The forsaken Code.

Chapter Ten: The Weight of Truth

The ruins were silent.

Not the kind of silence that came with emptiness, but the kind that listened.

Noah felt it pressing against his skin, wrapping around him like unseen hands, waiting—expecting.

Vance stood a few steps ahead, staring at the remnants of the ancient city. His jaw was tight, his hands clenched at his sides. Killian, usually the first to crack a joke, was uncharacteristically quiet.

Noah exhaled. His mind was still reeling from what he had seen—the fire, the destruction, the way the flames had moved like they were part of him.

Like he had commanded them.

He forced himself to speak. “What now?”

Vance turned to him. “Now, we figure out who you really are.”

The words sent a shiver down Noah’s spine.

Killian huffed. “Sounds great, but how exactly do we do that? Do we just—what? Hope another vision smacks him in the head?”

Vance ignored him. “This place was hidden for a reason. If we dig deep enough, we’ll find the truth.”

Noah’s stomach twisted. He wasn’t sure if he wanted the truth.

What if he had done something terrible? What if he had been the reason that city burned?

But before he could voice his doubts—

A sound.

A whisper of movement.

Noah’s body reacted before his mind did. He turned sharply, eyes scanning the ruins. His pulse spiked.

Something was here.

Vance stiffened. “We’re not alone.”

Killian groaned. “Of course we aren’t. Why would we ever get a break?”

The air changed.

It became heavier, colder.

And then—

They appeared.

Figures cloaked in darkness, their forms shifting like smoke. No faces, no defining features—just silhouettes of something not entirely human.

Noah’s heart pounded. “What are they?”

Vance’s voice was calm, but there was an edge to it. “Shadows of the past.”

Killian cursed. “Fantastic. Anything else you forgot to mention?”

The shadows moved.

They didn’t rush forward. They didn’t attack.

They watched.

And then, one of them spoke.

Not with words, but with a feeling—an ancient, unshakable truth that settled in Noah’s bones.

You are not supposed to exist.

Noah’s breath caught. His vision blurred, the world spinning around him.

Memories—half-formed, broken—rose like a tide.

The fire. The destruction. The fear.

And at the center of it all—

Him.

Not as he was now, but as something else.

Something far more dangerous.

The weight of the truth hit him all at once.

He wasn’t just connected to the past.

He was the past.

And whatever had tried to erase him—

Had failed.

The shadows didn’t move, but their presence pressed against Noah, seeping into his mind like cold water.

You are not supposed to exist.

The words weren’t spoken, yet they echoed inside him, heavy and undeniable.

Noah gritted his teeth. “What does that even mean?”

The figures didn’t answer. They only stood there—watching, waiting.

Vance took a step forward, his posture tense. “They’re remnants of this place. Pieces of the past that never faded.” His voice was low. “They don’t speak in riddles, Noah.

Vance’s gaze didn’t waver. “If they say you’re not supposed to exist, it means someone—or something—tried to erase you before you ever became what you are.”

Noah’s breath caught in his throat. Erased? Like the security officer back at the academy?

He clenched his fists. "That doesn’t make sense. I’m standing right here."

The shadows stirred, shifting like smoke caught in an unseen breeze. One of them, taller than the rest, extended a ghostly hand toward Noah. A deep, hollow voice filled the air, though its mouth never moved.

"You are an echo of something forgotten. A piece that was never meant to remain."

Noah shuddered. It wasn’t just fear—it was something deeper. A sensation that crawled under his skin, whispering that they were right. That something was wrong with him.

Killian scoffed, stepping between Noah and the shadowy figures. “Look, I don’t know what kind of cryptic nonsense you’re trying to pull, but Noah is real. And if you wanna say otherwise, you can go through me first.” His aura flared, fiery and intense.

But the shadows didn’t react. They simply stood there, their hollow gazes locked onto Noah.

Vance exhaled. “They don’t care about us, Killian. Only him.”

Killian’s fists clenched, but he didn’t move.

Noah took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand firm. “Then tell me—what am I? What did they try to erase?”

For a long moment, there was silence. Then the tallest shadow spoke again.

"The first city fell because of those like you."

The words hit like a hammer.

Noah’s stomach twisted. “The first city… You mean the place where the first Awakening happened?”

Vance's expression darkened. “The Ruins of the First Awakening.”

The shadow’s form wavered. "There was a time before the Awakenings. A time when the world was different. Those who broke the cycle were erased. Yet… you remain."

