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"What happened to them?" I glance down at the scene before me and run my fingertips across the page. I failed to notice upon first inspection that Oryn had white feathered wings and Naya had black feathered wings.
When Riggs doesn't answer, I flick my eyes up to meet his and my heart skips a beat. He slowly turns the page and instead of the duo fighting demons, Oryn lies dead in Naya's arms. "Oryn was a Celestial, therefore immortal. When he met Naya, he petitioned the Father of Light to strip him of his immortality and grant him one mortal life. He didn't want to live in a world where Naya was no longer a part of it. So, his request was granted, but that made him vulnerable in battle. As the forces of the mortal realm fought against the army of the underworld, Oryn utilized Lumos and fell in battle protecting Naya from certain death."
"Lumos?"
"It was his Transcendent state." Riggs reclines in his chair, as if remembering the tale has taken a toll on him physically. "From the ancient accounts, it's said Oryn was so bright, he sent out an enormous blast of light that destroyed the forces of the underworld. The overexertion of his magic in his new mortal form proved too much for him and cost him his life."
"They were fighting Drogon?"
He shakes his head. "No. Drogon isn't the first demon king that has sought total domination of the realms."
I let all this information settle before asking, "So, if his Transcendent state was Lumos… what was hers?"
"The same one as Professor Harland, of course. Nox."
"Nox?" My curiosity grows. Atlas has been so secretive about his Transcendent state, and even though this almost feels like a betrayal of his trust by asking Riggs about it, I shoo that guilt away because at the end of the day, I need answers.
A spark lights in Riggs' eyes and I ignore Nyx squirming beside me. "The most fascinating thing! He transforms into a monstrous beast and can extend darkness across an entire battlefield where he preys upon your nightmares and makes you believe your greatest fear is upon you. The one and only time Professor Harland used it during his schooling days, three people took their own lives to escape the darkness, to escape the madness. To my knowledge, he's not used it since. But surely, he told you this already."
"No, he didn't."
By the brokenness in my voice, all the color drains from Riggs' face. "Oh dear, I fear I have overstepped. I'm so sorry, Princess. I shouldn't have told you this. I do not wish you to see Professor Harland in a different light."
"What happened to Naya?" I quickly change the subject from Atlas and his beast form back to the first shadow wielder. "After Oryn died in battle. What happened to Naya?"
When the bell chimes, signaling the end of today's lesson, Riggs closes the tome and says, "Perhaps, we should leave that for another class."
I jump up from my seat and lunge toward his desk, slamming my hand on top of the book, denying him the ability to shelf it. "I would like to know now."
I make a conscience effort in day-to-day life not to pull my rank, but I won't have information kept from me any longer because it makes someone else uncomfortable. By the tone in my voice, Riggs gathers answering isn't optional.
"Naya helped establish Magikos Grammata before she…"
"Before she what?" I press.
"The pain of losing her other half was too great a burden to bear and she…" Riggs clears his throat, mustering the courage to finish the story I've already pieced together. "She swam as far as she could into the bay and when she tired, she allowed herself to drown."
Though I was mentally prepared for that to be the end of her story, when he finishes, it still steals my breath. Tears burn, begging to be released. A tragic love story. I can't help but wonder how Naya must have felt. Not just losing the man she loved but losing her other half. If what Professor Riggs shared with me is true, when Oryn died, Naya would have lost the amplification of her affinity, weakening her. Her magic would have called out to find his and found nothing but silence.
Nyx slips his arm over my shoulders, startling me, but grounding me in reality. "Are you alright, Kitarni?" he says so softly it makes me uneasy.
"One last question, Professor."
"Of course, Princess."
"Was it her magic, or the lack of his magic, that led to her death?"
"Some have theorized that their magical bond – their Tethering – had been severed when Oryn died and eventually, whether by her hand or someone else's, Naya would have followed shortly after." Riggs holds my watery stare and explains, "Light cannot exist without darkness and vice versa. When Oryn's light was snuffed out, Naya's darkness could no longer survive."
"So, since Atlas and I are the first light and shadow wielders since Oryn and Naya, if I died – "
"Oh, Princess, you are safe here – "
"If I died," I interrupt Riggs with a firm tone that stiffens Nyx's arm draped across my shoulders, "what would happen to Atlas?"
He mulls over the question and for the first time I see defeat in his eyes. "Honestly, I am not sure."
"How does one become Tethered to another?"
