Somber silence hung heavy in the air, a haunting peace that both calmed and chilled the heart in equal measure. It was a feeling Sunny had become all too familiar with, given the number of times she had entered this room. Like the rest of her home, soft grayish-blue walls surrounded her, the massive fifty-by-fifty foot square room lit by a titanic crystal chandelier. Various glass display cases filled the room, the smaller artifacts held in large display shelves while the larger ones stood alone. They each stood five feet apart from each other at the center of intricate arcane circles carved into the floor.
The girl took in the sight with cautious interest, making sure not to step too close to the various circles carved into the floor as she made her way through it. Her dress shoes clicked softly on the gray marble floor, her navy business-skirt and black stalkings doing little to protect her from the chill in the air. Out of habit, she clutched her shoulders for some sense of comfort, the long sleeves of her lavender blouse crinkling like paper under her grip. A grip that sharply grew when she made it to the back of the room.
Here stood two display cases, each showing a different arcane artifact. The left one held a Trotish claymore, its blade held in a dark leather sheath that only added to the splendor of its golden hilt. Its grip was simmering silver silk while its pommel was golden and in the shape of a dragon with a glimmering emerald marble in its maw. On display on the right was a wicked obsidian dagger. While its neighbor seemed to give off a radiant aura, the dagger's blade seemed to devour the light around it. Said blade was jagged and curved, like the fang of some demonic serpent, and black with a faint violet light. Its handle was wrapped in a coarse emerald hide similar to snake scales with a faintly glowing blue diamond set into its pommel.
Standing a good five feet away from the two item's circles, she frowned at the dagger.
Still not strong enough. How much longer will I need to wait?
A dejected sigh crept past her lips, her hand drifting slowly to her heart. She flinched when a cold spark echoed through her soul. She could sense the foul presence residing there, coiling around in the back of her mind like a barbed-wire tether. Her hand then drifted to the silver ring on her right index finger, the runes inscribed in the silver band glowing a faint red light as they fulfilled their function.
"Just a little longer," she muttered, tracing a finger across her ring. "Then Sour and I can be free of these foul Seeds."
And then....then I will see what can be done about the blight Fine Print left us with.
Before she could continue down that train of thought, a knock at the door caught her attention.
"Yes?" she called, her attention still locked onto the two artifacts.
"You have a guest," a female voice said from behind the door. "A Stygian Swirl, young ma'am."
A soft smile spread across her lips as she turned towards the door.
"Very well," she called. "Let him in."
"As you wish," the maid replied.
Seconds later, the door opened and a thin gray boy entered the room. HIs short arctic blue hair was in a bowl cut and his black T-shirt and jeans carried several deliberate cuts in them. His face was youthful and handsome in spite of the disinterest it displayed. That changed when he locked eyes with Sunny and a small friendly smile graced his lips. A smile near identical to the one Sunny wore as she watched him leisurely approach her. She quickly met him halfway and gave him a hug.
"It is great to see you again," she smiled.
"Likewise," he chuckled, patting her on the back.
Sunny giggled at that, breaking the embrace .
"Still not used to showing affection, eh?" she smirked, raising a brow. "That new girlfriend of yours will be heartbroken."
"A rather bold claim, don't you think?" he frowned. "Besides, I don't think we have earned that kind of connection just yet."
"Oh don't give me that," Sunny huffed. "The two of you have been dating for a little over a month now. If she's willing to put up with your mopey attitude for that long, then I say she's more than willing to give you a chance."
"Perhaps," Stygian relented, "Though I fail to see how talking in a library counts as a date."
He held out a hand to her,
"May I?"
"If you must," she playfully sighed, rolling her eyes as she placed her right hand in his.
All business as usual. Hopefully that girl will help him loosen that collar of his.
At that, her mind drifted to simpler times, when they were little and the two of them used to play make-believe in the backyard. When he used to smile more and she didn't know about the looming darkness that haunted her family. As she did that, Stygian carefully examined the ring's runes, his eyes scanning them for even the slightest imperfections. His fingers nimbly and gently turned the metal band with the care of an artisan as he did his work.
Time certainly changes things, she mused, fighting against the small blush coloring her cheeks.
"It is still holding," he nodded, letting go of her hand. "You may need to get it replaced or mended soon, though."
"Of course," she sighed, then bitterly muttered, "Just one more irritation to contend with."
