Episode 3

After seeing Calyps in person, Noah couldn’t sleep properly for nearly two days. Now, it seemed that all that exhaustion had caught up with him, as he drifted into a deep slumber, completely unaware that Calyps was watching over him. This was the most restful sleep he had experienced since his possession in this world.

* * *

Noah opened his eyes to darkness, a strange smile forming against the backdrop of splendor around him. But something out of place, something foreign, soon caught his eye and unsettled him, hardening his expression. At that moment, he felt an inexplicable, uncanny sensation that urged him into contemplation. Just as he sensed a peculiar discomfort, his body began to move, acting entirely against his will.

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“Why is that filthy wretch here at such an important engagement?”

The words that came from his own mouth startled Noah, as he realized what had stirred this intense discomfort at a scene he had never witnessed before. A low sigh escaped him. The sight before him was one of those painful memories, painfully clear in his mind.

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‘No! Don’t go there, you fool!’

Noah shouted with all his strength, desperately trying to stop it, but his cries failed to reach ‘Noah Valencia.’ Helplessly, he watched his body move and his mouth speak without his command, unable to stop the tragedy unfolding before him.

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“Hrk! Ack!”

“As expected, those of lowly birth have no sense of place, especially at an event of this magnitude. They clearly have no idea of the importance of this occasion. Sister.”

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His nerves already on edge at the engagement he so deeply resented, Noah Valencia directed his agitation at a commoner crouched on the floor. Sienna, troubled by her brother’s harsh tone, gently interceded, her eyes concerned as she looked at the man.

“Wait a moment, Noah. He looks unwell.”

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“Ha, honestly. Butler! Butler! Where’s the butler? A sick man at an engagement ceremony—this is….”

Perhaps she was only trying to calm him down, but her words had the opposite effect, further fraying Noah Valencia’s already precarious patience. After all, this engagement was not her wish but their father’s ambition alone. Though there was little he liked about this event, it was, after all, his dear sister’s engagement, and he could not allow it to be ruined by some commoner. His anger had reached its peak.

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‘They call him a war hero, but he’s still lowborn, after all.’

But his father’s intentions were unwavering. Unable to openly defy his father, Noah Valencia bristled with anger whenever he thought of Calyps. The very thought of him made his blood boil, and his steps quickened in frustration. Watching him, the nearby attendants murmured among themselves, noting how intense he seemed.

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‘No! Don’t go that way, you idiot!’

Noah glared in despair at the unyielding figure of Noah Valencia as he approached the man. Finally, he locked eyes with the white, vacant stare of a zombie. A violent fear overcame Noah, and he tried to close his eyes, but even that was beyond his control. Helplessly bound within his own body, he could only curse.

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“Graaargh!”

The zombie let out its characteristic grotesque moan and bit down on Noah Valencia’s neck. The sickening stench of blood filled the air, and the agonizing sensation of flesh tearing made Noah scream.

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“Aaargh!”

The pain radiated from his neck, surging through his veins. His whole body felt like it was ablaze, and he writhed in agony. As he thrashed in pain, his body twisted in grotesque contortions until his vision dimmed to black.

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‘Thirsty, it hurts, save me, thirsty, it hurts, thirsty, hungry….’

When Noah opened his eyes, the searing pain still tore through him, and his body convulsed. The torment of becoming a zombie was far more excruciating than he had imagined. The relentless burning continued as his darkened vision slowly turned cloudy. In that hazy vision, he writhed in suffering.

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“Noah!”

At the sound of Sienna’s voice, Noah turned his head, though it twisted grotesquely. Unfazed by the horrifying sight, Sienna watched him, her gaze filled with worry as she looked at her blood-drenched brother. But nothing in his blurred vision allowed him to see her face; all he could perceive was a single, dazzling blue light. That blue glow evoked an overwhelming thirst, and he drooled as he reached toward it.

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“Grrrrrk!”

A feral sound erupted from his mouth as he lurched toward the blue light, his body moving like a moth drawn to a flame. The moment he touched that glowing blue, Noah thought, *I don’t want to die. I want to live.*

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“Eeeek!”

Bang! A gunshot echoed, and Noah’s body jolted with fresh pain. In his fading consciousness, he clung desperately to his desire to survive.

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‘I don’t want to die!’

But despite Noah’s desperate wish, a chilling click of a cocked gun echoed in his ear.

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“Noah! Aaaah!”

