After Noah had that heartfelt discussion with Dorothy, the two ended up becoming relatively close friends. It would be a lie to say that they were suddenly open and shared all secrets but all relationships started with baby steps.
The others could catch the change in atmosphere but none of them spoke about it. Even the mostly negative Crow stayed silent in this situation. They all knew that Dorothy had sacrificed much for Oz so they hoped that she could be happy.
Like this, while training and adjusting his Frame through different tests, Noah’s days on Oz were finally about to come to an end.
***
“I won’t lie. I am going to miss this room.”
Standing alone in the room that he had started to consider as his own, Noah let out a sigh and gave one last glance before leaving.
The ship taking them to Neverland would land in Oz in a few hours. Noah did not intend to miss this flight.
Closing the door behind him, Noah gazed at the emerald city and the yellow brick road, a small smile forming on his face.
Compared to the time he spent on that desolate planet, his stay on Oz had been infinitely short. In fact, nearly one-third of the time had been spent sleeping when he went through his hibernation.
Even so, this short amount of time ended up taking an important place in his heart. In this place, he was able to meet new people. They were good people, all of them incredible in their own right, and he was also able to obtain many precious things from them— be it from a materialistic or mental standpoint.
He was going to miss this place and the mostly wacky people that inhabited it. However, he took relief in the fact that this was no farewell. They would meet again one day. He swore to himself when that day came, their relationship would be less one-sided.
***
Noah took the yellow road and reached Tin Man’s hangar. There he could see Lion, Tin, Morgiana, and Crow waiting for him.
“Oh. Didn’t think I would have such a large fanfare to send me off.” Noah joked and gave a cursory look for a certain someone, but Crow intoned, knowing fully well who he was looking for.
[No need to search. Dorothy is currently meeting a Prince from the Empire. She won’t be able to send you off.]
“I see. A shame. Then I hope you will tell her I am thankful for everything she did for me and that… I hope the next time we meet it won’t be while fleeing a planet about to get erased.”
[I will.]
Crow nodded. He spoke in a slightly reserved tone. Until the very end, Noah never stopped being an enigma to him, and he was glad to see him going away.
“Hahaha! Next time you come, I am sure you will be even stronger! Let’s have a new fight then!”
Lion laughed out loud and approached him before taking him in his arms for a fierce hug and then patting him on the back.
A laugh spilled out of Noah even as he felt suffocated and hugged the giant ball of fur back, “Thanks, man. Next time, I promise I will let you power up before attacking.” They grinned and ended up exchanging one last firm handshake like a pair of good ol’ friends.
Next, Morgiana approached Noah and gave him an encryption key. “This holds the secret code for Snow White and Sleeping Beauty to recognize you when you meet them. I already sent them your appearance and some Data. But gotta double-check for safety. Be careful and… don’t die. I would feel guilty if you lost your life on your very first mission.”
“Oh, trust me. Even if the planet ends up destroyed, I will still survive.” He drawled in a joking tone but Morgiana gave him a tired look before pinching her eyes with a frustrated huff, “I swear… Why do you have to jinx it? If the planet of festivity ends up being destroyed, I think you should be called the star of calamity rather than the golden whatever Dorothy calls you.”
Noah could only give a sheepish smile at her remark, accepting the encryption key. He did not believe in bad luck, but he knew better than to escalate things at this point.
Finished with the small quip he finally approached Tin.,
“Noah, my stylish friend. I feel quite sad to see you go. But thus, is life. Partings and new meetings. I hope your journey in the sea of stars will apport you the answers you are seeking.”
“Thank you.”
Tin and Noah exchanged a firm handshake. Though Tin’s hand was cold and metallic, Noah could say without a shadow of a doubt that Tin’s heart was warmer than many people's.
“Your Mecha will be added to the cargo of the ship once they dock on Oz. It will be a little troublesome but nothing a bit of money cannot resolve.”
“There is no need for that,” Noah said.
