Let's do this one last time!
I present a headcanon I have of Noah's second path. Also, I can't believe this isn't the canon path! He's got such a beautiful design and his attacks are absolutely stellar!
His current class in this section of the story? I'll let you be the judge of that.
I do not own Elsword or any of its characters.
Also, I am big rusty on writing. Prepare yourselves :))
Noah was trembling despite the warm cup of tea nestled between his hands. He was still dumbfounded that his reckless plan worked in the first place.
He didn't know if running headfirst into the Gate of Time so soon would actually do anything. He wasn't thinking at the time, all he could see was Clamor's murder playing over and over in his head.
It was just like witnessing the murder of his own brother all over again, except this time he was forced to watch his friend die despite having the power to save him.
But unlike his brother's death, Noah had a second chance to see Clamor again.
It wasn't a difficult decision to charge headfirst through the cyan gateway once more.
That's how he now found himself in that exact same study, curled up on Clamor's workbench with a cup of tea to ward off the cold.
He wasn't sure how far back he traveled. Unlike last time he arrived in the middle of the night, which thankfully meant he didn't run into any guards, but it also left him hopelessly confused about where in Clamor's timeline he ended up crashing into.
He nearly fell backward when the door creaked open, relaxing only when he saw his friend walk in with a new collection of scrolls in his hands.
"Hey, you feeling better, kid?" Clamor asked gently.
Noah blushed and nodded.
He didn't mean to break down crying after he practically kicked down Clamor's door. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find when he arrived at the study, but seeing Clamor alive and well, a stark contrast to the bloody heap he last saw him in, was enough to break the last of Noah's composure.
And Clamor, being as kind as Noah remembered him to be, let him into his study to cry in private.
"I snuck into the kitchen and grabbed something for you." Clamor dug into his book bag and took out an apple. "It's not much but it makes for a good late-night snack."
Noah shakily took the apple from his hands, fingertips brushing against his. He was warm, unlike the cold handle of his sickle.
"D-do you want to share?" Noah asked.
"If you're not hungry then sure." Clamor dropped the new scrolls onto the workbench and slid into the seat across from Noah.
Noah gingerly sliced the fruit in half with his sickle, nearly cutting himself thanks to his trembling hands. If Clamor noticed he didn't say anything about it.
They sat in silence for an unknown stretch of time. Clamor busied himself with the new scrolls while Noah couldn't help but stare at him. It reminded him of his younger days, watching his brother sift through dozens of complicated scrolls and magical formulas.
It was so surreal to see Clamor again after witnessing his murder, blissfully unaware of the gruesome fate that awaited him in the near future.
Noah couldn't help but glance at the very spot where Clamor met his end. He wondered how much time he had left with Clamor before he'd have to witness his friend being killed again, to see his blood stain the floor once more.
Noah blushed and turned his head when Clamor looked up at him.
'He probably thinks I'm crazy.' Noah thought glumly. The only thing he's done so far is break down crying in front of his study and stare at him like a creep. It was a miracle he hasn't been kicked out yet.
"Hey, I want to show you something." Clamor's voice drew him back to reality.
"H-Huh?"
"Don't worry. I think you'll like what I have to show." Clamor assured with a smile.
Clamor led them to the very center of the room. Noah felt a very familiar lump form at the back of his throat as Clamor unknowingly stood at the very spot he was going to be murdered in.
With a snap of a finger, the lanterns in the room went out. Noah's mind went into overdrive the moment they were plunged into darkness.
He couldn't stop seeing his brother's body—Clamor's body bleeding out on the spot.
Noah could barely breathe.
"Look out!"
He drew his sickle and pushed Clamor away from that cursed spot in his room. He didn't remember Clamor ever mention being ambushed in the middle of the night, but he'd be damned if he stood back and watched his friend get hurt again.
"Ah, sorry. I should've warned you ahead of time." A cool green light dimly illuminated the space. Noah barely registered Clamor's words over his ringing heartbeat.
"W-what?" He looked over Clamor who was now holding a glowing green orb.
He frantically scanned over Clamor's robe. Not a single drop of red strained the pristine white fabric.
"It's something you can't really see when all my lights are on." Clamor elaborated coolly. "I should've told you about it first. Sorry about that, kid."
Once again Noah flushed with embarrassment and took a keen interest on the floor.
'At least he's safe.'
"Umm, what did you want to show me?" Noah asked, withdrawing his sickle.
Clamor snuffed out the green orb and pointed to one of the many windows in the room. Noah curiously followed the direction of his hand.
He didn't notice it through his panic at first, but just beyond the clear glass was a sea of twinkling stars. Noah was breathless at their beauty. Even back at home he never got to see the stars with so much clarity unless he ventured to the rooftops.
"I enhanced the windows to help emphasize the night sky." Clamor explained as if reading his mind. "An old elven spell I learned back in the day."
"It's beautiful." Noah breathed.
He examined the rest of the room in awe. With all the lanterns now snuffed out, the room was filled with an otherworldly silver light. Accompanied by the crystal-like twinkle of the stars, Noah was convinced he travelled to a completely different dimension.
