Latest / The Monster Catcher's Journal / Nightfall

Transcript

Nightfall · The Monster Catcher's Journal

0:36
Travelers and Monster Catchers abound, I'm Stella
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Ferris and you have crash landed on the Monster
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Catchers Journal podcast, where stories from
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the edge of the known universe are brought straight
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to your ears. Every glyph has a story, and today
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might hit closer to your heart than most, because
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today is about fear, and its name is Nightfall.
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It started with a flicker, when we were investigating
1:00
some strange lunar interference in the looming
1:02
expanse. A barren stretch of cracked obsidian
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tiles that hum at night, like they're remembering
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a song long forgotten. Luna, Zina, and I had
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each gone separate ways to scan for anomalies.
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My glyphid started vibrating in a low, slow rhythm,
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almost like a heartbeat. That's when I saw him.
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A floating silver moon cracked down the center,
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wrapped tightly in a barbed wire whip that shimmered
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in the dark like a warning, like he was warning
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us to turn and run the other direction. He hovered
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there, trembling, but he didn't lash out until
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I got too close, and when he did, it wasn't to
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attack me. He was frightening, or he was frightened
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and fighting off everything else, including himself.
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We've only just started our magic synchronization
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classes at the Academy. Professor Oren warned
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me, you're not just learning spells, stealth
2:02
affairs. You're learning how to harmonize with
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your glyph, even though I wasn't even in his
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class. Their emotions, instincts, and essence,
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unfortunately my abilities are still basic. All
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I can do is heal and shield my glyphs, which
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is what we're supposed to do anyways, but no
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offense, no offense, no flashy magic, just protection
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and patchwork, so when Nightfraw cracks the sky
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with his whip, and started panicking. I did the
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only thing I knew how to do. I showed it myself
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in Orabique. Then I projected calm, reassurance
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and pressure. Because Nightfall wasn't angry,
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he was terrified. He lashes out when he's scared.
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The whip isn't a weapon, it's his barrier. It's
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his heartbeat. And he wasn't just scared of us,
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he was scared of being seen. Senna approached
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next, her glyph, Ignizura, glowing behind her.
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She said, he's not a threat. He's a glyph born
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of anxiety, like a lunar phantom stuck in a panic
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attack. She was right. He stayed with him all
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night, or we stayed with him all night. Every
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time he twitched, I cast my shielding spell.
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Every time he calmed, I channeled healing over
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and over again, until slowly he started to trust
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me. He let me get close, he let the whip fall
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slack, and then he allowed himself to be caught.
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Now Nightfall lives in the darkest corner of
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my sanctuary room. He's quiet, reserved, still
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jumpy, but less so every day. When storms come
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on, alarms go off at the academy. He curls up
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under my desk and waits for the fear to pass.
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And every time I shield him, every time I heal
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the scratches, I know I'm not the strongest in
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the class, not yet. But sometimes being the one
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who protects, being the calm in the chaos is
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exactly what a glyph -like nightfall needs. So,
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just be the calm in the storm for them. So, it's
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a new day now. And... Yesterday was a trying
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and honestly annoying battle. The kind that drains
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your energy and tests your patience, more than
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your skill. But I made it through, and by the
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end of it, Nightfall was mine. Today I've decided
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to leave Glowfish behind and give some of my
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older glyphs a much needed rest. They've been
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through enough, so this is my current team. Orabique,
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Centronaut, Shadowclaw, Luma Pup, Pankin, and
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Nightfall. Not a bad lineup if I do say so myself,
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and today it was Nightfall's turn to shine. This
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morning I walked into the Luan Academy Battle
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Courtyard. Open sky, obsidian tiles warmed by
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twin suns, a perfect place to see how well my
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new moon -shaped glyph handled pressure without
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crumbling under it. The match was a simple trial,
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one of the Academy's rotating sparring matches.
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I volunteered Nightfall without hesitation. This
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would be his first real test of all three moves.
