Nova feinted right after the battle was over. His body was beyond its limit, especially since the Entropy Fang Daggers corroded through his physical, mental, and even metaphysical being.

His reality was much different than what he was envisioning in real time. He needed comfort, which Lunaris gave him, but it still wasn't enough; he needed more, he needed pure rest.

---

It had been some time since Nova's collapse, giving him time to heal and rest up enough to survive against the harsh conditions that Beastaria was putting him through.

"Draco..." he muttered in his sleep. "Draco..."

Lunaris was lying on his chest, and right before it could go back to sleep, Nova twitched. It confused Lunaris, and then he suddenly woke up, scaring Lunaris. Nova looked at Lunaris with intense eyes, as if he had just fought another battle.

He picked up Lunaris and hugged the Harlequin Cat tightly, as if trying not to let it go. Nova put the cat gently on the floor, as he realized he was in some sort of cave.

Then, Nova heard a faint, distant sound. Just a whisper at first, like the mutter of soft wind crawling through the cave stone. Nova tensed, every muscle in his body reacting before his mind could catch up.

His senses, still sharp from the aftermath of battle, stretched outward into the dark. The air around him shimmered with residual static from the Entropy Fang Daggers' corruption, threads of power that hadn't yet dissipated.

The noise grew clearer. It wasn't wind. It was a movement. Something was approaching from the mouth of the cave, a shuffling of feet, uneven, hesitant, almost timid. Nova's instincts flared.

His pulse spiked. With a flick of his hand, black-red light swirled around him, coalescing into the twin shapes of the Hellscript Daggers once more.

Their humming filled the cavern, sharp and low, vibrating through the rock. Lunaris hissed softly, his fur bristling as he crouched beside Nova.

"Stay close," Nova said, his voice quiet but taut. His eyes, still threaded with faint luminescent veins, scanned the entrance. Shadows rippled.

Then, the figure appeared. It was small, barely half Nova's height. Its body glowed faintly, the light radiating not from its skin, but from the thin, translucent film that covered it like silk.

The creature's limbs were long and delicate, its face narrow, with large, luminous eyes that reflected the dim light of the daggers. Tiny, shimmering motes followed its every step, like dust caught in sunlight.

Nova blinked. He knew that shape: an Auri. Of all the creatures in Beastaria, the Auri were perhaps the gentlest. Scholars once wrote of their tendency to approach the wounded, offering herbs and luminous moss to aid recovery.

They were born from luminescence and empathy, existing more as living echoes than predators. The book Nova had read in the library was called Caretakers of Twilight.

But this one looked frightened, its glow flickered unevenly, trembling in rhythm with its quick breaths. It clutched a small bundle of green and blue leaves close to its chest. Its eyes darted between Nova and Lunaris, fixated on the daggers still crackling with unstable power.

Nova realized the mistake immediately. The Daggers' aura was overwhelming, death and entropy in tangible form. To a creature attuned to life and balance, they must have felt like an open wound.

He exhaled slowly, forcing the weapons to fade. The energy around him dimmed as the Hellscript Daggers unraveled into smoke, leaving behind only faint embers. The shift in atmosphere was instant.

The Auri's trembling eased slightly. It tilted its head, still wary but less rigid, as if it could sense that the killing intent had dissipated.

"It's all right," Nova said quietly, his tone softer now. "I won't hurt you."

The Auri blinked, then took a cautious step forward. It extended one trembling arm, still clutching the herbs. Lunaris sniffed the air, curiosity overtaking tension, and took a slow step toward the small creature.

The Auri squeaked, a sound like the chiming of glass, and froze. Nova crouched, lowering himself to the creature's level, his movements deliberate and calm.

"You brought these for me?" he asked, nodding to the herbs.

The Auri hesitated, then nodded once, quickly. It glanced at the faint wounds still marking Nova's arms, burns from the Entropy Daggers' energy, and gashes from the earlier battle.

The creature extended its hand, offering the herbs, though it still trembled. Nova accepted them carefully. The leaves were soft, emitting a faint warmth.

He crushed a few between his fingers, and the scent that rose from them was sharp but soothing, something like mint mixed with ozone. He recognized it from the text he'd once studied: Verrin Balm, a natural restorative grown only in Auri groves.

"You're helping me," Nova said, half to himself. "Even though I could have killed you."

The Auri tilted its head again, expression unreadable but gentle. It made a quiet sound, a hum that resonated faintly in the cave, and then reached forward, pressing one small hand against his wrist.

The warmth that spread through him was immediate. The burn marks on his skin faded slightly, the pain ebbing into dull pressure.

Lunaris relaxed completely now, padding closer and brushing against the Auri's leg. The small creature froze for a heartbeat, then let out another faint chime and patted the cat's head with its delicate fingers.

Nova found himself smiling, a rare expression that felt almost foreign. "You're not afraid anymore."

The Auri gave a faint shake of its head and made a small gesture, as if urging him to rest. Its light brightened slightly, filling the cave with a calm luminescence that softened the harsh edges of the stone walls.

He sighed and leaned back against the cave wall, exhaustion catching up to him once more. "Beastaria doesn't usually give kindness," he said. "Guess you're one of the exceptions."

The Auri seemed to understand, or at least sense the sentiment behind his words. It moved closer, setting the remaining herbs beside him in a neat pile, then sat cross-legged across from him, humming quietly.

For a long while, neither of them moved. The rhythmic sound of the Auri's hum mixed with the distant drip of water echoing through the cave's depths.

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