"You made the right choice," the hooded man murmured, taking a step back. "You'll see... power tastes exquisite."
Krull stared at him, half skeptical, half fascinated.
"And now? What are you going to do? Throw a magic potion at me? Bite my neck?" he asked mockingly.
"None of that," the man replied with a wry smile. "True power isn't given away... it wakes up. And yours, Krull, has been asleep for too long."
The stranger raised his hand and murmured a few words in a language Krull didn't understand. A slight warmth crept under his skin, rising up his arm, his chest, and then his skull.
Krull swayed for a moment, then sat up abruptly.
—What... what did you do to me?
—I awakened you. A seed. A fragment. For now... you only feel a shiver. But soon, you'll understand.
Krul breathed deeply. He did feel something. A tingling in his fingers. Like a lurking force waiting to emerge.
—What if this is a trap?
—Then you'll die... but you'd die without me anyway.
Krul grinned. He liked that kind of language.
—And you? Who exactly are you?
The man hesitated, then replied simply:
—Call me... Nox.
Krul repeated the name quietly, as if tasting the venom on his tongue. He nodded slowly.
—Very well, Nox. Show me how to become a nightmare.
The man turned on his heel.
"Patience, Krull. Everything comes in time... even revenge."
They both disappeared into the darkness of the alley, two shadows ready to plunge back into the light... with the fire as their only witness.