"Holy shit! What the heck is happening?!"
Staring from the cliff side by side with Skadi, Noah could see the once scenic landscape on fire.
Although the mountain Noah was standing on was still covered with snow, the area around it was surrounded by a mix of blue and black flames.
"The view was better earlier. What do you think?"
sigh. "Well, at least I am not in pain. Besides, since a contract is established I can force them to stop it, right?"
Instead of answering, Skadi just gave a terrifying smile. Unlike Skadi's contract, Azeas and Surtr's were equal contracts which meant nothing can be forced on them. Realizing this Noah turned his head away.
"That's not the worst part anyway. Look up."
Following Skadi, Noah looked into the sky right above him. A large black scar remained that looked like it was tearing the sky.
"Is that the scar through which Surtr came through?"
"Yeah…"
"Why is it not closing? Is that also because of my condition now?"
"Partly. Cracks, scars or any broken pieces in the domain generally mean your mentality or your strength is weak. It can also attract spirits that want to have a contract with you. Not good ones normally. But once the crack gets larger and the entire sky breaks open, essentially your mind will be shattered."
"How do I fix it?"
"I don't know."
"What?"
"I haven't met or heard of someone who survived after having a crack in their domain."
Staring into the crack in the sky, Noah could see the darkness slowly covering the entire sky. As if it turned to night, the entire domain turned pitch black all of a sudden. Soon, the entire area became eerily quiet.
"Skadi?"
A minute. 10 minutes. An hour. He couldn't tell how much time had passed.
Noah could feel himself hyperventilating. The sound from his ragged breathing was all he could hear. But as if to deny him of that luxury, soon he was unable to hear that as well.
Sight. Hearing. Smell. Taste. He couldn't sense any of them. All he had remaining was the sense of touch.
When Noah overused his mana last time, he could feel his sense of touch gradually numbing from the coldness. But unlike then, he could feel part of his arms losing all sense of touch without reason as if his nerve endings were shut down immediately.
Gasping for help, Noah started running with all his might.
He couldn't recall when or how long it has been since it started, but now he couldn't feel anything.
A day. A week. A month. All he could do was believe he was still running.
As if the torture was finally over, he could feel his face planted on the ground with his feet caught in between tree roots.
Opening his eyes, he could see a hill road leading to a sharp hairpin bend. It still looked to be night, but he could see the surroundings illuminated with a soft golden light.
Looking up to see the source of the soft light, Noah could see a pair of large golden eyes staring at him as if it was looking at an ant.
Smack.
"Noah. You, pain in the ass master. Aaah. Shit. It still hurts. Are you still there?"
As the sudden slap hit the back of his head, he found himself back at the snow mountain with Skadi. Turning around, he could see Azeas and Surtr, looking at him concerned.
"What happened?" As Noah lifted his head to look back up, he was hit with another slap from Skadi.
"Aah. This bloody contract. Don't look up, unless you want to end yourself. You were out for about a minute, but we could feel your life force depleting as well. The crack has gotten larger also. So, what happened?"
As Noah recalled to her what had happened, he could feel her face harden.
"Don't worry too much about what happened…" looking at Surtr, she continued, "It's just another ingrate. Get some sleep. We can start training your body tomorrow. You need to find a way to close the crack, otherwise, everything will be for nothing."
"Right…"
Closing his eyes, Noah exited his domain.
No matter how much he tried, Noah wasn't able to get back to sleep again.
Taking the bracelet from his inventory, Noah tied his hair to a ponytail and started walking around the large mansion.
"Why is it so dark out?"
"It's almost 2 in the morning, young prince."
"Oh.. bahh"
Turning around Noah could see Wilhelmina holding a candle behind him. Unlike her stern secretary-like expression during the day, she looked more gentle in casual pyjamas with her brown hair tied to the side by a scrunchie.
"Why are you awake?"
"Ms Walker. Not you. As the duke said earlier, I will be taking care of the young prince."
Sigh. "I don't need anyone to take care of me."
"Is that why the young prince was walking in the middle of the night after a nightmare?"
"What? I-I was just hungry."
"I didn't expect the young prince to be a liar. As punishment, maybe I should inform the Duchess that the young prince is unable to sleep. I wonder if the entire mansion would then wake up."
"Stop.."
"Tomorrow morning, it will be known to everyone that the Prince of Wyte suffers from nightmares. Who knows maybe once the rumours spread it might become: the Prince still wets his bed and whatnot."
"Stop. I give up. Please."
"Hmm… ok."
"Aren't you, I mean isn't Ms Walker, supposed to be my subject?"
"Rather than a subject, I'll be the young Prince's teacher and caretaker until you are an adult."
Sigh.
"Sighing is not a good habit, young Prince."
"I think I should go back to sleep now."
"I'll bring you a glass of milk. Will you be fine alone or do you want to come to the kitchen with me?"
"I'll be fine!"
====
Taking the empty glass from the bedside table, Wilhelmina quietly exited the room.
"Mina, do you think it was the right choice?"
Outside the room, Wilhelmina could see Trish standing alone in the dark.
As a member of the Walker family, she was introduced to Trish Alinac before her wedding to Prince Edwin Wyte. Although there was strong opposition against his marriage with a daughter of a marquis house that didn't have much military strength, Edwin remained resolute with his decision.
As Trish became the centre of attention among nobles and commoners alike, she was slandered left and right being called weak, incapable and many other things.
But even when she was called out in public or in social gatherings for being unworthy, she never retaliated nor did she have Edwin take action in her stead. Eventually, with time, the rumours died down as people came to acknowledge her as the soft but highly capable duchess.
As the light from the candle reflected on Trish's eyes, Wilhelmina couldn't help but recall the night when Noah fell from the cliff.
When the battle was over, Trish, wounded all over, was crying her heart out for her son. But the moment Wilhelmina saw her eyes, she could feel drawn to the faint glow. As if the world turned silent, everything became eerily quiet but in the next moment, the threatening pressure she felt was gone as Edwin hugged Trish.
While accompanying the Duchess, Wilhelmina was able to witness it in a few other short instances when she was upset. As much was not known about the Alinac family's contracted spirits due to their neutral stance, Wilhelmina could only keep herself on guard and trust that nothing would go wrong.
As the candle flame illuminated her, she could see Trish with her arms folded, worried.
"I am sorry your highness. The right choice for?"
"I am talking about allowing Dr Clara to take care of Noah."
"She is one of the best doctors in the kingdom. And more than that, she is not one who would risk a patient's life."
"I see…"
"We can only wait and trust in her."