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Whip, which was just a clean snap of that barbed
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wire. Live wire, which was the same move but
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charged with energy and emotion, sending a burst
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of electrical feedback. And the last one, Dark
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Side, a taunt that taps into fear, projecting
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Nightfall's own anxieties into his enemies. He
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may be shy, but he doesn't pull punches. The
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opponent, a sneering upperclassman named Ray
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Relo, he used a glyph called Brasshorn. Part
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steel, part wind. Looks like a bull made of turbine
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parts and bad decisions. The match started fast.
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Relo barked commands and Brasshorn charged nightfall.
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Nightfall. Whip, I said. The barbed wire cracked
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forward, not flashy, but fast. The whip scraped
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Brashorn's plating, leaving a smoke line and
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making it hesitate. Round one, not bad. Next,
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I ordered live wire. Nightfall glowed faintly
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as energy surged into the whip. Static curled
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off of him like a storm cloud waking up. Now,
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the whip struck again, and this time it crackled.
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The impact sent Brashorn reeling. electricity
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surging through its chassis. Relo actually took
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a step back, like he felt it too, but the brass
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horn charged again, harder, madder, faster. I
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had to act quick. Dark side! Nightfall stilled,
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he dimmed, he pulsed once twice than nothing,
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a total eclipse. Brass horn slowed, confused,
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tusk lowering, and then Nightfall's fear, his
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true fear poured out. A silent sidekick wave
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of isolation lost that feeling like the sky is
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too big and you're too small to matter. I felt
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it, too, in the quiet corners of space. Brassworm
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buckled. It didn't faint, but it backed off,
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shaken. Match end it! Victory award it! Brillo
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stormed off. Nightfall floated to me. Still,
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quiet, but calmer. He'd faced his fears and made
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them into weapons. I know some trainers like
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explosive powers or flashy finishers, but me?
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I've learned to appreciate subtle strength. The
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kind that whispers instead of shouts. Nightfall's
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not perfect. He still flinches when loud glyphs
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pass by. He curls up when thunder rolls. But
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he showed me today that courage isn't being afraid.
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Or unafraid, sorry. It's fighting while scared
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out of your mind. And that's why he belongs on
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my team. And today, it came to the hardest part
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of this whole journey, telling Professor Orion
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and Dr. Lang that I had caught this glyph. To
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be fair, Dr. Lang was never the problem. The
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man lives for the catch. You could bring him
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a sentient tumbleweed with one tooth, and he'd
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start cataloging it before you could even say
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wild encounter. But Professor Orion, on the other
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hand, he was going to be mad. As usual, Orion
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was hunched over his storm maps, looking like
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he hadn't blinked in ten hours. I didn't wait
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for him to speak. I caught another one. His pen
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stopped. Let me guess, he said, not looking up.
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You skipped your enchantment lab again. Ouch.
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Before I could answer, Dr. Lang stepped in from
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the side door, eyes lit like it was his birthday
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season. Let me see, he beamed. Hands already
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outstretched like a kid begging for a toy. Tell
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me it's the lunar distortion anomaly from the
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looming expanse. I handed over the glyphid. Name's
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nightfall. Moon body. Barbed wire whip. Defense
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type. Taunt move called dark side. Leng's grin
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was nuclear. Oran's frown deepened. Stelliferous,
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he said, finally turning to me. Do you even remember
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the last three spells we practiced in class?"
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I opened my mouth, but all that came out was,
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I shielded Nightfall in battle. I healed him.
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I kept him safe. That's basic level one magic,
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Stella Ferris, he snapped. You were supposed
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to be learning glyph -channeling synchronization
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techniques. You can't just wander the planet
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collecting emotionally unstable glyphs and hope
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they save the day. I clenched my fist. I wanted
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to yell. Instead I said, catching glyphs has
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been my dream since I was three. I don't skip
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class because I don't care. I skip class because
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I care too much. Every day I spend in a lecture
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is a day I'm not out there finding someone who
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needs me, someone like Nightfall. That shut him
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up. Ling looked between us like a kid caught
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between divorced parents fighting over custody
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of a moon rock. Then he said, with respect, Orion.
