The idea comes from the art of Kintsugi (it looks very pretty, worth looking at!). The idea originally belonged to Laryna6, we discussed it and I wrote it down into this awful, awful AU. Because that is a thing I do. Let's just say that by the end, my defense will be that it's not like I didn't warn you!

"Be careful, Sir Raizel," Ragar warned from behind, striking down the enemies that flew at them with swiftness and precision that rivalled no other.

Gejutel was holding down well on his own, so Raizel could focus on putting the errant noble to forced eternal sleep. It was so sad, since Lagus Tradio had once been dear to his heart – he still was, even though Raizel could not afford the affection to keep him from his duty. The tightness around Gejutel's wizened face spoke of a similar agony.

Blood wings unfurled from his back, the red phoenix roared its silent cry as blood dripped from his eye and mouth – it was barely enough to subdue Lagus Tradio, the once great and benevolent clan leader of Tradio clan. His daughter was young still, but with guidance and care, she would be able to take on the duties of being a clan leader. Her grief, though, would probably be directed towards the Noblesse, morphing into distrust and fear. And then the same cycle would repeat.

Raizel was exhausted.

His feet touched the ground with a soft tap. He gazed up at the sky that was filled with glittering remains of Lagus' soul, bitter and unrepentant to the end. He'd lamented the fact that he couldn't beat Raizel and Raizel had no words to offer him, just the solemnity that came with taking of a life. The great power of his soul vanished from the ground and trickled into the soul weapon, now inherited by Claudia Tradio. It was the birth of a new clan leader.

He sighed, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and tried not to show how ill he felt. Gejutel and Ragar had just finished with their task and gathered around him, concern shining in their eyes, and it was only the nature of the nobles that kept them from reacting to his condition outright.

"We'll go report to the Lord," Gejutel said, the unvoiced worry lacing every syllable. "Perhaps a short sleep wouldn't go amiss?"

Raizel regarded him calmly, and Gejutel flushed, embarrassed for being so forward. Ragar cleared his throat, bowed to him and left, giving Gejutel no choice but to follow. Raizel watched them go for a while longer, before he turned to look at the spot where Lagus had breathed his last. It was no use to dwell on the past – he told himself that often and it rarely worked.

As he was about to leave, something caught his attention. It was a soft whimper, the sound of a dying animal of some sort, heartrending enough to send a pang through Raizel's heart. He dragged himself to the source of the sound, following the long corridor of the Tradio household. At the end of it, there was a simple unadorned door with no lock. No matter, it only needed a small amount of his power to crack open, even if it was set to respond to Lagus' alone. The door swung open a moment later and the smell of decay and filth hit Raizel's nose.

It was the stench of a human.

Filled with trepidation, Raizel made his way forward where the sounds of anguish echoing in his mind were the strongest. What he was found was one solitary human lying in a heap on the ground, covered with grimy and bloodied clothes, emaciated to the point of skin and bones. He was convulsing, writhing from pain, mouth hanging open in silent screams that bounced around in Raizel's head. Anger flashed in Raizel's mind, sick and overpowering as he gathered what had transpired here. Perhaps Lagus' crimes went deeper than he'd assumed. Much, much deeper.

Here was a human, dying from the torment of a severed bond – his contractor had died by Raizel's hands, after all – his body full of poisons concocted by the Tradio clan and starved to the point of no return. It was only the power of the bond that kept him alive, and now it was gone too. Tears prickled at the corner of Raizel's eyes as he bent over the prone figure, holding his skeletal hand and debated over the best course of action. It would be prudent to put the human out of his misery at this point, for there wasn't really a way to save him, but was that really all right? Raizel did not wish to take an innocent life, especially not one like this.

Then, a single blue eye cracked open, breaking through the layer of encrusted tears and dirt over his eyelid. Even in this gloom, Raizel was struck by how vibrant the colour was, how full of life and hatred simmering just below the surface. It wasn't the eye of a man who wished to die. No, it would be wrong to take this life, but –

"Who…are you?" The prisoner croaked out, gritting his teeth from the pain and the knowledge of his rapidly approaching death.

"I am Cadis Etrama di Raizel," he answered, crouching on the ground and holding the prisoner's hand, wondering how to ease his pain. He couldn't heal anyone. His powers were never a source of good for anyone.

"You work for Lagus?" There was unmistakable venom in his voice now as the prisoner tried to sit up, even in this state.

Raizel helped him up, propping him against the wall and tried not to fret over him. "No."

The prisoner was quiet for a while, focusing on drawing one painful breath after another. "Where's he if not here?"

"He's dead."

The man froze, forgetting even to breathe as the truth both liberated and devastated him. The feeling was strong enough to choke Raizel and he had to keep himself from recoiling physically. The prisoner started laughing, broken and hysterical before dissolving into a fit of coughs, splattering thick, black blood over his soiled clothing.

"What a joke," he spat more foul-smelling liquid from his mouth and leaned his head against the wall, hitting it loudly. "So I'm going to die here like this?"

"You wish to live?" Raizel asked carefully. There was an edge to his voice that grated even his ears – he couldn't possibly do this, and yet.

The prisoner laughed harder, laughed until he was hacking more and more putrid blood over his clothes and the skin of his lips and mouth was beginning to corrode from the regurgitated acidic fluid. Cracks began to appear around his mouth, giving his already gaunt face an even horrifying look. How could Lagus do this to a human being? If he could resurrect Lagus, he would and then he would kill him again. As the Noblesse, he wasn't moved by the thoughts of revenge or anger, only righteous justice, but this – this went beyond anything he'd ever felt.

"Yes," the prisoner told him once he got control of his voice again, though that took a long, painful period of time. "Even if it's like this, I want to live."

Robbed of speech, Raizel stared at the wasted shell of a body this human had, and yet it housed such an indomitable spirit. This human was strong, fiercely so, and it sparked inside Raizel a strange feeling. He cupped the bony and frail hand in his and brought it to his lips – he couldn't lick the blood from where he was visibly bleeding for that was tainted by Lagus' poison – and hovered uncertainly over the wrist.

"I can form a contract with you, right here and now, and it would save you," he said, still hesitating.

"But?" The prisoner asked, his single eye narrowed. The other was swollen shut, covered in ugly purple and green bruises.

"It's the same thing Lagus did to you. Forming a contract with you without your consent, or if he did take it, he certainly took advantage of you," Raizel explained as succinctly as he could, fully aware that they were only prolonging the prisoner's agony.

"Are you going to take advantage of me?" The prisoner asked, swallowing more poisoned blood and then heaving.

"No," Raizel said. Of this he was certain: he would never take advantage of this human – or any human, for that matter – but this one was special. He just wished he'd known about Lagus' crimes before so he could have saved him all this trouble.

"Then do it. I don't have the luxury to debate over the ethics of an unwilling contract." Each word was punctuated by an anguished sound and his breaths were getting shallower.

It was now or never.

Raizel lifted the wrist to his mouth and bit on it, sharp fangs piercing the brittle skin easily and sank deeper and deeper until he hit the centre of the bone and sucked the marrow out of it. There wasn't enough, but the quantity did not matter. The blood was untainted and it was willingly given. Raizel's own blood stirred in response, activating the blood magic intrinsic to the Noblesse, and generated a blood field. The blood field wasn't necessary to a contract, but this was a special case. He needed maximum control over the human – his name was Frankenstein – in order to heal him as quickly as possible and purge his body of the vile substances Lagus had injected into him.

"Frankenstein," Raizel's voice echoed with all the power of the Noblesse – not loud, just deep and commanding, "We have entered into a contract of the soul, do you consent?"

Frankenstein's eye closed and there was a dreadful silence, filling Raizel full of fear that he'd simply taken too long and now Frankenstein was dead because of his indecisiveness. But then, Frankenstein took a breath, faint and unsteady, and whispered his consent in a raspy voice. His ability to speak was almost gone, the vocal cords slowly dissolving from the caustic liquid filling his lungs and mouth over and over. It was all right though, since the contract had been sealed and power surged through their bond, flowing from Raizel's body into Frankenstein's broken one.

Several agonising minutes later during which Raizel struggled not to cough blood himself, Frankenstein's body mended itself rapidly; his flesh rejuvenated and his limbs filled out, returning to the form he must have had before Lagus had his way with him. Raizel's power even mended his clothing and fixed his hair, working its way up and down his body until not even a trace of Lagus' touch remained.

The human – Frankenstein – slumbered peacefully, breathing with ease and his lips stretched into a languid smile. Raizel breathed a sigh of relief and tottered to his feet, backing away a few steps and retched all over the ground, spilling blood from his mouth. Healing such extensive damage had taken a great toll on his already injured body – worse than if he'd just awakened Frankenstein. He could have just done that, but it wouldn't have saved Frankenstein because the severed bond would have continued to hurt him and try to claim his sanity. It was a forced bond, which meant that there were no precautions put into place to protect the mind of the bonded in case something happened. Lagus wasn't that kind. Usually, the nobles would live longer than their contractees, so there was no need to care about what would happen if the contractor died. However, even so, in case of the True Contracts – rare though they were – the contractor would often, out of natural love and affection, make sure that his or her bonded would not suffer unduly from an abrupt loss.

