Chapter 30 Stranger unveiled.

Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Stranger unveiled.

Rushing back to his dorm, Noah locked the door behind him and slowly slid down to the floor. On his way there, students had thrown all kinds of objects at him.

"You’re an evil person! You should be expelled!" they screamed. Others tried hurling stones. Noah had attempted to defend himself using the same wave of power that had surged through him the previous night, but nothing came. The abilities that had saved him before refused to appear when he needed them most.

Thankfully, Rose and Lamia had come running after him, determined to calm him down. They arrived just in time to see a stone flying toward him and a growing group of students with various affinities closing in.

Lamia conjured fire with a fierce look in his eyes, incinerating the rocks before they could reach Noah. When the attackers tried to get closer, Rose unleashed a powerful wind spell that knocked them all to the ground with violent force.

"Is this what you want to do? Bully him just because your so-called princess said something? You are all so dumb." Lamia gritted his teeth, his confidence growing faster than Noah had ever seen. Rose moved to his side and pulled him into a tight hug.

"We were almost too late. What would have happened if they had actually struck you?" Tears streamed down her face as she spoke.

"I hate seeing you like this. I hate that bitch Sylvia too. I want to kill her, to end whatever darkness is inside her. How could she do that to you?" Noah felt a pang of guilt at her words. She was incredibly sweet, and her loyalty—something he had once dismissed as foolish—felt like the most beautiful gift he had received. Apart from his sister, he had never had anyone like this in his life. No real friends from his past.

"You can’t keep protecting me. Both of you have bright futures ahead. I can’t drag you down with me. Just let me go." By then, Lamia had scattered the remaining attackers. Once they realized the pair were powerful witches, the group fled without looking back.

Lamia took Noah’s hands gently. "I’m more active because of you. I owe you this. I came out of my shell and found real confidence thanks to you. I admire your resilience and want to be more like you. Don’t you see how commanding you can be? That talk you gave Sylvia before the assembly was everything. I don’t regret becoming your friend. We haven’t said it officially, but we are friends, and we’re meant to face this together." His eyes glistened with unshed tears. Noah usually disliked being touched, but he allowed it this time.

These days, he had been breaking so many of his old rules that he wondered if he was still the same person. The old Noah wouldn’t have befriended Lamia simply because of his background. He also wouldn’t have tolerated Rose’s sharp tongue. But now, inhabiting Ashton’s body—a body tied to a complicated past—he understood what it felt like to walk in someone else’s shoes. He knew the weight of rejection and the struggles the less privileged carried, the same burdens he had once ignored.

"Aww, guys, that’s so sweet. Exactly what I needed right now. But I really want to be alone. I have a lot to think about." They looked at him with concern before pulling him into a group hug.

"Don’t overthink it. Just be on time for the dean’s office. About what Sylvia said, I won’t let anything happen to you. Even if I have to use my influence, you’re not going anywhere. If anyone gets punished, it should be that bitch—but they won’t touch her." Noah remembered then that Sylvia was the emperor’s ward. No one was allowed to harm someone in her position.

He wasn’t in the mood to dwell on her. He needed space from the toxic energy surrounding him. He had run all the way to his dorm without stopping, relieved to find his roommate absent. That made it easier to drop his worries, at least for a moment.

***

Still sitting on the floor, Noah looked around the quiet room and sighed deeply.

"Why did you have to die, Ashton? You should have fought harder. At least then I wouldn’t be stuck cleaning up your messy life." At times, he felt like he was doomed to fix all the terrible things Ashton had done. The weight of someone else’s mistakes pressed heavily on him.

His eyes grew heavy with exhaustion, and he drifted off to sleep. Almost immediately, he sensed the same familiar presence he had encountered before. A light lemon scent filled the air. This time, the figure drew closer to the bed, its arms nearly brushing his legs as it crawled forward and stopped right in front of him.

"I have been waiting for you once more." Noah blinked, but unlike previous encounters, he felt no fear. Instead, he found himself drawn to the stranger’s intense allure.

"Yes, you can. Can I at least see your face?" It was a bold request. If this being planned to kill him, he wanted to know the face of his potential killer.

The figure smiled. Noah didn’t see it clearly but somehow felt it—a strange sensation, sensing a smile without visual confirmation.

"Are you sure you can handle seeing my face?" Noah shrugged.

"What could be so shocking? I’ve seen plenty already. Unless it’s some hideous, malicious thing, but I doubt it." He would find out soon enough.

"Just show me. You’re losing my interest, and I hate boring things." The stranger’s lips curled upward before the hood slowly dropped away. Noah reached out, his hands moving almost on their own as he gently touched the revealed features.

The hair was black, dark and inky, almost raven-like in its depth. The eyes were a striking red—bright irises similar to Lamia’s but far more intense, sharply captivating and spellbinding. Noah trailed his fingers through the soft strands.

"Your hair... it’s so soft and beautiful." His voice remained calm, lacking the shock or violence one might expect.

"You’re not surprised? This is a face you’ve never seen before." Noah let out an exhausted laugh.

"If you wanted me dead, you would have done it already. So what now?" The figure looked away briefly, giving Noah time to study the ethereal face. It kept getting better—dangerously beautiful in a way that pulled him in.

"I want to protect you, Noah. I see how lonely you are, and I can tell you’re sad." Soft, cool hands cupped his jaw for a moment before pulling back.

"This is the only way I can touch you right now. Someone powerful needs to stand by your side. Let me be that person. Just help me, please. I can’t keep watching you suffer from here." Before the words fully landed, Noah rolled his eyes.

Here it went again—another person trying to use him. What was the real difference between this stranger and the Moonlight Alphas?

"You’re just like them, trying to use me one way or another. Nothing more." The stranger barely reacted. His eyes closed briefly before he spoke again.

"Want to know something? The reason those monsters are clawing their way here is because of you. Your awakening has drawn your scent to every creature from the dark realms. They are coming for you. So take this offer, Noah. Let me train you, and we could become the most powerful couple ever." A chill ran down Noah’s spine. They were after him specifically. He was the one attracting them. What kind of dark magic was this?

"If you’re that powerful, can’t you free yourself?" The figure shook his head.

"That was done by a being similar to you. Only you and your descendants are capable of undoing it." Noah shifted back in horror.

"How old are you?" The man grinned widely, an eerie expression crossing his features.

"Oh, sweetheart, you don’t want to know."