The following evening, Noah got out of the taxi.
The car drove away as he looked up at the establishment.
The white stone facades were bathed in a golden light.
Behind the large bay windows, crystal chandeliers cast a soft glow over the immaculately set tables.
Noah stood still for a few seconds.
‘So this is it…’
He mechanically adjusted the sleeves of his jacket.
For the occasion, he had ditched his lab coat and work clothes.
Dark trousers, a plain black t-shirt, and a suit jacket were enough to give him a more presentable appearance.
‘Quite the luxurious restaurant.’
‘I hope this goes well.’
A waiter immediately greeted him.
“Good evening, sir.
May I help you?”
“I have a meeting with Liam Heartwood.”
The waiter’s face immediately brightened.
“Please follow me.”
Noah crossed the dining room.
The discreet clinking of cutlery mingled with hushed conversations.
No one shouted here.
No one laughed loudly.
Everything seemed meticulously controlled as if even the quiet had a price tag.
The waiter led him to a secluded corner of the restaurant.
A spot far from the other patrons.
Sheltered from prying eyes.
Safe from eavesdroppers.
Angel was already seated.
Sitting across from him was a man Noah recognized immediately.
Liam Heartwood.
The vice-captain of Stormshield.
His gray hair framed a surprisingly young face.
His gray eyes seemed to observe the world like a puzzle to be solved.
Calm.
Precise.
Analytical.
Noah immediately felt like he was the one being studied just like when he observed a sample under a microscope.
‘So that’s him.’
‘He looks strong and incredibly rich.’
Angel stood up at once.
“Finally.”
He gestured to Noah.
“Noah, this is Liam Heartwood, vice-captain of Stormshield.”
Then he turned to Liam.
“Liam, this is Noah Ainsworth.
Ph.D.
in biochemistry and pharmacology.”
For a fraction of a second, Liam observed Noah in wordlessly.
‘He’s much younger than I expected.
Is he really the one who created that potion?’
Angel cleared his throat lightly.
The atmosphere was getting awkward.
“Well…”
He raised a hand toward a waiter.
“I think we can order already.”
The waiter arrived almost instantly.
“What will you be having, gentlemen?”
“A glass of water.”
“A liqueur.”
The waiter noted it down.
Next he turned his gaze to Angel.
“And for you?”
Angel quickly checked the menu.
“The roast chicken.”
He continued.
“The steak and kidney pie.”
After that added.
“And the Sunday Roast.”
The waiter remained perfectly professional.
“Very good, sir.”
He walked away.
Noah stared at Angel.
Angel met his gaze.
“What?”
“You ordered three dishes.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I’m hungry.”
Noah stayed silent.
Angel shrugged.
“Holes burn a lot of calories.”
Liam let out a faint smile. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
The first one since the meeting began.
Then he turned his attention back to Noah.
“A pleasure to meet you, Dr.
Ainsworth.”
His voice was calm and melodic.
But hard to read.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Noah took a seat.
“The pleasure is mine.”
He rested his hands on the table.
“And there’s no need to be so formal.
You can just call me Noah.”
Liam nodded.
“In that case, you can call me Liam.”
His gaze remained fixed on him.
“You’re a bit different from the image I had of the inventor of this potion.”
Noah smirked.
“Oh?
Were you expecting some crazy old professor with a long beard?”
This time Liam smiled genuinely.
“Not quite to that extent.”
He paused.
“But you have to admit you are particularly young.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Liam’s smile widened slightly, only to vanish instantly.
As if it had never existed.
The vice-captain steepled his fingers.
“Let’s not beat around the bush.”
Noah nodded in agreement.
He also preferred getting straight to the point.
“I know you’re a busy man.”
“Perfect.”
Liam leaned back in his chair.
“Then I’ll be direct.”
The vice-captain’s gaze grew more serious.
“Stormshield is extremely interested in your potion.”
Not another word crossed the table before Liam continued.
“It holds colossal strategic value.”
