"I don't know," Soren said
Noelle repeated his words slowly, her voice careful and measured
"I... don't... know"
Her gaze sharpened
The shift was immediate and palpable. Her green eyes, which had been gleaming with hope and excitement, suddenly became focused. Analytical. Her entire body tensed slightly
"What do you mean you don't know?" she asked, her voice taking on an edge that hadn't been there before
'She seems more on edge now'
Soren's mind flashed to the bald man. To the way his head had imploded when she had struck him. To the casual, righteous violence of her response
'I've seen how crazy she is. Let me be ready in case she tries anything. But hopefully what I'm about to say works.'
Soren took a breath and began to speak, his voice carefully controlled. He hesitated deliberately, letting doubt and confusion colour his words
"It seems like I've lost my memories since coming here," he said slowly. "All I remember is waking up in that holding cell. But..."
He paused, letting the uncertainty hang in the air
"The only thing I've managed to remember is when I saw that necklace of yours. The one with the sphere of light surrounded by a pair of outstretched wings." He gestured vaguely toward her pendant. "It came to me in a flash. That singular phrase. The prophesied ones"
The woman didn't respond
She simply looked at him, her beautiful face settling into an expression of deep contemplation. Her eyes were unfocused, staring through him rather than at him. Her lips moved slightly, as if she was having a conversation with herself that he couldn't hear
Soren just waited for her response he also grew more tense now, 'Shit, is my lie really that bad? Look at the way the whole vibe from her shifted, I should be prepared to defend myself now'
The silence stretched between them
'This person is very suspicious'
Her thoughts spiralled through her mind with careful precision. She analysed everything she had observed about him. His rank 2 status was unusual for someone who is possibly on the same mission as I am on as I have never heard of him. His proficiency with magic was clearly the result of training and understanding, not the frantic desperation of someone who had lost their memories
But he knows of that phrase. That phrase only a few know
The weight of that knowledge settled over her like a cloak. The phrase "prophesied ones" wasn't something that circulated freely. It wasn't something that random people whispered in corners. It was specific. Sacred. Known only to those within the Holy Kingdom's inner circles and how young is he?
She looked at his gruesome and disgusting face but she couldn't gain any information from the horror show she was looking at so she examined his voice more carefully, analysing the tone beneath the words. He didn't sound old. Not ancient. Not even particularly mature in the way that decades of experience would make someone sound. He sounded young. He must younger than me, but that raises even more questions. I've just recently ascended to rank 2 and I'm nearing my thirties now. So to be seemingly much younger than me and already on the same rank, how interesting
However if he's heard that phrase, he must be in a high enough position within the same Holy Kingdom. He must be entrusted to some sort of mission from His Holiness Saint Lucedor Valmont or at the very least be a person of upmost importance to his majesty
And then the memory came
It crashed through her consciousness like a wave, pulling her back to a moment she had replayed countless times over the years she had been searching
Saint Lucedor Valmont stood before her in a chamber of white and gold stone, light filtering through windows that seemed to glow from within. He was a tall man, slender and graceful, with dark skin and rich brown hair. His golden eyes were striking, almost luminous, and golden tattoos wound around his arms in intricate patterns. He wore robes of golden and white fabric, embroidered with the same symbol that adorned her necklace. The sphere of light surrounded by outstretched wings
His presence filled the room with a weight of authority and divine purpose
"Noelle," he had said, his voice carrying a warmth that felt like benediction. "I can feel it. You harbour a strong connection within yourself that will draw you to something special. That will lead to great things"
He had smiled, and in that smile was certainty
"You must set out to the west. Think of it like a pilgrimage"
He had paused, letting the weight of his words settle into her soul
"Remember to keep your faith strong. You will know you have found your purpose when you hear those words: 'Prophesied Ones'"
The memory released her
No matter how suspicious he seems. This must be my signal that I've been searching all of these years for, even ending up in this colosseum!