The contracts only went as deep as the parties wanted, if they both wished for it. What Lagus had done was a forced contract where he had not taken Frankenstein's consent, and as such had taken no steps to safeguard Frankenstein's privacy or sanity. He had kept the bond one-sided, inflicting only pain and misery. Raizel could tell, because the knowledge had flooded his mind the moment their souls became interlinked.

They would sort those things out when Frankenstein awakened, and until then, Raizel would keep the bond closed. He did not want to look deeper than he'd already done so by accident. If Frankenstein wished to be released from the contract, Raizel would make sure that it happened as soon as possible. He wiped the blood from his mouth again, shuddering a little at how weak he felt. Given his condition, it certainly wouldn't take that long. But, until then he could just send Frankenstein far away and keep their mental link firmly closed. It was not ideal, just doable and that was more than he could have asked for right now.

Once he no longer felt like he'd collapse at any given moment, Raizel went back to Frankenstein's body and lifted it into his arms. He arranged his limbs carefully, tucking that blond head securely beneath his chin and walked out of the Tradio manor with slow, measured steps. It would take quite a while to get back home at this pace, but it wasn't like Frankenstein would wake any time soon, so he had all the time in the world.

Frankenstein woke to the sound of birds chirruping and a beam of sunlight warming his back. At first he thought it was a dream, except none of his dreams were ever that pleasant. He opened his eyes and sat up, surprised to find that he was fully capable of doing so. The pressure of Lagus' will on his mind was no longer present, which meant…

Lagus was dead.

He clutched at his forehead and groaned, remembering all the painful memories and the part where he'd sold his soul on purpose. Was it a small price to pay for his life? He wasn't sure. At least he wasn't stuck in a dank, dark room anymore. He soaked up the sound of nature all around him and basked in the sunlight, for who even knew how long he'd been without it?

The noble he'd formed a contract with, the one who claimed that Lagus was dead, he was here too, Frankenstein noted belatedly. He was staring at a tree in the distance, his back turned to Frankenstein leaving it completely unguarded. And he could afford to, too, considering Frankenstein was now his slave. He sighed and stretched himself out on the fragrant grass, feeling hunger gnaw on his stomach after what was a really long time. The noble turned as if hearing his thoughts and returned to him.

"Forgive me," he said. "I didn't reach home in time so I'm unable to provide you with food."

"Going to lock me up too, are you?" Frankenstein asked sharply. He distrusted any mentions of nobles and their houses.

The noble flinched a little. "The contract –" His face fell into a faraway expression. "I suppose you'd like to rescind it?"

"Yes," Frankenstein answered immediately. "Is Lagus really dead? Or did he simply hand me over to you so that you could amuse yourself now?"

If anything, Raizel's expression became even more distant. "Lagus Tradio is dead. I put an end to his life myself."

"There's no way I can trust a noble or his claims."

"That is understandable." Raizel looked to the side in the distance, before facing Frankenstein again with the same carefully blank expression. "However, it is true that Lagus has no hold on you. You are free insofar as you're bound to me now. However, that's not an issue. You can leave whenever you want, as I have no desire to override your free will."

Frankenstein folded his arms, eyeing the noble suspiciously. That sounded way too good to be true. "I see. Why did you kill Lagus?"

"Because he betrayed Lukedonia and started abusing the weak."

He smothered a laugh. That sounded like a total farce. "Then why just kill Lagus? Why not also kill the others who have been abusing the weak? Like Urokai, Zarga, Rocitis, Edian and Gradeus. Not to mention all those Central Knights who go around making mutants in the human world?"

It was deeply satisfying to see the noble lose his composure. He actually did recoil and his face drained of all colour. Did he really not know or was he just that good at pretending to be shocked? Either way, Frankenstein did not care, unless the noble eliminated all those who threatened to harm humans.

"I – I cannot punish them unless it comes to my knowledge and I have proof," Raizel said. He looked distressed to the point that he found it hard to justify himself, almost.

"Useless," Frankenstein spat and got up, putting some distance between him and the noble. "I knew I shouldn't have expected a noble to believe a human." If the noble wanted to hurt him for being so rude, he at least wished to have a fighting chance. He probably couldn't go against the power of the contract, but still.

"I will look into this matter upon your word," Raizel said. "You can stay in Lukedonia until then, or you can leave, because it might take some time."

Was the noble serious in saying that he'd let Frankenstein go? He wanted to test that out. He didn't want to hang around in a noble's mansion while they conducted some kind of investigation, because how could he put his faith in that? He'd rather go out there and take care of those bastards himself. He believed in his own strength.

"I will go. That is, if you'd actually let me go." It was a challenge and Frankenstein was betting his life on it.

"Take care," Raizel said and stepped back, taking off in a different direction and leaving Frankenstein completely unsupervised.

Unable to believe his luck, he decided to escape before the noble changed his mind and came back for him. However, before he could leave, he noticed that where the noble had been standing below the tree, there were fresh bloodstains on the ground. Was it from the noble or from someone he'd killed? Was it Lagus' blood? However, there had been no trace of blood on the noble itself, so where could it have come from?

It wasn't such a pressing matter that he'd waste his precious window of opportunity on, and so, he turned away from the blood and made his way towards the ocean. If he managed to escape, he was going to put the matter of this noble entirely out of his mind and focus only on his revenge. Just like he should have been.

In the end, nobody bothered to stop him. He managed to escape from the island unscathed and returned to the human world without further problems. During his journey, he already realised that his body had changed considerably while he'd been asleep. He was stronger, much stronger than before. He had the noble's powers inside him, and he could draw upon them as he liked. However, he also noticed that using the noble's powers weakened his body ultimately. Was it a limitation the noble had placed upon him so he couldn't use those powers? Could they even do that? Considering that Lagus had made their bond in a manner which precluded Frankenstein from drawing on any of his powers, but made sure to keep him subservient, it was entirely possible.

He didn't have time to spare for such idle speculation. No, he needed powers of his own so that he'd never be captured by another noble again. He did not wish for some noble to take advantage of him ever again either. He also needed to stop the human organisation that was cooperating with werewolves and nobles alike. While he was doing that, he found them experimenting upon something they should have never attempted. It was called the Dark Spear and it was a twisted version of a noble clan leader's soul weapon, made from the tormented souls of countless human beings.

Frankenstein stole that because there was no way he could have allowed it to fall into the wrong hands. It allowed him to have the power he'd always wanted, though of course it also came at a great price. Fortunately, the noble's powers made his body sturdier, more resistant to the pain, so he was able to subdue Dark Spear, though it took a long time for him to gain substantial control over it.

His chance to test it against the nobles came while he was raiding a Union base and ran into Ignes Kravei. He hadn't recognised her at first, but when her father interfered in their battle and tried to protect her, Frankenstein had seen red. Rocitis was one of those who had been complicit in Lagus' acts. He also recognised Frankenstein, and also the power within him.

He actually failed to defend himself when he noticed the aura Frankenstein carried within him. He looked truly upset.

"What's the matter?" Frankenstein asked, lifting the Dark Spear and dividing it into countless smaller spears. They would rain upon Rocitis' unguarded back the moment he gave the signal. He wanted to make Rocitis suffer just as he had, so he was going to make this as painful as possible.

"Why do you feel like Sir Raizel?" Rocitis asked, still too shocked to retaliate.

Frankenstein took that opportunity and let the Dark Spear stab him in numerous places. He was pinned to the ground, his energy being leeched away by Dark Spear's hungry nature, but he still seemed more upset by the fact that Raizel – it was that noble's name, wasn't it? – had contracted with Frankenstein.

Rocitis did manage to free himself after he brought his soul weapon out, but Frankenstein was ready for him. The battle lasted for a while and Frankenstein had to resort to using the power he'd gained from Raizel and impaling him with the dual spears. He knew it drained his life force, but it was the better alternative than to be consumed by the Dark Spear, though their powers did not mix well. He couldn't let Ignes get away – not again. Still, he wanted to have a bit of fun with Rocitis first, he couldn't help himself.

"Why do you ask?" Frankenstein asked, putting his foot on Rocitis' head and grinding it to the floor. It was a pity that Ignes had run away or else he'd have let Dark Spear feed on the parent-child duo at the same time. It would have been such a momentous thing, too.

"Sir Raizel is the Noblesse," Rocitis said weakly. He really did seem more concerned with the noble Frankenstein had contracted with than his own impending death. "For him to contract a human…"

"I don't care," Frankenstein told him and stabbed him with the Dark Spear, allowing him to be swallowed whole. It was a good thing too, because that way Ignes wouldn't inherit the soul weapon and would never gain more powers than she deserved to. He dispelled the Dark Spear and licked his lips – he had a Kravei to hunt and he wasn't going to stop until he found her. The contract was a rather handy thing, after all, as he could sense the energies of nobles once he had pinpointed them, and he had a better control of his mental defences which led to more immunity against mind control. Because Raizel had absolute authority over his mind – even if he did not exercise that right – it made it difficult for the other nobles to bend him to their will.

He could also read the minds of nobles, because apparently this particular ability was absurdly strong within the subset of Raizel's powers.

He tracked down Ignes not too far from where he'd killed Rocitis. She was still injured from their first bout, and she had sensed that her father was gone but she hadn't inherited the soul weapon, because the moment she saw him, she'd charged at him.

"What the hell did you do?" She demanded, pinning him to the wall and creating a large dent in it from the impact.

