Rossweise's cheeks turned red as she took the bunny ears off Noah's head fast.
"This this is not a toy. Do not wear things like this without thinking," she said, feeling shy.
"Okay, Mom. If there is nothing more, I will go now," Noah said. She stepped out of the closet like it was no big deal.
She stood tall, her steps slow and sure. It was like getting caught hiding in her parents' closet was normal, just like eating breakfast every day.
She only walked a few steps before her feet came off the floor.
Her small tail moved a little as she turned her head. She saw her father holding her up with one hand, easy.
"Good evening, Dad," she said with no feeling in her voice.
"Noah, you know you are not good at pretending, right? That is more like what Muwen does," Leon said. He raised one eyebrow.
"…"
Noah let out a breath and stopped trying to get away. "Okay, Dad. Since you caught me, can you tell me why you looked for me everywhere?"
As she talked, her eyes looked at her father's pocket.
After so much time with the ancestor, Noah could feel the Primordial Force a little bit.
With the ancestor's warning still in her mind, Noah knew something with the Primordial Force was in her father's pocket.
Leon put her down on the ground with care.
Now that they were all there, it was time to talk about the important thing.
Leon looked at Rossweise. She gave him a small nod, like saying he could talk how he wanted.
He nodded back. Then he bent down to look Noah in the eyes.
"Noah, let me ask you this. After you came back from the ruins in the far north, did you feel anything strange in your body?"
Leon's question was straight, no nice words first.
Noah did not move away. She knew her parents well. They must already know some things about it.
They wanted to check what they thought, and it was no use to hide anymore.
In her mind, the ancestor's voice was calm but strong.
"Noah, if you answer true, they will find out about me. Your father has a crystal that matches my energy. I do not know who gave it to him, but it is to find me."
The ancestor stopped for a second. Her voice got more heavy.
"But I trust what your father wants. He fights the Ultimate Fear, like I do. Still, before I show everything, I wanted to make sure he would not stop my getting better. That is key for the big fight against the Ultimate Fear."
The ancestor kept going, "That time is close, Noah. Your father is good to trust, and he is very strong. Telling the truth to your parents now is right."
Noah took a deep breath. She nodded in her mind.
She looked at her father's eyes and said, "Yes, Dad. When I first came back, I had the same dream again and again. It was about the old war between dragons."
"I felt a weird power in me. Later, I knew it was the Primordial Force. Good thing Mom helped me use it and let it out."
"After that, my body was normal again."
Leon listened close. His face showed he was thinking. After some time, he asked,
"And do you know about the Primordial Dragon King, Noah? The one you have the name from?"
"Yes, Dad. The Primordial Dragon King Noah was an old hero. She stopped the dragon war."
"That is right. When you went to the ruins in the far north, you went into her place by accident. There, you tried to stop Constantine from taking the power in the statue, right?"
"Yes, Dad."
"Good," Leon said, his voice hard. "What I will tell you now might scare you, but stay calm."
"I will, Dad," Noah said. She took a deep breath.
Leon's face got very serious. "The statue you saw did not just have Noah's power. It also had her: soul."
"Soul?" Noah turned her head a little.
"Yes. Her spirit."
"Wait; like energy?"
"No, not energy. A real soul," Leon said. He moved his hands like something floating. "It is: um: like air, no weight, here now and gone fast!"
"Oh; so like a balloon?"
"…"
Rossweise tried not to laugh next to him. Leon looked at her, his face showing he was annoyed.
"What is funny?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said with a smile. "I just thought of something happy."
"What happy thing?"
"That I have the Primordial Force."
"Pfft—" Noah laughed without meaning to.
Leon looked back at his oldest daughter, confused. "What are you laughing at?"
Noah stopped laughing. "Nothing, Dad. It is just: I have the Primordial Force too."
Leon opened his eyes wide, surprised. "Wait, what? You have the Primordial Force?!"
"Yes, Dad," Noah said, her voice calm now. "But not like the magic Mom showed me to make better. My Primordial Force comes from: the soul you talked about."
Leon took a quick breath, shocked.
"It happened at the ruins," Noah kept going. "I tried to stop Constantine from taking the statue's power. But somehow, the Primordial Dragon King's soul came into my mind."
"The dreams I have? They are her memories."
"I even said to go to Sky City for that game to get the reward crystal. It helps her get strong faster."
Noah stopped and looked at her parents. They were surprised.
"And in the fight in the Demonic Moonlit Forest, when I kept Helena safe and waited for you, Dad: it was because of her help."
Leon and Rossweise did not talk. They were thinking about all she said.
"My body has no bad signs," Noah said to make them feel better. "In fact, I learned a lot from her. She was going to wake up much later to fight a big enemy. But because of Constantine, her soul needs my body to get better."
Leon talked at last, his voice calm but soft.
"Why did you not tell us before?"
"At first, I did not know what to do. She said her enemy's friends are everywhere. If they find her, they will do anything to kill her," Noah said. Her eyes looked down. "I did not want to make you or Mom in danger."
Leon nodded slow. "I understand. Keeping your family safe is brave."
Noah's eyes got bright. "You mean that, Dad?"
"Of course. You were careful and smart. I am proud of you, Noah."
"Thank you, Dad."
Leon touched her shoulder and smiled. "No matter what, you will always be our best."
Noah's face turned red, a bit shy. "I do not want to be big, Dad. I just want to be better than you."
Leon: "…"
Rossweise laughed soft. "You taught her good, dear."
Noah sat up straight. "Oh, Mom, Dad."
Rossweise bent down next to her. "What is it, my dear?"
Noah pointed to her head. "She has something to say to you."