The forsaken Code.

Chapter Nine:. Shadows of the past

The moment they stepped through the portal, the world around them shifted.

Noah barely had time to process what had happened in the ruins before he found himself standing in an entirely different place.

The air was thick. Heavy. Charged with something unseen.**

Unlike the ruins, which had felt ancient and lifeless, this place… breathed.

Killian groaned. “Okay, seriously. Can we go somewhere normal for once?”

No one answered.

Vance scanned their surroundings with narrowed eyes. His usual calm expression had hardened into something else—concern.

Noah swallowed hard. “Where are we?”

Vance’s gaze darkened. “The in-between.”

Killian frowned. “In-between what?”

“The past and the present.”

Noah felt a chill crawl up his spine. “That doesn’t make sense.”

Vance turned to him. “None of this does.”

The sky above them was not a sky.

It was moving. Shifting between darkness and light, between shapes that made no sense. Buildings rose and fell as if the world couldn’t decide whether they should exist.

It was a place caught between realities.

And then—

A whisper.

Faint. Distant.

Noah stiffened. “Did you hear that?”

Killian gave him a wary look. “If by ‘that’ you mean the creepy whispering, then yeah. I heard it.”

Vance exhaled sharply. “We need to keep moving.”

They started forward, stepping carefully across the shifting ground. It felt like walking on something half-formed, as if the very earth beneath them wasn’t sure whether it was solid or not.

Then, the whisper came again.

Louder. Clearer.

“Noah…”

Noah froze.

His chest tightened.

That voice.

It was familiar.

But… impossible.

Vance stopped beside him. “What is it?”

Noah turned slowly, scanning the ever-shifting landscape. “I know that voice.”

Killian tensed. “You sure about that?”

Before Noah could answer, the world shifted.

Reality ripped apart.

For a split second, Noah wasn’t in the in-between anymore. He was somewhere else.

Somewhere… from his past.

He saw flashes of a city. A place that no longer existed. A place that had burned.

Then, a figure.

Standing in the flames.

Their face was hidden, but their presence was undeniable.

And when they spoke—

It was his own voice.

Noah staggered back. The vision snapped away, and he was back in the in-between.

His breath came fast. His hands trembled.

Killian grabbed his arm. “Noah! What the hell was that?”

Noah shook his head. “I—I don’t know.”

But deep down, he did.

Because the figure he had seen wasn’t just anyone.

It was him.

Or rather—who he used to be.

Vance’s expression was unreadable. “The past is waking up, Noah. And it wants you to remember.”

Noah clenched his fists. “I don’t want to.”

Vance held his gaze. “You don’t have a choice.”

And then—

The whispering returned.

But this time—

It wasn’t calling his name.

It was laughing.

And the shadows of the past closed in.

The laughter didn’t stop.

It swirled around them, slipping through the air like whispers from unseen mouths. It wasn’t loud, but it crawled under Noah’s skin, sinking into his bones.

Killian took a step back. “Okay, I don’t like this.”

Noah clenched his fists, forcing himself to stay calm. “What’s happening?”

Vance’s expression was grim. “We’ve entered a memory loop.”

Noah frowned. “A what?”

“A place where the past and present overlap. We’re stuck in an echo of something that already happened.”

Killian let out a sharp breath. “Great. So how do we get out?”

Before Vance could answer, the world shifted again.

The landscape around them blurred.

And suddenly—

They were somewhere else.

The in-between was gone.

Instead, they stood in the middle of a city. A city that no longer existed.

Buildings towered around them, their surfaces clean and untouched, their neon lights flickering softly. People moved through the streets—unaware of Noah, Killian, or Vance standing among them.

Noah’s breath caught.

He knew this place.

His chest tightened. “This is…”

Vance nodded. “The city that burned.”

Noah’s hands shook.

He had seen pieces of this place in his nightmares—flashes of fire, screams in the dark. He had never been able to remember everything.

Until now.

Killian looked around, frowning. “So we’re inside a memory?”

