Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner-Chapter 182 : Pain bonds

The evening sky painted Sophie's apartment in hues of orange and gold. From her balcony, Noah found a secret. He could see the academy all the way from here and she never told him.

The academy looked like a miniature fortress in the distance, its spires and training domes silhouetted against the setting sun. Noah sat on the plush couch, a mug of hot chocolate warming his hands as Sophie settled beside him, tucking her legs beneath her.

"So, you never really told me about your life before the academy," Sophie said, tilting her head. "I mean, I know bits and pieces, but..."

Noah's eyes drifted to the framed photos on Sophie's wall—her father in military dress, Sophie at various combat competitions, both of them smiling in front of landmarks. What struck him most was what wasn't there: no mother in any of the photos.

"Not much to tell," Noah shrugged, but Sophie's raised eyebrow told him she wasn't buying it. He sighed. "Fine. You know my parents left for the Ark when I was eight."

Sophie nodded. The Ark missions—humanity's desperate attempt to establish off-world colonies after the first Harbinger incursions. Everyone knew about them, especially the first humans, which had never returned.

"They were scientists," Noah continued, staring into his mug. "Mom specialized in xenobiology, Dad in atmospheric terraforming. They were supposed to be gone six months." His voice softened. "It's been nine years."

"So they stayed," Sophie said quietly.

Noah nodded. "Yeah. When they didn't come back, I had nobody. No relatives willing to take in a kid. That's when Mrs. Harper stepped in."

"Your guardian, right? You've mentioned quite a couple of times and I saw her at the gala, she seems great."

"She was our cleaner," Noah explained, a fond smile tugging at his lips. "Came twice a week to our house. After my parents left, she just... showed up one day. Said someone needed to make sure I was eating properly."

He chuckled at the memory. "Next thing I knew, she'd petitioned for emergency guardianship. Moved me into her tiny apartment above the laundromat where she worked nights."

Sophie reached for his hand, squeezing it gently.

"She had nothing, Sophie. Cleaning during the day, laundry at night, and somehow she still found time to help me with homework. Make me lunches." Noah's voice cracked slightly. "We were so poor. I remember her cutting her portions in half so I could have more."

"She sounds amazing," Sophie said softly.

"She is." Noah smiled. "Even now, she works as a cleaner at the academy. Sometimes I see her in the halls. She pretends not to know me—says she doesn't want to embarrass me in front of my friends. I had to make that stop,"

"As if you'd be embarrassed," Sophie scoffed.

"That's what I tell her," Noah agreed. "Truth is, I wouldn't be here without her. I'd probably be doing something way worse with my life right now but she set me on the right path. The path that gives us all...Hope,"

Sophie was quiet for a moment, then stood and walked to the window. "My mother left too," she said finally. "Not for the Ark, though. She had... different priorities."

Noah waited, sensing there was more.

"She joined a purist group when I was ten," Sophie said, her back to him. "Just packed her bags one night and left. No goodbye, just a note saying she'd found her 'true purpose.'"

"A purist group?" Noah straightened, surprised. "I thought those were mostly rumors."

Sophie turned, a bitter smile on her face. "Oh, they're very real. People who believe powered individuals are either demons or elitists who've abandoned 'regular' humanity."

"But that's not true," Noah protested. "The whole point of the Defense Forces is to protect everyone. The war is about saving humanity, not dividing it."

"Logic doesn't factor into extremism," Sophie shrugged. "Some believe the Harbingers are divine punishment for our sins. Others think powered individuals are secretly controlling everything. My mother fell into the first category—decided her husband and daughter were tainted."

Noah shook his head, trying to process this. "There are even rumors they sabotage military operations, right? Some even say they work with the Harbingers."

"Not so far-fetched, actually," Sophie said. "The Harbingers are intelligent. Arrogant and cruel, yes, but smart enough to exploit human division."

"Still seems unlikely," Noah frowned. "The two I fought on Cannadah were so contemptuous of humans. Called us 'meat puppets' while trying to skewer me. Working with humans would be beneath them."

