“Nyx – N.Y.X…, Finn – F.I.N.N…, Risa – R.I.S.A…”

  The boy repeats the names over and over as they trek through the wilderness, refining his pronunciation with every step.

  After they wake, Risa hands Nyx a small scrap of paper with words neatly scribbled alongside their phonetic breakdowns. To their surprise, she only has to explain each one once, or twice at most, and Nyx commits them to memory with perfect clarity, repeating them with crisp enunciation.

  Impressed by his quick grasp, Risa and Finn decide to expand the list with common phrases used in social settings to accelerate his understanding of human interaction.

  “Good morning, good afternoon, good night,” Finn says slowly. “You use these at different times of the day to greet people.”

  “Mr, Miss, Mrs,” Risa chimes in. “Titles to address others respectfully.”

  “Head, hair, face, nose, mouth, ears, hands, legs…”

  “Father, mother, sister, brother…” And many more.

  They can’t help but chuckle at his serious face and unwavering tone as he works through the vocabulary.

  “We should grab a few children’s books before we leave Mistwood,” Risa suggests as she watches Nyx practice.

  “Agreed,” Finn nods. “It’ll be much easier with proper materials. Though, considering Mistwood’s current state, I doubt we’ll find any there.”

  “How far are we from Narfolk? Maybe we can pick some up there,” Risa asks.

  Finn pulls out the map and scans the terrain ahead. “About four more days, give or take.”

  “Will we stay the night in Narfolk?”

  “Unlikely. We’ll want to head straight to Osemond.”

  Their conversation blends with the soft, rhythmic murmur of Nyx repeating phrases under his breath.

  Meanwhile, Risa has exhausted the energy stored in her first magic vault. She’s been tasked with extending the duration of the second, similarly-sized vault, to refine her casting efficiency.

  That night, Nyx continues practising without a hint of fatigue. At this pace, he’ll be speaking fluently like a small child within a week. Finn and Risa enjoy another peaceful night’s rest, the burden of watch passed to their silent, ever-vigilant non-human guardians.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  The next day unfolds much the same: Nyx devours new words, stringing them into basic sentences with growing confidence.

  That evening, Finn has a different sort of lesson in mind.

  “Nyx, can you change your eyes?” he asks, drawing two eyes on a flat stone using a burnt stick.

  “If you manage it, you won’t need to wear your hood all the time to hide them,” Risa adds, encouragingly.

  “You see, normal people have white around their irises, and the pupils inside are black in colour,” Finn explains, pointing with the burnt stick. “You can keep the black irises, but can you make the rest of your eye white, like ours?”

  Nyx takes a moment to absorb Finn’s explanation. He doesn’t fully grasp why such a change is necessary, but when he looks into Finn and Risa’s eyes, something clicks. They want him to look like them.

  “I… try.” It’s a simple phrase, but for Nyx, it’s a major leap beyond a nod.

  Another night finds them camped beneath towering trees, sheltered under the canopy. Nyx’s soft murmuring lulls the others to sleep. Risa, worn out from a full day of magic casting, falls into a deep slumber. She has grown significantly in her magical control. At this rate, Finn will soon assign her new training.

  Sometime in the night, Finn stirs. A soft rustle outside his tent catches his attention. His eyes half-opened while peeking through the flap to check on Nyx and Cocoa… but Nyx is gone.

  He jolts awake, heart pounding. Through the window, he sees Cocoa hovering, its tiny paws fluttering noisily to rouse Finn from sleep. Cocoa gestures urgently toward the shadowy woods.

  “Cocoa… are you showing me where Nyx went?” Finn asks.

  The creature doesn’t respond, but the gesture says enough.

  “Where could he have gone?” Finn mutters. The trail left behind shows no signs of struggle; more likely, Nyx was lured away by something.

  He rushes to Risa’s tent. “Risa, wake up. Nyx is missing.”

  She groans at first, yawns loudly—but bolts out the moment his words register after Finn repeats his words a second time. Hair in disarray, she scans the clearing. “What? Where is he?!”

  “No idea,” Finn replies grimly. “Didn’t hear a thing.”

  “Neither did I… Cocoa, is that where he went?” Risa rubs her eyes, still waking up, then spots Cocoa pointing toward the forest.

  “Yes. Let’s grab our things and follow,” Finn says.

  They pack hastily and take off, following the faint trail left by small feet. The deeper they go, the thicker the underbrush becomes, reaching up to their knees.

  “Are you sure he went this way?” Risa asks, squinting.

  “I’m just following his steps,” Finn says. Thunder rumbles ominously overhead. “Rain’s coming. We need to find him before it washes his trail away.”

  They wrap wind magic around their legs to quicken their pace. Finn takes the lead, casting a masking spell around them. It’s unlikely they’ll face predators here, but he isn’t taking chances.

  The rain starts before they reach the boy; soft at first, then pouring. Just as they’re about to lose the trail, they spot a cave. Nyx’s muddy footprints lead inside.

  “This must be where he went. Let’s take cover!” Risa says, quickening her steps.

  Finn scans the cave entrance. No magical or beastly presence nearby. He gives the nod, and they both duck inside just as the rain turns into a torrential downpour.

  “Whew! That was close. We'd have been drenched if we’d been a minute slower,” Risa says, brushing the water from her cloak.

  Finn examines the cave floor. “His trail leads further in. Come on—let’s find him.”