Chapter 236 236. MASKED INDIVIDUAL

Noah wept and wept, so hard that he seemed to run out of tears. For reasons still unknown to him, he felt heartbroken, and the cold grip of emptiness permeated his consciousness. The world seemed to have shattered around him as deep pain, an emotional one, flooded his mind.

Noah began to tremble violently at some point, as fury and even more, pain burnt inside him, he began to act out on his environment but failed to see that every one of his attacks kicks, or punches at the air; caused incredible damage to his surrounding.

After the death of the kneeling person; both glitchy figures had disappeared as though they never existed, to begin with. Yet Noah knew that the emotions he experienced were real, but why that scene had impacted him so much remained incomprehensible to him.

Eventually, Noah felt too weak to do anything, not even cry, and he felt uncaring about the constantly changing scenery around him. "I don't want that again," Noah muttered gazing listlessly at the now blue sky above him.

The sun's radiance tried to hurt his eyes so he closed them, "Did I fail," Noah wondered recalling the trial they were to overcome after what felt like decades had passed, maybe minutes.

Sitting up, he swept his gaze on his surroundings and found that he sat on a cliff. Nothing existed outside of the cliff only the blueness of the sky that seemed to encase him in a spherical structure.

Noah stared at the blueness without so much as a flicker in his expression, he felt so devoid of everything, that he failed to generate any emotion at that wondrous and also terrifying scene.

It seemed the world tried to express how he felt. Alone and empty.

'This is an illusion,' Noah thought, "But why does it feel so real," he muttered holding the side of his chest, where his heart stood. Even that organ had lost its energy, limiting itself to beating slowly.

A crack, however, appeared in the sky around him, and Noah found himself gazing into thick darkness. Something about that outrageously strange sight appealed to him, and he failed to realize it when he stretched his hand towards it, desiring to touch it.

The cliff below him crumbled at that action, but Noah felt too empty to fret, he understood that he wouldn't die from simply falling. Even the healing ability he had would fix all damages before they could last longer.

A suction force applied itself to Noah's figure, and he found himself slowly drifting inside that darkness. Nothing existed inside it, not even time, so whether he had spent decades or mere seconds in there, Noah remained uncertain.

At some point down the line, Noah heaved a sigh, "I'm tired of being empty," he muttered sweeping his gaze on the nothingness around him.

At his words, a bright white light appeared in the distance, and he began his journey towards it. Eventually arriving in front of the blinding light, Noah felt himself hesitate to cross it.

Cold fear gripped his mind as the images of the person's death replayed in his mind. Reluctance based on fear and uncertainty appeared inside him, and he turned his back on the light.

Slowly drifting away from the light Noah continued to drown in self-regret, unable to do anything but die inside. Notwithstanding, the thought of leaving that place crossed his mind several times, but the person's death replayed in his mind every time such thoughts appeared.

At some point during his aimless floating, a voice rang out behind Noah. "You'll have to leave at some point," the male voice said.

Turning to face the individual without the slightest bit of fear, Noah lay eyes on a man featuring a purple mask.

"Who are you?" He asked blankly, "Go away," he concluded the conversation before it even started.

"The darkness isn't a place for youngsters such as yourself," the man said in a tone exuding genuine compassion and care.

"Who are you to decide that!" Noah lashed out, experiencing a deep sense of familiarity with the individual.

"I'm no one really," the individual replied adopting a cross-legged position, with his regal attire draping below him. The individual had his hair hidden inside the weird faceless mask, but the long garment he sported consisted of mostly fine linen, red and gold.

"I'm just someone who's been in the darkness long enough to know when someone shouldn't be in it," the individual explained calmly.

Noah remained silent at those words, but his desire to be alone forced him to speak again.

"It's none of your concern, you can leave," he said turning his back on the man. Something about the masked individual felt familiar, too familiar.

"You are saying that because you want to be alone," the individual said tilting his head to one side. 'I understand because when I first got here I also did. But the darkness is uneventful. You'll get bored at some point," the individual explained.

"Then why haven't you left then," Noah asked glancing at the blinding white light in the distance.

"I simply can't forgive myself enough to," the man sighed. "I'm sure you see me unworthy to advise you now," he added glancing at the light too.

