Chapter 101 A token?

Words : 754 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Noah's eyes were fixed on the man in the pristine suit standing in front of him. Suddenly the man began to walk towards him. The man's movements were precise, almost mechanical, as he reached into his pocket. His face remained expressionless, like he was delivering a package rather than shattering someone's world. "Your parents wished for you to have this," he said, extending his hand. The moonlight caught the metallic surface of the token as it passed between them. Noah's fingers closed around it automatically, the metal cool against his palm. A simple design—a moon crossing over a sun. "They said it would be their last service to you," the man continued, his voice devoid of any emotion. "This will pave your way when you need it most. They wish you well." Then he turned and walked away, footsteps fading into the night, leaving Noah standing there with twelve years of absence condensed into a single piece of metal. 'A coin.' The thought echoed in his head, hollow and bitter. 'A fucking coin.' His fingers tightened around it until the edges bit into his palm. Mrs. Harper's hand on his shoulder felt distant, unreal. 'Twelve years.' Noah stared at the coin, watching it blur as his vision swam. 'Twelve years of nothing. No letters. No calls. Not even a goddamn birthday card.' The rage built slowly, like a wave gathering strength before it crashes. 'You missed everything,' he thought, his jaw clenching. 'The time I broke my arm climbing that stupid tree. When I cried myself to sleep because the other kids had parents at their graduation.' His hand shook. 'Did you even care? Did you ever wonder if I was alive? If I was eating? If I was happy?' The walk back to the dorm passed in a blur. One moment he was leaving the gala, the next he was lying on his bed, still in his grey suit, the fabric wrinkling under his weight. His fingers found the coin in his pocket, rolling it between his knuckles. 'A fucking coin.' The thought sparked something volatile inside him. Before he knew it, he was on his feet, stumbling out of his room, down the stairs, into the empty courtyard. The moon hung overhead, bright and mocking—like the Ark, floating up there somewhere, housing the people who'd thrown away their son for a piece of metal. "IS THIS WHAT I'M WORTH TO YOU?" The scream tore from his throat, raw and primal. "TWELVE YEARS OF NOTHING AND YOU SEND ME A FUCKING COIN?" His voice echoed across the empty campus, everyone else still lost in the gala's festivities. "You want to know what I've been doing?" He was pacing now, gesturing wildly at the sky. "While you were up there playing scientist? I learned to tie my own shoes. I learned to cook my own meals. I learned that parents are supposed to show up when their kid is sick, or scared, or proud of something they did!" Tears streamed down his face, hot and angry. "I'm going to climb every fucking rank there is! I'll become the best soldier this world has ever seen! And when I finally see you both—" His voice cracked. "When I finally see you two... there will be hell to pay!" His knees hit the grass, fingers digging into the earth. Sobs wracked his body, violent and uncontrolled. The perfectly tailored suit was stained with dirt and grass, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Everyone was at the gala. Music drifted faintly across campus, a cruel reminder of the celebration continuing without him. He was alone. Always alone. 'No,' he thought, something dark and desperate clawing at his chest. 'Not always.' There was one thing left. One companion that had never abandoned him. "Domain," he whispered, the word heavy with need. The response was immediate. Dark purple energy materialized around him, pulsing with an otherworldly rhythm. It wrapped around his body like a cocoon, an embrace more real than any his parents had given him in twelve years. As the energy swallowed him whole, taking him into its depths, Noah closed his eyes. At least here, in his Domain, he didn't have to pretend the abandonment didn't cut like a knife. Here, he could let the darkness consume him, if only for a while. He disappeared from sight, leaving behind nothing but trampled grass and the lingering echo of his pain.

Chapter 101 A token?

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