Chapter 11

"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 those names. His mom's name was Ulma, and he guessed the crazy man's name must be Odin. He felt a surge of unease and a deepening sense of curiosity, wondering what the story could be about.

With a sigh, he stopped and turned around, his eyes fixed on the man. He knew being a demon would mean his parents or one of his parents was not his real parent, so he had no choice but to stop and listen to the man, even though he didn't like him much.

He walked back and stood in front of the man, his arms crossed, his expression distrusting. 

"I'm listening," he said, his voice firm, trying to hide his growing unease.

The man told him about two young lovers who loved each other very much. The woman Ulma eventually took in, so she moved in with Odin and they even began to plan their wedding. Everything was going well until something happened one day. They lived in a big house and Odin had a secret room which he banned Ulma from entering.

Ulma, being the good and obedient wife obliged and stayed away from the room.

They were having a nice conversation one evening.

The evening was quiet, with only the soft crackling of candles illuminating the room. 

Ulma and Odin sat together lost in conversation, their connection palpable. Ulma's fingers wandered through Odin's long hair, marveling at its softness. She loved running her hands through the silky strands, feeling the gentle texture between her fingertips.

As they talked, Odin leaned his head back, resting it on Ulma's lap. She continued to stroke his hair, her touch gentle and soothing. But as she gazed down at him, her eyes landed on something peculiar. A soft, ethereal glow emanated from the side of his neck.

Curious, she brought her head down to have a closer look. She gently pushed aside the strands of hair covering the area, revealing a glowing oval-shaped scar. 

"What's this?" Ulma asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She traced the edges of the scar with her finger, feeling an otherworldly energy emanating from it. 

"What is the glowing scar on your neck, Odin?"

Odin's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed up at Ulma, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "Ah, that," he said, his voice low and mysterious. 

"It's a mark from my past, a reminder of a journey I once undertook."

Ulma became more curious. She leaned in closer, her eyes locked on the glowing scar. 

"What kind of journey?" she asked again, her voice filled with wonder.

He didn't want to talk about it, so he told her it was a long and boring journey and asked her to forget about it, but she wouldn't let go. Her curiousity was already piqued.

Besides, it was impossible to forget about something like that because not many people had glowing scars on their neck because yeah, scars don't glow so why was this one glowing?

She insisted that he tell her about it, but he refused and continued to insist that she forget about it.

Later on, Ulma began to notice something different about Odin. She noticed he was beginning to go into his secret room more frequently and asked him so many times what the room was and what he was always going there to do, but he didn't give a reasonable reply. 

She was begining to become curious by now, but she always fought the urge to go into the room because she trusted her husband.

During a power outage one night, Ulma couldn't sleep and lay in bed staring into the darkness. Suddenly, she noticed Odin getting out of bed. She saw that he was tiptoeing and realized he didn't want her to know he was leaving the room. She wondered where he was sneaking off to and decided to follow him.

He didn't know she was awake because the room was dark and he couldn't see her face. She waited until he left, then she quietly snuck out after him. She followed him quietly until he reached the secret room she wasn't allowed to enter and watched him go inside. She paused for a few minutes, wondering what he was up to.

She then soundlessly opened the door and looked inside. She saw Odin crouched on the floor, holding something big in his hands, with a small lamp in front of him.

She looked around the room, but couldn't see the contents properly due to the dim lamp light. She returned her attention to her husband who was crouched on the floor and took a closer look at what he held and realized it was a limp body. 

Shocked, she felt many thoughts racing through her head as she watched him hold the limp body. She could tell the person was a teenager, likely around sixteen, by the small stature and developing features that still held a hint of childhood innocence. 

Suddenly, he lowered his mouth to the body's neck.

What happened next drained the color from her face, leaving her stunned and trembling. She had t

o cover her mouth with her hands to prevent herself from screaming.