Chapter 57 Missing memories.

Chapter 57: Chapter 57 Missing memories.

Something came crashing into Noah’s face, jolting him awake.

"Killian!"

He shot upright, his voice echoing through the room as panic seized his chest. His breathing came out uneven while his eyes darted around wildly, searching for the person whose name had escaped his lips.

Instead...

A pillow lay on the floor.

Someone had thrown it at him.

The owner of the attack stood nearby with his arms folded.

"Finally awake?" Eugene asked, though the grin on his face looked far too suspicious to be considered friendly.

Noah blinked repeatedly.

"Killian..."

The name slipped from his lips again, but this time confusion replaced panic.

Why had he screamed it?

He couldn’t remember.

Before he could think any further, bright sunlight poured through the window, forcing him to shield his eyes.

When his vision adjusted, Eugene was standing directly in front of him.

Noah still couldn’t get over that face.

It looked softer than the first day they had met.

Softer...

But somehow even more condescending.

"Are you belittling me with your face?" Noah suddenly asked.

The question caught Eugene completely off guard.

He blinked.

"Pardon?"

"I don’t understand."

"Why would I do that?"

Noah merely shrugged before climbing out of bed.

His hair looked like a bird had built an entire nest inside it.

"I don’t know."

He yawned.

"Maybe go look at yourself in the mirror."

"You honestly look like a serial killer."

"Seeing that face first thing in the morning gives me goosebumps."

Eugene instinctively touched his face before rushing toward the nearby mirror.

The moment he saw his reflection, he gasped dramatically.

"Jeez..."

"That scared the hell out of me."

Noah folded his arms, giving him a smug look that clearly screamed I told you so.

Without saying another word, he walked toward his wardrobe.

"So..."

"What brought you all the way to my room?"

As he opened the wardrobe doors, his movements slowed.

Something wasn’t right.

He looked around carefully.

His dorm.

He was definitely back inside his dormitory.

But...

How?

The last thing he could vaguely remember was celebrating his birthday.

After that...

Nothing.

It was as though someone had ripped away an entire section of his memories.

The emptiness terrified him.

His heartbeat became heavier.

"Eugene..."

He slowly turned around.

"Can you remind me where I was yesterday?"

Taking a towel, he walked into the bathroom to wash his face while waiting for an answer.

Eugene frowned thoughtfully.

After several seconds, he simply shrugged.

"I don’t remember you going anywhere."

"I should know if you did."

Noah stopped splashing water across his face.

The same answer again.

How much had he actually drunk?

He wasn’t someone who enjoyed alcohol.

Surely a few glasses of wine couldn’t erase an entire day from his memories.

Trying to ignore the growing uneasiness, he finished washing up before changing into a fresh uniform.

"Remember?"

Eugene spoke while leaning against the wall.

"We promised we’d help you train your magic today."

"We’re taking you to Mr. Harold."

The name immediately sounded familiar.

Mr. Harold...

That was one of the first names Noah had heard after arriving at the academy.

Recognition suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Oh..."

"The cow doctor."

Eugene laughed.

"That’s still how you remember him?"

Noah shrugged.

"Does he actually know magic?"

"Very well."

Eugene nodded proudly.

"He’s one of the highest-ranking sorcerers still alive."

"He has existed since the era of the Five Heroes."

The brush stopped halfway through Noah’s tangled hair.

"The Five Heroes..."

He slowly stared at his own reflection.

Even after weeks inside this body...

He still wasn’t completely used to seeing Ashton’s face staring back at him.

"They’re all dead... right?"

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Eugene froze.

His smile disappeared.

He didn’t answer.

Noah watched him carefully through the mirror.

Something about that question had disturbed him.

The silence stretched longer than expected.

"Eugene?"

Still nothing.

His body remained completely motionless.

Almost as though he had disappeared somewhere inside his own thoughts.

Finally, Eugene blinked.

"What was the question again?"

Noah frowned.

Something wasn’t right.

An uncomfortable feeling twisted inside his stomach.

Nausea.

He had experienced this sensation before.

Whenever it happened...

Something bad always followed.

"It’s about the Five Heroes."

He repeated patiently.

"Are they all dead?"

This time Eugene slowly nodded.

"Yes."

"They’re gone."

"The only person who survived the final battle that decided the fate of the Quintorian Empire..."

"...was the Emperor."

Noah immediately stiffened.

The Emperor?

He had been one of the Five Heroes?

That wasn’t something any history lesson had ever mentioned.

"But..."

"How did he become Emperor afterwards?"

"And didn’t history record how the other four died?"

Since arriving at the academy, they had spent countless hours studying the legendary heroes.

Their victories.

Their sacrifices.

Their accomplishments.

Yet strangely...

