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"You are an anomaly and will always be treated differently."
Nyx and his experience at the school flashes in my mind and even though I'm nervous he'll shut me down, I want to hear more about Finn's time at Magikos Grammata.
"Nyx told me about his days at school. Were yours just as hard?"
Finn returns to his work, but doesn't miss a beat when he says, "None of us had it easy there. Being the first shadow wielder in a thousand years put Atlas in the awkward position of being both loved and feared. He never bought into the legends and lore though. I would say Nyx had it the toughest. There were a lot of students and faculty who were mesmerized by the boy-who-couldn't-be-killed. They tested his limits more so out of curiosity than anything else. What they seemed to forget was that even though he was invincible, he could still feel pain. It angered me that they hurt him. So much so that I let my rage build and when I couldn't control myself, I unleashed my power." His hands quit moving but he's stuck in stare mode, his eyes glossed over. "I can still see them writhing in pain on the floor, begging me to stop torturing them. But I couldn't. I physically couldn't release them once I'd gotten them in my clutches. The only person who was able to stop me was Atlas."
"Atlas stopped you?"
Finn bobs his head, finally meeting my gaze. "He put himself in harm's way by grabbing ahold of me and screaming, Temnos. It means, Know Thyself. It brought me back every single time I lost control of my abilities."
"And you never hurt him?"
"I always hurt him, but he never let that stop him." Neither of us says anything while Finn plucks a few of his herbs and places them in the wicker basket beside him. "I decided during the last couple years in school that it would be best for me to understand my magic, my triggers, and learn to control it," he continues. "I choose not to use my affinity because I don't want to hurt people. For as long as I can remember, I always dreamed of helping people, healing them, comforting them. Unfortunately, I was born to do the opposite, but it doesn't mean I have to accept that path."
"And in Bava," I say, and his shoulders tighten, "when you used it to save me?"
"I made a choice to save you. Simple as that." He exhales and glances at me, like he's unburdening himself of weight that's drowning him. "I'm just a man, Shaye. I have my limits. Inflicting torture upon someone, even my enemy, doesn't interest me. But if I'm faced with the choice of losing a piece of my soul by using my magic to save a loved one or letting them perish, then I will forfeit my soul to do so."
"Kitarni!" Nyx calls out to me from the back door. "A package came for you."
Finn and I exchange a look before I strip the gloves off, wipe the dirt from my wrists, stand from my crouched position and make my way toward Nyx.
"A package from who?"
Nyx shrugs, very disinterested. "Not sure. I put it on the dining room table."
Curiosity alone propels me into the dining room. As soon as I push past the swinging kitchen door, I spot a small parcel wrapped neatly in brown parchment paper with a green ribbon tied into a fancy bow. The white card slipped beneath the ribbon has Strenlys scrawled across in the neatest handwriting I've ever seen and beckons me forward. It's obvious who the package is from and excitement ripples through me as I slip my fingers under the bow and carefully slide it off the parcel and unwrap a black box. Lifting the lid, I see another note laying inside and open it to see a message in a different script.
"Clever girl." – A
Atlas.
I slide the handwritten note in my pant pocket and peel the wispy white paper back to see a pair of black, fingerless fighting gloves. There is an intricate design etched into the leather, similar in style to Atlas' tattoos, but I have no idea what the symbols mean.
"Everything alright?" Finn asks, startling me. I hadn't heard him come inside.
I extend the box to him when he places his basket of harvested herbs on the table. "It's from Atlas. My prize for pinning him the other day in class."
Finn looks oddly impressed and nods in approval.
"What do these symbols mean?"
"May I?" he asks before lifting the gloves from their nestled spot. Once I grant non-verbal permission, he flips the gloves in his hands, inspecting them before placing them back in their box.
"Well?" My curiosity is getting the better of me.
"They're ancient Tronovian runes. Atlas is quite fond of them, as I'm sure you can tell from his tattoos." I bob my head and he continues, "They're protection runes. The belief is having them on your person will keep death from taking you."
I slip them over my hands and relish the powerful feeling they bestow upon me. I'm not sure if I believe in such superstitions, but I also won't snub my nose at any extra protection I can get. It's just like Atlas to give me what I asked for with his own spin on it.
"It's quite impressive when you think about it," Finn snags my attention once more as he lifts his basket to retreat to the kitchen.
"What is?"
"You managed to be on the receiving end of not one, but two gifts from a man who only gives them to his mother."
I snort a laugh. "Only because I won it fair and square."
