Restrained on his knees by nearly unbreakable shadow tendrils, Dom grunted, his struggles completely futile as he stared helplessly as Noah--also bound--glared up at Luke.
"All this…" Noah said, glancing down at his immobilized body. "It's not about helping the citizens or bringing prosperity to N-L." He then looked at Dom. "It's all just a sick ploy to gain power."
"Yes," Luke said, eyes narrowed. "Power to protect our people."
"Power to start another war." Noah snapped back instantly.
His words caused something to rip through the air.
A split-second later, Noah flinched violently as a sharp force sliced past his cheek. He turned, eyes widening at his own shocked reflection in the dagger now embedded in the ground beside his head.
"We're not trying to start a war," Luke said coldly. "It never ended."
Listening to the exchange, Dom frowned, his thoughts drifting back to a similar conversation he'd had long ago--with Xavier in Lupus.
Luke's grip tightened around the dagger as he stared at Noah. "You're right." He said, "What we're doing now…is finding a way to strengthen our forces." His brows knit with visible conflict. "But it is to protect ourselves when that war continues. To defend our home."
Despite the blade hovering inches from his face, Noah glared up at him. "By forcing people into experiments?" He asked.
"Yes." The answer was immediate--emotionless.
Noah flinched at the chill in Luke's eyes.
"The subjects we use are mages with rare attributes and potential," Luke continued, glancing at Dom, a perfect example of such a subject.
"Abilities that could revolutionize our military prowess and give us a decisive edge in the coming war. At first, we tried recruiting volunteers for our cause." He frowned, gaze lowered. "…but the turnout was too low. And we don't have the luxury of waiting anymore."
Dom's brows drew together. Luxury of waiting? He thought. Why? What's the rush?
Luke turned to Noah, his voice lowering. "Our methods are sick and unjust… but even you know the results are worth it, Noah."
A thunderous crash drew their attention to the far end of the lot.
Lucy--now back in her human form--gasped desperately for air as Aera pressed her foot against her throat, utterly unmoved by Lucy's frantic resistance while the last of her wounds healed quickly.
Dom's glare burned, but Luke spoke again before he could act.
"That's why we ensure our subjects live comfortably," He added. "Good housing. Proper meals. Incentives for cooperation."
"Like rewarding a dog for doing tricks?" Noah scoffed.
Luke sighed heavily, unable to deny the similarity.
"Just because we have beds, expensive meals, and gifts for good behavior," Noah snapped, visibly straining against his prison. "…doesn't mean we're living good lives."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that why you joined the Scouts?" He asked, and Noah flinched. "You were just like the others before I gave you that chance. If it was so wrong, why did you accept?"
Noah looked away; shame flickered across his face. "I joined because it was the closest thing to freedom I could get." He muttered.
Luke surveyed the battlefield before gesturing toward the defeated mages. "And this is better?" His tone hardened. "The South is more ruthless than you think. If you go, you'll be caught in the crossfire between them and their council."
His gaze shifted to Dom. "They might survive that, but you won't."
Noah narrowed his eyes at Luke, confidence visible on his face. "I'm not as weak as you think." He said.
"I know," Luke said, glancing at the broken hover-board and Noah's prosthetic weapon. "I trained you to fight, remember?"
Despite his current situation, a proud smirk crossed Noah's face.
"But you know what kind of place the South is, right?" Luke asked. "Do you really think they'll let you build your weapons in peace?"
Noah hesitated, glancing at Dom with a frown. "They'll probably hunt me down for threatening to break their traditional ideology." He replied, and Dom's gaze darkened.
Luke furrowed his brows, his expression tense and confused. "Then why the hell are you going along with this?" He asked, gesturing at the chaos around them.
Noah turned to him, a small smile forming as he caught the genuine concern in Luke's voice. "You know… I've always respected you for that," He said.
"What?" Luke asked, even more confused.
"Out of all the Scouts I've met so far," Noah continued, his sight drifting to the dark ceiling far above them. "… you're the only one who actually believes this is about saving our country. The others just work for themselves."
Aera, listening from the distance, narrowed her eyes as she pressed her foot harder into Lucy's neck, silencing her struggles.
"But I'm not like you," Noah admitted, his smile dimming slightly. "I never was."
Luke frowned, hurt and disappointment flashing across his face.
"And for the first time in… ever," Noah said, glancing briefly at Dom, "I actually had fun today. More fun than I ever had before."
