Nystrix woke slowly, blinking into a room that seemed both familiar and strangely… off. Her chest heaved, sweat clinging to her hair and skin, and a faint warmth pulsed along her veins.
Had I fainted?
Her fingers twitched as she moved them, and the soft tingling raced up her arms, making her stop mid-step. Shadows leaned differently now, flickering in ways they hadn't before, almost like they were alive, almost like they were watching.
Gadmyne sat across the room, still as a statue, her eyes fixed on Nystrix with that faint, knowing smile she always carried. "You're awake," she said softly. Her voice was calm, but there was weight in it, a strange gravity that made Nystrix's heart thud. "You fainted after coming out from your trance."
Nystrix froze. " Sure did" she said . Her throat felt tight. But why did she faint, she was clearly fune when she came out from the trance. Nothing really made sense anymore.
Gadmyne's gaze didn't waver. "Yes. You've stepped past what ordinary witches can reach. The rest… will come in time."
Nystrix's fingers twitched again, almost uncontrollably. And then—without thinking—a tiny spark of blue light leapt along her palm before vanishing. She gasped, pulling her hand back as if it had burned her.
"You—what did you just do?" she stammered, eyes wide, voice trembling.
Gadmyne's lips curved into that faint, approving smile again. "Perhaps it wanted to happen," she said softly, her eyes glinting with something unreadable. "The Nexus… it responds to you, Nystrix. Slowly, carefully. You're learning. That spark, that movement… it's a step. A small one. But a step nonetheless."
Nystrix swallowed hard. She wanted to say something, to ask what it meant, why it happened, why she felt so strange—but she couldn't find the words. Instead, she flexed her fingers, trying to make the tingling go away, and a small vine near the window twitched, curling toward her.
Her heart thumped loudly. "I… did that?"
Gadmyne's head tilted slightly, eyes narrow but gentle. "Perhaps. Or perhaps it simply listened. Either way… you notice it. That is important."
Nystrix's mouth opened, then closed. She didn't know whether to be proud or terrified. Everything inside her felt different—her body, her senses, even the air around her. She could feel currents of energy brushing past her, faint and fleeting, as if the room itself had been waiting for her.
A sudden sharpness shot through her chest, like a subtle shove from the Nexus itself. She stumbled slightly, gripping the edge of the table to steady herself. Her stomach lurched. Something had tried to push her back into reality, refusing to let her stay in that other world for too long.
Gadmyne's frown was brief, just enough for Nystrix to see it. But she said nothing. The silence itself was a warning, a weight that pressed on Nystrix's chest. Danger, her mind whispered, faintly, fleeting. But Gadmyne didn't answer, only watched, calm and unreadable.
Nystrix's pulse quickened. She wanted to run, to hide, to forget everything that had happened—but a small part of her, the part that had touched the spark, that had felt the strange pull of the Nexus, wanted more. She flexed her fingers again, and a tiny flicker of blue fire danced along her palm, teasing, teasing, teasing, before vanishing once more.
"You'll learn control," Gadmyne said quietly, almost as if reading her thoughts. "But not yet. You must understand your limits. The Nexus… it tests you. And so do others. You'll see."
Nystrix's eyes darted around the room. The shadows shifted again, stretching and bending in ways that made her stomach tighten. Something was there. Something watching. She wanted to ask Gadmyne what it was, but the words caught in her throat. Gadmyne's calm presence made her hesitate; the older witch didn't need to explain. Her frown, her stillness, her quiet gaze said enough: Be careful.
The tingling in Nystrix's veins grew stronger, pulsing like the beat of her own heart. She felt the air vibrating, subtle currents brushing against her skin, as though the room itself had awakened with her. Every object seemed slightly alive, slightly aware of her presence. Her hand twitched again, and a small shard of light flickered at her fingertip, dancing like it wanted to be noticed.
She bit her lip. "I can… feel it," she whispered. "Everything… moving around me."
Gadmyne nodded slowly. "Yes. You are no longer just Nystrix. You are something… different. Something that bridges worlds. Ordinary witches would not feel this. But you… you are noticing the edges of reality. And it is noticing you."
Nystrix shivered. Her mind replayed the moments of the trance—the glow, the pull, the strange visions that had felt like whispers from some ancient place. And now, back in the room, the same whispers seemed to linger, teasing the edges of her mind.
Danger… coming, the thought brushed against her again, faint, almost too soft to catch. Her stomach knotted. "What does that mean?" she asked, voice barely audible.
Gadmyne's eyes softened, but her lips didn't move. She didn't answer. Instead, she leaned back slightly, letting Nystrix feel the weight of the room, the stillness, the energy humming beneath it all. "Not yet," she said finally, calm and measured. "You are not ready. But soon…" Her gaze lingered on Nystrix, warm but unreadable, leaving the sentence unfinished, hanging in the air like smoke.
Nystrix nodded slowly, though she didn't fully understand. Her pulse was racing, her body tingling with a strange energy she couldn't name, and the room itself felt alive with possibility. She flexed her fingers once more, and the faintest glow lingered in her veins, like a secret waiting to be discovered.
She moved to the window and pressed her palm against the glass. The vines outside twitched, curling slightly toward her as if curious. The wind whispered through the leaves, carrying a faint hum that seemed almost… sentient. She gasped softly.
"This… this is me now?" she asked, voice barely a whisper.
Gadmyne's smile was faint, approving. "Yes. And no. You are discovering yourself. Slowly, carefully. There is more within you, more to learn. The Nexus has noticed, but it is not done with you. And neither… is the world."
Nystrix's chest tightened. Fear, excitement, and something undefinable churned together. She had returned from the trance, yes. But she was no longer just herself. She had stepped into something bigger, something dangerous, and something… wondrous.
The shadows twisted again, subtly, and the whisper brushed her mind once more: Edges of reality… watch closely.
Nystrix blinked, and the tingling in her veins pulsed stronger, the faint glow in her eyes catching the dim light of the room. She shivered, not from cold, but from the undeniable feeling that she had crossed a line she could never uncross.
Gadmyne rose, silent and graceful, moving to stand beside her. She placed a hand lightly on Nystrix's shoulder, and the warmth of her touch steadied the younger witch. "Rest," she said softly. "Learn this first. There will be time for the rest soon enough. But remember… what you feel, what you sense, is only the beginning. The world is changing around you. And so are you."
Nystrix nodded, leaning slightly into Gadmyne's presence. Her eyes flickered with the faint glow that lingered, veins tingling, fingers twitching. She knew the Nexus had seen her. She knew something—something dangerous, something vast—was waiting.
But she also knew… she had power now, small, trembling, but hers. And that was enough, for now.
The room pulsed softly around her, shadows bending, vines stretching, air humming. And somewhere, deep in the corners of reality, Nystrix felt the eyes of the world, the pull of ancient forces, and the faint whisper of things yet to come.
She was changed. And the edge of reality had noticed.