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Knowledge is Power

Summary:

In the aftermath of the blood moon ritual, Nokt and Rox must find another way to create a portal to Netherspace to free the rest of the Forbidden Five.

Chapter 1: Alone

Chapter Text

The hallways of the Shadow Dojo echoed with heavy footsteps against the stone floor. Nokt stormed to his quarters with his fists clenched tightly at his sides and his teeth bared in a snarl. He pushed past any wolf warriors who happened to be in his way. Their masks hid their confused expressions, some even stepped aside hastily to make room for him.

 

He could feel the eyes of his underlings on him and hear their whispers trailing off behind him.

 

With a final shove against a warrior who dared to block his path, Nokt reached the heavy wooden door of his quarters. He swung it open with a force that made it slam against the wall, the echo reverberating through the hall like a thunderclap.

 

He entered and shut the door behind him. In that instant, a large cloud of dust swirled up into the air, and he let out a series of sharp coughs.

 

His room was completely decrepit and beyond repair due to centuries of neglect. At the corner was his old, wooden bed. The frame was warped and cracked, a testament to countless seasons of moisture and dryness. Beside it stood a small wooden cabinet, discolored and darkened with age.

 

Aside from the bed and cabinet, the room lacked any furnishings. Every surface area of the room was blanketed in a thick layer of dust. The walls were grimy and cracked, and the wooden floor creaked beneath his feet with every step he took. The window was caked in dust, dirt, and cobwebs, which blocked the sunlight from entering the room, giving the room a dim glow.

 

Seething with rage, he glared at the ruined wall in front of him as if it were the source of his fury.

 

The ritual of the blood moon ended in failure, and his siblings were still trapped in Netherspace. He wanted to vent his indignation at Ras so badly. What a coward! The wretched tiger chose to flee instead of freeing the rest of his brethren.

 

Nokt wanted to tear Ras apart, limb from limb, and crush his skull with the power of Shatterspin before feeding his corpse to the wolves. But he could do no such thing. Not with this control device lodged in the back of his head.

 

Unable to contain his anger any longer, he began to punch the wall as hard as he could. Despite the wall lasting for thousands of years and its decaying appearance, it was still surprisingly solid and durable. He struck the wall again and again. The echoes of his punches reverberated through the stillness of his room and the hallway outside, striking fear into the wolf guards that stood idly outside. The pain he felt in his hands was nothing compared to the turmoil within him. He let out a shout of rage and kept hitting the wall until his knuckles began to ache.

 

Finally, he stopped. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself and stood alone in silence, watching as the dust continued to float in the air.

 

Everything happened so fast today. One moment, he and his siblings gathered, fantasizing about their conquest over the realms and eagerly awaiting their freedom. The next, he saw the portal close, sealing their fate.

 

Nokt realized just how quiet it was now. Too quiet. He felt the empty silence of the room envelop him. The state of being alone was foreign to him. He hadn’t truly experienced it until now. It felt unnerving and discomforting to him. After thousands of years being imprisoned, he thought nothing could feel worse. But today, he was proven wrong.

 

Even before the Forbidden Five formed, he had his sister, Rox. The two were inseparable, especially with his overprotective nature over her. But now, he felt as though a part of himself was missing.

 

As much as he wanted to, he couldn’t enjoy his freedom. Not without his siblings. They never discovered any other means to access the void, except through the ritual, which meant…

 

It then dawned upon him that with no other way to create a portal there, they were now trapped there, forever. For a moment, it seemed like time froze. The air was stolen from his lungs, and his chest tightened with sharp, aching pain. A thick lump began to form in his throat, and his blue eyes brimmed with tears.

 

The rush of anger from earlier quickly faded away, and a crushing wave of despair crept forth. Nokt sank to the floor, leaned against the wall, and pulled his knees to his chest. He would never see his family again, never hear their voices, or feel their presence again. Their plan to conquer every realm of creation was ruined forever. All because of him.

 

A heavy weight began to form in his chest. Guilt. Overwhelming guilt began to flood him. It was his fault that his siblings were still trapped. Looking back, he scolded himself for not being fast enough to cast the ninja as sacrifices into the portal.

 

I failed them. If only I had acted quicker.

