In the first class of the day, biology, Noah took his usual spot, the last seat at the far end of the classroom. To his left was the window, streaked faintly with morning light, where he could lean back and let his gaze wander whenever the lecture dragged on too long.
The first class hadn't begun yet. The room buzzed softly with the shuffle of papers, the tap of pens, and the low murmur of students catching up before the teacher arrived. The faint scent of freshly cleaned floors still lingered, mingling with the warmth of the rising sun.
Noah shut it all out, sinking into his own thoughts. His mind drifted to the tests he'd been planning, quietly running through possibilities and scenarios. He barely noticed the growing noise around him until a familiar voice sliced through his focus like a spark snapping in the quiet.
He knew that voice instantly, and an involuntary sigh pressed at the back of his chest.
"Well, well, well, looks like someone decided to grace us with their presence today?"
Noah turned, grumbling internally. The person was non other than Samantha Eve Wilkins. She stood there, one hand on her hip, her expression hovering somewhere between playful and smug. Her red hair caught the morning light, a faint shimmer that made her look annoyingly composed for this early in the day.
"Good morning, Eve," Noah said, turning his gaze back toward the open window.
Eve arched a brow, dropping her bag onto the desk in front of her before sliding gracefully into her seat.
"Is that really all i get? Just good morning? No excuse for barely replying to my messages, or were you too busy plotting whatever it is you brood about all the time?"
"Brood?, what are you talking about?" Noah rsaid, his brows lifting slightly, as if the word itself carried an accusation he wasn't ready to accept.
Eve leaned forward on her desk, resting her chin in her palm, her lips curling into a half-smile. "Yeah, brood. You know, staring out the window, barely attending classes, acting all mysterious like you're auditioning for some sort of brooding superhero role."
Noah gave her a flat look, though the corner of his mouth betrayed him with the faintest twitch of amusement. "That's a stretch. Maybe It's just that i enjoy the view."
Eve rolled her eyes almost to the point where they could roll off. "Uh-huh. And is ignoring me part of the 'view' thing too?"
Noah sighed lightly, scratching the back of his neck as if the gesture might buy him time. "I wasn't ignoring you, Eve, I wouldn't do that, I was just… occupied."
"Occupied," she repeated slowly, tasting the word with mock suspicion. "See, that's exactly the kind of vague response a brooder would give."
Noah shook his head, the smirk he'd been fighting finally breaking through. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"And yet," Eve shot back with a quick grin, "you still talk to me."
Noah exhaled, half a sigh, half a quiet laugh, though he refused to give her the satisfaction of a comeback. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, the wooden legs creaking faintly beneath him as his gaze drifted toward the window.
Noah exhaled half a sigh, half a quiet laugh, though he refused to give her the satisfaction of a reply. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, gaze drifting toward the window. For a moment, his mind slipped away from the present and into memory, back to when their paths had first crossed.
They had first crossed paths a few years back by chance. It hadn't been anything dramatic, no life-changing moment or grand gesture.
Just small, ordinary encounters that piled up over time, group projects, chance meetings after class, the kind of conversations that start awkward but somehow stretch on longer than either expects. Before he knew it, they had grown close. At first, Noah had kept his guard up, cautious as always.
But teenage impulses mixed with genuine curiosity, especially about the scope of her abilities, eventually wore him down. Somewhere along the way, friendship had turned into something more complicated. Something Noah wasn't sure he wanted to explore.
He might have acted as though he didn't notice her feelings for him, but in truth, he did. He wasn't nearly as dense as Mark believed; he simply chose to ignore it.
It wasn't that he lacked interest; he wouldn't deny that much. In his past life, he had still been young, and with how beautiful she was, both body and mind responded instinctively. Biology dictated as much. In the end, everything we do in this life comes back to one thing: biology.
Humans are social creatures. Whether we admit it or not, we are predisposed to seek connection and companionship. Even the subtlest cues—body language, tone of voice, facial expression, the invisible pull of pheromones—can ignite sparks we call feelings.
