The Knight Noire

Lia, finally letting the awestruck Myles out of her embrace, gently stands out of the bed and looks in the direction of the hole in the wall. Suddenly, the broken pieces of the wall start shaking on the ground. They move into place like pieces of a puzzle, and suddenly the wall looks as good as new. Myles gulps. Lia sighs, she holds her hand up to her forehead to concentrate, and suddenly the room is lined with what appears to be purple light. "There, now we have privacy," she says airily. This makes Myles a little nervous. He unconsciously pulls the blanket over his ba

Lia, finally releasing the awestruck Myles from her embrace, gently rose from the bed and turned toward the hole in the wall. The shattered pieces of stone began to tremble, lifting off the floor and slotting back into place like a puzzle. Within seconds, the wall looked as good as new. Myles gulped.

Lia sighed, raised a hand to her forehead in concentration, and the room was instantly laced in a soft, shimmering violet light."There. Now we have privacy," she said airily.

Myles pulled the blanket up around his bandaged body, suddenly self-conscious. Lia giggled.

She began crawling back across the bed—slowly, deliberately—drawing closer until only a whisper's distance separated them. Myles' heart pounded. Flustered, terrified, and unsure, he stuttered out,"Wh… wh… what a… are you g-g-going t… to d-do?"

Lia giggled again. She leaned in, and for a moment Myles thought she was about to kiss him. He closed his eyes. But instead, their foreheads met—tender and warm. Myles let out a soft, relieved, slightly disappointed sigh.

Another giggle from Lia, and suddenly a gentle violet light bloomed between their foreheads. When Myles opened his eyes, he found himself staring at a familiar ceiling. The same old window. The same alarm clock.

He sat up."Guess it was a dream after all," he muttered, disappointed. Rubbing his face, he added under his breath, "What a crazy dream."

It was 1 a.m. on a Saturday. He sighed and made his way to the bathroom. Under the cold stream of the shower, Lia's eyes haunted him. In a sudden burst of frustration, he slammed a fist into the tiled wall—cracking it. He didn't flinch. Strength was something he'd trained all his life for."It was just a dream…" he whispered.

Still unsettled, Myles got dressed and went for a jog, eventually ending up at the local park. There, he noticed a new pathway—one he hadn't seen before. Curiosity tugged at him. He followed it, and it led him to a sleek, well-lit tunnel.

"They sure do work fast," he said with a small grin, referring to the new build-bots everyone had been talking about. He jogged in.

Just as he glimpsed the tunnel's end, everything went dark.

Myles tried to scream—but he had no voice. He couldn't feel his body either. Then a familiar voice echoed softly in his head.

"That must be it," Lia said.

Suddenly, he was back in the violet-lit room, sitting across from her. He stared—relieved, confused, shaken.

"There's more you need to see," she said.

She leaned in again. This time, Myles kept his eyes open, watching the beautiful dark-skinned girl draw close. Their foreheads touched once more, and light flooded the space between them.

But this time, something was different.

Myles wasn't himself. He couldn't move—not of his own will. He was in Lia's body, seeing through her eyes.

"Wait… does that mean…" he began to think, but Lia's thoughts swiftly overrode his.

The world around them looked nothing like the one in his memories. Lia appeared smaller—much younger. She was being restrained by humanoid monsters. She let out a high, powerful shriek, and suddenly, the surroundings erupted in black flames.

Out of the smoke emerged a dark figure—clad in strange garments, with crimson eyes and thick curls. He stood tall, radiating menace. The monsters recoiled. He raised a hand, palm spread, then clenched his fist. Blood sprayed. They collapsed. Then, he fainted.

Lia rushed forward and scooped him into her arms—like a bride carrying her groom.

And just like that, they were back in the violet room.

Myles stared at Lia with new eyes. His opinion of her hadn't changed—if anything, it had deepened. She was still… perfect.

"You're the one I fell for," she whispered with a trembling smile, "well… part of you~."

Myles was stunned. How could someone like her… love someone like him? Why?

But it didn't matter. He liked her too. Maybe not love—not yet. They had only just met, after all.

Lia's voice broke through his thoughts again."This part of you I've never known. I'm sure I'd love it too. I hope it feels the same about me."

She stepped back, walking slowly toward the door.

"For as long as it takes," she said softly, casting one final glance over her shoulder before disappearing behind the door. The violet light faded. Silence returned.