"Speaking of which," he frowned, nodding towards something behind her.
All pleasant emotions fell out of her. She didn't need to turn to know what he was gesturing towards. With a nod, she turned and made her way back towards the dagger. Keeping pace with her and eventually coming to her right, Stygian eyed the relic in distain, disgust made more plain on his face as they closed in on it. By the time they made it to the perimeter of the dagger's circle, he had to actively try to stare at the retched thing.
"I still can't believe your ancestor used this, thing," he growled, spitting the word "thing" out like a wad of rotten food.
"Agreed," she frowned, aiming a glare at the item in question. "Unfortunately, that doesn't change the fact that it is necessary. If all else fails, the Blood Oath Dagger is to be our ace in the hole."
"I know," he sighed. "Believe me; I am well aware of desperate acts."
As he said that, his eyes wandered to his right wrist.
Wrapped around it was a jet black steel bracelet, shadowy black tendrils carved into its surface in an intricately woven pattern. At its top, just before coming to the back of his hand and set into the metal were a pair of glowing red rubies, each cut into the shape of narrowed glaring eyes. He tore his eyes away from the accessory and aimed a worried frown at his friend.
"Let's hope that we never need to resort to this."
With that said, he aimed a sharp glare at the weapon and hissed, "Scathex, come."
The second the words left his mouth, a heavy chill filled the air. A dry, raspy male laugh echoed around them as Stygian's shadow started to deform. It was subtle at first, a faint tremor rattling through its outline in a way similar to a lightly disturbed puddle of water. As the laugher grew, so to did the damage to the boy's shadow, the patch of darkness quickly turning into a writhing pool of darkness staining the ground at his right. By that point, the laughter abruptly stopped and something started to rise out of the darkness, the bastardized shadow shrinking as it emerged. In the most basic of senses, the creature looked like a black king cobra, but that was where the similarities ended. Dark ash seemed to fall away from its form, erasing itself from existence seconds after it left its body in a constant steady stream. Instead of eyes, two glowing red lights sat in the creature's sockets, the cruel cunning in them adding to the unholy feel the creature's presence invoked. Most unsettling of all, neither it nor Stygian casted a shadow.
"You summoned me?" the snake, Scathex, asked, a hint of cruel amusement coloring his tone.
"Yes," Stygian frowned. "As much as I loath to say it, I am in need of your assistance."
"It seems you have yet to learn the definition of 'rhetorical'," Scathex chuckled.
Aside from a sharpened glare, Stygian didn't respond.
Scathex let out a dejected sigh at that.
"You are no fun. My last master was far less uptight," he huffed, then cheekily added, "Perhaps that little lady of yours can help with that."
"Quiet," Stygian hissed. "You will not talk bad about her in front of me."
Scathex reared back at that, seemingly struck by the boy's words.
"I would never!" the snake snapped, genuinely sounding insulted. "Out of all of the people in your life, she's one of the few that I actually like! She thinks I'm...what was the fraise she used again?"
"Super awesome," the boy grumbled out, then sharply added, "That was a compliment aimed at both of us, by the way."
"You say that like I'm the one that needs an ego boost," the demon snickered.
"Enough," Stygian growled. "I summoned you for a reason and talking about Lightning is not it."
"Fine," Scathex sighed.
With some reluctance, the boy held out his hand out towards the snake. With the speed one would come to expect from the form he took, Scathex darted forward and coiled himself around the offered limb. Immediately, the snakes form fell apart, seemingly melting into a dark black sludge that coated Stygian's arm three inches short of his elbow. Once the whole forearm was covered, the dark substance took on a more defined shape. In less than a minute a jet black clawed gauntlet decorated the boy's right arm.
Stygian stared down at his hand, giving his fingers an experimental flex before pointing his palm at the Blood Oath Dagger's case. Black energy slithered out of his palm towards the dagger in slow steady streams, the gem in its pommel gradually glowing brighter. A mix of satisfaction and disgust filled him at the sight, silently fuming over the insanity of the situation he found himself in. A passing glance at his childhood friend added a small spike of irritation to his emotional turmoil.
"Why are you smiling like that?" he flatly asked, focusing on his work.
"She knows about Scathex?" Sunny asked, her knowing smile never leaving her face.
"Yes," he frowned, tone still flat.