"No," Noah casually replied, "I don't care. I just want you gone," he stated coldly. His first emotion in what felt like ages.

"Then I'll leave then," the individual responded straightening his position and immediately beginning to float away.

Noah blankly watched the individual vanish in the thick darkness that clothed that endless place.

A sigh escaped his mouth, and he continued drifting in the darkness for decades or hours. But the passage of such long periods felt like seconds to him. He remained too engrossed in his dilemma to care about the passage of time.

"Hello," a familiar voice pulled Noah out of the flashing images of the individual's death.

"What?" Noah asked, his voice dripping with vileness. The urge to kill the man before him rose and went off the charts, but the individual's next words quenched it.

"You want to kill me? Me too," the man sighed, "Unfortunately you can't. You're too weak for that," he explained.

At those words did Noah notice his inability to sense the man's power.

"What do you want?" Noah muttered feeling embarrassed.

"You know what I want Noah," the man replied glancing at the white light that had become a dot due to how far they were from it.

"How do you know my name," Noah asked both shocked and tired.

"We both know how," the individual responded without removing his gaze from the whiteness.

'What the fuck is he talking about,' Noah thought, massaging his eyebrows.

"You should leave already. This isn't the place for you. Not after all I've done," the individual spoke focusing his gaze on Noah, who felt his gaze tear through all his barriers to gaze into his very soul.

"You don't know me but you do," the man continued gaining Noah's full attention.

'Isn't this supposed to be an illusion,' Noah thought feeling the urge to escape the man.

"It is......but also isn't," the individual replied Noah's thought freaking him out. A moment of silence passed before the individual spoke again.

"You should leave. If that light escapes your sight then you'll fail the trial," the individual explained looking at the far away light.

Noah immediately frowned at those words. At this juncture, he felt utterly confused about what was going on. How did the individual know his name, how did he know about the trial, and that only the light was the way out.

"If you don't move then I'll have to throw you out myself," the individual declared straightening his position.

Noah frowned again, but also straightened his position. He understood how powerless he was compared to the individual.

"Okay," Noah replied beginning his flight towards the light.

"Can't you go any faster," the individual complained without leaving his spot.

"I normally can, but my abilities aren't here....." Noah's complaints faded out immediately after sparks started to exit his body. Memories flowed into his mind at that point, and his reluctance to leave vanished at the thought of failing the trial.

His figure turned into a streak of deep-yellow light, and he arrived in front of the light after a few seconds. And to his shock, the individual was already there.

'Not bad," the man nodded.

"How?..." Noah muttered shocked.

"I'm stronger than you of course," the individual seemed to smile.

"But there isn't any need for an explanation Leave, I want to have this place to myself," he added.

Narrowing his eyes in annoyance, Noah felt helpless. "I'm leaving," he said moving closer to the light.

However, images of the individuals death flashed in his eyes, and his gaze went cold. Hesitation rose in his mind but the masked man quickly spoke to comfort him.

"It's not your fault, he said, "It was never your fault. So move. You don't deserve this place. You barely knew what happened."

"I know it isn't, but it hurts really bad for some reason," Noah replied downcast.

"Then move. You should get used to deaths," the individual ordered.

A sigh escaped Noah's mouth at that point, and he stepped into the light. However shock filled his mind at the realization of the individuals words. Unfortunately before he could speak the man shook his head effectively stopping his question.

"Find me out there. I'm somewhere dying of un-forgiveness. Find me and free me," the masked man suddenly spoke.

"We've literally spoken on only two occasions, and you are already asking for favors," Noah snorted, but the masked man made no response at his remark.

"How will I even know you," Noah sighed feeling a powerful force grab hold of his consciousness.

"You will; when it's time that is," the individual responded somberly, and Noah's environment changed before he could complain.

Noah quickly found himself in his soul realm, sitting cross-legged beside his core. Everything looked and felt normal, a calming sign.

A closer look at his core allowed Noah to spot something odd, but before he could dive deeper into his inspection, the sound of a bell woke him.

"Welcome back. You succeeded!" Lady Edna's boisterous voice rang out in the red room.