Prolouge Part 2: Noah Anderson

(9 years later)

"That is all class, make sure to review your notes for the quiz tomorrow." The teacher's voice echoed across the room, signaling the end of the lesson. The students, who had been previously engrossed in note-taking, packed up their belongings and began to shuffle out of the classroom.

But as they were doing so, some students lingered behind, chatting with their friends or sneaking in a game on their phone at their desks. Others pulled out books and began to read, taking advantage of the quiet classroom.

One group of students huddled together around a table, their eyes fixed on the young man in the center.

"Hey Noah, can you hook me up with your notes? I promise I'll return the favor," A young man pleaded, his palms pressed together in a begging gesture.

Before Noah could say anything, a young woman with glasses chimed in, "Maybe if you actually paid attention in class instead of dozing off, you wouldn't be in this predicament."

The young man, whose name is Michael, was about to argue with the girl, but Noah interrupted them with a handful of notes.

"Here, my notes. You better ace the exam with them! And when you do, you better give me a shoutout on Instagram. Okay?" Noah asked with a smile.

Michael's eyes widened in surprise, and he reached out to take the notes eagerly. "Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver," he said, feeling relieved that he wouldn't have to cram all night.

As Michael flipped through the notes, he remembered something. "Wait, isn't it your birthday today, Noah? How old are you turning? Sixteen or seventeen?"

Noah didn't answer as his eyes widened with excitement and a wide grin spread across his face as he heard the words. "No way! You know my birthday!" he exclaimed with a mix of surprise and delight. "I didn't even tell anyone. You must be a mind reader or something!"

"It's not a big deal, Mr. Anderson told me," Michael said, still engrossed in the notes.

Noah nodded his head enthusiastically "I see, I see. It makes sense for them to spread personal information like that."

Michael looked up from his notes, suddenly getting an idea. "So, do you want to celebrate your birthday? As a way to thank you."

Noah's eyes lit up. "Really? That's so kind of you, but it's not necessary. My notes aren't worth that much."

"Nonsense," Michael said with a grin. "You've been a great help to me, and I want to show my appreciation. What do you like to do for fun?"

"Let's see, I like playing games a lot. In fact, I love them!" He exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"I see, then I'll take you to Timezone, how about you guys, do you want to join?" Michael turned to the group of students that surrounded Noah and asked.

"Of course, it would be great!"

"Sure thing."

"Sure, I'll make sure to bring presents."

Michael turned to Noah with a grin. "That's decided then! How about we celebrate in style at five pm?"

"Sure thing" Noah returned that grin.

Noah continued to chat with everyone, his contagious laughter filling the room as he shared funny stories from his weekend. The group hung on his every word, not wanting the conversation to end.

Eventually, they were interrupted by a student who said they needed to clean the room so they were chased out.

Noah stepped out of the campus and stretched his arms above his head, feeling the sun on his skin. He looked around at his friends who were climbing into their cars because they lived far away compared to him where it would only take ten minutes to walk home.

He turned to wave goodbye to his friends and shouted, "See you all later!" They waved back, and he began his journey home.

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(Noah POV)

As I walked home, I couldn't help but think about how far I've come in terms of acting. It took a lot of practice and hard work, but I'm now able to put on a convincing facade of happiness and cheerfulness almost instantly. Though sometimes, it's hard to distinguish between my real emotions and the ones I'm portraying.

But when it comes to my love for games, I'm always genuine. I'm looking forward to spending some time in Timezone later, losing myself in the virtual worlds and challenging myself to beat high scores.

As I continued to walk, memories of my early days with my new family flooded back. Back then, I was inexperienced in acting, and the thought of being discovered made me feel so much pressure that I became overwhelmed with stress. That's when I discovered the joy of games and anime - they provided me with a much-needed escape from reality. In those virtual worlds, I could relax and be myself, even if it was just in my imagination.

Eventually, as I became more skilled in acting, I didn't need to rely on games and anime anymore to escape. However, I still hold a deep love for them, as they serve as a reminder of my genuine emotions.

As I grew older, memories of my childhood began to fade away, leaving only a few key events etched in my mind. The death of my parents, my sister Ellie, the constant rejection and pain I felt, my previous personality of being gloomy, and the facade of happiness that I projected, were among those memories that remained.