 

He couldn’t help but feel responsible for whatever happened to them. With each passing moment, the guilt deepened, and he began to wonder if his siblings would blame him for their fate.

 

He glanced at the cracked and peeling walls in his room. There was no art depicting the Five, no tapestries capturing them standing together and basking in their victories and triumphs. Not even a portrait of his sister. Nothing to keep their memories alive.

 

The starkness of the room haunted him, a constant reminder that he was completely alone. He stared at the blank walls, and unconsciously, a wistful smile slowly grew on his lips as he began to look back on the memories that he shared with his siblings long ago.

 

He remembered the day when Rox, who was just a child at the time, had successfully performed her first spell ever. The two siblings had ventured out into the forest alone. He could still see the way her eyes gleamed with excitement and the wide grin that she wore as she moved a rock with a telekinesis spell. At that moment, something sparked within her. A fire that would burn for as long as she lived. From that day forward, she grew a deep passion for magic of all forms and dedicated her life to the subject.  

 

Whenever she struggled to perform certain spells or lacked the knowledge to complete a potion, Nokt suggested that she train under a mentor or find someone with magical experience to help guide her. But Rox, stubborn as a mule, always kept a tight hold onto her pride.

 

She would rather teach herself magic with all the freedom in the world than be kept on a leash by a master and held back by all their insufferable rules and regulations. She refused to be constrained like so many students. No one would shackle her boundless potential. 

 

Rox knew oh so well how the mages and sorcerers of the Wyldness, with their outdated dogmas and self-righteous pronouncements, vehemently forbade the practice of dark magic. They labeled it corrupting, dangerous, and inherently evil. Those who practiced it would be seen as heretics and sentenced to unspeakable punishments, namely death.

 

But Rox disregarded all the warnings, risks, and consequences. Upon first performing dark magic, she felt anything but corrupted. If anything, it felt good.

 

She couldn’t comprehend their rigid adherence to what they considered ‘good magic’ and ‘evil magic’ or ‘forbidden magic’. She believed that the practice of dark magic was not inherently evil, but rather a misunderstood power to be mastered and used for one’s own purposes. All magic should be used, no matter what.

 

To her, their traditions and beliefs were wrong, cruel, and dishonorable. It revolted her that so many people were devoted to the wrong ideologies of magic and never thought for themselves. Everywhere she looked, students blindly followed their masters in their unethical customs and practices of magic. All of them were sheep, enclosed in a pen by their herders.

 

But not her.

 

Rox refused to be a sheep. After all, she was a wolf.

 

She always insisted that Nokt stay with her during her practice sessions; his comforting presence always bolstered her confidence. He often watched for hours as she practiced and eventually mastered pronouncing the intricate incantations, gathered the ingredients necessary for magical potions, and memorized the complex hand gestures needed to perform her spells.

 

After the formation of the Forbidden Five, she persisted in trying to engage her siblings in the study of magic, initiating conversations and encouraging them at every opportunity. Though they weren’t as enthusiastic about the subject, at least they still practiced Theroxian magic occasionally.

 

Nokt remembered the nights when Rox lit up a forge and worked tirelessly for hours to craft armor, weapons, and intricately carved masks for their wolf warriors. Her craftsmanship was impeccable, the swords gleaming like polished silver under the moonlit sky, the armor sturdy and beautifully ornated, and the masks inscribed with sigils. But there was one night that always stood out to him. It was when she made her facial mask, decorated with a row of golden, razor-sharp teeth, a means to further strike intimidation into the hearts of her enemies.

 

He always admired Rox for her unwavering confidence and her cold and calculating nature. While he possessed the intimidation and ferocity of a wolf, Rox had the cleverness and cunning of a fox.

 

By merely using her words, she was able to coerce some of the tribes and enemies who opposed the Five to submit to their rule. Of course, once their allies were no longer of any use, the siblings betrayed them. Even with her elemental power and mastery in magic, Nokt could never shake the ingrained feeling of always needing to protect his little sister.   

 

His mind drifted back to the many nights when the Five rested from their relentless campaigns in the Wyldness. After weeks of constantly waging war and conquering lands, they gathered around a fire and celebrated their victories. The smell of roasted meats and the aroma of ale filled the air, a comforting contrast to the stench of blood on the battlefield.

