I don't want it to end, ever

Noah's POV:

As I made my way up the steel steps, a nostalgia evoking, sweet melody invaded my ears.

I was currently on the top floor of Building A1.

Rarely anybody visited this part of the establishment since it was an isolated area.

Click! —Opening the door, my eyes were greeted by the concrete floor surrounded by steel fencing—It was the rooftop.

The afternoon's rays embraced the area in a blanket of ochre, giving a chiaroscuros contrast to the rooftop.

At the same time, a melody entered my ears from somewhere—

♭𝐿'𝑎̂𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑛 𝑝𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑒

♮♩𝐼𝑙 𝑣𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑒 𝑎̀ 𝑝𝑒𝑖𝑛𝑒♪

♩ 𝐼𝑙 𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑣𝑎𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒 𝑝𝒉𝑜𝑡𝑜 𝑑'𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑛♯

♮♩𝐼𝑙, 𝑖𝑙 𝑛'𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑠 𝑓𝑜𝑢♬♫

♪ 𝐼𝑙 𝑦 𝑐𝑟𝑜𝑖𝑡, 𝑐'𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑡♮♩

𝐼𝑙 𝑙𝑎 𝑣𝑜𝑖𝑡 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑡♪♬

♪ 𝐼𝑙 𝑙'𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑑𝑒𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡 ♫♭

♡~𝑈𝑛𝑒 𝑟𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝑎̀ 𝑙𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛♯

♪𝐴̀ 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑙 𝑛'𝑎𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛♬♫....♥

The lyrics hypnotized me, inviting me towards its source. My thoughts of ever interrupting the song, vanished.

The strings of the melody knotted itself around my heart, making me it's prisoner.

In the distance, at the far left of the roof, stood a concrete hut with a pre-installed ladder.

From its top... That's where the pleasure was coming from.

And I knew, exactly whose voice it was.

I climbed up the steel ladder, my focus on the rungs, until a soft hand inflitrated my vision. Looking up, I met a pair of lapis lazuli eyes peering down at me.

Svetlana was extending her hand towards me.

Without hesitation, I took hold of her hand, feeling her warmth and softness that devoured my senses.

With her help, I pulled myself up onto the hut's roof.

"You were here before me?" I asked, admiring her smile.

"Umm... Yes, I was nearby," Svetlana replied, motioning for me to join her as she settled at the edge of the hut.

I made my way towards her, taking a seat beside her on the concrete railing.

"You enjoy singing, don't you?" I asked, remembering how she always hummed in the manor whenever I was around.

"It's a habit I developed while growing up. Do you like songs?" Svetlana asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, definitely... In the past, my ears were always covered with headphones," I replied, reminiscing about my earlier days.

It was true—I used to listen to songs all the time, especially while traveling.

I even had a knack for singing, cooking, playing online games, drawing, writing,...studying. Oh, and don't get me started on my fetish with suits and tuxedos. Haha. I even had a fondness for the flute, and I loved visiting my grandfather in his lab... And that was the past...

Ever since I came to this world, that part of me died.

Svetlana just sat there, lost in the moment, and I joined her in her the silence.

After a while, breaking the stillness, she turned to me with a curious expression and initiated, "Why did you want to meet up?"

"W-well... Can't I meet you when I like?... We're friends right?"I stammered, feeling a bit nervous.

Svetlana raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise on her face. "It's not like you to request a meet up. This is the first time... not that I mind."

She rested a finger on her chin, near her mole and asked, "Is there something you need help with?"

"Nah, it's nothing... I just..." I paused, deciding to be completely honest. "I heard from my friend that some guys in your unit were talking about you and getting all worked up... I wondered if it was annoying you or something. Just curious..." I rubbed my head, trying to gather my thoughts.

"You have a friend?!", Svetlana exhaled in disbelief. Her eyes widened in shock while her left hand instinctively covered her gaping mouth.

It was the same reaction biologists would have given, if they saw an alive T-rex walking in the street, in this day and age.

"What's so surprising about me having a friend?" I asked, squinting my eyes at her.

"No, no, nothing..." Svetlana moved her head left and right, her hand still hiding her shocked, open mouth.

"I have four friends, you know..." I announced with a hint of pride.

