Nozomi did not know how long she sat as time did not pass so much as accumulate in the Tarterian Specus. Minutes and hours stretched awareness into something indistinguishable. At first, she had simply closed her eyes to think. That... had been a mistake. The moment she did, the fragment of Tama’s knowledge opened inside her mind and she was simply along for the ride. Images and sensation arrived along with devastating pain from inside her bones as they rattled with fury. Vibrations that grinded through her like an engine revving at max throttle required immediate deep concentration.
Her initial perception of this knowledge was twisted down a kaleidoscope of pain as her marrow threatened to break free from its prison. It was not a linear path as there was no meaning or language as what was being shown would not fit neatly into such concepts. Diagrams like blueprints of pure light mapping out chakra pathways beneath glass that was constantly bending and threatening to shatter due to the pain. Nozomi tried her best to not resist the images while clinging onto what remained of her humanity. This fragment given to her was not so much a story as it was a tunnel system. A long corridor of bone that spiraled inward with lines of information not written in ink but with blood and a pulse that defined the information. There was a figure she continued to see, she knew it was Tengokai without needing to be told. He was always standing at the center of this storm, one of his own making, and it rages violently.
Nozomi experienced this until she hit a point where it felt like finding an exit to this storage of memories. Closing it with knowledge of how to access this vault once again. As she did, she could finally surface from that internal struggle and quiet the rattling in her bones to a quiet roar instead of a deafening one. It was in that moment that the silence of her cell hit her all at once.
There were no noises or flashes of imagery, and so she could only focus on the deep hum of her own body. Hunger spiked into existence as her stomach tightened sharply. Not dramatic, just present and undeniable, like another layer atop the burdens she already carried. She pressed a hand to her stomach and exhaled slowly while looking up... That was when Nozomi saw the moon. It hung full in the sky just beyond the metal bars, which meant she had been here more than a day...
Her breath caught, not from pain, but from a sudden realization that was quite shocking. It was her birthday, and today she was fourteen.
The number felt strange to her, as if it was a small, fragile thing, and that it belonged to someone else. It did not belong to a girl who had been cursed, torn asunder, remade, and sharpened into a weapon. For a moment the vibrations surged to mock that she did not feel like a child anymore, and yet she did not argue.
Instead, Nozomi slid from the cot to the floor, and knelt down. Bone twisted from her fingertip to form a faux cupcake with a twisted candle atop. The very tip she would place a small piece of clay to act as a wick for the candle.
Setting it aflame with a small bit of chakra she would whisper to herself, "... Happy Birthday."
She did not smile, nor did she cry, she simply remained where she was and bathed in the moonlight. For the first time since she had entered this cell, the silence did not feel like punishment.
Her initial perception of this knowledge was twisted down a kaleidoscope of pain as her marrow threatened to break free from its prison. It was not a linear path as there was no meaning or language as what was being shown would not fit neatly into such concepts. Diagrams like blueprints of pure light mapping out chakra pathways beneath glass that was constantly bending and threatening to shatter due to the pain. Nozomi tried her best to not resist the images while clinging onto what remained of her humanity. This fragment given to her was not so much a story as it was a tunnel system. A long corridor of bone that spiraled inward with lines of information not written in ink but with blood and a pulse that defined the information. There was a figure she continued to see, she knew it was Tengokai without needing to be told. He was always standing at the center of this storm, one of his own making, and it rages violently.
Nozomi experienced this until she hit a point where it felt like finding an exit to this storage of memories. Closing it with knowledge of how to access this vault once again. As she did, she could finally surface from that internal struggle and quiet the rattling in her bones to a quiet roar instead of a deafening one. It was in that moment that the silence of her cell hit her all at once.
There were no noises or flashes of imagery, and so she could only focus on the deep hum of her own body. Hunger spiked into existence as her stomach tightened sharply. Not dramatic, just present and undeniable, like another layer atop the burdens she already carried. She pressed a hand to her stomach and exhaled slowly while looking up... That was when Nozomi saw the moon. It hung full in the sky just beyond the metal bars, which meant she had been here more than a day...
Her breath caught, not from pain, but from a sudden realization that was quite shocking. It was her birthday, and today she was fourteen.
The number felt strange to her, as if it was a small, fragile thing, and that it belonged to someone else. It did not belong to a girl who had been cursed, torn asunder, remade, and sharpened into a weapon. For a moment the vibrations surged to mock that she did not feel like a child anymore, and yet she did not argue.
Instead, Nozomi slid from the cot to the floor, and knelt down. Bone twisted from her fingertip to form a faux cupcake with a twisted candle atop. The very tip she would place a small piece of clay to act as a wick for the candle.
Setting it aflame with a small bit of chakra she would whisper to herself, "... Happy Birthday."
She did not smile, nor did she cry, she simply remained where she was and bathed in the moonlight. For the first time since she had entered this cell, the silence did not feel like punishment.
