Nox Catorce

Nox Catorce (ノクス・カトルセ) is a character from Chapter 3 and one of the main characters of The Epic of Zektbach. He is the "legitimate" heir to the Holy Kingdom of Noigllado's throne, and the younger twin brother of its Empress Matin Catorce. He is the "Negative" one of the twins, as he is left-handed and carries the Sword of Despair, Tyrfing. When his sister was appointed Empress by Agiona, the agency decided that he should be exiled to avoid him interfering, as well as to prevent the people from knowing there was a male heir available for the crown, despite the ruler being female. Unaware of his noble ascendance, he grew up to become an enemy of his own Kingdom, for he saw just how corrupt it was and how many people it oppressed and left in poverty.

He and Matin are, excluding the meme that forms their individual selves, one same genetic being sliced in half, as are all twins. However, due to their role as carriers of Lien Clewing's genetic capital, they can genuinely be considered one being, forcefully kept apart by Ristaccia.

Appearance[]

Nox, as Matin's twin brother, looks nearly identical to her. He is a sleek, soft, androgynous male with long, platinum blonde hair, worn in a braid - supposedly, to mark his respect for Matin, whom he admires despite his angst for Noigllado. His eyes, normally teal with long eyelashes, turn red in his later individual life, when Ristaccia possesses him via his maddening anger.

Even though Nox lives in a harsh environment and leads a tough life, his clothes are as regal as they would have been, were he Noigllado's ruler : thanks to Adhuc's care, he was always able to dress like a prince. He is usually seen in an outfit consisting of a purple, long-sleeved, gold-embroidered shirt, with dark blue pants and low brown boots. He also has a pendant on his left ear. Almost all artworks depict him wielding Tyrfing.

Personality[]

Nox's personality is the opposite to Matin's. While Matin is full of kindness and acceptance, Nox is full of hatred and resentment. Unaware of being Matin's brother, he considered Aime as his sister ; it was when she was killed by Noigllado soldiers that he acquired this burning rage, which was only scaled up by the death of many fellow rebels.

When talking with his sister - under the disguise of Lucis - however, Nox reveals himself to be filled with hope for a better world if Noigllado is ever vanquished. He says the fleet he allied with for an attack is "carrying his dreams", and that he must fight for them to come true. His sympathy towards his father Adhuc confirms that he possesses a sensitive personality under the soaring hatred he primarily demonstrates. The feelings tearing him apart are indeed only L'erisia's means to separate him as much as possible from his sister, so as to prevent them from reuniting.

Story[]

Spoiler
This article contains important revelations.

Nox and Matin were originally one creature. However, L'erisia devised things as to oppose them in every way, making their reunion theoretically impossible by turning them into polar opposites.

Nox was supposed to become the next Emperor of Noigllado, but was abandoned for having the ability to wield another Ristaccia Sword, Tyrfing ; this was to maintain the facade of Noigllado officially being a theocracy based around Trisagion. Moreover, the two swords being polar opposites, the twins were already deemed the same at birth, on the basis of old beliefs. To avoid the possible conflict between the positive and the negative half, and because the "ruler" of the Kingdom had to wield Trisagion, Nox was left aside. This whole reasoning was only Agiona's, whose concern was to stay discreet.

But the royal sword instructor, Adhuc, saw the coronation of Matin as both an offense to the Kingdom's tradition, but also as the ultimate proof of its growing corruption. Since he was a kind man, who had already adopted two orphans, he adopted Nox and took him away, along with Tyrfing, before escaping from the palace. Unaware of his origins, Nox grew up as Adhuc's third child, in the countryside, leaving a poor life with his foster family.

The instructor taught Nox all of his sword skills. With his native talent for any and all arts, Nox became an outstanding swordsman. Knowing Nox was a Prince, Adhuc also tried his best to keep enough money to buy Nox gorgeous suits, adding them to the ones he had already brought away. Thus, Nox never looked shabby, hungry, or dirty, despite his tough life ; he remained as beautiful as his sister.

