The next morning, the sky above Halmswick was grey. No wind. No sound. Only the soft dripping of dew onto cold earth.
Noen knelt before her grave.
He had buried her only a few hours ago. The soil was still fresh, dark, damp. His shoulders shook without pause. He cried . Loud, hoarse, uncontrollable. Again and again.
The soil was cold, yet it still smelled like her.
He kept crying. Without pause. His voice broke, but the tears would not stop. Nothing within him wished to become still.
The sun had long passed above him, yet he had not noticed.
When evening came, he was sitting on the roof.
The roof they had always sat upon.
The sun sank over Halmswick, casting long shadows over the narrow streets.
Noen sat there, his head lowered, his face wet with tears.
His breathing came in broken, ragged gasps. His hands trembled in his lap. The city below was silent.
Only the faint sound of his sobbing drifted over the rooftops.
"HOW MUCH LONGER ARE YOU GOING TO SIT HERE AND CRY?!"
Noen flinched.
He half-turned — and saw that old man from yesterday standing behind him.
"YOU ARE REALLY PATHETIC!"
— Since when has he been here? …I didn't even notice. —
-Atleast Im now getting a clear look at him.-
A old T-Shirt. Colorful, packed with tightly clustered flowers in red, yellow, and dull green. Slightly faded by weather and time, the collar crooked, one button fastened wrong.
"I've never met such a pathetic minigod power bearer before," the old man chuckled.
Noen looked at him with a desperate, furious stare.
"Me… a god-power bearer?" His voice trembled. Tears ran down his face again – not only from grief, but also from disgust and rage. "I hope I misheard… I would never be one of those…"
The old guy suddenly jumped back several short, hurried steps, as if something invisible had pushed him away.
"Manipulation…" he murmured, his eyes widening slightly. Then he lifted his gaze back to Noen, studying his face closely.
"You're trying to manipulate me? Wait… that means…"His eyes swept over Noen's body – over the strange, pale garment.
"You're the bearer of a power from a high mini-god, aren't you?"
Noen shook his head, completely overwhelmed. "What are you talking about…?"
Suddenly, the old man's attention sharpened on Noen's clothing. "Hey," he murmured in a confused tone. "Where did you get those clothes?"
Noen opened his mouth. "I don't even kno–"
In that very instant, the old man moved.
A single, precise strike to the side of his neck.
Noen's eyes widened for a brief moment, then his body went slack and he fell unconscious.
The first thing Noen felt when waking up was warmth.
The air in the room was still and heavy, filled with the quiet crackling of a fireplace. A reddish light danced along the walls, casting flickering shadows across the old stonework.
And yet…
Cold metal pressed against his wrists. Chains. They were ice-cold, in stark contrast to the warm air around him. A dull ache pulsed behind his forehead.
His arms were chained above his head to the wall, his wrists tightly enclosed in heavy iron cuffs. His legs lay stretched out on the stone floor. A few meters away, the fire crackled in the fireplace.
He was bound.
In front of him, slightly off to the side, the old man sat in an comfortable, padded chair. His posture was relaxed, almost bored.
"You're finally awake, arent you?"
Noen cleared his throat, his voice rough. "W-What is this—"
"Silence!"
In the same instant, the man jumped up from his chair.
In an instant, he was already infront of Noen.
His rough hand clamped around his throat and slammed him against the warm stone wall. The chains rattled as his body jerked instinctively.
His gaze was aggressive. — hard, twisted with disgust, burning with rage. Almost out of nowhere. His voice dropped low, venomous.
"Where…" he hissed, tightening his grip around Noen's throat, "…did you get that clothing, you damned demon?"
Noen's breath hitched. His feet scraped desperately for balance, but the chains held him suspended. Pressure crushed his airway. His face flushed. Tears gathered in his eyes as he struggled to breathe.
"I… I don't know…" he rasped, filled with fear.
The old man leaned even closer, their faces only inches apart.
"ANSWER ME!"
His fingers squeezed tighter. Noen's vision blurred. Dark spots flickered before his eyes. His chest burned — every breath a desperate battle.
Then, after what felt like an eternity — the old man suddenly released him.
Noen dropped down hard, dragging in air greedily, coughing and choking as oxygen rushed back into his lungs. His throat felt raw, on fire.
The old man stepped back a few paces, raking a hand over his face before beginning to pace in a tight circle. It was boiling inside him. His jaw was clenched, his hands curled into fists.
He looked almost… unhinged.
"I don't understand it… I don't understand…" he muttered again and again, faster now, more frantic as he paced. "I DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS!"
Noen tried to steady his breathing, coughing violently. Pain pulsed through his throat — each inhale scorching his chest.
Suddenly, the old man stopped.
Slowly, his gaze lifted, locking onto Noen.
"I'll just knock your damned head off, you bastard!"
He stormed toward him, his arm drawing back.
Noen pressed himself as far away as possible, but the chains gave him no freedom. Metal bit into his skin as he instinctively pulled against them.
The old man's fist came rushing toward his face.
And just before it struck....
A scream.
From Noen.
Violent. Uncontrolled.
Yet at the same time… strangely gentle.
Something invisible shoved the old man back... not brutally, not with rage, but as if an unseen hand had pushed him away.
He came to a halt a few feet back.
Breathing heavily.
Silence.
Only the quiet crackling of the fire in the fireplace could be heard. And the heavy breathing filling the room.
The old man still lay a few steps away on the floor.
He barely moved.
Then, in a broken voice:
"W–why…" his words faltered for a moment, "…why didn't you kill me?"
Silence.
Noen's chest rose and fell heavily. His wrists ached inside the chains, his throat still burned.
"Why would I want to kill you?" he finally rasped. "For a punch? Ohh please…" His voice was weak, but honest. "Besides… how would I even do that? I'm chained."
The old man slowly pushed himself up a little, staring at Noen as if seeing him for the first time.
"Why are your powers so… gentle…" he murmured." And… peaceful?"
His eyes widened, full of disbelief.
He continued to stare at Noen.
"You…" his voice now trembling, "…you possess a… a good mini… mini -gods power…"
He gave his head a small shake, still overwhelmed by the thought.
For a moment, he fell silent again, yet his eyes never left Noen.
Then he murmured, almost inaudibly:
"You... you used Lum…"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, but it would be nice if you could just let me—"
"You did send Kairn flying, didn't you?"
Noen's gaze flickered for a moment.— Right… that did happen. I completely repressed it… —
"I wanted to hurt you as well…" the old man murmured. "But when it came to me… you only pushed me away gently....
H..How is that possible?"