"And she still likes you?" Sunny pressed, still smiling.
"She's still friendly," Stygian nodded, eyes still locked onto the dagger.
"Oh don't be so formal about it," she giggled, lightly smacking his shoulder. "It's obvious this girl means a lot to you if you were willing to let her know about him."
"It wasn't exactly planned," he huffed, glaring at the dagger.
"What do you mean?' she asked, her smile falling away.
With an tired sigh, he thought back to what had happened the day before and started to explain.
***
Dry dirt-clods and twigs crunched loudly under his boots, the wild trail before him moving up at a slight incline. Tall trees surrounded him in every direction, their shadows, abandoned branches, and dried pine-needles almost hiding the very trail he was using. The thin mountain air held a crisp chill and was strong with the smell of pine and soil. Narrow streams of early morning light cut through the canopy, showing the small puffs of his own breath in the gloom.
In front of him, ten feet further up the trail, were his two older brothers.
The younger of the two, Flash Magnus, wore a simple gray T-shirt and faded brown shorts. His skin was a dark yellow and short hair a striking blood red. His light blue eyes locked with Stygian's, a patient roguish smile decorating his charming face as he waited for him to catch up. The young man held a toned physique, built for speed over raw strength as a result of countless hours of hard work, something the scrawny teen couldn't help but feel a little jealous of at times.
Even so, he was nothing compared to their oldest sibling.
Rockhoof, or Rock Fist as Stygian teasingly called him, was a mountain of a man. Towering a whole two feet over Magnus, the six-foot light blue giant was the closest thing to a modern viking in terms of build. HIs long brown hair had a few streaks of blond running through it, a simple gray headband keeping it out of his face. A short brown beard with matching streaks added to his grizzled physique, as did his faded brown shirt and mud-stained blue jeans. In spite of his fearsome build, his amethyst eyes shined with a gentle warmth that matched his loud and boisterous nature.
"C'mon you two," Magnus teasingly called. "At this rate, it'll be snowing before we reach the cabin."
Stygian rolled his eyes at that, ignoring Rockhoof's chuckle at that as he pushed himself forward.
"Got it," a winded female voice called from behind the boy.
Stygian looked over his shoulder, raising a brow at the latest addition to their group.
To say Lightning wasn't used to this kind of exercise was an understatement. Even a passing glance told him that the girl was the athletic type, but while he and his brothers were barely even winded, she was running on fumes. It both impressed and concerned him that she could make it so far up the mountain like that. While he, his siblings, and grandparents were used to the uneven footing and thin air, he knew that even the most dedicated athletes would struggle under these same conditions.
Her black sports jacket was tied around her waist, her gray T-shirt soaked with sweat around her collar and pits. Her black jeans were covered with dirt from the countless times she had tripped on the way. Her short sweat-soaked hair was held out of her face by a green bandana and had many stray leaves and twigs caught in it. Mud covered her heavy brown boots in thick layers, adding to the unfamiliar burdens her body had to contend with. Add her stumbling gait to the equation and it was clear that the girl needed a break, even if her pride refused to accept it.
He motioned for his brothers to move on ahead before he waited for her to catch up.
"If you need to take a break, I won't think any less of you," he stated, stoping her advance with a hand on her shoulder.
"N-No, I-I'm good," she panted with a weak smile. "I-I just....I just need to make it to the cabin, right?"
"Yes," he nodded, then flatly added, "And that's five miles from here."
Lightning balked at that for a second, then donned a determined glare as she said, "Sh-Should be a piece of cake."
"Perhaps," he shrugged. "After a short rest."
Lightning opened her mouth to argue, but a stern look from the boy was enough to change her mind.
"Fine," she huffed, staggering to a nearby bolder and plopping down on it.
Sighing at the attitude, he followed her and took a seat beside her.
"I told you this was hard," he frowned.
"I...I know," she panted, glaring down at the ground. "I....still....still wanted....to come along."
"Why?" he blinked, taken aback slightly by the admission.
She gave him a brief side-eye, then bit her lip and looked away from him as she sheepishly muttered out, "Just because."
"I see," he nodded, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.
They sat like that in relative silence, Lightning panting while Stygian closed his eyes.
