Chapter 110 Searching for the Truth

Chapter 110: Chapter 110 Searching for the Truth

A shimmering light appeared right inside Noah’s room, and before any of them could properly react, all of them were dropped onto the hard marble floor.

Their bodies hit the ground with several loud thuds.

"Okay, that hurts my butt."

Marcus grimaced as he grabbed his side, rolling onto his back before dragging himself toward the wall. He looked exhausted, his breathing uneven as he struggled to sit properly.

Noah immediately turned toward him, worry flashing across his face.

"You’re badly hurt. Let me see if I can heal you."

He was already raising his palms when Marcus caught his wrist.

"Sometimes I think about this and wonder if you don’t feel ashamed of us." Marcus let out a pained groan as he looked down at his legs. A nasty, zigzagging wound ran across his ankle and down toward his foot. "Look at us. We’re supposed to be protecting you, yet you’re the one protecting us."

Noah’s expression fell.

Seeing Marcus injured like that made something twist painfully inside him.

"I feel powerless whenever I’m faced with stronger forces," Marcus continued, his voice quieter. "I don’t know why. Every time I’m attacked by something stronger, I become weakened. It doesn’t feel natural."

Damian nodded from beside the bed.

He had managed to drag himself there and was now sitting on the edge, one hand pressed against his chest.

"Same thing with me."

Noah looked toward him.

"Something always feels like a part of me is leaving whenever I’m fighting," Damian admitted. "I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s like my strength is being drained from somewhere I can’t reach."

That made Noah frown.

Two of them experiencing the same strange weakness couldn’t simply be a coincidence.

He turned toward Killan, expecting him to say something, but the Alpha had remained silent. His head was lowered, his eyes fixed on the floor.

"Killan?"

The man finally raised his head.

"Same thing, Ash."

His voice sounded distant.

"I don’t know anymore. Ever since that night at the party, I’ve been seeing things in my head. Memories, flashes... things I don’t understand. And even before that night, growing up, I never felt like I was reaching my potential. It was as if something was constantly holding me back."

Killan clenched his fists.

"I think it has something to do with my background. Now that I’m thinking about it, all of us are experiencing the same thing. What if our parents did something to us because of the emperor?"

Noah’s eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?"

"There has to be a reason our bloodline is connected to him." Killan looked at the others. "He wants something from us. And I don’t think it’s only about mating or marriage. I feel like there’s something much bigger behind all of this."

Silence followed.

Noah, the only one standing, slowly walked toward the window. Eugene eventually joined him, resting against the wall beside his shoulder.

Outside, the sky was beginning to darken.

But it wasn’t the peaceful darkness of evening.

Smoke was rising in the distance.

Flashes of light erupted across the school grounds, followed by distant screams.

"This school is going to fall today," Eugene said quietly.

Noah turned toward him.

"The battle at the assembly isn’t going to remain contained. It’s going to grow bigger, and more blood is going to be spilled. If this continues, the entire school could collapse."

Eugene’s expression became grim.

"And if that happens, I think that’s when the biggest problem begins. Not just for us, but for the world and the entire empire."

Noah stared at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I did some digging when I was alone."

Eugene paused, choosing his words.

"I found something about this building."

Noah waited.

"This place wasn’t originally built as a school."

The room became silent.

Eugene continued.

"It was erected many years ago as a prison. A place designed to contain creatures that were never supposed to roam freely. Creatures worse than the ones we’ve seen coming through those gates. The kind of creatures that could bring humanity to its knees if they were ever released."

Noah’s eyes widened.

"The energy surrounding this place was originally used to contain them. The cemetery, the barriers, everything was part of the containment system. But as the years passed, the place was eventually turned into a school."

Eugene looked toward the window.

"People may have forgotten its history, but I don’t think everyone did. I’d bet the emperor knows. And Mrs. Danielle probably does too."

Noah’s jaw dropped.

"That’s insane."

He looked toward the smoke outside.

"So what are we supposed to do? At this rate, this school is going to collapse. And those malevolent spirits aren’t going to stop until they get what they want."

He paused.

"But there’s something else I don’t understand."

Everyone looked at him.

"What’s the problem with omegas?"

The question immediately changed the atmosphere.

"Why are those spirits trying to avenge them? What happened to them?"

No one answered.

Noah’s hands slowly began to tremble.

"They can’t be accusing us too, right?"

His voice cracked slightly.

"We didn’t do something like that. We didn’t commit those sins against them. Because if we did..."

He swallowed.

"...then those ancestors are coming for us too."

Noah looked at the Alphas.

"I’ve noticed the social distinction in this place. Rich or poor, I’ve seen how omegas are treated. So tell me what happened."

His voice became more urgent.

"Who started this? Were they killing them? Selling them? Using them? What did people do?"

He looked from one face to another.

