Oliver Hyperion, third son of the younger brother of the head of the family, and the next name to bear that of Patriarch. His superior gaze meets that of our protagonist, with an obvious contrast between them.
Noa releases the handle of the broken sword, still covered in blood.
Oliver closes his eyes, displaying a falsely warm smile.
— But apparently, you can't manage to limit the damage to your body… that's really a shame.
Noa's serious gaze does not waver, perfectly controlled.
— Get out of my sight.
he says in a calm and icy voice.
Oliver's smile turns into a mocking grin.
— That's not very nice of you to talk to me like that. I am a member of your family, after all.
Simon steps forward and intervenes in their conversation.
— Young Master Oliver, I think it would be better if you left.
But he doesn't seem to agree at all. He touches his forehead.
— I could… but that's not my objective.
He extends his hand toward Noa, in the center of the light.
— I would like to see how much you've progressed. We could have a little training session, just the two of us. Like before.
Simon objects, but Noa signals him with his hand not to intervene. His blue eyes begin to glow.
— That's a wonderful idea.
Simon steps back, a drop of sweat forming on his face.
The two take their distance, until they are almost entirely out of the central light.
— Here we are again… you and me, without any backup. Don't you find that amusing?
Oliver says these words with sarcasm.
Noa is already in a fighting stance. Enough talking. Time for action.
Already in front of his opponent, Noa charges. Two punches, dodged by Oliver, who grabs his wrist. Noa follows with a kick—dodged again. Oliver lets go. Noa steps back.
Oliver's smile does not disappear. On the contrary, it widens even more. His eyes begin to glow with a strange aura. Noa also activates his blue aura.
Oliver lifts his head upward, before suddenly disappearing from Noa's field of vision.
Noa closes his eyes.
He focuses on his hearing.
Rapid whistling sounds cut through the room around him. He clenches his fists. The sound gets closer and closer.
With speed, Noa turns around and blocks a kick coming from above. The ground beneath cracks.
Oliver disappears again instantly.
Noa glances at his reddened arm. No rest.
He blocks another attack. Again. And again.
Oliver keeps coming back relentlessly.
Noa grabs his leg and throws him far away. But he returns immediately.
Simon watches without acting, concern visible on his face.
Behind a pillar, Ethan closes his book.
Noa blocks Oliver's punch mid-air, eyes closed. His opponent violently pushes him back with an energy-charged attack, which Noa blocks while sliding across the ground.
— You've really improved, I see.
Noa does not respond. He straightens up, eyes still closed.
Oliver smiles, amused.
— I had forgotten… you adapt very quickly to physical techniques. But I wonder how fast you can adapt to chaotic attacks.
A spark appears. Noa's right arm becomes covered in blue lightning.
Oliver pretends to be surprised.
— So you're planning to use my own technique against me? I've always found your copying ability really annoying.
Oliver's body becomes covered in bright yellow electricity. Three rings of energy form around his wrist.
— Let's see how you've adapted it to your style.
Oliver spins and lunges at Noa. Noa does the same.
The two rush at each other.
Their attacks about to collide—
But everything stops.
They are both stopped simultaneously by Ethan, who blocks them with his bare hands. The lightning from Noa and Oliver is absorbed by his energy, to Oliver's surprise.
Simon sighs in relief.
— Ethan would like you to stop acting like idiots.
Oliver, still immobilized, forces a smile.
— It's not right to interrupt a training session like that… it's really frustrating.
But his smile disappears almost immediately when he meets Noa's gaze.
A dark gaze. Literally.
His left eye has become completely black, only his blue pupil still shining.
This sight brings back a memory.
Oliver as a child, sitting on the ground in a white room, a deep wound in his stomach.
In front of him, Noa.
A bloodstained sword in his hand.
Both of his eyes black, empty.
Wide open.
Back to the present.
Ethan releases Noa and Oliver.
Noa rubs his left eye.
— What are you doing?
Oliver turns around, irritated.
Charles Hyperion. Elder brother of the patriarch, first son of the former patriarch. His left arm is covered in black tattoos. His gaze is tired, with slight dark circles under his eyes.
Ethan greets him respectfully. Noa and Oliver remain silent.
— Oliver, I told you not to look for trouble when you come to see Noa.
— It's fine… I'm not a kid. If you wanted to avoid this, you should have come yourself.
— Do you really think I have nothing better to do?
Charles turns toward Noa, who looks at him without fear, still in the center of the light. Dust particles float around him.
Noa closes his eyes and heads toward the exit.
— No need to tell me what to do. I'm going to get ready.
He walks away, leaving behind traces of blood on the floor.
Oliver smirks.
Outside the manor.
Eric Hyperion, only son of Charles, a teenager with red hair and red eyes, is lying levitating in the air.
The sunlight illuminates his peaceful face. His hair floats in the wind.
Below, Elena, a young woman with light brown hair, is sitting on a bench in the shade, immersed in a book.
She lifts her head when she sees Noa pass by.
— Young Master Noa…
He turns around.
— Yuna said she wouldn't be able to come pick you up.
Noa understands, even if he can't do anything about it.
— But don't worry… I'm sure she would have liked to come. She's just a bit busy at the moment.
Noa does not contradict her.
Eric finally descends, setting foot on the ground.
— Hey Noa, how are you? Sorry I didn't greet you earlier, I didn't notice you.
Noa asks him if he doesn't get dizzy from staying in the air so much.
— I used to… but you get used to it over time.
Then he smiles.
— You could try it too. You'd just have to copy my technique and that's it.
— Impossible. I already told you there are several conditions for me to be able to copy a technique.
Eric thinks for a moment, then remembers.
— Ah yeah… that's right. I forgot.
Elena closes her book.
— You should go get ready. We will soon be leaving for the capital.
That's exactly what Noa was about to do.