A soft zen settled in him as the sounds of nature greeted him. It was one of the few things that brought him peace in life. Taken away from the stifling pressure of civilization, he felt he could truly breath once he was surrounded by the rustling of leaves in the wind and the cries of the animals. Out here, surrounded by the flow of the world in its more primal essence, the world felt so much more real compared to the mockery man had crafted for himself.
"You make this look so easy," Lightning sighed, snapping him out of his trance. "How do you do it?"
Hiding his mild irritation at the interruption, he turned his head towards her and calmly stated, "Time. My family and I have been doing this sense I was a baby. I remember struggling quite a bit at first, but it became easy eventually."
"Wait, you climbed up here as a baby?" she balked.
That brought a small chuckle out of him.
"No. My parents weren't that cruel. They carried me up here until I could walk by myself. Then I had to get up here on my own."
Lightning continued to gawk at him, her mind seemingly struggling with that little nugget of information. The reaction drew a rare small smile out of him. A smile that turned into a confused frown when Lightning suddenly looked away from him, suddenly very interested in a tree down the path towards the mountain's bottom.
"Are you okay?" he asked, lightly tapping her shoulder.
"Y-Yeah!" she chirped, suddenly sitting straight, but still looking away from him. "I..um....I just....uh.....wow....I uh...here and I thought my parents were rough with me."
She nervously chuckled after saying that, only adding to the concern he felt towards the girl. While not a heartless person per se, Stygian seldom got involved with the worries of others. Why get involved with something that he ultimately had nothing to do with after all? Everyone had their own problems to solve and they were the ones that needed to solve them. Period. That being said, the faint hint of venom he heard in Lightning's tone regarding her parents did not sit right with him. So, in spite of his better judgement telling him to do otherwise, he decided to reach out.
"Would you like to talk about it?"
Lightning tensed, then slowly relaxed and shook her head.
That only added to Stygian's concern, but with no idea how to safely proceed, he let the topic drop. At least, he did to a certain degree.
"If that changes, don't hesitate to call me," he frowned, finally taking his eyes off of her.
A long moment of silence settled between them, Lightning's slowly steadying breathing and the sounds of nature the only things of note. After some time, Lightning broke the peace, reclaiming his attention.
"Th-Thanks," she managed, nervous strain shaking her tone as she looked over her shoulder at him. "I'll...I'll remember that."
"Good," he nodded, some of his dread bleeding out of him.
It was then that he noticed how red her cheeks were.
"Are you okay?" he asked. "You look a little flushed."
"Y-Yeah!" she chirped, suddenly sitting ramrod straight and snapping her face away from him. "Just a-a-a...you know...um...sunburn! Yeah! That's it!"
He raised a brow at that.
"If you're not feeling well, I could have Rock Fist come back to carry you the rest of the way."
"Nope! I'm good!" she squeaked, jumping to her feet and turning to face him. "See?"
Before he could respond, her legs suddenly gave out from under her. With a startled yelp, she hit the ground and quickly started rolling backwards down the path. Stygian jumped to his feet and ran after her, panicked ice filling his gut as he watched his friend roll over rocks and hard earth. The slope of the path and Lightning's exhaustion kept her moving just out of his reach, adding to his worry for her. His panic broke into true horror when he risked a quick glance ahead and saw the edge of a cliff further down the path. His mind ran faster than his legs, trying to think of some way to catch up with her before it was too late. The time to make a decision came too soon for him as he watched Lightning roll off the cliff.
"Scathex!" he barked.
"On it!" the demon stated.
A second later, a portion of the boy's shadow stretched out from its center, a hand forming on the end as it darted forward. It froze halfway there when something flew up from the drop into view. Hovering in front of them, covered in scrapes and budding bruises, was Lightning Dust. The girl now had large feathered wings coming out of her back and what appeared to be pointed animal ears sticking out of the top of her head. In addition to that, small sparks of electricity were flickering off of her body in random places.
Both of them stared at each other with wide eyes, said eyes quickly taking note of the paranormal phenomenon the other had on display. Their minds ran in several different directions at once, not sure how they were supposed to take this sudden shift. They both opened and closed their mouths a few times, before finally, after several long minutes of staring, they both found their voices.
In perfect unison, they both frantically cried, "I CAN EXPLAIN!!!"
***
Stygian sported the deadest of deadpans, focusing solely on his task and ignoring the hysterical cackling coming from his friend.
After a few minutes of this, dully asked, "Are you done yet?"
