Sitting at the edge of the bed, Noel quietly stared at Lilith’s face — at her tear-streaked cheeks, and at her closed, slightly puffy eyes.
After that long hug, and a quiet conversation filled with small, ordinary things, Lilith had said she wanted to sleep.
And he had stayed by her side, holding her hand.
Inside the hush of that soft silence, Noel watched over his sister as she drifted off.
Her breathing, faint and erratic at first, slowly began to steady.
Eventually, it became calm and regular — like she had truly fallen asleep.
He waited a little longer, just to be sure.
Then, he slowly stood — preparing to leave.
But... Lilith’s hand tightened around his.
He paused, eyes on her face.
But she looked asleep — so deeply that he couldn’t tell for sure.
In the end, it didn’t matter.
He sat back down and continued watching over her.
An hour passed like that.
Finally, her fingers loosened — the grip around his hand fading.
And Noel gently slipped his hand free.
He stood once again, turning to go... but then paused.
A single strand of hair had fallen over her face.
He brushed it back behind her ear with a soft motion...
Then leaned down and kissed her forehead.
And only then — did he finally leave the room.
The silence that followed was heavy. Still.
But it didn’t last long.
Lilith’s eyes slowly opened.
"...Brother..." she murmured.
She curled her fingers slightly, as if still holding the warmth of his hand, and whispered,
"Brother... I love you. I love you..."
She hugged her own head, curling into herself as her voice cracked again and again — soft, trembling.
Tears slid down her cheeks once more.
Between her broken declarations of love, a faint "sorry..." would slip out every now and then.
The next day arrived.
It was Sunday, but with Selena busy with some work... Noel found himself back on Charles Street.
He thought about Lilith, who had acted completely normal today — as if nothing had happened yesterday — while he went through more than four antique stores, searching for items with null value.
Even then, his haul was only 29 null points.
Was I just lucky yesterday... getting 17 points from a single store?
He wondered, then decided this would have to be enough for today and made his way back home.
For Noel, right now, it wasn’t just about talent — that might have been the main thing more null points were usually spent on — but for him, it was more about the other options.
The Strengthened Soul. The Strengthened Body.
So the premium simulation, worth 10 null points, was more than enough.
He could now perform three simulations, after all.
With these thoughts in mind, Noel returned to his room.
And without hesitation, he began going through the items.
[Do you want to offer the Burnt Journal Page to the Codex Null?]
[You have received 1 Null Point.]
A question, followed by the usual notification.
These messages continued for a long while, one after another, until only empty bags remained.
Noel looked at the scene for a moment, a flicker of fascination in his eyes.
Then he turned and moved to his desk, pulling out the hidden notebook.
He had 36 null points now. Enough to run three simulations.
Even with that in mind though, the answer to what he should concentrate on... was simple.
Italy, Florence. 8 months later. Inheritance Dimension. Blood Refinement Path.
That’s what Noel wrote.
Now, what he needed to focus on was clear after all.
Even then, he didn’t stop. He continued writing, his grip on the pen tighter than before.
So, what would the simulated him deduce from it?
Noel felt it was worth looking forward to.
[Do you want to spend 10 Null Points to start a Premium Simulation?]
With nothing else to prepare, Noel agreed.
[Life Simulation begins.]
[21 years old. Looking around you, you acutely sensed that something was wrong.]
[You noticed the open notebook in front of you, yet still went through the last video recording of the room first.]
[You seemed to understand something — and at the same time, not yet.]
[With the videos out of the way, you finally turned to the notebook.]
[You read through it slowly, until you arrived at the final page — your eyes gleaming as you saw the name: Coren Merrow.]
[You traced the words on the paper with your finger before finally putting the notebook away.]
[Time passed. Two weeks later, you gathered both Selena and Lilith, telling them you had something important to share.]
[You didn’t care about the suffocating atmosphere in the air, as you told them all the details about the Inheritance Dimension — and why you needed what was inside.]
[Lilith was stunned, staying silent. And Selena, narrowing her eyes, asked: How much did you remember? And how do you know all of that?]
[Without giving them any clear answer, and after a small argument, where you insisted on going there too, but were rejected by both Lilith and Selena, the meeting finally came to an end.]
[Two months later, your relationship with Selena deepened further... until, at last, you crossed that final line.]
[When you returned home, Lilith, who clearly seemed to know what had happened, didn’t say anything. She just looked at you with a betrayed gaze, biting her lip.]