When he closed his eyes and focused on one thing too long, he remembered things. Jumbled thoughts, images and sensations in the distance. Bits and pieces of a whole, the edge of chipped glass that glinted far too brightly not to see or a fragment of a feeling that flitted through his chest. Frankenstein, aboard a ship and hunched over the rickety, wooden hull, water splashing around him and salt in the air. He was completely drenched, his hair strewn and slicked over his face. Frankenstein, taking the hand of a maiden and leading them to the ballroom floor — all grand, all sparkling, droves of smiling people twirling around him and wine glasses clinking.

Frankenstein, enraged, his jaws snapping indignantly as Dark Spear's fire crawled up his arms, making a show of himself to a frenzied crowd. Frankenstein, shutting his eyes hard amidst the centre of a sandstorm. Then the same scene flashed before his eyes, the same cracked wall, same dust piling in the corner. And then a girl — warm and kind. The most vivid thing wasn't a sight, it was a feeling. She'd gifted him something small, and it was as if a weight had been lifted off Raizel's own chest in that coffin. He'd felt happy.

He remembered this part especially: the sound of coins clinking in a bowl, low heels clacking against marble, mosaic floors. And more intricately, columns rising like spires to strike the arched roof, and the dawn streaking patterns of the stained glass window on the ground as he walked down the aisle. People were scattered about the large and airy place. It was only when he sat down on one of the long oaken seats that Raizel realised this was Frankenstein, with his hands knit together and head bowed low. He remembered the rest hazily though he knew it was important — had to be important if it was Frankenstein. All he could put a finger on was the utter and ineffable feeling of being so lost. And a yearning that could hurt. And smother. And hope.

Nobles did not dream. Involuntary successions of images and thoughts did not occur in noble psychology, who had full, conscious control over their bodies and minds. But alone in the coffin, Raizel slept on those images.

Mighty long fall

In the midst of an ugly fight, Lunark was the only one that noticed that the House of the Noblesse had arrived in its entirety: the young Loyard Clean Leader, a Kertia, a fledgling Landegre, the sniper human, strategist human, and the human that resembled her own people. A few short minutes ago, the logical and centred thing to do would be to engage with the enemies to this operation — the enemies of the Second Elder. Even if the Second Elder had wiped his hands clean of this operation without pulling Lunark out. But at present, Lunark did not engage. The House of the Noblesse stopped at the edge of the clearing staring at the carnage, Lunark at the opposite side staring at the same thing.

The wide clearing before them was scattered with disfigured, faceless weapons. Parts of robotic limbs and blades were stuck into the ground, blown clean apart by brute force. It would be like the bodies of the weapons the Noblesse's group had seen littered in the aftermath of that fight — what Frankenstein had fought during his last moments. What Lunark had fought alongside. Though a different model; the limbs of these could only shift into one type of blade — perhaps a prototype of the ones Faust had used against Frankenstein.

At first glance the parts had a glossiness to them, like a paint job of a new car. Gleaming white and mechanic. Some part of her had always assumed they were just that: made of nuts and bolts, controlled with a remote control with veins made of electric cables. Incapable of thinking, only animated for following orders; so nothing like what the Eighth Elder was. But then she saw the bleeding. Last Lunark checked, robots did not bleed.

She peered past Muzaka and Gradeus's fight to the House of the Noblesse and saw the same sort of reckoning in them. The faceless weapons she fought with before, the weapons Faust so easily deployed and discarded — they used to be...they were the remains of humans. Faust's weapons were humans.

The moment she understood that, Lunark had not jumped in to fight. She only watched as the implications of it sunk in. Faust using and throwing away his own people for his own ends. She tried not to liken it to how the Second Elder had ordered her to work under Faust and then forsake her for dead. Despite being an Elder, she didn't have the clearance to know she was being sent on a suicide mission. Lunark shook her head — her first loyalty was to her clan and her Lord; if she made this mission successful there was a chance to return to them both.

But there was something sickening knowing that she'd fought along these parodies of humans that had their fates sealed when Faust woke them from their tubes. Being human had made them fodder. What differentiated her from those former humans lying dead and decapitated on the floor? Sent to their loyal deaths by their creator and master. Maybe she was less than that, for fodder had a purpose, and her purpose had been fulfilled when the Second Elder had forsaken her as a show of goodwill to the Union. What if it wasn't her on this mission, what if it was Kentas? Would the outcome still have been the same? Against all odds, that thought was reassuring in some way — that it was her on this convoluted mission and not Kentas.

A screech put Lunark's attention back on the fight.

