As though he had been suddenly plugged into a virtual world of some sort, Noah suddenly notices his surroundings, and his eyes go wide. In front of him is a large, expansive city, which he can see in full as the ground they stand on is elevated in a way that overlooks most of the city. It's like something from a sci-fi movie, except it's reality. There are several tall buildings scattered throughout a sea of smaller ones, there are cars on the roads, trains on the rails, and even hovercrafts in the sky. There are hundreds of creatures walking around the city and in and out of shops along the paths. He's only been there once on a controlled excursion with Tahno, but this city is like an alternate form of Hokkaido City, just with monsters instead of humans. Noah suddenly starts to feel calm, as though he's subconsciously realizing that these creatures are like him and that he can belong.
"Feels good, doesn't it? Feels like a place where you can be yourself, right? I felt the same my first time."
Noah looks at Ouran and sees their eyes light up with happiness that he's never seen in them before. He can tell that this really is their home, and he feels a bit envious that they have that—a real home.
"Come on, I want to show you my favorite spot. You'll be able to get some food there too. Follow me."
Ouran grabs Noah's hand and pulls him along. They've got so much excitement, it's like they're a different person than before. "Where are we going? Do you have a house here? Do you live with your parents?"
"I told you; we're going to the best spot in the city. I don't have a home, definitely no parents."
No home, no parents, then why are they so excited? How could they be so happy if they've got nothing? Noah can't help but ponder this as he and Ouran run through the crowds. As they do, Noah can get glimpses of several different creatures he's never seen before, as well as some who even look like humans. He wants to ask so much, but he holds out, assuming he'll have his chance once they get to their destination.
"All right, we're finally here." They stop in front of what looks like an inn or pub of some sort and walk inside. As soon as they step in, they are greeted by several people who all seem to know Ouran.
A woman who appears to be a hostess comes and greets them. "Welcome back, Ouran. It's been a while. I see you brought a friend with you. Who is this hand-sssome young man?" Her tongue slithers slightly.
"Hey Sheila, yeah, I had some stuff to take care of these last few weeks, so I couldn't come by. This is MY friend Helios, though the humans like to call him Noah Gremory, and he's fond of the name."
The inn suddenly becomes hushed as Ouran mentions Noah's name, and many people start to whisper under their breaths. Is it really him? That boy is of the Lord Cain lineage? Does Lord Silas know? None of their words mean anything to Noah, but it's a bit strange to him that they know who he is.
"Oh, I s-sssee. Well, welcome to you, Noah. Please make yourself at home. Call if you need me."
"Uh, thank…you." She walks away with a wry smile; she seems uneasy. "What's with her?"
"Oh, don't mind that, she's just a bit surprised is all—they all are. I mean, it's not every day that the brother of the Chief Junsui Lord comes around here. You're kind of a legend. Your entire bloodline is."
"Wait, hold on there. What are you saying? I'm the brother of who? You're obviously wrong."
"Man, Helios, you really know nothing of your true nature. That's how it is, I suppose, when you're raised as a human. Come over here, we need to have a discussion about your history and who you are. But first, let's get some grub! Hey Sheila, hook my friend up with something he'd like and a huge jug of juice."
"I got you, Ouran, the usual for yourself, right?" Sheila calls out from across the inn.
"You know it!" Ouran responds with unexpected flair and then turns back to Noah. "Okay, so while she's getting that cooked up, I'll give you your lesson of Noah Gremory 101. There's a lot to cover, and I'm sure you'll have questions, but for the sake of time, please hold them until I'm finished, okay?"
Noah isn't sure what to expect, and he's a bit nervous about what he's about to hear, but he's come too far to go back now and chicken out. So he simply nods and responds with, "Okay, I'm ready. Let's hear it."
"You were born Young Lord Helios, son of Lord Mikael and Lady Remy, grandson of Lord Cain. You were one of two; your other half, born just minutes before you, was Young Lord Silas—he is your brother. Your bloodline traces back hundreds of years, originating from the mating between the son of the Supreme Kusaru leader and the daughter of the Karyuhdo Great Savior of the Cursed War era. This was done in the hope that one day a new, perfect Supreme Leader would be born. One to command both the Karyuhdo and Kusaru and eventually the whole world. When Lord Silas was born, they believed he was the destined one, and he has since taken command as Supreme Lord, but only among the Junsui for now. When you were born, they believed you were human, as your oldest brother, Demetrius, had been, but they were wrong. They realized that you were destined to be the new Great Savior, but by the time they discovered this, your father had taken you away from there and hid you away with humans."
