Dawn slowly unfurled across the horizon. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves, yet beneath that decay pulsed life—raw, vibrant, the breath of a newborn morning.
The village stirred to life in lazy increments: birdsong weaving through the canopy, the crackle of fresh-kindled fires, the guttural grunts of goblin sentries.
But Noa remained inside the hut.
The voices inside him grew louder—eerie whispers rising from the abyss of his heart, granting him no quarter.
*Noa's thoughts:*
*They're back again. How much longer? These cursed murmurs are tearing at my soul. They won't even let me sleep, damn it. I need to get outside…*
*A walk might help.*
He rose slowly. His eyes were still shrouded in darkness—he could see nothing. Yet every sound, every tremor, registered with crystalline clarity. The world no longer spoke to him through sight, but through the symphony of his ears.
Noa stepped out of the hut. Sunlight brushed his face. Warmth seeped into his skin, thawing the ice around his heart.
Noa: "The sun… it feels like I haven't touched it in centuries…"
He wandered forward a few aimless steps, as if chasing even a sliver of relief from the weight crushing his chest.
The goblin guards along the path merely watched.
One sentry muttered to another:
"He's out…"
The second replied:
"The chief said: don't touch him. No one lays a finger on him."
Noa kept walking. Each step was quiet, but storms raged within.
Suddenly, he stumbled against something solid.
Noa: "What… what now?"
His hands groped blindly. A cage.
Muffled voices drifted from within—women's voices.
One woman: "Who's this? White hair… blindfolded… does he have horns too?"
Another whispered:
"He looks about fifteen… but a kid in a goblin village? That's impossible!"
Noa stood silent. One of the women edged closer, her voice laced with hope and wariness.
Woman: "Hey, kid… what's your name?"
Noa tilted his head slightly.
"First, tell me who you are."
Woman: "I'm Sara. Listen, kid—if you free me from this cage, I'll give you a crystal."
*Noa's thoughts:*
*Crystal? A woman in a cage among goblins… strange. But why ask me for help? I can play along…*
Noa answered in a cold, flat tone:
"What exactly is a crystal?"
Sara: "Something sorcerers use. Rare. Priceless."
Noa shrugged.
"Not interested."
He turned to leave.
Sara, frantic:
"Wait! This isn't just any crystal. It's a pure one. It can do things—valuable things."
Noa paused.
*Thoughts:*
*An enslaved woman in the village… so goblins keep humans as slaves. A caged woman… I have nothing better to do right now. At least it gives me something to act on.*
Noa: "Fine. How do I free you? As you can see, I'm blind."
*Sara's thoughts:*
*They don't see him as a threat because he's blind…*
Hope flared in her voice:
"Three steps forward. Then twenty-three to the left. The key to the cage is in that hut—on the ground, right side."
Noa nodded. "Got it."
He moved as instructed. Every step tuned to the subtlest sounds—the whisper of wind, the rustle of leaves, the rhythm of his own breath.
He reached the hut and eased the door open.
Goblins (startled): "Noa-sama!? What are you doing here?"
Noa (calmly): "Give me the cage key."
Doubt and fear flickered across their faces, but none dared refuse. They handed it over.
Noa left without a word and returned to the cage, bumping into it again.
Noa: "Here's the key. Now the crystal."
Sara, wary:
"Key first."
Noa, firm:
"No."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Sara fished a small crystal from the cage's lower corner and tossed it toward Noa.
It landed at his feet.
Noa picked it up and cradled it in his palm.
In an instant, a surge of raw energy erupted from his heart—his senses sharpened to a razor's edge. Every sound, every vibration in the air, even the woman's heartbeat thundered in his awareness.
Then the sensation vanished as quickly as it came.
Noa flicked the key toward the source of her voice.
Sara caught it. At that moment, Noa turned and walked away.
*Sara's thoughts:*
*This kid… he's unnatural. He sees nothing, yet feels everything. The goblins leave him alone—this is my chance.*
*And the black crystal… it's poison. One touch inside the body and it kills in moments.*
She moved to insert the key—when a hand clamped around her wrist like iron.
Voice: "Trying to run, fool?"
Sara flinched. The key clattered to the ground.
She didn't need to look to know that voice…
A figure emerged from the shadows.
Rion.
He had heard Noa leave the hut, followed, and overheard the entire exchange. Now he stood beside the cage.
Rion (low, icy):
"So… you've been helping escapees…"
His gaze wasn't on the woman. It was fixed on Noa, slowly walking away in the distance.
A strange unease stirred in Rion's chest—what was shifting inside Noa?
Noa shouted:
"Someone take me back to my hut!"
Gobuto came running.
Gobuto: "Are you alright, Second Master? I'll escort you."
Noa, jaw tight:
"No extra words. Just take me."
Gobuto, eager:
"Yes, right away…"
He walked in silence, thinking:
*What's happened to this dragon? He doesn't even want kindness anymore… If Rion-sama hadn't told me to show respect, I'd have known anyway…*
He delivered Noa to the hut. Noa entered and sat. He turned the crystal over in his fingers.
*Noa's thoughts:*
*This crystal isn't ordinary… When I held it, my senses sharpened for a split second. The world appeared clear in my mind. But it only lasted an instant…*
He drew a deep breath.
*Thoughts:*
*If it's incompatible, it's useless. But… I need to absorb it.*
There are rare crystals in the world—those with gifts can merge them into their bodies. If compatible, they amplify power. If this is a sensory crystal…
Noa closed his fist around it, squeezing hard.
Dark energy surged, engulfing the quiet hut.
Black light bled from his skin, as if his body were aflame. His breath raced, his heart thundered—then everything plunged into void.
A searing pain ripped through Noa's body.
He collapsed on the spot, consciousness fading.
**Inner World**
He opened his eyes. The sky was an endless void, yet at its center blazed a violet sun. Clouds shimmered in flowing purple hues, alive with its light. Below stretched a mirror-like surface, infinite and glistening.
Noa: "This place… familiar. I came here when my False Aura awakened… it was different then, but still the same…"
He walked. His feet touched the water but did not sink—only ripples spread.
After a few steps, he found a monument-like stone. Glowing letters etched his stats across its surface:
**[Artifact: Stone of the Abyss]**
**User: Noa S. Dragon**
**Age: 5**
**Strength: 10**
**Endurance: 5**
**Speed: 12**
**Intelligence: 120**
**Mana: None**
**Ability: False Aura**
**Level: Beginner — 1**
Noa touched the stone. It was ice-cold.
Noa: "Barely any change… Only 'Intelligence' at 120. Does that mean I'm actually smart, or just from reading books as a child?… This field wasn't here the first time…"
The void shuddered. A voice boomed from the darkness—thousands laughing in unison:
**???:** "Hahaha… You don't even know yourself, do you, Noa?"
Noa spun, rage flaring:
"Who's there?! Show yourself! If you want my soul, take it and leave me be! You and those voices in my head—enough torment!"
He roared, but the voice drew closer—cold, savage, piercing:
**???:** "You called me, boy. No running now… hahaha…!!!"
---
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