Chapter 15:

A Sudden Confession [LEON]

Echoes of Dream

Soft.

Tentative.

A mere brush of warmth at first, featherlight and hesitant.

Then, deeper.

The moment their lips pressed fully, the world around them faded into nothingness.

The gentle sigh that left Noel’s lips was swallowed by Leon’s, his arms instinctively wrapping around her waist, pulling her closer.

The air between them grew electric, charged with a heat that had nothing to do with fire magic.

Noel’s fingers slid up, hesitantly, before curling into the fabric of Leon’s suit, clinging to him as if afraid he might disappear.

Leon’s grip tightened in response, grounding her, anchoring her.

It was a kiss that spoke of all the emotions neither had been able to put into words.

Longing.

Yearning.

A silent promise that even if the world changed, they would always find their way back to this moment.

As they slowly parted, Noel’s breath was unsteady.

Leon rested his forehead against hers, his thumb brushing against her knuckles.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, a soft chuckle.

Noel was the first to break the silence. "That was quite bold, Leon."

Leon smirked. "You were the one who leaned in first."

Noel gasped slightly, her blush deepening. "W-Well, you didn’t stop me!"

Leon tilted his head. "Did you want me to?"

Noel opened her mouth, then closed it. "No," she admitted softly, looking away.

Leon smiled, his fingers gently tracing patterns along the back of her hand.

"Then I won’t," he murmured.

Noel’s breath caught.

And beneath the moonlit sky, they stood together. Two souls woven into a single moment, destined to be something more than just a fleeting dream.

But the time was already ripe. It was already time for it to appear. The Red-Eyed Shadow.

Usually, Leon would be in his room at this moment.

But today due to the banquet and the moment with Noel, He was still with Noel under the moonlight.

But this didn’t mean anything for it.

This was the time for red-eyed shadow confrontation.

This was the time for Leon to wake up into his world.

Leon also totally forgot about this.

Until it appeared suddenly.

Blocking the perfect moonlight. In the sky. It floated.

Leon notices it.

He is taken aback by its sudden appearance. He didn’t know what to do. His hands trembled and backed off a little, alerting Noel.

Noel, “Leon, what happened?”

Leon looks at Noel.

The romantic atmosphere had suddenly changed into a horror for Leon.

He had hidden about the events at night from Noel but now, he decided to talk about it.

“Noel look in the sky”

Noel confusingly looks at the sky.

Leon, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this earlier but-”

Noel confusingly interrupts, “What are you even talking about?”

Leon was shocked, “Don’t you see the figure in the sky? I’m talking about that”

Noel looks back at the sky thinking was there really something that she missed.

Yet, from Noel’s point of view, there’s nothing. Nothing at all. Just the moon, stars, and the sky.

Noel confusingly, “What are you talking about all of a sudden? What do mean?”

Leon is shocked. “Does she not see what I’m seeing?”

He hurriedly looks at the sky and yes from Leon’s point of view, there’s indeed the red-eyed shadow.

Confusion. A lot more confusion. For both Noel and Leon.

Leon with heavy breathing, “What the hell is going on? What is this phenomenon?”

She couldn’t see it.

Why?

WHY?

His own mind spiraled.

Noel is worried. As she is about to approach Leon.

The red-eyed shadow plunges and kills Leon. The world fades into the darkness as he hears a faint cry of Noel and after a moment, Leon wakes up in his own apartment.

As he lay in the bed, his mind was overflowed by the thoughts, “What the hell was happening?”

Leon realized that Red-Eyed Shadow was only visible to him and no one else. Even so, something came up in Leon’s mind,

“But what happened after I died there? I know I woke up in my world but what about Noel, what about me who was with Noel? What happened to that Leon?”

The confusion was gradually increasing.

“Noel couldn’t see the red-eyed shadow. Only I could see it. But she could see me and the red-eyed shadow killed me. Then what did she see? What happened afterward, I need to know and I hope I will find the answers tonight.”

His day in his own world went by just like any other day.

He had a lingering thought about what happened all day.

He returns home and sleeps.

Back to the dream.

The same world under the same skies and there she stood as always. Noel.

But this time there was a worry on her face, “Leon…”

Leon, awkwardly “I’m back, Noel”

Leon also had a worried face after yesterday’s events.

Then he starts to ask, “Noel, what happened last night?”

Noel hesitates.

“I understand the situation of you not seeing what I was seeing but what happened afterward. You know, it’s really ticking me off now, I have been experiencing the same phenomenon for months now, alone. And now that I have some witness, it’s all facade”

He has an emotional expression face. As he rants on about his situation,

Noel interrupted him as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him.

Not a soft embrace but something firm. Certain.

Her fingers curled around the fabric of his shirt, pressing him closer.

His face was against her chest.

Warmth.

The scent of something sweet, something safe.

Leon froze.

His breath hitched.

His entire body went rigid.

A wave of heat rushed to his face, an overwhelming warmth spreading from his ears to his very core.

He could hear her heartbeat.