Chapter 98-Noah, Part Two

"So…what should we tell Noah?"

Everyone else looks away, uncomfortable by Khione's question.

"For his entire life, Noah has been trying to figure out who he is…" Ana sadly replies, "So it would be cruel to NOT tell him, now that we know…"

"I feel bad for Noah…" Mary frowns, "FINALLY learning who he is…only to lose those memories yet again…"

"And even worse, the people who DO know won't tell him," Gaia adds.

"But you saw Noah's reaction to what Prometheus told him!" Khione exclaims, "If we make Noah go through all of that again…what will happen?!"

"Noah may go berserk again," Old-Man F answers, "And if we don't successfully snap him out of it the way we did last time…Noah could destroy the world."

"You won't understand," Gaia grumbles as he turns away, "You HAVE your memories."

"FIGURES…" Khione grumbles as she rolls her eyes.

"Maybe…if WE tell Noah, and not Prometheus, he'll take the information easier?" Mary asks, "Especially if we break the news to him gentler."

"So what do we know?" Old-Man F asks, "Noah was the evil God of Water, Poseidon. who flooded the earth hundreds of years ago, and Ana and Gaia -the Gods of Wind and Earth- helped him. "Noah" is actually the name of the arc that Poseidon rode during the flood, and Noah woke up in the remains of the ship."

Ana and Gaia look away in shame.

"I still can't believe it…" Khione trembles, "How could OUR NOAH…do such a thing…?"

"That wasn't OUR NOAH," Old-Man F sadly replies as he slings an arm around Khione and gently rubs her shoulder.

"Do you…hate him…?" Mary whimpers, "Noah, I mean. For inciting the Elemental Apocalypse which caused your parents to die…?"

Khione shakes her head.

"I've long since left emotions of resentment behind," Khione answers as she peers up Old-Man F with a small smile, referencing the time when she learned that Flint was a member of Twilight Wolves, "I don't hate Noah. HE didn't do anything…Poseidon did."

Old-Man F peers down at Khone and smiles.

"But Noah…DOES have the potential to do such a thing…" Mary sadly adds.

Everyone else is silent.

"So we're in agreement, right?" Khione asks in a slightly more cheerful tone, breaking the silence, "We DON'T tell Noah anything. Not until Prometheus is defeated, and Noah can accept his past."

Everyone else nods.

Khione turns to face a tent a few feet away.

"Hey, Noah!" I hear Khione call to me from outside of my tent.

"Yeah, what's up?" I ask as I exit my tent, and once I do, everyone's eyes widen.

"Um, Noah…what happened to your hair…?" Khione asks.

"Oh…this…?" I chuckle as I pat the top of my short, white buzzcut, "I figured that it was time for a change. My long hair got in the way when I fought."

"Aww…" Khione sulks, "I liked the man-bun!"

"And the eyepatch…?" Mary asks.

"Yeah, I don't like the feeling of having my Devil Eye exposed," I awkwardly reply as I pat the black eye patch covering my Devil Eye, "I don't want people to stare…"

"Like the scars covering your face won't," Old-Man F asks with a sad smirk as he places a hand on his hip.

"I dig the clothes," Ana adds.

"Yeah…" I reply as I peer down at my outfit: a black muscle shirt tucked into baggy white training pants, my navy-blue belt weaved through the waist, and navy blue under-armor pants that cover my feet, other than my exposed toes and heels, attached to navy-blue slides.

"I've just…been feeling a bit different lately," I explained with a sad smile.

"Noah, I have something to show you," Old-Man F says as he reaches into the folds of his gi and approaches me.

Old-Man F then pulls my map out of his gi -the map that leads us to the E-Chargers of the four original elements- and unravels it, then holds it up for me to see.

"I don't know if it's because we located all four of the E-Chargers or not, but…the map has…UPDATED, or something," Old-Man F explains as he traces his finger across a glowing golden line that jumps off the paper and cuts across the Land of Fire, starting from our current position which my map has previously led us to: Prometheus, the Fire Charger, and stops at a golden X on the map.

"The map leads further North into the Land of Fire, towards Kira Village" Old-Man F explains, "But to what? Who knows…"

"WELL…this simplifies things!" I exclaim as I tighten my belt, "Our next move…is to continue what we've been doing: We're following that map!"

I look around with a smirk at all of my friends.

"RIGHT!" They exclaim.

A few days later...

"So…is this Kira Village?" I ask as Old-Man F leads the six of us into the confines of a village.

"No," Old-Man F answers, "That will be the NEXT village we reach. This…Agi Village, known for its famous hot springs."

Sparkles light up in Khione's and Ana's eyes.

"HOT SPRINGS?!" They excitedly cry.

Old-Man F sighs. "Don't you two remember what happened the LAST TIME we decided to be tourists?" Old-Man F asks as he pinches the bridge of his nose.

Khione and Ana turn away and sulk.

"But we could use a break…" Khione wines, "Between the earthquakes, tornadoes, and tsunamis…I'm EXHAUSTED!"

"It's as if the Elemental Apocaylpse has truly begun…" Mary shudders.

"At least we didn't have to deal with bandits," Ana adds with a sigh, "I guess the Land of Fire is so stable that there aren't any functioning bandit groups."

"Well…I don't see a problem with visiting the Hot Springs," I announce with a small smile as I place a hand on Old-Man F's shoulder, "Let's relax and unwind for a while."

Khioen ana Ana perk up.

"REALLY, NOAH?!" They excitedly exclaim.

"Really!" I answer with a sweet smile as I close my eyes and tilt my head at the two girls.

Old-Man F face palms and sighs.

Giddily, Khione and Ana skip further into the village.

"Hot springs…hot springs…!" They chant.

I smile at Old-Man F, before following after Khione and Ana.

Old-Man F sighs, then follows after us.

"I don't like this…" Gaia mutters to Mary, "Noah…feels BROKEN."

"Mmh…" Mary replies, and the two follow us into the village, as well.