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Says the boy with a dragon and wyvern as companions."

Noah laughed. "Fair point. I guess in a world where Nyx and Storm exist, anything's possible." His smile faded. "So your mother... she really joined them?"

Sophie nodded, returning to sit beside him. "Dad was a wreck for almost two years. Drank too much, barely functioned. Then one day, he just... reset. Threw himself into his work, climbed the ranks, and eventually became Minister of Defense for the Eastern Cardinal."

"Have you seen her since?" Noah asked quietly.

"No," Sophie replied, her voice firm.

Noah fell silent, his thoughts turning inward.

Sophie studied his face. "You're wondering if she's still alive."

"I..." Noah hesitated. "I just know what it's like to wonder."

"The difference is," Sophie said, taking his mug and setting it aside, "your parents didn't choose to leave you. Mine did." She took his hands in hers. "Whether she's alive or not doesn't matter. She died to me the moment she decided her ideology was more important than her daughter."

Noah nodded slowly, understanding the finality in Sophie's voice. They sat in comfortable silence as darkness fell completely, the room now lit only by the soft glow of the city lights beyond the window.

"We're quite the pair, aren't we?" Sophie finally said, leaning her head against his shoulder. "The abandoned children."

"Not anymore," Noah replied, wrapping an arm around her. "Not abandoned. Not alone."

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Sophie smiled against his shoulder. "No. Not alone at all."

Outside, the academy's defensive shields shimmered into their night configuration, a beautiful but constant reminder of the war that had shaped both their lives in ways neither could have imagined.

Sophie's fingers traced lazy patterns on Noah's arm. After a moment of comfortable silence, she lifted her head slightly to look at him.

"Speaking of my father," she said, her tone casual but her eyes watching him carefully, "what do you think about his dinner invitation?"

Noah sighed.

Their first impression wasn't good. Now the man wanted to have dinner with him. He didn't hate the idea. Was just terrified of it. Nonetheless, he gathered his thoughts and gave her an answer.

"I'll have dinner with your father," Noah said, his voice firm with resolve, "after I win the interschool competition."

Sophie cocked her head to one side. Not in disbelief that Noah couldn't pull it off. Far from that.

She instead was wondering why he had to wait that long.

"You don't need to prove anything, you know," she said softly. "For all I know, your personality and intelligence alone are all you need to win him over." She paused, her lips quirking into a small smile. "Yes, he was judgmental when he first caught us here...naked."

Noah's cheeks flushed at the memory.

"But trust me," Sophie continued, "that version of you can only impress me, not my aging father who's spent his life seeing the horrors of humanity's war." She squeezed his hand. "You don't have to win any competition to deserve dinner with him."

Noah shook his head, his resolve unwavering. "It's not about deserving it or impressing him. I need to win it first, but for a different reason."

There was something in his eyes—determination mixed with something deeper that Sophie couldn't quite read. She didn't bother pushing again, recognizing the set of his jaw that meant his mind was made up.

Noah sighed, wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug, and then stood up.

"Where are you going?" Sophie asked, surprised by his sudden movement.

"Back to the academy," he replied, already gathering his jacket.

"You're not staying over? You could just return tomorrow," she suggested, disappointment evident in her voice.

He shook his head. "I need to check in with someone tonight." A small, apologetic smile crossed his face. "We'll see each other tomorrow, right?"

Sophie nodded, then rose and headed toward her bedroom. "At least let me drive you back," she called over her shoulder as she went to put on proper clothes.

When she returned, Noah was staring out at the academy in the distance, his silhouette outlined against the city lights. Something about his posture—shoulders squared, head high—told her that whatever he was planning went far beyond a simple competition.

"Ready?" she asked, jingling the keys to her Clexus in her hand.

Noah turned, his serious expression melting into a smile at the sound. "Always loved a ride in that flying car of yours."

"Well, tonight's another lucky night then," Sophie replied with a wink, leading him toward the door. As they left, she couldn't help but wonder what Noah was really planning—and who exactly he needed to meet so urgently.