"Ju-Just give me a moment," she giggled, only just managing to pull it back into a haughty smirk. "Okay, I'm done."
"Good," he huffed.
"So," she added. "She's a Gifted as well? What luck! What family is she from?"
"None that either of us are aware of," he frowned, still feeding the dagger his Aether. "She refused to go into too many details, but apparently, she Awakened some time after coming into contact with another group of Gifted."
"I see," Sunny nodded, her tone turning thoughtful. "Perhaps they're from a discarded clan?"
"Perhaps," he allowed, noting the brighter shine in the dagger's pommel before he cut off the flow of power.
He turned towards her and continued.
"As I said, she did not tell me much. Either she does not know, or she doesn't trust me well enough to give me the full picture."
"Oh I doubt it is the latter," Sunny giggled, her smile taking on an impish edge. "If she was really acting the way you described, then she'll tell you anything you want. You just need to ask the right questions first."
Stygian's normally placid expression turned vicious, his glare hot enough to burn a hole through tungsten. The sight made Sunny flinch, then take a cautious step back from him. More out of reflex than as a promise, her hand shot into her right skirt-pocket and the artifact that it held. Stygian noticed, and after he took several slow, deep breaths, he returned to his normal calm persona. With a flick of his wrist, he canceled his Summon to relieve the tension between them.
"I'm sorry," he somberly sighed, turning his back to her.
Sunny swallowed thickly, trying to get some moisture back into her dry mouth as she pulled her hand out of her pocket. Forcing back her fear, she approached her friend and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but refused to move beyond that.
"No, I am the one that needs to apologize," she frowned, staring down at the ground in shame. "Considering what your family fights and my own circumstances, I should've known better than to make a joke like that."
Stygian didn't respond, the fact that he brought his right hand up to his own line of sight the only sign that he was listening. More specifically, the metal bracelet on his right wrist into his line of sight. Sunny didn't need to see his face to know he was grimacing at it.
"You are not a Wraith Stygian," she calmly, yet firmly, stated.
"I am close enough," he softly spat. "Anyway, unless you have further need of me, I should head back home. My Grandparents will start to worry if I am not back soon."
As he said that, he gently brushed Sunny's hand off of his shoulder and made his way towards the door. However, a hasty cry from Sunny made him stop two feet from his goal.
"A-Actually, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?"
Stygian turned towards her, then raised a brow as he delivered his flat response.
"No. Why?"
"W-Well," Sunny demurely started. "Sour and I were going to spend time at the mall later and I was wondering if you would accompany us."
Stygian blinked in surprise at that, surprise that quickly turned into a flat stare as he said, "If this is some way to further apologize then-"
"I had already planned to make the offer well before your arrival today," she cut in, a hint of pain entering her smile. "It has been far too long since we all last spent time together."
"That is true," he nodded, a little of the tension from earlier falling off of his shoulders. "Add all of this and it is a small miracle that we both haven't lost our minds yet."
As he said that, he made a sweeping gesture with his hand around the room.
"Who says we haven't?" Sunny giggled, hands together at her front as she approached him.
"Too true," he lightly chuckled, allowing her to pass him. "So, shall we at least pretend to be normal sane people today?"
"Yes," she nodded, opening the door with a small giggle. "But just for today."
***
Being technically a school day, The Crystal Emporium was not as packed as it normally was for the trio. Neither of them were willing to complain about that. After all, less people meant more seats at the food court and restaurants . It was for that reason the three of them found themselves sitting at a table in said food court sipping sodas over a large pizza with little congestion. The three of them laughed over current events, mostly in regards to the story the local police came up with to explain what happened at Crystal Prep. While a "hidden explosive" was obviously not a laughing mater, it was surprisingly bland compared to what actually happened. Then again, it was highly unlikely that the news would've ran a story titled, Rocker Girl's Singing Blew-up a Classroom, and not end up being committed.
"So," Stygian started, adding another slice of pizza to his plate. "Aside from a "bomb" going off at your school, has anything else of interest happened recently?"
Sour crossed her arms and aimed a frown at Sunny.
"Aside from stalking Sparkle? Nothing much, really."
"Excuse me?" he blinked.
"What she means,," Sunny snipped, glaring disapprovingly at her fellow classmate. "Is that there is a new situation involving the school's Princess. One that requires information to solve."