Myles sat alone, deep in thought. Two years… he had been gone from home for two whole years. How were his parents? His sister? He jumped out of bed and got dressed.

Something felt off. His tracksuit looked new—sleek and snug. It fit him perfectly, despite the fact that he was now taller, broader. Had it grown with him?

Just as he tugged the zipper up, a voice interrupted him.

A purple-haired girl stood in front of him. She was shorter than him, with perpetually closed eyes that somehow looked sharp and alert. Her body was voluptuous, her tan skin smooth, her demeanor stern.

She poked him.

"We're leaving. You need to get out of the room," she said with a voice that was surprisingly soft and calm.

Myles started toward the door, but she grabbed him.

"That'll take too long."

And with that, she threw him through the wall.

He was falling. 800 meters at least.

The cliff face flew past him—lined with windows. Myles, oddly, was calm. Arms crossed, he inhaled. His mind was blank—numb from the shock.

Then the purple-haired girl jumped after him.

She reached for him, catching him by the collar. A vial appeared in her hand. All the windows on the cliff vanished. Their fall slowed to a glide. It felt like flying.

Safe for now, Myles passed out.

"Hey! No—don't fall asleep! You'll fall!" she yelled.

Her name was Terrene—Lia's sister. She didn't share their physical strength but possessed something else: Criole. A rare energy. Terrene's body was indestructible. Her Criole control was unmatched. But for some reason, she couldn't access Myles'—not unless he was conscious.

To make him fly, she had to manipulate the Criole within or around him. She tucked the vial away and positioned herself beneath him. If she couldn't stop his fall, she'd cushion it—with her own body.

She looked down.

It was dark.

Terrene's eyes remained closed—but she saw more than most. A Criole cluster. Normally harmless to her, but in close proximity, it heightened her sensitivity. She gasped.

The shock jolted Myles awake.

They'd been falling for two minutes. No ground in sight. Terrene clung beneath him. His heart raced—hers did too.

"Is… she trying to protect me?" he thought, guilt tightening in his chest.

He gently pushed away from her embrace.

Terrene stared in disbelief.

"No… wait. Criole clusters mean—monsters."

Her stomach dropped. Criole attracted them—especially the powerful ones who used it to spawn sub-mons: twisted creatures that served as hunters and servants.

Without hesitation, she dove after him.

It was dark. Cold. Silent.

Myles hit the ground. Broken. Shattered.

ndage-covered body. Lia giggles. She slowly crawls onto the bed, inching ever closer to him. She stops when they are in whispering distance. Myles' heart pounds violently in his chest, flustered, terrified and anxious, he manages to stutter out, "Wh... wh... what a... are you going t... to d... do." He gulps after he lets the statement out. Lia giggles again and leans in for what appears to be a kiss, Myles closes his eyes in submission. Their foreheads touch instead of their lips, and Myles lets out a relieved and slightly disappointed sigh. 

Lia giggles, and suddenly, there is gentle purple light between their heads. Myles opens his eyes after the phenomenon. He sees a familiar ceiling, the same thing for the window and the alarm clock. He sits up on the bed. "Guess it was a dream after all." He says to himself in a disappointed tone. He buries his head in his right palm. "What a crazy dream," he whispers. He looks at the clock again. It is 1 am on a Saturday morning. He then proceeded to the shower. Under the cold wash, Lia's eyes plague his mind. He slams his fist into the wall and breaks a tile. This doesn't shock him because he has spent most of his life training to be strong. "It was just a dream." He says to himself quietly. His mind clear, Myles continues his routine and ends up jogging to his neighbourhood's park. At the park, he notices a new pathway and then takes it. The path eventually leads to a well-lit tunnel, which he stops in front of. Myles smiles to himself, "They sure do work fast," referring to the new revolutionary build bots as he proceeds to run into them. After just when he sees the end of the tunnel, it goes completely dark.

Myles screams, but he can't hear his voice, and he can't feel anything either. Suddenly, he hears Lia's voice. "That must be it." She says softly in his head, and suddenly they are back in the purple light-lined room sitting opposite each other. Myles stares at her, relieved, shocked, and rattled. "There is more you need to see." Lia leans in again, this time Myles leaves his eyes open and looks at the dark skinned beauty's face as her head touches his. He is interrupted by the light again. This time it was different; he wasn't himself. He had no control of the body he was in, it was Lia's, and he was seeing things from her point of view.