"Thus, you ended up with your new family in the Tekisu district. They knew nothing of your nature, of course, and assumed you to be a normal human baby and raised you as such, naming you Noah Gremory. However, when you reached your 12th birthday, you began to change as your Junsui gene had been activated. That same night, Junsui Demons attacked your town and slaughtered everyone, including your family. You were the only one left, and it was at that point that General Tahno found you and took you to the academy. He decided to take responsibility for you since you had no one else."
"I don't need a reminder of that night—I know what happened and how I ended up with Tahno!" Noah had been listening quietly, but having his memories of that night brought up made him lose his composure.
Ouran realized this and decided to move on. "I'm sorry, I forgot how sensitive of a topic that must be for you. Let's just pick up with things as they are now. Not long after you ended up at the academy, Judas began his rise to leadership. After his Kingdom was attacked by humans and they killed your grandfather, he took his place as Supreme Junsui Lord Silas. Since then, he's been running a pretty tight ship among the Junsui community, but he's surprisingly a reasonable dictator, so the Junsui community generally approves of him. He also has a strong relationship with the Bakemon Council, heading their Chief Junsui Leader position. The remainder of the council is made up of Angel and Demon Leaders. Together, they are our governing body."
"So where do I come into this? I get why everyone knows me now, but why is it a big deal I'm here now? Are they looking for me? Should I expect them to bust in here and capture me?"
"No, not at all. They just know the history between you and Silas and how the prophecy says you two are mortal enemies or something and are destined to face off. It's exciting because now that you've finally discovered our world, they fear everything is going to change. I suppose it will actually."
"So my question still stands: is this Silas going to come here and kill me?"
"No, he's not gonna make any moves anytime soon, so don't worry. He's having too much fun being in charge. He says that when the time is right, you two will meet again, and he'll kill you. For now, though, he's not interested, and he's even given strict orders that when you enter our world, no one is to attempt to harm you or bother you unless they want to face his punishment. He desperately wants you to discover yourself and get stronger and be a worthy opponent when the time comes. That and he wants to enjoy playing his twisted game with you. He's a real sadistic son of a bitch, I tell you. I guess losing your kingdom and beloved grandfather in one night will do that to you. I hear he was almost normal before that tragedy. Sad story honestly."
Noah can hardly believe everything he's hearing. He's known since that day that he is a Junsui demon, but all the rest of these blanks have finally been filled in about his origins, and it sounds almost unreal. His family is supposedly more or less royalty of the Junsui species? He's a Young Lord? Helios, is that really his name? "This is all so much to take in." He starts to feel lightheaded. "Man, I'm seriously hungry!"
"I'm sure you are, but no worries, the food will be out very soon. Sheila's going to take good care of us. I'm sure the chef just wants to make sure everything is perfect for you, lest Lord Silas come to collect their heads for bad service."
Noah was receiving so much info at once; it's only just now dawned on him that Ouran just told him so much—things they shouldn't possibly know without being there. They're the same age as him, after all. "Hey, so wait a second, how do you know all of this? I doubt you'd find this all in a history book."
"Ah, I was waiting for you to ask that. The truth is, I've been watching you for a long time. I met Judas four years ago. He found me after my mother had locked me up in the cupboard for two long years. He literally served me her head on a silver platter soon after our introductions. We realized we had a mutual goal in killing the sons of Mikael, so we agreed to work together towards that end. He introduced himself as Judas at the time, so I had no idea he was actually one of them, Silas in the flesh. When he eventually told me, I was livid he'd lied to me. However in the end, I accepted it. I decided to observe you both instead, and realized I was misguided."
"I learned that you brothers are also victims. It was then that I decided to give up on killing you all. I realized that despite what my mother told me Papa was going to do, he never actually took part in your lives. It seemed he had a habit of leaving his children behind and being a wanderer. It was only through his wandering that he found my mom and me—I was still just a baby then. Mom said he found us on the streets all alone, and he had just traveled far over the previous two years and wanted to settle down. He settled down with us, and we were a family."
"Ten years later, though, he had to leave to help you and your brothers, but apparently, whatever he thought he had to do never came to pass because you two never truly knew him either. I can't speak for Demetrius, though, since no one, not even Judas, actually knows who he is since he's human and was sent away long before either of you were a thought. The only clue we have to go on is that he apparently does live somewhere in Wakaba among the humans. So it's possible he could be enjoying a life with our father right now, neither of them thinking anything about us." Ouran looks sad and bitter as they fall silent. The reality of the situation still a festering wound.