The Bookkeeper

"I asked Levi how he managed to get to 7, but unfortunately, he's completely clueless," Leo said, leaning toward Raiden as they sat in the living room. "He doesn't even know what the 7th mana realm involves."

Raiden smirked, intrigued by the annoyance in Leo's voice. "How did he get to 7 then?"

He shrugged. "Who knows? He said he kept training until he finally went up in ranks."

Raiden stayed quiet, sensing Leo had more to say.

"I get how it happened, though," he continued, gesturing to the book in his hand. "The 8th mana realm is about mana gathering; absorbing, refining, expanding the mana pool… he probably stumbled into it without realizing."

He leaned in, his expression shifting. "I think King Hannes planted these books there on purpose. They're not available anywhere in the kingdom, not even the universities."

Raiden also leaned backward. From the moment he was told about every book in there containing magic information, the same thing had crossed his mind, but he wasn't expecting there to be none anywhere in the kingdom. He smirked though—this was a perfect opportunity to actually build a good relationship with his apprentice, Leo.

"What do you mean?"

He glanced toward Raiden, meeting his confused expression. "Don't tell me you don't know about your own history."

Leo raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. "You know, understanding mana realms and magic itself was banned centuries ago."

"I don't know…" he said, adjusting himself on the sofa. "I only did numericals with you. I don't know anything about history or magic."

Leo narrowed his eyes. "But you're a high-class noble." He shrugged. "I should have realized—even in school you seemed interested in everything except analytics and statistics."

Raiden shrugged, trying to remember what studying numericals had actually accomplished for him—or if he even remembered any of it.

"Many years ago, the kingdom flourished with magical expertise and powerful mages, and it was known as the Land of Knights."

Raiden's eyes narrowed as he recalled the paintings in the palace. "Are those portraits on the palace walls and ceilings from that time?

Leo smirked, nodding repeatedly and giving a thumbs-up. "Exactly… citizens had the privilege to learn, create, and build anything related to magic." His eyes lit up as Raiden smirked back. "But that freedom came with its own disasters."

"There was an organization called Sombra—the rulers of the night." Raiden leaned forward, suddenly invested as the name rang a bell.

"The Sombras weren't called rulers of the night just because they operated in darkness—they ruled over your family and are the reason your bloodline is nearly extinct."

That's when it all clicked for Raiden. He could suddenly remember everything his father, Tiago Night, had told him about them—the organization that had hunted their family for centuries, waging war on the entire kingdom just to get their hands on the Book of Ashes.

Raiden massaged his forehead. "I remember now… they forced my family to produce the strongest bookkeepers for centuries, and when they couldn't control the Nights anymore, they created the devil's milk."

Leo smirked, his voice filled with pride. "You do remember…"

Raiden scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "I don't remember anything beyond that, though…" Leo's expression darkened. "Why did they want the book?"

Leo tapped his lip pensively. "Nobody knows the exact reason, but it was clearly for their own purposes." He sighed heavily. 

Raiden's expression darkened as he wondered why nobody considered that the Sombra might be after him now. Were they really that confident they'd been defeated?

"What we do know is historic—for the first time ever, the kingdom's two most powerful families, the Nights and Dawnbringers, joined forces to destroy the Sombra."

Raiden's expression shifted to soft surprise; he hadn't known that. In fact, he wasn't sure his parents had ever mentioned it.

Leo's expression grew sad. "To me, the end of that war marked the end of this kingdom too."

Raiden stayed quiet, simply watching Leo speak. He wanted to hear everything.

"We loved magic—we learned it, understood it."

"Sure, some people used that knowledge to harm the kingdom… but others used it to save the kingdom as well."

His voice softened. "Out of fear, we transformed into the land of wisdom and knowledge—erasing everything we knew about mana realms and keeping only scraps of information to stop citizens from becoming too curious or envious."

Raiden narrowed his eyes, watching as Leo's gaze darted around the floor. "What about other kingdoms? Do they have the same knowledge?"

"The Kingdom of Noor has bigger concerns than magic—food, water, medicine, greenery. Magic matters to them, but it's not their daily priority." He leaned toward Raiden. "Only a handful understand it, and most of those have fled to other kingdoms."

"The Kingdom of Aurelia is 80% women, so it's very peaceful." He smirked. "They live up to their reputation as the land of beauty too—the kingdom looks absolutely stunning in books."

"Apart from Persia, Eldon is the only real threat. That kingdom runs on fear, ruled by a terrifying king who claims all their research and discoveries for himself."

His expression darkened again. "This is what I want to change… that was our pride ever since I was a child." His voice grew firm as his gaze dropped to the floor. "I want to restore our kingdom as the land of knights once more."

His voice grew steadier, etched with determination. "We were blessed by the gods, and we must use our gifts. At least, to show gratitude."

"And just as evil rises, so will good." He looked over at Raiden. "I haven't had the chance to thank you."

Nervousness washed over Raiden as he gritted his teeth, a soft smile forming on his lips as he met Leo's determined gaze.

"I'm grateful you gave me this chance—not just to learn about magic, but to serve my kingdom too." Raiden swallowed hard and nodded firmly.

"I'll do everything I can—not just to learn about magic, but to grow stronger and protect the book." He smirked. "I would've taken an oath if my apprenticeship were made official in front of everyone."

"I will take my oath," he said, bracing himself as he placed his right hand on his chest and raised the left. Raiden swallowed nervously; the uneasiness on his face made it clear, he hadn't expected things to escalate this far.

"I will do anything within my power and beyond to protect the book, and, when necessary, lay down my life for the bookkeeper." He lowered his hands and took a deep breath. A wave of relief surged through Raiden, and he smiled.

"I just want to do everything in my power and lay a strong foundation for the next generation." Raiden stepped closer and placed a hand on Leo's shoulder. This was an opportunity he wasn't going to miss.

"You can certainly make that come true. Learn everything you can, help me, and together, we'll grow stronger. The beauty of our strength alone will be enough to inspire the next generation."

Raiden smiled. However, in that very instant, it was as if something snapped within him, and he began to rush his words. 

"About that… I'm still learning about the mana realms ahead. But as a Blue Crest bearer, the way you can expand your mana pool efficiently is different from the others."