Dom smirked faintly under his shadow gag, earning a quick, side-long glance from Luke.
"I thought you said building your inventions was fun," Luke remarked.
"Not like this," Noah said as he looked at his restrained cannon, steam hissing out of its exhaust. "I've always loved building things. But making those smoke bombs and jammers… knowing they weren't for some soldier I won't ever know and knowing I was the one going to use them to fight… for myself? It felt like… I was finally alive."
Luke's eyes hardened, cold and sharp. "That stupid feeling will get you killed," He warned.
"Probably," Noah chuckled before giving Luke a proud, almost teasing smirk. "But even you've gotta admit… for a guy who's never been in a real fight before, I gave you a pretty good run there."
Luke held his glare for a moment, but then sighed, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Yeah," He murmured. "You were pretty cool."
Noah beamed with pride for a moment, which quickly faded as a memory returned. "And do you know what's even funny about everything?" He asked.
Luke raised a brow, curious.
"Even though we planned to free everyone, Dom did it under one condition…"
Luke glanced at Dom with a judgmental stare, already thinking of the most selfish reason he could imagine.
"After we freed them from their cuffs and cages, he made us ask the subjects if they wanted to stay… or run away together."
Luke's eyes widened. That wasn't a condition he had imagined at all.
Noah chuckled at the thought. "Dom gave each of us something that we had almost forgotten--a choice," He said, voice quiet but firm. "Something we haven't really had since the day we got dragged in here."
Luke looked back down at Noah, frowning.
"So even though the option we picked wasn't exactly the most logical…" Noah continued, "… it was still better than being trapped without a say in it."
Luke stared at Noah for a long moment. Despite all he'd said, it was clear Noah did not regret his actions.
"Looks like you've made up your mind," Luke murmured softly.
Noah gave him a friendly smile. "I'm sorry I couldn't live up to your expectations."
"Don't be," Luke said, rubbing his neck with a faint smile. "I'm just happy to see you finally standing up for something you actually believe in. You've definitely grown up from the little kid I taught how to hover-board back then."
Noah laughed, recalling the fond memory, one of the few beautiful ones he made in that terrible place.
"It just sucks that I have to kill you now."
Noah suddenly stiffened. That last phrase… It must have been the wind… There was no way Luke would… right?
Those thoughts raced through Noah's mind. His highly intelligent mind searched for a reason, but it wasn't until Luke withdrew his dagger that he realized those words weren't fake--especially when he leveled the sharp blade directly at Noah's face.
"It's nothing personal," Luke said, spinning the knife in his hand. "When the report of the breakout got out, we were given three orders." He gestured over his shoulder. "The first, and most important, was to recover him."
Dom glared at Luke, who turned his attention to the heavy grunts echoing as Aera continued to pin Lucy down.
"The second was to recover the other subjects… and the third," Luke said, turning back to Noah, "… was to kill the Scout that helped put this all together…"
Noah's eyes widened--the answer of whom was clear, chillingly so. "W-why?" He asked, voice cracking as he looked between the spinning blade and Luke.
Luke's expression hardened. "Once Doc found out you were involved, he knew you didn't do this because you were forced… It's something you wanted to do." He stopped the blade, the tip pointing downwards.
"And since he also suspected you were going over to the South's side, the information you now know as both a Scout and scientist makes you a liability. A liability we cannot let be exploited."
Noah flinched as Luke pressed the knife against his neck, the cold sensation prickling his skin.
"I thought I could convince you to come back… Soften the punishment…Maybe even save you." Luke said, genuine regret covering his expression. "But… looks like I can't."
"Hey, Luke! Stop! He—"
A shadow tendril suddenly covered Noah's mouth, cutting off his voice.
"This isn't easy for me, you know," Luke said, tightening his grip on the blade's handle. "You were always like a little brother to me. And since I'm the one who noticed your talent and convinced Doc to let you join the Scouts-- in a way, I'm the one who put you in this position. I'm really sorry, Noah."
At that moment, he finally felt the wet drop on his cheek, eyes widening to their limits as tears streamed down Luke's face.
It was clear from his gaze and trembling grip that he never wanted to do this, that if there was a second option, he would've taken it. But now that Noah has become an enemy to his country--he was forced to choose his duty over his emotions.
As the blade nicked his skin, tears formed in Noah's eyes.
Betrayal--Abandonment--Helplessness.
Emotions he had not felt since his parents left him rushed through his mind, the painful weight completely overshadowing the physical prick of his skin.
