The Bookkeeper

A brief silence settled over the tent as Chrono's fingers drummed repeatedly on his armrest. Raiden and Noelle stood before the table while the others positioned themselves around the tent.

Chrono's eyes swept across the map on the table, his expression calm as he searched for the right words to explain things to Raiden and his comrades.

He sighed and gestured at an island near the Kingdom of Noor, which lay south of the Kingdom of Persia.

"There is an island, Solace Isle," he said as Raiden raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"This is where all negotiations and alliances across the realms are held."

"Domain Realms?" Raiden asked, confusion clear in his voice.

However, Chrono met them with an even more perplexed expression. "Don't tell me…" his eyes darted between their faces in disbelief. "Don't tell me you know nothing about the realms."

Raiden and Noelle shrugged in unison, and Chrono slapped his forehead in disappointment.

"Why would you guys search for something you don't even understand?" he asked desperately. He needed answers.

With each passing second, Raiden understood more why Klein was so hooked on having them learn everything like newborns. He let out a sigh.

Before he could speak, Freya's voice echoed from behind. "Are you talking about the absolute domains?"

Chrono's eyes widened in relief. "Thank you, pretty lady."

Freya blushed for a moment but quickly moved past it. She took a deep breath to clear her mind while Raiden and Noelle turned to her.

"There are three magical realms, and we are all familiar with the first two."

She closed her eyes and unleashed her mana, flames swirling within it. Chrono smiled. "That's impressive, girl."

Freya couldn't help but blush once more, causing her mana control to falter and stop. But the moment she stopped, Chrono unleashed his mana, the golden aura radiating from him covering the entire tent.

Only Raiden, MK and Noelle were able to see it, and they were all amazed, their eyes darting around. Raiden had always been impressed by Freya's mana control, which only went a few inches from her body, but compared to Chrono's, she was an amateur.

"This is mana zone," Freya said, unaware that Chrono had already activated his own mana zone. "The mana zone doesn't do much—it only increases your sense of awareness and control within the area it occupies… but if you have elemental abilities like mine, you can infuse your elements with the mana zone to increase their effectiveness."

Chrono smiled and gave her a gentle nod.

"The next realm is the domain, which comes naturally to most gold crest bearers." She paused for a moment, searching her mind.

She sighed. "I don't really understand it myself, but I think sustaining a domain is about aura and ability… the fusion of those two."

Raiden turned to Noelle, who stood there lazily, her violet eyes fixed on Freya's dark ones.

"What?!" she snapped, her tone annoyed.

"Care to tell us if she's right or not?"

Her lips curled in a sneer. "Rule domain." She activated her domain as a golden aura radiated from her, seizing and forming a sphere around the tent.

"Well, it has nothing to do with mana." She glanced at Raiden. "It stays active as long as I'm conscious unless I deactivate it myself…" She shrugged. "And obviously, my ability works on anyone within it at my will."

Raiden narrowed his eyes as he began to understand it. The mana zone only increased awareness—for instance, if someone stepped into his mana zone, he could notice their presence instantly, but unlike a domain, his ability couldn't work on them unless he infused it with elemental magic, if he had any.

Worse, overuse could exhaust him. But domains were different. Since aura radiated effortlessly, combining their ability with it to create a domain did no harm to their bodies.

He smiled—this wasn't so hard after all.

Freya shrugged. "Well, I don't know anything about the last one."

Chrono applauded them, drawing their attention. "Well done… I knew you weren't all that useless."

Raiden's expression darkened as he stared at Chrono, his smile more sinister than genuine.

"What do you know about the last one?"

Chrono leaned back in his seat. "Everything you said was spot on," he smiled. "The last one is where strength actually lies: absolute domain."

Raiden's eyes swept the area in confusion. "Are you going to show us?"

Chrono giggled. "Not everyone can get an absolute domain, lad…" She gave a casual shrug. "Unfortunately, I have none."

His expression darkened, his eyes narrowing. "That is why I want the pages… I need an absolute domain of my own."

"What exactly is an absolute domain?" Noelle asked, turning to Chrono.

Chrono paused for a moment, her eyes finding Noelle's. The coldness and intensity in his expression from a second ago had vanished—he looked lost in his own world.

"Absolute domains are the combination of mana zones and domains." His eyes narrowed, and his tone dropped lower. "It may seem simple, but you need an outrageous amount of mana and aura to create."

A soft smile formed on his lips. "And once you do, you become like a god within it." He locked eyes with Noelle once more. "You become strong enough to trap people in it and overshadow countless domains."

Noelle's eyes widened as she abruptly slammed her fists on the table in aggression, snapping Chrono out of her daze. Chrono found himself gazing into the darkness in Noelle's eyes.

"What do you mean? Can it trap other domains in it?" Her voice cut sharply through the air, unleashing the rage and desperation she'd been holding back.

"Calm down, girl." Chrono offered her a soft smile. "Nobody really knows the full extent of an absolute domain, but yes, it's possible."

She shrugged. "And I think that will be their end."

Raiden watched Noelle's hand begin to tremble. She was scared, because if what Chrono had said was true, then her mother was trapped in an absolute domain.

"What do you mean by 'their end'?" she asked, voice trembling.

Chrono stared at Noelle for a moment, her eyes flickering as she obviously fought back tears. A brief silence stretched between them.

She gestured at the map. "There are islands across the ocean…" He looked back at Noelle.

"Each island is occupied by individuals with absolute domains." He glanced at the map. "And among them are the Elusives—the ones who hold the twenty-eight pages."

Raiden moved to where he could see Chrono clearly. Her expression didn't falter; not even a hint of a smile, blunt and distant.

"However, traveling into an absolute domain isn't easy… you have to use what they call the Leviathan Path." He rose to his feet.

"You need an immense amount of mana to use the path, to pay the price and fuel your journey. How fast you can get there depends on the mana you use for fuel."

He looked at Raiden. "If you want the pages, get the mana needed for both the price and fuel. Then we'll head to the Solace Isle to seal our alliance."

Chrono started walking out of the tent, but Raiden felt more confused than satisfied. "The price is different from fuel?"

Chrono paused and turned around, his expression unreadable. "I'd suggest you hurry… there are organizations already going after the pages."

Raiden's mouth parted in shock as Noelle stood frozen behind him and Chrono walked out. What Chrono was asking was unfair, but right now, they were his only hope of getting the twenty-eight pages. He was going to feed off their desperation. This was something Raiden usually enjoyed doing, and now it was being turned against him.

While he stood there lost in thought, Noelle broke from her daze and headed for the tent exit, MK following behind. Screams suddenly rang out from the city nearby. It was nighttime, and Chrono and his people were attacking the city.

Raiden took a deep breath and looked at the map on the table. It had no labels besides the kingdoms. He couldn't go with Chrono even if he wanted to—she held all the details in her mind.

Raiden smirked. "I will kill this bastard the moment we get the pages."