"Talk to me. I need to know. I don’t want to keep discovering secrets about the people around me when all of you clearly know something."

Noah took a shaky breath.

"You guys didn’t do it, right?"

Before he could take another step backward, Damian rushed forward and pulled him into a tight embrace.

Noah froze for a second before instinctively hugging him back.

Since marking Noah, Damian had become far more sensitive to his emotions. He could practically feel the fear and pain running through him, and it made his own chest ache.

"Calm down for me, baby. Shhh..."

Noah froze.

That was the first time Damian had ever called him something so intimate.

Damian gently rubbed his back.

"We’ll tell you everything. But believe me when I say this—we weren’t part of it. We never did anything that caused them to be killed."

Noah’s eyes widened.

"They were killed?"

Damian nodded.

He pulled back slightly and cupped Noah’s jaw, making him look directly into his eyes.

"Stop carrying all these burdens alone. We’re here to share them with you."

His thumb brushed lightly against Noah’s cheek.

"And if letting us help you is what makes you feel better, then let us."

Damian’s expression softened.

"I love you, Ashton. And no matter how weak I might seem right now, I’ll always protect you. I won’t abandon you."

Those weren’t the words Noah expected.

Yet somehow, they calmed something inside him.

The warmth of Damian’s touch, combined with his pheromones, soothed Noah’s unsettled soul. He shuddered slightly, his shoulders finally relaxing.

Eugene smiled from beside them.

The others did too.

At least Noah wasn’t trembling anymore.

After a moment, Killan spoke.

"Are you still planning to go with the emperor to the Quintorian Empire?"

Noah shook his head.

"No."

Killan’s eyes widened.

"I need answers first."

Noah looked at each of them.

"I need to know who that emperor really is. What he wants from me. How the hell he is my father. What happened to the previous heroes. What this school really is. And what my role in all of this is."

His gaze hardened.

"I can’t figure all of that out alone."

He looked at the four Alphas.

"So I’m going with all of you."

Killan’s heart practically stopped.

He had chosen them.

Over the empire.

Marcus stared at him.

"Are you sure? There are riches and all kinds of things waiting for you there. Isn’t this an opportunity for someone who hasn’t experienced that kind of life before?"

Noah smiled softly.

Of course.

They still thought he was Ashton—the poor boy who had never known luxury.

If only they knew.

He had experienced riches before.

What he wanted now was something completely different.

Time with his boys.

Time to understand himself.

Because whether he liked it or not, the fate of the world seemed to be resting on his shoulders. And if the world really was about to collapse, he needed answers quickly.

He had spent too long running from his destiny.

Perhaps it was time to stop.

Maybe this was who he was supposed to become.

And after everything that had happened, he had two choices.

Get killed by monsters...

Or fight to stay alive.

Lysander had been right about one thing.

There were people who wanted Noah dead.

And his so-called father, Damon Ashborn, might very well be one of them.

"That’s wonderful news!" Eugene nearly shouted.

Then his eyes landed on the sword beside Noah.

His expression immediately changed.

"But what about that?"

Noah looked down.

"The Heavenly Sword?"

"The very same one." Eugene stared at it. "We all thought it was lost. Yet the emperor had it."

His face became serious.

"Do you understand what that thing can do? In the wrong hands, it could wipe out an entire race. Heaven, earth, even hell wouldn’t be completely safe."

Noah froze.

"That powerful?"

Marcus nodded.

"So did Killan.

Damian reached for Noah’s hand.

"That’s why you need to be careful. You and that sword cannot fall into the wrong hands."

He glanced at the weapon.

"I don’t know how the emperor was able to control it, but thank goodness we got it away from him. At least now we have a chance."

Noah looked at the sword.

Something about it felt strangely familiar.

Before he could say anything, a loud crack echoed through the room.

Everyone turned.

The wall behind them trembled.

"What the—?"

Another crack followed.

Then another.

Something was clawing at the other side.

Noah instinctively stepped backward.

Killan immediately rose.

"What’s wrong?"

Nobody answered.

A huge hole suddenly ripped through the wall.

Something pushed its way through.

A massive creature emerged first.

It was almost the size of a car, its body twisted unnaturally, its limbs far too long for its frame. Its jaw stretched open far beyond what should have been possible, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

Its protruding eyes rolled wildly as it dragged itself into the room.

Then another creature followed.

And another.

"No..."

Marcus stared in horror.

More holes began appearing across the walls.

The floor cracked.

The ceiling shook.

The creatures weren’t simply entering through the doors anymore.

They were breaking through the very structure of the school.

Noah’s grip tightened around the Heavenly Sword.

"Monsters from the gates."

His eyes widened as another creature crawled through the shattered wall.

"I think they’re unleashed."

And somewhere beyond their room, the screams of hundreds of students rose into the evening sky.

The school had officially become a battlefield.