 

Nokt and Rox always shared a warm embrace together and huddled near the fire. Drix made jokes and brought laughter to the Five. He often raved about the desserts that he planned to serve in celebration of their hard-earned victories, much to the others’ delight. Kur would either stare at the fire in peaceful silence or lie on the ground and sleep soundly in the shadows.

 

Zarkt, however, would ruin the quiet, peaceful evenings that they shared by boasting and blathering to the Five about his brutality towards his enemies on the glorious battlefield. He was a loose cannon, impossible to control. As the most violent and bloodthirsty member of the Five, he reveled in all forms of violence, suffering, and death.

 

It seemed like war and violence was all he talked and thought about. Even when they rested or celebrated their victories after days of nonstop battle, he would rant about how he cut down his foes like wheat or admire his siblings’ prowess in battle. No matter how many enemies Zarkt slayed, nothing seemed to satisfy his endless bloodlust.

 

He was reckless and impulsive, always charging headfirst into battle with his flail and letting out a battle cry that shook his enemies to their core. Even against overwhelming forces, Zarkt always stood his ground and faced his enemies head-on.

 

Due to his short temper, Zarkt was easily offended by his siblings over such frivolous matters, like whenever they disagreed with him, teased him, or chose something else for dinner that he didn’t want. Whenever this happened, he would start heated arguments that lasted for hours, or even full-blown fights with them.  

 

Nokt recalled that whenever the Five rested from their violent campaigns and Zarkt felt the need to vent out his anger or sate his bloodlust, he would go out into the woods and destroy the trees. If that wasn’t satisfying enough, he would hunt wild animals in the forests, whether they be prey or predator, or go to the local villages and terrorize the inhabitants.

 

If there was one thing Zarkt enjoyed nearly as much as his acts of savagery, it was his intemperance with ale. The others tried to moderate his intake, but to no avail. Whenever he drank, the other siblings always expected him to start a fight, which he did. Thankfully, Rox always cast a sleeping spell on him before he went on a rampage.

 

The others often teased Zarkt, reminding him not to drink any ale before beginning their daily routine of conquering and domination, lest he become another casualty on the battlefield. Much to their amusement and his annoyance, they often joked that if anyone were to fall first in battle, it would be him.

 

Nokt let out a small laugh, remembering a time when Zarkt was intoxicated, and he tried to recite an old song to commemorate their victory over the southern tribes, only to let out slurs of nonsensical rambling. Shortly afterwards, he collapsed to the ground, and his siblings laughed uproariously until their stomachs hurt.

 

Oh, how he missed laughing with his siblings.

 

He remembered how Drix eagerly shared the story of his people and what they were like. Drix grew up in a hive full of anthropomorphic insect-like people. From pupa to elder, they always radiated positivity and felt a deep love and care for one another. They were fiercely protective of their own kind. Community was everything. No one was a stranger, and everyone was either acquainted or friends with each other.

 

Family was a core value in Drix’s tribe. Everyone either stood together or fell together. No one ever abandoned or betrayed their own. The hive passed down this ideology for generations, something that Drix held close to his heart and never forgot for the rest of his life, even after parting ways from his people.

 

His initiation into becoming a member of the Five was swift. He found himself among a group of kindred spirits who shared his pain, his anger, and related to his hardships. In an odd twist of fate, all their dark pasts were what brought them together to form their siblinghood.

 

Nokt reminisced on how Drix always used to cook desserts that usually involved honey, something that he picked up from his tribe. His unrivaled skills in creating such sweet and savory desserts never ceased to amaze the rest of the Five.

 

Nokt could swear he still remembered the taste of honey bread. The delicate sweetness, the floral flavor, the moist, soft texture, and its crispy exterior. He would do anything to hear the laughter and voices of his siblings again.

 

Then, there was Kur. Like the blank walls that surrounded Nokt, he couldn’t find many fond memories of her. Only the ones that reminded him and the others of just how different she was from them.

 

Kur always stood out as the odd one of the Five. She was a ghostly presence. Always quiet, secluded, and detached. Even with their excellent sense of hearing, Nokt and Rox could barely hear Kur’s footsteps whenever she passed by.

