I sat across from Noele back at the farm. Nolan, Nicole, and Garron were still over at Wolfwater, dealing with the aftermath of the Cloying Witch’s attack. Xakor tended to Jero in my room, and Bucky sat on my lap. I gently patted the chicken as she clucked at .
And the blonde girl just stared. “Uh… why are you…?”
“Bucky is my emotional support chicken,” I said flatly.
“But why is she here?” Noele couldn’t even muster up the question.
I shook my head, looking down at the chicken. “Because she’s here to give emotional support. Isn’t that right, Bucky?”
Bucky just blinked at . I narrowed my eyes.
“I’ll give you another savis cube if you say yes.”
And she imdiately started clucking, nodding eagerly as she faced Noele. The blonde girl stared at the both of us, trying to work her jaw.
“But… why?”
“Because I need emotional support.” I stared back at her, completely deadpan.
“That’s—” Noele opened her mouth. She raised a finger, then stopped. It took her a mont to collect herself, before she looked down at Bucky. The chicken clucked, and she sighed. “I’m not even going to question it.”
I just shrugged back at the blonde girl. “Look, I know you’re going to talk to about sothing serious. I need Bucky’s presence to reassure so I don’t have a panic attack.” I grabbed the last savis cube lying on the dining table and dangled it over the chicken.
Bucky salivated as she eyed the white dicine-like food. She clucked wildly, and I shushed her. I made her sit still, before finally giving her the treat.
“Bawk bawk!” She happily munched on the savis cube as I patted her.
“Good girl.”
Noele massaged her temples, ignoring what I said. “Alia, this is important.”
“Fine, fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. I lowered Bucky to the ground before facing the blonde girl once again. I leaned forward as my cloak rustled behind . “What is it, Noele?”
She pursed her lips. “It’s about the Void.”
“Oh.” I blinked a few tis. I should have expected that. I leant back in my chair, shaking my head. “I an, I’ve already told you everything I know—”
“But it doesn’t make sense, Alia,” Noele cut off. She glanced out the window towards Wolfwater, before facing the general direction of Whiteridge. “We’ve run into not just one, but two Void-touched individuals in the last two weeks. Sothing sinister is going on, and I think you know more than you let on.”
Well, I’ve run into four, not two, I replied ntally, but I didn’t actually say it aloud. Instead, I raised a brow. “Why would I know anything about those guys, Noele? They’re probably from the Sect of Abyssal Thorns or whatever— you should know more about them than I do.”
“I’m not talking about the Sect of Abyssal Thorns.” The blonde girl shook her head. “I’m talking about the Void. The very sa place you said you escaped before arriving here in Vacuos. You must understand its power more than anyone else in the world!”
“Correction,” I said, raising a finger. “I escaped the Fractured Realm. I already explained it to you, but the Void is just the magic that fills that broken world.”
Noele frowned. “Right. But still—”
“I can’t tell you anything about what those crazy fucks in that sect are up to.” I waved a hand dismissively. “But if you really want, I can tell you this, Noele— the Void is endless.”
She paused, and I continued.
“Its power is unceasing. Being trapped in the Fractured Realm is like drifting lost in the middle of a vast neverending ocean. The voidlings and voidbeasts lurking in that broken world are the sea creatures circling beneath your flailing feet. There is a reason why I left that place, Noele. I would have destroyed it if I could. But I could not.”
I held her gaze. And she said nothing for a mont. Instead, she chewed her lower lip, taking this in. I crossed my arms, waiting.
“What was that voice?” Noele finally asked. “Back in Whiteridge. A voice spoke to you. It called out to you. You knew what it was.”
“It was the Voidgod,” I said simply. “It’s the manifestation of the Void. Or maybe I have it backwards— the Void is the manifestation of its powers.”
“And it’s the reason why Odell was so… strong?” The blonde girl peered at . “It gave him its strength? Its power?”
“I guess?” I gave her a half-hearted shrug. “I’ll be honest, I have no fucking clue how the Void interacts with Vacuos. All I know is what I experienced firsthand there in the Fractured Realm.”
Noele sat forward, eyeing curiously. “And what did you experience, Alia? What do you know about the Voidgod?”
I took in a deep breath and closed my eyes. “I know that I killed the Voidgod, Noele. I know that I destroyed it before I left the Fractured Realm.”
And her eyes snapped wide. She stared at , getting to her feet. “You… what?”
“Yeah… it’s dead. Or at least, it should be. But it ca back, I guess.” I rubbed a hand on my chin.
“But— how?” Noele stared at with round eyes. She gesticulated wildly as I just sat back. “How did you kill a god? And how is it even coming back? That makes no sense! It should be dead, right?”
I just gave her a flat stare in response. “I an, I did tell you that the Void is endless. So even if I killed the Voidgod a hundred tis, it would never be truly dead.”
