Chapter 251: 251 : Opening Shop and Increasing Harem Members XXVIII
---
Nyx opened its mouth.
John had not expected the mouth.
It was small. Precise.
Nyx bit the fragment and pulled it into itself. The fragment vanished, not by disappearing into the void, but by being swallowed by the ant.
A moment later, a faint silver-black shimmer traveled through Nyx’s body, then settled. Nyx’s star-speck pattern became slightly clearer, as if the ant had just cleaned itself from the inside.
John stared.
Fizz whispered, "It ate the shell. Efficient. I also eat my problems when possible."
John did not answer. His mind was busy.
Nyx had just proven something.
It could consume void residue.
It could hold it.
Maybe convert it.
The system had called it a helper type. That word sounded harmless. This did not look harmless. This looked like a creature that could become dangerous if it grew and learned.
John’s throat tightened again.
He needed to learn how to store Nyx safely.
He needed to learn how to retrieve Nyx without letting it wander.
He needed to keep it hidden.
Because the moment anyone else felt that cold hole aura near their feet, this would stop being a personal secret and start being a royal problem.
He knew the kind of world he lived in. People took rare things and called it law. They put rare things in cages and called it order. They made trophies out of living creatures and called it honor.
Not happening.
He would not let Nyx become a trophy.
Fizz, sensing John’s mood, floated closer. His voice softened. "Master."
John opened his eyes in the washroom.
Fizz hovered right in front of him, ears lowered slightly, not joking now.
John spoke quietly, "It moved."
Fizz nodded like a nurse receiving a report. "Yes. It walked on nothing like it owned the void."
John’s jaw tightened. "It left the platform."
Fizz’s eyes widened. "And you did not die."
"It came back," John said. He sat back against the wall and let the tension drain slowly. "It ate a shell piece."
Fizz blinked. "So it is hungry."
John nodded.
Fizz’s face became serious in a very dramatic way, like a priest about to declare sacred law. "Then we must feed it."
John stared at him. "Not now."
Fizz waved a paw. "Not with real beasts. Not in the dorm. That would be rude. But perhaps with snacks."
John’s eyes narrowed. "You cannot feed it cake."
Fizz looked offended. "Why not. Cake is powerful. It makes people happy. Happiness is energy."
John sighed. "Go back to sleep."
Fizz hesitated, then nodded. "Fine. But tomorrow we plan. We plan feeding. We plan to hide it properly. We plan to teach it proper manners so it does not steal my assistant rank."
John muttered, "You are obsessed."
Fizz replied proudly, "Yes."
John let the curtain fall closed again and returned to his bed. He lay down carefully, controlling his breathing again, keeping his mana steady.
Inside the void, Nyx curled up again.
John felt the thread relax slightly as Nyx settled.
The anchor drain lowered.
His heart slowed.
He finally let sleep take him again, deeper this time, because his body needed it. He was not in danger now. No immediate danger. Only long-term danger, which was the kind he was used to living with.
Morning came the way it always did in the academy. Bells. Light. Noise.
The first bell was soft. The second was louder. By the third, Ray Flame rolled over, yanked his blanket tighter, and groaned as if the bell had personally insulted his family.
John woke before the fourth bell. His eyes opened and immediately checked his mana level by feel. It was decent. Not full. But safe.
The thread was there. Calm. Holding.
Nyx was still anchored.
Fizz sat on John’s chest like a small commander and stared down at him with shining eyes. "Good morning," he whispered, too loud.
John blinked, startled. "Get off."
Fizz hopped away and hovered in the air, tail flicking. "We must celebrate," he said. "We must welcome the void baby properly. We must create a ceremony."
John sat up and rubbed his face. "We are not doing a ceremony."
Fizz looked wounded. "Why."
"Because we are in a dorm," John said. "With Ray."
Fizz turned his head and stared at Ray’s bed with suspicion, like Ray was a threat to the entire concept of secrecy.
Ray mumbled and rolled again, still asleep. "No... no fire soup..."
Fizz whispered, "He is a sleeping liability."
John stood and began washing quickly. He kept his movements normal. He kept his breathing normal. He did not let his mind drift too deep into the void.
Because if he did, he would look distracted, and distracted people get watched.
Fizz floated beside him like a shadow with opinions.
"Do we tell Ray," Fizz asked.
"No."
"Do we tell your new teachers?"
"No."
"Do we tell the chef?"
"No."
Fizz sighed. "So secret."
John dried his hands. "Yes."
Fizz puffed up. "Fine. Then I will celebrate quietly."
John arched his brow. "How."
Fizz said proudly, "By demanding snacks in silence."
John stared at him.
Fizz corrected himself. "In a polite whisper."
John did not have time to argue. He dressed quickly, checked his token, and made sure his mana pouch was secure. He also checked the small inner pocket where he kept the duty slate from earlier punishments out of habit. It was not needed now, but it made him feel safer to know it was there.
Ray finally woke up with a groan, sat up, and squinted at John. "Why are you moving like you stole something," he mumbled.
John replied calmly, "Because mornings are annoying."
Ray nodded as if that made perfect sense. "True."
Fizz whispered to John’s ear, "Ray is wise sometimes. He is still a liability."
John ignored him.
They left the dorm and stepped into the academy morning flow. Students moved in groups, some with neat uniforms, some with messy hair, all carrying the same look: tired ambition with a side of fear.
John walked with his head low.
Fizz walked with his head high, which was difficult because he was a floating ball, but he did it anyway.
As they crossed the courtyard, John felt the thread in his chest hum once.
Nyx was awake again inside the void.
Nyx was not making trouble. Just existing. Watching. Learning.
John kept his expression neutral.
Fizz leaned close and whispered, "We must check it later. After class. In a safe place. Preferably with snacks."
John said quietly, "After class."
Fizz brightened. "Yes."
Then his face twisted suspiciously. "But not replacing me as No.1 assistant."
John sighed. "Fizz."
Fizz nodded firmly. "Rule one."
John did not argue. He could not waste energy on that.
They had a new creature in the void now.
A new secret.
A new risk.
And John had learned one thing for sure.
Nyx was not going to sit still like a rock.
Nyx was alive.
Which meant John’s life, again, would not stay quiet no matter how hard he tried.
Comments