No one had ever explained how four of the greatest people in history actually died.

Eugene scratched the back of his head.

"Hmm..."

"That’s something I honestly don’t know."

"No one knows."

"The records simply say the Emperor returned alone."

"The others never did."

"As for how they died..."

He shook his head.

"No one has the answer."

Noah became unusually quiet.

No one questioned it?

Not even scholars?

Not even the royal family?

How could the greatest mystery in history simply remain unanswered?

Something about the Emperor suddenly felt...

Suspicious.

Very suspicious.

"Eugene..."

He hesitated before speaking again.

"If I told you..."

"...that I wanted to leave this school..."

"...and disappear somewhere no one could find me..."

"Would you support me?"

He wasn’t asking randomly.

He wanted to test Eugene.

To see how he would react.

For a brief second...

Eugene’s face lost every trace of color.

He slowly stood from the bed before walking toward Noah.

Without saying anything, he gently placed both hands on Noah’s shoulders.

"Why are you asking so many strange questions today?"

His voice had softened.

"Did something happen?"

"Is something bothering you?"

Noah lowered his eyes.

He didn’t know whether he could trust Eugene completely.

But keeping everything inside felt even worse.

"It’s my memories."

His voice became quieter.

"They feel..."

"Wrong."

"Distorted."

"It’s like someone erased pieces of them."

He swallowed hard.

"And another thing..."

"I don’t think we’re safe in this school anymore."

"I want to leave."

"I want to run."

"It feels like..."

He searched for the right words.

"...there’s a great evil sleeping somewhere inside this academy."

"And when it wakes up..."

"We’re all going to become sacrifices."

Eugene quietly listened without interrupting.

Then...

He reached up.

His fingers gently ran through Noah’s messy purple hair before picking up the brush resting on the table.

Without asking permission, he slowly began brushing it.

His movements were surprisingly careful.

"We can leave."

His answer came so naturally that Noah looked up in surprise.

"We’ll escape together."

"If the others agree..."

"We’ll plan everything."

"I’m tired of this place too."

A small smile appeared on Eugene’s lips.

"If living peacefully means running away with someone I care about..."

"I’d choose that life over this one every single time."

Noah slowly nodded.

He had already made his decision.

He would leave this school.

But before the week ended...

He needed answers.

Someone had murdered Ashton.

Someone had tampered with his memories.

Someone was hiding the truth behind everything that had happened.

If he escaped now...

He would spend the rest of his life wondering.

That strange voice...

The one he vaguely remembered hearing...

He still couldn’t explain why...

But every instinct inside him insisted it wasn’t his enemy.

Somehow...

It was connected to him.

And strangely enough...

He wanted to believe it.

After several more strokes, Eugene finally lowered the brush.

"There."

He smiled proudly.

"All done, Ash."

"You look radiant."

"Like sunlight itself."

Noah looked into the mirror one last time.

His once tangled purple hair now rested neatly around his face.

For the first time that morning...

He smiled.

Being weak wasn’t an option anymore.

If answers were hidden inside this academy...

Then becoming stronger was the only way to uncover them.

"One warning though," Eugene suddenly added while heading toward the door.

"The four of us are training with you."

Noah looked at him curiously.

"Why?"

Eugene sighed.

"I noticed something."

"I can’t conjure any of my affinities anymore."

He forced out a small laugh.

"Maybe I’ve become rusty."

"So I’m hoping training fixes whatever is wrong."

The words immediately made Noah’s smile disappear.

Not being able to use an affinity...

That sounded strangely familiar.

Almost...

Too familiar.

As they stepped out of the room, Eugene naturally wrapped an arm around Noah’s waist as though that was exactly where it belonged.

Noah noticed.

He simply chose not to comment.

His thoughts remained occupied elsewhere.

His missing memories.

The strange nightmare.

Killian.

The missing affinity.

Everything felt connected.

"I hope..."

He thought quietly.

"...that Eugene can recover his affinity."

"And I hope..."

"...whatever is happening to him isn’t connected to this strange feeling inside me."

He swallowed hard.

Together they walked through the dormitory corridor before stepping outside.

Morning sunlight bathed the academy in golden light.

Students laughed.

Classes resumed.

Everything looked perfectly normal.

Too normal.

Almost instinctively, Noah turned his head.

Far in the distance...

Killian’s lodge stood silently near the edge of the forest.

For reasons he couldn’t explain...

His chest tightened.

A strange sense of dread settled over him.

"Come on."

Eugene gently tugged at his hand.

"We’re already late."

"Mr. Harold has been waiting for us all morning."

Taking one final glance toward the quiet forest, Noah followed Eugene down the academy path, unable to shake the feeling that whatever answers he was searching for...

...were waiting somewhere beyond those trees.