Chapter 123: Ch 123: Restricted Section

The mansion felt even creepier at night than it did during the day. But Noah still did not feel afraid and continued to walk around until he reached the bathroom.

Noah eventually opened the door to check inside, but there was no sign of Daniel anywhere.

’Maybe he went somewhere else?’

He looked down the hallway, feeling increasingly uneasy as the silence of the mansion seemed to grow heavier around him.

The lights were still on, but there was something strangely quiet about the entire floor. Noah could not hear any footsteps, voices, or even the faint sounds of the staff moving around.

’This is getting stranger by the minute.’

He hesitated before taking another step forward, his instincts urging him to turn around and return to the room.

But the thought of Daniel wandering around alone was enough to make him continue.

After roaming around for a few more minutes, Noah finally decided that he had looked enough and that it was time for him to head back. If he was lucky, then he would find Daniel along the way.

’But still, why did I think Daniel would come out here when there is a perfectly good bathroom attached to our room—’

Shit! Noah had forgotten all about it until now. He felt foolish for not recalling such an important thing, and he started to head back, only to realise he had no idea where he was.

He had been walking aimlessly all this time, so he had no idea how he ended up where he did. But what he did know was that he needed to find a way back, and fast.

Noah turned around and started to walk back, only to find that something was weird.

"I am pretty sure I turned this corner before, but this place was not here. Is this...some kind of artifact that is twisting the appearance of this place?"

Artifacts came in all shapes, sizes, and powers, so it was impossible to guess an artifact’s function without using it first. And artifacts like these illusionary ones were quite common.

But why would someone use an artifact in a house this openly? Unless...

"Is this a part of that experiment Ethan’s parents mentioned? Then, did I accidentally step into their section of the house?"

That would not be good, especially after specifically being told not to come here. But maybe the adults would understand and forgive Noah.

"But first, I should get out of here as soon as possible. I have a feeling something troublesome is happening here."

He turned around to leave when he smelled a faintly sweet smell in the air. It was enchanting but eerily familiar to him.

"These chemicals smell like the ones in the lab. Why are they here?"

It could be a coincidence, but Noah did not believe in coincidences. Just as he was about to head out to investigate this, a memory flashed across his mind.

It was Erin telling him to keep his head down and not push his boundaries in Ethan’s home.

Noah had pretended not to notice before, but it was pretty evident that Erin knew something, and that was why he warned Noah about this.

But it only served to make Noah even more determined to find out the truth behind what was happening here.

Noah stared at the unfamiliar hallway for a few seconds before slowly moving forward. The sweet smell had become stronger, and he could now feel a faint vibration beneath his feet.

’There is definitely something here.’

He followed the smell carefully, making sure to keep his footsteps as quiet as possible. The further he went, the colder the air became, until Noah could see faint traces of mist floating in front of him.

Then, he noticed a door at the end of the hallway.

Unlike the other doors in the mansion, this one had no handle or visible lock. There was only a strange symbol engraved in the centre.

Noah recognised it immediately.

It was a symbol he had seen countless times in the labs.

’This cannot be a coincidence.’

He reached toward the symbol, but stopped just before touching it.

Something inside him was screaming at him to stay away.

And for once, Noah decided to listen to his instincts.

He stepped back and looked around, wondering if there was another way to learn what was happening without being discovered.

Then he heard footsteps approaching from behind.

Noah froze.

Someone was coming, and just as Noah decided to quicken his steps, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh my! Who is this? I specifically told you to stay away from here, right? But since you still came here, I guess you want to help us with our experiments. It makes me so happy."

The speaker was Ethan’s mother, and her voice was sugary sweet. She was not willing to take a ’no’ for an answer, no matter what.

Noah swallowed as he tried to speak up, but no words would come out of his mouth.

"I...this is...I ended up here by accident."

Noah confessed, trying to subtly get out of her grip on his shoulder. But it was of no use. That grip was far too tight, and Noah was not allowed to move.

"Hmm, you said you came here by accident? But I don’t believe in accidents, my dear child. You coming here was destiny as well. Now come and help us out here."

The woman was just not willing to take no for an answer, which made Noah sigh. In the end, he was dragged into the labs, but he considered this an opportunity to be able to look around.

’Who knows? I might be able to find evidence of this place being connected to the labs if I look around here.’

It was something he could only hope for because he knew he had no other option left. So he decided to make the most of it and look into Ethan’s parents instead.

It did make him feel a little bit guilty, but since it was for Ethan’s sake as well, Noah tried not to let it get to him.