The light had pierced through their house's windows, waking them all up. It was around 9am when they had all fully woken up. However, Roya seemed to be too lazy to get up.
"Roya...you already know that we're busy today..so GET UP!!" Cera shouted, showering his paper all over her room, causing her to spring awake. She yawned as she stretched her arms, slapping the nearest paper to her face down onto the ground. Shiro watched near the door, trying not to laugh as the three of them walked to the kitchen.
"You're lucky I know how to cook..." Roya sighed as she looked in the fridge, pulling out 3 eggs. Cera watched as she cracked the eggs, whisking them together as she placed them gently onto the pan, sizzling them. With a toss of seasoning from Cera, paper plates had formed, flying over to the table, Shiro's mouth watering.
"Mmm!! Thanks for the breakfast!" Shiro spoke before he quickly took his fork, starting to eat before Cera and Roya had even sat down. They laughed, knowing he was probably hungry. He hadn't eaten for hours, so he cherished this moment. As Cera and Roya sat down, Shiro quickly swallowed his food as if he wanted to speak,
"So, what's on that schedule that's got us busy today?" He asked, looking to the right. Roya's face dropped mid-chew after hearing his sentence, thinking of the one possibility that she hated the most. Cera looked over at her, trying not to laugh before replying to Shiro,
"We're going to..."
"DON'T FINISH THAT SENTENCE." Roya shouted in annoyance, swallowing her food before he quickly continued,
"..The counc-"
"WHY ARE WE GOING TO THE COUNCIL?! You already know they're just a group of worthless old people that just try to control everything..." Roya spoke spitefully, standing up as she went into her room, taking her clothes as she went to the shower. Cera sighed, but not on the same level of rage that Roya did. Shiro looked in confusion before watching him stand up.
"We're waiting for her outside. She won't be TOO long." Cera spoke as an idea suddenly popped in his head, and he spoke, "I wanna teach you something." He gently spoke as his hand started glowing with a bright energy. Shiro watched him attentively as the energy started forming around his entire body, creating an aura.
"We call this energy 'Vara'. Everybody has it, but not everybody can use it. Your powers originate from where your being aligns. Like, for me, it's when I realized that creativity is a strength, not a weakness. It opens an infinite amount of doors, that all remain open." He spoke as he slowly walked to Shiro, holding his chest.
"When I first saw you, you seemed to be reacting to the surplus amount of loose Kara in the atmosphere. It's not a high concentration, but that's how everybody reacts when they move from an area of low concentration to one of mediocre concentration. Fortunately, I used a bit of my own energy to heal your unstable energies. By now, your body should've developed it's own powers." He spoke, watching Shiro as he stepped back slowly, charging his Vara rapidly, noticing that after a few seconds, it started flowing to Shiro's body, absorbing it through his skin.
"What is this strange feeling..?" Shiro spoke, feeling a warm fuzz around his chest that started flowing through each of his veins, causing his eyes to glisten a brighter color, his hands forming sparks before a strong shockwave was suddenly launched from him, causing Cera to create a barrier made of paper, blocking the gust of wind.
Roya had suddenly dashed out, equipped in her outfit; a pair of grey headphones along with a simple layering of shirt, hoodie and a black thin fur jacket. She looked at Cera, then Shiro, then back at Cera as she slowly calmed down.
"WHAT..THE HELL..." Roya looked at the two of them, holding onto Cera's shoulder as she tried to catch a breather. They both looked at her, chuckling. Cera looked at her face, squinting before a paper had appeared, holding her sunglasses.
"Don't worry, Roya. We're walking this time. Shiro needs to stretch his legs after he's just created that gust of winds." Cera smiled as they walked over the bridge, starting to venture the path. Shiro smiled as he walked, knowing he had two protectors on his side.
"Y'know, Cera's cool and all, but he's got no sense of direction. Make sure to follow me instead.." Roya muttered next to Shiro, Cera's whole head moving to the left.
"I HEARD THAT." Cera shouted, Roya and Shiro both bursting out laughing as they continued walking.
***
Finally, they reached the home to the council. The energy was violent, old and thick. Shiro watched, inhaling the energy as he felt his body slowly surge. Cera looked at him, slapping a paper on his chest that nullified the absorption ability that he seemed to possess.
