[Abilities Unlocked: 2 / 7]
[Obsidian Keep — Sanctum of the Hollow Star]
"What is stored is never lost. Not to time. Not to flame. In shadow, all things remain."
— Rank 2
[Noctis Thread — Walk of the Unseen]
— Rank 2
The second ability always puzzled him.
He still wasn't entirely sure what it did, or even how to use it properly. The resonance—Noctis—seemed deeply tied to his shadow. The way it moved, how it stretched beyond where it should, how it lingered even when the light didn't make sense. It acted like an extension of him. A scout. A second set of eyes. Sometimes even a quiet reflection of his emotions.
But the details? Still fuzzy.
The name—Noctis—was familiar. Too familiar.
It was the name of his homeland. Or… a place he was supposed to call home.
He'd never been there. Or if he had, he couldn't remember it.
Just fragments. Dreams. Hazy flashes of obsidian cliffs and a sky without stars.
"What do you think it's about?" Asli asked the shadow beside him, who looked just as confused as he was.
The shadow didn't talk. Obviously. But that didn't stop Asli from chatting with it like it could.
"Any ideas would be helpful, you know," he added, arching a brow.
The shadow merely tilted its head and shrugged.
Asli sighed. "What if it gives me super cool abilities? I don't know, something that screams Celestial-rank. That'd be cool, wouldn't it?"
The shadow nodded quickly—eager, enthusiastic.
"Nah, I'm kidding. That'd be way too much work. I like lazing around anyway." He patted his stomach. "Speaking of which… I'm starving."
He knelt and touched the ground, his fingers pressing into his own shadow. The space around it rippled—like disturbed water—before distorting.
His hand sank in.
It was one of his favorite tricks. The obsidian keep. A pocket-space woven into his resonance. Not massive—maybe a few meters wide like a floating cube—but enough for what he needed. Weapons. Supplies. A pillow, extra clothes.
Mostly snacks and comics.
He reached in deeper, rummaging around like a kid digging through a fridge. A moment later, his head followed, slipping clean through the inky veil like passing into another world.
"Let's see if I left those caramel biscuits and my egg sandwich in here," he muttered from inside the void.
He pulled himself out with a grunt, settling onto the ground as leaves crunched beneath him. A smug grin curled across his lips as he unwrapped his food, biting into it with exaggerated delight.
"Too bad you can't eat," he said with a chuckle, casting a glance at his shadow.
He made sure every bite was loud and gluttonous, chewing with theatrical satisfaction as he grinned gleefully—putting on a show just to spite the silent, watching silhouette beside him.
He tilted his head, listening to the forest breathe. Distant clashes echoed from other sectors. Somewhere out there, others were fighting, running, surviving. And here he was—alone, waiting, listening, watching through the dark.
He tugged at the edge of his blindfold.
"Don't fall behind,birdie," he muttered under his breath, mimicking his father's voice with a small, tired grin.
The shadows stirred around him, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.