"There's a belief among the elves that the great heroes of the past sleep among the stars." Clamor told him with a brilliant smile. "That's why some practice the art of fortune-telling and horoscopes. It's a way for them to connect to our ancestors and to dip into the lost knowledge of the past."
"I never knew it was so important to the elves." Noah told him truthfully. "Why…why are you telling me all this? N-not that I find it boring or anything! I-it's just you don't even know me and I haven't exactly made a good first impression…"
"In terms of first impressions, I've never met someone who kicked down my door just to break down crying. It was memorable at the very least."
Noah couldn't bring himself to meet Clamor's eyes. He wondered if there was a spell to turn himself permanently invisible.
"To answer your question, you seem troubled. I know whenever I have a bad day, taking some time to admire the stars can really help out things in perspective. Compared to the cosmos, our everyday worries are nothing."
Noah nodded and returned his gaze to the window once more.
Noah wondered if that was why Clamor taught him how to use Celestial Magic. He always thought his spells looked beautiful on the battlefield, but he never understood why he was taught that particular branch of magic.
'Even when we first met he was looking out for me. All I did in return was doubt his character.' Noah's guilt only seemed to grow heavier at his new epiphany.
"Sorry, I get a bit carried away when it comes to stuff like this." Clamor said after a short pause.
"N-no, no, it's fine. My brother used to say similar things about the moon."
"The moon?"
"Yeah. He was a lot older than me and he had a lot of…uh…family responsibilities. We were close, but we didn't always get to spend time together. He used to tell me to look at the moon if I ever felt lonely, because no matter where he was in the world, we'd both see the same moon."
"Elves also hold a similar belief about the stars." Clamor noted. "No matter how far apart our families are, we still sleep under the same skies."
'But it isn't the same unless they're by your side.' Noah thought, instinctively squeezing his cold sickle.
"Are you feeling a bit better, kid? Or do you prefer the lights being on?"
"It's fine, I like it this way." He told him truthfully. "Seeing the sky like this reminds me of home."
Not just home, it reminded him of the late nights he'd spend with his brother, with nothing but the moon and the stars to accompany them. It didn't matter if the two of them could barely keep their eyes open, they'd spend the night playing until the first beams of sunlight shot through the night sky.
"I don't think I asked for your name, kid." Clamor's voice brought him back to reality. "I'm Clamor."
"N-Noah."
"I hope you don't mind me being blunt, but what are you doing here at this hour? Your parents must be worried sick."
Noah once again found himself clamming up at the question. He didn't want Clamor to think he was a runaway again, but he was also reluctant to tell him the truth.
Would the Gate let him spill such an important piece of information? What if the Gate kicked him out of the memory? What if he was never allowed another chance to know Clamor as he could now?
"Hey, your folks at home didn't…hurt you did they?" Clamor's question jolted him out of his thoughts in an instant.
"O-of course not! Where did you get that impression from?"
"You seem unusually guarded for a kid your age." Clamor was specifically looking at the sickle held tersely in Noah's hand. "Your intense reaction just now made me wonder."
'He didn't grow up in an era where people of all ages fought.' Noah recalled Clamor's initial shock at seeing both him and Yuria take on monsters without a moment's hesitation.
"That makes sense." He murmured. "No, my parents never did anything to hurt me. They were nice, but that's about it."
"…"
Clamor had an unreadable expression on his face. The only time he's ever seen Clamor so serious was when he found the fatal flaw in his project.
Noah wasn't sure what this meant. Had he said something to offend him? He wasn't too familiar with elf culture, but he knew the gist of what not to say or do—unless the past had drastically different social norms he wasn't aware of.
"I-I guess to answer your initial question, I came here because…" Noah glanced down at his sickle, seeing it seemingly devoid of life weighed heavily on his heart. "Because I want to learn more about magic."
'And by extension you.'
Clamor seemed genuinely taken aback by his answer. "You do know there are plenty of schools that teach magic to beginners, right?"
"But it has to be here." Noah couldn't help but cradle his sickle in his hands. He wondered if the present Clamor could hear him or if he was completely dead to the outside world. "A really good friend of mine attended this school in the past and he taught me the fundamentals of Celestial Magic before he…"
Noah swallowed the lump at the back of his throat. He could already picture the blade plunging into his brother's—Clamor's chest. He could practically taste the metallic scent seeping from a growing crimson puddle.
Noah gasped when a hand laid on his shoulder.
"I think I'm starting to understand." Clamor replied with a warm smile. "Although next time, maybe try not to tell a total stranger so much about your personal history. People could easily take advantage of you."
Noah wasn't sure if he wanted to cry or laugh at the familiarity of Clamor's words.
"Did your friend also teach you how to fight?" Clamor once again fixed his gaze on the sickle.
"No, I primarily taught myself after my tutors sort of gave up on me."
"And you incorporated your magical lessons into your current fighting style?" Clamor sounded genuinely impressed.
"I-I had a lot of help from my friend, but yeah. I don't use a staff to channel my spells."
