Codex Null: Simulation Through Madness

Edith's eyes lit up in a smile as she finished, "That's reasonable, don't you think?"

Noel exhaled slowly, acutely aware that under Edith's piercing gaze, even standing seemed to require more strength than before, her presence pressing down on him like a physical weight. Looking directly into her eyes became increasingly difficult, especially with their significant height difference.

But he forced himself to raise his head and meet her gaze as he said, "If those are the terms, then I accept."

His words were followed by the entrance of his father, mother, Lilith, and many others. Edith simply observed everything with neutral detachment, choosing not to speak again.

Elaine rushed dramatically to his side, concern blazing clearly in her eyes, followed immediately by caution at Edith's imposing presence.

But no one dared to address or attempt conversation with the mysterious woman. His father simply offered a respectful nod as a greeting before instructing the others to take their designated positions.

Elaine, however, paid no attention to any of the ritual preparations, her gaze locked solely on Noel as she demanded, "What kind of madness is this? Did you know your father was preparing something this extreme? And why are you agreeing to it?"

She stole nervous glances at Edith's proximity as she spoke, clearly conveying that if he could secure Edith's assistance, then no one should be able to force him into anything.

That was Elaine's opinion, but Noel didn't share her assessment. Instead, he simply offered his mother a gentle smile before moving past her toward Lilith, who stood in heartbreaking silence while desperately suppressing the tears gathering in her eyes.

He crouched before her carefully, maintaining distance since physical contact could potentially kill her, and despite everything, managed a genuine grin as he said playfully, "I'm about to give you the strongest talent in the universe, so tell me — what will you give me in return?"

Though Noel asked in a joking tone, Lilith, already grasping the gravity of the situation, wiped her unshed tears with her small arm and whispered with devastating sincerity, "…Everything."

"My everything… belongs to brother."

Noel couldn't suppress his laughter at her answer, and his mood seemed to lift considerably, warmth flooding through him at her unwavering devotion.

"Then I'll hold you to that promise," he said softly, his voice carrying both affection and an unspoken weight of expectation that made her nod solemnly.

He didn't exchange many more words with her after that. Instead, he moved toward Hilda, who stood at a careful distance, and in a voice only the two of them could hear, he said urgently, "If something unexpected happens to me, help me gain entry to the Order of Veil. In my plans, securing Edith's assistance to walk the path of Soul Law is absolutely vital, and could prove crucial to whatever challenges I may face later… do you understand?"

Noel, who trusted very few people with his deepest secrets, sought to establish this insurance before events spiraled beyond his control.

And Hilda, already possessing some understanding of his complex nature, seemed to grasp his intention immediately. She bit her lip and nodded with heavy determination.

Only then did Noel finally move away from her, walking with measured steps to the center of the ritual circle, where one of the pulsing cores awaited him.

He didn't remain standing but instead sank down into a sitting position, already feeling too drained to maintain his upright posture.

And like that, before long, Lilith also moved to her designated position, and finally the ritual commenced.

Noel could feel how everything that defined him was being systematically torn away — not as crudely as the parasitic relic had done, but something far more precious and fundamental to his very existence.

Even so, he tried to endure the agony while his gaze swept across everything around him with desperate intensity.

His father was barely containing laughter from escaping his lips, the satisfaction of his long-planned success evident.

His mother was crying heavily, tears streaming down her face in rivers of anguish.

His sister looked at him with deep concern and worry, but at the same time appeared utterly fascinated by the incredible power she was receiving.

His increasingly cloudy gaze took in the expressions of the other Cross house members — brief disappointment at his fall, some confusion at the dramatic turn of events, but also palpable anticipation, as the long-sought-after perfect heir was finally being born before their eyes.

Then, finally, his vision settled on Edith, who had been observing everything unfold from the sidelines but at some point had moved to stand directly in front of him.

Noel was teetering on the verge of losing consciousness… on the precipice of closing his eyes, perhaps never to open them again. But Edith, seemingly harboring confidence in his resilience, suddenly spoke with crystal clarity.

"If you want, I can help you later… and unlike our previous arrangement, where I simply gave you one chance to summon me, this time I plan to invest far more heavily in the brand named Noel."

"Danger and risk will be ever-present if you choose to take my hand… but at least you'll have a clearer road to reclaim the power you're currently losing."

"If you desire it, I can even grant you access to my Veil relic."

Her voice rang clear for everyone present to hear, but she seemed utterly unconcerned by the audience. Noel, barely clinging to consciousness, found himself wondering if she had somehow overheard his private conversation with Hilda.

But apparently uncaring about such concerns, Edith continued with relentless focus.

"But all of that comes under one absolute condition."

"You will have to come to me."

"Consider this a test for you."

"Even if you lose everything — your power, your status, your very identity — will you still possess the strength and determination to reach me, just as you did the last time?"

Edith stopped speaking there, and Noel felt as if he could somehow see through the veil covering her face, as if he could glimpse her lips suddenly arching into a radiant, anticipatory smile.

Before he lost consciousness completely, he heard her final words, delivered with unmistakable intrigue, "I'm quite curious to discover the answer to that question."

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Author's Note:

Okay, with this chapter, finally the first volume, The Lost Past end… so, how was it?

And for the flashbacks to the past, how were they?

Exciting? Boring? Or you didn't even read them?

I planned to include his stories of when he was child more, and in my plans this volume should have continued for thirty chapters more at least, where along the way, I will even explain bits about the world, and many things, which are just being mentioned but not explained.

I changed my plans in the end, as I felt like his current frustrating situation, where the protagonist is struggling is boring for some readers, it seems

In the next volume, which I still have not decided a name for, everything will be different.

Well, nearly everything… after all, the MC can't suddenly become the strongest, with no opponent at all.

Still, hopefully things would be better.

Thank you very much, for reading up until this point.