CHAPTER 73: DARK FURNACE

Noah drifted back to consciousness like a man clawing his way out of deep, black water.

At first, there was nothing. Just a faint whine in the back of his skull.

Then, as his awareness grew, the phantom pain descended. It creeped in slowly and insidious, like embers under his skin.

His wrists throbbed from the iron bands, but that was almost... distant. What remained with him more than anything was the memory of the fire that had scorched him from the inside out.

His mind felt wrong. Fragmented. Thoughts came in scraps, scattered pieces drifting through the void of his awareness. But something deep within him strained, tugging those pieces back together. Slowly.

Piece by piece, his mind began to knit itself back into something resembling whole.

Then, he remembered.

The pain.

The screaming.

The endless burning.

Over.

And over again.

Terror slammed into him like a wave, dispersing the fog. His body shuddered, and his breath hitched against the chains.

A voice broke the silence.

"Ah... welcome back."

Noah lifted his head, his eyes locking on the red-haired man seated across from him. Osiris Lawless’s expression was one of polite satisfaction, though his eyes were flat and lifeless.

"Now," Osiris said pleasantly, "I think we can finally begin. Let’s start simple, shall we? Tell me... what is your name?"

Noah’s mind wavered. For a moment, he couldn’t find the answer. It was as if his own identity had been scrubbed away, leaving nothing but blank emptiness.

Then the memory of fire and soul deep agony surged up again, and in its wake, his mind clung desperately to the only anchor it could find.

"Noah." He blurted. His voice cracked, hoarse from screaming. "Noah Webb."

"Good." Osiris’s tone was warm, almost approving. "Now... what did you do when you woke up on the morning of Juniper’s disappearance?"

Noah closed his eyes, trying to remember. The memory was blurry, disjointed. "I... I took my bath. Then I met up with Arlo. And Juniper."

Osiris nodded slightly. "And after that?"

"We... had breakfast." Noah’s brow furrowed. "Then we went to the city."

"Went to the city..." Osiris leaned forward slightly. "Tell me, did Arlo go with you on the ride to the capital?"

Noah frowned. His thoughts felt sluggish, like they were being pulled through mud. He replayed what little he could recall. Juniper’s smile. The carriage. The cloaked driver. But... no Arlo. Not on the ride.

"No," he said slowly. "I... I don’t remember him being there."

"I see." Osiris’s gaze narrowed, though his voice stayed light. "And what did you do next with Juniper... after arriving at the capital?"

Noah’s mind went blank. He searched for the memory, but it wasn’t there. Just a hole where the rest of that day should have been.

"I... can’t remember."

"Tsk." Osiris clicked his tongue, leaning back with theatrical disappointment. "That’s unfortunate. But don’t worry." His lips curved in a faint, cold smile. "I’ll help you remember."

Noah’s breath caught. His eyes widened as he shook his head. "No! Wait!"

It was already too late.

Osiris raised his hand, the intricate formation blooming above his palm like a living brand. The room seemed to darken around it.

"Let’s try again." Osiris said, and cast the spell.

And Noah fell, back into the flames, back into the terror, and back into the endless, soul breaking pain.

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Noah’s consciousness floated in a fog, his thoughts fractured and jumbled like shards of broken glass.

The world around him was distant, muffled, until an icy shock slammed into him.

He gasped as the cold water poured over his head, running down his face and soaking into his clothes.

The frigid bite brought him partially back into himself, though the ache in his head and the phantom heat of the constant burning still clawed at his mind.

"Back with me?" Osiris’s voice was calm as he set the empty bucket aside. "Good. Let’s continue."

Noah blinked hard, water dripping from his hair, his body trembling. He couldn’t even form the thought to resist. His mouth opened automatically when the questions came.

"What did you do with Juniper at the capital?"

"We... bought clothes together." His voice was flat, mechanical, like the words were being pulled from him rather than chosen.

"And after that?"

"We parted ways, and I left with Arlo."

"Where did you meet up with Arlo again?"

"A road."

Osiris’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Not very specific. But I’ll let it go for now. What did you and Arlo do next?"

"We met up with Leo and Galahad," Noah said without hesitation, "and went into a monolith."

Osiris was silent for a moment. He tilted his head, studying Noah.

"I’ll ask again." He said slowly. "Who did you meet up with?"

"Leo and Galahad."

"Only Leo and Galahad?"

Noah’s brow furrowed, and a flicker of memory surfaced.

He saw himself sprinting through dark tunnels, Arlo slung over one shoulder, Leo over the other, and Galahad running beside him.

"Yes." He said. "Only me, Arlo, Leo, and Galahad."

Osiris exhaled through his nose, his expression turning from neutral to disappointed. "I didn’t expect you to lie to me."

"I’m not lying!" Noah’s voice cracked, urgency breaking through the dull monotone.

"You are." Osiris said coldly. "And I’ll tell you how I know."

"Galahad is my son. And my son would never step into a monolith without my permission."

The words hit Noah like a hammer. His mind reeled. That was when the memory of Galahad’s full name slammed into him.

Galahad... Lawless.

Osiris stepped closer, his eyes hard as iron. "For lying to me, you deserve... more alone time to sort out your thoughts."

His hand rose, and the fiery spell formation began to take shape, swirling into existence above his palm.

Terror crashed through Noah like a tidal wave, his heart hammering as he strained against the chains.

And then, a violent shudder tore through his body, and a notification flared to life before his eyes, clear, despite the haze clouding his mind.

Ding!

[Congratulations! You have achieved Overdrive.]

[Skill Unlocked: Dark Furnace (SS-rank)]

The instant he processed it, the notification flickered and disappeared as if it had never been there.

Osiris’s brows rose in surprise. "Well now... I didn’t expect you to awaken a skill with the chains around you."

"I’ll admit that I’m curious what skill you were notified of but," his gaze drifted to the chains securing Noah, "it looks like these aren’t tight enough."

He stepped forward, roughly tightening the iron bands until they bit painfully into Noah’s wrists, then gave them a tug to test their hold. Satisfied, he stepped back.

"Let’s resume."

And with no further warning, he unleashed the spell.

The fire roared back into Noah’s soul, dragging him down once again into unending pain and terror.