At exactly 10:00 PM, Noah headed to the southern train station closest to his path, leaving Derek behind. He took the train to Sector 1 to catch up with Sirius and Enel at the hospital. Meanwhile, Derek crawled away, pushing himself off the ground with trembling hands to stand. His legs were shaking in fear, and blood dripped from his mouth. In a panic, he reached for his phone and sent an emergency message to one of his companions. Luckily, he got an immediate reply — his friend was coming.
Derek started running toward the southern station, avoiding the one Noah had taken. He staggered as he moved, every step jarring his broken bones and shattered jaw with pain. He groaned with each movement, but he knew — if he wanted to live, he had to keep running.
"...Oh, my supreme king,...Oh pulsating red... please... let me live to spread your hymn to the blasphemous heretics... I want to see your resurrection... the day when the sea and the stars twist and bow before you... when the angels of heaven kneel to you, both above and below..." Derek thought in agony, but his face was glowing with euphoria — blind faith fueling him.
Minutes later, Noah reached Sector 1 and rushed to the main gates, only to be stopped by a guard.
"Where do you think you're going at this hour?" asked one of the guards, shining a flashlight in Noah's face, noticing the blood on his clothes.
"I-I need to get to the hospital. My friend is in critical condition," Noah said nervously, not wanting anything to delay him.
"Your friend is in criti—w-wait, are you Noah Grace?!" the guard said in shock as he recognized him.
"Huh? Y-yeah, how do you know my name?" Noah asked, confused. Then the guard suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him through the gate.
"Don't worry, your friend's condition has stabilized! I'll take you to him!" the guard said as he led Noah to the university hospital.
"Th-thanks…" Noah replied awkwardly, too rushed to question the guard's intentions or words.
"That gambler only forgave me if I led this kid to him. After this, I'll be free," the guard thought.
The guard took Noah past the other guards and receptionists straight to room "207". Without giving Noah a chance to ask anything, he ran off with a look of freedom and relief on his face.
"Everyone's supposed to be here, right?... The guard said Enel's condition is stable, but how? His bones were crushed, even his flesh was mangled… maybe he just said that to calm me down…" Noah thought as he knocked and entered the room. He found Enel lying peacefully in bed. His hands were wrapped in medical bandages, but everything else looked fine. The critical wounds Noah couldn't heal with a potion had been expertly treated, like His body had regenerated itself without stitches or surgery. Standing beside him were Sirius and Neriah, both turning as Noah walked in.
"Noah, what the hell is this state you in?" Neriah said, half-jokingly, at the sight of Noah's bloodied clothes.
"He's right, you should've just gone home and come back tomorrow. You must be exhausted," Sirius said as he walked up close to Noah, getting uncomfortably near, then leaned in toward his ear.
"Don't worry about what happened. I'll take care of the rest," Sirius whispered gently, referring to whoever had kidnapped Enel, then stepped back to give Noah some space.
"H-how is he healed so fast? He was in way worse shape when I left him!" Noah asked, pointing at Enel, not even fully processing Sirius's words yet — his mind was fixed on Enel's recovery.
"Oh, he was treated by the best healer in our university — one of the council of four, the 'Ninth Mercy,' September Valen," Neriah explained. Noah's head filled with questions: Who are the council of four? How did she heal him so quickly? But the most shocking thought struck him—
"S-September Valen?!" Noah exclaimed, stunned. September, the sweet girl who worked the reception desk at the Sector 2 "Mashriq" Library, had healed Enel?
"Did someone call me?" said a voice behind him. Everyone turned — September stood there, wearing a clean white doctor's coat and her usual round glasses. Her sky-blue eyes met Noah's for a second, then shifted to the patient.
"I told you to let him rest while he heals. Why are you all so stubborn?" September said, walking past Noah as if she didn't know him.
"I-is she pretending not to know me?" Noah wondered anxiously. She was probably upset about how he had treated her at the library.
"If you're going to stay, then keep it down. Another injured patient arrived a few minutes ago. He's in the room next door… so keep your voices low," September warned, then glanced sideways at Noah, signaling him to step out. She exited immediately after.
"She's such a weird old lady," Neriah said sarcastically, plopping into a nearby chair.
"Old lady?" Noah asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, she looks even older than Neriah. With those wrinkles, she could be in her 60s," Sirius joked, mocking both Neriah and September, which only made Neriah glare harder.
"Wrinkles? What the hell are they talking about? She looks younger than all of us!" Noah thought, still confused.
"I-I'm going to get some fresh air," Noah said. Neriah and Sirius both gave him a thumbs up. Noah stepped outside, following where September had gone, but didn't find her at the university entrance.