Vance nodded. “Yes. But not just any memory.” He turned to Noah. “This is yours.”

Noah’s blood ran cold.

He didn’t want to be here.

But the city didn’t care.

It was already moving forward.

Shadows flickered at the edges of the buildings. People walked past them, their faces blurred and indistinct. Conversations echoed in the distance, distorted like voices from a broken radio.

And then—

The sky changed.

The bright lights dimmed. The streets emptied.

A cold wind rushed through the city.

And the fire began.

Noah’s heart pounded.

Flames erupted from buildings, swallowing everything in their path. Smoke choked the air, turning the sky into a black void. Screams pierced the silence.

Killian cursed. “What the hell is happening?”

Vance’s voice was steady. “The memory is reaching its breaking point.”

Noah’s breathing became ragged. He tried to look away, but the memory wouldn’t let him.

Because he knew what came next.

In the center of the chaos—

A figure stood.

Unmoving. Unharmed.

Surrounded by flames.

Noah’s pulse spiked.

It was him.

Or at least, the version of him that had existed in this past.

His younger self turned, and for the first time, Noah saw his own face in the memory.

And the look in his younger self’s eyes—

Wasn’t fear.

It was power.

The flames weren’t burning him.

They were obeying him.

Killian’s voice was tense. “Noah… what is this?”

Noah’s throat was dry.

“I don’t know.”

But deep down—

A terrible, terrifying truth whispered back.

Yes, you do.

You caused this.

The city burned.

The screams faded.

And then—

The memory shattered.

Darkness rushed in.

Noah fell.

And the past followed.

Noah hit the ground hard.

The impact knocked the air from his lungs, leaving him gasping. His vision blurred, his ears rang, and for a moment, all he could hear was the sound of his own breath—ragged, uneven.

Then—voices.

Distant at first, but growing closer.

“Noah!”

Hands grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. His vision cleared just enough to see Killian kneeling beside him, eyes filled with concern. Vance stood behind him, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

Noah pushed himself up, his limbs trembling. “I…” His voice cracked. He swallowed hard. “I’m fine.”

Killian scoffed. “Yeah, sure. You look totally fine. Not like you just fell out of a nightmare or anything.”

Noah ignored him. His mind was still spinning from what he had just seen. The city. The fire. Himself—standing at the center of it all.

And the way the flames had obeyed him.

Vance crouched down, watching him carefully. “Do you remember now?”

Noah’s heart pounded. “That… was real, wasn’t it?”

Vance nodded. “Yes.”

Killian frowned. “Okay, someone explain—because I just saw Noah standing in a burning city, looking like some kind of fire god. And I have a feeling that’s not normal.”

Vance exhaled. “It wasn’t just a memory. It was a suppressed fragment of his past.” He turned back to Noah. “You caused the fire, didn’t you?”

Noah flinched.

“I don’t…” He clenched his fists. “I don’t remember doing it. I don’t remember anything before that moment.”

Vance studied him. “But the flames didn’t hurt you. They listened to you.”

Noah shuddered. He couldn’t deny it. He had felt it. The power in his veins, the way the fire had moved with him, for him.

Killian sat back, rubbing his temples. “So, what? You’re telling me Noah has powers?”

Noah swallowed hard. “If that’s true… then why didn’t I know?”

Vance’s gaze darkened. “Because someone didn’t want you to.”

Silence.

The weight of that statement settled over them like a storm cloud.

Noah’s fingers dug into the dirt beneath him. His mind raced through the possibilities. Had someone erased his memories? Had he been hiding from this truth all along?

Killian clicked his tongue. “Okay, let’s say someone wiped his memory—why bring it back now?”

Vance’s eyes narrowed. “Because whatever sealed his past is weakening.” He looked at Noah. “And when the truth resurfaces… so will the danger.”

A shiver ran down Noah’s spine.

Something inside him whispered that this was only the beginning.

The past wasn’t done with him yet.

And if he didn’t find answers soon—

It would consume him.