Noah lost count of the times the world changed around him. Dreams came and went with the ebb of bubbling waves of shadow. Stone turned to field turned to ocean, but his directive never changed. Noah never relented. He hailed blows down on Somnus without mercy.
There wasn’t even the slightest part of him that felt bad about it. A Rank 7 had certainly gone through a hell of a lot worse than this — and Somnus was completely in possession of the ability to end this whole thing whenever he wanted to.
Noah hadn’t been lying. He wasn’t stupid enough to try to assault an Apostle when they were outside of a dream. That would have been suicide, and not of the variety that he occasionally partook in.
But Somnus clearly wanted him locked up in here. He wanted it enough that he was willing to let Noah treat his boney body like a very uncomfortable punching bag. Noah obliged him.
It was the only way he could think to push Somnus’ hand, and he couldn’t deny that it eased his frustrations to some small degree. Not being able to act was beyond frustrating. He’d always had at least one option available to him. Used to being able to hard-reset a fight just by letting himself die.
But even if he were able to get out of the dream, killing himself would just reveal his powers to the Apostles. That very well might have been exactly what they were hoping he would do. Noah was not about to get tricked into revealing his hand.
He might have hated waiting, but he was willing to bet that there were few living beings on this world that had more patience than he did. Not liking something didn’t mean he wasn’t capable of doing it… and he’d had a hell of a lot of practice recently.
If Moxie hadn’t potentially been in danger, this would have been a vacation. He’d have been more than happy to wail on Somnus for a few weeks straight. After all, it didn’t seem like he was getting tired within the dream world. It was practically the perfect spot to train.
Though it definitely would have been better if this guy had a single iota of physical combat ability.
The world shattered.
He was more than used to that by this point. It was far from the first time that the shadows had torn him from one dream and thrust him into the next.
But this time, it was different.
Cold air drove into Noah’s lungs like a sharp spike. Goosebumps exploded over his skin and he instinctively pulled in on himself as the temperature dropped sharply.
Noah found himself sitting in yet another stone room. Marble tile ran beneath his feet and the arched walls rising up all around him were covered with faded engravings.
A long table stretched out before him. Utensils were laid out across it, but there wasn’t a single morsel of food on any of the plates. It was pristinely clean, like an unused set for a movie rather than a real table.
The feeling of going from on his feet to being seated, from in motion to still, was certainly an odd one. It was like someone had hit a hard reset on his entire body.
Still, Noah was halfway to his feet before he realized that something had changed.
Somnus stood across the room from him, a hand pressed to his bald head and features twisted in displeasure. But he wasn’t alone. At his side and at the head of the table sat another man.
For a moment, Noah thought that it was Sievan. The man wore what could have only been described as a dress shirt. It was buttoned up to his neck and the sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows to reveal lean but heavily muscled arms.
A pair of sleek glasses sat on the man’s face beneath a well-groomed head of black hair. There was a faint, almost satisfied smile upon his lips and pulling at his manicured features without creating so much as a wrinkle on his face.
“Well,” Noah said, cracking his knuckles. “This is new.”
Somnus glared at Noah. "You are, without a doubt, the most unpleasant experience I have ever had the displeasure of being exposed to in the last three hundred years. The dream is finished. You are awake. Attack me again and I will flay the flesh from your bones.”
Noah paused. He glanced around for any search of the shadows that had arrived to pull him free of all the previous dreams. There was no sign of them. Not yet, at least. He wasn’t so sure he trusted Somnus.
“How old are you?” Noah asked. “Because if you’re older than three hundred, I’ve been slacking off.”
Somnus’ eyes narrowed.
“I don’t believe he trusts you,” the well-dressed man seated beside him said.
“You know, trapping someone in some Inception dream bullshit without a way to tell if they’re sleeping or not is a great way to make people not trust you,” Noah said. “As is kidnapping them and using their allies as part of said dream. Seriously, is every single Apostle a prick? Or is it only the ones I’ve had the displeasure of meeting?”
“It’s all of us,” the seated man replied without missing a beat. “It is rare that a kind man finds himself in possession of the power that we have earned. They tend to lack what it takes to do what must be done.”
“At least you’re self-aware.”
This guy is another one of the Apostles, then. So Somnus actually did manage to get me to wherever the hell it was he was taking me. Lovely. At least this means I should be able to kill myself again as long as I can come up with an excuse to justify how I come back to life.
“Somnus,” the well-dressed man said. “Would you go get the others?”
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“Some of them aren’t coming. They’re preoccupied dealing with the mess.”
“The ones that are, then. I’m sure none of us want to waste more time here than necessary.
Somnus drew a portal into the air behind him without so much as a word of response. Then he stepped into it. The portal snapped shut behind him, leaving Noah and the other Apostle sitting alone in the cold room.
“Sit,” the man said. “Or stand. It’s up to you, really.”
“I’ll remain standing,” Noah replied. He still didn’t see any shadows anywhere. There was a pretty good chance that he was actually awake… but he wasn’t completely certain of it yet. “I’ve already gotten too much beauty sleep thanks to Somnus.”
“You gave him quite the hard time. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him so displeased,” the man said, a note of amusement entering his voice. “Crone told us that you were uniquely insufferable, but it seems you have exceeded yourself.”
“Thank you,” Noah said. “I try my best.”
“Are you certain you won’t sit?” the Apostle asked. “We will endeavor not to take too much of your time. This shouldn’t last too long. You may as well make yourself comfortable in the meantime.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed. “I’m good. Nobody’s told me exactly what the hell is happening. Some kind of trial for Garina? To be honest, I really don’t care. I don’t even know who you are.”