Meanwhile, Dom's eyes glowed as his muscles strained against the shadow binding. The tendrils creaked and stretched under his weight, but with their tensile strength and his weakened state, he was nowhere close to freedom.
All he could do was make muffled, incomprehensible sounds in an attempt to shout at Luke.
Come on. Come on. Come on. Fucking… break. He thought, his veins visibly bulging as he summoned what little power he had left.
Then, a streak of ice surged across the ground like a speeding train that instantly reached Luke's side.
Luke's eyes widened in recognition as he jumped back as the ice patch sprouted outward into a sharp spike that enclosed his right foot, pinning him in place. He swung his dagger to slice through the ice when another spike stabbed into his left shoulder.
"Damn," He muttered, teeth gritted at the frostbite already spreading around the wound, blood frozen in jagged spikes.
He created a second dagger in his other hand, struck the ice below, freeing his foot. Just as dozens more ice spikes surged at him from all angles. He dove into his shadow just in time to avoid the skewering charge.
In that same instant, Aera noticed the ice now covering Noah and Dom's shadow bindings.
Moments later, the ice cracked and shattered, destroying the tendrils and freeing the two boys.
She turned to pursue Dom--but froze, her senses flaring as a dangerous presence now loomed behind her. She spun and flinched under Roy's cold, ghost-like stare.
"Move," Roy said, breath emitting icy mist that sent shivers up her spine.
Instantly, Aera dashed to a safe distance, the wind howling at the sheer speed of her retreat.
Roy's attention shifted to Lucy, who lay barely conscious, gasping and coughing as she finally drew a full breath.
"Thanks," She rasped, clutching her aching throat.
He nodded stiffly, then noticed Dae stuck in a strange stance. His observant eyes then flicked to the dagger embedded in Dae's shadow, its edges simmering with ash mana.
With a snap of his fingers, a spike of ice materialized above his head and fired like a bullet. It struck the dagger with terrifying precision, knocking it out of the floor while Dae suddenly stumbled forward, freed from the invisible force holding him.
The clicks of energy guns then drew Roy's gaze--soldiers aiming directly at him, their bodies visibly trembling as they sensed the overwhelming white aura surrounding Roy's body. He lifted a hand, thick freezing mist curling and dripping from his fingertips.
"Are you idiots? Stand down!"
They spun, only to see Luke emerge from Aera's shadow, teeth gritted, clutching his frost-bitten shoulder.
Aera's eyes widened, stunned at the sight of her leader in such a battered state.
Luke narrowed his eyes at the icy figure before him. "We lost," He muttered, voice tight. "I was so focused on talking Noah out of it that I forgot about that monster." His pupils dilated, instincts flaring at the now-chilling air that prickled his skin. "I made the wrong call."
"But you could take him away again, right?" A soldier asked, his grip trembling around his sword hilt. "Just like you did that time."
"That worked because I caught him off-guard," Luke grumbled, a nervous sweat sliding down his face. "Now that he knows about my magic, I can't do it again."
His gaze flicked down to the ice patches crawling around Roy's feet. "He is a Monarch successor after all. I'm lucky to escape before he finished me off."
The soldiers immediately dropped their weapons.
If their strongest fighter himself admitted defeat, what chance did they have?
As the last of their fighting spirit faded, Roy let out a low scoff. Slowly, he suppressed his mana, and the ice crawling up his face and body receded, melting back into the ground.
"But I wonder…" Luke said, a smirk on his lips. "How will the South react to those people you're bringing in?"
Roy's gaze hardened.
"I mean, legally speaking…" Luke said as he stood, wiping the sweat from his face with an intimidating glow in his eyes. "… this is human trafficking."
Roy crossed his arms. "True," He said calmly. "But since the North scrapped the official records for each subject, you can't exactly call them humans anymore."
Luke's eyes darkened.
"They're not even considered people, so immigration formalities don't apply," Roy explained bluntly. "Besides, I doubt the North or South would want their citizens learning about this whole underground network of human experimentation and trafficking."
Luke raised a brow. "Do you have any proof?" He asked.
Roy's eyes glowed, a silent challenge in their depths.
Luke held his gaze, then let out a tired laugh once he realized his bluff had failed. "Checkmate, huh," He muttered, then turned away. "Pack it up, guys. We're retreating."
The soldiers hesitated but slowly began to follow, picking up their fallen comrades and weapons as they reluctantly retreated.
As Luke walked away with Aera by his side, Roy raised a brow as somebody ran up to them.
