Life taught me one unforgettable lesson: to this world, you come alone, and so shall you depart.
My family has always been… different. Father, my cousin, even my mother they all possess abilities that set them apart, marks of the extraordinary that earned them a place at the prestigious magical academy. Fire, wind, lightning, shadows… they carry their gifts like banners.
And me? I was born empty. Powerless.
So when my sixteenth birthday arrived, it passed like every other dayquiet, forgotten. No wishes. No gifts. Not even a glance from those I called family. It was as if I didn't exist.
That night, I left the house without a word. My footsteps carried me into the darker corners of the city, where merchants peddled things most people pretended not to see. My pockets held only the small savings I had scraped together over the years coins I had promised myself I'd use when the world grew too heavy.
That was the night I found her.
In a dimly lit stall, behind cracked glass and the stench of incense, she waited coiled tight, scales black as obsidian, eyes burning like molten gold. A snake. She didn't hiss or shy away when I leaned closer. She only stared at me, unblinking, as if she already knew me.
"She's dangerous," the merchant muttered. "No one wants her. Cold-blooded, sly… and cursed, some say."
I didn't care. She was unwanted, just like me.
With the last of my coins, I bought her. My first and only birthday gift. I named her Nyx.
From that night on, she never left my side. While my family ignored me, Nyx listened. While the world branded me ordinary, her silent presence reminded me I wasn't truly alone.
For the first time in years, I felt a spark of something like peace. Maybe things could change. Maybe…
I never finished the thought.
A sharp hand clamped over my mouth, yanking me into the shadows. My body slammed against cold stone, ropes biting into my wrists before I could even scream. Nyx hissed furiously, but a boot struck her cage, silencing her.
Voices muttered above melow, urgent, laced with fear.
"It's him."
"We finally found the boy."
And then darkness swallowed me whole