Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness

In a remote valley drowned in white, the wind screamed through the emptiness with a sharp, whistling cry. The child Selena stood behind the lone tree, her small figure pressed into its shadow.

Her hands were buried deep inside her coat, her eyes flicking restlessly across the silent expanse, torn between fear that someone had followed her — and anticipation for the one she was waiting for.

That's when, the crunch of steady footsteps broke through the wind. They carried no attempt at concealment. And a voice followed, heavy with dissatisfaction.

"Why here?"

Selena's head snapped toward the sound.

"Noel!" she called, relief flashing in her eyes.

She rushed to meet him, scanning behind his shoulders the moment he came close.

"You didn't bring anyone with you, right?"

"No. Alone." Noel gave a small shake of his head.

Selena pressed a hand to her chest and let out a sigh, the tension draining from her face. His eyes narrowed slightly as he repeated the question that annoyed him from the start.

"Why here of all places?"

She fidgeted with her hands, gaze sliding away from his. "I ran away from home… where else could I have met you?"

This Selena was not the one who had first stood before him long ago. She was different — unguarded, almost vulnerable. But Noel, already used to these changes, said nothing about it.

He only muttered, displeased, "Even so, why a place this remote?"

Selena stayed silent. That only made him grumble more. "You could have come to my house. No one could take you away from there."

Her eyes lifted, flat and cold. "So you'd rather start a war between our houses?"

Noel didn't flinch. His reply came at once, sharp and certain.

"If it's necessary."

He had never feared anyone — least of all the Everen house.

But Selena shook her head. "No. I want my mother's recognition first. Until then, I'm not moving to live with you."

"Why do you need her recognition?" Noel pressed. His tone hardened before she could reply. "I'm your number one priority. Recognition should come from me — not her."

At his insensitive words, Selena didn't get angry. Instead, she gave a small, almost shy nod, her lashes lowering as if to hide her thoughts.

They walked on in silence. Noel's steps were steady, Selena trailing close behind, her eyes lingering on his hand. She wanted to reach for it, to lock her fingers in his, but confidence failed her every time.

Noel stopped suddenly. "I've decided. Let's go back to your house."

She blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I'll speak with your mother myself," he said, his tone firm, brooking no argument.

Selena's reaction was immediate. "Of course not!"

That refusal snapped something in him. His voice rose, cold and domineering.

"Then do you want us to keep sneaking around like this? Meeting in secret as if I'm some shameful mistake? It's beneath me."

The anger in his words, the sheer force of his presence, pressed down on her like a storm.

His proud gaze refused compromise, his aura too fierce to ignore.

And to Selena, it was poison — yet a poison she craved. Her face burned red, her heart trembling at the sight of him like this. And instead of recoiling, she lowered her eyes, falling deeper into that dangerous pull.

But only for a moment. Selena was no fragile girl. Her head rose again, stubborn fire sparking in her golden eyes.

"So what then? You'll walk up to my mother and tell her again, 'your daughter belongs to me'? You think she won't snap even harder this time?"

She forced herself to meet his gray gaze head-on, yet in the end, she faltered — those eyes were too beautiful.

"It's an honor for her to give me her daughter. Don't you know that?" Noel said.

Selena nodded quickly, almost like a startled hen, then shook her head just as fast, her voice rising to defend, "But I'm her only child. And no matter how cold she is to everyone else, she's still… attached to me."

Noel let silence stretch, as if weighing something within. Then his lips curved, and he said, "Then she can come too."

Selena blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Daughter and mother serving the same man," he said, tone heavy with tyranny. "Don't you think that's good in its own way?"

The words struck her like lightning. Her breath caught. For an instant she stood frozen, then shuddered, a faint blush staining her cheeks as the image unfurled in her mind. A vision she couldn't quite push away.

She almost forgot her father was even there.

But why would he matter? He had always been insignificant — a man chosen from the Everen household for bloodline purity, never even married to her mother. Nothing more than a placeholder.

"Do you think you can handle Mom?" The word slipped out raw — not the distant mother she usually used, but Mom.

Noel's eyes narrowed, his voice edged with challenge. "Do you think I can't?"

Selena had no answer. Deep down, she knew. If anyone could handle her mother, it was the young man standing before her.

In strength, she had no doubts — Noel would rise, his power shining for all to see. But even beyond strength… if her mother ever truly faced him, could she resist?

Could anyone resist his charm?

The thought twisted her stomach. Clarissa was the Everen head — refined, formidable, untouchable. Yet in the end, she was still a woman. And if even her mother could falter before him, how many others would follow?

Jealousy burned through Selena, and her aura started flickering with a darker glow.

Noel noticed, but said nothing. His gaze flickered briefly, as if imagining Clarissa, before he shook his head and murmured, "This is the last time. I can't lower myself like this again."

The words hit her harder than steel. Training already devoured his days, leaving her scraps of time — and now he was saying even that would vanish?