Noah made his way over to the group in a daze. His hunger scared him and he was scared that one day he would be unable to control himself and he would do something unforgivable.
He finally joined the group. Very soon, Crane started up a conversation with him and it was as if nothing had changed however, Noah knew that everything had changed. For one , he was now a monster.
He sighed and decided not to dwell on the negatives. Noah soon noticed that Gemma was unusually quiet. This was very unlike her. she would normally be chatting and laughing with everyone.
Crane explained to him that it was because they were getting close to where Gemma used to live. Villages and cities outside of the divine pockets were never safe. They could be celebrating today and be dead tomorrow. This was because they did not have a barrier to protect them from the monsters so they were always at risk of a monster attack.
The group quieted down as they approached the ruins of a village. The village showed signs of being burned. Gemma headed towards a particular house. Noah wanted to follow because she didn't seem to be doing well however, Nicholas held him back with a complicated gaze.
"She's going to be fine. She just needs some time alone" he said softly.
After saying that, he turned to the rest of the gang and told them to set up camp.
The group went into an abandoned house and put down their sleeping bags. It was obvious that this was not the first time they had come to this place. Everyone settled down since it was getting late and then they distributed the food. Mostly dried meat for everyone.
Gemma walked into the familiar house. The house was just a regular one. It was small but it had a yard and a backyard. The yard that her mother always tried to make as beautiful as she could was overgrown with weeds. There was still dried blood on the ground.
Gemma went inside the house. Everything was covered in dust. She ran her fingers over the furniture and the walls. The house was still scattered from the struggle and the horrible event that happened in this house.
She remembered picking up the pieces of her mother's corpse from the house. Her beautiful, kind mother had become no better than a piece of meat. She had her best memories and also her worst memories in this house. She sighed and turned to leave.
After leaving, she saw Noah standing outside the house with a concerned look on his face. She smiled at him but it was clearly forced. He asked her if she was fine, his question brought tears to her eyes. She was not fine. She hugged him and cried into his arms.
Noah felt a force pull him away from Gemma and punch him in the face. The force that hit him was actually Nicholas. He looked very angry.
"How dare you touch my girl?" He asked with an ugly look on his face.
Noah looked at Gemma but she only bit her lips and didn't deny it.
"We are not doing anything wrong." Noah replied.
He did not see Gemma as a potential love interest. He cared about her because she was there when he went through the worst period of his life and she had saved his life. He understood her and she understood him. He didn't think that they could ever be more than just friends. His answer made Nicholas even more angry and before he knew it, he felt something cut into him. He felt a sharp pain in his thigh.
Nicholas was throwing wind blades at him and the worst part was that since air was invisible, he couldn't see the blades and he couldn't dodge either. Another one landed on his chest and he felt more pain as he felt himself losing blood.
The others tried to stop him but he solidified the air around the two of them so that the others could not get to them. Nicholas waved his hands and Noah felt air leaving his lungs.
Nicholas had used this move on him before but there was no killing intent at that time. This time he could feel that Nicholas would gladly kill him. He could not breathe. The world darkened as he felt himself give in to the darkness that was overtaking him. The world went completely dark.
When Noah woke up, he saw Matthew sitting beside him, reading an old book. Gemma came in soon after and asked how he was feeling. He told her that he was fine but she still sent a burst of healing power into his body just to be sure.
Gemma looked like she was about to say something but she hesitated and finally turned around and left. Mathew stayed for a while longer before also leaving. Crane also came to visit with a big basket of fruits and wondered where she got them from because fruits were precious commodity.
After he was left alone, Noah's mind wandered to all the things that the mysterious man had told him before and decided he wanted to see the man again. He then left the room before making his way out of the village while avoiding the others.
Once he was a bit far away, he paused and waited. Soon enough, the man appeared. His eyes were even brighter than before and his accent was thicker than ever. He also seemed taller and more intimidating. Noah finally asked the question that had been on his mind for ages.
"Who are you and why am i the only one that can see you?" He asked.
The man gave another wide smile.
"Don't you already know?" He threw a question back at Noah. Noah's head began to hurt as the familiar image in his memory fused with the image of the man before him. His heart sank as this confirmed what he had already suspected. The man's smile grew impossibly wider. His teeth glinting with a sharp light.
"That's right" he said.