Frankenstein smirked, summoning the smaller dark spears and piercing her body with them instead of freeing himself. She was forced to let go regardless. "Don't worry, you'll join your father soon enough."

Ignes' eyes widened in fear as she scrambled to get away from him. "You – you are crazy. Why did Sir Raizel give you his powers?"

"Who cares," Frankenstein said flatly and surrounded her with the Dark Spear from all sides – there really was no escape from his powers. "It's his loss for giving them to me." He did not give Ignes a chance to speak further. He let the Dark Spear consume her in the same way Rocitis was, and watched from afar.

It was immensely satisfying to have this power, and yet, the reaction of the two nobles bothered him on some level he hadn't been able to process it. The nobles contracted with people often – the Central Knights, at least. Clan leaders did not, and Raizel had to be either as strong or stronger, as he'd defeated Lagus, so maybe that was why they were so upset.

But no, there had to be something else in there, he just couldn't put his finger on it. Also, he wondered why Raizel hadn't put an end to Frankenstein's activities yet, because there was no way he hadn't felt it yet. Frankenstein hadn't attempted to conceal himself, so…

He took out several Central Knights that had tried to unleash mutant plagues on humanity, and he made sure to experiment on them as much as he could. He knew he was raking up his notoriety rather quickly, and it wouldn't be long before the Lord would be forced to show his hand. Frankenstein would love to have a direct line of contact with the Lord of the Nobles. His prediction came true when he found two clan leaders on his doorstep – or at the entrance of his secret lair, at any rate – one fine morning. Unfortunately, neither of them were a part of the traitors, so that was a pity.

"Are you Frankenstein?" The older of the two asked.

Frankenstein nodded and let Raizel's aura leak from his body, covering himself in the energy of the so-called Noblesse, and waited to see what kind of reaction these two would have. And he wasn't disappointed either.

"You are – how is that possible?" The same noble asked, clenching his fists and staring at him hard.

"Why do I have Sir Raizel's powers, you mean?" Frankenstein leaned against a tree and smiled at them, enjoying it more than he should have. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"

The one who had been quiet so far finally opened his mouth to speak, "Why do you seek to harm nobles if you are contracted to Cadis Etrama di Raizel?"

"Because of all the corruption you guys are sweeping under the rug. I told your Cadis Etrama di Raizel that there were numerous traitors within the ranks of clan leaders. Tell me, has he done something about that yet? There are so many Central Knights who have been selling contracts to humans and committing genocide using the resultant mutants. Why shouldn't I seek to punish the nobles who are trying to harm us?"

It sounded like news to these two, at least, because they were stunned into silence. Then they looked at each other, stepped away to discuss the matter at length between the two of them. It was several moments later when they turned their attention back to Frankenstein. They both looked discomfited, much to Frankenstein's satisfaction.

"Since you're Sir Raizel's bonded, I cannot question your claims without verifying them myself," the older one said thoughtfully. "As for Sir Raizel, I think he has been too –" He eyed Frankenstein sharply. "Maybe you should go visit him and ask him yourself. I'm interested in how you two formed a contract actually."

"I don't think that's any of your business, old man."

The said old man bristled at the nickname and drew himself up. "My name is Gejutel Landegre," he said haughtily. "And this is Ragar Kertia."

"So you two really are the clan leaders then? Why are you here anyway?"

"The Lord asked us to escort you to Lukedonia, but," Gejutel glanced at Ragar. "I don't think he knew that you were Sir Raizel's contractee."

"I'll come with you," Frankenstein said, straightening up and dusting his clothes. His real goal was to meet with the Lord, so there was no reason to refuse this personal escort service. If they tried anything funny, they'd find themselves on the business end of Frankenstein's Dark Spear.

He was still angry about what Lagus had done to him – it was unforgivable, but he also was aware that not every noble was complicit in forced contracts. The Central Knights he had captured had revealed quite a lot of information, forcing him to look at things from a different perspective. It did not help that he had benefited greatly from the contract Raizel had foisted on him. Frankenstein had certainly exploited it for all it was worth, without any downsides – aside from the burning up of life force, but he wasn't forced to use that power often. Raizel had made the choice to save his life on Frankenstein's request. Frankenstein couldn't deny that he was the one who agreed to the contract, because he was so desperate to live and avenge himself. He couldn't, in good conscience, lay all the blame at Raizel's feet. It did not mean he had to like the arrangement, however, or the nobles for that matter.

His hands itched to bring out his Dark Spear and attack the two nobles who were taking him to the Lord of the nobles. He really wished to feed them to his weapon and be done with it, but could he really live with that, when it came down to it? He had no proof that they had done anything of that sort, and based on what Lagus and his cronies used to talk about, it seemed like these two were loyal to a fault and strictly adhered to the code of the nobles. Frankenstein also had his own moral code and he was loath to break it just as much.

"Tell me, human," Gejutel addressed him as they picked their way to Lukedonia, Frankenstein following them close behind. "Are you the one behind the disappearance of Rocitis Kravei? Was he one of those alleged traitors?"

"Yes, and yes," Frankenstein said. He wouldn't deny it, not when he wanted to show exactly how serious he was about this business. "I found him and his daughter in one of the hideouts used by the human organisation that conspires against humanity"

Gejutel and Ragar stopped walking; Frankenstein couldn't see their expression as their faces were shadowed, but he could hazard a guess that they weren't exactly pleased. He dug his heels into the ground and flexed his fingers. If they wished to pick a fight with him, he'd give them the time of their lives. Anyone who dared to defend the ones who had personally participated in Frankenstein's torture, no matter who it might be, he wasn't going to let them go. Several tense moments later, Gejutel began walking again without comment and Ragar followed suit. They were guarded – he could feel that, but they had decided not to make a move here, which was prudent for them. If they decided to gang up on him inside Lukedonia, Frankenstein was going to have a much harder time.

He did not care, however. He was going to kill the entire population of Lukedonia if it came down to that. In fact, that would be much better than this charade.

Meeting the Lord of the Nobles, it did not go according to his expectations. For one, the Lord greeted him with a cheery smile that rivalled the sun, giving Frankenstein the idea that somehow the conversation between them would be getting off the wrong foot entirely. He wasn't wrong either, because the Lord dismissed the two escorts, much to their surprise as well. They protested, but the Lord stood firm until they left. Gejutel's parting words were rather telling and Frankenstein couldn't help feeling a sense of foreboding.

It did not help that the Lord's presence was completely different than an ordinary clan leader, too. It was an absolute pressure on his mind, though he knew that the Lord wasn't using any mind control on him. No, just the fact that existed was good enough to raise all of Frankenstein's hackles. He tried not to bristle in front of him, because that'd show that he felt the power differential between them and acted like a cornered prey.

When the door closed behind Gejutel and Ragar, the cheery expression dropped from the Lord's face fast enough to give Frankenstein whiplash. The Lord sat up straighter and regarded Frankenstein with solemn eyes. Silence hung between them for several uncomfortable moments before the Lord sighed and relaxed his posture slightly.

"What is your name?"

"Why am I here?"

The Lord smiled again, tapping his long fingers against the armrest of his enormous throne. "I have no desire to fight you. You are the human Raizel contracted with – I don't want to make him sad."

Frankenstein raised his eyebrow. "You think that if we fought, you will come off as the victor?"

"I did not say that," the Lord's expression was distinctly a smirk now. "He wouldn't like it if we fought at all."

He pursed his lips and relaxed his stance. He still wanted to have a go with the Lord, but this wasn't the time or the place. Some other time, perhaps. Still, giving the Lord his name felt like he'd be conceding ground to him, and yet the conversation couldn't proceed if he refused to be stubborn about the introductory part itself. He had to remember his revenge, his mission: the entire reason he was cooperating with the nobles was to get to the people responsible for that incident.

"Frankenstein," he said grudgingly.

"Frankenstein," the Lord acknowledged, smirk softening back into a genuine smile before it was wiped clean off his face. "First, I must apologise for the horrible treatment that Lagus Tradio put you through."

The Lord of the nobles apologising to a mere human? Frankenstein couldn't believe his ears and as such, he had no idea how to react. The Lord did not expect him to either, because he continued right away:

"Ignes Kravei left Lukedonia to join up with the human organisation and her father followed not that long ago. You got to them first, and I thank you for eliminating them before they could wreak more havoc in the human world."

And now he was being thanked for murdering a clan leader and his child?

"I'll also thank you combating the mutant plagues the Central Knight members unleashed on the human population."

Frankenstein wished he could sit down right about now. When he came here, he had expected a fight, not gratitude – and genuine gratitude at that – and a Lord who looked at him with terrible fondness in his eyes. He did not wish to be on the receiving end of such a look.

"As for the others you named, Raizel has taken care of Gradeus already; however, we haven't had seen any suspicious movement from the remaining three. And Raizel wasn't – well, it doesn't matter. I have a proposition for you, Frankenstein."

Yes, finally something he could respond to, even if it boggled his mind that the Lord of the nobles was someone like this. "What?" He managed, trying to not seem affected by the unexpected turn of events.

"Stay in Lukedonia and conduct your investigation and prevention while you're here. Since you're bonded to Raizel, you can share his house with him. I give you permission to live here and take care of the traitors as you see fit, though of course I cannot make the knowledge public as it would blow your cover. Just find me some evidence that the clan leaders are betraying Lukedonia, and I'll take care of them personally."