“Ah. That was rude of me. I should have introduced myself earlier.” The man adjusted his shirt. “My name is Kyyle.”
Noah stared at him.
“Kyyle.”
“Yes.”
“That’s it?” Noah squinted. “Kyyle? Are my ears getting this wrong, or is that spelled with two Ys?”
“That would be it,” Kyyle confirmed. “Two of them. It is an old name.”
There are other words I would use besides old.
“One of the Apostles is called… Kyle,” Noah said. He continued to squint. “That’s it. Just Kyle.”
“Kyyle. Don’t shorten the Y,” the Apostle corrected. “And yes. It is a name. What issue do you have with that?”
“Revin calls himself the Godeater. Garina said something about a hound. Then there’s Somnus the Ferryman and even Crone — which is the name for an old lady, by the way, but at least it’s something. And your whole name is just… Kyyle. That’s it. No title? I thought those were part of the whole Apostle membership club. Do they not come with the benefit package, or did you only get the extra Y?”
“I think you’ve spent too much time around Garina,” Kyyle said. “I sense her nippiness in you. Like a small, barking dog.”
“This is all me. I didn’t need Garina. My tolerance wore thin a long time ago. I’m really not a fan of people swinging by and ruining my day when I’m trying to get some rest. It’s seriously rude.”
“I can imagine. Especially with soul damage as severe as yours,” Kyyle said, sending a critical look in Noah’s direction. “But do not act as if you are some saint. You are no kinder than us. We all do what we must for power, do we not?”
Noah’s lips thinned. “Are you going to start preaching? Or do you have a point? Because if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to get this wrapped up so I can get back to doing something productive. Seriously, if you wanted information about Garina, you could have just sent a letter.”
“At least nobody can say you lack the will to stand here,” Kyyle said, his lips pulling into the smallest of amused smiles. “I must take the blame for your arrival today. It is I that requested your presence for Garina’s trial. The other Apostles did not think it necessary. In truth, it was not. The trial is irrelevant.”
Noah blinked. “What?”
“None of us will find Garina in contempt of her duties. We are not idiots. Orlen has been present on this world for just as long as us, and he wields more power than any individual Apostle. None of us can truly expect Garina to hold him back, and we cannot risk fighting within the Arbalest Empire without accidentally waking the Night’s Shadow.”
“Then what the hell was the point of all this? Why’d you have me brought here?”
“Because I am in the business of knowing more than the others.” Kyyle smiled. He rose from his chair and crossed his hands behind his back. “Even the Prophet hears only what is whispered to him. I make it a point to learn everything I can. And you, little Rank 5, have interesting connections.”
“If you want to get into Garina’s pants, you’re going to have to ask her yourself. I’m not passing her a note for you.”
I will, however, be happy to stand on the sidelines when that happens. I wonder how this guy sounds when speaking in soprano.
A frown flickered across Noah’s lips. He was pretty used to being antagonistic, but there was an edge to his thoughts that felt out of place. As if he was tense and lashing out instinctively.
It’s almost like how I felt when Azel was fucking with my head.
Noah’s eyes narrowed.
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Kyyle smiled. “Ah. Somnus did say you were perceptive. I apologize. I’m not doing anything intentionally. You are experiencing the side-effects of being in proximity to my rune. I will cut to the chase before the other Apostles arrive. You are going to be tested.”
“What? I thought this was about Garina.”
“It is. And you are her responsibility. Some of the others will bring their own little toys to see how you stack up against them. Should you prove that you are strong enough, none of them will question your identity as her student or her competence for accepting you.”
What the hell is this guy’s angle? I can’t tell what he wants… but anyone that messes with my thoughts is not someone at the top of my list to be friends with.
“Then I’ll win. Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I want you to do more than win,” Kyyle replied. “There is one toy in particular that I want you to break. And, from what I have heard from Crone, you should be more than capable of doing it. You will do this for me.”
Noah arched an eyebrow. “Why?”
“Because, if you don’t, I will ensure you never leave this place alive,” Kyyle replied simply. “I will kill you myself.”
Noah felt his expression go flat.
“And what exactly is this toy you want me to break?” Noah asked, keeping his tone even. He didn’t like being threatened. Not at all.
“Your arrival coincides with a certain… competition that we hold. You lack the strength to win… but you will be more than sufficient to ensure that someone loses. My own apprentice is to claim victory. You will assist in this. I will indicate your target when the time comes,” Kyyle said, interlacing his fingers. “Should you do as I say, then you and Garina will find yourselves back in the places you belong.”
More anger simmered in Noah. He’d gotten pulled here for a trial in which the decision had already been made, just so this prick could use him to get at one of the other Apostles.
I will not be controlled. Not by Azel. Not by Evergreen or Father or Og — or any of the other bastards that keep popping up.
Anything that someone tries to take from me, I’ll take back from them tenfold.
But Noah didn’t let any of his thoughts show on his face. This was infuriating, but it was also an opportunity.
Kyyle probably wasn’t that much stronger than any of the other Apostles if he was coming to Noah for help. And that meant siding with one of the other Apostles would be no worse a move than siding with Kyyle.
So there’s something he wants to make sure nobody can take from his apprentice, huh?
I don’t even know what it is. Unfortunately for Kyyle, I don’t care. I’ll be happy to help with stopping someone else from taking the prize… but his apprentice isn’t going to be walking home with it either.
“Have I made myself clear?” Kyyle asked, leaning forward to let his gaze bore into Noah’s.
Noah’s emotions were buried before a single word came out of his mouth. He couldn’t afford to let anything slip free, and there were few ways better to keep his cards close to chest than falling back on a reliable persona.
“Crystal,” Spider said. And, even with determination keeping his features flat, it took everything he had not to smile.