Disclaimer: Noblesse belongs to Jeho Son, Kwangsu Lee and line webtoons. I have no affiliation with Noblesse.
The full title for this was going to be one of these lines of this short poem I wrote but it's still too long.
Who is the monster, under your bed?
Who is the monster, in your stead?
Prologue: The Vanguard
Once, he was running, always running—not from people but for people—but it didn't make a difference to them. Humanity. They'd forgotten that he was one of them. And he feared the day their taunts became true; he would forget, that he was one of them. And when he was miles away and worlds apart, he stopped running, stopped hiding, and stopped caring.
Because when people—everybody—was after the power in your skin, the knowledge in your brain, you couldn't afford to stand still and care. People were mowed down in front of him, entire legions slaughtered in his name, and he pretended to laugh. He became the madman they wanted to pursue. So that it was only ever him that they pursued.
And that was who he was—someone whose every fight was to the death, and every pact sealed was with his life.
And this was where the story got interesting. The hunted turned around, and became the hunter. He'd risen to a greater height that anybody else ever would; and oh, they accused him of falling further than the devil ever could.
If it mattered to him, he didn't let it show. He was the only one bright enough to know what he was: Humanity's Kingpin. And with all the vast knowledge he had garnered over a lifetime, a long lifetime, he knew what he had to do.
Destroy the nobles.
Mutants didn't just jump out of nowhere, you know? Vampires didn't just ravage villages willy nilly, did they? Everything that went wrong, went wrong because nobles couldn't keep their lofty noses out of our world's business.
So how is this story now? Interesting, didn't I tell you?
One man—alienated by those he hailed to protect against the so-called demigods—who had spread us their disease!
What happens next then? Something that even I didn't even see coming. Everything goes to hell. All because he just had to start caring again, because he liaised with the enemy.
He, who gave everything, to stop forever running.
He, who gave everything, to be at his side.
It's funny? Isn't it?
Just god-fucking, hilarious.
But it doesn't matter, no, no, it doesn't matter anymore. I'm here now, and I will do this. I'll fix this story where it all went wrong for him. He'd forgotten, alright, he'd forgotten who he was.
He was the vanguard.
And I, will fix him.
-f
Chapter 1
Secret Admirer.
The white package, adorned with a neatly tied black ribbon, sat squarely on his desk—as if someone had lined it up perfectly to the inch with the edges of the table. A crowd of people in white uniforms gathered around the desk, shadowing the package as a red-head bobbed to scrutinise it.
"…Who do you think it's from?"
"Oh my g—Rai, I think you have an admirer!?"
"Holy—open it."
"Waitwaitwait! Look at this thing, we can't make Rai open it now—we're at school!" One stressful voice rang above the others. "We should wait for us all to get to the Chairman's place, and then get Rai to open it."
"Ohh." A flurry of nods, all agreeing.
Cadis Etrama di Raizel stood the furthest away from his desk, eyeing the package vacantly.
"Wait….a second…" Ikhan's voice was accusatory. "IS IT YOUR BIRTHDAY? RAI? AND YOU DIDN'T TELL US?!"
The entire gathering spasmed,staring at Rai because—that was so Rai.
"….No."
"Aw. Alright then."
"Scared me for a second," came Yuna's voice. "I guess, still an admirer huh?"
"I wonder what it is?" A lanky finger tapped the top of the package, toc, toc, "I wonder if it's expensiiiive!" came Shinwoo's excited voice. He lifted up the tag tied under the satiny-black bow, revealing one neatly written word: Rai.
Suyi sighed, whisking her bag off the floor to knock Shinwoo's side. "Alright, stop touching his present—it's not yours. C'mon, do you want seats at the cafeteria or not?"
"Rai? Ramen time then?"
Raizel shifted, the vacancy on his face slowly replaced with a shy smile. "…Yes."
"Whoo—leggo!"
"If they're out of chicken I got dibs on shrimp." The Ye Ran students piled out of the room, and Ikhan's voice trailed behind them. "Hurry up, Rai, unless you want to be last in line."
As the last of the footsteps quietened away down the corridor, a boy with his white hair slicked back, flashed a movement with his hand. The door slammed briskly shut, leaving the three nobles in private.
Regis stepped hurriedly to the package, but he didn't touch it like the children had, instead regarding the bowtie on top like a quarantine situation. "What do you think it is? Should I check it isn't dangerous?" His keen eyes scanned the white wrapping, and he scrunched his brow.
"Seira, we can't let an unidentified object get into the house-owner's house."
Regis looked to Seira, drooping when he realised she hadn't moved an inch from the Noblesse's side.
"Is it not safe to assume the gift is from the house-owner?" she asked, eyes respectably lowered.