So that meant the Lord wanted to use him to weed out the traitors? That was something he could understand, unlike the regard he had shown earlier. He did not wish to cooperate with a noble, per se, but if it saved him the trouble and let him use the nobles back in kind, why not.

"The powers you use, formidable as they are, they aren't without a price," the Lord continued. "It would be better if you left the killing to me whenever possible, but I won't hold it against you if you used appropriate force to defend yourself."

Making a shady deal with a rogue human? What was wrong with this Lord? Not to mention, what he said amounted to the fact that Frankenstein could run unchecked inside Lukedonia and the Lord wouldn't punish him for it. However. "How can you trust me to not harm the nobles who aren't involved in this matter?"

The Lord leaned down, looking straight into Frankenstein's eyes. "I choose to trust you, just like Raizel did."

Frankenstein's brain cycled through many protests and arguments, each disputing how the trust this noble was willing to extend to him – the kind humans no longer could presume to give – was misplaced, but he didn't. There was no reason to throw away this golden chance, even if it grated in so many ways. He had the distinct feeling that he'd played right into the Lord's hand, but he couldn't see the catch. They mutually benefited from the removal of the nobles that posed a threat to humanity. However, Frankenstein sensed that there was more to the deal than he could see on the surface. What was it?

"Okay, let's see I agree to your deal. But what of your Noblesse?"

"What of him?"

"What would he think about me running amok? Wouldn't he just use the power of contract to stop me or toy with my mind?"

Something glinted in Lord's sharp gaze. "He won't – I give you my word." He waved his hand as if that settled the matter, and regardless of how many doubts it raised in Frankenstein's mind, he wouldn't be budged from that point.

He wasn't looking forward to be cooped up in some stuffy old mansion with his master, but he had to look at the bigger picture here. The protection of so many innocent humans, the opportunity to uproot the base of all those corrupt nobles and clan leaders, and without involving any innocent person, so what if he had to live with the noble who had enslaved him in guise of protecting his life.

Besides, Frankenstein had made sure to exploit Raizel's powers rather heavily, so he supposed he owed the noble some.

That was easier said than done, as Frankenstein realised later. The Lord took him down to Cadis Etrama di Raizel's mansion personally, and it was every bit as imposing and uncomfortable as Frankenstein had anticipated. The Lord did not take him to any of the rooms; however, instead he kept walking deeper and deeper until they reached a large pair of doors.

The Lord's eyes glowed briefly and power radiated from his arm, held level to the door, and they gave way under his will. There was another large room beyond the doors, completely except a single coffin lying in the middle of it. The Lord walked up to it and Frankenstein followed, uncomprehending until it was too late to back out.

"Is that—?"

"This is where Raizel is resting for the moment," the Lord said quietly, crouching down to run his hand over the polished white surface of the coffin.

Did he die? But no, the Lord had used the word rest. "What happened to him?"

"He was exhausted during the battle with Gradeus and needs to sleep to recover. He won't wake a while yet, so you can live here without worries."

Was it just his imagination or did the Lord sound not as convinced of what he'd said himself. But of which bit?

The mansion – the Noblesse's house – was lonelier than he would have imagined. Situated deep within thick woods, completed isolated from the rest of the island, the rooms lying bereft of almost any furniture or signs of habitation covered in a thin layer of dust – it was if it had been abandoned years ago. Yet, he knew that the Noblesse did indeed live here – but how? The only personal effects he found were a neat row of clothes in one of the rooms, and some jewellery in another – the same cross earring he'd seen Raizel wear when he'd saved him.

Was there nothing else that Raizel owned, then?

Frankenstein had expected to feel stifled and claustrophobic inside the house of the man who had a claim on Frankenstein's mind, but all he felt was emptiness. Vast and endless, unrelenting. He walked around the house until he got sick of it and wondered how he was even supposed to sleep here? There was no bed, just a few chairs and a table in the room he had found the jewellery. In the end, he slept on one of the chairs, even as it did wonders on his neck.

No matter, he was here to investigate the nobles and not critique their lack of basic amenities. They weren't human, he had to remember that. So he did what he was expected to do, investigating the movements of the Central Knights at night, exporting furniture from nearby human settlements during the day – and if they failed to meet his standards, crafting some of his own.

In the span of three years, he managed to uncover no less than five plots of treason between the ranks of the Lukedonia's so-called army, and the mansion was fully furnished. In those three long years, not a single soul visited Raizel's mansion – did no one even care? He had gone to see the Lord a bunch of times, and as such, ran into Gejutel and Ragar a few times. Once they got used to his presence and purpose, they became somewhat friendlier and Frankenstein started taking advantage of that. But that was in all in way of socialising that Frankenstein got, and after he was done cleansing the Central Knights, there wasn't much left to do except chance upon Urokai, Zarga or Edian in case they fucked up and landed in his hands.

He hadn't seen as much as hide or hair of those people, so he supposed it would take a while. He couldn't just waltz into their mansions, after all.

Other than that, he was desperately, awfully lonely. He had lived alone for a long time, and yet the mansion seemed to weigh down heavily on his mind, the immense open spaces threatening to close around him, swallow him whole. Did Raizel live here, like this, for centuries and centuries with nothing more than a guilt-ridden conscience to keep him company? He had learnt of the true nature of Noblesse's duties from more the higher ranking corrupt Knights, and he wasn't exactly surprised. He had also learnt of the solitary, hermit-like lifestyle the Noblesse had chosen for himself out of necessity.

He did not wish to make others uncomfortable to the point of imprisoning himself. The way he'd treated Frankenstein made a disturbing amount of sense now and Frankenstein did not know what to do with the truth now that he knew it. Instead, he spent increasingly more time down in Raizel's sanctuary – it responded to Raizel's aura that resided within his body and opened its doors for him – next to the coffin where he slept.

He looked peaceful, at least, in his slumber. Frankenstein found himself staring at his face often in those long stretches of inactivity when it felt like the entire island had gone into hibernation. There was nothing left in the world whatsoever except for him and this silently sleeping noble. It wasn't strange that he grew fond of Raizel, was it, when he was all he had in the name of company.

He wished that Raizel would wake up one day, so that Frankenstein wouldn't be stuck all alone in the place he'd come to call his home. For that was what it had become: the first place where he'd managed to live for so long, undisturbed and surrounded by the things he'd collected or made. And Raizel was every bit a part of it than not, much to Frankenstein's surprise.

He closed the coffin lid every time he left, leaving Raizel to his nap, and ventured outside the woods to find his quarry unfailingly every night. The investigation turned routine, and routine into habit, until it resembled drudgery more than requirement and Frankenstein started to wonder if those awful clan leaders had simply deserted the island and found new homes in the midst of the other assholes from the Union.

He could not trespass on the lands of their clan – he could just circle them at night and wait for them to make an appearance. He'd been told that sometimes the nobles didn't leave their houses for centuries, so it might end up being a long wait. It was okay though; he was a patient man by all accords.

And then he found Urokai skulking around Raizel's mansion – their home – one night.

The first thought inside his head was the mind-numbing worry that Raizel had been harmed. He tackled Urokai from behind; mindless with rage and fear that he'd gotten to Raizel and taken him out when he couldn't even defend himself. He wanted to examine the source of such intense reaction, but the timing wasn't right yet.

Urokai landed on the ground with a muffled yell and Frankenstein pressed the blade of Dark Spear next to his throat, its dark purple flames licking at Urokai's pale throat, scorching him. The noble clan leader let out an undignified yelp, struggled to throw him off, only to stop when the Dark Spear bit into his cheek.

"I'll gouge your eye out if you don't stop moving this instant," Frankenstein whispered into Urokai's flame-red hair, and the effect was immediate.

Urokai was seething, but he no longer dared to move. His eyes swivelled up to meet Frankenstein, before they widened rather comically in recognition. "You –"

"Me," Frankenstein agreed, viciously, and stepped on Urokai's splayed hand with the express intention of cracking his fingers so that he wouldn't be able to use his soul weapon right away. "What are you doing next to my house?"

"Your house?" Urokai asked, masking his wince with a frown. "Since when the hell did this become your – wait, what."

He had seen this reaction so many times that it was beginning to sound stale. He simply nodded. "Your Noblesse made a contract with me, but putting that aside, what are you doing here?"

Urokai clearly wasn't on the same page, if the purplish hue of rage on his face was anything to go by. A bit more provocation and he wouldn't even care about Frankenstein poking his eyes out.

"Don't tell me," Frankenstein continued quickly, "that you're here to kill Sir Raizel?"

That got to Urokai as he went stiff and glared daggers at Frankenstein. "How dare you?" He wheezed, finally twisting out of Frankenstein's hold and kicked him away.

Frankenstein's back collided with a tree trunk and he blinked, trying to clear the spots from his vision as he realised that his head, too, had connected soundly with the hard surface. He staggered to his feet and held the Dark Spear in front of his body, crouching low to anticipate Urokai's further attacks, except none were forthcoming.

"How dare you accuse me of wanting to hurt Sir Raizel?" Urokai demanded in a low growl, soul weapon out and flashing in his hand.

