Morning: A Quiet House—Sort Of
Ember had finally grown used to the household rhythm:
Nyxar: silent, lurking like a shadow.
Bug & Spirit: bickering airborne chaos gremlins.
The result? A cottage that somehow felt more alive than ever.
That morning Ember blinked awake to an empty corner where the boy usually perched.
"Where's Nyxar?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
Bug, mid–aerial cartwheel, answered casually, "Went out. Said something about 'hunting new surface things.'"
Ember groaned. "Of course he did. 'New surface things' sounds like an emergency waiting to happen."
The Forest Hunt
Nyxar padded through the dense woods, senses tuned to every snap of twig.
Bee hives buzzed overhead—uninteresting.
Squirrels skittered by—too small.
Another wild boar—too weak.
Then: movement.
A tall creature stepped into a patch of sunlight. Slender body, legs like springs, and on its head a pair of living spears—antlers that gleamed like polished bone.
Nyxar's eyes lit with rare curiosity. "Interesting."
He summoned a mantis, blade-arms gleaming green. It lunged—
—but the deer twisted, antlers catching the mantis mid-slash and flipping it like a toy.
Nyxar's lips curved almost into that unsettling almost-smile. "Better."
A bear materialized beside him with a low rumble. The deer lunged again, but the bear's swipe ended the duel. The forest fell silent.
The black Book shimmered into existence:
"New Creature Acquired: Antler Stalker"
[fast-reacting forest predator • speed ★★★★☆ • antler blades ★★★★☆]
Nyxar dismissed his summons and, intrigued, called the deer back into the world. The Antler Stalker bowed its head, its movements graceful and coiled with power. Flexible joints, razor antlers, lightning reflexes.
"Good," Nyxar murmured.
To test it, he re-summoned the giant boar. Spear in hand, he watched. The deer dashed, a blur of muscle and antler, stabbing deep into the boar's flank. Nyxar finished the hunt with a single, precise thrust to the skull.
"Decent. Useful," he said, satisfied.
Meanwhile: Chaos at Home
Back at the cottage, Ember had her own "hunt": Bug and Spirit were in an all-out pillow war.
"Ha! Take feathered doom!" Bug yelled, dive-bombing Spirit with a cushion.
Spirit retaliated with a blinding flash. "Your aim is as bad as your jokes!"
Ember wheezed with laughter, swinging a pillow like a sword. Feathers snowed across the room.
No one noticed the door open.
The Silent Chef Returns
Nyxar stepped inside, blood-scent trailing like a cold breeze. He quietly set down his spear and walked past the airborne melee without a word.
Into the back yard. Knife in hand.
Three mantises blinked into being, immediately slicing the boar into neat cuts. Two bears hauled in fallen logs for the fire. Bella the massive bell-beast emerged, stretching like a metallic cat before digging herself a cozy trench. The Antler Stalker trotted out simply because Nyxar felt like it.
Nyxar seasoned the meat with herbs Ember had once shown him, hands precise, almost reverent. Sparks flared as he built a bonfire. The deer ferried skewers; the bears stacked wood; Bella settled in with a contented rumble.
For someone raised in darkness, cooking under open sky felt…strange. Warm. Almost pleasant.
Discovery
Eventually Ember stumbled outside, a feather sticking from her hair. "—Wait, what is—"
Bug zipped behind her, jaw dropping. "Okay…that's a whole restaurant out here."
Spirit floated in, dazzled. "Did he…cater a feast while we were busy playing?"
Nyxar turned the spit once, flames licking across perfectly charred boar. "Eat," he said simply.
Ember sniffed the air, eyes widening. "This smells…incredible."
Bug licked his lips. "I leave for ten minutes and the cave kid invents five-star barbecue."
Spirit sighed dramatically. "I still can't eat, but even I feel nourished."
Dinner by Bonfire
They ate (or admired, in Spirit's case) under the stars. The meat was rich, smoky, absurdly tender.
Ember chewed slowly, half-annoyed, half-in awe. "You hunted it, butchered it, seasoned it, and cooked it—all while we were pelting each other with pillows. How?"
Bug shrugged. "It's Nyxar. Find a thing he likes, he masters it. Creepy but convenient."
Nyxar said nothing, only gave that unsettling half-smile, black-and-scarlet eyes reflecting the firelight.
Ember shivered and grinned back. "Fine. You win again. But next time," she jabbed a finger at Bug and Spirit, "I'm bringing the pillows and the steak."
Bug saluted with a greasy claw. "Deal."
Above the crackling fire, the Spirit's glow softened. "This is…strangely perfect."
And for a rare, quiet moment, it was.