Noah's (POV)
Pain.
That was the first thing I felt as I opened my eyes.
The second was more pain.
I tried to sit up but collapsed right back onto the field, groaning like an old man. My body had been struck by enough lightning to make even the gods weep. My bones ached, my arms twitched, and even my eyelashes hurt.
"Am I… alive?" I muttered.
The answer was unfortunately yes.
I turned my head slightly and spotted Scarlett and Lyra passed out a few meters away, lying on makeshift mats. Both were still twitching in their sleep like battle-worn puppies. Layla wasn't there—probably dragged away for her own training session by the demon that was my mother.
Lucky her. Or maybe not.
My gaze wandered upward.
The sky was clear. Peaceful. Almost mocking.
And then came the memory.
"Dodge, dammit! You've got legs, use 'em!"
"Didn't I tell you to feel the lightning, not eat it!?"
"Try again. Or I'll aim for your butt next time."
I shivered and rolled to my side. My butt still hadn't recovered.
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Third Person POV – A little further away
Near the edge of the training grounds, Richard stood with his arms crossed, wearing his usual smug expression. His white hair glowed faintly under the sunlight, his piercing blue eyes lazily watching Noah from afar.
Beside him was Julia, standing tall with long blue hair flowing like silk and red eyes that gleamed with mischief. In her arms, she carried a peacefully unconscious Layla, whose face still wore a proud smirk even in sleep—black and green scythe long since vanished.
"She scared the crap out of me for a second," Julia admitted, adjusting Layla gently.
Richard grinned. "You? Scared? Of a little curse girl?"
"She nearly sliced off my sleeves. You've got to admit, she's terrifying when she's serious."
"She reminds me of someone."
Julia smirked. "Is that your way of saying I was scarier when we were younger?"
"No," Richard replied flatly. "You're still scarier."
They both chuckled before falling into a brief silence.
Then Julia glanced toward the other two girls, her expression softening. "Scarlett and Lyra gave it their all too. I was harsh... but if they want to be part of Noah's future, they can't be weak."
Richard nodded. "Same with Noah. I pushed him harder than ever today."
"You think he'll hate us for this?"
Richard laughed. "He already does. But he'll thank us later. Hopefully."
Then his expression shifted, more serious now. "Jules, are we doing the right thing? Training them this hard… preparing them for something that hasn't even come yet?"
Julia didn't answer right away. Her red eyes stared off into the horizon, wind brushing strands of blue hair across her face.
Finally, she said, "You saw it too. The darkness around his path. The way fate trembles when he walks."
"Yeah."
Julia glanced down at Layla. "Then we don't have a choice. We either make them strong… or bury them later."
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Layla's POV – Half-Dreaming
"He's mine."
Her grip unconsciously tightened on Julia's sleeve.
Even in dreams, she clung to the thought.
No one takes Noah from me.
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Back to Noah's POV
I could hear them talking. Not clearly—but just enough to catch bits and pieces.
"…he'll thank us later…"
"…fate trembles when he walks…"
"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, still lying face-first in the grass. "Let's just hope fate also brings me a damn healing potion."
No response.
Not even the system wanted to get involved in this family.
I sighed, letting the pain settle into something tolerable. Just a little longer. Then I'd get up. Then I'd find food. Then I'd pray Julia hadn't killed Layla.
To Be Continued…