"Why shouldn't I? You are one of those people who chose to betray Lukedonia by siding with Lagus and Gradeus, and killing them almost killed Sir Raizel. How can you act all innocent now?" Frankenstein spat, shaking his head to check the extent of his injuries – they were already healing, so it was all good.

There is resounding silence following his words, punctuated only by the shrill cry of some insect in a far off corner of the grove. Moonlight fell dappled on the ground through the leaves and illuminated Urokai's face frozen in horror and shame, and Frankenstein knew he had found his opening.

"Or are you deluding yourself by thinking that unless you stab your spear into his chest, it's not really fault that he's asleep right now?"

"Is – is Sir Raizel sleeping?" Urokai asked, almost stupidly because that was just what Frankenstein had informed him of.

"Yes, because he's too weak to stay awake, thanks to you lot." Frankenstein took a moment to gloat. "You were there, weren't you, when Lagus kept me prisoner. Abused me for fun and poisoned me because he could. Wasn't that fun for you to watch? Do you think I wouldn't remember? Do you know?" He asked, walking up to Urokai and shoving the soul weapon away. It fell to the ground from Urokai's nerveless fingers. "Sir Raizel found me in Lagus' mansion and saved me, gave me his precious life –" and that was sadly true, much to Frankenstein's annoyance. "Even though he was close to dying himself. He felt he had to undo the wrongs you committed and now he's sleeping. It's all your fault, and I hope you're happy."

He managed to back Urokai into a tree, and he allowed it, probably not even thinking. Did he really care about Raizel this much that he'd let a human – and a despicable one at that – crowd and insult him?

"You want to see him? Did you come here tonight to do that?" Frankenstein asked, pressing his hand still clawed from the power of the Dark Spear, into Urokai's chest. "To finish the job you started in Lagus' home?"

Urokai punched him, cracking a few bones in his cheek, and sent him flying again. Frankenstein hadn't seen him move, so he was unable to avoid it. He cushioned his fall as much, however, and got back up as soon as he could, spitting blood from his mouth. He blamed it on getting emotional himself, and that really wouldn't do. Urokai was standing a little ways away, panting hard and not looking at Frankenstein, hand still clenched into an outstretched fist.

"I don't know how you managed to fool Sir Raizel into making a contract with you," Urokai said, straightening himself and levelling Dragus in Frankenstein's direction. "But I will right this wrong, at least."

"Your Sir Raizel was the one who wanted to make the contract," Frankenstein pointed out, summoning the Dark Spear again. Urokai was strong, just as strong as Rocitis, and if Frankenstein wanted to finish him off, he'd have to use Raizel's powers to avoid a drawn-out fight. Or risk letting Dark Spear eat away at his body – either choice had its downsides, and he was already a little wounded. The Lord had asked him not to engage the clan leaders, but how could he not, when he remembered Urokai's smug face from his hazy, pain-fuelled memories.

He did not have a large pool of life like nobles. The fight with Rocitis had left him winded for quite a while. However, if he took Urokai out, only two more traitors would be left.

No matter, he thought as he parried Urokai's enraged strikes, dodging and countering until he could come to a decision. He kept raining Dark Spear spikes from the sky to maintain a safe distance from Urokai at all times when he couldn't properly defend himself. The tactic worked, considering Urokai was too full of anger to fight with his full potential. He could still go toe to toe with a fully focused Urokai and come out victorious, but his mind was focused on his long-term goals.

He had grown soft already, a little domesticity made him lose his fangs – how disappointing. He still remembered the pain and humiliation Lagus had put him through. The way the other noble traitors had looked at him, like he was less than a worm, too unsightly for them to even bother crushing under their feet. They had left him to die once he'd started refusing food. He had to starve himself to loosen Lagus' hold on his mind – if he wasn't well enough to keep conscious, there wasn't much Lagus could extract from him. It had worked out for him, with the side-effect of slowly killing him, that is. No, he couldn't hold back against Urokai – couldn't save his strength for Zarga and Edian – he had to finish Urokai with his own hands, with his own power. Raizel's power wouldn't bring the same satisfaction.

He surged forward, mindless, and got grazed by Dragus for his trouble, but the Dark Spear sliced clean through Urokai's shoulder. The noble staggered, fell back on the ground with a small grunt of pain. It wasn't enough to stop him, though, so he struck again before Urokai had a chance to recover. His body was slowly being consumed by the Dark Spear, consciousness fading fast, but he did not care. The world started to grow around the edges, as he pushed his body harder and faster, piercing Urokai's flesh with his weapon. The Dark Spear's malevolent energy was bleeding into Urokai's open wounds and slowing him down as well.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind he was grateful to Ragar and Gejutel for letting him spar with them, letting him get better control of his powers and ability to reign in Dark Spear. If not for that, he'd have to use Raizel's powers and risk dying before he was done with what he'd started. If he lived through this and got to see them again, he'd make sure to be a little nicer to them, even if they were nobles. His mind began drifting away, Dark Spear all but upon him and he struggled to keep his eyes open. He could feel Urokai's bones crunch and twist under his hands, but he no longer had any control over them.

The black and purple obliterated his mind, pulling him under even as Urokai's panicked face sank from his sight and Frankenstein would have fallen under if his mental landscape hadn't become awash in red. It drove away Dark Spear and enveloped him in its warmth, lowering him gently to the ground. Frankenstein gasped like a drowning man, and opened his eyes to see a figure standing between him and Urokai.

Raizel had woken up.

"You cannot control your power?" Raizel inquired once he'd woken up to a familiar room and bed. Raizel must have carried him back here, then.

He sat up, gingerly, not surprised to see that his body still hurt in so many places: he'd really pushed himself this time. Still, it was preferable to using Raizel's powers, and speaking of which: "No, I cannot. What happened to Urokai?"

"He was too injured for me to punish," Raizel said. "He was taken away by the Lord and he awaits his judgment there. I suppose once he is well enough, the Lord will force him into eternal sleep."

"I see." Frankenstein lowered his head, trying to regain his memories of what had happened at the end and drew a blank. "Did the noise wake you up?"

Raizel shook his head. "No, your soul was in distress as it was being consumed by your weapon. It called out to me."

That was a little worse than he'd hoped for. He hated that his soul was so linked to a noble, even if he wasn't as detestable as Lagus or the others, that if he came close to death, the noble would have no chance to respond. He didn't want to owe a favour to the noble, but it seemed that he did now. He fisted his hands and looked away from Raizel.

"Frankenstein, I'd hoped I could sleep until you were no longer here." It was an apology – just not the kind he needed or wanted from Raizel.

Frankenstein said nothing.

From what Gejutel told him afterwards, Urokai gave away the names of the other traitors, and the Lord had a reasonable justification to take them in and punish them suitably. Except they'd found out that Edian wasn't actually guilty of treason, just poor judgment in whom she placed her trust and the Lord had spared her. Frankenstein wasn't perturbed by that decision considering he'd experienced first-hand the effect of Tradio's drugs. He felt for her as much as he could for a Noble, and figured he should give her a pass the next time he saw her. If he saw her, that is.

With the traitors taken care of, and the Central Knights firmly under the control of Mergas clan, there wasn't actually anything he needed to do in Lukedonia anymore that justified remaining here. Yet, he wasn't sure if he could leave just yet. He owed his life to Raizel once again, and this time the noble hadn't taken anything in return either. Frankenstein supposed he could value his soul worth saving more than once. But wasn't Raizel injured and needed sleep to heal? If so, had he jeopardised his health and life by coming out to save him. That meant Frankenstein really did owe him now.

Then there was the fact that Cadis Etrama di Raizel was doing his best to pretend as if he didn't exist to make Frankenstein comfortable. He hadn't commented on Frankenstein's redecorating. Hadn't protested at the way Frankenstein used his house to cook food or make things; he only drew the line at the Central Knights he'd found in the basement being used as guinea pigs for Frankenstein's experiments. So Frankenstein killed them instead because they, too, were progenitors of mutant plagues out there in human settlements and that resolved the matter.

The only question remained was how to deal with the owner of the house, because all he did was to stare out of the window from one of the most sparsely furnished rooms in the house – it was the one where he'd found the only signs of habitation, and he'd left it as is. It made sense that it was Raizel's room.

Sometimes, Frankenstein would come up to that room and watch Raizel from the doorway, wondering how things had come to this. In the few years Frankenstein had lived here, he'd come to think of this enormous house as his own. He appreciated the peace and quiet it allowed him, for his life had been nothing but a series of tumultuous incidents one after the other once he'd started to acquire power greater than that of humans. He'd been chased out of towns, attacked and slandered, and while he hadn't minded it, he hadn't had a place to call his own – until now.

He was used to Raizel's presence inside his coffin, and him being awake yet silent didn't change a lot of things – but for the ones that it did. Raizel might be expressionless for all he noticed, but Frankenstein did not miss the sense of loneliness that wrapped around his frame any time Frankenstein did manage to see it. He probably did not even notice the faint downturn of his own lips, or the way his eyebrows were drawn in a soft frown whenever he wasn't looking outside the window. Only there he seemed to be at peace, and still alone as he gazed at the world he could only watch but never be a part of.

Frankenstein did not realise why his feet took him to Raizel's room more and more every passing day, and when he stopped lingering at the liminal space between them and stepped inside. When he brought tea for two instead of one and offered it to him. All he knew was the faint look of surprise that crossed Raizel's impassive features before he could put them away, and the way his frown melted away at the first sip of tea Frankenstein had made for him. Frankenstein knew there was no taking back now for what he'd given with his own two hands.