“That’s… I—” She bobbed her mouth open and close.
I saw the expression on her face. Then I picked up Bucky who was lying at my feet. I handed the chicken over to the blonde girl. “You know, I think you’re the one who needs an emotional support chicken.”
Bucky just blinked. “Bawk?”
Noele stared back at the chicken, before shaking her head. She slumped back into her seat, burying her face in her hands. I slowly lowered Bucky.
“I… see,” the blonde girl whispered.
Neither of us said anything for a mont, sitting at the dining table in silence. anwhile, Bucky skittered off to the side, before hopping onto the couch. I wondered if I should have stopped the chicken, but I decided that it was probably fine.
Bucky quickly dozed off as I turned back to Noele. The Noble Spellsword raised her head and exhaled.
“I was offered a Class,” she said softly. “The World System gave an early advancent. Even though I only just hit Level 55, I can beco a [Champion].”
“A [Champion]?” I gave her a quizzical look.
She spoke as she held my gaze. “It’s the precursor Class to a [Hero]. If I go down this path, I will beco a [Hero] one day.”
“Oh.” My eyes flickered. I thought of the blue screen that kept pestering — the System’s ssage that tried to impose its will onto .
Noele looked down at the palm of her hand. “I… know you said I should learn to fight with my own strength— that there’s no reason for to rely on the World System for my power. And it has worked. I was only able to defeat Odell and Zevya thanks to your training.”
“I, uh, haven’t taught you much,” I said, shifting in my seat.
“But it’s the truth.” She clenched her fist. She looked back up towards . “I never would’ve learned either my Glorious Noble Slash or Elegant Noble Slash without your help. It was only possible because I t you.”
I scratched the back of my head. “Right…”
“And yet,” Noele continued as she shook her head, “I can’t help but feel like the opportunity to beco a [Champion] isn’t sothing I can pass up.”
Slowly, the blonde girl got to her feet. She walked up to the kitchen window, glancing out at the evening sunset. She gritted her teeth.
“I know I shouldn’t be relying on a Class to grow stronger. I understand that, Alia. But with both the Sect of Abyssal Thorns and the Void threatening Vacuos… I still think… I still think it would be better if I beca—” she started.
“You can accept that Class advancent if you want, Noele,” I said, shifting in my chair to face her. “I’m not going to tell you to reject becoming a [Champion]. It probably doesn’t matter that much. You mainly fight using your Skills anyways, right?”
The Noble Spellsword blinked at . She was taken by surprise at my response. “But… if I beco a [Champion]...”
“As I said, there won’t be too much of a difference for you,” I said simply.
She hesitated. I waved a hand dismissively.
“I know you feel like you’re betraying my training or whatever, but you don’t have to worry about it too much. Just do what you think is best, Noele.”
There was a mont where the blonde girl didn't say anything. Finally, she spoke up. “I just thought… you’d be more disapproving of it,” she said, averting her gaze.
“I don’t disapprove of it.” I vaguely gestured around . “I an, having a Class is completely normal for Vacuos. I’d be the weird one if I reprimanded you for being no different than literally anyone else in this world.”
Still, my words didn’t convince Noele. Not that I even knew what she wanted to hear from . She just fidgeted, before asking another question.
“So… if you were given the chance to be a [Hero]... would you take it?”
And I paused. I stared at Noele as her gaze bore into . It was a simple question, but it made freeze. She tilted her head, waiting for an answer, and I sighed.
“Is sothing wrong?” she prodded with a concerned look.
I just closed my eyes and got to my feet. “Nothing’s wrong.”
I walked up to the blonde girl as she stood there by the window, perplexed. I wondered if I should even say anything. I wasn’t particularly sure how Noele would react. But I had known her for a while now. And I trusted her. At least, I trusted that she wouldn’t react in any outrageous manner.
It was a secret I kept for a while. Mostly because there was no reason for to tell the truth. Partially because I knew that so individuals— like Grat-ra’zun for example— would not take the information too kindly if they’d known what I had been hiding. However, it was finally ti for to co out with it to at least a single individual.
I ca to a halt right before Noele, and she blinked a few tis.
“Uh, Alia—”
“I lied, Noele,” I said, eting her gaze.
She stared at for a mont. “Wait, what are you even talking about?”
I just replied simply, “When I arrived in Vacuos, the System had offered a Class. A single Class. Nothing else. It refused to give any other Class options, no matter what I did. No matter what I do, even now.”
Noele just gave an uncertain look. I shook my head, speaking softly.
“I rejected it because I would never beholden myself to anyone or anything for the sake of power.” I stared deep into her white eyes as I finished. “But the truth is— the System offered the Class of a [Hero].”
And her eyes widened. “What…?”
lasD
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