"Elias, leave it at that." He spoke, his wrinkling face exhausted by all the banter that had not led to a spec of conviction. "The boy is useless for me, for himself at that. I don't need a useless tool, something that can't even function on its own, much less by orders. I will be taking my leave now, if you may."
"Exile, patience"
Closing her book, Elias raised her eyes in irritation towards Noel.
"Noel. Are you not curious about who Helio was?" She spoke in a gentle voice, as she tilted her head.
"What, if I told you, It is someone you know?"
Noel's panic had reached its eminence, his heart that was no larger than a fist contracting and relaxing, the devilish red liquid running through his arteries before they suddenly slowed down.
His rapid breathing also stabilized, his parted lips sealing into a line, exhaling through his nose. Time tickled by, his unwavering eyes on Elias only.
When logic and conviction mingled together, they formed belief.
His eyelids did not close, eyes did not blink but merely watched Elias for a few moments in silence.
His answers were clear, evident. They lied within the individual before him. His rationality, in a moment of crisis, had seen the light of inevitability, and from them did he understand his position
He would either live or die.
He closed his eye lids once, bathing in the colorlessness of the void in it, before he opened them once more. Any traces of fear, panic, anger, or other emotions had vanished.
His emotional intelligence was far superior from his Intelligence Quotient, as once quoted musingly by one of his friends back on earth. He decided to live, even at the cost of other things.
An anominal world? Perhaps.
Phenomenon that did not make a shred of sense? Perhaps.
Transmigration? Perhaps.
Because what he had was not resolve, not will, it was understanding. That what he would do now, would change the future like the ripple of waves in an ocean.
He understood, not that he was wrong to panic, but rather, the futility of it.
"I see. I understand, Elias"
No formalities.
He spoke, his voice confident, yet neutral, looking to Exile who had a frown creased on his forehead, taking out a pipe from his pocket.
"I will be going to the battlefield, then, Elias. Please lead the way, Mr. Exile." He spoke, his eyes moving from Elias's figure, going to the man who stood at the open doorway.
Without a response, Exile walked away, placing the pipe on his slightly parted lips in thought. Noel nodded his head, before deciding to follow Exile. Yet his feet came to an abrupt end as he turned once more towards Elias that had resumed reading her book on the sofa that Exile once sat on.
"Would... would it possible for you to change my outfit to something more suitable?" He questioned, his hands grasping his fabric as if commenting on its comfortable yet flexible material.
His current outfit was that of a scholar, one where he wore an auburn, brownish robe with exquisite edges, a black rimmed monocle, and comfortable yet odd types of shoes.
Without answering his question, the hand that was grasping his fabric felt a sudden shift, a much rougher material yet smoother taking its place.
A large obsidian jacket that was a tad too large for him and similarly pants and rubber boots. He nodded his head in approval, speaking up once more.
"I hope we meet again, Elias. Let's talk again then, shall we?"
His tone had changed drastically from the first time they had met, his voice not leaning on a single tone, but rather, merely neutral. Not emotionless, just ... neutral.
He gave his back to Elias before running down the hall as he spotted Exile a distance away, grunting as he contemplated the heaviness of his boots that slowed the act of running.
CLACK.
A while later, the sound of a door opening echoed.
Down the hall, a white light appeared for a moment, before slowly disappearing as the doors closed. The cold that had briefly entered dissipated as the warm overwhelmed its existence.
Elias.
The figure that was on the furniture lied down on it, as she spread open her book, her pupil shifting to that of a butterfly that was purely white.
"Let us meet again, Noel, should fate allow it." She mused in silence, before she erupted into a fit of laughter, her dangling foot off the furniture brushing against the solid floor. "Or should I call you ... Helio's Friend?"