They returned to the round chamber when Nox had already lost track of time. The catacombs knew no change of day or night, and only his internal clock, honed by years in the slums, told him that above, in the academy, it must be deep night. Lin looked exhausted but content, and the Abyss on her wrists flickered with a satiated, calm light, like a beast that had eaten its fill. She sat on the stone floor, leaned her back against the wall, and closed her eyes, not even asking whether Nox would try his new power right now.
Nox did not disturb her. He walked to the far corner of the chamber, where the shadows were thicker, and sat down, crossing his legs. The queen's echo pulsed inside him, separate from his other servants, as if demanding special attention. He closed his eyes and reached toward it. Not toward the echo, not toward the empty shell filled with Shadow. Deeper. Toward the essence. Toward what had made the queen a queen.
And it responded.
It was not like the goblin's essence. That had come easily, obediently, like a tame creature glad to serve its master. The queen's essence was different. Ancient. Heavy. It did not want to obey, it wanted to consume. Nox felt something inside him resist, try to push this alien power away, but he was persistent. He had not killed that creature for nothing. He had not risked himself and Lin for nothing. He would take its essence and force it to serve him.
Slowly, very slowly, the essence began to flow into him. And with it came understanding. The queen was not merely a large crawler. She was the center. The heart of the colony. She did not merely command her children, she felt each of them, knew where they were, what they were doing, what they wanted. She was them, and they were her. A single organism divided into many bodies. And she was hungry. Always hungry. Hunger was her essence, her driving force, the meaning of her existence. She consumed everything that entered her domain: other creatures, magic, even the Darkness seeping from the catacomb walls. She grew, expanded, seized new territories, and her hunger never fully subsided. There was always a void left to fill.
Nox opened his eyes and looked at his hands. They had changed. Not like with the goblin's essence. His skin remained the same, but beneath it, deep within, he felt something new. As if a second stomach had settled inside him. Or a second mouth. Something that wanted to eat. Not food. Not water. Something else. Magic? Life force? Shadow? He did not know, but he could feel that hunger, quiet, insistent, like a distant echo. And he could feel the connection. To his servants. It had always been there, from the moment he had created his first shadow goblin. But now it was deeper, more encompassing. He did not merely know where his servants were and what they were doing. He felt them. Their emptiness. Their hunger, similar to his own. And he understood that he could control them differently. Not just give orders, but direct them like parts of himself, like extensions of his will.
He stood up and walked to one of the goblins standing at the entrance to the chamber. It looked at him with empty eye sockets, awaiting orders. Nox said nothing. He simply thought: «Go forward, find other creatures in the catacombs, and return.» The goblin turned and disappeared into the darkness, not even waiting for verbal confirmation. Nox could feel it moving through the corridors, its empty eyes scanning the space, its primitive mind, once part of the queen and now part of Nox, searching for prey. It was incredible. And frightening. He was becoming not merely a lord of servants. He was becoming their center. Their heart. Their queen.
Lin opened her eyes and looked at him. She seemed to sense the change, because something like concern flickered in her gaze.
«You have changed,» she said. «Again. But differently now. You seem… larger. Not in body. Inside. As if something else has appeared in you. What did you do?»
Nox returned to her and sat down beside her. He told her about the queen's essence, about the hunger that now lived inside him, about the new connection to his servants, about how he could command them without words. Lin listened without interrupting, her face growing more thoughtful.
«It is like the Abyss,» she said finally. «The hunger, I mean. The Abyss is always hungry too. It wants to consume everything it can reach. But I do not allow it. I control its hunger, direct it, use it when needed. You must do the same with this queen's essence. Otherwise, it will consume you. Not immediately. Slowly. But it will consume you.»
Nox nodded. He could already feel it. The queen's hunger, quiet but insistent, demanded attention. Demanded that he go and find something to consume. Other creatures. Magic. Anything. And he knew that if he gave in, he would become like her. Forever hungry, forever seeking, forever consuming. He did not want that.
«I will control it,» he said. «I have no choice. But for now, this power may prove useful. In a few days, the trial in the wild lands begins. I must be ready for anything. And this essence, if I learn to use it, will give me an advantage. I will be able to sense enemies the way the queen sensed her children. I will be able to command my servants faster and more precisely. And perhaps I will be able to absorb magic, the way she absorbed Darkness.»
Lin looked at him for a long time, and something like worry flickered in her gray eyes. «Just be careful, Nox. With this power. It is different. Not like Shadow. Not like dragon blood. It is alien. And it could change you, if you give it free rein.»
«I know. I will be careful.»
They sat in silence for a while longer. Nox listened to himself, to the new sensation of hunger, to the heightened connection with his servants, to Shadow, which now seemed not merely a power but part of something greater. He was changing. Growing. Becoming what he was meant to be. And though this path was dangerous, he knew he was walking it correctly. Because somewhere deep within his being, the Lord of Shadows was waiting for him. And he could not fail.
Then he stood up and told Lin that he needed to return to the academy. In the morning, classes would begin, preparation for the trial in the wild lands, and he could not miss it. Lin nodded without arguing. She understood. She always understood.
«I will wait for you here,» she said. «Train. Become stronger. When you return from the wild lands, I will show you what I have learned. And together we will decide what to do next. About the hunter, about the Goddess, about all of it.»
Nox hugged her tightly, and felt her press against him, small and warm. He did not want to leave. But he had to.
«I will come back,» he said. «I promise.»
He left the chamber and headed for the exit of the catacombs. The journey took less time than usual, as if Darkness itself was helping him, recognizing its heir. He emerged into the basement of the east wing as dawn was beginning to break outside the windows. The academy was waking up, and somewhere above, footsteps and voices could already be heard. He made it to his room, where Kane, as always, was already awake, waiting for him.
«You came back,» Kane said with relief. «I was beginning to think you would stay there forever. How did it go?»
Nox sat on the bed and looked at his hands. They were ordinary again, dirty, scratched. But he knew that inside him now lived a hunger. And the queen's essence. And a connection to his servants, deeper than before.
«It went well,» he said. «I have become stronger. Much stronger. But also more dangerous. To myself first of all.»
Kane wanted to ask something else, but Nox shook his head. «Later. For now, I need to rest. Tomorrow, or rather already today, the preparation for the trial begins. I need to be in shape.»
He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Sleep came quickly, deep and dreamless. And somewhere deep within his being, the queen's hunger stirred quietly, waiting for its hour. And Nox knew that hour would come. Soon. Very soon.