The Katapies Experiment; Part 14

Novis 

   It was nice to see everyone reunite with their families again. Well, except for the Messengers. I felt really bad for them. Avia had a mindlessly angry face on all the time, and she lashed out at anyone who tried to make her feel better. Fair enough. 

   I honestly just wanted to look around Necron a little more. Get away from the castle, get some fresh air, you know? Calm down a bit. 

   So I walked around Necron. Through the fancy streets, through cramped alleyways, walking all the way to the edges of the walls. There was a small park crammed near the edge of one of the walls, and a willow tree overshadowed most of the plants. A bench sat below the tree, and it looked nice.  

   Then I sat. For a long time, actually. I got there in the morning, and it already looked like it was noon. I started to doze off about then, and I woke up to it already being dusk. Fireflies were scattered around the plants, flitting between leaves and flowers.  

   Crickets were chirping loudly, probably crowded in one of the bushes. The sun was barely setting, leaving a painted sky, streaked with purples and pinks and oranges. Suddenly, I heard quiet footsteps creeping closer to the bench. I lit my hand on fire (It’s not nearly as bad as you might think, trust me) and whipped around to where the footsteps were coming from. 

   “Who are you? Show yourself. I know you’re here.” I waited for a response as the footsteps halted, then started up again. 

   “Thank the skies it’s you. I thought it was Isabelline or someone.” Lychnus’s voice rang out as he started to sit down. “It’s funny. I thought I was the only one who knew about this place. You’re okay with me sitting here, right? I just don’t want you to burn me or anything.”  

   I nodded and shook out my fire-filled palm as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well, how’ve you been? I haven’t really talked to you in a while.” 

   “I’ve been good. It’s oddly peaceful here, isn’t it? A nice escape.” I smiled and looked back up at the sky. 

   “Yeah.” He paused for a second, then sighed. “I-I’ve been trying to copy what Isabelline did to me. The beam of light thing. And, honestly, I just can’t do it. It... burned my hand.” Lychnus held his arm up to show me the bandages on his fingers. “I don’t know how she did it without hurting herself.” 

   “Well, it happens to everyone. Remember that time when Hydran flooded his house?”  

   “You don’t understand. This could be my only way to protect myself. To save people! You have fire, Clode has lightning. Hell, even Hydran can drown people! I can’t do anything except light up a room. And not very well at that.” 

   “What do you mean? You have plenty of ways to... oh. Well, at least show me how much light you can make.” 

   Lychnus sighed and lit up the hand that wasn’t bandaged, casting a warm golden glow on the garden.  

   “They say that light Mages can only produce the color light that their eyes are. I wish I had Nova’s eyes. She could blind a person in a second.”  

   “What color are her eyes, anyway?” 

   “Grey. The thing is, if she tried, she could make pure white light. Just like the kind Isabelline had.” 

   “Oh, come on. I like your light. It looks more like firelight. Just keep trying. My mom said I nearly burned my arm off when I was four. She had to scramble to get a water Mage to help put it out.” 

   “Yeah, but you were four. I’m fifteen. You have almost complete control of fire, and I can’t even shine a beam of light without burning my hand. Honestly, it’s pathetic of me.” 

   “Well, there’s not much advice I can give you. Just keep going. Burn your hand a million times if you have to. To build resilience, you know? I could help you, too.” 

   Lychnus shrugged and turned away. “Yeah, sure.” 

   I needed to change the subject. “So, uh, what brings you here in the first place? You’ve obviously been here before.” 

   “I wanted to get away from Nova. Ever since she took care of all those toddlers and babies, she’s been so overprotective. She does everything for everyone, and I hate that she wants to control my life.” 

   “Well, you’re both in the castle now, right? Just, uh, hide yourself. Lock the door to your room.” 

   Lychnus groaned in frustration. “She has a key to my room.” 

   “What? How?” 

   “She played up the puppy-dog eyes and convinced the guard that I was ‘in need of her help’. It doesn’t help that I still won’t talk to people. She’s basically been my own personal bodyguard. And I don’t need a personal bodyguard. I don’t need her! She won’t learn that.” 

   “Why is she so protective in the first place, anyway? I mean, how did it all start?” 

   “Well, I... remember my grandfather? The one on my mom’s side? He was a mind Mage. So was my mother. She married a light Mage, and my grandfather hoped for mind Mages as grandchildren. The thing was, me and Nova turned out to be exact copies of our father. The white hair, the pale skin, everything. The only thing that Nova had in common with our mother was her grey eyes. I had nothing in common with my mother’s side.” 

   Lychnus exhaled in exasperation and hid his face in his hands. “And my grandfather hated me for that. He told me that I was useless, that I should just throw myself off the roof of our house and save our family money. How we already had two light Mages in the family, and I was just an extra. Whenever I opened my mouth, he told me to keep quiet or he would make me quiet. So I never talked. And no one noticed but Nova.” 

   “She became my parent, essentially. She would talk for me, tell me how to act. I’m grateful for that, obviously, but that was when I was eight. I grew up! I can fend for myself now. I have you, so that proves I can talk with people just fine. I just wish she would... let go of me. Let me figure out my life on my own. I know I can do it.” 

   I smiled. “Of course you can. You talk to me just fine. You’ll have no problem with that, I guarantee you.” 

   Lychnus jerked his head up. “Really? You think I could do it?” 

   “Well, if you want to prove Nova wrong, I could help you with a lot of things until you get the hang of it. There’s mastering the element of light, talking to people, and, well, getting away from Nova a bit. I could even walk around with you just to be safe.” 

   “That sounds good. Looking forward to it.” Lychnus grinned just as the sun set entirely, making his eyes glint with excitement. Those perfect honey-colored, gold-speckled eyes.  

   I really hope he didn’t see me blushing.