He had thought of Raizel as part of the furniture before, and he resembled it more than before after waking up. He barely moved, he almost never talked, and would only leave his position from the window if Frankenstein brought him tea or food. It was a bit like caring for a cat – that was more like a plant than an actual cat – and Frankenstein could live with that, though he hoped it wasn't entirely for his benefit.

The only thing that bothered Frankenstein now was the matter of their contract. He knew the Noblesse wasn't able to break it – it was a contract unto death, and Frankenstein would probably die first. That meant he'd be Raizel's servant as long as he lived, even if he was somewhere far away, and the knowledge grated. He knew that the Noblesse wasn't a bad noble; Gejutel and Ragar, and even the Lord had proved that there was more to this species than the evil ones. Frankenstein had let prejudice colour his mind, but he couldn't be blamed either.

Yet, despite everything, he did not wish for the contract that bound him and Raizel together. Especially not now when he'd taken his revenge and could very well walk away, even if he'd chosen not to.

Frankenstein heaved a sigh and picked up the tea tray. It was time to bring it to his master, and serve him so that he could at least somewhat repay him. It wouldn't do, but.

Raizel looked away from the window when Frankenstein entered. He hadn't bothered to knock – Raizel could sense him coming from a mile away and he liked to retain at least some of his rude little quirks. Not that it worked on Raizel, but it sure ruffled Gejutel's feathers despite how fond the old coot seemed to be of him by now. He positively beamed at him during their sparring sessions while praising his progress. It bothered Frankenstein to no end.

"I brought tea," Frankenstein said when Raizel kept staring at him.

"Frankenstein," Raizel said, not taking his customary chair whenever Frankenstein brought tea. So there was something different today, then. "Why are you still here?"

Raizel had read his mind. Sensed the unrest in his mind. Frankenstein barely held back from baring his teeth at his own master. Just barely. "Aren't we bound by contract?" He was satisfied when that garnered him the requisite reaction he'd been aiming for. Raizel looked wounded by his words.

"I will not stop you if you were to leave."

"Yet, I cannot escape the bond no matter how far away I live. I understand why I felt nothing in those intervening years, but I got it the moment your Lord brought me here. If you hadn't been asleep, I could have never felt any freedom." This was the first time they'd spoken of this openly and Frankenstein was surprised by the bitterness of the words that tumbled out of his mouth.

Raizel did not flinch, but it was a near thing. He started turning back towards the window, avoiding Frankenstein's gaze before thinking better of it. He raised his eyes to meet Frankenstein's, finally and said, "I have kept the bond closed all this time, but I take it that it's not enough."

Frankenstein shook his head. It wasn't a lie: he could feel Raizel no matter what, even if just as a faint lingering presence in the back of his mind. He was always aware of his master, and of the instincts that identified him as such. He hated them, despite the tranquillity of this house, the freedom and comfort it gave him, it was still too much like the time he'd spent screaming inside the prison in Lagus Tradio's house.

"I—" Raizel began, only to pause when the door to the room flew open and an unannounced visitor strode in, shocking Frankenstein.

It was a werewolf, and quite a powerful one at that, Frankenstein could sense that much. He didn't seem hostile, but Frankenstein braced himself anyway. He knew that the werewolves, too, allied themselves with the traitorous clan leaders and wreaked havoc on human lives.

"Yo, Raizel," the werewolf greeted. "Is this your new pet?"

"Frankenstein, wait," Raizel said before Frankenstein could have stabbed the impudent werewolf with his Dark Spear. It was already out and crackling with his palms and the entire room was full of his murderous aura.

The werewolf only chuckled and took a seat as if he owned the house. "He's feisty."

"Muzaka," Raizel said quietly. "He's not a pet."

So this was the Lord of the werewolves, the notorious Muzaka, noted Frankenstein once the red haze cleared from his vision. This was exactly what he hated about his position and exactly why didn't want the contract. Even if Raizel did not seek to control him, he was forever branded as Raizel's servant. People assumed he was defanged and declawed just because the Noblesse held his leash.

"Calm down, human," Muzaka said to him, grin fading into a serious expression. "I have no desire to pick a fight with you here. If you want to fight me, come outside."

Raizel sat down, placing himself between Muzaka and Frankenstein and gave no intention of allowing either of them to continue their hostilities. Muzaka stared at his face for a bit, then seemed to deflate. "I'm sorry, Raizel," he murmured in a contrite voice and folded his hands.

"I heard you took care of more traitors from your people," Muzaka said when Raizel did not say anything in return of his apology. "Have you been well?" More silence, then Muzaka's face took on a sombre expression. "Ah, I see."

He'd never heard of werewolves being able to read minds, but maybe Raizel was speaking to Muzaka in his mind, somehow. Frankenstein wouldn't know. Did he want to keep their conversation from him secret? Was he an unwanted presence in the room?

Raizel turned his head in Frankenstein's direction and shook his head. It didn't help him calm down, however. He really did not appreciate Raizel reading his mind right now, even if he was the one telegraphing his foul mood to Raizel. When Raizel's face fell, Frankenstein pursed his lips and directed his ire towards a more deserving target.

"So, Sir Muzaka, is it?" He said archly. "Lord of the werewolves."

Muzaka tilted his head at him.

"I've heard the rumours about you in the human cities. They say you're weak and stupid."

If Muzaka took any offense to that, he did not betray any hint of it. Frankenstein had secured all of his attention, however, and he intended to make use of it.

"Maduke, that's one of your people, isn't he?"

"How do you know of Maduke?" Muzaka asked – rumbled was more like it, and leaned forward to regard Frankenstein with a suspicious gaze.

"He comes here, sometimes. I met him once I was talking to the Lord of the nobles," Frankenstein said. He was still standing behind Raizel, so it was impossible to tell what Raizel thought of their little exchange. Though, even if he could see Raizel's face, it would probably be inscrutable to Frankenstein – unless Frankenstein managed to cause him pain, which was far too often. It wasn't satisfying to bully someone who only looked terribly guilty and did not put up a fight. Either way, Muzaka was still waiting for him to continue, so he did: "He's been running the show for quite some time, you know. When I was back in one of the human cities that had been invaded by an army that had werewolves within it, I saw Maduke there, acting as if he was a human king himself. I saw the absolute slaughter your people committed upon that city, and piles of ashes and bones they'd left in their wake. The people inside the human organisation that allies itself with him think that you're all but replaced by him already, considering how little you bother to show yourself to your people."

Muzaka looked more and more enraged the longer Frankenstein talked, and by the time he was finished, Muzaka had left his seat. "Is that really true?" He demanded.

"Why would I make up a tale like this? If you don't believe, ask the noble Lord."

"Raizel?" Muzaka turned to the Noblesse, imploring, but whatever he saw on that face – a face only he could read because Raizel did not give him a verbal answer yet again. Muzaka's visage was anguished, nonetheless, by what he did or did not see there.

He fled their house as if the hounds of hell were chasing him and Frankenstein breathed a sigh of relief. But as was his luck, it did not last too long. Muzaka was back before the night fell on the second day of his hasty departure from Raizel's house, much to Frankenstein's displeasure, and he made sure that it was known. Muzaka wouldn't meet his eyes either, choosing instead to lolling about on the furniture in Raizel's room. Frankenstein could readily guess at what must have happened but held his silence under Raizel's watchful eyes.

By the time one week had passed, Frankenstein's nerves had frayed completely. He had not a noble's patience, and he hated the mess Muzaka tended to make in Raizel's room, leaving the cushions askew and mussing up the bed sheets. This wasn't his home, and he had overstayed his welcome by quite a long shot. The only thing left to do now was to take care of Maduke himself so that Muzaka would be forced to vacate the house. Muzaka was Raizel's friend, so Frankenstein technically had no right to throw him out, or else he would have, a long time ago. So he picked the next best option available to him.

It was surprising that someone like Maduke had managed to earn the loyalty of the entire werewolf tribe, except, Frankenstein reasoned, they had Muzaka for a leader for a long time. There were no doubts about his strength: but what good was strength when he failed to perform his duties, to govern his people properly and instead spent his time gallivanting off to who knew where. Therefore, it wasn't as easy to take Maduke down as he'd first assumed.

Frankenstein did not doubt his strength – of that he had plenty. No, it was the sheer number of werewolves that kept coming at him that was beginning to worry him just a little. He'd been using the Dark Spear for quite some time by now, and its effects were beginning to show. He was already exhausted, his body sore from the abuse Dark Spear's powers put it through, and he still hadn't had a chance to go at Maduke. Perhaps, it was poor judgment on his part to challenge the de-facto leader of the tribe of werewolves, but Frankenstein wasn't known to hold back when it came to things like these. The werewolves had been on his list of problems to take care for quite some time already, so it wasn't that he was doing it for Muzaka's sake, much less Raizel's.

Once Maduke exhausted his supply of disposable mooks, Frankenstein would have his chance to take him down before he could cause more strife in human affairs, but if he kept hiding behind more of his men, chances were that Frankenstein would have to beat a strategic retreat. He wasn't going to do that; he wasn't going to run – after the werewolves were gone, there would only be those greedy humans left, but at least they would be humans. They would die one day and the humanity would move on, as it had from the beginning of time, and the world would continue to survive.

