The Bookkeeper

Raiden's lips stretched from ear to ear as he stared into Speed's golden eyes. Without hesitation, he slammed his fist into Speed's gut. Speed flinched—the pain caught him off guard—but Raiden couldn't care less. All he wanted in that moment were the thrills, the raw excitement coursing through his veins.

He sent another strike. This time Speed didn't flinch, but Raiden was completely unbothered. He began to laugh like a psycho, unleashing strike after relentless strike.

But Raiden's face fell at Speed's indifference. He instantly drove him down to the ground.

Raiden's frame quivered with gleeful laughter while Speed remained stone-faced. He approached slowly, sat on him, and drove his fist into Speed's face. Before the first strike could even register, the second was already coming.

Each strike brought waves of exhilaration, driving his need for more, but Speed stayed utterly motionless.

But Speed's relentless disrespect finally broke through Raiden's excitement, twisting his laughter into a bitter sneer. His face darkened immediately. The complete lack of reaction to his blows ignited something darker. 

He narrowed his eyes and locked onto Speed's collar. No euphoria remained—just burning rage at being so thoroughly dismissed. This ends now.

He hoisted Speed up and channeled every ounce of his strength into one final blow, slamming his head against the fountain's edge with crushing force. The stone crumbled on impact. 

Blood erupted from Speed's cracked skull, flooding the water and spattering Raiden's clothes. He let the body fall without ceremony, feeling no guilt or remorse—only a peaceful calm as he looked skyward.

"I don't like being disrespected…" he said quietly, his voice heavy and gravelly. He cupped clean water from the fountain and washed his face.

He released a long breath and looked down at Speed. "Still alive, are you… impressive."

"He knelt beside Speed, whose face was completely covered in blood, eyes barely visible through the crimson coating. Still, no sound escaped him. Raiden felt no concern about Speed's silence now—death was inevitable regardless."

"I'm not sure what compels me, but I enjoy these final moments with my victims." A dark smirk crossed his face. "Maybe I just need to witness your last breath."

He let out a quiet giggle. "It's entertaining." 

His face grew cold as Speed's heartbeat weakened. "I can't stand people who won't acknowledge their opponents… If you're ever fortunate enough to survive like I did, show respect. Your status and excuses mean nothing."

He faced Speed directly, delivering a sharp slap before clenching his jaw in his hands. "Do you understand?" Suddenly, movement in his peripheral vision drew his focus elsewhere.

Speed struggled to reach something in his pocket, his hand shaking uncontrollably. Raiden's smirk widened. "Afraid of dying after all, aren't you?"

Raiden pushed his hands past the chains and slipped them into Speed's pocket. "Don't… touch it," Speed whispered through his mask, voice shaking.

The plea caught Raiden's attention. "What was that?"

"Don't… touch it," he whispered again.

Raiden hesitated briefly but then gave a dismissive shrug. What did it matter when the man was dying regardless? He reached deep into the pocket and withdrew a necklace.

Speed thrashed against his restraints. "If you touch her, I will kill you." The threat held surprising force for someone so close to death, drawing Raiden's curiosity even deeper. He studied the necklace with greater attention.

The necklace held a portrait of a young girl—about twelve—with the same golden eyes and dark hair as Speed, her face lit with a gentle smile. Clearly his sister. Raiden's expression turned predatory as he looked back at Speed's frantic struggles, then crouched down beside him again.

"Let me guess, the Dawnbringers took your sister?" Speed's movements grew weaker at the question, yet the flash of recognition in his eyes revealed the truth to Raiden. He was dying at last, and his sister had likely been the only thing keeping him alive until now. Even that wasn't sustaining him any longer.

Raiden watched him quietly, considering whether he should simply let death take its course or offer him a deal.

He kept watching as Speed's eyes started to drift shut, though Speed struggled to keep them open, his lids fluttering with the effort. Still, Raiden wondered.

If he refuses, I'll simply kill him,—Raiden decided. He let out a weary sigh, hoisted Speed onto his shoulder, and made his way quickly to the training room.

As soon as he pushed the door open, Leo and Levi came into view—both seated on the floor with their yellow aura blazing stronger than ever.

He set Speed down carefully and rushed to grab a potion. He had no idea if it would work, but he had to try something. In his world, a simple injection of the right drugs would have been enough to stabilize him, but in this place, he was completely out of his depth.

He attempted to pull off the mask, but it was stuck fast. So he pried Speed's jaws apart through the mask's sharp teeth, and they parted easily. He forced the potion between his lips and hit his throat to make him swallow every drop.

Low coughs started escaping from Speed, giving Raiden a sign that the potion might actually work. He stood up and gave him two additional potions. He settled back down and waited for some words, or at least another indication that he was conscious, but none came.

"Did he die anyway?" Raiden whispered, but he had to know for certain. He pressed his fingers to Speed's neck, searching for a pulse. It was there.

Raiden sighed and lowered himself to the floor next to Speed, staring up at the ceiling while his thoughts drifted. In his world, his red handgun loaded with custom golden bullets meant for the Grim family ensured a 90% success rate. The only uncertainty was that final 10%—getting out alive and unharmed.

But this world had something that transcended his skills entirely: magic. He found himself questioning whether it was diminishing his strength, or whether it was just another type of power he needed to master.

He continued wrestling with the question, finding no resolution. Just then, Leo's words broke through his contemplation, and he looked over at him.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked, hurrying to Speed's side.

Raiden stood up reluctantly. "Keep him alive if you can."

Leo gave a quick nod and went to feel for Speed's pulse, but the moment his fingers neared Speed's neck, he yanked his hand away—the body temperature was scorching.

Without looking back at them, Raiden made his way to his room to see Ash, but the question of how he'd actually deliver on Speed's demands, assuming Speed accepted his bargain, puzzled him entirely.