The Bookkeeper

"There is something you must know," Levi said as he stood beside Raiden. They waited for a carriage alongside the others, with commoners in ragged clothes swarming around their feet, pulling at their shirts for at least something to eat.

Raiden turned to him. "It was said there are people who call themselves Nightmares."

"They practically own Westland City to some extent, and when stronger visitors arrive, they test them before allowing entry into the cityscape."

Raiden raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I said." Levi gazed at Aeris as she hailed a carriage. "If we meet their standard of strength, we'll be tested."

He glanced at Raiden. "They keep their city safe that way."

Raiden shrugged.

Levi muttered, "Let's hope they don't notice us. It's better to pass unnoticed than to be tested."

Raiden's attention shifted to the approaching carriage. He gave it little thought, knowing this city was the most secure of the six.

Raiden was still standing there when he felt a sudden touch on his shoulder.

"My job is done, right?"

Raiden turned left to look at Speed, his expression puzzled.

"I only came with you because Kingston is my city. Now I have to go back home and take care of my sister," Speed said firmly, his gaze steady.

Raiden smirked. Speed's distant eyes told him everything he needed to know. He hadn't enjoyed a moment of their journey because Soul wasn't with him.

"Sure… take care though."

He gave Raiden a firm nod and walked away. With a heavy sigh, Raiden approached the carriage and climbed in, sliding into the window seat next to Freya and Levi. Across from them, Noelle and MK joined Aeris, with Noelle sitting directly facing Raiden.

The carriage started moving as Raiden's gaze shifted outside. Klein el Seer still weighed on his mind. Guilt ate at him, but he knew there wasn't much he could have done. 'A seer who knows everything'—the mysteries surrounding him were too significant to ignore.

The carriage buzzed with conversation, but Raiden barely noticed. His elbow pressed against the window, chin propped on his fist as he gazed outside, lost in thought. After a while, a smile unconsciously formed on his lips.

His focus shifted from his inner turmoil to the natural world passing by—trees flanking the roadside, squirrels, birds, and even small insects that would dart across the road only to scatter at the carriage's approach.

They filled him with a sense of warmth. Though nothing unusual from what he saw on a daily basis, they spoke to him differently now. The way they sensed danger and retreated—that was what he should have done. If he hadn't met Klein, that was exactly what he would have done.

He barely glanced at the others, and when he did, it was to snatch his share of their meal before Freya wolfed it all down.

Before long, it was already night. The roadside beauty had vanished into darkness, but he barely cared about that now. Levi's words from before their journey echoed in his mind—they were in Westland's territory, which meant if the rumors about the Nightmares were true, they could appear at any moment.

He asked Levi for some space, lifting Ash from his shoulder and setting her on the seat beside him.

He needed to clear his thoughts and maintain focus, despite the carriage's constant bouncing and swaying as it rolled over the rough terrain.

To have an organization control access to their city in the name of peace sounded logical until he considered it further. What if the supposedly powerful visitor posed no threat at all, just as they didn't? What troubled him most was whether King Hannes knew this, and if he did, why he chose to ignore it.

His thoughts did everything but let him think clearly, and he knew it. His danger sense triggered, sending his body into a cold shock. Intense heat flooded through him, his chest constricted as he fought for breath, and sweat broke out across his face.

"Stop!" he commanded, and the carriage halted immediately.

Everyone looked at him in confusion as he gripped his chest. He had never experienced danger that made him feel this way before, and given the threat approaching, it should have been strong enough to wake Ash—yet she kept sleeping peacefully, a soft smile on her face.

"I don't know what's happening, but someone powerful is approaching," he muttered, stepping out of the carriage.

The driver sat trembling, seemingly more terrified than the rest of them.

"Do you think it's the Nightmares?" Levi asked, standing behind Raiden, who faced the forest to their left, hands in his pockets.

"I don't know, but you must get the driver under control."

"You should know I'm already at it," Levi said, turning invisible instantly.

As soon as he left, Raiden could sense the aura drawing nearer. The closer it came, the more his body twitched and his legs trembled.

It's just one person, so why?—he thought, trying to keep his composure.

Soon, the moonlight revealed a figure in a straw hat, walking with one hand on his sword's hilt. His other hand held his black robe, which draped open to show his lean, ripped torso. He kept his eyes downward, staring at his black trousers and geta sandals.

Raiden swallowed nervously. Like Klein, this person had no detectable aura, though his golden crest glowed in the moonlight beneath his disheveled dark hair.

"He's just like Klein—don't you think he sent him?" Noelle leaned closer to Raiden.

"I don't know…" Raiden murmured without looking at her.

The enemy lifted his head and looked at them. His expression remained calm, showing mismatched eyes—one piercing blue, the other gray. A smirk played on his lips around a piece of straw, and a scar marked his bottom lip beside it.

Meeting his gaze directly sent euphoria coursing through Raiden, a twisted smile spreading across his face.

At that moment, their opponent's gray eye glowed, and Raiden instantly took a step back, eyes fixed on the floor. They all watched as something resembling Raiden's shadow separated from him and formed a circle in front of the enemy.

He giggled, turned, and began to walk away.

"No, you won't!" Noelle shouted, trying to go after him, but the shadow suddenly took human form, twisted smile and devilish expression included.

Its hands were positioned on its shadowy body as if resting in pockets, and despite having no facial features or skin, its confidence was unmistakable.

Raiden's fear disappeared in an instant, confusion taking its place. The others shared his bewilderment as they looked from the figure to Raiden and back again.

"Is that me?" Raiden asked, his confusion clear.