Chương 64: Hatred

After the Group One qualifier, Noah collapsed. He remained unconscious for three days. When he finally opened his eyes, every part of his body ached. His muscles felt torn apart, his bones throbbed, and even breathing hurt. But something unfamiliar rested beside him on the bed. A wooden sword. It had been carved with remarkable care, every edge smooth and perfectly shaped. Along the flat of the blade was a name. Noah Crest. Beside it, another message had been carefully engraved. Carpe Noctem. Seize the night.

Noah did not need to ask who had left it. He spent the next five days recovering, often lying in bed with the wooden sword held across his chest. He had finally met the man whose name he carried. The Hero whose shadow had followed him since birth. And despite everything Noah Crest had accomplished, the Sixth Hero had left behind something simple. Not a weapon. Not an order. A gift.

On the fifth day of Noah's recovery, letters were distributed throughout Lævateinn announcing the sixteen fighters who had survived the qualifiers. Everyone gathered around the list. Ava read through it first. Then she looked at Noah and laughed.

"Damn. It looks like everyone except you had an easy qualifier." Noah crossed his arms.

"It's not my fault I got unlucky and had to fight a previous Hero." His voice carried a faint pout. Ava smiled.

"You did extraordinarily well." Leonardo studied another sheet containing the tournament's betting odds.

"On the bright side, you've moved up in the betting pool." Noah perked up.

"Really?"

"Of the sixteen remaining competitors, you're ranked twelfth." Noah's expression fell.

"Twelfth?" Leonardo chuckled.

"I expected you to be dead last, so this is an improvement." Cyrus adjusted his glasses.

"That little light show probably helped." Noah frowned at him.

"Little?"

"It was visible across the entire city," Cyrus said.

"But I didn't want your ego growing any larger." Ava snatched the bracket from Leonardo's hands.

"Alright, come on." Her crimson eyes shone with excitement.

"Let's see the matchups." Everyone leaned closer. The first round of the tournament had been decided. Fight One — Noah Fafnir vs. Ava Starbell Noah and Ava both went still. Then they slowly looked at each other. Ava smiled. Noah felt his stomach sink. Fight Two — Nox Ōkami vs. Elijah Ōkami Nox's fox ears twitched as he stared at the familiar surname. Fight Three — Amber Hallow vs. Josephine Crest Cyrus's expression grew slightly more serious. One of Helheim's generals against one of the Emperor's children.

Fight Four — Moria Blackwood vs. Nikolai Hermes Noah's eyes narrowed at Nikolai's name. Fight Five — Deer Man vs. Augustus Crest Leonardo stared at the first name for a long moment.

"Deer Man? Seriously? He's here too?" Nobody answered. Fight Six — Alaric Sanguine vs. Damian Hart Alaric smiled calmly, showing no concern about Damian Hart despite him being one of the Emperor's most trusted subordinates. Fight Seven — Adam Willow vs. Mona Gemella The room grew quiet. Noah's fingers tightened around the wooden sword resting beside him. Adam. At last, they had confirmation. He was competing. Fight Eight — Leonardo Jupiter vs. Charlie Jupiter Charlie stared at the final matchup.

Then he slowly turned toward his older brother. Leonardo smiled. Charlie looked back down at the bracket.

"As expected." He sighed.

"Hell from the very beginning." Leonardo rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry. I'll try not to embarrass you too badly." Charlie looked at him.

"That somehow made it worse." Noah set the wooden sword aside and leaned forward.

"Alright. Let's discuss what we know about the other fighters." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. The room quieted.

"We need to make sure The Crows don't obtain Everfall." Nox stared at the second matchup.

"I've heard of Elijah." His white ears lowered slightly.

"He was a wandering assassin, although he disappeared a few years ago." Noah glanced at him. Nox's gaze remained fixed on the familiar family name.

"Like me, he was abandoned by our mother." Cyrus placed a hand on his shoulder. Nox did not react, but he did not pull away either. Noah looked toward the next fight.

"Amber Hallow against Josephine Crest." Cyrus adjusted his glasses.

"I'm positive Amber will win." His confidence was immediate.

"The only two of Valor's children I would consider genuine threats are Fraser and Maria." Leonardo folded his arms.

"About that." Everyone turned toward him.

"Fraser is here." Cyrus's eyes narrowed. Leonardo pointed toward the fifth matchup.

"Deer Man." Noah stared at the name again.

"You're serious?"

"Unfortunately." Leonardo nodded.

"After abandoning his claim as crown prince, Fraser became the Mercenary King, always wearing the head of a deer to hide his face." Alaric smiled faintly.

"Nowadays, he's also a fellow professor at the Heroes Academy." Noah blinked.

"What does he teach?"

