#stygia astera

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>Sigh.

“It seems that I’ve made a... made a...”

>Your eyes, white and hollow, chance a glance at the ground below you as you adjust your shawl with a shaky breath.

“A terrible mistake.” 

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Learn his face, know his name

Summary: Stygia leads her descendant out on a dangerous trek to lay eyes on an old foe. Old tales and new beginnings start to unfold. Characters: Stygia Astera, Novalx Astera, Omnius Dioxal (mentioned, belongs to @memurfevur)

“Come, Novalx. There’s something you need to see.”

Nova emitted a shaky breath as they opened their eyes to the soft echo of their ancestor’s voice. Another day, another daymare plaguing them to awaken, feeling weak and terrified, pained from injuries that were still healing. Even as they were alone in the room, in the hive itself, they could feel the tug of The Catalyst’s call. There was a glance out the window to confirm through tattered curtains that the rays of that day had already begun to kiss the Alternian horizon goodbye. They couldn’t imagine what their ancestor would want to show them so early, but they also knew that they couldn’t ignore their calls for long.

The younger Canpio groaned as they slowly pushed themself off of the sleeping slab and placed their feet against the floor. Even if the pain had improved, it was still excruciating to move too quickly, and it showed in how they gasped for air as they slid on their shoes. They were sluggish to slide on their light gray hoodie over the tanktop that they usually wore underneath, and a few more moments passed before they grabbed for the sturdy branch that served as a walking stick. After what felt like an hour, they were on their feet and limping out the door.

The trek to town was exhausting, even tear-jerking as every breath still pained them. They pulled their hood up and swallowed as they reassured that their mask was in place. They were fairly well-hidden, save for the medium-gray Canpio symbol on their chest, but given how early it was, they hoped that no one would pay much mind to them. So far, they avoided eye contact with the other trolls, but a sudden whisper prompted them to look up.

“Wait.”

“What,” Nova queried almost under their breath as they lifted their gaze, a gasp catching in their throat as they laid eyes on a few trolls exiting a building. They nervously exhaled, tucking their white streak of hair into their hood. Something felt off, here, and the owl troll suppressed a tiny, fearful whimper at the next word to make itself known.

“There.”

Nova’s gaze fell upon a tall Tealblood with salt-and-pepper hair, a smile that was perhaps a little too charming, and a vertical pinstripe suit comprised of black and white. A rush of dread rushed through them, one so potent on sight that a part of them questioned whether that was actually their own. They found it difficult to speak, but eventually, a single utterance fell forward. “...Who...?”

“That is Omnius, Nova. Learn his face just as well as you know his name, and avoid him at all costs.”

“That’s Omnius,” Nova gasped perhaps a bit too loudly in alarm, recoiling as if the name itself dealt a source of pain. They backed away from the corner wall they had leaned against to rest, their eyes wide as some trolls looked their way. Oh gog, had they been heard? Had they been seen?

“Not so loudly,” Stygia hissed, baring her unseen teeth in a snarl towards her descendant. The elder shifted in place, their hollowed, white eyes somehow ablaze with anger upon sight of the Tealblood before the two of them. “But yes. Now you know his face. Never look him in the eyes, and if you must walk away, don’t be conspicuous. Give him no reason to ever be interested in you.” A heavy pause came before the Catalyst broke the silence once again, their words suddenly heavy and grave in a way that Nova had never heard.

“And most importantly, do not lead him to Rutaci. If he sees you, don’t anticipate that Rutaci is going to save you. Lead him off elsewhere, and pray that he doesn’t catch you. If he does, then you should pray instead that he ends you quickly.”

Tears pricked at Nova’s eyes at the thought. Their life only felt more and more like an ongoing daymare, agonizing enough to where they wished they could’ve returned to the nights where their biggest concern was staying anonymous, not feeling as if they were constantly, actively on the run. The younger Canpio took another step back to meld into the shadows save for the light tones on their hoodie. Oh, gog, what could they do?

“Follow my directions,” The Catalyst answered their unspoken query with a nod that was felt rather than seen towards the alley. “There’s a network of tunnels that you can take starting here. I’ll lead you hive, but the next time you’re out here, wear a darker color, and keep your symbol inside out. Hope against all hope that they didn’t notice you.”

With those words left hanging in the air, Nova shuffled into the dark of the alley, clinging to Stygia’s every word as a ghost of a comforting presence. Not another sound met the air, sans for panicked, painful breaths even as the still-living of the two hobbled out of sight.

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Has Ru told you anything about any descendant while you've been alive, Styg? He's met at least one I think.

"What?!"

The question was more enthused than she had anticipated, but in the moment, she didn't care to settle herself. She was clearly honed in on the anon, her eyes carrying a flicker of excitement that soon became layered in curiosity.

"No, he hasn't... I need to speak with him on it."

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the glorified death wish on ice, stab mommy, and dead bird go brr

As they should, I hereby assign your type as "traumatized and could easily kill you but probably won't"

For me it's Rutaci, Liahne, Keonin, and Moreto

Omnius I'm not touching with a ten-foot pole, but he's grown on me as an interesting bastard

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Stygia, what do you think of that little ghost girl that hangs around Omnius?

"There isn't much to say."

You adjust your shawl.

"She hides from me. I think she's afraid."

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okay, then how did YOU feel about him?

"We were just as much keeping each other out of trouble as we were conspiring to cause it. I still think back on the time that we created a stench bomb and convinced Rutaci to light the fuse with his flames. We threw it into an open window at the embassy and scattered to watch the chaos from afar."

>You fail to realize that a pained smile has manifested on your face, nor do you note the 'dust' in your eye.

"Liahne kept the most distance, fretful that we might have gotten hurt, but she was laughing, too, at least in her eyes."

>You're getting off track. It's deliberate.

"I don't care much for applying labels to things unless it's something that needs to be figured out. That didn't need a term to summarize. We were fine to just 'be.'"

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that sounds like pale behavior...

holy shit were you two pale for each other?

"No."

>You bare your teeth in a snarl before you force yourself to take a calming breath.

"Well, I wasn't. We just looked out for each other, all of us. Besides that, he was with Rutaci. I wasn't... looking, at the time. Just doing my part."

>You can almost feel your bloodpusher burning. Maybe, just maybe, you're keeping something from yourself.

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he seems to express guilt over you A LOT. i cant understand it. he even admitted to once having feelings for you, but we dont know what kind

>You freeze. You find that you're not surprised by any of this, but you're loathe to admit that it leaves you exasperated and stung.

"...Neither did we. He always looked at me in a longing way and tried to talk me down from my way of doing things a couple of times because it would see me being killed for my cause. It's obvious how that all turned out."

>You pause again, and that tension that's riddled you seems to manifest itself again as your lips press together into a thin line.

"He has no right to his guilt. No one was forcing him to turn me in. He could've had every opportunity to set me free, but instead, he stood by as I was beaten, shocked, flogged, and burned by the morning sun. And now, he's laid claims to mine and Rutaci's descendants. He was willing to kill anyone who stood between him and Rutaci, and that clearly included me."

>Your next words fall from your tongue dripping with venom and vitriol, but somehow, there seems to be an unspoken lack of conviction. That's not like you.

"It's by his own actions that he's fallen from a smooth-talking advocate to equality to a beast chasing his own tail. He only has himself to blame when we catch up."