The silence that followed Oliver's attack felt unreal.
Only the steady sound of blood drops hitting the ground disturbed the suffocating atmosphere of the flower-filled hall.
The small puppy, asleep until now, woke up and lazily scratched its ear.
Noa pulled a white handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the cut on his cheek.
— You really haven't changed in three years… That's a shame.
Oliver didn't react. He even smiled.
— I'll take that as a compliment coming from you. And you're right: I haven't changed. And I don't plan to.
Noa sighed and picked up a small stick that had fallen on the ground. As soon as he gripped it, a blue aura enveloped it, and with a brief motion, an invisible blade sliced through the air.
The tree behind Oliver was pierced in silence; Oliver dodged with a simple tilt of his head.
The stick instantly burned to ashes between Noa's fingers.
— Great… still can't measure how much energy I use. Pathetic.
As he examined the charred remains, Oliver was already behind him, one hand resting on his shoulder.
— You know… it's not a big deal to feel inferior to me. After all, you're not an Hyperion.
Noa spun around and threw a punch, which Oliver blocked effortlessly.
— Oh, and by the way, I heard you're the one trying to prevent my nomination as future patriarch. So here's some advice: don't get in my way. Maybe one day… an accident could happen to Lady Yuna. Understand?
Rage ignited inside Noa instantly.
His blue eyes lit up. An azure aura burst around him like a frozen flame.
— How dare you… threaten Yuna in front of me?
His voice vibrated with a cold fury.
Oliver's yellow eyes lit up as well. He leaned in, his threatening smile stretching across his face.
Their auras collided — blue against yellow — creating a torrent of energy that bent the flowers, rattled the windows, and sent violent gusts through the hall.
Then a tired but firm voice echoed:
— What do you think you're doing?
Both cousins turned around.
Perched on a branch of the tree Noa had been punching earlier was a man with black hair, three-day stubble, and a dark tattoo on his left arm.
Charles Hyperion.
— Uncle Charles! both teenagers cried.
He sighed.
— Three years apart and you still can't get along. Pathetic.
Noa sniffed, almost yawning. Oliver stared at his uncle as if witnessing an incomprehensible magic trick.
— How… how did he get there? thought Noa.
I didn't feel a thing… not a single thing.
Charles pointed a finger at them.
— I've been here since Noa came to train. And yes, I'm exhausted. I don't make much money anymore, but the town hall only wants to know you're not causing trouble. Yuna and Iris are probably looking for you everywhere.
Noa's eyes widened.
— Ah… right, we're supposed to go to the capital today. She must be furious…
He picked up the puppy from the grass, placed it on his head out of habit, and walked past Oliver without looking at him.
— Listen, cousin. I have no intention of becoming patriarch. And even if I wanted to, the Council of Elders would never allow it: I'm only the patriarch's adopted son. But there's one thing you can be absolutely sure of…
He turned toward him one last time.
His blue eyes burned with unfathomable anger.
— I will never let you lead this family.
Oliver flinched.
The golden energy around him bubbled like molten lava; he covered part of his face with his hand, trying to hide his rage behind a forced smile.
Charles watched him from his branch, half-asleep.
— You really don't know what you're getting into, little brother…
Mini-flashback
A white room.
A young Oliver, eyes wide, stomach cut open, sitting on the floor.
In front of him stood young Noa, sword pointed at him, his face twisted in confusion
Neither of them understood what had just happened.
Oliver lowered his hand from his face, a bitter smile clinging to his lips. Electric sparks flickered across his body.
Charles, still slumped on his branch, sighed as Noa walked away.
— That's just like you…
Back in the courtyard
Ethan and Simon were still sitting on their bench.
Ethan suddenly stood up.
— Ethan will check if the young master is okay.
Simon sighed.
— You know… sometimes, to get rid of a thought, you just have to ignore it.
— What does that mean?
— No idea.
— Simon wants Ethan to—
— Stop. It's like a grandmother on the sixth floor trying to hear a four-year-old on the ground floor!
Chaos.
Noa arrived, his hands still stained with blood, unaware of it.
— What are you two doing?
Simon stretched.
— We were debating whether to come check on you. Wait— what are you doing here?
Noa walked past them without answering.
Elsewhere, on the other side of the world
A frozen desert ravaged by winds strong enough to rip away rocks and dead trees.
In the distance, hundreds of colossal tornadoes tore everything apart.
At the center of this chaos stood a gigantic metallic tower, piercing through the clouds.
At its summit, a throne room drowned in darkness.
Silhouettes stood between the pillars.
On the throne sat a weakened man with long, graying hair.
From his back, a cable of flesh and metal injected a fluorescent red liquid into his body, as if keeping him alive.
To his left: a gigantic heart emitting a red glow.
Inside it, a naked man with blue hair, unconscious.
To his right: another heart.
Empty. Torn apart. Lifeless.
A silhouette knelt.
— Your Majesty… the princess has escaped. She reached the capital of the Eastern Empire.
The king's eyes widened.
— Then what are you waiting for?! Find her! I… I don't have much time left…
Another figure, wearing glasses that reflected the room's faint light, stepped forward.
— Your Majesty, allow me to bring her back. I swear
But metallic tentacles burst from his back, revealing his hidden intentions.
A silhouette dressed in black stepped forward.
— Your equipment says otherwise, my dear friend.
The man in black revealed himself:
half-closed green eyes stitched with black thread;
a stitched, eternal, terrifying smile;
skin pale as a corpse;
long brown hair.
— Allow me to accompany you, Your Majesty. I assure you she will return alive.
The king weakly pointed toward the massive door.
— You will both go…
At that moment, the doors opened in a rush of freezing air.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
A bulky man stepped in, hooded, entirely dressed in black.
Only two blue eyes shone through the darkness.
An overwhelming presence.
The king smiled faintly.
— Glad to see you again… Psaimone.
The tentacled man with glasses latched onto the ceiling and slowly ascended.
— And where do you think you're going? asked a female silhouette, arms crossed, voice cold.
"I have something to deal with. That's all you need to know."
But before disappearing into the darkness, his violet eyes lingered on the blue-haired man inside the glowing heart.
Then he vanished into the shadows, silent as a spider.