Chapter 24: Chapter 24: Noah Finally Accepts His Destiny.
The dark energy kept expanding and every few seconds a new explosion shook the surroundings.
Noah took one step forward, then another, but Luna appeared in front of him.
"Noah!"
He looked up and she warned him.
"You have to get away!"
"No."
"You can’t get close!"
Another explosion burst from Yume’s body, making the ground tremble once more.
Luna took a step toward Noah.
"The barrier repels everything!"
"I know."
"I already tried so many times!"
"That doesn’t matter now."
"Yes it does!"
Luna pointed at Yume.
"It’s going to kill you!"
Noah looked forward again.
Yume remained motionless, the darkness covering almost her entire body, her breathing irregular as if she were fighting against something.
Noah took a deep breath.
"No."
He said calmly.
"It won’t."
Luna frowned.
"How can you be so sure!?"
Noah remembered the images the goddess had shown him of Yume and reached the conclusion that her feelings had been real.
"She never stopped trying to get close to me."
He murmured.
"She never stopped trusting me."
Luna didn’t understand, but Noah no longer tried to explain and started walking again.
"Noah!"
Luna tried to stop him, but he kept moving forward.
The barrier reacted instantly and a huge amount of energy shot out.
Noah raised an arm by instinct and the impact made him stagger back a step.
It hurt like hell, but he didn’t stop and took another step.
The energy struck him again, starting to tear his clothes and opening several wounds on his arms, but Noah kept walking.
"Noah!"
Luna shouted from behind.
"Stop!"
He didn’t answer and took another step.
The energy exploded once more and this time a wound appeared on his shoulder, then another on his side.
The barrier tried to expel him, but Noah continued advancing.
’I’m done running.’
Another step.
The darkness kept hitting him, his body was beginning to fail, but he kept walking.
’I’m done hiding behind the anime.’
Another step.
His breathing grew heavy and blood slowly ran down his arm.
’Yume isn’t a character.’
Another step.
’She’s suffering.’
The barrier began to weaken, just a little, but it was enough.
Noah continued until he finally crossed it.
Luna’s eyes opened wide.
"It can’t be..."
The barrier no longer tried to expel him; instead, it was as if it had accepted his presence.
Noah stood in front of Yume.
The darkness still surrounded her, her eyes barely visible, and when she looked at him, her voice came out weakly.
"...Noah..."
Noah smiled.
"Yes."
Yume tilted her head slightly.
"No."
Her voice was still unsteady.
"No..."
She slowly raised a hand.
"You..."
Her fingers trembled.
"You can’t be here."
Noah remained in front of her.
"I’m here."
"No."
The darkness stirred again.
"You died."
"No."
"I saw you."
Tears began to appear again.
"I..."
The energy grew once more.
"I couldn’t save you."
Noah slowly shook his head.
"You did save me."
"No."
Yume closed her eyes.
"You’re an illusion."
"No."
"My head..."
Her breathing quickened.
"Is making you up."
"No."
"Because it doesn’t want to accept that you’re gone."
Noah took the final step and stood right in front of her.
"I’m not an illusion."
Yume could barely see him.
"No..."
Her voice began to break.
"You’ll disappear."
"I’m not going to disappear."
"Everyone disappears."
"I won’t."
"I don’t want to lose you again."
"You’re not going to lose me."
Yume shook her head desperately.
"No."
Noah slowly raised a hand, placed it on Yume’s cheek, and she shuddered because she could feel the contact.
It was warm and real.
Her eyes began to open slowly.
"You..."
Noah looked directly at her.
"I’m alive and this is my proof."
Before Yume could respond, he kissed her.
Time seemed to stop, the darkness stopped moving, the explosions ceased, and silence covered the entire city.
Yume’s eyes opened completely, her breathing halted, and for a few seconds absolutely nothing happened.
Then the darkness began to disappear slowly.
The shadows left her body, the barrier broke, the dark energy dissipated, her outfit gradually returned to normal, and the pressure covering the city vanished.
Luna immediately felt the change.
"Is it over...?"
All the darkness disappeared and Yume fully regained her normal appearance.
She blinked several times as if waking from a dream.
She looked around and then at Noah.
"Noah...?"
Her voice was completely normal.
Noah smiled.
"Hey."
Yume’s eyes widened, her legs stopped responding as all the exhaustion hit her at once and her body lost strength.
Noah caught her before she hit the ground.
"Easy."
Yume tried to speak, but it was already too late.
She closed her eyes and fell completely asleep.
Noah held her in his arms.
The city was silent and Luna walked slowly toward them.
She observed Yume and then Noah.
"I don’t understand anything."
She said sincerely.
Noah let out a small laugh.
"Me neither."
Luna wanted to ask more but decided to stay quiet because Yume was breathing normally, and that was enough.
Several hours later, Yume slowly opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was a white ceiling.
She blinked, confused, turned her head slightly, and then saw him.
Noah was sitting beside the bed.
He looked exhausted, but he was smiling.
"Good morning."
Yume remained still and watched him for several seconds as if her brain couldn’t process it, but then her eyes began to fill with tears.
"No..."
She murmured.
Noah tilted his head.
"What’s wrong?"
Yume sat up suddenly, ignoring the exhaustion, and hugged him with all her strength.
"I thought you had died!"
Her voice was completely broken.
"I thought I would never see you again!"
Noah felt Yume trembling as every word came out between tears.
"I don’t want..."
She said while crying.
"I don’t want to lose you."
Noah slowly closed his eyes and hugged her back.
This time he didn’t try to pull away or convince himself that this was a mistake, because this wasn’t an anime that had to follow a script.
Yume wasn’t a character, she was a person, a person who had suffered, who truly loved him, and whom he had also begun to love without realizing it.
He remembered the goddess’s words again.
’Are you trying to stop someone from loving you...?’
He smiled with resignation.
’You were right.’
He loosened the hug just a little.
Yume slowly lifted her head, still crying.
"Noah..."
He looked straight into her eyes.
"Yume."
She waited.
"I want to stop running."
Yume didn’t understand.
"I don’t want to keep pretending this is just a story."
The tears kept falling.
"I don’t want to keep rejecting you out of fear."
Yume slowly opened her eyes.
"Noah...?"
He gently took one of her hands.
"If you still feel the same, then..."
He took a deep breath.
"...I want to be your boyfriend."
Yume stopped breathing for a moment and stared at him as if she needed to make sure she had heard correctly.
"What...?"
Noah smiled.
"I want to date you."
For a few seconds, Yume remained completely still.
Then the tears returned, but this time they were different, because a huge smile appeared on her face.
"Yes!"
She answered, almost voiceless.
"Yes!"
She hugged him again, crying even harder, but now from happiness.
"Yes!"
She repeated over and over.
Noah let out a small laugh and hugged her tightly.
For the first time he wasn’t acting like someone who knew the story; he was acting like Noah, and he didn’t feel afraid doing it.
And so began a completely different story from the one he had once seen in an anime.
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