The Noblesse closed his eyes, shaking his head slowly as the noble children watched: one in reverence, and the other in awe. Elegant…
"No," he answered, after a moment, "he will not address me as…Rai."
"Oh…oh yes," Regis thought aloud, a deeply impressed look on his face. "I see…well then, what will you have us do?"
Raizel moved away from the present and the desk. "I think…I would like some ramen."
Seira nodded, following him to the door, and Regis quickly caught up.
On the last moment, Raizel stopped, turned around, and sought their eyes. "Please alert Frankenstein that the children will be coming over today."
"Yes, of course." They dipped their heads in a slight show of respect.
"Thank you."
They fell onto the couch, the boys' limbs stretched out everywhere while the noble children and the Noblesse sat straight, perfectly poised. The children tossed their plastic bags over the table like spoils to share after a day's conquest, lying idly for a minute or so before they couldn't restrain themselves anymore. They dived for the junk food and, "the Chairman have any fizzy drinks? I forgoot…"
He sat there, perfectly content and always charmed that somehow, he was in the centre of everything—their chatter about school, about life, about important, little-kiddish squabbles, were as precious as each passing moment in this place, in this life, for him. He drank in their stories, watching their exaggerated expressions grow and blank, and even now he was dazzled when they paused, cutting in sometimes to let him speak, let him agree, let him object.
Their annoyance seeped from them and for a while, the world was dark as he concerned over Yuna's broken recorder. He was absolutely engrossed—even though he had no idea what a recorder was and why Shinwoo was blowing into his jumping fingers, pretending to make music.
Their happiness glowed from them—they didn't know, of course, but it veiled him and he glowed with them as well, wallowed in every small victory they did. He smiled as the kind girls lifted out that rectangular piece of cardboard, knowing what coloured pieces each person at this table would choose and wondering, before they'd even set the board game fully out, what colour he should choose and hmmm.
"Rai, you take forever so pinch me if you don't like green." And murky green became his favourite colour for the day.
Right now, knowing that this life was his life, still awed him; trivial things were the most important things, and he answered when they called him Rai. Every time the doorbell rang in that funny tune, ding dong, ding dong, he brightened up an inch more—the doorbell meant people, and people he loved.
"We're back Sir—irrrrrrrrrrrrs," Tao's voice drew out shakily. "And ladies…" he added belatedly, and Raizel watched as Regis patted a hand over his face. He smiled as Tao climbed over the couch, joining Seira and them, and Takeo ambled over to greet him.
"Guys," Tao nodded discretely to him, "the Chairman's still busy organising the parent-teacher conferences for tomorrow, so he'll be back late."
"PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES?!"
He—Raizel—looked up, pausing eating his chocolate pocky stick.
Shinwoo's face had blanched, turning a pasty sheet of white. Ikhan shuffled with a chip packet, and the rustling of plastic was the loudest sound in the room. When his friend was still in his daze, Ikhan flung up an arm, poking a chip once, twice, at his pursed lips, making Suyi giggle.
Raizel nodded, and Takeo retreated to aid of M-21 with the dishes—the ones they'd neglected to do in the morning.
"Ok then. Ok. I always knew this day would come," Shinwoo muttered, before slurping up the chip. Shinwoo swallowed it down like one of his action heroes did a poisoned pill: cold, and resigned to his fate.
Then all of a sudden, he snapped up out of the blue, mildly choking on the chip as Ikhan and Regis watched in disgust. "Dude—chill?"
"Chill? My grades SUCK!"
"…Your grades have always sucked, Shinwoo."
"Yeah, I know, butthatsnot whatI'm tryingto—"
The girls leaned forward now, reeled in by the red head's panic. Yuna was honestly concerned while Su Yi wanted to giggle more.
He sighed frustratedly. "Ahhhhh—I can't ever hang out with Rai again!"
At this, the sloshing in the sink silenced, and Takeo and M-21 turned their heads. What?
"What d'you mean, kiddo?" Tao piped up, cracking a chocolate bar between his fingers. "Not like he's going anywhere?" His gaze darted to the head of the table, and when the Sir just blinked, he continued crunching.
"You're not getting it!" Shinwoo exclaimed. "My grades are garbage. People with garbage grades have to have a parent-teacher conference with the chairman. Our chairman is Principal Lee. Principal lee is housing Rai!" he finished, as if it were the most obvious thing ever. Shinwoo crossed his arms, annoyed.
The others just stared at him with blank faces, mouths half-full, holding their food. "And…your point is?" Regis answered, completely unaffected.
"The point is," he stressed, "that there's no way Principal Lee would let me hang out with Rai anymore!" As he finished, Ikhan shoved another chip in his mouth, and he downed it with a look of worry.