"Fascinating, you don't often see magicians using a sickle to cast spells. This is the first I've heard of someone using a more physically involved weapon to teach a beginner. Your friend must be a brilliant teacher."
"He really was." Noah agreed. He never would've been able to tap into his new powers without his help. "What about you? Did you learn magic from your family or a mentor? Did they start teaching you as a little kid or wait till you were older?
"Do you normally go around asking people about their past?" Clamor looked at him curiously.
Noah couldn't help but smile at the déjà vu he was getting from the conversation," well I told you a bit of my backstory, so it's only fair you tell me something from yours."
"You're the first person to exchange backstories in that fashion."
"Doesn't that make you more compelled to tell me?" He winked.
Clamor laughed at his attempt to be charming. Normally it would've embarrassed Noah enough to want to bury himself in a hole, but tonight it made his chest warm. Even in the present, when Clamor was still in relatively good spirits, he never got to hear him laugh with such ease.
'When we get back, I promise to make you laugh again. Gods know we all need a break.' He thought and gave his weapon a reassuring squeeze.
"You're a strange kid, Noah. In case you haven't noticed, I'm related to the elves." He gestured to his pointed ears. "I'm born with the natural instinct to use magic."
"Really? So you just know how to shoot magic out of your hand from the moment you were born?" Noah was genuinely intrigued by the answer.
In his time period, not many people knew about how the elves conducted their lives. The few books that explored their history were often filled with exaggerations and half-truths—at least according to Harque.
"It takes practice to control it properly, just like with human magicians, but yes. I was primarily taught by my parents. Being neither fully elf nor fully human, no one outside the family thought I was worth the investment." Clamor looked up at the stars with a longing in his eyes. "I suppose it wasn't so bad in hindsight."
"I'm sorry. It must have been lonely." Noah found himself thinking of his own short life, of the cold household he ended up growing up in.
"Don't feel sad for my sake, kid. It's just a part of everyday life for a half-blood. You learn to grow comfortable with it."
"But it isn't fair. Just because you were born a certain way doesn't mean people should treat you like…like you're defective! You're worth more than your power or your blood!"
He wasn't sure if he was trying to convince Clamor or himself anymore.
Noah grit his teeth at the mere thought of his old, grumpy tutors. Even as a little kid he knew exactly how they felt about him—an utter waste of space.
"You're a bit of a strange kid, but at least you have a good heart."
"O-oh umm…thanks." He blushed at the compliment. After his first reset, he wasn't sure if that was an accurate way to describe him.
"If you'd like, I can privately tutor you on magic. I may not be as skilled as your friend, but I'm familiar with Celestial Magic." Clamor offered.
"W-wait, you mean you'll actually teach me? L-like everything?" Noah could barely believe what he was hearing.
Clamor was a busy person, surely he'd have better ways to spend his free time.
"I'm not a master at Celestial Magic so I won't be able to teach you absolutely everything, but I'd be happy to teach you all that I know."
His generosity made his eyes burn with tears.
'Why is he always so nice to me?'
Noah didn't actually expect past Clamor to teach him magic. The most he was hoping for was being able to live with him for a few days and maybe learn few spells before being sent away. From his last trip through the past, he knew Clamor was busy with all sorts of projects and he probably didn't want any distractions.
"I-I'd like that," Noah whispered. It was getting harder and harder to make out Clamor's face through all his tears.
"I don't want to make any assumptions about your living situation, but if you have nowhere to go I'd be happy to have you stay here. Just help tidy up once in a while and stay hidden, I don't think the higher-ups would appreciate me secretly harbouring a trespasser."
"Are you sure that's okay? I-I can find a place to crash if it bothers you."
"It's fine. You seem different from most of the humans I know." In a much softer tone, he added," you can think of my study as a temporary home of sorts. I empathize with the disorientation of losing a familial support system and the importance of having a space to consider home."
Home
The simple word only made the hollow feeling in his chest grow bigger.
"H-how did you know?" Noah desperately choked back tears.
"You referred to all your family members in past tense. Paired with some of the things you told me, it sort of fell together."
'Oh. Maybe that's why he was looking at me funny.'
Noah nodded, not trusting himself to keep his composure intact if he tried to thank Clamor for being so kind.
"You may not have the support of your family anymore, but that doesn't mean you have to face this world alone." Clamor gently ruffled his hair.
It was such a simple gesture, but it threw Noah back to his early childhood. To a time where his brother had the time to watch over him and protect him from the cold remarks made by their relatives and tutors—to days where he didn't feel alone despite spending hours by himself in his room.
His sickle clanged sharply against the floor.
Noah couldn't hold himself back anymore. He tackled Clamor into a hug, grasping onto him as his life depended on it.
He smelled like old scrolls and coffee—not iron like the day he was slain. It only made the tears come down harder.
He felt guilty for soaking Clamor's robe with tears, but he didn't want to separate from him. A part of him feared this Clamor would vanish into thin air if he let go.
"It's okay. Just let it all out, kid." Clamor patted him gently on the back. "You'll feel better once you do."
For the first time since he woke up from his deep slumber, Noah thought the same thing as well.
