Everything was going smoothly until it wasn't.
Late in the night, with only Raiden and Ash left in the library, the sword moved in practiced arcs. Each swoosh pierced the silence until the inevitable happened.
A dead silence settled. The wind grew still.
Raiden stepped back from the windows, both hands finding the hilt of his sword as his heart began to quicken. Something stirred uneasily in his chest. Ash crouched before him, back legs bent, a low growl rumbling from her throat as she fixed her gaze on the window.
A figure stepped from the shadows. That smirk, that presence—Levi. The shadow of Noor had found them again.
"You know you can't win… just put down the sword." He rested a hand on his waist while Raiden narrowed his eyes, staring coldly at that unbothered expression.
"How sure are you about that?…"
"Stupid as ever," he scoffed. "I didn't come to fight this time." Both hands went up in mock surrender.
"Shame. I was looking forward to returning the favor." Raiden's knuckles whitened around the hilt.
"I came for the creature." His gaze shifted to Ash with cold interest while she growled at him. "That thing isn't ordinary. I want it—and the book."
Raiden's smirk was razor-thin. "Such bold claims for someone who couldn't defeat a number 9." The humor died from his face, voice dropping to ice. "You don't touch Ash."
"Oh, I won't. Not yet. I'm proposing a deal."
"… a deal?"
"We fight. Clean. No tricks, no interference from your dragon. When I win…" He stepped closer, his voice turning to ice. "The dragon comes with me."
"Since you are his bonded, you follow. You'd serve me, speak for me, and spy for me."
Raiden giggled for a moment. It grew into light chuckles, then laughter. "You think I'd serve someone like you?"
"You won't win, but if you do… I serve you. My blade becomes yours. My knowledge, my network—everything handed over. You'd gain the secrets of those haunting you. Levi, the shadow of Noor, yours to command."
Ash growled louder, stepping forward, but Levi held up a hand.
"If the dragon tries to interfere, the deal's void."
Raiden's expression darkened. "I'm a blue crest bearer; how the fuck do you expect me to fight?"
Levi settled into Raiden's chair, feet up on the desk. "Mana Crests aren't allowed. Just brute strength and steel." A careless shrug. "We're going to fight eventually—might as well make it worth something."
"Wager accepted?"
Raiden's guard finally dropped as Ash turned to him with those poppy eyes. He smirked, lifting her up.
"With you, losing isn't an option." His hand found her head, rubbing gently.
Raiden turned to Levi, who remained seated with that smirk, staring lustfully at Ash.
"And why should I believe an assassin's word? What proof do I have that you'll honor it?"
Levi smirked and reached into his pocket, tossing a small handbook over. Raiden caught it and flipped through a page, but the darkness made it impossible to read.
"I already suspected this. That book details techniques blue crest bearers used in the other kingdoms."
He stood. "Read it, and you'll understand how to make this duel worth your while." The smirk lingered as he faded from sight. "Two weeks from today. Nine in the morning. The border between Persia City and Nyx City."
He was gone. No windows had opened, no footsteps, no sound. Nothing but empty air where he'd stood.
Raiden and Ash returned to the desk, sitting through the silence as they began reading. It detailed things blue crest bearers could do and how: contracting, bonding, interaction, and communication.
Many things didn't add up since pages were missing, but to perform each to the fullest, he would need considerable physical strength, mana, and a higher rank.
Raiden leaned back into the seat and let out a deep sigh. As a blue crest bearer, he could make contracts with literally anything—beasts, monsters—so long as he had the mana for it.
"He'd be useful, wouldn't he?"
Ash offered no response, just nudged him gently before settling on his lap.
"He might know things I don't, things others don't. Maybe there's something out there that can get me back home. I have to win." His head fell back against the chair.
He sat there for what felt like hours, eyes fixed on the ceiling, breath misting faintly in the cold air as he considered Levi—the potential help, the inevitable threat.
"I must show him how dangerous I can be then." He muttered and lifted Ash, who remained asleep on his lap. Moving his hands slowly against the silence, he placed her on the desk before rising to his feet.
He took up his sword and began training.
Jack's voice began to ring in his head once more, cold but precise. "Kill the old self's fear. Break the chains. Kill the weakness."
The chances of returning home were slimmer than he'd ever imagined, but before he could even hope for that, he needed power. Real power—the kind that carried the force of an entire army.
He continued to train, weaving footwork into his swings for better flexibility, each strike cutting through the air with swift precision.
He trained until dawn broke, then switched to shadowboxing. His fists cut through the air with calculated precision, droplets of sweat shaking loose from his movements to hit the floor.
His legs were tired and trembling, but he refused to stop. Strike after strike. His limbs began to crack and pop, working out the stiffness he'd allowed to build up.
Before long, he dropped to his knees, panting as he couldn't hold on any longer.
"This body is doing quite well, though… It's impressive." He muttered.
[ALERT]
[STAMINA: +20
PHYSICAL STRENGTH: +30
AURA: +3]
[SWORDSMANSHIP: +20]
At that instant, there was a knock on the door—it was Aeris. She entered with a calm expression and leaned against a shelf. Raiden turned toward her and gestured as she stepped away from the shelf.
He rose to his feet trembling like an old man, cracked his back, and took his seat as Aeris stood before him. Without so much as a word, he raised an eyebrow.
She cleared her throat. "I don't have anything concerning why Captain Kai and the Elders are after your family, nor do I have anything concerning the assassins." She paused. "But I do know something about blue crest abilities."
Raiden gave her a lazy look as his eyes began to zone out.
"There are heavy limitations placed on blue crest bearers in Persia due to their history with black crest bearers."
Raiden leaned forward with his elbows on the desk, chin propped on his fists, eyes nearly rolled back from exhaustion.
"Blue crest bearers can only summon and interact with animals. Animals are naturally drawn to you, which lets you bond with them. With mutual agreement, you can form contracts—it's similar to summoning."
Just then, Raiden's head dropped to the desk as exhaustion finally won.
Aeris blinked in confusion. "Are you satisfied with just that?" Her expression turned skeptical.
"There is something else, though."
Raiden simply gave her a thumbs-up and gestured that she should leave.
After a moment of silence, she nodded with a smile and slipped away.
Raiden then slowly succumbed to sleep.