Nyxeris sighed. “For the last time, yes I am real.”

“No, I cannot show you what I can do, as much as I want to, it doesn't work.” He tried at that moment to use his shadow travel but all that happened was the shadows shifting around his boots a little before fading and the lights of the house flickering for a moment.

“It’s tragic, really.” He rolled his eyes. “But even though my abilities fail me here, you have enough light to see my eyes. Doesn’t that tell you enough?”

Nyxeris couldn’t hide his appearance like before, so his eyes looked completely black and without pupils as a normal human. It would be a dead giveaway for anyone who saw him. They’d for sure think he was anything but human, maybe not fae but definitely not human.

He didn’t have fangs but that wouldn’t stop anybody from calling him a vampire if they had seen any movies with black eyed vampires.

“Well, I know you know who I am. Who are you?” Nyxeris sat down on the couch once more. If he couldn’t find his crown or sword, he’d just have to make due without them.

“I’m sure you still have swords at least.. They’re very effective in battle. I hate to hear you don’t have my crown, though.”

He sat in silence after that, wallowing in the sorrow he felt for his lost items and magical abilities. ‘They’ll come back… right? They can’t be gone forever’

He waited for the human to share any information she could, either about who she was or why she had that book in the first place. And, why he lost the battle.

“Why did I lose? I could’ve sworn she was right in front of me about to get hit.” Nyxeris shook his head. Did Annalise best him by setting up a decoy? Did he not see it? His mind kept going back to that human's words about him failing to prevail in the last battle.

“Hm.” Nyxeris hummed. “Pretty name. Nothing I’ve ever heard before, though.”

He listened intently to what she was telling him. Only interjecting once or twice with things like “No, I refuse to believe that swords don’t exist. I mean that in the way of.. Not being used anymore.” And “What an awfully dull world this is. You don’t have any magic of any kind.. What the heck are cars?”

“If I truely die in that damned book, I don’t think I want to go back. If I return to the same position I was in when I got sucked out of it, it’ll already be too late.” Nyxeris was on the brink of despair but of course his tone didn’t betray him and of course his expression was nothing more than statement expressionless.

“I’ve never seen that in a book before. Are you sure you didn’t buy it like that or drop it in water?” He questioned, leaning over her shoulder to see what she saw.

“I have some questions, mainly about this world since there’s no clear way to get back.” Nyxeris informed the human. He turned to face her straight on. He thought for a second, contemplating what he wanted to say and question first.

“What do you mean by fast food?” His head tilted slightly in thought. “Does it mean you have someone gather mushrooms, fruits and energy for you to eat yourself? If so, are you royalty in this world? If that’s true, I must say.. You look nothing like a royal. No offence.”

Questions flooded his mind. Some related to the conversation, some related to the book and others related to random topics. Some he wouldn’t ask right away but some he did need to be asked out loud and rather soon.

“Is… is this what kings wear in this century?” He gestured to his outfit with a very clear tinge of disgust. It wasn’t that he hated it but it didn’t suit his usual attire so he did have an aversion to it. “I have some judgments.”

“Now, I believe you implied that I shouldn’t go outside because I don’t look like you do, correct? I should be able to change that in a couple days time. I refuse to believe that someone like me could lose all of my abilities forever, they should come back. While we wait.. Why don’t you sleep a bit since you’re clearly tired? We can continue this little issue when you wake up. And, you’ll even know I’m incredibly real and not leaving anytime soon if I’m still here when you wake up. I’ll have some more difficult questions for you to answer.”

Sabrina focused on the book in her hand, what had happened? The book was in perfect condition hours before, now the page he had come from was destroyed. This made no sense at all. A small headache began to form in her temples, this whole night just one giant headache honestly. She sighed softly, setting the book down on the coffee table before she sat back down herself on the couch. Nyxeris kept asking question after question as well, simple questions that anyone should know. But then again, he was not a real person. “Listen, it is like 3 in the morning and I cannot answer all of these right now or I think my brain might actually explode. I'll take off class tomorrow and we will try to figure out what is going on. I know you don't want to go back, but you are not made for this world, you are a character from a book, you’ll have to go home eventually. But for now, I am going to act like this is a dream and try to get some sleep.” She said, rubbing her face softly.

Standing back up she looked to her new apparent roommate, “Are you hungry at all? Help yourself to anything in the fridge” She asked before she made her way into the kitchen. Grabbing two glasses, she filled them with ice and water, one for herself and one for Nyx. Even though this man was a complete stranger, her mother’s soul still made her feel obligated to treat him kindly, she was like that for everyone. She would feed, house and put clothes on the back of everyone if she could. She handed Nyx the glass, taking a glance to his eyes once more. In her whole life she would have never expected to meet a book character, who would, it was unheard of.

Sabrina then went to the small laundry room, opening the linen closet to grab a sheet, blanket and a pillow, he had to be tired after all of these events, especially if just hours before he was in a war. COming back she moved the cushions of the couch, pulling out the frame inside to create a bed. “Now, please don't sit in the corner of my room again, I'd rather not have another heart attack” She said, making a bed for him for the night. “Bathroom is right over there” She said, motioning towards the hall, “Tomorrow I can get you some toiletries, maybe some spare clothes to hold you over.” she added.

“Be prepared if you are to stay in this world, nothing is the same anymore, you basically will be starting over in life” She warned, laying down the blanket and stepping away from the now made bed. “Now, I am going to bed, then we will see if you are real in the morning” She said, brushing her hair back as she made her way to the stairs. This was all so strange, letting this man just freely stay in her home. Maybe it would all end up being a dream. But for now with how tired she was, she did not care. Ascending the stairs, she finally disappeared into her room once again, closing the door and falling into the comfort of her bed for the remainder of the night. Drifting to sleep not even a few minutes later, her dreams empty and dark, just a deep slumber taking over.