Everything was silent as he strolled through Eclipse's main city, his hands behind his back as he walked, his tail calmly shifting over his leg and his wings relaxed behind him. Nighttime was the only moment Onyx could get to himself; the only hours away from the chaos of the Nakachi manner, away from the bustling streets and eerily respectful bows and worshipful gazes.

They declared him the "Chosen One." His mother, too, thought he was some sort of gift, a beacon of hope for the people...

But he was just an ordinary man; a father of nine lovely children, and the eldest son of a woman too naive for her own good.

Silence. He enjoyed silence. The feeling of not having to listen to false prayers, of not having to answer to pleadful voices always calling out to him. He remembered when there wasn't so much noise, once... before his fight with Dexter—before his mother abruptly dropped the news that he was "chosen" by the current goddess of the universe, Mother Monty.

It baffled him that the unnaturally tall woman seemed to know everything; his past life as Almajara, his magic before it even manifested. It was like she was some sort of database, bearing a wisdom and insight that went beyond his "youthful" knowledge.

His half-blind eyes were downcast, lost in thought. He couldn't help but think back to what the arrogant Demon Prince said to him: that there wasn't supposed to be another Mythical Holder, that it wasn't possible for him to have such magic... Onyx could guess that it was because he wasn't part of the Mother bloodline anymore, and the magic originated there. Lingering feelings of self-doubt began to bloom in his unbeating chest...

Maybe he wasn't as special as everyone thought he was.