The realization crystallized in her mind like ice forming on still water. It was undeniable. It was certain. It was divine will
Her eyes went frantic
'I will continue to put my faith in the Goddess. I will trust His Holiness. I will believe that this is all meant to be'
She turned to Soren, and when she spoke, her voice carried a conviction that felt almost supernatural in its certainty
"I see," she said, her beautiful face illuminated by something approaching religious fervour. "But don't worry. As long as you continue to display your faith in our Goddess, I'm sure you will be blessed with good fortune and recover what you have lost"
She rose gracefully from where she had been sitting and approached him. Her movements were fluid, reverent
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance," she said, bowing with an outstretched arm in what appeared to be a native custom of the Holy Kingdom
Her green eyes met his with an intensity that felt almost overwhelming
"My name is Noelle Allbright. And you are?"
Soren was surprised with the sudden shift in her attitude
It was jarring. Disorienting. One moment she had been serene and unreachable. The next she was animated and focused entirely on him. And now she was polite. Almost apologetic
He examined her carefully, studying her face, her body language, the way her eyes moved. Her reactions seemed genuine. There was no deception in her expression. She truly believed what she was saying
'The bounty is still out on me'
The thought crystallized immediately. Someone, somewhere, was still hunting him. Still looking for him. If she recognized his actual name, if she connected him to the bounty or to whatever crime he was supposedly guilty of, everything would fall apart. She would know he had been lying the entire time. She would know he was a fraud
'I can't risk using my actual name'
'So think. Think. Think'
Soren was not good at this. He had never been good at deception on this level. Improvisation. Quick thinking. It wasn't his strength. His strength was survival. Raw desperation. Magic and violence and pushing forward through impossible situations
So he just said the first thing that came to mind
"My name is Reed."
The moment the words left his mouth, Soren internally faceplanted
'Shit. I just ended up using my last name as my first name. That was kinda stupid'
He felt a spike of panic. Had she noticed? Was there anything in his expression that gave it away? He forced himself to remain calm, to keep his scarred face neutral despite the internal screaming
'Hopefully she doesn't realize anything amiss. Otherwise I need to be careful. I don't know how she would react'
Noelle stood up gracefully
"Pleased to meet you, Reed," she said, her voice warm and genuine. Her beautiful face was illuminated by something that looked like relief. "And let me apologize for my attitude before. I get quite nervous around new people and in new places"
Soren stared at her
'She was nervous? Being nervous led her to pop a man's head like a watermelon? Being nervous made her stomp on a corpse and spit on it with righteous fury?'
The contradiction was almost laughable. But Soren kept his expression neutral
Noelle approached him, her movements flowing and graceful. Her green eyes were fixed on his face with genuine interest now
"Please tell me anything you wish to know," she said softly. "I want to help you. If you are truly dispatched from His Holiness, then we are working toward the same purpose. And I would very much like to understand what that purpose entails"
Finally. I can get some information about what's even going on
Soren nodded slowly, organizing his thoughts. He needed to extract as much useful information as possible from her. Geographic location. Prison structure. Whatever she knew about this place
"For starters," he said carefully, "where even are we?"
"We are in the battle colosseum," Noelle responded simply
A slight silence occurred
'So she's crazy and also slow in the head. Pick a struggle'
Soren felt a slight agitation building. He needed to be more specific. More direct
"Remember, Noelle, I lost my memories. I don't know what that really means," he said, his voice taking on a slightly sharper edge. "Can you tell me, for example, what region we are in? Where exactly are we?"
Noelle's expression shifted to understanding
"Oh, I see," she said, nodding. "We are around the centre of the western region. From what I know, we are currently within the colosseum that's within the mountain where the three great rivers all come to diverge from the threefold peak. That's what the mountain is called"
The information settled into Soren's mind like pieces of a map coming together. The western region. A mountain called the threefold peak. Three great rivers converging. Geography. Location. Context
"I see," Soren responded