A/n: Hey, guys. This is a new story by me, and I hope you all enjoy. A kind of character study of my favorite Noblesse Character. Vaguely lemon flavored, but I guess it depends on how you view it.
Italics are thoughts.
Disclaimer: I don't own Noblesse; if I did, Rai would stop dying.
Frankenstein had lived a long life. That was indisputable.
He had been alive in the old days, back when fear and superstition ruled the land and when humans were still hopelessly weak.
Frankenstein was a doctor then. A scientist, too. He performed countless experiments to transcend human limits.
The vampires who terrorized his local hamlet proved no match for his newfound power. He took a few alive, though, for some experiments. The power that threatened humanity could be repurposed to help it.
So he experimented, dissected, learned all he could about the vampires, or nobles as they liked to be called.
When the Central Knights came all too late to try to clean up their mess, he captured them too. He learned more about the noble infrastructure and learned mind control, a signature noble power. He released the few nobles who weren't directly involved in the creation of the mutants.
It's nice to know that corruption runs rampant amongst noble society as well as human society, he mused. The so-called gods are more like us than they'd like to admit.
The villagers were quick to fear him and his power; they forgot about how he only did this to help them.
They called his works blasphemy against God. They didn't attack him, but simply avoided him like the plague.
Frankenstein was able to take a student. His name was Tesamu, a recently orphaned village boy. He approached Frankenstein first. He practically begged to learn under him.
Frankenstein knew he was part of the Union, a new group that wanted to steal his research for their own betterment, but he let him in anyways.
The two were happy for a time, diligently playing student and master. They were able to forget about the rest of the world: the fearful villagers, the cutthroat Union, the arrogant nobles.
That peace didn't last long, though.
The Union soon came to retrieve their agent. Frankenstein transferred his most important experimental data to a single journal, and burned all the rest.
He knew that this day was inevitable, but that didn't make the betrayal hurt any less.
Frankenstein faded from public view, becoming nothing more than a myth.
It was better this way, so no more innocents will be victimized.
Frankenstein was so lonely, though, but he could deal with it.
He had heard rumors that the Union was trying to build their own soul weapons to fight against the clan leaders. An admirable goal, if not for their methods.
Frankenstein was known amongst the humans for his unethical experiments, but the Union went too far; so many humans were sacrificed via plague or war without even knowing why...
Even for Frankenstein, that was low; he would at least have a better reason to massacre millions of the human race than to create a weapon which might not even work.
A weapon of countless human souls was far too dangerous for that power-hungry Union.
Frankenstein raided the lab where they stored the weapon. He made it his; no other will ever wield its power.
Its name was Dark Spear. The resentment and frustration of all those poor souls gave the weapon a will of its own. It wants justice for their deaths, but it's also lonely.
Dark Spear was a good match for Frankenstein; they had so much in common.
Dark Spear will always try to devour its wielder; the unfairness of their deaths kept them eager for blood, any blood at all.
With even more power, he could wipe out the nobles he previously struggled with ease, like swatting mosquitoes.
...Even the arrogant nobles back in Lukedonia were bound to notice his activities eventually; he just didn't think it would take so long though.
They sent out more Central Knights, the fools. A swarm of 1000 mosquitoes might look intimidating, but a mosquito is still a mosquito.
What was that saying again? Quality over quantity? How true it is...
They can't find him, though; those nobles underestimated him because he was a human.
What hubris.
After all, those haughty nobles never would have thought that he would hide in their homeland of Lukedonia.
The Lord sent two clan leaders after him after hearing of his victory over the knights. How flattering.
The two leaders were Ragar Kerita and Gejutel Landegre. They proved to be a challenging fight, even managing to overpower Frankenstein. But, Dark Spear and him were too now; he didn't have enough data on the limits of his new abilities.
He was lucky that, despite their age, the clan leaders were so naive. They were relatively courteous for nobles not to their mind reading on him; if they did, they wouldn't have fallen for "look behind you."
He ran; for the first time in decades, he remembered what is like to be powerless, to be a normal human again. He headed into the woods in order to lose them.
When he found a mansion in the woods, he thought it was a stroke of luck.
And, in a way, it was.
He thought he could blend into the waitstaff, using his mind control on the weaker nobles. His plan didn't work out, though; the mansion was empty and looked like it had been abandoned long ago.