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She may not be mastering fireballs and flight
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runes, but her synchronization is stronger than
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most of our top students. I've seen the logs."
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Orian stared at me, then finally muttered, fine,
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log the glyph, but you'd better show up for tomorrow's
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advanced synchronization class. You're wasting
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your own potential. He turned back to his charts.
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Lang gave me a wink and handed me back Nightfall's
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glyphid. Ignore him, the moon's lucky to have
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you. I couldn't understand why Professor Orion
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was so mad. I was in Higate's class for magic,
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not his. It's not like I was skipping. I'd show
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up, participate, even ask questions when I didn't
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know what I was doing. Okay, so I'd only come
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to Orion a few times for extra help with spellcasting,
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but that didn't mean I wasn't trying. But the
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way he looked at me today... You'd think I'd
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blown up the whole academy with a miscast spell.
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You're wasting your potential, he said, not even
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bothering to look at me. Just kept scribbling
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on that old cracked journal of his. I crossed
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my arms. All I did was ask for help. No, Stella
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Ferris. He snapped, finally meeting my eyes.
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You only ever ask for help when something goes
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wrong. You treat magic like a side quest. That
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stung. I never even wanted to be in magic classes,
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I muttered. You're the one who pushed me into
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them. He paused along heavy silence filled the
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room. And now that I've caught nightfall, I said,
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the anger bubbling up in my chest, it's just
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more lectures. I thought maybe, maybe you'd be
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proud that you'd actually see what I've been
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doing out there. But no, it's still not enough.
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It's always you're wasting your potential. Orion
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shook his head slowly, because I see what you
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could become, Stella Ferris. You're not just
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a glyph chaser, you're something more. But you
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keep refusing to believe that. I'm not refusing,
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I said sharply. I just don't want to become what
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you think I should be. That shut him up for a
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second. I turned away. I caught nightfall. I
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survived the storm scar Delta. I've held my own
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with some of the strongest glyphs on the - planet
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Nibiru, and you still act like I'm a dropout
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with a glow stick." I took a deep breath, and
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at it, I didn't come here to be torn down. I
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came here because I wanted to get better. He
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didn't answer, so I left. And honestly, I wasn't
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sure if I'd ever come back to him for help again.
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A few days had passed since our last argument.
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I'd made my decision and dropped all the magic
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classes. I was tired of being told I wasn't enough.
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I wanted to focus on what I loved, monster catching.
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I was in the sanctuary tinkering with some new
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gear when there was a knock at the door. I didn't
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need to guess, I knew who it was. I opened it
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and sure enough there stood Professor Orion.
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Oh, it's you, I said flatly, rolling my eyes
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as I reached to close the door again. But his
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hand shot out, catching the frame before it shut.
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I know I'm not your favorite person in the world,
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he said, his tone softer than usual, but I can't
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just stand by and watch you walk away from magic
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classes. You can't force me to do something I
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don't want to do. I snapped, pushing the door
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again, but he held it firm but calm. I'm not
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trying to force you, he said. I just... I think
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you're making a mistake. That's why I told Higate
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you weren't quitting. I think it would be good
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for you, even if you don't see it right now."
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I crossed my arms, leaning against the doorway.
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You keep saying Glyphcatching isn't enough. Why
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do you hate it so much anyway? He was quiet for
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a moment, then he let out a sigh, and looked
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down at his feet. To tell you the truth, Deliferous,
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he paused, as if the words were hard to say.