"By spying on her with a magic mirror," Sour huffed, angrily sucking on the straw in her drink.
Stygian's posture turned stiff at that, a cold frown gracing his lips as he slowly turned his head towards Sunny.
"Please. Explain."
"If I must," she sighed, slumping in her seat.
Damn you Sour. I didn't want to get him involved in this!
"Recent developments have led me to believe that Sparkle may be a Gifted," she spat.
"What kind of developments?" Stygian asked, raising a brow.
For the next few minutes she told him everything she had learned about her fellow Elite's sudden change in personality and the video of the strange girl that seemed to teleport into the school from inside Twilight's privet basement level room. Sour shivered when she added how she felt when she encountered the girl during one of her episodes a few days ago. The most damning evidence of all was the surveillance video of when Lemon Zest Awakened, showing what appeared to be a severely injured humanoid figure running through the halls and out the school's main entrence. The fact that Twilight ran after it moments later was the final nail in the coffin as far as Sunny was concerned.
"I see," he sighed, crossing his arms. "So, how will this affect our plans moving forward?"
"Actually, this could be more to our benefit," Sunny smirked. "Depending on what kind of abilities Sparkle's Summon has, it could make things easier when we make our move against Belfry."
"We might get to team up with the school's perfect Princess?" Sour gushed, then bitterly grumbled. "Think we could feed her to Belfry instead?"
The second the words left her mouth, Sour's hands shot up to cover it. Her wide indigo eyes darted back and forth between Sunny and Stygian, both looking at her with only a little less shock. Her heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to think of a way to explain herself.
"I-I-I didn't mean.... I mean I did, but.... I...I'm so sorry!"
"It is alright Sour," Sunny softly smiled, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder and giving it a gentile squeeze. "Just breathe."
Stygian waited patiently for his friend to center herself, his eyes drifting towards the small red stud in her right earlobe.
I will need to ask her to let me examine that later, he noted, faintly grimacing at his inability to do more for her.
"Now then," Sunny continued. "As much as I dislike Sparkle, I also can not deny that she is brilliant. If she is capable of combining that with her abilities as a Gifted, she could be a valuable asset in our campaign. Barring that, the potential raw power Lemon Zest wields could also be of some use."
"Assuming she can be trained in time," Stygian sighed.
"Correct," Sunny nodded. "But that is work for another time."
"Right, Sour?" she sharply added, aiming a slight glare at her friend.
"Right," Sour huffed, crossing her arms as she met her glare.
Stygian watched the exchange with a small sigh, pushing any lingering issues he had with the situation to the back of his mind. He came here with the hope of having a good time with his friends and, by his grandfather's silver beard, he was going to make sure to do just that! With that in mind, he snapped his fingers to put an end to the stare-down and get their attention.
"How about we stop by the bookstore after this, then go to the arcade?" he suggested. "The next book in the series I'm reading has been out for a while and I think you two could stand to blow off some steam."
"Sounds good to me," Sour snorted, leaning back in her seat with a challenging smirk. "Maybe I'll knock down some of Sugar's scores while I'm there."
"I agree," Sunny giggled, then sported a wicked smile as she added, "I still need to settle our score from last time."
"You can try," Stygian playfully scoffed. "You will never take my Air-Hockey crown from me."
"We shall see," she giggled, her smile never losing its devious air.
"Indeed, we shall," Stygian smirked, taking a casual bite out of his pizza.
Sour was about to add her own two cents when something at a table a few rows down caught her attention. Or rather, someone caught her attention. Trying to both not panic or slip out of synch with herself, she gave Sunny a sharp poke in the shoulder. Sunny let out a yelp, but bit back whatever retort she was going to sling at he friend when she saw the fear marring her face. Nervous, Sunny and Stygian followed her line of sight, the boy confused while a small stone of resentment settled into his old friend's gut.
Well, speak of the devil and they shall appear, I suppose, she mentally fumed, glaring at the group of girls sitting at the table.
As she thought that, her hand drifted to one of her pockets. She swore she felt the hand mirror in it growing heavier the longer she stared at the back of Twilight Sparkle's head. She traded looks with her friends, even Stygian seeming to catch on that things had taken a turn as he matched the determined nod that Sour gave her. With great reluctance, she bid her day of conventional normalcy farewell.
It was time for their brand of normal today.