He would have believed that had he not came upon an array of white shirts.
Since his own shirt was damaged in the fight... Waste not want not, right?
They belonged to the sole inhabitant of the house, a noble named Cadis Etrama di Raizel.
His raven hair glistened in the silver moon light, and his ruby eyes contained no malice; if Frankenstein were more religious, he would have called him a benevolent angel, his savior.
Even after he had broken into his home, this new noble had done him a great kindness; not only had Raizel allowed him to recover in his home, but he had also sent away his persecutors.
Who is this man?
He was a noble, but he had done no harm. Yet, that is. Perhaps he was waiting for an opening, but he was more than powerful enough to take him in a fight...
Frankenstein stayed in this mansion, carefully watching Raizel for any sign of ill will, but Raizel never did any harm. All he did was stand at that window observing the world outside. He never moved and rarely talked. Even during rainstorms, he would stand there not even bothering to close the window.
In the end, Raizel never sent him to see the Lord.
Some clan leaders visited every few decades or so to see Him: Roctis, Varuga, Urokai, Ragus, Edian, and Gradeus, mostly. Ragar and Gejutel came, too, but only to spar with Frankenstein or deliver some message from the Lord. The Lord himself came to visit Him once, only to bother Him about his drapes.
You would think that lunatic would be busier running a country and all.
Urokai and Frankenstein never got along, always fighting over one thing or another. From a certain perspective, it was only a matter of time before real fight broke out.
Frankenstein didn't think a few insults were worth killing him over, though; Urokai disagreed.
Urokai was reluctant to use full force on Frankenstein; he thought Frankenstein was worse than scum, less-than-human trash, unworthy to gaze upon his soul weapon.
Frankenstein's specialty, however, was provocation. Even the most stoic of nobles would fall prey to boughts of rage.
Urokai was no exception.
The fight was going all according to Frankenstein's plan; Urokai a marionette dancing in his palm, too blind to notice the thin strings that bind him.
Then Urokai did the unforeseeable. That one little pendant, silver and amethyst intertwining into a work of art; by itself, it had no power, but what it represented...
The Union not only did steal his research, smear his name as a common boogeyman, but they even killed Tesamu, their own operative
Unforgivable!!Yes, Frankenstein. Give in to us. Receive power at the cost of your soul!!
Frankenstein thought his long life would finally end. It was also the first time he was proven wrong.
Even within the dark depths inside Dark Spear, his soul consumed by its hatred, he could still hear His voice calling him back from the brink.
He was pleased that in his beserk state he hadn't done much harm to Raizel. But the look on the clan leaders faces...
What aren't they telling me?
He went back to the mansion to properly give thanks to his savior. He made Raizel's favorite tea: Earl Grey with 7.5 spoonfuls of sugar.
He didn't get to drink it; His hand trembled, the fine porcelain cup plummeting towards the wooden floor, losing its contents. Blood flew freely from his lips.
Did I do this to Him? He showed me kindness, and this is how I repaid him? But they said I only gave him scratches... What's going on?
Frankenstein, for the first time in his indisputably long life, begged. He strode up to the Lord's chambers and begged to know what had happened- why Raizel was in such a state? He needed to know.
For the first time, the obnoxiously cheerful Lord adopted a solemn air. His ever present council of clan leaders were dismissed.
For his own power to consume his life force... Yet he use it to helped me, someone who's sacrificed many of his kind for the sake of power...
The Lord had also told him of a blood contract, a bond allowing him to better serve Him. And protect him, too, from the use of his own power that eats up His life force and from the enemies who would wish him dead.
In order to "awaken" him and draw him back from Dark Spear, Raizel gave Frankenstein his blood. Now, to complete the contract, all Frankenstein had to do was give Him some of his blood.
A few drops in his tea would do; he wouldn't even be able to taste it with all that sugar in there.
When it came time, he didn't even think twice about slitting his wrist.
"Frankenstein, do you consent to this bond?"
Yes. Yes! Nothing would be better!
"Yes, Master."
He watched over the Master vigilantly; he managed upkeep of his home, prepared His meals, and kept watch over the Master; any enemies would have to go through him before they could even dream of so much as touching the Master, and he still retained his nasty streak.
