Realm of Noah

Chapter 3

7th November 2019

NOAH

Hallucinations aren't the only way the Pit tortures me.

Sometimes it brings back bad memories from the past, plays them all over in my head again, insinuating the fact that I wasn't worthy of existence.

Like today, it was playing a particularly dramatic clip about the last time I saw my parents. I found myself sinking into the memory against my will, feeling the dread rise and hating the fact that I knew exactly how bad it was.

"Noah? We don't... We had no idea, Lord Augustus, that we were raising a criminal," Dad had said, his eyes widened in alarm.

"We thought he was carrying out his duties as a Spirit Guide, we knew nothing about the human girl," Mom reiterated.

Before I was chained to the Pit, Lord Augustus gave me a chance to visit home one last time. My law-abiding parents were stunned to find out about my rebellious ways, and the news seemed to devastate them more than anything. I hung my head, too afraid to meet their eyes, hating myself for disappointing them.

Maybe, I had been a bit too rash.

"Any last words?" Lord Augustus questioned, looking at me, then my parents.

"I'm really sorry, mom, dad..." I spoke out, trying to catch their gaze, which they expertly avoided. "I never meant to disappoint you."

Augustus's smile was discrete, but I'd noticed it, and immediately felt the anger resurface. Why did he want me to suffer this much?

In a way, my parents should be proud that I was unofficially a Higher Spirit. I'd surpassed them, become spiritually advanced, and yet they looked like I'd done the worst thing in history.

"Noah," Dad said, looking straight at me. I met his gaze hesitantly, only to be stunned at his impassive face.

"Ascension is a sacred act. It requires patience and temperance, both of which you lack. You may have reached the After Realm, but you can never truly grasp how meaningful it could be. I'm highly disappointed with your immaturity." Dad's voice rumbled through our house.

I swallowed. He was right, I'd regretted my decision to ascend soon after I'd done it. Not because I was scared to be caught by the ISA, but because I felt like I wasn't ready.

I had been immature.

"I'm sorry-"

"According to the Act 57 under the SPC, a Spirit parent can let go of their guardianship if their child has been proved to be a criminal or otherwise," Dad announced, now looking at Augustus.

Lord Augustus nodded. "You are right, Spirit Guide Daniel Stark."

Mom looked as aghast as me. "Dan, you can't possibly-"

"I can, Viv," He looked angry and determined. "Lord Augustus, Vivienne and I are no longer the guardians of Noah Stark and we cannot be held accountable for his disastrous choices."

"Done, Spirit Guide Daniel Stark," Augustus looked satisfied. "A very wise choice indeed."

"Dad, I'm so sorry-"

"Do not call me dad, Spirit Guide Noah Stark," Dad said coldly. "We aren't family anymore."

I looked at mom, who stared back at me, pain swirling through her blue eyes, which looked exactly like mine. Maybe Spirits didn't have DNA, but we surely had something deeper that attached us. Mom used to say that it was love.