[He paused fractionally, a hint of uncertainty tinging his expression. He remembered when Sothis had finally sat him down and explained things beyond what crumbs Jeralt had fed him - once her simmering rage and confusion had settled into something that was less likely to scorch him.
Sothis had terrified him initially: this ancient, furious being, rousing from the depths of him and tearing his body from his control like he was nothing more than an afterthought. She had... not-apologised for that, once the crimson had faded from her vision, and while he had come to rely on her for guidance and comfort, that sliver of fear remained. First impressions were difficult to shake.
But she told him. She told him the truth of the world, the other half of his origins, and why she despised humanity so, no matter how many times Byleth had told her that not all of them deserved her contempt. She had been betrayed too many times, her open hand slapped away. Even he understood her disdainful apathy.]
In my world, there exist two races: humans and Nabateans. The Nabateans are also called 'Divine Beasts', and only assumed humanoid forms to better walk amongst humanity. Their true forms tend to be... large and bestial, which humans found frightening.
["You would have thought I was there to eat them, not aid them," Sothis grouched irritably, while Byleth felt very sorry for the early humans Sothis had encountered.]
The Nabateans also had unique abilities that humans didn't have, such as extreme longevity or access to Crests, a power that is passed on through their bloodlines and Crest Stones. Apparently, humans coveted these powers, and...
[There was no way to slice it, what was done was inexcusable, actually downright evil. It was only a theory from Sothis's side, but the few details Jeralt had let slip - "the dark truth behind this world" his father had sighed tiredly - and the false scriptures had only confirmed it. Why the few Nabateans left could be counted on one hand, why those Hero Relics possessed the bones and hearts of Sothis's children...]
There are barely any Nabateans left. The majority of them were slaughtered by humans, to steal their Crests and craft their corpses into weapons called Hero Relics. The modern day humans are unaware of this history, though. And I'm...
[A pause.]
I'm of Nabatean blood.
[It was the first time he had ever said this so frankly, or even admitted it aloud instead of the more vague "I'm not fully human". He had Nabatean blood - Sothis had confirmed this. He wouldn't have synchronised so effectively with her Crest Stone if he hadn't. But what did this mean? He didn't feel the same fury Sothis did towards humans, because he grew up amongst them. He loved his human father, and the few human allies he had had done no wrong.
But at the same time, he was distinctly not human. He was strange by their standards. Weird. Not truly one of them. He was stuck in a halfway spot, but there was nothing to be done about it.]
This grants me the same advantages most Nabateans have in terms of strength and endurance, but... it's not something I would tell a human from Fódlan. For... obvious reasons.
no subject
[He paused fractionally, a hint of uncertainty tinging his expression. He remembered when Sothis had finally sat him down and explained things beyond what crumbs Jeralt had fed him - once her simmering rage and confusion had settled into something that was less likely to scorch him.
Sothis had terrified him initially: this ancient, furious being, rousing from the depths of him and tearing his body from his control like he was nothing more than an afterthought. She had... not-apologised for that, once the crimson had faded from her vision, and while he had come to rely on her for guidance and comfort, that sliver of fear remained. First impressions were difficult to shake.
But she told him. She told him the truth of the world, the other half of his origins, and why she despised humanity so, no matter how many times Byleth had told her that not all of them deserved her contempt. She had been betrayed too many times, her open hand slapped away. Even he understood her disdainful apathy.]
In my world, there exist two races: humans and Nabateans. The Nabateans are also called 'Divine Beasts', and only assumed humanoid forms to better walk amongst humanity. Their true forms tend to be... large and bestial, which humans found frightening.
["You would have thought I was there to eat them, not aid them," Sothis grouched irritably, while Byleth felt very sorry for the early humans Sothis had encountered.]
The Nabateans also had unique abilities that humans didn't have, such as extreme longevity or access to Crests, a power that is passed on through their bloodlines and Crest Stones. Apparently, humans coveted these powers, and...
[There was no way to slice it, what was done was inexcusable, actually downright evil. It was only a theory from Sothis's side, but the few details Jeralt had let slip - "the dark truth behind this world" his father had sighed tiredly - and the false scriptures had only confirmed it. Why the few Nabateans left could be counted on one hand, why those Hero Relics possessed the bones and hearts of Sothis's children...]
There are barely any Nabateans left. The majority of them were slaughtered by humans, to steal their Crests and craft their corpses into weapons called Hero Relics. The modern day humans are unaware of this history, though. And I'm...
[A pause.]
I'm of Nabatean blood.
[It was the first time he had ever said this so frankly, or even admitted it aloud instead of the more vague "I'm not fully human". He had Nabatean blood - Sothis had confirmed this. He wouldn't have synchronised so effectively with her Crest Stone if he hadn't. But what did this mean? He didn't feel the same fury Sothis did towards humans, because he grew up amongst them. He loved his human father, and the few human allies he had had done no wrong.
But at the same time, he was distinctly not human. He was strange by their standards. Weird. Not truly one of them. He was stuck in a halfway spot, but there was nothing to be done about it.]
This grants me the same advantages most Nabateans have in terms of strength and endurance, but... it's not something I would tell a human from Fódlan. For... obvious reasons.