The Bookkeeper

The crowd buzzed for the duel, though none of them seemed genuinely interested. Their eyes wandered elsewhere, scanning each other for potential opponents. They seemed to be cheering merely to keep the spirit alive.

But Raiden was invested. Despite Beeman's followers constantly insisting that Noelle would be easily destroyed, he kept his cool. He needed to understand how the abyss worked before doing anything reckless.

"Beeman vs. Wolf. Fight!" As soon as the announcer's voice echoed from the upper levels of the arena, Noelle dropped to one knee and grasped at her neck.

Raiden began to stand, bewildered by what was happening, but the bastards pulled him back into his seat. Their touch barely registered. His face darkened as he watched Noelle break into hysterical laughter, her voice echoing at the top of her lungs.

"Ha… Master Beeman got her."

Raiden activated Gaze Beyond, focusing his enhanced vision on Noelle. Her neck appeared clear, but what he was seeing couldn't be the real Noelle. She would never laugh like this during a fight she'd initiated herself.

He looked past her to Beeman. Tiny holes covered his hands, bees pouring from each opening.

"Now that Beeman has fucked with her emotions, it's over," the bastards beside Raiden began to mock.

Raiden sneered as Beeman charged at Noelle and slammed his fist into her gut. She doubled over, clutching her stomach as she fell to her knees. Even through the pain, she couldn't stop laughing.

Raiden clenched his fists, irritation flickering across his face, as Beeman unleashed a barrage of strikes on Noelle. All she did was laugh through each brutal hit.

Not only was Noelle about to die, but she'd dragged him into this mess as her bargain. Now when she died, he'd be left scrambling to save himself, and nothing infuriated him more.

Blood began spilling from Noelle's mouth as she laughed through the pain, and Raiden started plotting his next move. Turn invisible and run? Or face Beeman head-on once he was done with her?

Still, he had limited knowledge of Beeman's power. Could his bees only manipulate people into laughter, or were there other emotions? If it was just laughter, he thought he could counter it with his euphoria.

He doubted Noelle would survive the duel. With Gaze Beyond active, he could see her face drenched in blood, her nose twisted and broken. Her survival looked unlikely.

"Women are so weak!"

Raiden turned his lazy gaze to whoever had spoken. He took in the man's receding hairline and rotting teeth, then looked back at Noelle. A smile crossed his face as he slapped his forehead in disbelief.

"How can I be this quick to judge?" he muttered as he shook his head.

He didn't know much about Noelle, but from their brief time together, he knew she would never lose to someone who looked down on her and all women.

Yet his newfound confidence changed nothing. Noelle was still getting her ass kicked from every angle, all while laughing maniacally.

It wasn't long before her golden aura started pulsing violently. Raiden's eyes widened as spectators in the upper levels leaned forward, curious about what was unfolding.

Her aura ceased flowing from her body, gathering into a massive sphere that engulfed the entire thousand-meter field. Beeman froze mid-strike while Noelle's laughter finally stopped, replaced by violent coughing as she expelled clots of blood from her throat.

Raiden's eyes narrowed in confusion. How had Noelle activated her rule domain? She hadn't said anything—hadn't even attempted to speak. The way her aura had fluctuated so aggressively suggested it was a desperation move.

"Freya was right. She's strong," he muttered, taking in the scene before him.

Beeman's followers, who had Raiden restrained, grew nervous, about to cry out to their master. But Raiden's attention was fixed on something else entirely.

Noelle's movements were sluggish as she walked through her domain, but Raiden could see her wounds from Beeman's assault slowly closing. It wasn't as powerful as his own healing, which could reconnect shattered bones, but her skin was mending with tendrils of smoke that mirrored her cigarette aether.

Raiden barely had time to take in her healing process before she wheeled around to face Beeman.

"No breathing." She muttered, gesturing toward Beeman.

Beeman's face turned red as he fought for air, frozen in place and unable to make a sound. The rapid convulsions wracking his body suggested either Noelle's rule was working fast, or Beeman was remarkably bad at holding his breath.

Within moments, Beeman erupted into gray liquid. The substance splattered everywhere, outlining Noelle's previously invisible domain for those without the sight to perceive it.

Beeman's followers rushed down to check on their master as Noelle dismissed her domain and walked away from the scene.

It was growing dark, and the crowd was dispersing, but Raiden couldn't care less about such mundane concerns.

What made Beeman explode like that? Was he human at all? Was this unique to him, or did all corrupt crest bearers share this vulnerability?

He stared down at the floor, taking deep breaths and exhaling slowly to clear his mind of all these complications. This wasn't Persia. As Klein el Seer had told him, he had to approach everything like a newborn would.

While he sat there, Noelle approached with a chunk of bread and a water bag, one hand nursing her broken nose.

She sat down next to Raiden and split the bread, giving him half. Raiden took it, studying her with a puzzled expression.

"Weren't you supposed to take two?"

Noelle sighed and took a bite of her bread. "Only winners get to eat… you should be grateful I'm sharing."

Raiden gazed at the bread, his mind elsewhere. He longed for the royal treatment he'd known in Persia, but now his wealth was stolen, and he found himself caught in this relentless cycle of fighting and servitude.

"Up there," she said, snapping Raiden out of his daze as she gestured to the former spectator area. "Those who were sitting there will select the strongest to join what they call the armada. There are four positions."

Raiden turned to her. "So once we're selected, that's when we can be bought?" He started on his bread. "That's what I gathered from the bastards beside me."

Raiden paused and looked at Noelle. "What exactly can your ability do?"

Noelle didn't acknowledge him, just kept eating.

"Care to share?"

"…"

Raiden wouldn't give up. He had to know how her ability worked so he could turn it to his advantage if needed.

"You healed yourself. How did you do it?"

"Would you shut the fuck up?!" She turned on Raiden. "It's not like I know a damn thing about you anyway."

She narrowed her eyes through the dim light, her expression still clear to Raiden. "Oh, wait. Even your so-called trusted comrades don't know what you really are."

Raiden put on a rehearsed smile, though her response irritated him. She wasn't wrong, but he still had to figure out how her power worked. They had a long journey ahead, and he wouldn't think twice about sacrificing their lives for his survival—Noelle was no different.

"I could have sworn you two seemed like close friends from where I was watching." A voice drifted from the darkness behind them.