"Well, what you get for not going to the library with me to study," Ikhan mused, not looking at him.
"You mean, what you get for always sleeping in class." Su Yi's voice was matter-of-fact.
"Your noise is very inelegant," Regis finished.
With a roll of his head, Shinwoo made an exaggerated gesture with his arms, and dove back backwards into the couch. "Oh come on! No one's going to help me here? Yuna? Tao-hyung? Regis and Seira?….Rai?"
The dishes started moving behind them again, and the normal rustle of bags resumed. "Wow."
Yuna stifled a laugh before she came to his aid. "Aha! Ok, we were just teasing. The chairman isn't so harsh like that…is he?"
"Teasing?" echoed Regis. Seira shoved a jelly bean in his face. "Muh—"
"I dunno…" Shinwoo started. "The Principal's great, but he's still strict with stuff like this—well duh—he's the Principal. He'll totally think I'm a bad influence on Rai!" He scrunched up his nose, and everyone could see the exact moment a thought occurred in him. "Am I? A bad influence on Rai? I mean—you study, right?"
Popping open a coke, Tao handed it carefully over—like an offering—to Raizel. When he accepted it quietly, Tao grinned. "Ha—you really can-should chill, Shinwoo. I mean, yeah the Chairman is an uptight-perfectionist-with-uptight-expectations, but hey, not like you have a pay-cheque to cut."
As if Frankenstein had the heart to stop having the kid over to hang with his Master. He'd much sooner bail Shinwoo out of prison, for the express purpose of inviting the Master to internet cafes than cut him off over grades. Ah—high school kids are cute…Or, maybe that was just normal people?
He stopped eating when he realised Shinwoo was staring at him, boggled.
"Kay-okay, Um..er…..Rai…" Tao mumbled awkwardly. He was forced to keep up the charade for the kids' sakes, but not sure if he was allowed to use the word,
"uh…just tell him."
Raizel put down his can of fizzy drink as if it were a glass of fine wine, and turned to him with a look—address me how you wish—and then to Shinwoo. "…I don't think the Chairman will impose on you," he said lightly. "…But you can improve on your studies. Regis and Seira can help you."
The nobles looked to each other, then to Tao, and then to Raizel. They nodded once, intently.
"Shinwoo," Raizel spoke slowly, and the dishes behind them quietened a second time. "You have only ever been a positive influence on me." Raizel reached for the can again.
"….Hyuuungs', ajussiiiii—I need you to help me gain favour with the Chairrmann."
The entire table sighed.
It was late, much later when the doorbell rang again, and the Chairman let himself in.
"Apologies—oh. Hello everyone. Ah, apologies for being so late. Well, late night for everyone, is it?" His attention turned towards the trash-filled table, making him turn away to twitch slightly. "Have you all had dinner?"
"Welcome back Chairman Lee!" Shinwoo exclaimed in a clinical manner.
Ikhan waved a hand off the couch for him. "Hey Chairman, don't worry, we had cup ramen for dinner."
"Cup…ramen…for dinner?" Frankenstein skipped Tao, and went straight to eyeing Takeo and M-21 at the kitchen table. They looked away, suddenly very distracted by their fingers, the water tap.
"It was…yum," came a quiet voice. Raizel sipped his coke.
"Alright. Just…it's not healthy to eat cup ramen all the time. Next time you all come over, perhaps you can all politely ask Miss Seira to cook a proper dinner. Or I will," he added thoughtfully, " if I'm here. Excuse me."
He left the room for a while, and when he came back he sat with Takeo and M-21 around the high chairs of the kitchen table.
"Oh—guys, Rai's present!"
"Huh?"
"Oh yeah! Where's your present, you should open it already!"
"If it's actually from a secret admirer we won't judge."
Regis passed the bow-tied parcel to Raizel. He took it gently, sitting it snugly on his lap before looking up again at the children. Then he blinked, totally lost. Tao bolted up right after the moment's hesitation, putting two fingers together and going through the motions of opening the present for him.
Raizel looked to the parcel, then to Tao, and then to the parcel again, red eyes lit up with radicalising concentration.
"…Uh…Rai, I need to go home soon, you know. When you're ready…"
He did it the only way he knew—pulling apart the black ribbon with a pinkie finger gracefully extended. He unfurled the wrapping, like Tao motioned from afar, but taking far too much care on making sure it didn't rip in the slightest. The entire table leaned in, eyeing the gift.
"Frankenstein?"
Words I had to double check
Vanguard: At the forefront of new developments/ foremost part of an advancing army
Kingpin: A person or thing that is essential to the success of an organisation
First big multi-chaptered fic of mine, phew!