Levedin [NOEL]

A sharp intake of breath.

Noel's eyes fluttered open.

Same Bed. Same Room.

Noel sat up slowly. She glanced down at her body, she still felt it. The weight of the spear, the searing pain as it tore through her. The collective gasp of the crowd as she collapsed.

As the maid poured the tea, Noel lifted the delicate porcelain cup, taking a slow sip. The warmth seeped through her fingers, grounding her. But her mind was far from the morning routine.

"Why is this happening to me?" she pondered, staring into the amber liquid.

"Am I going to continue seeing this dream? Or rather… is it even a dream?"

That thing.

That red eyed shadow.

A slow smile curved Noel’s lips,

"This time, I look forward to what happens next," she murmured.

The entity had slain her in the presence of many. She had heard their screams, seen their terror. If they had seen it, then surely… the world itself could no longer ignore its presence.

"That creature does not belong to that world. Up until now, I have learned many things…and I am certain of one thing..."

"That thing should not exist there and yet, it does."

As her thoughts wandered deeper, another figure emerged in her mind.

Leon.

She frowned slightly, feeling a strange warmth creeping up her cheeks.

"He is always there. He helps me, guides me…yet I know so little about him."

She sighed, leaning back against her chair.

A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts.

She turned toward the balcony, her brows furrowing slightly as she noticed a figure in the garden below.

A frail woman, silver-haired, dressed in the elegant attire of a noble lady.

Noel’s heart clenched.

She hurriedly rose from her seat and made her way downstairs.

The garden was bathed in the soft morning glow, the scent of fresh blooms lingering in the air.

Noel's steps were hurried, her concern evident.

"Mother, what are you doing here?"

Aciel von Redlaw, wife of Marquess Redlaw, mother of three, and a woman of quiet grace.

A stark contrast to the paleness of her skin. There was an undeniable weakness in her form, a frailty that had only grown with time.

"Oh my, Noel," she chuckled softly. "What’s with all the rush? Look at you, panting fresh from a morning run."

Her voice was light, teasing, but it carried an undeniable softness, a warmth Noel cherished.

Noel steadied herself, exhaling sharply. "Mother, you should be resting. Why are you out here alone?"

Aciel simply smiled. "Do not be so concerned, my dear. I merely wished for some fresh air. Am I not even allowed such a simple pleasure?"

"It’s not that," Noel sighed, her tone laced with worry. "But your body is too weak. You should not be straining yourself."

Aciel chuckled, moving toward a nearby flower bed. She reached out, her fingers delicately tracing the petals of a white bloom.

"Do you see this, Noel?" she murmured. "This is my favorite flower. It reminds me of you."

Noel's lips parted slightly, caught off guard by the sentiment.

Her mother always had a way with words. Even when sick, even when burdened, she never failed to offer warmth.

Seeing her like this eased Noel’s worry, if only a little.

Aciel glanced back at her daughter, her soft gaze unwavering. "Now then…what have you been up to these days?"

"Hm?" Noel blinked. "Oh, uh… nothing much. The usual noble lady duties…," she sighed. "The same dull routine..."

Aciel chuckled. "Such is the life of nobility, my dear. But you, Noel… you have always been exceptional. A fine lady, intelligent and composed. It is only natural for expectations to be high. Do not let it burden you."

Noel hesitated, her expression shifting.

"…But you know," she admitted softly. "These past few days have been different. They've been… fun."

Aciel raised a curious brow. "Oh?"

Noel’s gaze drifted to the garden’s pathway, her fingers idly tracing the folds of her dress.

"It is because of a dream I’ve been having," she confessed. "The same dream, every night, where I find myself in another world… a world vastly different from our own."

"The same dream, night after night?" she repeated, a hint of concern in her tone. "Noel, I am the one who is ill, not you." She chuckled.

Noel pouted. "Ah, don’t tease me."

"Hahaha." Aciel laughed, a soft, airy sound. "Go on, tell me more about this… other world of yours."

Encouraged, Noel began explaining...her voice carrying an excitement she rarely displayed.

She explains about how it was much different from their own world. She describes almost everything she experienced.

She did not mention Leon.

Not yet.

But after rambling on for a while, his name slipped past her lips...softly, hesitantly.

"Then… there is Leon," she murmured.

Aciel’s sharp eyes immediately caught the shift in tone.

A knowing smile curled her lips. "Oh my…my beloved daughter is in love with a prince of another world, is she?"