In the middle of the broken pieces and bordered by craters was Muzaka, snarling at the horde of what was left of the weapons. The household was still taking in the scene when Gradeus suddenly broke from the ranks of the weapons, pushing them out of the way until they broke to pounce Muzaka from behind. Muzaka reacted instantly, haunching and throwing around Gradeus's smaller form off of him. Then the weapons surrounding Muzaka closed in all at once as Gradeus wrangled himself from the fray to collect himself.

Messad glowed with eagerness as Gradeus's blood flowed off from the hilt to the axe, infusing it with more power. He was once called the 'War God' for his paradoxical powers, powers that grew stronger with every bit of damage dealt. They'd been at each other's throats for a while, Gradeus tirelessly jumping back in with his ever-growing powers and Muzaka holding him down with his unlimited stamina.

Lunark's brows furrowed. Muzaka had taken multiple direct hits that should have proven lethal on anyone else, even other werewolves whose regeneration couldn't match that of his. They'd healed up in half a minute after a gallon of blood was lost. There were still a dozen or so of the faceless weapons left. She looked down at her bloodied, shaking claws and spat on the ground. All this time had past and Muzaka did not seem to want to fight her.

When Gradeus held Muzaka's attention before, Lunark had put away her personal qualms and hit Muzaka with everything she had. She'd raked her claws across his body and Muzaka spun around to reciprocate. When he saw who his attacker was, Muzaka had flinched. He furled his claws away and hit her in the stomach, wheeling her back.

"It's Lunark, isn't it?"

Lunark watched Muzaka's face bash into the flat side of Gradeus's axe. Muzaka spun around, took Gradeus by the wrist, and chucked him through four trees. "I betrayed our family no more than Raizel betrayed the nobles," he huffed, chest heaving. "Which was none! By the way!"

Lunark was well aware the Noblesse was accused betraying the nobles due to the Union's orchestration. She had not been allowed to know Muzaka had been in secret stasis in all that time that the Noblesse had gone missing. And now he had come to aid the Noblesse? She did not understand.

Another faceless weapon was wrenched apart by Muzaka. Occupied again, this was as good a time to attack as any. Lunark came at him from the front. She bounded forward, twisted her body at the last second and lashed out at Muzaka's side. The faceless weapons immediately came to her aid as she sliced into him. Muzaka turned and threw the lighter half of the weapon at her before beating back the others again. Why did he not fight back?

"Lunark!" Gradeus used the flat side of Messad to bat her away. Lunark dug her claw into the ground, forcing herself to a quick stop. She threw her head up at him, growling.

Gradeus rolled his eyes. "If you're not going to hit hard then get out of the way!"

In that very same moment, Muzaka's foot collided with his neck and bowled Gradeus into the ground with three weapons still attached, by the blade in their arms, into his shoulder blade. "Better concentrate, War God!"

There was a short moment where Muzaka winced and Gradeus chopped into his leg.

"MUZAKA!" Gradeus slashed through the air, hacking at nothing as Muzaka pulled back for once. New skin immediately erupted from the wound, healing back seamlessly before Gradeus knocked the bone of his kneecap awry. Lunark clenched her jaw as the faceless weapons piled atop of Muzaka.

Gradeus swung up Messad again, eyes flaming and yelling as he bought it down.

Lunark was never loyal to the Union, she was loyal to the Second Elder and only the Second Elder. In a clan of proud warriors, those warriors were expected to die for their Lord. Lunark, all of a sudden, or maybe this was a lengthy rebellion finally running its course — Lunark thought it didn't feel right to have to die for someone who'd sacrifice their own like a frivolity. So who really betrayed who?

There was a difference between them: those faceless human weapons could not think for themselves, but Lunark could.

"Lunark?" Muzaka muttered in the aftermath of a blast that shook the grounds as Gradeus had beat down on him. Lunark pushed her crossed claws against Messad's hilt, pushing the soul weapon back, shielding Muzaka in the dust. Gradeus's eyes bulged with a palpable anger.

"You…traitor…" he strained, voice quivering with rage. What did he care? Gradeus was a hazard to beings with minimal intelligence. Perhaps he truly did not know that Lunark had not sold her soul to Faust or the Union. It had always been the Second Elder. She was going to get a mouthful from Kentas if she ever made it out of this.

"A little hypocritical, aren't we, Gradeus?" Lunark smirked. With a surge of power, she knocked Messad out of range with her left hand and struck Gradeus with her right. "We both heard that Union announcement play twenty or thirty odd times. If you had an ounce of allegiance to the Union you would have used your axe for proper purposes and found your way to Faust's neck!"