 

Rarely did Kur ever talk. Most days, she remained completely silent or said very few words. In their conquest over their home realm, Kur spoke through her actions and let her siblings do the talking. She would hear Nokt’s commands, Rox’s haughty taunts, Zarkt’s baleful bellows, and Drix’s loud buzzing. All of them had their own unique way of asserting their authority and striking fear into the hearts of the denizens of the Wyldness.

 

Usually when the Five gathered, she would sit in silence, listening to their conversation, or stare at an object or a light to fixate herself while lost in her own thoughts.

 

Unlike her siblings, who were fueled with passion, ambition, bloodlust, desire, and many other things, Kur lacked any of these traits. Or at least, she didn’t express them very well. But no matter how different Kur was from the rest of the Five, she was still a part of their family, and they treated her with equal care and respect.

 

The memories of the Five faded away, with only the blank walls remaining. A constant reminder of his failure to free them.

 

Nokt was filled with dread and uncertainty about the future. They were all supposed to be freed. He didn’t picture it happening this way. Not like this. It was either all of them escaping or none of them. He couldn’t continue with their grand plan alone.

 

He now found himself wishing that his mentor was still here. In their time of need, the Five’s teacher was a voice of authority and reason, guiding them with wisdom, providing caution, and steering them to resolutions. If only he were here to help him now.

 

Nokt faced many challenges in his life. He had to raise his younger sister all on his own, thanks to the cruel indifference of their tribe. He had to protect Rox from the torment of bullies when they were children. He had to fight dragons, wild beasts, ruthless barbarians, hostile foreign races, and everything else that the world threw at him and Rox. He endured pain, bled, and broke bones just so his sister would be alive and okay.

 

They learned the harsh truth that to survive in this cruel world, they had to rely on strength. Only the strongest survived, and the weak died.

 

They were prepared to do anything, absolutely anything, to achieve real power. Though they were committed to this path, it came at a great price. They willingly shattered their souls and sacrificed their ethics, their morality. They had to break free of everything that held them back.

 

Nokt had to endure thousands of years of imprisonment with his siblings, a fate far worse than death. After weeks without food and water, the siblings realized that the Netherspace would keep them alive for however long they were trapped. They never aged and never grew hungry or thirsty. This wasn’t living. This was existing, and they hated the feeling. It was like being stuck in a dream that they couldn’t wake up from.

 

They missed what it felt like to live. Months passed, and they had already become used to the lack of food and water. Years became centuries. Their perception of time was gone. With every second that passed, their vindictiveness and malice grew. They vowed to rain their vengeance upon the ones who imprisoned them if it was the last thing that they ever did.

 

But now, Nokt was up against a plight he could not see himself overcome. He didn’t know what to do without his siblings.

 

Before, the flame of ambition burnt brightly within him, a fierce and unwavering devotion towards the Five’s goal, but now it was extinguished, leaving only hollowness. Nothing else in the world mattered to him now except his siblings. Not their plan, or their revenge against the ones who imprisoned them. With them trapped in Netherspace, he saw no point in continuing anymore. It was over.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” Nokt whispered.
 

He buried his face between his knees and let out a muffled sob as tears of regret and self-blame flowed down his face. Then, he tilted his head back, and a howl of sorrow ripped from his throat.

 

After ages of waiting, today should have been the day when the Five finally tasted the sweetness of their freedom that they always dreamt of and longed for in the countless, dark years of their prison.

 

They should be reveling in the simple comforts of life that they took for granted in their age of glory. To enjoy the cool, refreshing water and the taste of food. To bask in the sun’s warmth, chasing away the lingering cold that they constantly felt. The caress of a gentle breeze and the earth beneath their feet. To breathe the fresh air filling their lungs. To feel alive after an eternity of waiting and know what it’s like to live again.

 

But today was not that day, nor would it ever come. His freedom meant nothing without them. All he wanted now, more than anything, was to see them.

 

A blanket of depression weighed down on him. His shoulders slumped forward. Time seemed to lose its meaning as he stared into nothingness, with his thoughts solely consumed on his siblings.