Noah’s mind raced. If this place had been hidden for centuries, if it was the site of the first Awakenings, then… what if something had been buried here? Something the world wasn’t supposed to remember?

His power.

The way he could rewrite reality itself.

Had others like him existed before? Had they been erased?

Vance took a slow step forward. “If he wasn’t supposed to remain, why is he still here?”

The shadows shifted, their outlines flickering. "Because something interfered."

Noah’s pulse quickened. “Something… or someone?”

The shadows didn’t answer. Instead, they began to fade, their forms unraveling like mist. But before they disappeared completely, the hollow voice spoke once more.

"Find the Veil. Uncover what was lost."

Then they were gone.

Silence fell over the ruins.

Killian let out a breath. “Well, that was… unsettling.”

Vance crossed his arms. “The Veil…” His voice was thoughtful. “That’s not a name I’ve heard before.”

Noah turned to him. “But it means something, doesn’t it?”

Vance nodded. “If it’s tied to the first Awakenings, then whatever it is… it’s the key to understanding what really happened.”

Killian ran a hand through his hair. “Great. More secrets.”

Noah exhaled slowly. He had a choice to make.

He could go back. Pretend none of this ever happened.

Or he could follow this path to the end—no matter what he discovered about himself.

His fists tightened. There was no choice.

He had to know the truth.

Noah met Vance’s gaze. “Then we find the Veil.”

Vance studied him for a moment, then nodded. “Then we start searching.”

And with that, they stepped deeper into the ruins—toward whatever secrets the past had left behind.

The ruins stretched before them like the bones of a forgotten civilization, jagged and broken. Time had eroded the once-magnificent structures, leaving behind only remnants of what had been. A chilling wind howled through the crumbling arches, carrying the echoes of voices long gone.

Noah’s heart pounded as he followed Vance and Killian through the ruins. The words of the shadowy figures lingered in his mind. Find the Veil. Uncover what was lost.

“What do you think they meant by ‘the Veil’?” Killian asked, his voice low.

Vance adjusted his gloves. “If I had to guess, I’d say it’s a place—or a barrier—between what we know and what was hidden.”

Noah exhaled. “Then it’s where we need to go.”

They pressed on, their footsteps echoing against stone. The deeper they went, the more unnatural the air became. A weight settled over Noah’s shoulders, a pressure that felt… aware.

Then he heard it.

A whisper.

Faint, like a breath against his ear.

“Turn back.”

Noah’s body went rigid. His eyes darted around, but there was nothing—only ruins and shadows.

“Did you hear that?” he asked.

Killian frowned. “Hear what?”

Vance narrowed his eyes. “A warning.”

The whispers grew louder.

“You do not belong.”

“You were not meant to be.”

Noah gritted his teeth. “I don’t care what I was ‘meant’ to be. I’m here now.”

A sudden gust of wind roared through the ruins, carrying a wave of dust. The air shimmered—and for a brief moment, Noah saw something.

A city. Towering spires, glowing symbols, people moving through the streets. But it was wrong—blurred at the edges, flickering like a dying flame.

And then—screams.

The vision shattered, and Noah staggered back, gasping.

“Noah?” Killian grabbed his arm. “What just happened?”

“I saw…” Noah swallowed hard. “A city. The first city. And then it was gone.”

Vance’s face darkened. “You saw a memory of the past.”

A deep, low rumble vibrated beneath them. Dust fell from the ruins, pebbles rolling across the ground. The wind shrieked, twisting into unnatural currents.

Then the ground cracked open.

A jagged chasm split the ruins in two, darkness spilling from its depths like ink. And from within that abyss—something moved.

A shadowy figure crawled from the darkness. Its limbs were elongated, its form shifting like smoke. And yet, its eyes—glowing, hollow orbs—locked onto Noah.

“The Forgotten must not awaken.”

Noah’s breath hitched. The air turned suffocating. He took a step back—only to feel an invisible force pulling him toward the chasm.

Killian cursed, grabbing his wrist. “What the hell is happening?!”

Vance’s aura flared, his power pushing back against the unseen force. “It’s trying to take him.”

The creature’s voice slithered through the air.

“You were erased. Do not return.”

Noah’s mind screamed against it. His instincts told him to run. But something deep inside told him otherwise.

He reached toward the darkness.

And the moment his fingers brushed against it—

Memories surged.

Flashes of a life that wasn’t his.

A name whispered on the wind.

The Veil.

Then—blackness.

And silence.