Chapter One
"Hey, Rai! You better move quick! Pedro is at the gate today! I see Ras is joining us again! That's great, Rai!" Shinwoo said cheerfully, grinning at Raskreia. Raskreia looked at Shinwoo, surprised at his name for her. She looked at Rai.
"Ras?" She asked, confused slightly.
"It's short for Raskreia. Erga Kenesis DiRaskreia is just too long a name. We call Rai Rai for the same reason." Ikhan added, hurrying after Shinwoo, but not being able to keep pace with him. Raskreia blushed slightly. She didn't want to admit that she kind of liked the name. It was really the first time anyone had treated her like a friend. She had been the Lord, she had been a daughter.
She had been the Judge and Jury in the events in Lukedonia a few months back. But never a friend. It was kind of lonely. She understood now why Raizel liked this place so much. Frankenstein may treat him with the reverence befitting the Noblesse.
But Shinwoo, Ikhan and the others just treated him like a friend. He barely ever spoke, and he hardly showed any emotion. But she could tell that he was happy, though she wasn't sure how she knew.
"You like the name Ras?" Raizel asked stoically. Raskreia sighed and thought for a minute.
"It's not that exactly. They're free to call me what they like. But I like having friends. I have been treated as a daughter, as the Lord, as judge, as executioner, as jury… But it is a lonely life… I have never been treated as a friend…" Raskreia said, blushing slightly.
"We had better hurry, Ras…" Rai said, sarcastically, and with a slight smirk, causing Raskreia to blush even deeper. She had never seen the Noblesse smile even once in her entire life. Although it was not a wide smile like Shinwoo had, it was refreshing in itself.
"The gatekeeper will be angry if we are late."
Rai and Raskreia walked in through the gate just as the bell rang. Pedro looked disbelievingly at the two Nobles. He couldn't fathom how they showed so little concern for the rules of the school, or at least the starting bell.
"Well, well! You two are late! You I'm used to! But who's the young lady?" Pedro asked furiously.
"Erga Kenesis Di Raskreia…" Raskreia said stoically. Pedro scratched his head cluelessly. How was he supposed to remember a name that long?
"Is she a relative of yours?" He asked Rai, who shook his head. The kids of his school, including his friends had taken to calling her his girlfriend, though Rai wasn't completely familiar with that term.
Frankenstein had explained briefly that young men of high school age often had romantic relationships with females of similar age… That it was called 'dating' because they went on outings called dates to spend time with each other.
But what was the motivation behind these 'dates'? Was it self-interest? Or perhaps a desire to find a suitable mate? Either way, the concept wasn't clear to him. He would have to ask Frankenstein for a more detailed explanation of what 'dating' was. It seemed like what he and his friends did anyhow almost every day.
"So… Is there a shorter name that I could call you?" Pedro asked, feeling completely nonplussed at these extremely long names that the foreigners in Ye Ran High School had.
"You may call me whatever you like."
"So… Which is your first name and which is your last?"
"According to this nation's customs, I suppose my surname would be Raskreia. But I fail to see the use in distinguishing first from last name save for convenience's sake."
Rai heard a buzz from his phone and checked it. It was a text from Frankenstein.
Master… Come have tea and cookies with me. Please do not bring the Lord.
"Raskreia, I must go see the headmaster. I will be in class shortly, I suspect." Rai said, moving off at a faster pace than he usually took. Raskreia sighed and looked at Pedro, who gulped, feeling sure that she was about to say something weird. These foreign students were going to be the death of him.
"Gatekeeper… Please be so kind as to show me to my first class…" The Lord said. Pedro sighed. So she didn't know how to get to her first class.
It wasn't the end of the world. He would take her there. In the past, she had always been followed by those two silver haired students like they were her bodyguards or something. But regardless, Pedro nodded and led Raskreia to class while Rai made his way to the principal's office.
"Good morning, Master…" Frankenstein said deferentially, standing and bowing as Rai walked in, silent as usual.
"Please, sit down. I have something important to discuss with you. I am aware that you would not under normal circumstances even consider enhancement.
"Certainly you are already more powerful by far than any other Noble, even those who have been modified, such as Roctis Kravei and his daughter, Ignes. But I feel that perhaps enhancement could increase your rapidly fading life force. I have done projections using your approximate abilities and physical capabilities, and 99.99999% of the 5,000,000 projections have ended in complete success.
"Bioenergy Manipulation. It is an extraordinarily powerful ability. Your Aura is already intensely powerful. Bioenergy Manipulation will allow you to absorb an enemy's Aura. I suspect that if you practice, you can continue to live an extremely long life. You can continue to live with your friends and with me."
"If you use your Bioenergy Manipulation when you face those with significant Aura, which is, at its root, Bioenergy, you may be able to live longer."
