Chapter 199: Noah’s Deadline
The first light of dawn was already high in the sky when Noah finally stirred, a loud yawn escaping his throat.
He rubbed at his eyes, groaning as he pushed himself upright.
He hadn’t gotten any sleep last night.
His body had rested for a few hours, but his mind had been whirring all through the night.
The memories of last night’s escape were still playing in his head.
After tearing Snake apart inside the Pocket Cube, the spell had collapsed on its own, ejecting both of them back into the rooftop where the fight had started.
He hadn’t had long, especially with the Investigation Authority agents sweeping the district, converging on where they were in an effort to locate anyone still in the barrier.
So, Noah had dragged Snake into the deeper parts of the ruined streets, hidden away where even the Authority wouldn’t think to look while their barrier was in place.
Snake had been unconscious, bleeding and broken, but Noah wasn’t about to let him die.
Not yet.
He’d locked him in a special cocoon of shadows, forcing him into a state of deep unconsciousness that suppressed his healing enough to keep him alive but helpless.
When dawn came, the Authority’s barrier had fizzled out, the faint glow collapsing into nothing.
They couldn’t keep a district shut off from the world without sparking rumors and panic.
Noah had waited until the last of their agents cleared out before using Null Stride, vanishing from the capital and reappearing back in his dorm at the academy.
He’d then teleported to another location in the academy, stashed Snake in a place no one would find.
And in the process, buying himself time until he was ready to... deal with him properly.
Now, he sighed, pushing off his bed.
A bath was enough to clear the last of the haze from his mind, though the tiredness clung to his bones.
By the time he made it to the cafeteria, students were already buzzing with their usual chatter.
Noah set his tray down and started eating when Arlo slid into the seat across from him, grin wide as always.
"Rough night?" Arlo asked, eyeing Noah’s stifled yawn.
"What, were you burning the midnight oil? Don’t tell me you’ve finally started studying for the exams."
Noah raised a brow. "Exams?"
Arlo blinked, then laughed.
"Don’t tell me you forgot. End of semester exams? All classes are getting tested."
"The semester’s almost over, Noah. We’ve almost spent five months in this place already."
"And after exams, we get a whole month off before the second semester begins."
Noah froze, spoon halfway to his mouth as he processed what he’d just heard.
’So, that much time has passed.’
And now, there was approximately a month left before the semester ended.
He finally brought the spoon to his mouth, chewing his food slowly.
His jaw tightened as he resolved, right there and then, that before the exams began, before the semester closed, he would find every last thread leading to Juniper’s death and tear it apart.
He wouldn’t wait for breaks or schedules. He’d finish it before the academy’s semester ended.
But for now, there wasn’t much to do, and no class this morning.
He realized it only after finishing breakfast.
He grunted, annoyed at himself for crawling out of bed, bathing, and eating when he could have just stayed buried under his covers.
Professor Cecilia had arranged to have Enchantments class struck off his schedule, telling him it wasn’t necessary for his development.
So he returned to his dorm and collapsed back into bed, pulling his sheets over himself.
And just like that, he slept through the rest of the morning without guilt.
By the time he woke, the sun was higher, and it was time for Theriology.
He dragged himself to class, found his seat, and promptly dozed off, paying only passing attention to the droning lecture.
Nobody bothered him. Frankly, nobody dared.
When class finally ended, Noah stretched and headed back to his dorm.
The quiet corridors were a relief, and when he reached his room, he flopped down onto his bed with a sigh, staring up at the pale ceiling.
That was when it hit him. Snake.
He’d have to check in on him.
The thought of the broken man, bound in shadows and waiting for him, jolted through Noah like lightning.
His weariness evaporated, and he sat up, eyes glowing faintly.
It was time. Energy surged back into his limbs.
He will get his answers tonight.
Noah.stood and reached into his spatial ring.
He pulled out the leather cloak and wore it, then tied the dark cloth over the lower half of his face, ensuring no feature of his identity slipped through.
There was no need for him to reveal his identity. Whether he did or not, it would make no difference.
So, he decided to keep moving as he’d already been doing.
He summoned mana, the spell formation of Null Stride flashing into being.
A quiet pop echoed in his ears as the world folded.
He reappeared in a dark, cold room.
His shadows already filled the space, clinging to the walls, floor, and ceiling like an endless sea of ink.
Right now, he was inside the perfect hiding place he’d found, hidden from the eyes of both Camelot and the Authority.
Noah’s boots clicked against the stone floor as he made his way to the brazier in the center.
He lifted a hand, whispered the word, and a small Flame spell sprang to life.
The brazier caught, fire blooming inside it and filling the room with light.
It was bright enough to reveal that the walls were made of pure shadow, writhing slightly, as if alive.
They shifted with the firelight, creating the sense that the room itself was breathing.
And hanging from the ceiling, wrapped in heavy chains also made of shadow, was Snake.
The man dangled limply, head lolling forward.
His body bore the remnants of Noah’s earlier work.
The missing limbs, and dried blood on his skin.
He was still alive, but barely.
Noah stepped closer, his orange eyes glowing faintly.
With a thought, he pulled the shadows back from the center, giving the two of them space.
He raised his hand and cast Pocket Space, tugging the man into the isolated cube of reality where no sound or light could escape.
Then, he touched Snake’s forehead.
The man jolted with a gasp, eyes snapping open.
"Good evening, Snake."