Disclaimer: Noblesse isn't mine.
Broken Glass (Part 26)
A haze drifted through the treetops, mixing and blending into the clouds until deciphering between the two became as difficult as dividing the soul from the spirit. His eyes slowly closed, cutting off the sight that only hindered his search, and he reached out with his remaining senses. The forest was silent. Even the constant chorus of insects had fallen dormant, and the birds seemed to have forgotten their songs. Trees swayed in unison, creaking and trembling while they struggled to hold their resistance against the fierceness of every gale, and raindrops plummeted to the earth as the force of this motion shook them from the leaves. He pressed beyond that, allowing these few sounds to fade as he listened for the distinct crackle of flames, but the resonance of it failed to find him. The fire must be farther away, and if it truly was that distant, it must be larger than he had presumed.
His hand stretched out, raising blindly through the air and gently landing against the trunk of a nearby tree. The bark felt damp and tender, softened by the incessant rain. Water trickled down it, adding to the swell that had already formed beneath the grass, and the ground was far too saturated to absorb the excess. It would be difficult to start a fire intentionally, much less naturally, under these conditions.
Another spray of raindrops hit the ground, striking him as well, and he opened his eyes again. The haze seeped lower through the branches until entire trees disappeared beneath its guise. Smoke blanketed the ground with the pungent odor of charcoal and flesh, yet it still smelled faintly sweet like the diluted aroma of burnt sugar.
"It couldn't be…" Frankenstein breathed in deeply, sorting through the scents, and choked back a cough as smoke filled his lungs. Each gust of wind forced the smoke deeper into the forest but replaced it with a thicker cloud than had been there before. He forged ahead, straining to follow the path as it faded in and out of the murky air. As long as he walked in the direction of the wind, he would eventually reach the fire's source.
The density of the smoke eased as he emerged from the forest, and the air cleared enough to see the shoreline. The ocean rolled toward the beach, drowning wave upon wave with every rise and fall. Frankenstein lifted his eyes from the tide, and his gaze traveled across the water far beyond the boundaries of Lukedonia where a pillar of smoke ascended from the opposing shore.
The village.
The one place he had taken the master.
It couldn't be. Not there.
He stopped at the farthest stretch of land where solely the ocean blocked his path. Investigating any further would require him to enter the realm of humanity, and crossing that barrier would only lead him to confinement. The lord had been tolerant before, unnecessarily gracious, but his final command had been resolute. Just like a prisoner, he must not leave the guard's sight, and if he returned to his original cell, the master would be alone again. Frankenstein shook his head as that thought pierced him through, and he could already imagine the heartbreaking expression hidden within that man's eyes.
"I thought I may find you here." The voice of the Kravei clan leader sounded already displeased, and the man hastened toward him with a look of determination. "Are you so foolhardy as to leave Lukedonia this soon? Did you think no one would be watching?"
"You have a knack for showing up where you are least wanted." Frankenstein glanced back at him and immediately returned his sight to the distant fire. Were the two really a coincidence? He would put that man to a test. "Did you come here merely to tell me that?"
"Of course I came here to tell you that. You are far too reckless to be left on your own. I feared that you may do something rash." Roctis slowed to a standstill, leaving enough space between them so that he had to raise his voice. "And I can see that I was right. You were on the verge of breaking your sentence."
"What is it to you whether I was or not?" A smirk overtook his lips as his tone soured. "Meddling in the affairs of humans?"
Either the question or the derision caught Roctis off guard, and he looked both affronted and taken aback. "I cannot interfere no matter what the humans do."
"Some protector of humanity you are," Frankenstein scoffed, prodding the man even further. "You won't interfere although a village is burning before you, and even when you do intervene, you cause a greater disaster than had been there originally. It's a wonder nobles claim to be the protectors of anything."
"For someone who desires the nobles to stay out of the lives of the humans, you certainly are involved in noble affairs." Roctis narrowed his eyes into a glare, but then they softened as his hand gently lifted to his chin. His fingers coiled into a loosely formed fist while he contemplated the thought, and when he spoke again, it came as a whisper. "It is a little strange how that is so one-sided."
"You nobles lock yourselves away on this island and bind yourselves with your own faulty laws. You know nothing of the needs of humanity. You can't even see that you are no longer necessary. The humans can protect themselves." Frankenstein glowered at the man and made no effort to disguise his disgust. "Your strength is wasted on you."
His hand fell to his side and disappeared beneath his cloak as his mouth flattened into a thin line. "And you are not so tame when your master is not around."
Frankenstein erased the distance between them with a single step. "Tame, am I? Shall I show you just how docile the master has made me?"
Roctis' fists tighten, and he hissed out a breath though clenched teeth. Another breath, more slowly this time, calmed him enough to fan out his fingers, and one final exhalation returned a placid expression to his face. "It merely concerned me how your actions may impact Cadis Etrama di Raizel-nim, and as I have told you before, I will not forgive you if you bring harm to-"
The master's presence.
A second passed, barely enough time for their words to quiet, and the master manifested before them, leaving a swirl of smoke in his wake. His shoes delicately landed on the ground, and with a flawless grace, his pace decreased to a casual walk.
"Cadis Etrama di Raizel-nim?" The words came too swiftly and were filled with confusion. Roctis fell silent again as if, after having said that, he could think of no more to say.
The master moved forward without acknowledging the greeting, cutting between the two as he approached the ocean. Roctis hesitantly took a step back and swept into a proper bow.
Frankenstein also crossed his fist over his heart, but unlike the Kravei clan leader, he took a step toward the man. "Is there something I can do for you?"
The master stopped along the shoreline where Frankenstein had previously stood and watched the smoke billow into the sky.
Would he be saddened if he knew the fire had ravaged their village? Or had he come here because he already knew? Frankenstein looked up from the bow, studying every flash of anguish that passed though that man's eyes. Perhaps it was better that their path had stopped here. There was no telling whether there was anything left to save, and if he didn't know the condition of the village, the destruction of it would not have to weigh on the master's mind. Still, the reason behind the fire…
"Frankenstein."
"Yes?" His attention snapped back to the master, and that man's eyes searched him with the same concern that his servant had shown him.
"Shall we go for a walk?"
"A walk?" The question sounded breathless. Was this for his sake?
The master leapt forward, easily propelling himself into the realm of humanity.
"Yes, of course." Frankenstein instantly followed, leaving Roctis dumbfounded on the shores of Lukedonia.