But the Holy Kingdom Of Noigllado, authoritarian and ever corrupt, was the largest country on the continent and its head, the Agiona members, were always eager to expand their own sphere of influence further. This drove both the people of Noigllado and of neighboring countries to become resentful. Just like his sister, Nox possessed a strong sense of justice ; however, unlike her, he was familiar with the reality of the situation and knew the Kingdom to be the oppressor. He swore to fight it with all his might, to save the people from their suffering, without even knowing his position as heir. Thus, the Anti-Noigllado Alliance, Novaria, was founded between the Noigllado rebels, led by Nox, and the pirates, led by Malacia.

It was around that time that Falo Credere Etincelle, knight of Noigllado, came to the rebel camp on a mission to find Matin's brother. Astonished to discover someone exactly like his Empress, he was seen by Nox as an enemy right away. Intending to kill him, the boy was stopped by his adoptive father who, recognizing Falo as his former apprentice, showed him mercy.

A few days later, as he was inspecting the pirate fleet he had allied with, Nox talked with a commoner named "Lucis", unaware that "Lucis" was actually his sister Matin in disguise. Discussing his dream of a better world with her, he insisted that his cause was right ; that the negative consequences of the battle were negligible, and that he fought for justice. Nox left.

Not long after, Nox was finally taught his antecedent. No vocal media or written chapter depicts his immediate reaction ; however, we know that he felt happy for having Matin as a sister, from her outstanding qualities, notably her legendary kind soul ; this is why he kept his braid and long hair even after learning the truth. Despite the fact that she was her sworn enemy, as the "ruler" of Noigllado, he was aware of her being powerless and most unaware of it.

Eventually, however, because the Kingdom did not stop in its tracks of crimes, his heart was filled with hatred anew, and day by day, the piece of Ristaccia inserted in Tyrfing amplified and fueled the feelings necessary to keep Matin and Nox apart ; this escalated to the point where L'erisia took over him completely, cutting a "hole" in his heart and driving him to madness. Soon, Nox had no interest in saving the people, or even taking his sister's throne ; his hatred for Noigllado had been directed by the Angel directly to Matin, whom he swore to kill, in order to "avenge" his dead sister, Aime.

When they finally met for the first time on the battlefield of Tetroah, Matin failed to quench Nox's hatred, and actually flared it even further by revealing herself to be Lucis. Though he launched himself at her, their duel was soon interrupted by Carla, Agiona's spy and assassin, who attempted to kill him by surprise. Falo, Matin's most loyal knight, sacrificed himself to save Nox in order to spare Matin from the pain of her brother's loss.

While Falo's death almost drove Matin over the edge that Ristaccia needed to unleash its powers, Nox suddenly heard a voice, cryptically recounting how Ristaccia had locked him and Matin in a maze they could only escape by following the right path to knowledge. Soon after, as Matin was about to snap, the two of them met in a mental plane and understood their common nature, dream and ideals, reuniting in mind, though not yet in body.

After Nox came to his senses, Agiona's leader Zalieri was defeated in an unclear fashion, ending the civil war of Noigllado ; Nox, now freed from hatred, left his old life behind to be with Matin. However, remembering what he didn't yet know to be A'Milia's message, he encouraged Matin to venture with him to unknown horizons.

It is most likely while traveling in such a way that they met A'Milia and became one transcendental being again. A single entity, they joined Shamshir and the Sealer to finally end L'erisia's reign.

Appears in[]

Zektbach Guidebook (p.46-47)
Blind Justice ~Torn souls, Hurt Faiths~ (PV)
Blind Justice(Drama CD) Cover + Voice, dubbed by Akira Ishida
Ristaccia PV

Trivia[]

In Latin, "Nox", his given name, means night. As for "Catorce", his and his sister's family name, it is the Spanish word for "Fourteen". The fact that he is named "Night" serves to reflect his darkness-filled heart, his personality characterized by hatred and negative feelings in general. As for "Fourteen", it is the age of Nox and Matin in their Chapter.
Nox also appears as a crossover character in the Pop'n Music series.
The Nox flower is the Thistle. It means independence, aggressiveness and revenge.^[2]