"Where could she be? She signaled me to come out, didn't she?" he thought, looking around.
Then Noah felt a hand grab his arm and yank him into a nearby corner — a blind spot on the cameras thanks to a thick pillar.
"Wha—" Noah gasped, but September slapped her hand over his mouth.
"Shut up," she whispered, peeking around to make sure the guards were gone. She sighed in relief and removed her hand from his mouth.
"W-what's wrong with you?" Noah asked nervously.
"Hmm… What's wrong with me? what's wrong with you?" September asked sharply, looking at him from the corner of her eyes.
"W-what do you mean?"
"…How do you see me? Do I look old to you now?" she asked curiously, leaning in to examine his eyes.
"U-uh, I see you like I always do at the library," Noah replied awkwardly, stepping back until his back hit the pillar.
"That's… how? Don't I look like an old woman to you? No wrinkles? You see me as a young girl? That's impossible....What kind of eyes do you have?" she asked, genuinely curious and a bit wary.
"Is there something wrong with that?" Noah asked, confused.
"Yes. Absolutely yes. You're seeing through my spiritual manipulation," September said seriously. But Noah just looked even more lost. She sighed in frustration and stepped back.
"Don't tell anyone what I'm about to say, understood?" she said firmly. Noah nodded anxiously.
"...My ability doesn't really let me heal others. It lets me manipulate others' souls… the soul is the mirror of the body, and when the body hurts, the soul trembles silently, waiting for hands to mend both… I am those hands. My ability, "Patchie-Patch", allows me to reshape the damaged soul back into its original form — that's how I healed your friend," she explained.
"Soul manipulation… isn't that one of the powers that touch the layers of existence, like body, space, and time? Touching a layer reshapes the world; surpassing it denies what the world believes is real... but…" Noah thought. He still had questions — especially the one he asked next.
"What does that have to do with me seeing you as young?"
"…Since I can manipulate the shape of souls, I slightly alter the soul-eyes of those around me, just enough to make them see me as an old woman… but you… why the hell can you see me as I really am? I tried altering your soul in the room along with the others, and it worked on them — but not you ...Something… blocked me," she said, uneasy.
"Something's wrong with my soul? What does that even mean? Am I sick or something? Or maybe she just made a mistake?" Noah thought nervously, smiling awkwardly.
"Only those stronger than me or with stronger souls can resist my manipulation… and there's no way you're stronger than me. You're barely a C-rank.... So your soul… that's the only explanation. It's like a darkness stood between me and your soul," September said, clearly disturbed.
"A darkness?... Could this be related to selene?" Noah wondered, remembering the time she used dark energy to try to kill him on the beach.
"Looks like she's helping me? But… is this really help? Maybe she's just shy and wants to support me...Cute," he thought with a light smile.
"What the hell are you smiling at?!"
———————
Inside the hospital, Sirius and Neriah sat near Enel's bed in silence. Eventually, Sirius broke it.
"His name's Derek Miller. I saw it through Noey-kun," Sirius said to Neriah.
"Didn't I tell you to stop reading your friends without permission?" Neriah grumbled, though deep down he was glad to know who hurt Enel.
"It was urgent. And Noey-kun is always guarded around me, barely showing anything. This must be a gap caused by the pressure he went through," Sirius explained.
"Also, that other patient the Ninth Mercy mentioned earlier — I'm sure it's him. I also saw that Noey-kun beat him so badly even his mother wouldn't recognize him," Sirius said, impressed and almost proud.
"I'd say I didn't expect this from Noah… but I wouldn't expect you to get attached to someone who didn't have a violent side. Anyway, are you waiting for my go-ahead?...Do what you do best," Neriah said, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling.
"That's what I love to hear, Neri-chan!" Sirius replied playfully, then got up and headed to the door.
"Don't forget to write his name," Neriah said as Sirius left the room.
Sirius headed to the next room — where the other patient September mentioned was being treated. He leaned an ear against the door to listen. It was silent.
"You don't deserve a song, Derek. I'll make an exception this time. Usually, those who annoy me get tortured — but we're in a crowded place, so that'll be tough. Still… I'm glad Noey-kun did what he did. And I'm glad he doesn't feel guilty. Guilt doesn't suit those who bring justice to the system," Sirius thought, opening the door to find Derek fast asleep, likely sedated — there's no way he'd sleep after Noah threats.
Sirius stood over the unconscious Derek, who was totally unaware of the world around him. He smiled mischievously.
"Your story ends today, side character."