CHAPTER 262: CHAPTER 262: CONFESSIONS TO A SHADOW

The morning air in Tharvaldur was crisp, the muted hum of activity already echoing through the stone corridors leading toward the arena. Noel walked at an even pace, Noir padding beside him in her smaller form, her tail swaying lazily from side to side.

"Seems like a lot is going to happen soon, Noir," Noel said, hands in his pockets. "With the disqualifications and withdrawals, we’re down to forty students across the four academies. Honestly, I didn’t expect our academy to hold up this well. Guess they’re stronger than they were in the novel... probably because more of them survived and we avoided chaos this time."

Noir tilted her head up at him and gave a short, soft howl, her tail curling slightly.

"You think so? You weren’t even there for that part," Noel said, glancing down at her with a faint smirk.

She let out another small howl, as if insisting.

"I see," he replied with mock seriousness. "Well, it’s just the five of us now — Elena, Selene, Dior, Roberto, and me. Of the name characters from the novel, and five more students of Class S."

She shaked her tail.

Noel chuckled under his breath. "Fair enough. Doesn’t really matter as long as we win. Doubt the fights will be easier from here. Not sure anyone will top Anastasia though... Still strange she never got more focus in the novel. One of those hyped characters that sticks around for five Chapters and then just... disappears."

He slowed his steps slightly, eyes narrowing in thought. "Wait... did you hear me just say ’novel’?"

Noir’s ears perked up.

Noel studied her for a moment but decided not to press it yet. Instead, he looked ahead toward the distant entrance of the arena, the crowd’s muffled excitement starting to seep through the walls. "Either way, let’s just make sure we keep moving forward."

Noir trotted a little closer to him, brushing her side lightly against his leg as they continued toward the day’s match.

Noel’s mind kept circling back to what he’d just said. He usually spoke freely to Noir, the same way anyone would to a pet, but the mention of the "novel" had slipped out without him even thinking.

He glanced down at the small wolf padding beside him, her black-and-purple fur catching the dim light of the corridor. "Noir... you heard that, didn’t you?"

She looked up at him, her expression as unreadable as ever, and gave a short, light howl.

A thought crept into his head, one he couldn’t quite push away. The System had always been selective about what he could say out loud to others, censoring certain truths. But what about Noir?

He stopped walking. "Alright, let’s try something." His voice dropped to a low, almost conspiratorial tone. "I reincarnated into a novel after dying from an incurable illness in another world."

The words flowed out with no interruption, no pressure in his head, no invisible hand blocking them.

Noel exhaled slowly, almost in disbelief. For a moment, it felt like a weight he’d been carrying alone had eased just enough to breathe. "Huh... no censorship."

He started walking again, but his pace was slower, more thoughtful. He’d always wanted to tell the truth to Elyra, Elena, and Charlotte, the three people he trusted most, he’d take that risk. Even if they rejected him, if they decided he was dangerous, if they walked away...

He didn’t know which outcome would hurt more.

Noir padded silently beside him, her tail flicking once, eyes on him as though she understood more than she should.

Noel let out a quiet laugh under his breath. "Guess you’re the only one I can say everything to."

They turned a corner, the muffled roar of the arena crowd growing louder, but Noel’s mind was already shifting to the next question he wanted to ask.

This might be the only real chance he’d get to confirm just how much Noir knew.

"Noir... can I ask you something?"

She stopped, sitting neatly on the stone floor. Her head tilted just slightly to one side, an almost curious gesture.

’Cute,’ Noel thought, but he pushed it aside, this moment felt too important.

"Did you know I came from another world?"

The silence lasted no more than a heartbeat before Noir gave a short, certain howl. No hesitation, no doubt.

Noel didn’t move for a moment. It wasn’t surprise exactly... more like confirmation of something he’d always suspected. "I see..." His voice was quieter now, tinged with something almost like relief.

He decided to push further. "Do you know what the System is?"

Another howl, just as steady.

A faint shiver ran through him, not fear, but a strange awareness that she was answering with confidence, as though these weren’t guesses. "Then... do you know who’s behind the System?"

Noir howled again, the same calm certainty in her voice.

Noel exhaled through his nose, unsure what to feel. The bond between them had always been strong, but hearing her confirm these things — even if she couldn’t explain them — made it feel absolute. She knew, yet she’d never acted differently toward him.

"The only problem," he murmured, crouching slightly so his eyes were level with hers, "is that you can’t talk. Even if you wanted to tell me, you couldn’t."

Noir blinked slowly, then stepped forward to press her head lightly against his leg before returning to her pace.

Noel straightened, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Guess that means I just have to keep figuring things out on my own."

They resumed walking toward the arena’s inner gates, the echo of the crowd now much closer.

They were close to the fighters’ preparation area now, the echo of the crowd thrumming through the stone like a distant heartbeat. Noel’s focus was on the match ahead, his steps steady, Noir keeping perfect pace beside him.

Then, without warning, a faint shimmer appeared in the air ahead of him.

It sharpened into a rectangle of translucent blue — familiar, unmistakable.

The System.

Lines of glowing text began to write themselves across its surface with crisp precision:

[You will discover it soon. Didn’t you have to go to your house’s library a long time ago?]