Noah frowned slightly.
“Aren’t you exaggerating a bit?”
Liam remained impassive.
Noah went on.
“It effectively heals traumatic wounds.”
“But it doesn’t cure diseases.”
“It doesn’t neutralize the most potent poisons.”
“And it still has several limitations.”
Angel immediately shook his head.
“No.”
He set his fork down.
“Liam is right.”
Noah turned his eyes to him.
Angel continued.
“You’re looking at your potion through the eyes of a researcher.”
“We look at it through the eyes of Ascendants.”
He leaned in slightly.
“In a Hole.”
“In the middle of a fight.”
“When someone is inches from death.”
He tapped the table softly.
“Your potion practically represents an extra life.”
Noah’s face froze slightly.
‘To that extent?’
He knew his creation had value but he remained obsessed with its flaws.
With everything it couldn’t do yet.
Maybe he had ended up underestimating his own work.
The waiter arrived at that moment.
The orders were set down.
Angel immediately dug into his first dish.
Liam completely ignored him.
“Here is my offer.”
His gray gaze locked onto Noah.
“We want you to officially join Stormshield.”
Noah remained quiet.
Liam went on.
“You will produce exclusively for us.”
“In exchange, we will guarantee your safety.”
“We will fund your research.”
“And we will provide you with the best equipment available in the country.”
The atmosphere froze once more.
Angel subtly slowed his chewing. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Even he wanted to know the answer.
A few seconds passed until Noah spoke.
“I have no intention of joining Stormshield.”
Angel stopped eating entirely.
Liam raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Has another organization contacted you?”
“No.”
“Then why refuse?”
Noah took a few seconds before answering.
Because the answer was important.
Very important.
“I am an Ascendant.”
He paused.
“But before that…”
His gaze drifted briefly to his lab, his research, the sleepless nights.
the experiments and the memories of his father.
“I am a researcher.”
A heavy void settled between them.
Angel alternated his gaze between Noah and Liam.
Liam, for his part, said nothing.
‘A researcher first and foremost…’
This answer didn’t resemble the ones he usually heard.
Most Ascendants sought more power.
More resources.
More influence.
This man seemed to be chasing something else.
Something much more abstract but more strange.
“I understand.”
Liam clasped his hands.
“But that’s not incompatible.”
“Researchers already work for agencies.
It’s nothing new.”
“I know.”
Noah nodded.
“But joining an organization means becoming part of its machinery.”
“Following directives.”
“Answering to a hierarchy.”
“Respecting priorities that aren’t necessarily my own.”
His gaze grew firmer.
“I refuse to let my research be dictated by someone else.”
This time Liam remained motionless for several seconds, his eyes fixed on him.
Thus he asked calmly,
“And what are these goals that justify such a refusal?”
Noah took a deep breath.
Part of him knew this was going to sound ridiculous but so be it.
He answered anyway.
“I want to understand everything.”
Angel looked up.
Liam waited.
“I want to understand Astra.”
“Its origin.
How it works.
Its consequences.”
“I want to understand what it truly is.”
Noah’s gaze grew distant.
“And while I’m at it…”
A smile appeared.
“…win a Nobel Prize or two.”
Angel almost choked on his food.
Liam blinked once.
‘What a strange man.’
The vice-captain wasn’t easily surprised, however.
But Noah managed to do just that.
“Are you serious?”
Noah fell silent for a moment.
Then the memory of his father crossed his mind, the hospital, the doctors and the powerlessness.
That horrible feeling of being able to do absolutely nothing.
His smile vanished.
“I know it sounds childish.”
His voice deepened.
“But I also want to find cures.
For diseases that are considered incurable today.”
“Because I hate that feeling.”
His fingers tightened slightly.
“The powerlessness of losing someone.”
The pause that followed was far heavier than the previous ones.
And for the first time since the beginning of the meeting…
Liam truly began to understand what kind of man was sitting across from him.
And he also understood that he would be much harder to convince than he had imagined.