Gradeus pulled back from her stab. He shifted to lean his weight from one leg to the other, regarded the gaping wound for a moment. Shaking his head, he picked up Messad.

Lunark flicked her claws coated with Gradeus's blood, broadcasting it.

"Ppfffft!" Gradues haunched and stuck Messad into the floor again just to laugh. He clapped a hand over his mouth, holding his stomach and then pointed at Lunark with wild eyes. "Lunark, you just threw away everything in a — just wait till your precious Second Elder hears of this," he choked out, half-delirious from the rush of his own aura.

Lunark swallowed at that and accepted it.

"Yeah?" Muzaka's said gruffly.

Gradeus got up and, in a flash of speed, cut the decapitated head of a faceless weapon in two that was whirling towards him. His flaming eyes slitted down into a predatory glare.

Still poised in a throwing position, Muzaka's lips curled upwards. "First, you have to get back to tattle to the Second Elder, don'tcha?" Muzaka said, dusting his hands off. "And Second, you have to be alive for that to happen, right?"

Gradeus marched forward. Suddenly, Messad flew back into his hand. Relishing in the looks on their faces, Gradeus flipped his axe to slice up his own body. Blood spider-webbed over Messad and Gradeus's aura gushed again.

Muzaka raised his brows. "Right, Lunark?" He beamed at her. Fangs glinting.

Lunark extracted her claws again. "I'm only doing this because I dislike following Faust's orders and Gradeus…"

Muzaka lifted a brow.

"…Is Gradeus." She sighed. Lunark bounded forward, dealing punches to Gradeus before something cold and sharp pierced her shoulder, her hip, her arm. The faceless weapons began to swamp her now, and she couldn't tug all of them off at once. "GUH-" Gradeus moved away for Muzaka, but Lunark pulled him back by the wrist.

When her sight became completely obstructed, only the clang of Messad falling onto the floor and Gradeus freeing himself from her hold make some sort of sense. A yell growled from somewhere and a blast shot past her shoulder. It was enough for Lunark to collect a beam into her hand and fire off the other weapons off of her.

"Over here, War God!" Muzaka zipped forward to meet Gradeus again.

Lunark kept hitting back the faceless weapons. She didn't bother to count how many there were when she left the base, but now it seemed far too many.

At her side, the noble war god and ex-werewolf leader clashed. She didn't know how it would go — what with Muzaka-nim's accelerated healing abilities and Gradeus's weird party trick. The more he got injured, the more powerful he got. But then, Muzaka-nim could go on fighting forever with his power.

Muzaka-nim?

Lunark stopped another faceless weapon from getting to him before—"LORD MUZAKA!"

Muzaka flinched to the side. Her warning gave it away to Gradeus as well, and he ducked just in time for a black scythe to cleave off a few locks of hair. They fluttered to the floor where he stood and Muzaka skidded back with Messad poised to his chest.

"Loyard girl," Gradeus sneered.

"Loyard Clan Leader?!" Muzaka corrected without an arm, deeply impressed. As his ligaments coiled out from the arm-stump he wiped the pleasant expression off his face. "I told you guys not to come."

"The Kertia do not flee from the likes of an axe to the face!" Rael announced as he drew Grandia.

"It is my duty as Clan Leader to aid the Noblesse." Seira plucked the scythe tip from the ground and craned it over her shoulder. "And besides. The Noblesse should not have to bother himself with the likes of you."

Seira swooped down on Gradeus, swinging Death Scythe through the air. Gradeus dodged, pulling Messad away from Muzaka's neck. Death Scythe swooped past Muzaka, putting an inch-long cut under his rib. The force of its power kept going, forcing Gradeus to guard his forearm against Messad and shield behind it.

"I really like Raizel's friends," Lunark heard Muzaka say. Muzaka ran a hand over his head, shook whatever debris had landed on him and shrugged at Lunark. "Right, Lunark?"

"Frankenstein tried to murder me," she replied.

"Yeah. Frankenstein's like that," Muzaka pursed his lips.

"It happens, don't take it personally," Tao grinned.

"Can confirm," Takeo's voice said, cracking from Tao's radio chip.

Muzaka turned around. "I'm sorry, who the heck are you?"

"Me? Raizel's friend?" Tao answered. "I mean…officially, his school security guard." Tao put his hand on his hips and puffed out his chest. "But unofficially, you can call us the RK. We're Raizel's knights." Lunark watched Tao turn to his peers, ginning enthusiastically. They all stared at him blankly. "C'mon guys, give us some credibility here..."

