CHAPTER 231: FIRSTBORN OF THE ABYSS

Noah’s gaze snapped to Cecilia.

Cecilia’s words hung between them like the final toll of a bell. Each second seemed to stretch on for longer than possible.

His throat tightened, and for once, he couldn’t find the right words to hide behind.

She was staring straight at him, her golden eyes calm, like she could see every little secret he was hiding.

Noah opened his mouth, ready to deny, to twist her assumption, to fabricate something believable, anything, but his mind failed him.

His thoughts scattered like birds startled from a snapped twig in a quiet forest.

Cecilia exhaled softly, and in that sigh, Noah heard her making a decision.

"I’ll take your silence as a yes," she said.

The words were simple, but they hit like a hammer.

Her voice wasn’t raised, but it felt like she’d just yelled at him. Like she’d been waiting for this moment for a very long time.

"I’ve always suspected," she continued, folding her hands neatly in her lap. "From the very moment you told me about your SSS-rank potential... something didn’t add up."

"Your mana, your growth, your affinity, it was too unique. Too... out of place."

Noah’s eyes narrowed, though his voice stayed neutral. "You suspected? Of what, exactly?"

Her gaze softened, but not her tone. "That you weren’t... just an ordinary dragon."

He said nothing.

Cecilia looked down at her hands briefly before continuing, her voice quiet. "So I started digging. I visited the abandoned sections of the library. Places no one but me had touched in decades."

"I trawled through the old archives and abyssal records. Things most mages aren’t even aware still exist. I wanted to understand what kind of entity the system could classify as SSS-rank potential."

Her eyes flicked up again, catching his. "And when I saw your tail that day, after you ascended, it confirmed everything I discovered."

Noah frowned. What was she talking about?

He swallowed, his voice rough. "Confirmed what?"

Cecilia hesitated, then answered softly, "What a Dark Dragon truly is."

She leaned back in her chair, eyes distant now, her tone turning into something almost wistful.

"There has never been a single confirmed sighting of a Dark Dragon in this world. Not in any recorded history."

"But in the oldest stories, before Camelot’s founding, before the Kingdoms, there were tales of the Abyss. Of beings who ruled it before demons, before mana itself learned to take form."

"They were called the firstborn of the Abyss."

"And they were called its true rulers."

Noah sat still, not even blinking.

"The stories say they vanished after the Great Abyssal War," she went on, her voice quieter now, tinged with melancholy.

"Thousands of years ago, when the void tore itself apart. Every abyssal species that survived clawed its way into other realms, but the Dark Dragons... they were said to have died out. Extinct."

She gave a soft, humorless laugh. "But then I met you. Turns out the firstborns are not so extinct, are they?"

Noah’s hands clenched under the sheets. He didn’t know what to think.

"You knew all this," he said slowly, "and you didn’t report it?"

Cecilia’s silver eyes flicked towards him, a self deprecating smile appearing on her face.

"Report you? To whom? The same people who locked you in a room and tortured you at the drop of a hat?"

Noah clenched his jaw at the memory. He looked away, unable to meet her gaze.

"I can understand why you don’t trust me," she said softly. "Camelot hasn’t exactly proven itself trustworthy, has it?"

"Between the nobility and the Investigation Authority..." She trailed off, her tone filled with bitterness. "Even I would have stayed silent if I were you."

Noah exhaled slowly, forcing himself to speak. "And now? What happens now that you know?"

Cecilia smiled faintly, a tired, human expression. "Now... I earn your trust."

He blinked, caught off guard.

She stood.

For a moment, she looked down at him, her gaze unreadable. "Whatever path you’re walking, Noah, I won’t stop you. But I won’t abandon you to it either."

She turned toward the door, pausing just long enough to glance over her shoulder.

"Rest," she said. "You’re not as invincible as you think."

Before he could reply, she was gone.

The door closed behind her with a soft click.

Noah sat there in silence for a long while, his heart pounding dully in his chest.

He hadn’t known half of what she’d said.

The firstborn of the Abyss? Rulers of it? Extinct species? His mind swirled with questions.

If she was right, then what exactly was he?

He stared down at his hands, feeling the rivers of mana running beneath his skin.

But even as he tried to process what Cecilia had said, another question gnawed at him.

Could he trust her?

He wanted to.

He really did.

But trusting people had never gone well for him.

Not when betrayal came in smiles.

Not when even allies had turned on him before.

Still... when he pictured her face, her tone, the understanding in her eyes, he felt no deceit. Only... exhaustion.

She wasn’t lying. That much he could tell.

And yet, that made it worse.

Because for the first time, Noah found himself hesitating. Not out of fear, but out of something far more dangerous.

Attachment.

[][][][][]

A full day passed.

Noah remained in the infirmary, his body regaining strength, his mind spinning endlessly.

He kept turning the thought over and over like a blade in his hand, trying to decide whether to sheath it or strike.

Cecilia knew what he was.

And she wasn’t afraid.

That alone made her different.

But that difference didn’t mean safety.

He lay on the bed that night, staring at the ceiling, tracing invisible constellations between the tiles above him.

’I could kill her,’ he thought absently. ’End it here. Tie the loose end.’

The thought passed through him coldly, like a reflex, an echo of the ruthlessness that had kept him alive this long.

But almost immediately, he dismissed it.

The idea didn’t sit right.

Cecilia had never once treated him like a weapon. She’d treated him like a student. A person.

He could destroy kingdoms, raze armies, tear open the abyss itself, but the idea of hurting her made something twist painfully in his chest.

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "Damn it."

Sleep eventually took him.

[][][][][]

The next morning arrived in the same fashion as always. With the sun rising slowly over the horizon.

Noah woke early, his mind clear. He dressed quickly, the mana flow in his veins steady and his body fully recovered.

He murmured a polite farewell to the nurse on duty, and stepped out of the infirmary.

The academy grounds were nearly empty, the pale light of dawn spilling across the cobblestone paths.

Birds called faintly in the distance. The frost still clung to the grass, catching the first rays of sunlight.

And standing just outside the infirmary gates, arms crossed, golden eyes glowing faintly beneath the morning light, was Professor Cecilia.

Her hair was tied back into a high ponytail, and she wasn’t dressed like a professor today.

Instead, she wore battle leathers of black and gold, reinforced with thin plates of enchanted steel. A silver crest of the royal family gleamed faintly on her chestplate.

She looked less like an instructor and more like a knight.

When Noah saw her, he slowed.

"Professor," he greeted cautiously.

She didn’t answer immediately. Her eyes flicked over him, giving nothing away. Then she spoke.

"Follow me."

Her tone left no room for argument.

She turned, her cloak fluttering faintly behind her as she began walking.

Noah hesitated for a moment, watching her back, the early light haloing her in pale gold.

Then, with a quiet sigh, he stepped forward and followed.

A/N: Apologies for the late Chapter. My laptop was damaged, so I had to take it to the repair shop for urgent repairs. Fortunately, we were able to revive the fucker. He can’t die on me now. Not when we started this shit together. We must end it together.