"Thanks..." Shiro looked as the 2 of them started walking up the stairs in complete quiet. Shiro had a feeling that there was definitely something behind it all. The hate that Roya showed towards the council? It had to be for a reason...But for now, he couldn't say anything, so he continued walking behind them, remaining silent.
"Greetings, the two of you, Cera and Roya. And this boy is..." A voice spoke from the darkness before the whole building lit a royal yellow. Cera slowly stepped to the left, before bluntly replying,
"Shiro, Lord Eryx, Lord Eryx, Shiro."
"Pleasure to meet you, young child. As Cera already told you, I am Lord Eryx, and I control the land of Averune. It's wellbeing relies on me, but recently, there have been some troubles." He spoke, walking out of the shadows. His face was defined, yet he looked old, around the 40s. A cloak hugged his back, drooping down his royal attire. Shiro looked at him, trying not to keep constant eye contact.
"So, what's the problem that we're here for." Roya spoke in a more assertive tone. Her entire character had switched from a bubbly character, to one who felt nothing but hatred for the man that stood right in front of her. Lord Eryx watched her, smiling with a sense of glee on his face.
"An ancient force known as the Nullum has re-awakened from its dormant sealings which were recently broken...They are threats that could surpass even the likes of me." Eryx spoke with a tone of fear in his voice. Cera, Roya and Shiro all looked at each other before looking back at him.
"Nullum. Never heard of them before, yet the way you're sounding, it's like they're beyond description." Cera looked as he looked at Roya, who seemed disturbed. She felt something, but couldn't speak on it. Not now. Not yet.
"Because the Nullum have the ability to devour your memories. You'll forget who you are, then they'll eventually feast on your body as a horde. They hide in places that have been forgotten in time and seem to be able to take the forgotten people's abilities as their own. " Lord Eryx spoke, Cera and Roya's eyes both widening. Shiro looked at the two of them, noticing their shock.
"Uhmmm..Lord Eryx, I'm a bit confused on how YOU'RE feeling." Shiro muttered before looking at his face.
"You talk about the Nullum like you've seen them first hand, but we all know you haven't. I didn't even need context clues to figure that out."
Eryx looked down at him, his mouth slowly twitching with a slight sense of distaste.
"Because, unlike YOU, boy, I've seen what fear does."
Shiro sighed, watching him as he continued, "Fear's not what saves people. It's what makes people like YOU sit on thrones while the world goes to hell." He spoke, Cera and Roya looking at Lord Eryx's face, the anger starting to boil before it suddenly subdued.
Eryx's cloak flowed before he spoke, "You have potential, kid. But potential alone doesn't make you strong." He chuckled before Shiro slowly turned around, walking down the staircase, shifting his head behind him as he quietly spoke,
"Your title doesn't make you any stronger either." Shiro smirked as the 3 of them had exited with the information that they had been relayed. Roya had suddenly burst out laughing the second they reached a far enough distance from the large building, holding Shiro by the shoulder.
"I can't believe you did that, Shiro!! You're even more impressive than I originally thought!!" Roya continued laughing, even tears starting to fall from her eyes. Cera smiled watching her laugh before focusing on the mission at hand.
"So, he said the Nullum are located near places forgotten with time. So transient regions...That's our task for the day. Let's head to Ezra's shop so he can get us some essentials. It's been a while since we've been here. Gotta pay at least one visit." Cera started walking over to the shop, Shiro and Roya following as they all walked in.
"Cera! Roya! It's been a while since I last saw you guys. What do you need me to do for you?" Ezra, the tailor asked, looking at Shiro, "New one, eh?" He laughed.
"Yeah. Shiro, meet Ezra. We need 3 cloaks that can conceal our presence. We're heading into the darker parts of Averune. The places that have been forgotten in most recent history. We heard of a threat, so we're dealing with it ourselves." Cera spoke.
"That's interesting..! I'll have your cloaks done in about 30 minutes. Feel free to chill around." He spoke as he quickly walked into another room. The three of them looked at each other, deciding to sit and wait the 30 minutes.
"Just a reminder that we may see MORE than just those Nullum in Deeper Averune..Keep yourselves on point at all times." Roya looked as she pulled a scarf out of her pocket, wrapping it around her,
"Makes me look cooler." She smiled before they continued waiting.
***
Outside of Ezra's shop, they all stood, draped in their dark cloaks. Cera, Roya, Shiro. Over the last day, they've gotten to know each other quite well. With a slow walk, they started their descent into the darkness.