"Wait, does that mean...." Myles thinks before his thought is almost immediately interrupted by Lia's. The landscape looked nothing like those he saw in his memories. The most apparent change was that Lia looked smaller. She was being held by what appeared to be humanoid monsters, she let out a small but powerful shriek and suddenly like clockwork the surrounding area is engulfed in black flames and a dark figure in strange clothes at least to Lia, crimson eyes, black curly hair, standing at six feet two inches and his menacing presence that startles Lia's assailants. He stretches his arm out, spreads his palm wide open and then clenches his fist. Just then, all of them spilt blood and fell. Soon after, he fainted. Lia rushes to his aid. She carries like a groom with his bride, and well in this case, a bride with her groom. It ends there, and they are back facing each other. Myles looks at Lia with new eyes. His opinion of her, however, remains the same, simply perfect. "You are the one I fell for, well, part of you~" she whispers and smiles at Myles with teary eyes. 

Myles was star-struck; how could a girl like her love a guy like him, and why? It didn't really matter because he liked her too, but it was too early for him to call it love. They just met after all. Lia interrupted his thoughts with, "This part of you I have never known, I am sure I would love it too. I hope it does the same for me." She pulls away from Myles, and as she walks away, she opens her mouth. "For as long as it takes," looking over her shoulder and in a defeated voice. Soon after the room door closes behind her, the purple light disappears. Myles is left alone with his thoughts. He realised he had been away from home for two years. He wondered how his parents and sister were taking it. He jumped out of the bed and got dressed. Something felt off though, not only did his track suit look different, it looked new and it also felt lighter, and it fit perfectly even though he was taller and had more muscles than before, it was as if it was growing with him..

As soon as he was dressed, though, he was greeted by a purple-haired girl a bit shorter than him, her eyes were closed, and they looked sharp. Her body was voluptuous, her skin was tan and looked delicate, she was rather cute, but she had a rather stern look on her face. She pokes Myles. "We are leaving, and so you need to leave the room," she says with a rather gentle, surprisingly soft and gentle voice. Myles responded by heading towards the door, but she held him back. "That will take too long." She then threw him through the wall. Myles is now falling from an 800-meter height. Myles, even while falling from the side of what appeared to be a cliff riddled with windows, is strangely calm. He crosses his arms and takes a breath. As it turns out, the calm is Myles' brain's way of dealing with his predicament. The purple-haired girl jumps after him and reaches out to both him and the side of the cliff. Suddenly, all the windows disappear, and what appears to be a vile appears in her hand. Myles is pulled towards the lady, and she holds him by the collar. The speed of their fall reduces significantly, and it almost appears as if they are flying. Now, relatively safe,e Myles passes out due to mental exhaustion. The recent events were a little too much for him to process all at once. "What? No, open your eyes, you'll fall." The purple-haired girl yells at Myles. Terrene, another one of Lia's sisters, relies only on criole and thus doesn't share their strength. In spite of this, she boasts of an indestructible body, a high affinity for criole use and control. It just so happens that Myles has a plethora of criole, but for some reason, she couldn't touch it unless indirectly, but only while his mind was conscious. To make someone else fly like her, she would either manipulate the criole inside or around them. Terrene put away the vile and went beneath the falling Myles. Since she can't stop his fall she would slow and break it. It would hurt, but she is indestructible after all. 

She looks down to the ground beneath them, it's dark. Terrenes' eyes were always closed, but she saw more than the average person, demon, angel or demon kin. A criole cluster, they were usually found in places with low activity by beings, Terrene shrieks. The criole cluster will do her no harm, but it made her more sensitive to stimuli. The sound wakes the unconscious Myles. He was confused as to how they hadn't hit the ground yet, they had been falling for two minutes. He noticed the rattled Terrene holding on to him but she was beneath him. "Is, she trying to protect me?" He thought, if she was, it made him feel bad. He could feel her hear race on his back. Myles gently released himself from her embrace and pushed her away. Terrene watched as he fell; she was speechless. "Wait, criole clusters mean... MONSTERS" Terrene thought in horror, powerful monsters were usually attracted by these clusters because they used them to create sub-mons, they were monsters created by the powerful ones to find food and do their bidding. Without contemplation, she immediately flies in after him.

It is dark, quiet and cold. Myles lies on the floor broken. His body is a mess.

.