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I was never good at, or as good as you. Not even
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close. I tried to be a monster catcher once,
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too. But I was terrible at it. I failed more
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times than I can count. People laughed, teased
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me. I blinked I'd never seen him like this before,
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vulnerable. I was put in magic classes because
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I couldn't keep up in the field, he continued,
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and I hated it at first. But then I realized
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something. Catching glyphs is just one part of
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the picture. The other half is understanding
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the magic that connects us to them, that protects
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us, that keeps them from destroying us. He looked
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up at me, eyes tired but honest. I don't hate
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monster catching, Stella Ferris. I'm just scared
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you'll make the same mistakes I did thinking
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catching is everything, until the day it isn't
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enough. The silence between us felt heavy. Maybe
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for the first time I understood why he'd been
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so harsh. It wasn't about control. It was fear,
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and maybe, maybe something like hope. There's
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something strange about hearing your hero admit
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they felled at the very thing you thought they
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mastered. I stood there, arms still crossed,
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heart softening, because Orion wasn't yelling,
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he wasn't lecturing, he was just telling the
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truth. I stepped back from the door just far
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enough to let him in. Five minutes, I said, that's
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all you get. He gave me a nod and stepped inside
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like he was walking into a temple he hadn't earned
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access to in years. Nightfall hovered in the
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far corner, his silver moon -bodied dim but watchful.
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Orion glanced around, this place, it suits you.
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I raised a brow, but messy and full of monsters?
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No, he said with a small smile, alive. We sat
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down at the low table I kept for sorting glyphid
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charts. I flicked a switch and the holograms
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flared up. My full team displayed a rotating
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ring, or a beak, zentronaut, shadowclaw, lumapup,
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pancan, and nightfall. You've built something
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real here, he said. But you're hitting a limit,
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Stella Ferris, not because you lack heart. You've
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got more... of that than most of the faculty
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combined, but because raw instinct only takes
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you so far. I didn't argue, not this time. He
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reached into his coat and pulled out a small
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shimmering stone, obsidian core, etched with
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violet runes, a soul -linked shard. I want you
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to take this, he said. It's a synchronization
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amplifier. It doesn't make magic easier, it just
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makes it louder, sharper. If you're even slightly
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out of sync with your glyph, it'll backfire.
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I hesitate it sounds dangerous. He smirked. That's
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the point. You learn to listen better when the
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stakes are higher. I reached out slowly and took
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it. The shard warm against my palm. Nightfall
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drifted a little closer. Curious. It'll come
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or I'll come to class I said, but I'm not giving
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up filled work. I wouldn't expect you to, Oren,"
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replied, to try not to vanish for weeks at a
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time without checking in. You've got people here
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who care about you. That caught me off guard
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more than anything. He stood and made his way
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to the door, but paused before opening it. I
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mean what meant what I said, Stella Ferris, he
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added, without turning around. You're not just
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a glyph catcher. You're something more. You don't
18:38
see it yet, but I do. And with that, he left.
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I looked at the soul ink shard in my hand, watched
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how Nightfall hovered over it for a moment, then
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nodded like he knew this wasn't the end of something.
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It was just the beginning. I tucked the shard
18:59
into my satchel and whispered to Nightfall, looks
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like we've got more work to do. He flicked with
19:05
a soft moonlight in response, and for the first
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time in a long time I felt like maybe, just maybe,
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I was exactly where I needed to be. Well, Nightfall,
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do you think maybe there might be a reason why
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Orion wanted me to change to the magic classes?
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Maybe he had something that he was right about.
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Like maybe he was right about magic. Maybe I
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should learn magic synchronization so that me
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and my glyphs, including you, can fight a little
19:45
better together. What do you think? Nightfall
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rubbed his face against my hand in response,
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and I knew that that meant that he agreed with
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Professor Orion. That he thought that there was
20:02
more to it than just the catch. And you know
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what? Sometimes the people who push us hardest
20:13
aren't trying to hold us back. They're trying
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to push us forward. And sometimes the greatest
20:18
catchers don't come from force, they come from
20:21
understanding. Next time on the Monster Catcher's
20:24
Journal, we enter the mirrored reef, where reflections
20:28
whisper secrets and nothing is as it seems. Until
20:32
then, stay curious, stay kind, and keep catching,
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because next time, we're going to be catching
20:38
Daybreak.