I asked the real question, my nerves urging, "Anyway, who are these guys liking you? Do you like them? You said you liked someone, is it one of them? Why didn't you tell me before?"

Svetlana couldn't help but grin at the rapid-fire of questions. "Hmm, there are definitely a few guys who have certain interest in me, but, I'm not into all that. Regardless...",her words trailed off as she eyed me with mischief, "Why are you suddenly so interested in it, huh?"

"W-well.... I..." I exhaled, pausing and closed my eyes. "I don't know... I just want to know whom you like..."

'I don't know...whom she likes, guys whom, why am I intrested like I.. what... I like Svetlana , who am I'

WTF am I even thinking? It makes no sense!

Svetlana gave me a gentle smile before softly replying, "I can't tell that... I'm sorry, Noah. If I do...", She looked straight into my eyes, phrasing, "It might end. And I don't want it to end, ever."

I furrowed my brow, puzzled by her response. "What might end? I don't understand."

She shifted her gaze towards the sun, which was slowly setting on the distant horizon. "Something important," she replied, her voice slightly distant. "Isn't it a beautiful sight, though?"

"Yeah, it's beautiful alright... but sometimes it can get scorching hot," I muttered, recalling the intense heat of the day.

Suddenly, a gentle breeze embraced me out of nowhere, fluttering my hair in its wake.

"Judging by your reaction about me having friends, I guess you have heard those rumors about me?" I asked Svetlana, who was playfully kicking her legs in the wind.

Well, I did create a reputation for always being a loner and a 'weirdo'.

But that's not the case anymore; I have a unit and some friends, and yet people still find me weird...

Rumors are hard to die down, I guess?

"Yes, I have heard," she replied, her tone devoid of its previous warmth.

Svetlana's demeanor shifted, her once gentle smile vanishing, and her brows furrowing.

Looking at her change in expressions, I wondered, 'Wait, don't tell me she got bad opinion on me based on the rumors?'

But to my surprise, Svetlana said something completely unexpected.

"It really gets on my nerves when I hear others talking trash about you," Svetlana stated, her voice tinged with latent irk. "I can't stand it when they say bad things about you. It makes me want to...punish them."

I was taken aback by her response. "Wait, punish them? Seriously?Relax, It's just rumors-"

"I don't like when someone says bad things about you, Noah. Makes me angry," she cut off my words, her frown deepening.

She demanded, looking directly at me, "Understand?"

I looked at her stupefied, 'I don't understand her at all...but I like engrossing into those eyes... '

"I understand," I replied.

For sometime I just remained silent. I can't lie though, I liked it when she said she hates those who talks shit about me.

"Sooo... who are these mysterious four friends you mentioned earlier? I'm curious, want to meet them!" Svetlana joyed, shifting the conversation and ditching her previous frown.

A genuine smile spread across my face as I replied, "Well, there's James, Anastasia, Nola, and you."

Yes, I did consider Nola as a friend. She is a bit rowdy, unlike a girl. But she keeps herself real and doesn't pretends shit. Other than that she seems to respect me. It's better to have a friend who is real and rough instead of a gentle person who is unreal to themselves from behind their facade.

"Are they the ones in your unit?" Svetlana asked.

"Nope. I would like to introduce them to you, but... I guess my cover will be blown that way?"

I talked to her for a few more minutes until I realized that it was not a few more minutes, but rather an hour.

Time really flies when you're enjoying yourself.

But, somehow, even those 'few minutes' felt so short...couldn't they have been a bit longer?

I took my leave from Svetlana and headed for one of the training gyms.

After talking to Svetlana, I was feeling much better.

To be honest, I've been feeling good lately, always having my pals around.

And before I knew it, I started humming and singing to myself...

Yeah, it's pretty weird, I know. Maybe even a bit cringe-worthy?

Haha, it's just not something I usually do.

But today, I've got one more thing on my agenda. I'm finally going to confront the main character of this whole story.

The demon invasion is drawing near, and I can't just sit my lazy bum hoping the main cast survives like they did in the novel.

It's time to push Aeravat, to make a move.

'Blood beads...'

***

Third person's POV:

Emily and Sophia were walking down the hallway while chatting.

While Sophia was mostly a sword user, she was also a support. And the biggest weapon of

a support user is of course, scutum magic.