Stupid though the impetus might have been, Frankenstein realised that he had put this off for far too long. He should have come here much earlier, even if it meant laying down his life. What was it worth anyway, considering the Dark Spear was going to take it away from him sooner or later? It would be better to die here, taking down one of the remaining threats to his people, in battle instead of getting swallowed up by their wrath. Then he would also be free of Raizel – and Raizel would be free of the terrible burden Frankenstein had placed on him.

How strange, to think of wanting to free Raizel of himself, in this moment.

Stranger still was to think of Raizel in the moment he'd become certain that his end was near, and the desire that swelled like an ugly bruise inside him. The desire to see Raizel once more, to have those solemn red eyes focus on his face, to watch guilt wrack through his placid expression – it was the only thing he could do to that ineffable being. He hurt Raizel because there was no other way he could accept him without surrendering himself utterly when he had not chosen it – except he had. He had selfishly clung to his life, then blamed Raizel for giving into his wishes. He knew, and yet.

It was easier to rush blindly towards the last standing werewolf between him and Maduke: a woman with long red hair and a sad expression on her face. He was lucky to have caught Maduke without most of his force, because Frankenstein knew that even he couldn't go against the entire combined force of the tribe, and this woman had to be the last one of them.

Dark Spear's corruption had spread all over his arms and was slowly making its way towards his heart. Soon, it was going to cover him entirely and devour him, and that was okay. As he held the female werewolf's neck between his hands, ready to tear into her, he realised that this one wasn't involved in Maduke's crime. She was innocent, but bound by the rules of her tribe, she had to defend it, and there was nothing Frankenstein could do for her. He had to kill her to get to Maduke –

Frankenstein was pulled back roughly before he could kill that woman, and he was thrown back with enough force to shatter his spine. He was breathless and sightless for countless seconds, the Dark Spear finally receding as the damage on his body was great enough to bring it out of battle mode. It was good, because he wouldn't be swallowed up now. He was going to die regardless, however, if the enraged bloodlust in Muzaka's eyes was any indication.

Raizel was with him.

"How dare you kill the people of my family?" Muzaka roared.

Frankenstein laughed, feeling breath rattle painfully inside his chest when he did. He still kept at it because of how hilarious this was. "So this gets you out of your funk?"

Muzaka planted his foot on Frankenstein's broken ribs and pressed down painfully. "Did you do this to make me angry, human?"

"No," Frankenstein said, groaned when the pain made it impossible to draw another breath. "Maduke has committed enough crimes against humanity. I only wanted to punish him for it because you who is responsible for them wouldn't."

"Then you should have gone for Maduke. Why kill the rest?" Muzaka demanded, grinding his heel into Frankenstein's chest.

"Muzaka," Raizel spoke from behind, unable to take it anymore, but Muzaka did not heed to his words.

"They followed him, wanted to protect him, so I had to get rid of them." Frankenstein pushed at Muzaka's leg now, wanting it off.

"Garda had nothing to do with this. You almost killed her too."

"She was defending him – that's crime enough."

Muzaka's foot connected solidly with Frankenstein's jaw, knocking his head to the side painfully. His body was slow to heal given his numerous injuries and the remnants of Dark Spear's corruption. He could still try to fight, but he knew he'd be swatted like a fly by Muzaka. He clenched his eyes closed, trying not to pass out because the pounding his head grew too great. He needed to get up soon and defend himself – he did not want to die in vain here, not now, when Maduke was so close.

Muzaka never got the chance to hit him again, however, because Raizel had had enough.

It was like two gods were clashing in front of his eyes – the sky was dark, deep red and everything around them lay in ruins. It was as if the heavens would split apart at any moments under the fury of these two beings, so equally matched in power and abilities, except for the part where Raizel was stronger. He also did not know how to fight, or so it occurred to Frankenstein. This was the first time he'd seen Raizel battle, and it baffled him why he refused to defend himself or dodge. He would only back away if the attack was too strong to withstand, even with his body.

The Noblesse was the symbol of power amongst the nobles. He was strength incarnate. To defend or dodge would mean that he wasn't strong enough, and he wasn't allowed that. No wonder he'd needed rest – and about that, he could feel Raizel's power grow visibly weaker with every hit he took. Muzaka had lost himself to rage quite some time ago, and Raizel had no choice but to put him down.

Unfortunately, Maduke had taken advantage of the commotion and made good his escape, as Frankenstein was still too out of it to stop him. He was still trying to get to his feet, so he was in no position to stop a werewolf whose abilities he did not know, but he was sure that Maduke was almost as powerful as Muzaka, at least.

Frankenstein turned his head upwards when he felt Raizel's powers flare starkly once, so bright that he couldn't see for a few moments, and then red engulfed the world.

Raizel was bleeding from his mouth and eyes, power leaking out of him as if a dam had burst that had contained it previously, and it still wasn't enough to defeat Muzaka. He healed over and over from the injuries Raizel inflicted upon and then leapt through the sky, knocking him down to the ground like a bird whose wings were taken out. Raizel's were still intact, however, though Frankenstein did not know how he was maintaining it.

He rushed to Raizel's side before he knew he was doing, and pulled him away from Muzaka's range. Muzaka's power swept over the field in a giant arc within the next few moments, narrowly missing both of them and Frankenstein heaved a sigh of relief. He'd barely healed enough to move without jostling his bones, so he could only escape with Raizel in tow – nothing more. Raizel, however, had other ideas.

"Frankenstein, you must stay out."

"No," Frankenstein said: panted because this was harder than he'd anticipated. "He's going to kill you."

Raizel shook his head. "I can still stop him."

"That's what I mean," Frankenstein said. "You'll die at this rate. You are already dying. Do you not see?" Did he not care?

"That's the price I pay for using my powers, so that's all right."

Frankenstein stared at him. How was this even remotely all right? And that meant all this time Raizel had been – he had saved Frankenstein by exchanging his life for Frankenstein's. His heart stuttered in his chest, grew heavy and painful. He clutched at Raizel's clothes and tried to drag him away.

"Frankenstein," Raizel said and placed his hand on Frankenstein's arm to stop him. He glanced at Muzaka who was staring at them from across the field, ready to launch his next attack. "It's all right. I'll stop Muzaka for sure, and then you'll get what you want."

Frankenstein's mouth went dry.

Raizel smiled at him, unbearably gentle, and wiped the blood away from his mouth. "You'll be free."

Frankenstein moved, unprompted and heedless, and wrapped his arms around Raizel's slight frame, afraid that it would vanish if he let go. He wanted to be free more than anything, he did not want the contract, but the idea of an innocent being walking to his slaughter for the sake of his wish wasn't something he'd be able to live with, in the hollow freedom it would grant him. He would suffocate and die under the weight of Raizel's sacrifice, of the knowledge that he was the one who had driven him to such desperation. It was all right when Raizel was well and alive, but not now, not when he was going to – going to –

Raizel leaned into him, just for a fraction of second, so fleeting that Frankenstein must have imagined it. Then he broke free of Frankenstein's grasp and deflected Muzaka's next attack as if he'd meant to do that. Maybe he had. When Frankenstein reached forward again, Raizel shook his head and breathed quietly.

"It's an order, Frankenstein. You must stand back."

And oh, so this was how it felt to bend to the will of the Noblesse, the strongest of all nobles. Frankenstein now knew that Raizel had never trespassed on his will for certain. For there was a great weight pressing against his mind, the excruciating force with which he was pushed back – not meant to cause him injury, but it hurt nonetheless – and Frankenstein's knees buckled, unable to support him for a second more. Raizel stood in front of him as his powers coalesced around him into the shape of a great red bird, like the mythical phoenix, and struck Muzaka down with it.

Frankenstein watched it numbly, perfectly protected against the overflowing power that wiped out everything in its path. The world went red and then white, before it turned grey and they were the only two figures remaining in the eye of storm. Raizel's powers fizzled out then and he staggered, fell, and Frankenstein was able to catch him just in the nick of time.

Blood poured out of his eyes, mouth and ears copiously as he struggled to stay awake. Frankenstein did not know what to do. It was as if his body itself had shut down after Raizel's use of force – it was a wonder he'd been able to move enough to catch him. He watched, as if from a distance, as Raizel vomited blood and shuddered weakly in his arms. He seemed like he wanted to say something but his body would no longer cooperate. Frankenstein supposed he could cry – he had no reason to do so, and the tears wouldn't come anyway. He felt like it, however, and quite acutely too. The need itched behind his throat and made it difficult to speak.

What could he say? What would he say?

Raizel's eyes slid close and Frankenstein's heart hammered in his heart, breath evaporating from his lungs as he considered the possibility that Raizel was dead already, but no. Raizel opened his eyes again, a little more composed now and he raised his trembling hand to Frankenstein's cheek, smearing it with his blood.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, weakly. Like Frankenstein wasn't the reason Raizel was dying. "Can you a favour, Frankenstein?"

Frankenstein did not speak. He couldn't.

"If possible," Raizel said, voice sweet somehow. "Return this to the Lord." Raizel's earring dangled from his fingertips and Frankenstein took it from him wordlessly. "Its pair is in the mansion – I'm sure you've seen it. Give them to the Lord and tell him…tell him, please, that I'm sorry that I'm going ahead of him."