Seira politely cleared her throat, "Tao, since the incident in Lukedonia, the RK has been recognised by all the Clan Leaders. Gejutel K Landegre, Rajak Kertia, myself and the Lord, for example."

"Can I just get a hell yeah? The RK is an established knighthood in Lukedonia. How much more official can we get?" Tao piped up.

"Hell yeah," Muzaka quickly said when no one answered him.

"Lord Muzaka, your left," Lunark stated.

He shifted to the right. Gradeus swung a blade into nothing. Muzaka had moved again, snagging around to clutch at his throat. Gradeus spluttered, striking a fist up from under Muzaka's hold. Muzaka's elbow cracked and let go without choice. So instead, he threw his head forward to knock against Gradeus's. It was just as quaint that Gradeus had the same idea. Muzaka fell back against Tao, and Gradeus to Lunark.

Lunark just got a hold onto Gradeus before Seira landed beside her, quick and light, scythe coming at them. Able to decapitate them both in one go.

"DON'T!" Muzaka cried and Tao let go of him, "She's on our side!"

As soon as he made the words come out of his mouth, Seira stopped, though her scythe unable to stop from the momentum. With a split second spasm, Seira slammed her soul weapon into the ground instead. The delay gave Gradeus the opportunity to take hold of Lunark behind him and fling her over his shoulders. Lunark spat blood and caught Gradeus's two fists before they hit her. "You'll regret this, traitor!" he hissed. Gradeus's was outnumbered and all his anger was turned on her, now.

"Coming from a traitor yourself, how's that faring for you?" Lunark bit back, Gradeus's fists digging into her palms.

"Traitor of a traitor!" he hissed.

Lunark frowned. "Listen, a coup d'etat that worked is legitimate!"

They wrestled, Lunark rolling atop Gradeus and Gradeus rolling out from under her and her kicking him off. They tangled, clawing each other and leaving no openings for the others to jump in without harming Lunark, and Lunark steeled herself to surge a beam.

"UGH, MESSAD!" Suddenly, Messad separated from the dirt a few metres away, and began flying towards Gradeus.

"Aim for his eyes, Lunark!" Muzaka pounced forward, claws scraping against Messad as he grasped it out of the air and held on to stop it from reaching Gradeus. But Messed was still being pulled to Gradeus, hovering forward ever so slightly and pulling Muzaka with it. He planted his feet into the ground and heaved it back. "GET HIM!"

Lunark was deadlocked with Gradeus, him having rolled atop of her again and she was fast losing strength to hold back the War God's fists.

"NOW!" someone shouted.

The zing of bullets that was let loose flew far too close to her, shots sounding from nowhere as they ricocheted off random objects to fly right through Gradeus. Gradeus flinched at the ninth shot and Lunark bent in one of his elbows, pushing him off. Seira cut her scythe between them, wedging it into the dirt before kicking off the ground. Using the hilt as a pivot, she swept herself up to kick Gradeus square in the jaw. When he recovered Seira was still in the air; more shots fired, ricocheting off of Death Scythe and launching into Gradeus again.

"Who the HELL?!"

Lunark looked to the trees, eyes shifting around. Even if the sniper was supposed to be on her side, being out in the open made her far too exposed.

"Here."

Gradeus's flaming eyes fell on Tao, who was grinning. Without comment, Gradeus began to march towards him, fists clenching and unclenching in anger and fury.

Lunark bounded forward. What was the Clan Leader doing? The human was about to die.

"Riiiiight. There." Tao flashed a smirk, eyes hidden under his bangs.

Lunark stopped. Gradeus stopped. Tao threw up his arms, exposing the coils of cables around his wrists. With a great lurch, they tangled around Gradeus. Tao took a tug, a serious expression weighing down his features and darkening his face, nodding to nothing as he motioned to the sniper.

"Please stay back, Lunark."

Light flashed and electricity buzzed, yet Lunark didn't look away from Gradeus — she watched him getting fried by the Noblesse's school security guard. She didn't know how much damage it'll really do, but Gradeus was yelling all the same.

When the electricity stopped, Gradeus looked up, licking his lips at Tao. Tao's eyes widened — not in shock, but in sheer, benign acknowledgement. "Look out, Raizel's traitor."

Gradeus looked behind him, immediately getting a face full of Messad's flat side. Muzaka was huffing heavily, wielding a noble soul weapon that didn't obey him. "War God! Pick on someone your own size!"

"None of you are my size!" Gradeus screeched back. He knee'd Muzaka again, two heads shorter than him, and with a simple flick of his arm, commanded Messad to come. Messad jerked out of Muzaka's hand and landed back in Gradeus's.

