The Bookkeeper

Raiden dragged his sword as he and the others made their way out of the house. There, before the fountain, stood a black grand piano. Behind it sat a girl dressed in a black suit, her long black hair cascading gently down her back, flickering in the wind. 

Her eyes caught their attention immediately—she wore star-shaped contact lenses on both eyes, making them glow yellow in correspondence with her mana crest, which bore the number 7.

"A star?" Leo asked, startled. "Even a couple of knights would be preferable… they're hot on our trail now."

Raiden clutched the hilt of his sword tightly as he watched a soft smile spread across the girl's lips, growing more pronounced by the second.

"Levi, turn invisible and get closer." His voice cracked with excitement. "Strike when you get the chance."

Levi gave him a nod and vanished. However, within seconds, the girl pressed a minor key, and a blade of sound shot toward them in a flash. Too fast to avoid, Raiden threw up his sword to block it, but the force sent him skidding backward on his feet.

"I think she can manipulate sounds into blades…" Leo said and held his stance.

Raiden began laughing out loud, his body shaking, and before he could stop himself, he was sprinting toward the girl. Every step sent thrills through him, yet his heart hammered like never before. Ash expanded and gave chase while Leo remained paralyzed, unsure how to act.

Before Raiden and Ash could close the distance, the girl's playing quickened, unleashing dozens of sound blades. Raiden deflected them while grinning, yet the more exhilarated he grew, the more it felt like his very soul was abandoning him out of terror.

The girl's piano playing intensified. Raiden braced himself within the storm of blades and kept blocking, his body moving with inhuman speed. But the strikes were too relentless and powerful—he couldn't parry them all. Soon he found himself skidding backward, his limbs weakening until he could no longer lift his hands.

Pain tore through his body as the strikes began to split his skin, but caught in euphoria, he could only respond with hollow, breathless laughter.

His mind reeled in the chaos, desperately seeking a way to turn the tide against the girl. To his left, Ash deflected strikes with her wings, visibly struggling but unable to retreat—without her shield, the blades would tear straight through Leo, who stood defenseless.

"Ash, do that smoky thing you did with Speed!" he yelled.

Ash nodded, her eyes turning pitch black as she opened her mouth. In an instant, dark shadows erupted around her, forcing the girl from her seat. Raiden didn't hesitate—he charged forward immediately.

But before he could reach her, the girl smoothly took her seat again and closed her eyes. She shifted from minor to sharp keys, and razor-thin, elongated blades erupted from the piano, slicing through the smoke and streaking toward Raiden.

His eyes went wide as a blade streaked toward him. His grin spread even as his terror deepened—he managed to block it, but the impact was overwhelming, slamming him into the ground.

Euphoria coursed through him, the thrill refusing to let him remain down. He forced himself up on shaking legs without pause. Four blades appeared in his vision, streaking his way. He tried to raise his guard, but his arms had gone completely lifeless.

His fear suddenly overwhelmed the euphoria as he watched the blades closing in. But just before they could strike, Ash rushed over and kicked him clear into the grass field.

She offered Raiden a weak smile as the blades pierced her abdomen, and she crumpled to the ground instantly. At that moment, Levi appeared behind the girl, striking her neck and rendering her unconscious. He too collapsed, a deep wound slashed across his chest, his shirt drenched in blood.

"No…" Raiden whispered, grief thick in his voice as he stared at Ash soaked in blood. Yet his eyes lit up with hope when she began to shrink, struggling to stand only to fall back down.

Raiden attempted to stand, but his battered body refused to obey—too broken and weak to even crawl toward Ash. His own agony meant nothing; all that mattered was whether she would survive. But he couldn't defy fate, and darkness overtook him.

[ALERT]

[SOUL OF DRAGON +3%

MANA CONTROL +5

STAMINA +5

PHYSICAL STRENGTH +5

EUPHORIA +7%]

Leo remained frozen, uncertain how to act. His gaze shifted frantically between his fallen companions.

"Pull yourself together, Leo," he muttered and struck himself across the face.

He rushed to carry Ash inside and made her drink some healing potion. After that, he brought in the others, including the star girl, but made sure to bind her first.

Leo paced frantically, consumed with self-blame for his uselessness. He muttered harsh words against himself, tears streaming down his face. 

The shame was overwhelming—seeing them all barely clinging to life while he remained unharmed made him want to quit being the bookkeeper's apprentice entirely. Yet despite everything, he refused to give up.

"Who will restore the pride of Persians if I give up?" he muttered to himself. "I have to get stronger."

He spent hours in meditation, working to expand his mana reserves, though he never failed to tend to his injured friends.

After nearly a day, Raiden was the first to regain consciousness. He woke to find himself covered in bandages, lying in his bed. When he looked left and saw Ash next to him, equally bandaged, his eyes went wide, and he quickly moved to check on her.

Relief flooded through him when he saw she was still breathing. He gently stroked her head. Her condition looked serious, but he felt grateful knowing she would recover.

He exhaled deeply and got to his feet, stretching out his aching limbs. If Ash had died, it would have been disastrous—not just because she reminded him of his brother Jobe or because she'd thrown herself in harm's way to protect him, but because she represented his sole chance of returning to his world.

"Where's everybody? I'm starving…" he said, patting his stomach as he left the room. Seeing no one around, he went to the kitchen to grab some snacks before heading to the training room.

And there in the center sat Leo, drenched in sweat, doing what appeared to be meditation—at least, that's what Raiden thought at first. But Leo was constantly fanning himself from the heat, which seemed odd for someone supposedly meditating.

He stepped inside, and that alone was enough to snap Leo out of his meditation.

"Raiden, you're awake," Leo said, quickly getting to his feet.

But something in the distant corner drew his attention. The girl sat there, her mouth sealed with tape, fighting against her restraints.

"I was hoping you could help me train, bookkeeper." Leo's tone carried newfound confidence and determination.

Raiden heard Leo's request, but his mind was on the captive girl. What were their options? Killing her might make things worse, but keeping her indefinitely wasn't viable either.

"What do you think we should do with her?"

Leo's gaze shifted to the girl. "I've had the same thought."

"Killing her could lead the elders to petition the king for the Makers to hunt us down—or even the Judges. The murder of a Star, a prodigious knight, would be an extremely serious crime."

Raiden scoffed with irritation. "Fighting a Star was bad enough." He approached her slowly.

"The Makers would be merciful compared to what they'll actually do—they'll send a Judge to make sure we face proper judgment."

He crouched down beside her and met her gaze directly. Her eyes blazed with fury as she glared back at him.

"I'm sure killing her is exactly what the elders want."

A smirk crossed Raiden's face as he gripped her collar and started dragging her across the floor. Leo followed, watching as Raiden pulled her toward the teleportation room.

He shoved her in front of the portal and observed her futile attempts to escape her bonds.

"But how did she get the piano here?"

"The elders probably teleported her with it using a magic circle."

He shook his head. "Do they really hate me that much?"

Raiden gripped her collar and pulled her upright, his tone turning cold and intimidating. "When you get back, tell them the bookkeeper deserves respect…"

An irritated sneer crossed the girl's face, clear despite the tape sealed over her lips.

"Next time, there won't be any mercy." His voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, his face hardening. "Count on it."

Sweat beaded on the girl's forehead, but Raiden's expression suddenly shifted to a soft, almost friendly smile—deliberately meant to disorient her. Then, without missing a beat, he shoved her through the portal.

"It doesn't matter what she says—they'll come for us anyway… with a more dangerous Star, most likely."

Raiden spun toward Leo with an enormous grin, the idea making his euphoria surge even higher. "Then we prepare ourselves."