"Law." Noah looked back at the name Deer Man.

"That somehow raises more questions."

"It usually does," Leonardo said. Ava studied the fourth matchup.

"Nikolai against Moria Blackwood." Noah's expression darkened at Nikolai's name.

"That should be an interesting combination." He tapped the page.

"One of Erzabet's sisters against a member of the family that practically worshipped Sirius Blackwood." Lux, floating nearby, gave a quiet hum.

"Interesting is one word for it." Noah glanced toward her, but she did not explain. Ava remained silent. Her eyes stayed on the bracket, though she did not appear to be reading it anymore. Her fingers tightened around the edge of the paper. Then she looked toward Noah.

"Hey." Noah noticed the worry in her face immediately.

"Can I talk to you in private?" The room grew slightly quieter.

"Away from everyone else," Ava added softly. Noah nodded.

"Sure." He stood carefully, his body still sore from the qualifier.

"Let's talk." Ava turned toward the door. Noah followed her from the room, leaving the others gathered around the bracket. Neither of them spoke until they reached an empty hallway. Then Ava stopped. Her back remained turned toward him. Noah waited. Whatever Ava wanted to say, she was clearly struggling to force the words out.

"Ava?" Her shoulders tensed. When she finally looked back at him, the excitement she had shown over their upcoming fight was gone. Only fear remained.

"You know how I've been training with Erzabet for the past few months?" Noah nodded slowly. Ava's heart pounded against her chest.

"Nikolai joined us several times." Her fingers curled at her sides.

"Erzabet threatened to kill me if I told anyone what happened during those sessions." Noah's expression darkened.

"She said she would turn me into some kind of meat-based alternative to parmesan cheese." Noah stared at her.

"What does that even mean?"

"I don't know, and I was too afraid to ask." Despite the absurdity of the threat, Ava did not smile.

"But I can't keep quiet anymore." She stepped closer.

"Nikolai Hermes is Lupin." Noah froze. Ava swallowed.

"The Wing of Gluttony." The hallway seemed to grow colder. Noah remembered Nikolai's golden eyes. His hatred toward the Fafnir family. The way Fortuna had called him her uncle.

"Then that little girl I saw with him…" His voice lowered.

"She's probably Labyrinth." Noah's jaw tightened. Another Crow had been standing directly in front of him, smiling, while he unknowingly returned one of their members to his care. But Ava still had not said everything. She reached forward and took both of Noah's hands.

"Secondly…" Her voice trembled.

"I need you to brace yourself for what I'm about to tell you." Noah's unease sharpened.

"Wh-what?" Ava looked down at their joined hands.

"I found out what happened to your father's corpse." Noah went completely still. His grip tightened around her fingers. For months, he had tried not to think about it. Walter's body, missing from the ruins of Gram. The Crows had taken him. The absence of any remains to bury. Noah's voice became barely audible.

"What happened to him?" Ava forced herself to look into his eyes.

"Nikolai ate him." The words cut deeper than any blade. Noah's breath stopped. Ava's eyes filled with tears.

"They gave your father's corpse to him, and he…" Her voice cracked.

"He desecrated Walter's body." Noah released her hands. Not violently. They simply slipped from his grasp as his fingers began to tremble.

"I'm so sorry," Ava whispered. Noah stared at the floor. For several seconds, he felt nothing. Then the image formed in his mind. His father's body. Nikolai tearing into it. Laughing. Calling Walter a meal. Something inside Noah broke. Hatred flooded his eyes. Pure. Dark. Unlike anything Ava had ever seen in him. The black spots across Noah's skin began to pulse. The air around him trembled as if his body could not contain his rage. Ava reached toward him.

"Noah…"

"If I meet him during the tournament…" Noah's voice was quiet. Too quiet.

"I might kill him." He lifted his head. His green eyes burned with fury.

"I don't think I can spare him." Ava watched him carefully. She knew Noah. She knew how deeply he hated taking lives. How desperately he searched for something worth saving in every monster he faced.

"I understand," she said softly. Noah clenched his trembling hands.

"I hate killing." The words sounded painful now.

"I hate deciding that someone doesn't deserve to live." He thought of The Doctor. His mother's corpse. His father's remains being treated like food.

"But I can't forgive every monster." Darkness gathered around his fingers.

"Some of them don't want forgiveness." His voice hardened.

"They only want another chance to hurt someone." Ava remained beside him. Noah looked toward the distant arena, where the tournament bracket had already decided their paths.

"Nikolai Hermes." Hatred dripped from every syllable.

"I will crush you in this tournament." The Lion King of Heroes roared faintly from within him.

"And if you stand before me without regret…" Noah's eyes narrowed.

"I'll make sure my father is the last person you ever touch."