"Can someone fill me in?" M-21 dropped down before Tao and Seira. "Did you screw up the plan? Why haven't you guys taken out the noble already?"

"What?" Takeo interjected as he landed beside them, his sniper rifle perched over his shoulder, "You think it's easy to take down the guy's whose moniker is 'War God'? He gets stronger every time we deal damage to him or he loses blood."

"What have you been doing?" Tao said. "Moseying around with those...anti-clan leader weapons?" he opted to say.

It only occurred to Lunark now that Faust's faceless weapons had all mysteriously disappeared from the grounds, expect for a clutter of broken pieces.

"They're not even anti-clan leader weapons!" He hesitated. "But they were hard, anyway…" M-21 said much more quietly.

"Well, you sure took your time," Tao shrugged it off. There was no saving the human weapons. They were far beyond saving.

"Say that to my face, you." Rael stepped out of the dark, Grandia clutched in each hand and veins popping on his forehead. Regis stepped out behind him, nodding to Seira.

Tao blanked his face and played dumb. Seira sighed, making a slight blush redden Rael's face. He pulled back, horrified in eliciting her annoyance.

"Ok. So. By the authority bestowed on me — us — by Seira's explanation, Raizel's Knights will hereby, officially, totally, crush you," Tao took one step to the side and nudged Seira,"it is 'Gradeus,' right?"

"What 'explanation?'" M-21 asked monotonously. Now Muzaka ambled forward, alarming M-21 as he slouched to whisper in his ear, claw politely covering his mouth to explain how Seira had said the RK were recognised and legitimate. He wan't even sure where Muzaka had fit into whole equation, but didn't question it.

"Anyway," Regis began to say, tilting his chin into the air, "Tao is right. We're not here to apprehend you, traitor Gradeus." He smiled, stroke of pride in his voice. He turned to the household. "Let's do this for the Principal."

Lunark watched as Raizel's Knights all went rigid. A moment of silence fell, one so heavy and reverent that she didn't even dare break it. Didn't want to. Frankenstein — he meant a lot to these people, didn't he? Despite what the Union had always painted him as, what she'd seen him do — he had given everything himself for these people to the bitter end.

"What the hell did I ever do to that punk human?" Gradeus sneered. He was huffing, letting his wounds heal over and his aura to double. Any more damage, and he wouldn't be able to get stronger without the side effects showing. Fatigue bit into the back of him, threatening to spill if he let this continue. He cracked his neck, "Tch!"

"Nothing," Takeo said. "But you were part of the plot to betray Sir Raizel. That's reason enough."

Gradeus ran at them all. All eight of them. Clan leaders and Werewolves and nobles and enhanced humans, armed to the teeth and fuelled by determination and ruthlessness.

Gradeus swung Messad out of control, whirling around like a beast and getting thrown around by Muzaka, Lunark. Rael's daggers stabbed into him and Tao's electricity crackled. Bullets flew and M-21 and Seira cut into him. Gradeus bounded around his enemies, taking more damage than he could regenerate and channel back into power.

When Seira finally crouched beneath Lunark's attack and swiped Death scythe up to take Gradeus's left arm, it didn't heal back. Grades stumbled and fell. "Loyard, you—" he struggled for breath. The orange fire of his eyes smouldered, going out for a second, and then faltered. His wounds ceased to heal.

"YAH!" Regis sprinted forward, only to be stopped by Muzaka.

"Wait, Landegre!" he let go of Regis as he frowned his befuddlement. "Look at him. He's not healing anymore."

"Yes? That's why I was going to keep punching him?"

"What are you trying to do, Werewolf?" Rael shot him a look not unlike Regis's.

"Hey! He's still the Previous Werewolf Lord, kid!" Lunark snapped.

Muzaka threw up his hands, "I'm saying we should stop ganging up on him and you guys should let me finish! You know you kind of interrupted on our fight, right? Now that there's no more 'getting stronger as you hit him,' can I finish hitting him?"

"Why do you get to hit him to the end?" Rael squinted.

"I say we all hit him at once," M-21 said without emotion. "That's fair."

Seira pursed her lips, thinking for a moment. "What Lord Muzaka means to say is, one on one battles are deemed the most honourable."

A silence followed.

"Was betraying Sir Raizel honourable?" Regis questioned.

Tao and Takeo looked at each other. M-21 rolled his eyes. Seira patted Regis on the shoulder. Lunark lifted a brow to Muzaka.

"You know what," Muzaka said, "You guys hit him. You've earned it. Go crazy."