"Frankenstein. Would the Bioenergy inherent in others not be incompatible with my own Bioenergy? For instance, a Werewolf is known to have strong Bioenergy, as are the Elders of The Union. However, they are Werewolves and Humans respectively. Would their Bioenergy not be different enough that I could not utilize it?"
"If my projections are correct, the Bioenergy of the Noblesse, that is, you, Master, would forcibly convert any Bioenergy that you absorb. Your Bioenergy is potent enough that any other Bioenergy would simply be absorbed."
"This would make me a Modified Noble, though… Correct? I am not certain that I am comfortable going on this route. I have always overwhelmed opponents with superior power with no need for petty modifications such as Roktis Kravei and Ignes Kravei had."
"But, Master!"
"I understand that you are concerned for my wellbeing. However, allow me some time to think about it. If it becomes necessary, I will go into Hibernation again for a short time, and in my Hibernation, you may attempt to stabilize my condition.
"However, I am aware of the other Nobles' opinion of Modified Beings, and am not ready yet to betray that most fundamental tenet, prejudiced and ignorant as it may be."
"I understand, Master. I respect your decision." Frankenstein said deferentially, bowing to Rai, who stood and looked down at Frankenstein.
"Please do not look so disturbed. I merely do not wish to become drunk on my power as Roktis did, and by extension, his daughter. I saw their modified forms, and felt their aura, and was distressed that they had fallen so far."
"Of course, Master. If anyone could resist becoming drunk on power, it would be you. However, I respect your decision. Will you come back to me and tell me your final decision, regardless of what it is?" Frankenstein asked. Raizel ordered Frankenstein to stand and looked into his eyes.
"I will, Frankenstein. You need not be overly concerned about me."
"Ahaha… There's no way I could not be concerned, Master."
"Frankenstein… There is something that confuses me."
"What is it, Master?" Frankenstein asked, preparing himself either for the most astute observation imaginable, or one that demonstrated a complete lack of connection to the situation at hand.
"Shinwoo introduced me to something called iTunes. I heard music through small spheres that fit in my ears. I could hear the words, but I could not hear the thoughts of the singers."
Frankenstein merely sighed, and resigned himself to the fact that he would be writing another 'for dummies' outline for his master. Thus far, he had written at least ten such instructional manuals for Raizel, for gaming, for phones, for sports, etc.
But regardless, Raizel still was completely incompetent with gaming, had little skill with his phone, and as much as he even bothered with the sports his friends played, Frankenstein wondered why he even asked for such a manual.
"Hello, young man…" Came the voice of the groundskeeper, walking up to a young blonde man of maybe eighteen years at the oldest. The young man turned to the groundskeeper, looking at him with a polite, and subtly, yet disturbingly condescending and disgusted smile.
"Hello…" The young man said, bowing politely to the groundskeeper.
"Are you perhaps the guardian of this fortress?" He asked, stunning the groundskeeper with how antiquated his style of speech and the references he was making were.
"I… Would hardly consider myself a guardian, young man. Is there something I can help you with?"
"I am not certain. Perhaps you could point me to the location of the one known as Principal Lee? If not, I am certain that with time, I would find him on my own." The young man said coolly, seeming not to expect much of this elderly man.
"I… Hate to sound rude, but do you have an appointment with Principal Lee?" The groundskeeper asked, causing the young man to glare in annoyance and increasing disgust.
"I am certain that he would see me with or without an appointment, and a feeble and lowly worm such as yourself hardly has the right to ask me to qualify the reasons for my visit."
"Hey, Groundskeeper! How's it going!?" Tao asked, hurrying out with M-21, and Takeo quickly in tow. The young man looked at the three modified humans with mild surprise.
"M-21? Tao? Takeo? I was under the impression that all three of you had died. You two with the rest of DA-5 and you due to unknown circumstances."
"I-I apologize, but might I ask who you are?"
"Oh, Tao… My name is unimportant at the moment. But I really must see Principal Lee. If nobody will take me to see him, I may begin to lose my patience…" The young man said dangerously, releasing a powerful blast of aura that paralyzed the groundskeeper, seeming to make him freeze in time, and frightening all three of the special security members.
"There's no need to threaten us or the school, sir. Please just tell us your name. It will make it easier for us to announce your arrival to the principal, hahaha!" Tao said cheerfully, still terrified of the power that this man had just released.
"I suppose you make a good point, Tao… My name is Tesamu. I am the First Elder of The Union."
A/N: I apologize for the shortness of the first chapter. The chapter's purpose was really only to set up the major plotlines of the story, and I feel I did that in 4 pages. So, yeah. There are other plots that I intend to add. But this is most of them. I do hope that you enjoy the rest of the story.