CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402: TWO LIVES

The heavy door shut behind him with a quiet click.

For a moment, Noel just stood there in the corridor — the faint orange glow of wall sconces stretching his shadow across the marble floor. The silence of the Thorne mansion felt heavier than before, pressing down on him like an old memory refusing to fade.

His steps echoed softly as he started walking. The conversation with Albrecht replayed in fragments — words about his mother, her smile, her warmth, her death. It was strange. He had never known her, yet now, after hearing his father speak, he could almost picture her. The way she laughed. The way she might have held him.

And somehow... it hurt.

’So that’s the kind of person she was,’ he thought, his gaze fixed ahead. ’The kind of person this world took away from him.’

The thought pulled him further inward, past this life, past this family, back to a hospital room in another world — sterile white, humming machines, air that smelled like chemicals and loneliness. He remembered the stillness of it. The cold creeping into his hands as the monitor’s beeping slowed.

No one came. No one cried. No one even noticed when he was gone.

A faint laugh escaped him — soft, bitter. "Guess not much has changed," he muttered, even though he knew it wasn’t true anymore.

Here, in this world, he had people who waited for him. Who worried when he didn’t return. People who smiled when he walked into a room.

For the first time in years, the weight of both lives — the lonely boy from Earth and the unwanted son of House Thorne — felt like one and the same.

Noel’s steps carried him slowly down the long corridor. The faint light of the sconces reflected off the golden frames lining the walls — portraits of the Thorne bloodline staring down with cold, lifeless eyes. For most of his life, he’d thought of this house the same way: distant, unwelcoming, and painfully hollow.

Now, though, something was different.

’Maybe it’s not the house that changed,’ he thought. ’Maybe it’s me.’

He glanced at his reflection in one of the windows — the faint green glow of his eyes, the tired calm in his expression. The face staring back wasn’t the frail, forgotten man who died in a hospital bed. It was someone who had fought, bled, and earned every breath since waking up in this world.

And for the first time, he allowed himself to think about what he’d gained instead of what he’d lost.

Marcus — a good friend that always has been there.

Clara, Laziel and Garron — warm in their own ways, grounding the group when things got hard.

Seraphina, who still believed in him more than he believed in himself.

His best friend Roberto, that they can always have a good laugh together.

Even Balthor, that drunk dwarf that followed him.

And then there were them — the girls who made his days quieter, brighter. Elena’s gentle patience, Elyra’s teasing confidence, Charlotte’s laughter that always found a way to pull him out of his own head. And Selene... who had learned how to smile again.

Each of them had stayed. Even knowing the danger. Even after seeing what he really was.

Noel stopped for a moment, resting a hand against the cold wall. "I’m not alone anymore," he whispered, the words almost foreign on his tongue. Noir’s voice brushed softly against his mind, warm and quiet:

’Of course you’re not, Dad.’

A small smile formed on his lips. "Yeah."

Noel paused at the end of the corridor, right before the large wooden door to his room. The soft sound of crackling torches filled the silence, and his reflection shimmered faintly in the brass handle.

From his shadow, a familiar presence stirred. Noir’s small form began to rise halfway from it—half light, half darkness—her purple eyes glowing faintly.

’You’re thinking too loud again, Dad,’ she said, her tone light but affectionate.

Noel huffed quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Maybe. Hard not to, after tonight."

A short silence followed before Noir spoke again, more curious this time.

’Can I ask you something?’

He nodded. "You just did, but go on."

’Do you... like your life here?’ she asked. Her voice, normally playful, softened. ’After everything that happened before you came to this world?’

Noel leaned against the wall beside the door, crossing his arms. For a few seconds, he didn’t answer. The flicker of the torchlight reflected in his eyes, making them seem tired but alive.

"...The truth?" he said finally. "At first, I was terrified. I had no idea what to do. Those first months were... hell. Confusing. Lonely. I didn’t belong anywhere." He gave a faint laugh, one without much humor. "Honestly, I still don’t sometimes."

Noir tilted her head. ’But now?’

Now.

Noel’s gaze softened. "Now I’m happy," he admitted quietly. "I’ve got people who care about me, who fight beside me, who make this world feel like it’s actually worth saving." He looked down at Noir, a faint smile tugging at the edge of his mouth. "And I have you."

Her tail swished, pleased. ’You sound like a dad when you say stuff like that.’

He chuckled, pushing off the wall. "Guess I’m starting to get used to it."

’Good,’ Noir replied, slipping back into his shadow as he reached for the handle. ’Because I’m not going anywhere.’

Noel exhaled softly, hand resting on the door. "Yeah," he murmured. "Neither am I."

The door creaked open softly.

Warm light spilled out from inside, washing over the quiet hall behind him. Noel blinked once, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly as he took in the scene before him.

Charlotte and Elena were fast asleep on his bed — Charlotte curled up with her hair spread across the pillow like a halo of pink silk, and Elena resting beside her, her elven features relaxed for once. Both breathed in slow, steady rhythm, their hands nearly touching between them.

Elyra sat near the window, her long braid resting over one shoulder as moonlight traced the sharp line of her jaw. Beside her, Selene sat straight-backed, her usual frost softened by the warmth in her eyes as they quietly spoke in low tones.

They both turned when they heard the door close.

Elyra’s lips curved into a knowing smile. "You took your time."

"Had a lot to think about," Noel said, keeping his voice low as he crossed the room.

Selene’s gaze followed him, calm and unreadable. "We didn’t want to sleep until you came back."

Noel nodded once, glancing at the sleeping pair on his bed. "Looks like they didn’t have the same plan."

Elyra chuckled quietly. "They tried. Failed miserably."

He stood there for a moment, just watching them all — these people who, somehow, had chosen to stay with him despite everything. The flickering lamplight painted their faces in gold and amber hues, soft and real.

’If I’d never come here,’ he thought, ’I’d have died alone in that hospital bed. No one would’ve remembered me. No one would’ve cared.’

He drew in a slow breath, feeling something tighten and then ease in his chest.

But here...

Here I have them.

A quiet smile ghosted across his face as he turned off the light crystal by the door.

Yeah... I’m really glad I came here.