Chapter 157: Ch 157: Sending them out

The pair tensed as soon as they realised that they were no longer alone. There was someone else inside here with them.

Alan got ready to attack, and his power gathered inside his hand, ready to knock the other person out. But the second he tried to attack, his limbs felt too heavy to move.

"Tsk, I know I told you both to poke your noses around a lot and recall your past, but do you truly have to put yourself at risk like this? Noah is already too worried about you as it is."

Erin’s familiar voice startled the pair, but their relief was evident on their faces. They let out a sigh of relief before walking towards him.

"What is going on here? I have never seen our teachers behaving like this. It’s almost as if they are getting ready to carry out a large-scale experiment—"

"They are. But there is no need to worry about it. It is not going to hurt anyone."

Somehow, the pair could not get themselves to believe Erin’s words.

They had no grounds to doubt him, but something still felt off about his words and the tone he used to say this.

"I see..."

The pause felt awkward, and both sides did not know what to say anymore. Finally, Erin decided to break the silence, and he looked at the pair in front of him with a searching expression.

"Are you here to look into your past? Want another hint?"

Erin asked, and Daniel felt like he should say no. But their professor was the reason they had made this much progress in the first place.

Could they even make any without him around?

Alan had a sour look on his face, and he looked ready to say no immediately, but Daniel replied before Alan could this time.

"You want to help us? Why are you being so kind and helpful to us?"

Erin let out a frustrated sigh and replied quickly.

"To keep you away from Noah for longer. The more time you spend finding your past, the busier you are. This is all ultimately for Noah’s sake."

Erin reminded the pair, and that was the breaking point for Alan.

"Fine! Give us that clue. We might as well check it out quickly and get back to Noah’s side. Remember, the only reason I am choosing to remain calm is because of Noah’s condition. But the second I find my past and find a way to be with Noah, the first one I will get rid of is you."

Alan said that as a promise, but Erin only smiled at him in that pleasant way.

"Sure, go ahead if you are able to."

The uneasiness did not go away, but it was enough for Alan and Daniel to finally leave.

They could not help but feel like they were falling into another trap here. But they had no choice but to fall into it if they wanted to find the truth and reclaim their place beside Noah.

But little did they realise that this was a carefully laid trap with no way out. They were dancing to Erin’s tune this whole time without even realising it themselves.

...

Erin watched the esper-guide pair leave with a heavy sigh. He did not mean to give them more information than needed, but he needed them out of here for now.

The final experiment would be held tomorrow, and Erin had poured more than enough life force into the artefact that he was going to hand Noah.

It was finally time to set him free.

But he needed to make sure neither Alan nor Daniel would be around to bind Noah with. And with the help of some manipulation as well as his own abilities, he would be able to deceive Noah.

Erin was going to create a beautiful illusion for Noah where Alan and Daniel were together, and Noah no longer needed to look after them. Instead, he would be free to live his own life.

Meanwhile, the rest of the world would believe that both Noah and Erin died during this failed experiment, and Noah would finally attain freedom.

It was a shame that Erin wouldn’t be able to keep his promise of being free with Noah, but a few sacrifices needed to be made for the greater good, right?

"Well, I should head back to my room for now and make final adjustments to the plan—"

His vision blurred for a second, causing him to stagger. It was a miracle he had not felt any stronger side effects after draining his energy out of his body.

Erin steadied himself against the wall and closed his eyes, waiting for the dizziness to pass before he tried to move again.

His body felt strangely light, almost as if something important had been removed from within him, but he knew better than to mistake that feeling for relief.

’I still have enough time.’

He took a slow breath and forced himself to stand properly. There was no room for weakness now, not when everything had finally reached this point.

He reached into his pocket and touched the small artefact he had prepared for Noah. The object was warm against his palm, carrying the last remnants of the life force he had poured into it.

A faint smile appeared on Erin’s face.

’Just one more day, Noah. After tomorrow, you will finally be free.’

He knew that Noah might hate him once everything was over. Perhaps Noah would never forgive him for lying, manipulating him, and keeping the truth hidden until the very end.

But Erin could accept that.

He had already decided that being hated by Noah was far better than watching him die in the Labs again.

Erin pushed himself away from the wall and started walking towards his room, though every step felt heavier than the last.

He just had to hold on for a few more hours and this nightmare would be over for his companion. Just a few more hours...