The park side was completely destroyed when they were done.

"Tesamu," M-21 said first, panting, "Where is he? Where's Sir Raizel?"

Sounds of another fight boomed above the lake. "We gotta go there," M-21 said, turning around. "We're done here. He's had enough fun for himself," he said morbidly. M-21 began trekking towards the lake. All of a sudden, Muzaka appeared in front of him, expression a little confused. "Where do you think you're going?"

"Where do you think we're going?" M-21 reacted instantly.

Muzaka regarded him for a second. The others quickly gathered behind M-21. "It looks like you're going to get yourself killed between their fight."

Regis jumped in front of M-21, harshly and accidentally bumping him back. "Sir Muzaka," he said, putting up a hand to stop him, "This isn't up for debate. We're officially recognised in Lukedonia as Sir Raizel's Knights. It's our job to defend him!" he fumed, and then added snidely, "M-21 isn't dying anywhere, anytime soon."

Then Rael stepped in front of Regis. "Previous Werewolf Lord or not — the objective word is 'previous.' Besides, you have no authority here! I say you get out of the way and we'll get on with aiding the Noblesse."

Rael began to walk past Muzaka. Muzaka reached behind him as he past, immediately and easily dragging him right back.

"YOU—"

"You're not letting us help Raizel-nim?" Takeo stated, almost in disbelief.

Muzaka looked to the ground, going serious. "Listen to me, listen to me. I'm here as his friend and I'm doing this on his request. I stop everything that tries to get close to him during his fight: friend or foe. This is his fight and he needs it more than anything."

The household exchanged looks, horror creeping into their faces. "That's a dumbass request and you know it!" Tao said.

"It doesn't matter what you all think," Muzaka said, abruptly changing. He narrowed his eyes, the silver in them gliding over each of them, Lunark backing him. "Raizel doesn't want help. Besides," Muzaka turned to look at the fight. "There's no way he will lose."

It did not feel like righteousness, nor duty or divinity: doing the deed felt ugly and dirty and harsh. It was the Noblesse that had left Lukedonia, who had waited at the docks and carefully choosen his words to face his opponent. It was the Noblesse that was bound by duty to vanquish this enemy that threatened everything that was slipping out of his hands.

But as soon as he summoned his power and felt his wings brush against the sky, Raizel had come to fight as just himself.

It was hard to separate duty and desire now, and maybe it couldn't really be separated if this was for Frankenstein. Maybe it was unprofessional of him to fight as he desired for that frivolous, selfish thing called revenge, but then again if the Noblesse of this world had been anyone else, it would have been considered justice. Raizel had let himself feel hate and anger. Now it veiled everything, packing the earthen structures inside him tighter, heavier, impenetrable, and the sheer force of his power was ripping away at his insides in a way that it had not being forced to do but for eight hundred and twenty years ago.

Not far away, Tesamu shot his arm into the air preparing for another attack. Though it was Raizel who controlled the domain now, a few purple bolts shot down at his command. Raizel batted them away easily before Tesamu charged again.

Raizel seemed stationary as he moved his arms to direct direct his attacks. Two wings lifted above his head, shielding him from intervals of falling projectiles; two wings whisked and beat, dealing damage to Tesamu and shattering his shields; the last two lowered at his side, guarding him and throwing off aura attacks coming from all directions. Tesamu was unpredictable in that way, constantly on the move with Dark Spear both possessing him and still in the physical form of the spear. As the fight went on, flashes of light burst across the sky and sounds of hard impacts and auras clashing boomed and echoed away.

Tesamu charged again, and this time he appeared right next to Raizel. But Raizel didn't startle when he flung the spear point blanc at him. A pair of wings immediately shrouded his body, catching the spear. As they peeled away, a strong flap redirected the spear back towards Tesamu. He banked left, letting the weapon travel past him, but the reflex had disrupted his sequence and he was caught by one of the motions of the blood wings. The blood aura of Raizel's wings passed through Tesamu, sapping the energy right out of his body. Tesamu threw himself back violently. When he had a moment to take in the damage, he found himself panting.

Something shifted in the corner of his eye and Tesamu snapped his eyes up, not realising it was a mistake. As he glared daggers at Raizel, Raizel pulled off his line of defences, unfurling large wingspans to reveal energy warping at his fingertips and buzzing to be released. Tesamu narrowed his eyes, immediately readying himself to dodge when his body betrayed him. He stayed put straight in his very wide line of attack. He had already locked eyes with him too long. Tesamu growled, freeing himself with a quick tug and spin out of the way. He could resist mind control, but it was too hard when trying his mind was occupied with Dark Spear and the lapse had been as subtle as staying frozen for the mere two seconds that mattered. And it was by design. Even if 'poor' couldn't begin to describe Raizel's hopelessness with real combat, he was no fool in a battle.

