Chapter 143: The Golden Moon

The fourth light lasted only three seconds.

Three seconds was enough.

Across Hildgard, people stopped moving.

The red moon, the blue moon, and the scarlet-violet moon remained suspended above the city while a faint golden glow appeared between them.

It wasn’t another moon.

Not yet.

It looked more like the beginning of one.

The glow disappeared.

The city erupted into noise.

"Did everyone see that?"

"What was that?"

"Was that magic?"

"Get the instructors!"

At Valhalla Academy, nobody had an answer.

Noah stood completely still.

His eyes remained fixed on the sky.

Laura moved beside him.

"That wasn’t normal."

"No."

"Your system?"

Noah summoned it.

Several windows appeared simultaneously.

[Astral Phenomenon Detected.]

[Classification: UNKNOWN.]

[Environmental Mana: CRITICAL.]

[Ragnarok Dead Zone Resonance: 11.1%.]

The last number made Noah’s expression tighten.

Laura noticed.

"It’s rising again."

Noah nodded.

"Too quickly."

A sharp pain suddenly crossed his chest.

He grabbed his shirt.

Laura immediately caught his arm.

"Noah!"

"I’m fine."

"You’re not."

He forced himself upright.

Inside his mind, Dead Zone stood before a massive golden circle.

It was slowly rotating.

Noah approached it.

"What is that?"

Dead Zone looked at him.

"A door."

"To where?"

Dead Zone’s eyes narrowed.

"Not where."

The golden circle pulsed.

"To whom."

Noah stared at it.

"Who is behind it?"

Dead Zone didn’t answer.

The circle suddenly cracked.

Noah stepped backward.

A voice whispered from the other side.

"Inheritor..."

His eyes widened.

The mental world shattered.

Far beneath Hildgard, Alcris stood before the ancient heart.

The three medallions were no longer still.

They floated in a triangular formation above the stone platform.

Golden energy streamed between them.

Alcris watched with growing excitement.

"It worked."

Daniella stood several meters behind him.

"No."

Alcris glanced back.

"What?"

Her expression was hard.

"You said you understood what they did."

"I thought I did."

"You didn’t."

Alcris looked toward the heart.

The golden energy intensified.

"No."

His voice became quieter.

"I didn’t."

Daniella stepped closer.

"Stop the ritual."

Alcris shook his head.

"I can’t."

"You can."

"The moment I remove the medallions, the energy won’t simply disappear."

Daniella froze.

"What does that mean?"

Alcris looked at her.

"It means Hildgard has already started responding."

Another pulse shook the chamber.

Daniella looked toward the ceiling.

"And if it continues?"

Alcris stared at the golden light.

"I don’t know."

That answer frightened her more than anything else.

Above them, the fourth light returned.

This time it remained for five seconds.

A faint golden circle formed between the three moons.

Hildgard’s ancient towers began glowing.

The city wasn’t collapsing.

It was activating.

And somewhere beneath the oldest foundations, something opened its eyes.

Noah suddenly heard a voice that wasn’t Dead Zone.

It was soft.

Almost feminine.

Almost familiar.

"I found you."

Noah’s pupils contracted.

The system flashed violently.

[UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED.]

[IDENTIFICATION FAILED.]

[WARNING.]

[RAGNAROK DEAD ZONE RESONANCE: 11.6%.]

Noah stared at the sky.

The golden light remained above Hildgard.

And for the first time...

the city had a fourth moon.

The fourth light remained in the sky.

Nobody in Hildgard knew what to call it.

It wasn’t a full moon.

Not yet.

A thin golden crescent hovered between the three familiar moons, surrounded by faint threads of light that stretched toward the city below.

The sight silenced even the loudest students.

Eric stared upward.

"That’s new."

Damien didn’t answer.

Sophia’s expression had lost its usual calm.

"Is that supposed to happen?"

"No," Luna said.

Laura looked at Noah.

He wasn’t watching the sky anymore.

His attention was somewhere else.

"Noah?"

He slowly raised his head.

"I heard something."

"What?"

His eyes remained fixed on the golden crescent.

"A voice."

Laura’s expression changed.

"What did it say?"

Noah hesitated.

"I don’t know."

That wasn’t entirely true.

He knew the words.

He simply couldn’t understand why they felt familiar.

I found you.

The system appeared again.

[UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED.]

[IDENTIFICATION FAILED.]

[HOST CONNECTION: UNSTABLE.]

[Ragnarok Dead Zone Resonance: 11.6%.]

Noah closed the window.

A sudden pressure filled his chest.

He stumbled.

Laura caught him.

"Easy."

Noah steadied himself.

"I’m okay."

"You keep saying that."

"And you keep catching me."

Laura gave him a worried look.

"Maybe stop making me."

A faint smile crossed his face.

It disappeared when another pulse passed through the city.

Deep beneath Hildgard, Alcris watched the golden energy rise.

The three medallions had begun spinning around one another.

Daniella stood behind him.

"That’s the fourth light."

Alcris nodded.

"What is it?"

"A moon."

Daniella looked at him.

"You’re sure?"

"No."

She stared at him.

"You’re getting really comfortable saying that."

Alcris almost smiled.

"I’ve learned that pretending to know everything is dangerous."

The golden light intensified.

The stone heart beneath them opened.

Not physically.

Its surface separated into glowing lines, revealing a massive circular core beneath.

Daniella stepped backward.

"What happens now?"

Alcris stared.

"The medallions are connecting to something above us."

"To the moon?"

"Maybe."

A voice whispered through the chamber.

"The vessel has awakened."

Daniella’s expression changed.

"The vessel?"

Alcris looked toward the darkness.

"What vessel?"

No answer.

The medallions suddenly released a wave of energy.

Alcris was thrown backward.

Daniella hit the wall.

The chamber shook violently.

The golden light shot upward.

Straight toward the surface.

Hildgard’s streets erupted with golden light.

The energy traveled beneath the pavement like veins.

People screamed and scattered.

Ancient buildings illuminated.

Old symbols appeared across walls that had been blank for centuries.

The academy barriers activated simultaneously.

Instructors shouted orders.

"Get everyone inside!"

"Seal the eastern district!"

"Don’t approach the glowing areas!"

Noah watched the light spreading across the city.

His expression hardened.

"It isn’t attacking."

Damien looked at him.

"Then what is it doing?"

Noah stared toward the center of Hildgard.

"Searching."

"For what?"

Noah didn’t answer.

Inside his mind, Dead Zone stood before the golden circle.

For the first time, it looked genuinely irritated.

"She’s looking for us."

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"Who?"

Dead Zone slowly turned.

"Irus."

The name echoed through Noah’s mind.

He had never heard it before.

Yet somehow...

it felt like a memory.

The golden moon above Hildgard brightened.

And somewhere beyond the veil of the ritual, Irus had finally noticed Noah.