Chapter 18 Papa Dragon

Words : 1465 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

The first thing Noah noticed was the squeak of wheels. The sound came and went, accompanied by urgent whispers that seemed to float around him like moths. "—impossible, his heart was—" "—never seen anything like—" "—get him to surgery now—" Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, creating a strobing effect that made the masked faces above him seem distorted and alien. Then darkness took him again. When consciousness finally returned properly, it came with the steady beep of medical monitors and the sterile smell of antiseptic. Noah's eyes fluttered open to find himself in a hospital room, the academy's distinctive emblem – a sword wrapped in void energy – mounted on the far wall. A nurse bustled around the foot of his bed, organizing supplies in a metal tray. When Noah tried to push himself up, the nurse turned and held him down. "Please stay still," the nurse said firmly. "You have stitches in your chest cavity. Moving around could tear them." Noah glanced down at his chest. Sure enough, a neat line of stitches ran down his clavicle, close to his left lower pectorals, the skin around them pink and new. Strangely though, there was no pain – just a vague pressure when he moved. 'Must be on some serious painkillers,' he thought. His mind felt foggy, filled with bizarre images that seemed to slip away the moment he tried to focus on them. Something about darkness... and a dragon? The memories were like trying to hold onto smoke. "Where..." his voice came out raspy. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Where are the others? Lila?" Before the nurse could answer, the door opened and Lila herself hobbled in. Noah's eyes widened at the sight of her. She wore a cast on one arm and another on her leg, but she was smiling – a strange, almost guilty smile. "You're finally awake," she said, making her way to the chair beside his bed. "This past week has been... rough. Especially knowing you ended up here because of me." "A week?!" Noah's voice cracked. "I've been out for a week?" Lila nodded. "After the teachers called off the hunt and came for us. Kelvin and Cora helped them find us in time. Though you were..." she trailed off, her smile faltering. "How are you holding up?" Noah asked quickly, not wanting to dwell on whatever she'd been about to say. "The healers say I'll be rid of these casts in a day or two." She tapped the cast on her arm. "Void energy healing technology – works wonders, doesn't it?" Noah's head throbbed at the words 'void energy.' For a moment, he saw flashes of darkness, felt cold power rushing through him. But that was just a dream, wasn't it? Just his brain spinning stories while he was unconscious. 'Child of the void,' he thought with a bitter smile. 'Right. And I suppose I have a pet dragon too?' The door opened again, and Miss Brooks strode in. His homeroom teacher looked as stern as ever, her grey suit immaculate despite the late hour suggested by the darkness outside his window. "I see you are finally conscious. That's good to see," Miss Brooks said with a straight face. Not conveying that much joy at all. "Thank you," Noah said quickly. "For saving us." Miss Brooks's expression didn't change. "Your team saved you, Mr. Eclipse. We merely provided transport back to the academy." The way she said his name made Noah's skin prickle. Something about her tone... "Rest and recover," she continued, already turning to leave. At the door, she paused. "Once you're cleared by medical, we need to have a discussion about what happened in that cave." The door clicked shut behind her, leaving Noah with a strange feeling in his chest that had nothing to do with his stitches. That dream about the void... why did it feel so real? And why did Miss Brooks's words feel less like concern and more like a warning? He glanced at Lila, who was staring at the closed door with an unreadable expression. 'What really happened in that cave?' he wondered. But somehow, he had a feeling the answer would be more complicated than he was ready to handle. The next morning brought change as swift as it was unexpected. The nurse who came to check his stitches stopped short, her eyes widening as she peeled back the bandage. "This is... impossible," she muttered, probing gently at what should have been fresh wounds. Instead, she found fully healed skin, pink and new. "We'll need to do a scan, just to be certain." The scan came and went quickly, followed by his discharge papers. Noah was still processing the news when Lila and Kelvin walked in.@@@@ "Well, if it isn't the dead man himself!" Kelvin grinned, continuing his joke from yesterday's visit. "Ready to rejoin the land of the living?" "Are you sure it's safe?" Lila asked, eyeing the spot where his wounds had been. Noah raised an eyebrow. "What, you two better healers than the medical staff now?" "Excuse me for being concerned," Kelvin shot back. "There was a spike the size of a javelin through you, remember?" They all laughed, though Noah noticed the way Lila's smile didn't quite reach her eyes. Walking across campus felt surreal after being confined to the hospital bed. The afternoon sun painted everything in warm colors, making the academy's gleaming buildings look almost welcoming. [Class: Void Walker] [Talents:] Void Summoning [SSS RANK] Perfect Echo [Sealed] [Skills:] Void Blink (Level 1) - Short-range teleportation through void spaces Null Strike (Level 1) - Channel void energy into devastating attacks [Attributes:] Strength: 10 Agility: 12 Vitality: 8 Intelligence: 15 Wisdom: 11 "HOLY SHIT!" Noah's voice cracked as excitement flooded his chest. "It's real! It's all real!" He was about to let himself be consumed by sheer elation when he heard a soft, raspy sound. Turning toward the noise, he froze. A small, reptilian creature sat in the grass, tilting its head as it gazed up at him with intelligent, glowing red eyes. Its scales shimmered like molten lava, deep red with streaks of black running along its back. Two tiny horns jutted from its head, and a pair of leathery wings fluttered slightly, too small to support flight just yet since it was still a hatchling. Despite its nature, the dragon had an almost innocent curiosity to it as it stared at Noah. A grin broke across Noah's face. "You're a cutie, aren't you?" The hatchling mewled softly in response, blinking up at him. Noah crouched down, examining it closer. "Guess you need a name, huh? Let's see..." He scratched his head, throwing out ideas. "Ark? No, too plain. Star? Doesn't really fit... Eclipse? Nah, that's already my thing." Noah stared at the tiny dragon – its red scales that seemed to shift like liquid metal. The hatchling let out another plaintive meow, more kitten than dragon. 'Red? No, too obvious. Phoenix? Nah, too cliché...' He watched as it tried to walk on wobbly legs, stumbling slightly before catching itself with surprising grace. Despite its size, there was something ancient and powerful in its movements, like watching a storm contained in a teacup. It was simply too adorable. Then it hit him. "Nyx," he whispered. The dragon's head snapped up, ruby eyes fixing on him with startling intensity. 'Perfect. Named after the primordial goddess of night. Not too obvious, but fitting for a void walker's companion.' The hatchling – Nyx – chirped approvingly before its stomach let out an audible growl. [Warning: Hatchling requires sustenance within the next hour] [Recommended: Beast cores or equivalent energy source] Noah ran a hand through his hair. 'Great. Just great. I finally confirm all this is real, and now I need to somehow find beast cores before my dragon starves,' He glanced around his domain. The landscape was beautiful but distinctly lacking in anything he could feed to a hungry dragon. And he couldn't exactly walk up to the academy's supply office and ask for beast cores without raising about a thousand questions. Nyx wobbled over to him, bumping its head against his leg. Despite its fearsome heritage, right now it just looked... helpless. 'There has to be a way,' he thought. 'Maybe...' But before he could follow that train of thought, another message flashed: [Time Remaining: 55 minutes] 'Well,' Noah thought wryly, 'at least now I know for sure I'm not crazy. We need to get you food!' he said taking the dragon up in his arms.

Chapter 18 Papa Dragon

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