Noel was speechless.
Gregory kept looking at him. Although his face had a curled up smile, as if expecting some sort of reaction from him.
"Well you've been through a lot" Noel shrugged, acting as if being torn into pieces was a normal thing. He was cautious not to think—even though his actions were futile as not thinking was still a thought, wary that Gregory would see how he truly felt.
Deep inside—deep enough to not surface on his mind, was a myriad of conflicting emotions. Most importantly, he was baffled, and astonished that the person he had so little respect for had actually gone through that.
Or did he just make that up?
Noel slapped his forehead, burdened with the fact that his own mind felt alien to him. He didn't know what Gregory was capable of, or even what was 'real' even though nothing truly was.
Memories aren't tangible after all.
What Noel was so perplexed about was whether that memory clip was actually real. He had already started referencing several things which were traits, and assumptions about Gregory.
What if I just wake up and all of this was just a dream?
He chuckled to himself, knowing fully well that it was definitely not the case. Noel knew himself better than anyone. If he was dreaming and suddenly became aware of it, he would wake up almost instantly. This made lucid dreaming practically impossible for him. Also, he was a little too familiar with the mental plane to not know where he was.
What he didn't know however was that his thoughts—now clear as day, were laid out openly before all to see.
Gregory still sat on the chair, gazing at him without saying a word. However his eyes moved, signaling that he was actively reading every letter that oblivious Noel processed in his mind.
Who in their right mind would be conscious of every single one of their thoughts?
Well not Noel.
His eyes suddenly lit up, and fell on Gregory. Before he could come to understand the reason behind the expression, Noel spoke.
"You seem to be taking this a little too well, Gregory" he said, throwing a look of suspicion at him.
"I don't know why either…probably the restoration effect of the System."
Noel paused. "You seem to know about the System.."
"Only bits." Gregory replied. Shaking his head from side to side, he added "I can assure you that no Apostle knows what the System is."
Noel's eyes lit up.
"Yes. Tell me more about this Apostle thingy."
Noel leaned over, keen to know more about the unknown. "You spoke as if there were more of them."
Gregory paused for a second. "Aren't you quite lenient today?"
The aggressive Noel that prompted him to answer every question, clashed with this keen and patient Noel.
"Is it because of…Nevermind."
Noel raised a brow. "Am I acting weird?"
"Meh.." Gregory wheezed. "You have a lot of emotional inconsistencies."
Noel smiled wryly and pushed backwards, landing on a chair that materialised from thin air.
"You met me at the wrong time," he replied. "I was stressed."
"Why are you so calm?" Gregory inquired. "Did all your anger vanish?"
Noel sat silently. And laid his face on his palm, staring at nothing in particular.
"Actually…I don't know how to behave….". Rubbing his temples, he added. "My memories are a little hazy to be honest."
But let's not change the topic..
Gregory nodded. "Well there are about 81 of us."
81?!
Noel's eyes shot forward, glaring in a strange sense of panic. However when he questioned his own feelings, he was brought to a chilling calm.
'And why is that so dangerous?' he wondered.
Gregory sighed and stood. "Time's up."
What? I haven't gotten to know anything yet.
Gregory had a crumpled expression on his face. "I'm sorry. I don't have as much mana as you do."
Wait, you can use mana?
[You are being ejected from the mental plane.]
….
….
"Of course he can use mana!" Noel muttered to himself, wondering why he hadn't asked Gregory about his sudden appearance in the mental plane.
He hadn't gone there of freewill. Gregory dragged him into it.
"But isn't this a little weird?" Noel wondered. His eyes wandered from place to place and suddenly they landed on one point.
An eye?
It was latched onto the walls of the room. It had a bloodshot gaze and stared right at him.
Noel was surprisingly calm.
"Maybe one of those low tier monsters." he said, shrugging it off as he turned to the other side.
Then he realised.
But there aren't any monsters…
"Then what is—!"
[Watcher of Ages is watching you]
Sh*t!