Chapter 521: Chapter 521: Let’s test your love
Chapter 521 – Let’s test your love
"And I am here to take what’s mine."
Those words echoed inside Noah’s head continuously, sinuously, relentlessly. And each time, something inside him threatened to snap.
But he calmed himself, drawing a light breath deep into his lungs.
He said nothing at first. Just looked at Elijah, trying to understand what he was seeing and how this man could still be alive.
His eyes glowed. The space around him shifted, a whole different reality unfolding before him.
It didn’t take long. With his station as the Throne of the Primus’s Spirit World, Noah’s control over anything related to the Soul was above anyone else in the universe.
So it took him no more than a serious glance at Elijah’s soul to notice something wrong.
A part of it had been viciously torn away, as if gnawed off by sharp nails. Whoever had done it had clearly intended to cause him immense suffering.
The soul wound was desperately trying to heal itself. But nine coloured fires were hindering its progress with apparent glee.
’Interesting.’
More than interesting. That sight confirmed something to Noah.
’He is truly Elijah.’ He mused inwardly, his eyes deepening, shedding away all the softness he had just shown with his wives. ’The original Elijah. And he has an obvious connection to Justicia.’
Just like the Elijah of the past had with the Goddess of Justice.
Noah noted the irony, and in the same breath noted how perfectly everything had been arranged.
By whom?
The answer surfaced faster than he expected.
’Idalia Marigold.’ His eyes narrowed. Irritation flashed briefly. ’I need to deal with her. Gaia’s tasty breast, I have too many things to worry about.’
And yet another one was standing right in front of him.
"Will you stop me?" Elijah’s voice came again, still polite, still calm.
Noah noticed the absence of the arrogance he had expected. Which was...
"Elijah, why are you even talking to him?" Icarus rolled his head in apparent dismissal toward Noah. "Let’s just take the woman, Justicia, and leave. I’m pretty sure this man here will understand. We’re only taking what’s ours."
"That’s the problem." Noah finally spoke, crossing his arms. "This is my world. Nothing in it isn’t mine."
He tilted his head slightly. "You’ve made a mistake, I think."
"I have not." Elijah’s voice was firm. "I can feel Justicia’s presence in this world clearly."
He paused, shot a hard glance at Icarus who was about to speak, silencing him, then sighed. "Look, strange being. All I want is to see her. Talk to her. Take her with me. I’m not here to fight. I’m not here to make an enemy of you."
He smiled faintly. "I just want my life back."
Then, from deep within Laeh, Justicia’s screams rose to a pitch none of them had heard before. So loud that all three of them caught every note of it.
"Oho!" Icarus exclaimed. "I just heard screams. They sounded like screams of longing, don’t you think..."
His voice trailed off as he caught sight of Elijah’s face.
The golden eyes were burning like living, immortal fire. The fool was ready to fight.
Icarus clicked his tongue. "Ah, here we go. You always lose your mind when it’s about her."
Elijah ignored him.
He pulled his attention back to Noah still standing there. And that was when it struck Icarus like a falling star.
The way Noah’s features had shifted at the sight of Elijah and at the sound of those screams.
His eyes went wide. "Noah Vaelgrim!" He blurted, jabbing a feathered wing toward him. "You are Noah Vaelgrim!"
He laughed as if he had just uncovered the greatest joke in existence. "Elijah, you useless bastard, this is the man who took your wife and made her his. Everyone knows this. That cold bitch Idalia made sure to spread the news. And oh, he is also the man who destroyed—!"
"Will you be silent," Elijah cut in coldly, sparing Icarus a murderous glance, "or do I make you silent?"
Icarus paused, then shrugged. "All of this for a woman who has been bred by—!"
BOOOOMMM—!
A resounding explosion. Gold fire erupted skyward and outward in every direction, blasting Icarus from his position and sending him screaming across the void at blistering speed.
His laughter only grew louder as he flew away, burning feathers trailing behind him.
Elijah hissed out a cold breath, golden smoke steaming from his mouth and briefly swallowing the air in front of him. His body contracted into something ready for battle.
"I will not—!"
"What will you do if I refuse?" Noah shook his head, something like pity crossing his face. "Fight me? Then you are a fool, Elijah."
"There is nothing I am not prepared to do to get Justicia back." He retorted. "Nothing. So tell me, why does it matter if you are stronger? I will not die until I have her back. That much, at least, you can be certain of."
"What if she doesn’t want you back?"
"That’s what you’re afraid of." Elijah snickered. "Isn’t it, Noah? That’s your name, right? Noah."
"I have many names. But yes, that’s one of them. Doesn’t ring any bell to you, does it? A shame."
"You resort to provocation when you’re afraid of a question." The Gold Phoenix observed, looking at Noah with rising contempt. "How ugly."
Noah paused at that. Then smiled coldly. "You think Justicia will choose you over me?"
"Yes."
"What makes you believe that, I wonder?"
"You know it well." Elijah retorted. "You know perfectly that the Justicia who seems to love you is not the real one. Her memories of her past have been broken and fragmented. What you got was a version twisted by Idalia’s madness. Not Justicia herself."
He took one confident, flaming step forward until he stood an inch from Noah.
The temperature rose to a smouldering degree.
"Deep down, you know it." He whispered. "Whatever love she has for you — if there was any — is not real. It was conditioned. Constructed with false intentions. Not something that grew naturally between two people."
"And are you deaf?" He pressed on. "Listen to her screams, Noah. Those are the screams of someone about to reclaim what she lost. In other words...me."
Noah looked at him for a long moment. His thoughts entirely his own, his eyes and face giving away nothing.
The silence stretched, then was cut apart by the Prince’s emotionless tone.
"Then you won’t mind, will you?"
Elijah narrowed his eyes.
"Let it be a lesson to the whole universe. I will give you the opportunity to see for yourself, so that the universe might witness my patience and generosity."
He paused for a heartbeat.
"I will invite you inside my home, Elijah Lightbringer. And there, you will meet Justicia."
He smiled coldly.
"If what you say is true, if what Justicia and I lived is nothing but illusion, then she will choose you. And I will let the two of you leave. Without killing you. Without making sure your existence becomes void this time."
"You can’t—!"
"Don’t test my patience, Elijah." Noah raised a finger to his own lips.
Elijah felt his entire existence recoil. His mouth sealed by something unseen, something he couldn’t push against.
"I am not done." Noah warned, then raised a single finger upward.
"You will both live your lives if Justicia chooses you. I won’t interfere, as long as you never appear before me again. However..."
The Prince’s face split into a wide, demonic grin.
"If Justicia doesn’t choose you even after recovering everything of her former self..."his voice dropped to a dreadful whisper,
"This time, Elijah, even if all of Reality stands behind you, nothing will stop me from killing you."
He paused briefly, looking at Elijah’s face, then chuckled.
"If that is understood, then let’s begin. Let’s test your love, old friend."
—End of Chapter 521—