Raizel's eyes fluttered close again. Frankenstein didn't dare open his mouth, because even if his eyes were suspiciously dry, he was sure that if he pried his lips apart, only a sob would escape them.

"Tell him that I'm sorry about not being able to find a way to lead a normal life like he'd wanted for me. Tell him," Raizel paused and drew a faltering breath. "That I'm at peace now, however, so he shouldn't worry. And you—" Raizel opened his eyes again, so lifeless now – the red now dulled to a faded rust-like shadow. "—you can live freely now." He placed his hand on Frankenstein's chest. "I'm going to give you one last command, seal those powers away and never use them again. Live a long and happy life, Frankenstein."

"I don't—" Frankenstein said, at least, voice heavy and so foreign to his ears. "I don't want a happy and long life. I don't want to live knowing I killed you."

Raizel's eyes widened and he stilled, ever so briefly, in Frankenstein's arms. Then his voice grew even more regretful. "I'm sorry for causing you unnecessary pain and guilt. Do you want me to erase your memory of this incident? Or of me altogether?"

That wasn't what he wanted at all. "Just come home with me, please," he leaned down and whispered into Raizel's hair. There was nothing he would have liked more. This was entirely his fault, and he didn't even get to kill Maduke. Raizel ended up hurting his friend for nothing, and he was going to die for nothing as well. It was no good to realise what he had in his grasp now when he was on the verge of losing it. It was no use to want something he had thrown away repeatedly.

Raizel's eyes slipped shut and the world ended with him. There was nothing but an awful silence around him, devastation in the wake of his realisation that he wanted Raizel to live, to be with him after an eternity of feeling the opposite. How ironic. He lifted bloodstained, trembling fingers to his mouth as tears finally slid free of his traitorous eyes. What use were tears now? He clenched his eyes shut and bit on his fingers, tasting the iron-sweetness of Raizel's blood and wished so desperately from the forgotten gods to return him to Frankenstein.

That was one moment, and in the next, his body went rigid with shock and surge of a very familiar power. He opened his eyes hastily. The world regained its colour and sharpness, though Frankenstein could definitely feel his own life evaporate as warmth and colour returned to Raizel's pallid skin. Red eyes snapped open, surprise evident in them at the same time Frankenstein's own fell shut and he knew he was going to die.

When he opened his eyes next, he found himself to be very snug and comfortable. Was this the afterlife, he wondered idly as his senses returned to him. But no, because he realised he was lying in an enclosed space – a box? – and he was curled up against a warm and soft body. Awareness returned as soon as his eyes found that familiar face, and with it returned the memories the last time he'd seen it.

Raizel stirred then, opening his eyes and looking at Frankenstein fondly. Before Frankenstein could say anything, Raizel turned his face up and the box's lid fell open, letting light stream inside though it hadn't been dark to begin with as it should have been. They both sat up, though Raizel did not quite let go of Frankenstein – not that he minded, really. They were inside a box-like room, furnished with strange-looking furniture and the entire place was lit by unnatural white-yellow light.

"Where are we?" Frankenstein asked, because that was safe ground to venture on unlike the circumstances of his awakening.

"I do not know," Raizel told him. He stood up, however, letting go of Frankenstein and ventured to the window, making it fall open from without raising a single finger.

Frankenstein followed him and stared at the expanse of unfamiliar structures and people across his vision. The entire world looked alien to him and he had no way to understand exactly what had happened. He turned to Raizel and looked him questioningly, because by the looks of it, he did not look the least bit confused or put-off.

"How did we end up here?" He pressed, holding the railing and peering at the people down below dressed in elaborate and colourful clothes, milling about like ants.

Raizel shook his head. "I have no memory of this place," he conceded. "I've been asleep just as long as you have."

"Asleep?" Frankenstein quirked a brow and looked at the box they'd woken up from. It was a coffin, the kind Nobles slept in when they went to eternal sleep – the kind Raizel had slumbered in previously while he'd been out hunting evil nobles. That didn't explain why Frankenstein had slept with him in there.

Raizel sighed and turned to him. "In the moment when my life was about to extinguish, you accidentally took my blood and with the strong desire in your heart to keep me alive, you Awakened me." At what must have been a clueless expression on Frankenstein's face, Raizel continued, "You healed me with the power inside you. In this case, my power, which took a great toll on your body too. Since your life force isn't as strong as mine, you only barely managed to pull me back from death and lost almost all of your life. I thought it was prudent to put ourselves to sleep so that we might recover somewhat and we've been asleep ever since."

He checked his body for damage and found it repaired. He had healed, though he was pretty sure his lifespan must have shortened considerably. His soul's nature was inherently different than Raizel – completely different physiology; it wasn't going to fade away just because he'd overused it. Unlike Raizel.

"What about you? Are you all right?"

Raizel turned away again to look at the humans around them. "I'm well enough."

That didn't mean much, ultimately.

"Do not worry, Frankenstein," Raizel said. "You saved me from certain death. It's not your fault that my life was almost spent already."

Frankenstein swallowed and focused his gaze elsewhere, too embarrassed to look at Raizel right now, to see that look of gratitude mixed with sadness on his face. He'd wanted this noble to die so many times, had hurt him over and over, and yet, when the moment came, knowing his innocence he'd been unable to let Raizel go through it. And despite his best efforts it was mostly useless, wasn't it?

"It wasn't useless," Raizel said. He could read Frankenstein's mind, of course, and while Frankenstein would have bristled at the intrusion usually, he did not care right now. "You saved me. Thank you."

Covering his flushed face with a hand, Frankenstein moved to the balcony on which they stood. He looked at the world beyond and tried to formulate a theory. He said, "I'm guessing we've been asleep for quite some time – a few centuries, by a generous estimate. I have no idea where we are though, geographically speaking, but I'm sure we can find our way back to Lukedonia if we tried." He didn't want to dwell too long on the fact that they'd spent hundreds of years curled up against each other, sharing warmth and space in a small coffin, sustaining each other. The idea was too profound and cut too close to an emotion that Frankenstein didn't wish to explore. Not right now, at the very least.

"You wish to return to Lukedonia?" Raizel asked, the first signs of tentativeness evident in his tone. There was hesitation there – as if Frankenstein would abandon Raizel here after all that had happened, and he found that he couldn't blame Raizel for thinking that.

"The Lord had assured me that your home was as much my home as long as our souls were bound together. Unless—" Frankenstein licked his lips and drew in a small breath. "You'd rather not. I mean, you don't owe me anything. You saved my life at the cost of your own before and I simply returned the favour. We're pretty even so you don't have to put up with me or anything."

Raizel did not speak at first and since Frankenstein wouldn't turn to look at him, he had no idea what kind of expression he'd made at Frankenstein's words. While silent, Frankenstein contemplated his surroundings properly. The sun warmed Frankenstein's face and his hair fluttered gently in the mild breeze. The world in front of him was bursting with life, there were people everywhere and civilisation seemed to stretch on as far as he could see. It fascinated him to no end, to see a future so full of people and strange new things he didn't know about. He wanted more of it.

There was a small sound behind him, an aborted attempt at speaking, and Raizel moved a little behind him. However, Frankenstein waited until he was able to speak.

"My home is your home, even after I die."

Frankenstein smiled into his arm. "Good, but don't hurry with the dying. Didn't the Lord want you to live a normal life? Why don't we try for that now?"

"Would I be allowed such selfishness?" Raizel asked, voice remote and low.

It wasn't really a question he was asking Frankenstein and he knew that. And yet. "Who cares? Nobody's going to deny you such a tiny wish, and if they do, I'll take care of them. Not because I owe you anything, of course, but I want to see it with my own eyes. The Noblesse living like a normal human being." And not in that dark and lonely manor, even if it was their home. "Ah," he said, realising. "I guess we don't have to return to Lukedonia right away then. Would you like to take a detour with me first? I want to see more of this world. Do you?"

"Yes." The answer was immediate and that was how Frankenstein that Raizel wasn't simply bowing to his wishes.

Raizel lifted his hand and his usual clothes melted away, morphing into the kind that the people below were wearing. Frankenstein had no time to be surprised by that, never having seen that trick before, because Raizel changed his clothes for him as well. Once that was done, he leapt off the balcony and landed in a deserted part of the road, smooth and graceful as a cat, and Frankenstein realised he'd rarely ever seen Raizel outside his house without a purpose. This was an entirely new side to him. And down below, Raizel had tilted his head up, clearly waiting. Frankenstein swore under his breath and followed after him, excitement and fondness mingling pleasantly inside his blood. The old hurts weren't dead and buried, but Frankenstein could set them aside for now. Almost having lost someone who was infinitely precious – despite all his attempts to the contrary – Frankenstein felt he could put things in a completely different perspective. He could rebuild himself just as he could reforge the thing that was between them, unnameable and inexplicable.

They might have started on the wrong foot, but this was a new world and a new era, so they could redo a lot of things and build a new life – together this time, willingly.

In the original draft, much like the Ties That Binds, Raizel dies. This time, I did write it, but it was rejected (rightfully so), and so this ending happened. I'm just...glad for that. It follows the same pattern, same timeline as Ties, but of course the plot is different and so's the conclusion~