Raizel's attack beamed through his shoulder. Tesamu jerked up and yelled with Dark Spear laced within it.

Raizel didn't relent. He lifted an arm immediately, collecting aura for another attack. Tesamu shuddered as he held onto his shoulder, his eyes darting around to find where the next attack would come from. Left, no; right, no; above? Nothing. The shoulder healed faster than it should have. It was an early sign that Dark Spear was getting antsy as flesh and veins pulled itself back together and Tesamu felt it intimately. The pain of regeneration was often much worse than the actual attack. He spun again trying to find the attack when something rumbled beneath him. Below, he mouthed, as he set bone back into place. A water spout made completely out of aura rose from below and began to head his way. With a blast of power, Tesamu punched through it, making it dissipate from the top down. Raizel frowned and glided another hand through the air, summoning more. More bloody spouts began to form like tornadoes around them, rising into the air and making it impossible to use speed to get around his wingspan. Raizel watched Tesamu balk as his options narrowed.

The Noblesse's blood field allowed him complete control over the medium of blood. It was made for vaporising. On enemies that required more than that, the blood wings harnessed all power for combat. The way his wings stirred the air created strong centres of atmospheric pressure, which gave rise to vortexes that rotated around it. Six or seven or so of the technique hovered above the lake — less of what he'd produced during the battle with Urokai and Zarga, but with his entire power set manifested and blood wings summoned, it was more than enough.

"…Then…" Tesamu tilted his head to the sky and then nodded downwards. Projectiles began to fall all around them, some landing and dissolving into Raizel's blood spouts, some disappearing into his wings. The shower of projectiles beat down until suddenly, the downpour suddenly stilled. Tesamu controlled the fall and stopped them, hundreds of them surrounding Raizel, hanging vacantly in midair. Tesamu's eyes darted from left to right, judging how long he could hold position until the spouts closed in. Slowly, the vertical projectiles began to vibrate. They turned to point towards Raizel, locking in his position.

"You've always relied completely on raw power as the only way to do battle. Ergo, you disregard all else. It doesn't matter that you don't fight hand to hand. You're too complacent." Suddenly, Tesamu shifted, forcing the projectiles to shoot towards Raizel. But Raizel was slow, with too much to think about, too much to maintain. His wings curled over to cover him, dozens and dozens of javelin-like projectiles digging into them. The purple energy was extinguished and merged into red as Raizel got rid of Tesamu's projectiles.

Tesamu huffed, waiting to see the result. The speed of the attack far surpassed that of the movement of his wings - it was what was dragging the fight on and what Tesamu had counted on. Raizel's wings drew apart like curtains, revealing a single of Dark Spear's projectiles lodged below his breast. Tesamu grinned, his grin vanishing as Raizel clasped a hand around it easily. Raizel pulled the weapon out, making it dissipate.

He didn't tilt his head lower to better face Tesamu, only kept him in his minimal line of sight. "I have yet to meet an opponent in which I cannot not put down with 'raw power.' "

"Even at the cost of yourself?"

"Tesamu," Raizel said softly, "I have only done battle with Frankenstein once. On the day he went berserk and lost himself on Lukedonia. I understand that he was not of sound mind, but the fight had ended very quickly."

Tesamu threw his head back and sneered. "You want to know why Frankenstein lost to you, then? Do you?"

Raizel just looked at him, unshaken. "Speak. I insist."

"It's exactly as you said yourself. He lost because that wasn't really Frankenstein — not all of him, anyway. That was Dark Spear, auto piloting emotions and what reflexes he happened to have. That was bark and bite and brute force with no head to assimilate." Two vortexes closed in on Tesamu. Heaving, he wrenched away. Soon after, another came into close proximity and he jumped out of the way of that one too. Multiple began to travel towards him again.

"If you have a 'point,' let it be known," Raizel said, brow creasing.

Tesamu began to shout as he evaded collision.

"Professor Frankenstein had made a reputation of himself winning enemies that were more powerful than him. Because — because he, he used every variable and usable aspect of him to his advantage: technique, strategy, terrain, psychology, the power of his enemies used against them." Tesamu stared Raizel down, smirking.

