"Noah? The first bell is going to ring soon," Emily called back to him.
Focusing up again, he nodded and followed with a small smile, heading into school premises as he looked around, seeing things in a new light. It wasn't just that his eyesight was improved, but before today, he always walked with his head down, scared of looking at anybody the wrong way.
Now, he didn't shy away from anything.
This much was tested as when he walked down the hall beside Emily, turning a corner as they made their way to the first class which they both shared, a familiar few faces were waiting.
"Did you do your assignments for Ms. Harbows class? If you didn't, I can lend–"
Emily cut herself off when talking to him as Noah came to a pause, stopping as he stood before the all-too-familiar few.
Jacob along with a couple of his 'goons' stood in the hall, having a conversation or more so listening intently to Jacob brag about a 'hot babe' he scored after a football game last week.
Though as he showed up alongside Emily, the conversation stopped as the three looked at him.
"Oh, shit. Is Little Noah wearing makeup or somethin'? I don't see those 'beauty marks' we left ya," The blonde-haired goon laughed.
The tall, heavier-set one of the three chipped in, "I bet he is. Trying to impress the girl? I wouldn't have the balls to do that after getting my ass beat so badly! Ha-ha!"
Jacob was silent for a few moments as he looked annoyed at the very fact that Noah was together with the hazel-haired girl.
"You don't have to take pity on the losers, Emily," Jacob said, moving closer as he looked down at the girl.
Emily looked up at the quarterback, "I'm…not. Noah is actually a good person–unlike somebody else I know."
As Noah stood there, he was hardly listening to any words being said as memories of the times he was beaten, tormented, and belittled by the men in front of him surged to the forefront of his mind, causing a spike in his bloodlust.
'I was planning to keep things on the downlow, but…Who am I kidding? I want to let loose,' he thought.
Following his intent, the ominous grimoire manifested, unseen by the eyes of the uninitiated, flipping open to a page that held the spell he desired deep down. It was when his intentions were so crystal-clear and honed in that he was able to seamlessly navigate his Creator's Grimoire System like an extension of his own body.
As he raised his hand in accordance with the magecraft's manifestation, Jacob raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
"What do you think you're doing? Trying to get–"
["Absolute Freeze."]
Time itself was dragged to a complete halt, stagnating as those around him were now still as statues; Jacob was frozen midway through his words, standing there with his mouth agape and fury in his eyes, though helpless and ignorant to what was happening.
It was a spell that stood at the peak of power: stopping all of time without any caveat.
Noah stood there, meeting eye-to-eye with the jock who was frozen in time, "Don't worry. This was a long time coming."
As he clenched his fist, pulling it back, he threw it forward, slamming it against Jacob's cheek, though the impact didn't manifest itself quite yet while time was halted.
"That should be more than enough," Noah said with a small smile before moving on to his next two targets.
As he prepared to unleash a spell against the two underlings of the jock, he glanced back, looking at the statuesque girl that was still present in the hall. Though his mind was engulfed in malevolence, he did find himself taking the effort not to use destructive magic with her in the vicinity, instead relying on his fists.
With a simple blow to the gut for the blondie, and a backfist to the tall, hefty linebacker's cheek, he finally moved back to his original spot, holding a satisfied smile.
"--And, action," he said, snapping his fingers.
As simple as that, time resumed before the impacts of his blows finally came to be, causing a shock wave to emit from the strength behind them as each of the three were flung back with blood trailing through the air.
"Aaaah–!" Emily screamed at the sudden, inexplicable violence.
Though Noah was silently witnessing the act with utmost satisfaction, he did realize he might've not understood just how much strength he put behind his blows.
By the way the bullies slammed into the walls and landed on the tile flooring with puddles of blood forming, it was unquestionable that at the very least, life-changing damage was done, if not fatal.
"N-Noah, what happened…? Did you…?" Emily stammered out, as pale as a ghost now before rushing over to check on them.
After following through with such an act, he wasn't in shock due to the implications of his evil deed, but at the power he wielded. Overcoming those who tormented all of this time finally set into motion the abilities he possessed.
'I…can do anything,' he thought.
"Noah…! What did you do?! Jacob…isn't breathing!" Emily yelled.
Basking in his glory for a few moments further while the girl yelled at him, he finally approached, though Emily was clearly frightened of him.
"Do you want them to live?" Noah calmly asked.
Emily was stifled of her words as she looked up at the man; there was a look of utmost malevolence in his eyes.
"Answer me. They don't have much time," he told her.
"I-I…"
"Answer," he repeated.
Blood was pooling beneath Jacob's head as the other two were also in critical condition. To make matters more chaotic, other students reached the hall, screaming out at the sight; some ran, some were standing in shock.
Emily finally answered, "...Yes."
For some reason, Noah was disappointed by this answer but obliged as the grimoire fluttered through its mystical, archaid pages once more.
"Alright, then," he calmly said.
["Total Recover."]
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