Chapter 38: Chapter 38: Chained Chapter 38 – Chained Noah had no words. What he was feeling couldn’t be named. This wasn’t fear. It wasn’t awe. It was as if something had peeled open his soul—laid it bare, naked under a divine gaze. Not eyes. Something worse. Elizabeth’s voice echoed in his mind. "What a beautiful soul." His frown deepened. Instinctively, his Aura of Limitlessness ignited—veiling his soul in endless depths. An infinite chasm of being, unknowable, unreachable. Instantly, the visibility of his soul vanished. Hidden from all perception. But she still stared. "Your soul..." she whispered, her head tilting ever so slightly. "Even Elijah’s—radiant, endless, like a sun that never dies—doesn’t come close." Her voice now only existed in his mind. Private. Intimate. Terrifying. "It’s like something that could freeze entire universes. Birth storms across dimensions. I see both life and death in you... and yet neither. It’s illusionary—uncertain, chaotic—but the pressure it emits..." She inhaled sharply, almost shivering. "...it’s limitless, almost divine." "What are you?" Noah didn’t answer. To the outside world, it looked like they were just staring at each other—silent and still—after Elizabeth removed her blindfold. But inside his mind, they stood within a domain of lightning and ice, shaped by his will. A fortress of illusions, wrapped in crushing, cosmic pressure. Even if someone broke the barrier, they’d find nothing but infinite blackness. He finally spoke. "How are you inside my mind?" Elizabeth blinked. "Inside?" She played dumb. Her tone innocent. "What skills did you use?" He already knew the answer, but wouldn’t say it out loud. "Last I heard, you were a seer. A prophet." She smiled. That same soft, sharp smile. "That too." "...Too?" "I can see the future. Fate. The strings that guide choices." She stepped closer, lowering her voice. "I can access memories. Twist them. Erase them. I can see souls... and if I choose, destroy them so completely that even reincarnation becomes impossible." Then she added casually, "Oh, and yes. My talent is SSS rank." Noah’s mind raced. "Why are you telling me all this?" "Because," she said, "you’re the first person I’ve ever met who can block me. At first, I saw your soul... but now? It’s gone. Hidden beneath something endless. Is that your aura?" She leaned in, her eyes wide with wonder. "Even Elijah’s mind cannot hide from my eyes. But he is shielded by the Goddess, but you—you’re doing it alone." She was trembling now. Her voice breathless. "That makes you real. Untouched. Beautiful." Noah’s body tensed. Her tone had shifted—too gentle. Too intimate. "You should’ve told me from the start, Noah." She smiled, voice soft as silk. "If you had... I’d have chosen you instead." He blinked. "What?" "I’ve spent my whole life searching for someone like you. Someone I can look at without hearing screams. Without seeing lifetimes in a blink. Without losing myself in someone else’s chaos." She stepped forward, close enough for him to feel her breath. "I’ve found you." Noah couldn’t move. This wasn’t about power anymore. This was obsession. And he was at the center of it. Elizabeth’s face hovered just an inch from his. "Do you know why I cling to Elijah? Why I need his attention?" Noah raised an eyebrow. "Because you’re insane?" She didn’t even blink. "No. Even after the Goddess sealed part of my power, my talent—even with this blindfold—I still hear voices. Whispers of madness, rage, laughter. Thoughts that aren’t mine. Lives I’ve never lived." "Only when I’m near Elijah... is there silence." Noah paused. Then muttered, "Wait. That means..." "Yes," she said. "The Goddess made it that way. She tied me to him. Made it so I’d never stray far. My entire sanity depends on his presence." She laughed. Not loud. Not joyful. Broken. "So even if you succeeded in your plan—if I’d gone mad and killed every girl near him—I’d still be stuck. Still leashed to him." "But now..." Her eyes locked onto his. "Now it’s different." She stepped closer. Again. "I don’t know what your aura is, Noah. But it blocks the voices. It’s like I’m wrapped in infinite layers of protection. Silence. Peace." Her voice trembled. Her eyes were glowing. It was mesmerizing, but also terrifying. "You’ve done something only the Goddess ever could. You’ve silenced the voices." "That’s... incredible." Noah raised an eyebrow. He had no idea what to say anymore. So he sat down, conjuring an ice chair from his mental domain. But Noah is Noah after all. He may be overwhelmed, but he was never powerless. And now... he had leverage. ’I can use this to my advantage.’ "Then let’s make a deal," Noah said calmly. He leaned back, eyes steady. "I’ll cloak your mind with my aura. Constantly. No more whispers. No more madness." "In exchange, tell me about your Goddess. The truth. Why would a deity choose a champion in the first place? Don’t lie—it’s not just about fighting demons and monsters." "Things don’t add up." Elizabeth’s gaze darkened. Her posture changed. "I can’t." Noah frowned. "Why?" "Because I don’t know the full reason. And even if I did—I can’t say. She’s a Goddess, Noah. You don’t talk about them without them listening." "I won’t risk my position as Saintess for you. Because losing it means my death. The goddess will never let me go with my life." "Ask for something else." Noah’s eyes narrowed. "You’re acting like you have options." "You said it yourself. I’m the only one who can stop those whispers besides the Goddess. But unlike her—I don’t chain you to Elijah." "And you know it, Elizabeth. You’re seeing it—Elijah’s attention is slipping away. Soon, he won’t look at you at all." "You want to keep depending on someone who doesn’t even see you?" "Or do you want to stay sane?" Elizabeth flinched slightly. Noah stood. Slowly. His aura shifted—no longer passive. No longer gentle. Limitlessness turned lethal. Elizabeth gasped, recoiling. The pressure struck her like a crashing wave. His voice dropped cold. "Playtime’s over, Saintess." He stepped forward. One step. Just enough to make her eyes widen. "Get the fuck out of my mind." —End of Chapter 38—