Noah woke up with a loud yawn, feeling refreshed.
He opened his eyes, his gaze landing on his pale ceiling.
He longed to lay there and spend a few more minutes in bed, but the thought of all the spell parchments sitting in his spatial ring made him sit up.
He had to admit that telling the story of the monolith run last night to Lord Rowe had him itching for another monolith run.
If he could learn Null Stride, getting inside another monolith shouldn’t be that hard. If he couldn’t find any, he still remembered the route to the monolith he’d cleared three months ago.
He threw off his covers, getting out of bed. Walking to the windows to watch the sunrise, he wondered what Lord Rowe’s next move would be. Probably to first call off all the assassins he’d sent after Noah.
Noah chuckled at the thought. All this didn’t mean he still wasn’t going to destroy Camelot.
He had no grand reasoning for it. It was all just down to his hate.
Osiris had seeded a deep hatred within him using torture. And that hatred needed to be exercised.
He’ll burn Camelot to the ground. And he’ll kill the demons too, just because. That was his only goal at the moment.
Destruction.
Whistling, he headed into the shower. A few minutes later, he was done and dressed.
Transferring the relevant items into his satchel, he slung it over his shoulder. He left his room, locking the door behind him and made his way out of the building.
Today, he had Spellcasting in the morning, with Pedigree & Etiquette later. And after, he’ll have free time to learn his new spells.
As he walked to the cafeteria, he floated the idea of missing Pedigree & Etiquette. But he decided to attend the class. It was fun to watch his old classmates trying to emulate the stuffy nobles of Camelot.
After a quick and filling breakfast, where he observed the now lonely Leo Hargreaves eating alone, with all his friends dead.
Smiling to himself on satisfaction, he began making his way to Spellcasting class.
He glanced around, but no student he passed even glanced at him. For once in a long time, he was not the subject of the school gossip.
Everyone was preoccupied with the death of Galahad. There had been rumors of the school shutting down because of the incident, but there were no signs that it would actually happen.
As he walked, he realized that another student had joined him. It looked like they were heading in the same direction.
He glanced to the side, and saw it was Arlo. Arlo simply walked beside him, both hands in his pockets, blindfold in place, and his own satchel slung over one shoulder.
Noah said nothing, not stopping his walk. As they neared their classroom building, he finally spoke.
"I’d like to apologize." He said.
Out of his peripheral vision, he saw Arlo’s face snap towards him, the young man unable to believe his ears. "Wait, what?"
"I know you did your best to try and get me out of there," Noah continued. "I wasn’t in the right head space at the time, so I blamed you. And I’m sorry."
"You really mean it." Arlo said, a tinge of awe in his voice.
"Of course, I mean it." Noah glanced at Arlo, a smile on his face. "I know it wasn’t your fault. It’s just the way the world works. Forces out of your control stopping you from doing what you wanted to do."
"Are you truly Noah?" Arlo frowned, leaning towards Noah as they walked, with his head tilted to the side. "You are. Wow."
Noah’s mind went to the day Arlo had said his eyes were special. He could see things that were hidden. That meant he could see through lies.
And Noah wasn’t lying. He was genuinely sorry.
"This world is the problem." He said. "If it is destroyed, then people would be free to do whatever they want."
"What?" Arlo asked.
"Nothing." Noah smiled.
And so they walked the rest of the way to class in silence, each one lost in their thoughts.
Arlo wondered just how much of his friend was left in there. He could see it. The cracks inside Noah. They were hazy to him, but he knew they were there.
Noah wasn’t Noah anymore, and he wasn’t sure if Noah would ever be Noah again.
As for Noah, his mind had already moved from Arlo, or the destruction of the world, to his new spells. He was itching to have them in his arsenal, but three long months under the Soul Pyre spell had taught him patience.
He was willing to wait a few more hours for it. After all, what was the purpose of life if he couldn’t take the time to stand and stare? To feel the sun on his face and smell the roses?
He intended to live a long life. At least a hundred years. And he was going to spite everyone that wanted him dead and fulfill it.
And from what he’d learned from a few books in the library, there were theoretical but powerful spells that could extend one’s lifetime.
They walked into the class, and chose their seats, still quiet.
Noah’s thought had moved to immortality. He wouldn’t mind living forever. But if he destroyed Camelot, where would he spend immortality?
He’d heard of other continents, with people on them. Maybe he’d go there.
Or maybe he’d go into the abyss. He’ll have to get strong and stand up on the pinnacle of the world, but one day, it will be possible.
He was brought back to reality as Professor Bruno entered the class with the noise that was practically his trademark.
"Hello, Students!" He bellowed, his expression somber in spite of the noise he was making. "Today, in light of the... recent incident, we shall be going over the tips and tricks that will help you all in spellcasting during combat."