His Master still watched over the outside from his window, a silent sentinel eternally gazing upon a world he could never be part of, doomed by his own infinite kindness to sacrifice himself in order to protect this ungrateful world. At least he was not alone this time; he had Frankenstein.
For the first time, Frankenstein was content; he had a plethora of powerful sparring partners, two almost-friends, and a wonderfully kind master to serve and protect.
Life, for once, was perfect.
All good things cannot last forever.
The end, the absolute worst day in Frankenstein's life, happened on a normal fall's day. There was no sign of the tragedy that was about to occur; the sky was a beautiful robin blue, the clouds white and fluffy, the grass made green solely by Frankenstein's diligent efforts swayed in the gentle breeze. All appeared the same as normal save one thing: his Master was not at his post by the window.
Frankenstein checked all the other rooms in the house, desperately hoping that the Master simply desired a change of scenery, a new window to look through.
It wasn't so; He was not in His house.
Perhaps the Lord summoned him.
So he went up the mighty caste steps. The Lord was in a meeting with his clan leaders, but that wasn't important; nothing was more important than the Master.
"Where's Master?"
"You interrupt us just because Lord Raizel finally got sick of your presence? As expected of filth like you-"
"Urokai. What do you mean, Frankenstein? I did not summon him."
"He's not at the mansion. I don't know where else He'd be." Master wouldn't leave His spot unless something important happened...
"I see... This is an unusual situation. Rest assured, we will find him."
But, they never did. At first, everyone including the clan leaders were out searching. Days turned to months and months to years. Not even the Central Knights bothered looking, nor the clan leaders that called themselves the Master's friends.
Only Frankenstein remained looking for Him; he could sense from their bond that He was still alive.
The world Master loved had forsaken him. Am I the only one who cared about Him? I alone will never betray him. I alone will never stop searching. Master, please be alive.
Frankenstein left Lukedonia in search of the Master. He never looked back.
For centuries, Frankenstein scoured the globe, all for naught; it was if his Master vanished from the face of the Earth.
Is Master avoiding me? Was Urokai right? Did he start to hate me? Did he finally realize I was not worthy of his generosity, of his attention? No, I can't think like this. Master would never do such a thing.
820 years of looking, 820 years of failure.
Frankenstein's approach had failed him, so he tried a different method; if he couldn't go to the Master, he would make the Master come to him.
He went to a country known as South Korea, relatively recently separated from its more violent counterpart. Master would have loved the peacefulness. He formed a school, Ye Ran High School, which tended to educate the human youth. He used his wealth, amassed during his centuries of fruitless searching, to form a place that gives its students access to assets they might not have had otherwise.
It didn't matter that he wouldn't be making a profit; others of this time period wondered if he was just incredibly generous or just a bit crazy.
They would never understand. Money was never the point. The school was not a learning institution nor was it a business venture, not to him; it was a grand temple dedicated to a forgotten God.
He was ashamed to admit, but he had lost all hope at this point. He smiled on the outside, to the humans of this time who could never imagine what he's lost, while he died on the inside; his inner demons both figurative and literal drank his despair and self-loathing like a fine wine.
Master, I would give 100 years of my life if it would make you return to me. I would kill, torture, rape; I would do whatever it takes to bring you back, just give me a sign. Please Master: don't leave me... Please...
Just as sudden as the End came, the Miracle happened; his Master returned. He came donned in the uniform of his students; a "transfer student" the redhead mistook him for.
Ultimately, the circumstances mattered not; his Master had returned!
He would serve the Master better than ever before. He vowed never to be so negligent again; if he had payed more attention to the Master, would this have happened?
Whoever took his Master away also weakened Him greatly; His life force was nearly depleted, beyond the point of recovery.
His Master had returned to him, but he was dying.
His Master would leave again, a terminal departure, not even a corpse left behind to care for.
Whoever did this to my Master will pay dearly... Even if my Master is no more, I will be. Like a curse, I will avenge him; I'll rip his enemies apart, torment their every living breath until they beg me for death. I'll sever their scheming tongues and cut off their blasphemous limbs piece by piece while they're still alive. They'll scream in agony as I annihilate everything they ever loved; they'll understand a fraction my pain when they stole my Master from me.
They will pay; I swear it on my life.
Frankenstein had lived a long life. That was indisputable. The Master became his reason for living; without him, he was nothing more than a living corpse. Without the Master, he could never be happy again.
They will pay.