Yet, as time went by, I felt like my true self was slipping away as I continued to play the role of a happy-go-lucky person. I would look at my reflection in the mirror and try to act like my previous self, but being gloomy felt unnatural. I questioned whether I was actually becoming a happier person due to my family's love and support, but that wasn't the case. I still felt like I wasn't being true to myself while portraying this persona.

I couldn't help but wonder who the real Noah Anderson was. Was it the old me, with my gloomy personality? Or was it the current persona I had adopted?

The questions kept plaguing my mind, leaving me confused and lost. If I feel unnatural as my previous self, and I also feel unnatural as my current persona, then what is my true self? When would I finally feel like my personality was natural and truly my own?

But even as questions like that plagued my thought, I couldn't bring myself to search for my true self. Because on that day, I made a promise to myself in that car.

Love is worth any lie, any act, any cost

Even now, I still held this mantra deep in my heart.

That's why, even if I don't know my true self anymore, I'll continue to act, because I'm just a greedy man made up of lies after all.

Lost in my thoughts, I absentmindedly wandered down the street, oblivious to my surroundings. I didn't even realize that I was crossing the street with the traffic light still green.

Suddenly, a loud blaring sound startled me, and I looked up to see a large truck hurling toward me. My heart skipped a beat as I froze in panic, realizing too late that I had made a terrible mistake.

The next few moments passed in a blur as I felt the impact of the truck hitting me, throwing me to the ground. Pain seared through my body as I heard the screeching of the brakes and the sound of people screaming in panic. Everything went black, and I felt myself slipping away.

Am I going to die?

I started to think about what everyone's reactions would be toward it.

Mom and Dad would probably mourn for me, I know they love me very much. But I'm sure they would move on, they're strong people after all.

Ellie, I'm not sure if she will even receive news of my death. We communicated only through our phones, and my parents were unaware of our continued contact. And it's not like she can visit me and find out I died as she got adopted by Japanese people and currently lives in Japan. But if she knows, I'm sure she would mount too.

And I'm pretty sure my funeral will be attended by a lot of people.

I started to let out tears.

I don't want to die, I found love. I don't want to give it up.

But as I felt my death approaching, I decided to just accept it.

I start to think about what life would be like if I didn't act at all.

I thought about it, which made me chuckle, and then cough out blood.

No one would love me if I was like that.

I let out a deep sigh, my injuries making it harder to breathe.

I was a person made of so many lies, and that realization made me feel even more alone.

As I closed my eyes and accepted my fate, I knew that I would never know if someone would accept me for who I truly was.

And with that thought, I let go of everything, and my soul departed from my body, leaving behind the worries and stresses of the world. It was as if I was floating in a state of weightlessness, with no sense of time or space. All that remained was a feeling of pure bliss and freedom.

For what seemed like an eternity, I was lost in this ethereal realm, where my spirit was unburdened and free. But then, without warning, a sharp pain jolted me back to reality. It was like a thousand needles pricking my skin, and I couldn't help but cry out in agony.

I slowly opened my eyes, wincing at the blinding brightness that assaulted my vision. It felt as though my retinas were on fire. I tried to move my head, but it refused to budge, held in place by some unseen force. Panic set in as I struggled to break free, but it was no use.

Gradually, the searing pain began to subside, but my vision remained blurry, and I could only discern a faint outline in front of me. The figure had striking purple hair, which contrasted sharply against the bright light. I could hear her speaking, though her words were muffled and hard to make out.

"Welcome to the world, my little Aikara Hoshino" she said, her voice soft and melodic.

Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion washed over me, and my eyelids grew heavy. I barely registered the sound of my own breath as I surrendered to sleep, wondering what just happened.

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Author's Note

Phew, prologue two is done I guess. If you look at the cover, you probably guess this was going to happen.

Now, why is his name Aikara, why not a gemstone like Ruby or Aquamarine?

The reason he was named like that is a secret for now😏

But, you can get a clue if you go to google translate and place his name (Ai Kara) in the Japanese to English mode.

And like I said in the previous chapter, this chapter is 1700 words long. And all chapters would be somewhere around this length from now on so you better binge if you don't want it to end on a cliffhanger.

That's all I have to say, look forward to the next chapter tomorrow.

Wait, I have a picture of his previous life.

Meet Noah Anderson guys, or as I like to call him, Daddy.

It's just a joke, don't take it seriously please😔

(Image here)