Waving his hand, he approached the Shadowblade. It was on standby with one knee on the ground. Looking at the hulking machinery of cutting-edge technology, he still felt that it was gorgeous. Tin went all out on the design aspect of the Frame.
Tin and the others looked at Noah with curiosity as he placed a hand on the Frame but soon,
“Open.”
All of their eyes widened, even the ever-stone-faced Crow’s, as a dimensional gate opened at Noah's command and swallowed the entire Frame whole before closing right back. It didn’t take even a second for the whole operation.
Turning around, Noah arched his brow at their surprised faces and placed a finger against his lips.
“I did tell you, right? Even if the entire thing gets destroyed. I will survive.”
This was one secret he was willing to share with them. But at the same time, it was a veiled threat and warning for anyone who thought less of him. A proof that he had always been in control and always had one ace in his sleeve even when it seemed like he had nowhere to escape from Oz.
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“Well, it looks like my ride's here.”
As if on cue, a small spaceship broke through the atmosphere and flew toward them. The entire cruise ship couldn't enter the gravity wheel. Too much energy would be wasted when trying to leave and the ship had a higher chance of breaking down under its own weight due to the inherent gravity of the planet.
Giving one last look at his stunned friends, Noah felt quite satisfied as he climbed in the automated space shift and slowly took off.
It only took a few seconds for all of them to look like nothing more than a grain of sand.
— Was it necessary?
No. It certainly wasn’t. It could even be said to be reckless. After all, I did share one of my most important trump cards.
— Then…
We just have to make sure to have an even greater trump card the next time we meet. Right?
Noah grinned and eased down in the chair as the spaceship started to leave the gravity well.
Status.
『 Name: Noah Ouroboros
Tier: 8
Main Class: Mecha Pilot
Growth Stage: Hatchling (99%)
Affiliation: -
Alias: 13th Constellation; The Serpent Bearer
Rank: Pawn
Race: Superior Human
Path: Voracity
Thema: Predation, Adaptation, Evolution
Speed: SS-120
Dexterity: S-99
Endurance: EX-160
Strength: SSS-150
Aether: A-80 』
He couldn’t help the grin from stretching his lips as he looked at his stats. He still had much to learn and many things to explore but at the very least, it seemed like he would soon reach a new tier of power.
He couldn’t wait to see what kind of changes the ascension would bring.
“Goodbye Oz. You were like home. But now, it’s time for me to spread my wings.”
***
“Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”
A woman wearing a pair of shorts with an open shirt showing her small cleavage spoke as she put her feet on the table. An air of nonchalance emanated in her every movement, even as she behaved like this in front of the Queen of Oz, Dorothy. The blond hair nestled atop her childish face was short enough to almost resemble a pixie cut, and the defiant crease of her brows gave her the aura of a young delinquent.
“Ozma, I always tell you to stop doing that. It’s unbecoming of a princess.”
“Heh…” Ozma sneered but did not move her feet as her queen chided, “You are deflecting.”
The delinquent quipped while intently gazing toward the shuttle slowly docking on the giant cruise ship floating near the orbit of Oz. Despite the considerable distance, her eyes were able to peer through each minuscule detail through the screen installed in Dorothy’s office. She knew that Noah was traveling in that transport shuttle. She also knew how much importance Dorothy gave to him.
Dorothy sighed, knowing very well that Ozma would not let go of this matter until she humored her query. “You are like a rabid dog refusing to let go of a bone.”
“I will take that as a compliment. Now speak. I thought you’d already boned that man by now. But it seems like things didn’t go as planned.”
“One. I do not bone.” Dorothy quoted in the air, “Two, I was rejected and three, to answer your initial question, I am not good with farewells and the prince chose the worst timing to grace us with his presence.”
“As if you didn’t make sure that the timing matched your convenience.” Ozma scoffed before a thoughtful expression. “Still, he rejected you, huh? That’s… surprising.”
Ozma scrutinized Dorothy’s body from head to toe before finally settling on her chest, her gaze lingering there for a tad too much for Dorothy’s comfort, “Is it perhaps because you lack certain assets?”