"I am your father" he added with a wide grin
"That's right" he said. "I am your father" he added with a wide grin.Noah stumbled backwards, his eyes wide with disbelief, as soon as he heard those words. "No. I don't know anything," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "You're not my father. My father died years ago." He added, turning to walk away from the man in an attempt to distance himself from the unsettling revelation.But he heard the man let out a loud, menacing laugh behind him. He felt annoyed and turned to look at the man, wondering what was so funny that made him laugh like that."Oh, I forgot he's crazy," he said to himself silently, shaking his head before turning to walk away again. But the man's next words stopped him in his tracks."Let me tell you a story, Noah," the man said, his voice low and mysterious.Noah didn't stop, didn't look back, and just kept walking. But the man continued, undeterred. "The story is about a woman named Ulma and a man named Odin."Noah's heart skipped a beat as soon as he heard
Uma's eyes widened in horror as she watched from where she was. Odin's face descended, his presence drawing closer to the still form in his hands like a dark cloud enveloping the moon. The air grew thick with an unnatural silence. The moment seemed to suspend, time itself bending to accommodate the horror that was to come. And then, Ulma saw it - the unbearable truth: the man she loved was not who she thought he was. The sound of his contented sigh, the gleam in his eye, and the bloodstained smile that spread across his face all whispered a terrifying truth: she was bound to a monster.She felt a creeping sense of dread, and knew she had to escape, for in that moment, she feared for her very soul and that of her child's. Tears began to roll down her cheeks as she watched in horror, her heart racing with a mix of fear and disbelief. She was terrified and couldn't believe her eyes - her own Odin, the man she loved and trusted, doing something this terrible like a monster. She wondered
In that moment, he felt a million emotions swirling inside him. He could bear the thought of her leaving him, but he would never let her take his child away from him. Never! He couldn't tolerate the idea of being separated from his own flesh and blood. With a surge of adrenaline, he immediately dragged her back, his anger boiling over. "I'm done being patient with you!" he growled, his eyes blazing with fury.Ulma was shocked at the sudden transformation. She had never seen Odin switch from calm to menacing so quickly, and it left her breathless. Just moments before, he had been speaking calmly, but now his voice was low and menacing. She felt a chill run down her spine as she saw the fierce look in his eyes. He looked like he was ready to tear her apart, his anger and possessiveness radiating from him like a palpable force. "Odin, please..." she whispered, her voice trembling with fear.But he just spat out his words in a venomous tone. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ulma...yet. But I'
The next morning, Ulma didn't want to leave her house at all however, she had a few errands to run and she had promised the local fish vendor to help him man his store today in exchange for some extra cash and free fish. Her life since coming to this town had been more difficult than with Odin, She missed the luxurious life but absolutely didn't want the baggage that it came with. She'd rather live this simple life than stay with that monster.She got prepared and started to leave the house. She looked outside the house and saw that the weather was rather dark. The windowsill was dusty, the flaky rough feeling on her hands alerted her of that."I need to clean up this house and get an umbrella," she muttered to herself.She took her worn out umbrella and left the house. The outside of the house was very windy, she tightened her jacket around herself and shivered from the cold. She went off to the fish market shivering the whole way. Ulma hated the smell of the fish market. Raw fish s
Odin had gone back the next night but Ulma was nowhere to be found. Did She not understand that he was just trying to protect her? Demons were Crazy, powerful creatures and even the lowly ones could rip her apart with their bare hands. The thought was upsetting but he was slowly becoming angry and impatient with Ulma too. He had tried again and again to bring her to safety but she was so unappreciative of his efforts and kept seeing him as some kind of monster. Only his love for her spared her from the full weight of his displeasure for the blatant disregard that she had shown him. Odinlet out a deep, gloomy sigh as he gazed out into the distance. His time here was running out - he had only about a week left before he had to return to his kingdom. The weight of his responsibilities was crushing him; someone had to manage the kingdom, and he couldn't delay his return any longer. The timing was critical, and their plan was at a delicate stage. If he didn't return soon, everything could
Odin suddenly stopped speaking. The silence was rather unsettling and Noah who had been listening intently suddenly came back to his senses. Odin grinned showing sharp teeth, his features still warped. It was obvious that he didn't care enough to disguise himself as human anymore. "Of course, I found out about that much later through another spell but if I had known what was going on, then of course I wouldn't have allowed it to continue.Then they got married and had a child and lived almost happily ever after." Odin felt angry just thinking about it. His lovely wife getting married to someone else and starting a family with them. As his anger simmered, Odin's gaze turned to Noah, his eyes narrowing into sinister slits. "So my question to you is, will you come back with me and take your rightful place as crown prince, reunite our family?" Noah knew for certain from his story that Odin was crazy and delusional but at the same time, this person understood what he was going through
"Noah..." He suddenly heard a feminine voice whisper. He glanced back at his friends to see if it was any of them calling him, but they were all engrossed in their activities. Crane was pestering Matthew about the river as he unpacked his bag, while Nicholas and Gemma set up tents, oblivious to the mysterious voice that had caught Noah's attention.Noah's gaze swept the area, but no one seemed to be paying attention to him. He turned back to face the river, a shiver running down his spine. He wondered if it was Odin playing mind tricks on him again."Noah.." he heard the voice whisper again. This time, a little louder."Who's there?" He called out, his voice barely above a whisper.Noah didn't get any response. He waited a few minutes, but there was still no answer, so he turned to walk away."Don't go, Noah" he heard the voice again."Who are you, and why won't you show yourself?" he asked, turning around."Because..." The voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.Noah's ey
Noah sighed, closing his eyes as the warm sunlight danced across his face. "Here goes nothing," he muttered under his breath, the sound barely audible over the gentle lapping of the emerald river's waters against the shore.Just as he was about to jump, a familiar voice stopped him, echoing through the serene atmosphere."Don't listen to that voice, Noah."Noah turned to see Matthew standing behind him, his brow furrowed with concern. The scent of damp earth and leaves emitted from Matthew's clothes."Matthew, when did you...?" Noah started, but Matthew cut him off, his voice firm."Don't listen, Noah. Step away from the water's edge.""No, Matt, this voice can help us," Noah said, walking towards Matthew, the soft grass beneath his feet."Do you know what that entity is?" Matthew asked patiently, his eyes locked onto Noah's.Noah nodded, his heart racing. "It's the Spirit of the Emerald Depths. It wants to help us."Matthew shook his head, his expression grim. "That's not its true