"Wait!"
Luke stopped and turned back, his eyes widened as he stared at Noah, standing a few feet away.
Noah hesitated at first, almost scared to speak to the man who had just held a knife to his neck--but he also remembered the tears of that same man--the big brother who kept him going for years, just like Dom did for him recently.
"Thanks… for looking out for me… after all this time," Noah said, a warm smile on his face.
Luke stiffened, noticing the streak of blood slipping through the shallow cut on Noah's neck. He looked away with a dry laugh. "I literally just tried to kill you," He whispered, words too low for anyone else to hear.
Then he offered Noah a small, knowing smile. "Be careful, kid." He said, "…The South isn't exactly a free place, either."
"I know," Noah said, his smile widening. "I think of you as a big brother too."
Luke's gaze softened, eyes glistening with tears. He wiped them away with his sleeve and grinned. "I'm gonna miss you, little bro."
Noah chuckled, childishly.
A sense of reminiscence washed over Luke at that smile, the same one Noah gave him when they first met over five years ago. Then he turned to Dom, who had limped up to Noah's side.
"Looks like I might believe you after all," Luke said, earning a tired smile from Dom.
As he turned away again, his gaze fell on Aera, her robotic expression fixed on the floor. He frowned at her eyes-- even he could sense that she was just a puppet, nothing more.
"I have just one more question, Dominic," He added, his tone dark, earning a wary glance from Dom. "You asked all those subjects if they wanted to join you, right?"
Dom's frown deepened. He already knew where this was going.
"What if they didn't want to leave?" Luke pressed.
Dom's eyes flicked to Aera, who half-turned to meet his gaze, her partially covered face lacking any hint of emotion. A perfect example of Luke's question.
Noah's eyes mirrored his own uncertainty--but then Dom grinned.
"I'd love to say I'd drag them anyway…" He said, still looking at Aera. "But even I know I'm not strong enough for that yet."
Luke smirked at his response. "You're more level-headed than I thought."
"Of course," Dom said as he turned to Noah. "The plan only worked because of Noah and the others. I barely did anything special."
Noah let out a quiet scoff, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes slid away from the compliment. They returned to Dom a moment later, lingering on his battered body and injuries with a look that held far more respect than his reaction suggested.
"So…" Luke said, a hand reaching up to rub his chin. "… they just wait until you're strong enough to drag them out, right?"
Dom grinned confidently. "That's the plan," He said.
Luke studied him for a long moment, appraisal in his gaze as he noticed the way Lucy and Dae flocked to his side. Even Roy, one of the eight Monarch successors and the most powerful mage in current history, stood by him.
It was then that he realized what kind of man Dom was and how he was able to unite and inspire those subjects who had already lost hope in freedom.
A thought crossed his mind: Who wouldn't follow such a man?
With a satisfied smile, Luke spoke, "You're an interesting man, Dominic. I look forward to seeing you become a big shot." He then placed a hand on Aera's shoulder. "For all their sake."
She looked up at Luke, confused by his words, but Dom's grin widened as he understood him clearly.
With a dismissive wave, Luke walked away while Aera spared Dom one last unmoved stare before following the retreating soldiers.
With the threat finally gone, Dom let out a long breath as the last of his strength gave out, his mana drained completely as his body collapsed forward--but two pairs of hands caught him.
When he opened his now-dimmed eyes, Dae and Lucy were there on both sides.
"Sorry," Dom chuckled weakly, exhaustion etched across his face.
"You okay?" Noah asked, stepping closer.
"I'll… live," Dom replied, steadying himself with their help.
Noah then looked around, taking in the destruction and chaos--the aftermath of the battle. His eyes widened as reality hit him. "We really did it. We're finally free." He muttered.
Dom offered him a tired smile. "And you doubted me." He said.
Noah laughed sheepishly--but stiffened as the other three mages' intense gazes landed on him.
"And you are?" Roy asked, brow raised.
Noah's jaw dropped as he finally realized who stood before him.
Dom grinned, answering for him. "This is Noah. My genius partner in crime."
Lucy's brow twitched. "Partner?" She snapped, glaring at Noah.
Noah stepped back, wary of her low growl.
But Dae narrowed his eyes at Dom instead. "I think you owe us an explanation now… especially about the Silva thing you've been hiding." He grumbled.
Dom flinched, glancing at Roy, who shrugged. He let out a defeated exhale, the weight of everything pressing down at last.