The Bookkeeper

The sun hung lifeless above the horizon, scorching everything below. The only sound was dry air breezing through the desert in the distance, making the atmosphere thick and heavy.

Raiden stood before the others outside the Apex Circle's premises, with Ash lazily resting on his shoulder and the nonchalant Noelle at his side.

They prepared to divide into groups for their journey in pursuit of strength and mana reserves. Chrono's crew remained dormant, still exhausted from their mission the previous night.

Raiden let out a sigh. "Not all of us speak Noorian, so to make this journey easier, I suggest we break into groups."

Raiden gestured toward Levi. "You'll be traveling with Speed and Soul." Levi responded with a subtle smile.

"I don't think separating the twins would be a good idea—and you already get along well with Soul."

"They will be taken care of," Levi said with a cocky grin, but Speed's grim expression showed he wasn't okay with those words.

Raiden turned to MK, then glanced back at Noelle, who gave a blunt shrug. He sighed. "I thought Noelle would want you with her since you're her guardian, but I guess that isn't the case."

MK gave Raiden a soft smile. "Well, I'll be leaving you with Leo." Raiden turned to Leo, who was adjusting the bandages on his hands. "I'd like you to return strong enough to defeat me, Leo."

Leo smiled, but before he could speak, Freya cut in. "Are you seriously leaving me with the traitor?" She gestured at Aeris, who gave her an awkward smile.

Raiden turned to Freya before giving Aeris a sharp look. She had been composed this whole time, and though she hadn't been very useful since Levi always beat her to the relevant news, Raiden could see she was trying. She held back her words, wanting to prove herself. However, to Raiden, a traitor would always be a traitor—it was only a matter of time.

"Kill her if you must," he shrugged. "She would be useful to you, though…"

The moment he finished speaking, he gestured for Aeris to approach. From her expression as she moved toward Raiden, it was clear she wasn't happy with her situation. She was the oldest among them, yet she was the least respected.

The moment she approached, Raiden whispered something in her ear. She hesitated for a moment, then smiled.

"Just trust me with it," she said with a soft smile, her worries finally easing.

Raiden let out a sigh. "Noelle and I are leaving now, and you should too."

He glanced at Soul; she was more timid than usual, though her dark aura remained stable. "We need to get the pages and save Noelle's mother. I'd be glad if we conquered this kingdom in the process."

Raiden walked over to Soul and took her by the hand. She was his treasure, his ace in the hole for anything he couldn't handle himself. She had to remain in top shape.

"You said you wanted to help like everyone else, right?" Raiden whispered to her. She gave a subtle nod. "Then this is your chance, Soul. Get stronger."

Raiden narrowed his eyes. "I won't be around, but your brother will be there. Don't exhaust yourself, okay?"

Soul's eyes darted to the ground as she nodded repeatedly. Before Raiden could step away, she surprised him by pulling him into a hug.

Raiden's uneasiness was unmistakable—his face turned crimson as he struggled with what to do with his hands. After a moment of confusion, he patted her head until she was ready and stepped back.

The moment she did, Raiden sighed and took a step back. "I hope the money I gave you all will be enough to take care of yourselves once it's exchanged into the Noorian currency, Nou."

Leo and Aeris gave him firm nods while the others just stood there. Raiden's expression turned somber. "If you return before we do, make sure Chrono sends us a message."

Raiden was out of words. He searched his mind for something encouraging to say to them, but found nothing genuine—only manipulation. He feared too much of that would make them think he was trying to get rid of the weak ones among them.

"What city is after Dark City?" Noelle finally spoke up, folding her arms across her chest.

Freya narrowed her eyes and sneered. "To our right is Silver City, my city, and to the left is Lunar City." She raised her eyebrows. "There are others across from us, but they're too far."

Noelle shook her head and said nothing, turning toward Lunar City with a shrug.

Freya gritted her teeth. "We fight again when we return, you scam."

Noelle shot her a sharp look and sighed. "You can't win against me, even in my sleep."

Raiden looked between Noelle's mocking expression and Freya's irritated face as she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

Clearly, there was more to them than met the eye, because Raiden couldn't quite remember when their hatred for each other had become so intense.

If he stood there any longer, it wouldn't take long before those two went at each other. "We're leaving now," he said with a practiced expression of encouragement.

"Make sure you don't die." He smirked and fell into step behind Noelle as the others dispersed.

Noelle walked through the entrance with casual confidence, her aether resting between her lips. But Raiden started to reconsider their whole partnership. They might work together when necessary, but how exactly were they going to handle everything together if he could barely manage a conversation with her?

Just as he was lost in thought, Ash stirred awake, stretching on his shoulder.

[Papa…] her voice echoed in Raiden's head, far more energetic than before.

"Hey, you're up."

Ash flapped her wings and launched herself off his shoulder, landing on the floor before dashing toward Noelle. Raiden was confused—Ash hardly paid attention to anyone else.

She wrapped herself around Noelle's leg, nearly tripping her but successfully getting her attention. Noelle paused with a soft smile, crouched down beside Ash, and lifted her up, giving Raiden a chance to catch up.

Ash began acting playful with Noelle, nudging her affectionately while Noelle gently rubbed her hand along Ash's scales, both with soft smiles. Raiden watched, his face twitching with annoyance.

This is very disrespectful, Ash—he thought.

[I'll come to you later,] Ash replied, giving him pretend puppy eyes.

Raiden paused, his mouth opening slightly in confusion. "You can speak better now?" he blurted out.

Noelle also paused and turned to him. "What did you say?"

Though still confused, no one knew he could communicate with his familiar telepathically, so he needed to cover it up or risk being thought insane.

"Uhm… I was asking, 'Why do we have to go to Lunar City?'" he said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

Noelle started moving through the desert again, Raiden following behind. "Freya will probably head to Silver City first since she's from there."

Raiden's expression lightened. "Oh, I get it. You don't want to be in the same place as her."

Noelle turned to him. She seemed calmer than her usual self, more open perhaps. "I plan on killing as many people as I can."

Raiden's expression shifted in disappointment. She didn't even let the praise last a moment longer.

"We need fake names. I don't want my name getting around."

Raiden gave a subtle nod. He hadn't thought of it himself, but it was a good idea. Just then, several sand wolves burst from the ground and charged toward them.

Noelle simply turned and gestured, and the wolves immediately turned on each other, teeth tearing through dry skin with savage snarls and yelps, leaving Raiden bewildered.

"I'll go with Wolf…" She paused, noticing Raiden's confused expression. "What about you?"

Raiden remained confused, wondering how Noelle had used her ability without activating her domain. "How did you do that?"

"What?"

"Making the animals kill themselves?"

Noelle turned to him, eyes narrowing. "Your servants have worked under you for months, and none of them knows a thing about you." Her expression twisted into disgust—finally becoming the Noelle Raiden knew. "What makes you think I'll tell you?"

"Fair enough…"

Raiden let out a sigh. He repeated his own name over and over in his head, then tried others, searching for something better. "I'll go with Raven then."

The moment he said that, both Ash and Noelle turned to him with disappointment written across their faces.

[That sounds exactly like your name, Papa.]

Raiden shrugged. "It sounds different to me."

He truly wasn't good with names, but the familiarity bothered him only a little. Ash could speak clearly now, and that was a relief. Finally, he could get answers to most of his questions. But how exactly had this happened?