“Stop talking like some perverted old man and focus, okay? We have been invited to the auction. It seems like the Sultan managed to get one of the princes on his side and they are making sure we won’t intervene to help Alibaba.”
Unlike Dorothy who still had no heir to her name, the current and past Emperors had been… a tad too proactive when it came to succession matters. By now the Imperial family was flooded with both good and bad as well as downright useless princes and princesses.
The one Dorothy had to meet was not particularly skilled and had little to no authority but at the end of the day, it was still a prince. Furthermore, it was a prince belonging to one of the big factions in the Empire.
If the Sultan of Ifrit was holding hands with them, Morgiana and Alibaba’s situations were about to take a turn for the worst.
“Oz is still recovering, you know? Even though we managed to fool some of those bastards with our fake civil war, we still aren’t really out of danger. Are you sure you want to help those mercenaries?”
“I do,” Dorothy spoke with no hesitation. She knew Ozma well and thus knew that the delinquent girl hated it when someone wasted her time with all the political jargon, involving twisted words and roundabout mind games.
“Well. You are the boss. I will follow you even if you decide to fight the empire. So, what do we do?”
“For now? Nothing actually.”
Dorothy smiled and finally gazed toward the departing ship. Her eyes closed as she remembered the dream she had the day prior.
“I believe soon… the empire will have other problems to deal with.”
She couldn’t wait to see how things would turn out.
***
[Neverland]
While Noah was in the process of boarding the ship that would take him to his first mission as a mercenary, and Dorothy plotted in the shadows to influence the destiny of the galactic empire, things were progressing in a shocking direction in Neverland.
“Peter. We need to investigate this matter!” A woman pleaded with all her heart. Her voice rose as if she couldn’t understand why the man facing her refused to act.
She was clad in nearly full-body power armor and had a sword straddled to her hip. The only visible part of her body was her face and the flowing locks of her blond hair. Her fair skin contrasted with her fully black armor and her blue eyes seemed to hold the sky.
“Wendy.” The man she was speaking to released a tired sigh.
“Children are pure and innocent. Yet they are always the first to be sacrificed. We have seen it countless times. Adults who abuse children and steal from them. Death or servitude is the only choice for children who have nothing left. They either starve, freeze to death, or die from crying in exhaustion while searching for the parents who abandoned or sold them out. You remember, right? Our oath. The one we made in that white room all those years ago.”
Wendy looked up at Peter, her eyes filled with determination, “Amidst that hell, we once swore an oath. To never grow up to become adults like them. To always protect children and make Neverland a place of hope and joy for all children and adults who wish to become children once again, and yet now you ask me to ignore such a thing?”
Peter Pan closed his eyes, a pained expression almost slipping through his stoic mask, “Both of us need to face reality.” His voice showed signs of tiredness. Despite his young appearance it was easy to feel the weight he was carrying.
“Reality?” Wendy opened her eyes wide, looking as if she just received a slap, in the end, she stood up and simply started walking away, despite Peter's repeated calls, she did not turn back.
It was only when she reached the door that she stopped and spoke, “I remember once, a little girl cried about how escaping from the hell we were imprisoned into was impossible. That we cannot change reality with dreams and hope. I also remember what a certain little boy said at that time,”
She continued, “Whenever people want you to do something they think is wrong or impossible, they say it’s reality, and bowing down to reality is something only lame adults who gave up on their dream do.” Finally, she turned, ever so slightly, and gave the tired man one last look filled with pity and disappointment, “I guess I will never see that boy ever again.”
A helmet encased her face, shifting out of the neck of her armor, hiding all her features in the ominous obsidian black of her full body armor and she left. The girl was none other than Wendy Darling, Peter Pan’s childhood friend, staunchest support, and longest companion.
Now alone, the Forever Young Peter Pan closed his eyes after giving one last order.
“Please. Keep an eye on her. Make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”
The only reply he got was the rhythmic sound of a tinkering bell and the beautiful giggle of a young girl.