~North Forest- Hackett Town, Tekisu District~
Noah takes a step back from Caleb, his eyes downcast as he stares at the ground, his voice small and filled with sorrow. "I'm sorry, Caleb. I guess I did a bad thing. I'm a murderer now. I don't think I can be with you and Mom again."
Before Caleb can respond, a familiar voice cuts through the tension, calm yet authoritative. "The first kill is never an easy one, but you did the right thing, Noah. You saved your brother. However, you are right about one thing. You can't return to the human world again. It's dangerous now that you've been seen."
Caleb whirls around to face the speaker, his eyes narrowing as he recognizes the voice. "You! You were the one who saved me from that other guy. Who exactly are you?"
The man steps forward, his expression serious. "I'm sorry, but I have no time for questions. Noah and I must leave at once. If you wish to live, you will go with your mother and do the same, before there is no escape. A terrible tragedy is coming to this town, and I'd rather not see you two get caught in it. For Noah's sake, this is the only assistance I can give you, so I pray you will heed my warning."
Caleb feels a chill run down his spine at the man's words, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "I don't know what's coming, but whatever it is, we'll face it together as a family. You can't just take Noah from us. I won't let you! Mom is counting on me to bring him home, and that's what I'm going to do!" He speaks with fierce determination, his voice unwavering.
Noah's shoulders slump as he looks at his brother, pain evident in his eyes. "But I'm a monster, Caleb. You couldn't even look at me—you backed away. I scared you. I'm obviously not human anymore. I'm a monster. Mom would probably be disgusted."
Caleb's heart aches at his brother's words, guilt gnawing at him. "I was scared, but that doesn't matter, because I'm not anymore! You're still Noah! You're still my brother! Maybe you can use your powers for good and save us, like Steel Man."
Noah's eyes widen slightly, a flicker of hope breaking through the darkness in his thoughts. "You really think so? I didn't think of it like that, but maybe I could save our town."
"No, you could not," Mikael interjects, his voice firm. "There's nothing you can do, Noah. You're Junsui, but not entirely. I can't sense any of the natural energies from you. Frankly, I've never seen a Junsui like you. You were even able to stop yourself from devouring those campers last night. It's rare for a young Junsui who's newly awakened to have that kind of restraint. I understand this is your home and your precious memories are here, but that's in the past now that you've come into your true form. Noah the human will have died along with the rest of Hackett Town tonight. You are no longer him; you are now who you've always been meant to be—a Junsui Demon, of sorts, and my son, Helios."
The revelation hangs in the air like a dark cloud, and both boys fall silent, stunned by the weight of Mikael's words. "Please, you have to trust me now," Mikael continues, his tone softening.
Noah's mind whirls with confusion and fear, torn between the life he's known and the strange new reality that's unfolding before him. Caleb can see the conflict in his brother's eyes and steps closer, trying to pull him back from the edge. "I know you're scared and confused, Noah, and you might be thinking of running away, but you can't do that. I hesitated for a moment, but I see clearly now that nothing about you has really changed. I won't turn away from you ever again, and I know Mom won't either. I just know it!"
"Of course, I wouldn't!" A new voice joins the conversation, filled with warmth and resolve.
"Mom! You're here?" Caleb turns in surprise, his voice trembling with relief as he runs to her. "Mom, I was so scared."
Maggie wraps her arms around her eldest son, holding him close as he cries into her chest. "I know, sweetie, but you're okay now. I don't know the full story, but I knew something was wrong when I heard the gunshots."
"It was Mr. Stinson!" Caleb blurts out, his words coming fast and frantic. "He tried to kill me just like he killed Dad! I figured it out because he has the same watch—the one you said you got Dad for your first-year anniversary. You said it was one of a kind, so I knew there was no way he'd have the same one. That's when I confronted him about it, and he tried to kill me too. He wanted to silence me! So, Noah—"
"I know," Maggie interrupts gently, her voice steady and reassuring. "You don't have to explain. I know you and Noah would never do anything wrong. You're my good boys. My angels. I love you no matter what, even if you do bad things."
"Mom…" Noah's voice is barely a whisper, his eyes filling with tears as he hears her words. For the first time since his transformation, he feels a glimmer of hope—a chance that he might still belong.
"Noah, you can't. It's too dangerous. You aren't fully human anymore. We have to go," Mikael insists, his voice tinged with urgency.
"No!" Maggie releases Caleb and strides toward Noah and Mikael, her expression fierce and unyielding. "Noah is my boy. You made that choice twelve years ago when you left him at my doorstep, so you don't get to have him back now! I'll protect him. I'll never let anyone hurt him! Come now, Noah, come to Mama."
Noah hesitates for a moment, his gaze flickering between Mikael and his mother. But the pull of her outstretched arms is too strong to resist. He takes a step forward, then another, before finally pulling away from Mikael and rushing into Maggie's embrace. She holds him tightly, her heart breaking at the thought of losing him again. Mikael doesn't try to stop him this time, his expression one of quiet resignation as he watches them.
"How…you know who I am?" Mikael's voice is laced with disbelief as he watches the scene unfold before him.
Maggie looks up, her eyes fierce with determination as she cradles both her boys against her chest. "Of course, it's easy enough to figure out when you've been secretly watching him for the last ten years. I didn't notice you at first, but after about a year of Noah saying he was talking to an angel in his dreams, I started watching him more closely. I saw you just at the edge of the forest, in view of Noah's window. I wasn't sure, but I could sense that you were likely that angel, somehow entering his dreams. As he grew older, you got bolder, coming as far as the yard, though you were masking yourself somehow, so we couldn't see you. But I knew you were there, because Noah was talking to someone one might have assumed to be his imaginary friend. I especially caught on since I'd ask him when he came inside who he was speaking to, and he said the voice. He had no image."
Mikael's eyes widen in surprise, and he lets out a soft laugh, his respect for her growing. "My goodness, what powerful perception you have! Are you an Esper by chance?"
"No, nothing like that," Maggie replies, her voice calm but firm. "I'm just a mother. It's my job to watch my children and keep them safe from anything that may harm them. I've also always believed that there are some things we are not meant to understand before their time. I knew this was one of those things. I've always known Noah was destined to be a special boy, but I'm not ready to let him go just yet."
Mikael sighs, shaking his head in admiration. "There's no arguing with you, is there?" She simply shakes her head in response, her resolve unyielding. "As I thought, I'm not a match for you. I can't win against you." He sighs deeply, his expression one of regret. "But I also can't leave him behind."
The words hang in the air, confusing them all. Before anyone can react, a sudden gust of wind sweeps through the forest, and in an instant, Noah is no longer in Maggie's arms. Both he and Mikael are gone, leaving nothing behind but the echo of their disappearance and the shattering sound of a mother's broken heart.
Maggie falls to her knees, her arms still outstretched, the emptiness where her son had been a cold, cruel reminder of the impossible choice she'd been forced to face. Caleb rushes to her side, his own heart aching with grief and confusion as he tries to comfort her. But there are no words that can mend the pain of a mother who has lost her child—again.
As the wind dies down and the forest falls into an eerie silence, Caleb and Maggie are left to grapple with the devastating reality that their family has been torn apart, and the life they once knew is gone forever.