Yet, though those feelings existed, he kept them in check. Indulging in them now could become a distraction, a hindrance to his true goal, preparing for his uncle and the Viltrumites who would one day come.
It might have seemed like a trivial matter, something that wouldn't consume much of his time, but time was fragile, fleeting. Wasting even thirty minutes a day could snowball into something tangible, something costly.
If possible, she could wait, wait until his preparations were complete, until the day he could finally breathe freely, knowing he was ready to face the worst to come.
Then, and only then, perhaps something between them might become possible. But if she couldn't, if time or patience slipped away, then maybe it was never meant to be.
The day slipped by in a blur, with Noah spending most of his time half-listening, tuning out the lessons that felt either too familiar or too trivial to matter.
The steady drone of the teacher's voice and the occasional chatter from his classmates faded into background noise as his thoughts drifted elsewhere, toward his next experiment, his progress, and the possibilities waiting to be explored.
By the time classes ended, he wrapped things up quickly. After a brief exchange with Eve—mostly her teasing and his half-hearted replies—and a casual goodbye to Mark, he headed out, his mind already elsewhere.
His destination was the warehouse he had used the previous day. The one he intended to dedicate solely to training his abilities was still under construction.
Even with tireless robots working around the clock, the construction was slow. The layout was intricate, designed to accommodate high-energy experiments, containment fields, and reinforced testing chambers.
Every section had to meet his exact specifications, and that level of precision turned progress into a matter of patience rather than speed.
It didn't take long for Noah to reach his destination. The air around the warehouse was cool and still, the metallic scent of machinery faintly lingering. After running through all the security protocols—biometric scans, passcodes, and a quick systems check—he finally stepped inside.
The soft hum of the operating machines greeted him, along with the faint echo of his footsteps as he made his way to the spot he'd reserved for training.
However, this time the required equipment he intended to use was already in place. Even the damage he had caused during yesterday's training was fixed.
And before beginning his training, he first opened the system interface to check his progress.
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[Name: Noah Silver]
[Age: 17]
[Gender: Male]
[Height: 185 cm / 6'1"]
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[Abilities]
— Bioluminescence - Lv.1
→ Status: Awakened | 1% XP to Lv.2
— Hypermotility - Lv.1
→ Status: Awakened | 80% XP to Lv.2
— Telekinesis - Lv.2
→ Status: Novice | 25% XP to Lv.3
— Genius Intellect - Lv.6
→ Status: Master | 79% XP to Lv.7
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The first course of action for the day was to run a few preliminary tests to better understand how his bioluminescence worked. But before that, he needed to take the nutrient solution he'd prepared specifically for this kind of training.
The last thing he wanted was to experience the stabbing, hollow pain of hunger again like he had earlier that morning.
Ten minutes later, Noah was fully dressed in a sleek, all-black suit that clung tightly to his frame. Thin veins of circuitry traced across the material, occasionally pulsing with faint blue light that gave the outfit a futuristic glow. It wasn't just for appearance; every flicker served a purpose.
The suit was equipped with embedded sensors capable of recording detailed biometric data whenever he activated his bioluminescence, tracking everything from energy output to bodily operation.
The procedure was meant to ensure he didn't overlook any crucial detail before finalizing his assessment. More importantly, it would help him determine whether his bioluminescence carried any of its natural weaknesses.
But before beginning the test, he reached for a bottle labeled Nutrient Solution and took several steady gulps. The liquid was cool and faintly metallic, with a texture just a bit thicker than water, almost like diluted gel. It wasn't exactly pleasant, but it served its purpose.
For now, it was all about efficiency, not flavor. Still, he made a mental note to improve it later, maybe turn it into something more palatable, like an energy bar or flavored drink. After all, if he was going to rely on it often, it might as well taste like something other than recycled lab fluid.