Further along the road to the capital, three black cars sped along the path without stopping. Inside, Noa and Eric sat in the back, while Ethan and Simon were in the front, the latter driving.
Eric was calmly writing in a journal, completely focused. The pen scratched against the white paper, then stopped.
His gaze shifted to Noa.
The young boy was peacefully asleep, his arms crossed. The pale light filtering through the window reflected off his slightly tousled black hair.
"Well… it's been a while since I've seen him this relaxed."
It might have seemed trivial, but seeing Noa this calm was extremely rare. Even among those close to him, the only people who could witness him in such a vulnerable state were Patriarch David, his wife, and his grandfather André. For everyone else, it was almost impossible. Eric even wondered if he had ever seen him sleep even once since they were children.
And yet, behind that peaceful face, his mind was far from resting.
Flashback.
In a luxurious child's bedroom, Noa, around eight years old, was having his arm bandaged by his grandfather, the former patriarch of the Hyperion family, André Hyperion. The old man seemed intrigued by the severity of the boy's injuries.
— Noa… explain to me how you got these injuries.
The young boy hesitated, understandably, but eventually replied:
— I… I was training…
The old man raised an eyebrow as he examined the wounds.
— These injuries were caused by electricity. And honestly, I doubt Ollie agreed to train with you.
Noa added:
— I was trying to control my chaos.
André let out a long sigh.
— I see… Listen to me carefully. When a child reaches the age of five, they awaken chaos energy and develop an innate technique, which is an extension of themselves…
He placed a hand on the boy's head.
— But you… when you turned five, you did awaken your chaos energy… but you didn't develop any innate technique. That absence made your energy extremely unstable, almost unusable… And we both know what happens when you try to control it.
Noa's face showed no weakness. He slowly pushed his grandfather's hand away and stepped back a few paces. André watched him without intervening.
Noa brought his hands together and closed his eyes, entering a state of extreme concentration.
Suddenly, a blue aura ignited around him.
But what truly surprised his grandfather was the change in the nature of his energy.
Noa managed to create a powerful electrical network between his hands. Electricity crackled violently with every movement.
"An electrical technique… but this aura… that of…"
Without warning, the electricity dissipated.
Noa collapsed to the ground. His bandages were almost entirely burned, and his left eye throbbed with unbearable pain.
It was as if hundreds of voices were speaking in his head at once, repeating a single thing over and over:
KILL HADESE !!!
The pain, originating from his brain, was so intense that he could no longer even think.
André rushed toward him in panic:
— Noa! Can you hear me?! Kid, wake up!
But little by little, Noa lost consciousness. His eyelids grew heavy, then his eyes slowly closed under the weight of pain and exhaustion.
Back to the present.
Noa slowly opened his eyes in the vehicle, his head resting against the window.
Eric asked him if he had slept well.
— Restful sleep… my eye.
he muttered bitterly. Eric had the feeling he had missed something.
— What?
Simon let out a small laugh. Ethan, meanwhile, kept his eyes fixed on the road, his small puppy Rex still asleep on his head.
— Ethan wants the young master to rest more often from now on.
Noa didn't feel like it, but he wondered if it was really wise to disobey Ethan.
— I'll keep that in mind… I think.
Simon seemed to think exactly the same.
Noa turned toward Eric, who had resumed writing, and stared at him… before noticing something strange above his head.
A slight distortion in space.
— Eric… have you always…
But suddenly, a chill ran down his spine. He brought a hand to his mouth, shaken.
"That energy… no, that's impossible… I'm dreaming…"
Eric immediately noticed the change in his behavior.
— Noa, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.
Without answering, Noa abruptly opened the car door—even though it was still moving.
Outside, the sky was darkening. Lightning began tearing across the horizon: a storm was approaching.
— I need to check something… as fast as possible.