Chapter 123 A day well spent

Words : 1384 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

The sunset painted the campus in amber and gold, and Noah couldn't help but notice how the light caught in Sophie's hair as they lounged beside her Clexus. The hover-car's gentle hum reminded him of everything she represented – wealth, power, a world he'd never truly understand. But for now, they were teasing. "I still can't believe you tapped out first," Noah smirked, leaning against the cool metal of the Clexus. Sophie scoffed, crossing her arms. "Excuse me? I think we both know who tapped first." Noah chuckled. "You sure about that? Because I distinctly remember—" "I swear to God, Noah, don't even try it," she cut in, but the grin tugging at her lips betrayed her. Their playful back-and-forth had been like this since leaving her apartment. Their own little game. But then Sophie sighed, her expression shifting. "Okay, real talk." Noah straightened, sensing the change in tone. "My dad wants to know when we're doing that dinner." Noah froze. He had fought Harbingers on hostile planets. Stared down the gaping maws of Category 3 beasts. He had thrown himself into battle without hesitation, knowing that one mistake meant death. But sitting at a dinner table with Minister Reign? His mouth went dry. "Sophie," he started, exhaling slowly. "I need a bit of time to prepare for that. I hope you understand." She studied him for a moment, then nodded with a small smile. "Of course, Noah. I know it's a lot. Springing this on you, I mean. The whole reason we even connected in the first place was because neither of us wanted the attention. Or the expectations. And now, I'm putting you right in the line of fire." Noah reached out, brushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "I'm happy to go through this with you. Just... let me figure out how to not die from anxiety first." Sophie laughed softly before leaning in. Their lips met, the soft hum of her Clexus the only background noise in the quiet moment. Then someone cleared their throat. Sophie tensed immediately, her posture shifting from soft intimacy to defensive alertness. She was the one facing the dorm area. She saw him first. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice sharper than before. Noah turned, and the moment his eyes landed on the figure standing a few feet away, he understood her reaction. Raven. The kid from 1A. Everyone knew that fight. Noah Eclipse vs. Raven. It had been one of the most talked-about clashes on campus. "Zombie Boy" versus one of 1A's finest. Noah saw the way Sophie's entire body remained rigid, ready. He had to calm her down. "It's alright," he said, placing a hand on her arm. "We're good now." She snapped her gaze to him, brows furrowing. "Wait. What? How?" Noah shrugged. "We just are." Sophie stared at him like he had just said the sky was green. How did boys even work? One minute, they were literally trying to kill each other. The next, they were what—best buds? Raven, standing a little awkwardly, lifted a shy hand in a wave. Noah caught that and couldn't help but smirk. He sometimes forgot just how much of a star Sophie actually was. It wasn't just that she was the prettiest girl in the entire academy. She was also Sophie Reign—the daughter of the Minister of Defense. She was practically untouchable. Raven, like most, probably didn't even know how to act around her. Noah, however, clocked something else. The backpack. Raven raised an eyebrow slightly, the unspoken signal clear. 'Right, Business,' Noah turned back to Sophie, stepping in to hug her. "I'll see you later tonight, okay?" Before he could pull away, she grabbed his wrist. Then she kissed him again, this time softer. More deliberate. When she pulled back, her lips were barely a breath away from his ear as she whispered, "Be careful." Noah blinked. Sophie pulled back, but her grip remained firm. "Rivalries in the academy don't just settle like that," she said, her eyes flicking toward Raven. "Something about this doesn't sit right with me." She wasn't wrong. But Noah felt she was just being paranoid. "I know Raven," he reassured her. "We're past all that now." Sophie didn't look convinced. His dragon and wyvern. They were the real reason he needed these cores. And he was running out. That was the problem. Storm had been eating like crazy the last time he checked, and now that he thought about it, he should've noticed the signs. The wyvern was getting close to evolving. Which meant his supply wouldn't last. Then what? Raven got him what he could, but it wasn't enough. If only he could tell him why—tell him everything. That he had a system only he could see. That he had two mystical beasts locked inside an interdimensional domain. That if he didn't keep them fed, all hell would break loose. But yeah. That would go over well. Noah chuckled. The whole city was still in shock over what happened at School 8 the night before. They hadn't even seen anything, and they were panicking. Military scanners went crazy the moment Nyx showed up near the 8th academy. If just the dragon's presence caused that much chaos... What would a hungry Nyx have them doing? Evacuating? Changing planets? The news kept spinning theories, trying to classify the energy. They knew it was a beast, but it didn't fit their system. Not a Category 5. Not something they could define. And that alone was terrifying. Even to Noah. Because Nyx? Nyx wasn't even done growing. Noah stepped into the dorm and tossed the tablet onto Kelvin's desk. "Take a look. Just see what's wrong with it." Kelvin barely glanced up from his own tablet, eyes flicking over the device before finally picking it up. His brows furrowed. "Since when do you own a tablet?" 'Right. Should've expected that question.' "It's not mine," Noah admitted. Kelvin snorted. "Obviously. Whose is it?" "Raven's." Kelvin immediately looked disgusted and threw the tablet back on the desk. "Then why am I touching it?" Noah sighed. "Just check it out. Apparently, it has some bug he can't fix." Kelvin folded his arms. "Raven, Mr. I'm-Too-Good-for-1B, came to you for help?" Noah shrugged. "Guess he trusts me." Kelvin scoffed. "Sounds like a dumbass move." Noah chuckled. It really was. Kelvin finally picked up the tablet again, muttering under his breath as he turned it on. Noah exhaled, already heading for the door. "I'll be back. Just need to handle something real quick." Kelvin smirked. "Sophie?" Noah saw the look on his face and instantly knew what his friend was thinking. Still, he said, "No." Kelvin leaned back. "You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?" Noah waved him off. "Sure, sure." "I'm serious." Kelvin's tone shifted. "You haven't been yourself since the cave incident. Always moving, always busy. We barely even hang out anymore." Noah paused at the door, then closed it and sat on Kelvin's bed. 'Haven't been myself?' He hadn't noticed. But thinking about it now... Between keeping the Void System and his unlikely pets a secret, he had shifted his routine. Days with Sophie, nights in his domain practicing chi circulation. He still hadn't gotten a system quest, which meant no way to improve his stats. 'Damn. Have I really been ghosting him?' He looked up, smirking. "Arcade's still open, you know that?" Kelvin mirrored the smirk. "That where you were headed?" Noah hesitated. He'd been planning to meet Lucas about the mole situation, see if he had any breakthroughs. But Kelvin didn't need to know that. So he shrugged. "No. You were right. I was heading to Sophie's. But I guess one night hanging out with my bro wouldn't hurt." Kelvin tossed Raven's tablet onto the bed, grabbed his own, and pulled on a hoodie. Together, they stepped out of the dorm, locking it with their key cards.

Chapter 123 A day well spent

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