Noel’s face flushed instantly. "P-Prince?! And love?! No, no, I do not think it is like that!" she protested, flustered.

Aciel merely giggled.

Noel sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "At least… not yet." She whispered the last part under her breath.

Aciel’s eyes softened, filled with warmth and understanding. But before she could respond...

A sudden, violent cough wracked her frail body.

"Mother!" Noel gasped, panic seizing her.

Aciel clutched her chest, her body trembling from the fit.

Noel wasted no time.

She supported her mother, guiding her back toward the estate.

"Come, you need rest," she urged, worry laced in every word.

Aciel simply smiled weakly, allowing herself to be escorted.

Noel stepped out of her mother’s chambers, the heavy oak doors closing softly behind her.

Aciel’s frail figure lingered in her mind. Her gentle smile, the way she had spoken so warmly.

Noel exhaled, pressing a hand against her temple as she walked down the corridors of the Redlaw estate.

Being born into nobility meant many things. Power, prestige, responsibilities, burdens that came with expectations, traditions, and unyielding obligations.

But as she descended the marble staircase, her thoughts were not on her noble duties.

They were on a world unlike her own.

A world where the unknown stretched endlessly before her, where each step brought new discoveries and unseen dangers.

"That world…"

She had made up her mind.

She needed to know.

About the spear-wielding entity, about the nature of that world, about why she kept returning to it each night and, she needed to understand why Leon’s presence felt so irreplaceable in that place.

A Pilgrimage to the Sacred Temple

Noel had a scheduled visit to the temple today.

She stepped into the carriage of the family crest glistening on its side, and she departed.

The journey was brief, and she arrived at the temple.

A Sanctum of the Divine

The Temple of Levedin was no ordinary place of worship.

It was an ancient stronghold of faith, a testament to the passage of centuries, its walls having stood against time itself.

The first thing one noticed was its sheer grandeur. The glistening white stone structure rose towards the heavens, its architecture a fusion of art and divinity. Ornate spires stretched skyward, their golden tips glinting beneath the sun’s gaze, as if reaching for the gods themselves.

As she stepped inside, a profound stillness settled over her.

The vast hall spread before her, bathed in the golden light of suspended chandeliers. Pillars lined the chamber, each one carved with celestial figures, guardians, messengers, and deities, their forms frozen in divine judgment. The air smelled of burning incense, mingling with the faint scent of aged parchment.

And at the very end of the great hall, resting atop a towering dais...

The statue of Levedin.

A monument of pure white marble, the god of creation stood in silent reverence, his robes flowing like water, his expression neither harsh nor kind, but something in between, a being of balance, neither wrathful nor merciful, a force that simply was.

One hand stretched upwards, as if shaping the cosmos itself, while the other rested gently over his heart, a symbol of life’s breath.

She stood before him, hands clasped, and whispered a silent prayer.

"Follower of Levedin greets the young lady."

A soft voice pulled Noel from her thoughts.

The priestess, clad in robes of ivory and gold, lowered her head in greeting.

"Greetings, Priestess," Noel responded, "I am here for the donation."

The priestess accepted the offering with a gentle nod.

"May Levedin’s blessings be upon you, Lady Noel. Your generosity does not go unnoticed."

Noel merely nodded in return.

After fulfilling her duty, she allowed her feet to carry her through the sanctum, past the towering columns and the murals that adorned the walls.

Each engraving depicted a tale of god and mortals, of struggles between light and darkness, of battles waged not for power, but for balance.

And then...

She stopped.

Before her, a massive engraving spanned the length of the stone wall.

It was unlike the others.

The image before her depicted a warrior...tall, formidable, draped in celestial armor. But it was not his presence that unnerved her.

It was the weapon he wielded.

A spear.

Long, menacing, sharpened to a deadly point.

Her pulse quickened.

The figure stood apart from the rest. Unlike the divine beings carved in flowing robes and halos, this one was alone, his stance unyielding, as if guarding something unseen.

She stepped closer, her fingers hesitantly tracing the ancient stone.

Her mind screamed at her that this was just coincidence, that it could not possibly be the same spear-wielding entity that pursued her every night.

Her breath came slow and uneven as she forced herself to turn away, the uneasy weight in her chest refusing to fade.

"No," she murmured to herself. "It’s nothing."

She stepped out of the temple.

Nightfall and the Descent

The hours passed, and soon, the moon rose over the estate.

Noel lay in bed, her mind filled with nothing but questions.

She closed her eyes.

Darkness.

Then...

The other world called to her once more.