. Just… acceptance.
My throat tightened. I tried to laugh it off, but the sound came out shaky. "You two are insane. You know that, right? Taking in a glitch with a glitch-egg. You could've walked away days ago."
Lyra snorted, but her eyes were bright. "Walked away? And miss watching you trip over your own feet every day? Nah. You're too entertaining."
Elara reached over, her hand resting lightly on my wrist—the one holding the egg. Her touch was warm, careful. "We didn't walk away because we didn't want to. Because you're worth staying for."
I stared at her hand. Then at Lyra. Then back at the egg.
Lyra leaned in, voice dropping to a mock-whisper. "Careful, glitch. If you start crying, I'm going to have to pretend I'm not crying too. My reputation."
I laughed—real this time, soft and broken. "I'm not crying."
Lyra wiped her eye dramatically. "Sure you're not. Big baby."
Elara's lips twitched. "If anyone's crying, it's Lyra. She's been calling you 'our glitch' for days. She's attached."
Lyra gasped, clutching her chest. "Betrayed! By my own best friend!"
I smiled—wider than I had in days. "You two… you're ridiculous."
Elara squeezed my wrist gently. "We're your ridiculous."
Lyra reached over and ruffled my hair—hard, like a sister. "Yeah. And you're stuck with us. No returns. No refunds."
The egg pulsed again—warm, soft, almost like it was laughing too.
I looked down at it. "Nyx… you picked the weirdest family."
Lyra grinned. "Weirdest and best. Don't forget best."
"Best ones usually are" I smiled back, the weight in my hand feeling a little less heavy. "Thanks. For everything. I mean it."
Lyra bumped my shoulder playfully. "Don't get sappy, glitch. Save it for when Nyx hatches and starts breathing fire or something."
I bumped her shoulder back playfully and then glanced between the two of them "let us do some more researches, eventually we find more out about what Nyx is, from where it is coming—"
Lyra nodded first. Elara fell silent for a moment, as if weighing the thought, then said "let's do that even though my gut feeling tells me we won't find much"
The afternoon passed in the study—researching, discussing, watching the egg. They found nothing new.
No breakthroughs. No answers.
No changes. No hatching.
Just pulses. Crying. Constant.
Elara stood, stretching. "Come on. It's late. Dorm time. We'll talk more tomorrow."
We left the study together—Elara locking the wards behind us with a flare of silver light. The corridor outside was dim, mana-lanterns flickering to life as dusk fell. We walked in comfortable silence for a while, the weight of the day settling into something softer.
At the junction, Lyra bumped my shoulder one last time. "Get some sleep, dad. Nyx needs you well-rested."
I laughed. "Shut up."
Elara smiled—small, real. "Sleep. We'll see you in the morning."
They headed up to the upper dorms.
I went down alone.
The basement corridor was cold, damp, familiar.
I reached my room—Room 47—the door creaking open. The small space felt less empty tonight.
I sat on the cot.
Pulled the egg free again.
It pulsed—warm, rhythmic.
The crying was faint, content.
I lay back, holding it against my chest.
Family.
Warmth spread through me, and before I noticed, a faint smile had found its way onto my face.
And For the first time, In both of my lives i really didn't feel alone anymore.