Both Emily and Sophia were coming from the scutum magic arts class held by professor Riya and they had to agree on one thing: How to cast barrier spells went right above their heads.

Technically, only fourty students in the entire 1st year were learning scutum magic. Melee fighters like Takahashi and Myung Joon were not interested in Scutum magic. For them, Man-Armis was the way to go.

Man-Armis creates a protective cloth of mana around your body, which acts like a shield. That's why melee fighters who heavily rely on close combat learn Man-Armis.

But for mages—those who attack from a distance—Scutum magic is best since it allows you to create magic barriers, similar to forcefields.

In general, nobody learns all six arts of magic because it does not match with their affinity, and that means trying to learn all six arts of magic would be a waste of time for them.

And that's why Aeravat, who's crazy enough to tackle all six magical arts at once, is the prodigy of the first year.

"Damn, I'm exhausted! All I need right now is a steamy hot bath and a big plate of warm food!" Sophia grumbled, loosening up her muscles with a stretch as they walked along.

"Words straight out of my mouth!" Emily chimed in, and both of them made a sharp left turn into another hallway.

As they were about to resume their chit-chat, a soft melody drifted into their ears.

Sophia Bonaparte and Emily Reed turned their gaze ahead, only to spot Noah making his way from the right side of the corridor, a few steps away.

He sauntered along, completely at ease, while singing his heart out—

~𝑆𝒉𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑎 𝑑𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚...♪ ♬

♭♮ 𝑇𝒉𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑔𝑖𝑟𝑙 𝐼 𝒉𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑒𝑒𝑛.

♪ ♬𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡𝒉𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑒....

"He's... singing?" Emily murmured, surprised.

She glanced sideways at Sophia, only to find her with blushed cheeks.

Sophia ejaculated, "His voice is actually pretty."

"What the heck, Sophie!" Emily blurted out, seeing her friend's behavior. "You have a crush on him or something?!"

Sophie's face turned beet red as she retorted, "N-no way! Don't talk nonsense! I just got shocked by his voice, that's all!"

Emily grinned mischievously, teasingly firing, "Hmm, I never knew you had a thing for him."

Sophie shot Emily a glare. "Quit talking rubbish! I don't have a crush on him! And isn't it you who tried to make friends with him before getting dumped?!"

This time, it was Sophia's turn to deliver a counterattack. She knew all too well that Emily had tried to extend her hand in friendship to Noah after the dungeon trials, but for some reason, he had abruptly stopped talking to her.

Though it wasn't really a 'dump', words can be twisted and meanings manipulated.

"He didn't dump me! What the hell are you even saying?!" Emily snapped back, her anger seeping through.

Indeed, Emily had never been dumped, but Sophia saw this as an opportunity to put a stop to any rumors that might be spread about her.

Emily thought to herself, 'He dumped me, huh? Alright, Sophie, I'll show you!'

Indeed, Emily was someone who had never faced rejection from anyone before. The mere thought of being dumped was like a dark stain on her ego. Even though Noah never really 'dumped' her, she couldn't just let it go so easily. Now could she?

***

James Reeves POV:

It was getting pretty late, like around 10 pm. Normally, at this time, everyone's tucked away in their rooms.

It wasn't like there was some rule or anything, but let's face it, after a long-ass day of hustling, ain't nobody got the energy to be out and about at this hour.

I shut down my laptop and threw on my overcoat before making my way to one of the teleportation gates.

Specifically, the one where the agent from C.L.A.W worked.

Well, technically he wasn't working for the organization in the Arcanaum, per say.

People of C.L.A.W are like sleeper cells, blending and working in everyday life. They could be anyone: the random sweeper, your classroom professor, a business man, a hunter, a teleportation gate manager, or even a normal student like me.

We stay undercover, living the normal everyday life, until that call comes in. That's when shit hits the fan.

Covert Line of Assassins for Warfare, ready to take care of any dirty work that needs doing.

And then there's W.I.N.G.S.... Claws and wings for the night's owl. Working under elite league, bred for one purpose only - to be the ultimate killing machines, thanks to some messed up eugenics experiment.

But, while everyone else in C.L.A.W was all about serving that elite league, my goal is something entirely different.

My goal... It's to tear that league apart, from the inside out.

"Alright, open that damn gate. Lucial has called."

***