Hearing Sienna’s terrified scream, Noah let out a final, tormented cry of pain.

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“Is he having a nightmare?”

Noah, drenched in cold sweat, was tossing and turning. Calyps, who had been silently observing, hesitated as he considered waking him, then slowly approached.

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“Sa… save me…”

Calyp’s body stiffened at Noah’s strained mutter. For a brief moment, he could almost imagine Noah’s usual reaction if he dared touch him—yelling, indignant.

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“Ah, he’ll wake up on his own.”

Calyp’s hand, paused mid-air, suddenly trembled as he noticed tears slipping from Noah’s eyes.

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“Noah Valencia?”

“Please… spare me, please…”

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“Hey, Noah Valen…!”

Before Calyps could finish, Noah unexpectedly threw himself into his arms, clinging tightly. Shocked by the sudden embrace, Calyps instinctively tried to push him off, but Noah’s grip was fierce, his desperation stronger than his awareness.

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“I want to live… please…”

“Come on, Noah Valencia. Get a hold of yourself.”

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Calyp quickly overcame his initial surprise and, almost out of habit, began to calm Noah down, though he was inwardly taken aback. Noah’s actions felt strangely familiar—like something Calyps had seen all too often.

In the brutal trenches of war, soldiers would sometimes succumb to similar nightmares. Even Calyps had suffered these episodes in the past, and on occasion, still did. The extreme fear experienced on the threshold of life and death often returned in dreams to haunt them.

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‘A highborn noble like him would have no reason to feel such terror,’ Calyps thought, clucking his tongue dismissively. Yet, looking down at Noah’s pitiful, desperate grip, he found he couldn’t bring himself to push him away.

“Well, this is quite a sight, honestly.”

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What kind of day was this? How many more unexpected sides of Noah Valencia would he see today? All he’d known of Noah was his haughty, disdainful gaze, always looking down on him. This felt so surreal that Calyps began to wonder if he, too, was dreaming.

“A dream, huh…”

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If this was some sort of dream, Calyps mused with a dry smirk, it was a particularly twisted one. Shaking off his thoughts, he focused on gently rousing Noah from his haunted sleep.

“Noah, Noah Valencia!”

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He grasped Noah’s shoulders, carefully shaking him awake. At the sound of Calyps’s firm voice, Noah slowly opened his eyes, his tear-filled gaze meeting Calyps’s. Even with his eyes open, he seemed caught in the nightmare’s aftershock, still clinging to Calyps.

“Save… me, please…”

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The lingering dread of the nightmare held him captive, even as he struggled to awaken.

“Kai…?”

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“Are you back with us now, Noah Valencia?”

“Huh?”

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The deep voice murmuring beside his ear jolted Noah fully awake. Realizing who he was clinging to, Noah quickly released his hold and scrambled back, mortified. Calyps watched him intently, a faint scowl flickering on his face as if he found the situation strangely unpleasant.

“Looks like you’re back to your senses.”

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Noah shivered at the cold tone, fumbling for an explanation.

“Uh, I… just had a bad dream, that’s all. I didn’t mean to…”

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“No need to explain. I’ve seen plenty like you before.”

Calyp’s brow furrowed slightly, recalling the grim scenes of the battlefield.

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“Still, it’s almost laughable—a noble like you having such a dream.”

It was a kind of nightmare that the real Noah Valencia would never have had, Noah thought, so he remained silent, understanding Calyps’s tone. Calyps, on the other hand, seemed surprised by Noah’s uncharacteristic calm and eyed him thoughtfully.

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“…Are you really feeling all right?”

Seeing Noah’s subdued behavior, Calyps wondered if he was truly ill. He stared at him with a rare trace of concern, and Noah, realizing that his soon-to-be killer was looking at him with worry, felt a strange mix of emotions. Moments ago, it had been this very man—Calyp’s figure—that appeared in his nightmare, aiming a gun at him.

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Though his nightmare vision had been blurry, Noah recalled enough from the drama to recognize the scene. The memory resurfaced, his gaze locking with Calyp’s piercing gray eyes, and he felt like a cornered animal, frozen in terror. Cold sweat formed on Noah’s brow.

“You don’t look well. Should I call a doctor…?”

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“No! No, I’m fine. Perfectly fine.”

Practically spitting out his response, Noah abruptly stood up, swiftly moving out of Calyp’s line of sight like a man fleeing a predator’s gaze.

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