To Tesamu's bewilderment, Raizel's face slowly stretched into a smile. "You're saying that Frankenstein could have seen victory over me," he said, voice quite agreeable. "…in my humble opinion, I believe that could be so. But…"

Raizel's wings unfurled, stretching to their fullest. "That does not matter, Tesamu. You may say all you want, you may be convinced of it, but there is one variable that cannot be changed."

Tesamu clenched his fist. "What?"

"You are not Frankenstein."

Tesamu leaned back. "What?"

"You say Frankenstein may defeat me, and you blatantly compare yourself to him as if it would give you an edge. You are not Frankenstein," he said simply. "I know Dark Spear will not fight for you."

"They'll fight for me if it's against you!" he cried. Tesamu charged again.

This time, blood wings didn't furl over Raizel or flick Tesamu away like a fly. To his surprise, he met Raizel directly, claws chock-filled with aura blocked by the noblesse with just three fingers. "Tesamu," he said, "you may have gained his knowledge, but you failed to inherit what was important — not his will to protect or his want for justice." There was quiet for a moment, a terrible, haunting quiet. "You did not inherit Frankenstein's heart." Tesamu's eyes widened.

"'My bonded's apprentice.' Tesamu," Raizel continued, shutting his eyes for a moment. "You have long lost your right to call yourself that."

Tesamu broke out of Raizel's hold, dealing a blow to his chest. Whipping around to strike again, he was stopped by Raizel, arms parrying the move and then redirecting the aura attack that shot a hole through a wing. Words from someone like him shouldn't have stung but Tesamu was with Dark Spear and they lapped it up and fed it back and it was lies, and it was scare tactics, and it was-

"The fortunate news is that Frankenstein had graciously erected a school. In another life, you should enrol in it, learn what you failed so horrendously to learn this time."

And then Raizel lifted an arm high, looking down on Tesamu as his entire body seized up. Tesamu realised just too late that he'd looked him in the eyes too long, that he'd fallen for the same trick twice, that he was careless. Or maybe this was calculated, Raizel's timing was not coincidence, all the hundreds of things that could have gone wrong had gone wrong and he never had a chance in the first place.

Raizel watched the defiance in his eyes lapse, turning into something embarrassing and shameful. There had to be more. There had to be more to say, but Raizel said nothing. Perhaps he didn't want to waste his breath on him anymore, perhaps he thought Tesamu already knew. But Tesamu didn't know. Dark Spear beat against his skull, just as powerless as he was. The red aura was like Frankenstein's, wreathed in his hand like flames. Raizel arched his head, poised to kill.

In that moment, Tesamu was still, his body trapped in snowdrift, terribly, terribly cold.

All of a sudden, without warning, the blood spouts collapsed.

Like tattered ends breaking, or souls unraveling, it all came apart. A tremor ran through Raizel's body, starting small from the roots of his wings and ending in a rift. His powers jolted, wrangled, and Raizel leaned over to hold a hand to his mouth, stopping him from giving the final blow. The winds picked up, gusting behind him as his wings began to drag and wilt. He coughed blood. Tesamu's eyes went wild and wide, his control put back into his body as he slumped before Raizel.

Raizel straightened, his lithe form wavering in Tesamu's amber eyes. Tesamu leaned back. With a grunt, he threw his head back as strands of Dark Spear split down his face, parting away like dead snake skin. Had the plan worked? Had he fizzled himself out? Did Tesamu have enough in him to reverse that killing blow and claim a victory?

"So you're done now." Tesamu nodded to him, eyes twinkling. "It took you long enough, Cadis Etrama di Raizel," he said, voice a mere whisper, "But I want you to know, you'll never see Frankenstein again. Not as long as I have Dark Spear."

Raizel wobbled left and right, struggling to keep himself in the air.

"You hurt him," Tesamu said. "You hurt him and took his freedom and his everything and had the gall to call him yours."

Dark Spear jingled behind his ears as they came alive again, shushing themselves into silence. "You manipulated him and played with him and made him care about you!" he screeched, his mind going white. "You're just...like. Me."

Raizel didn't speak — couldn't. Tesamu stared at him, wondering how much longer it could take. The world had stopped again, and Raizel wore his slow-beating heart on his red tainted sleeve.

"Look here," Tesamu whispered. If he reached out to touch him right now, he could grab his face and make him look. But he didn't.

"Look at me."

Raizel looked up. Tesamu showed his distaste for him in his expression, accepting that he had won.

Like him?

A golden boy, with sunshine hair, and amber eyes, bright and smiling and running down the walls of Frankenstein's mind.

And the knowledge that he was failing got bigger and bigger, the weight of his own of his wings grew heavier and heavier. The kaleidoscope pattern swirled and drooped, the gleam of its iridescence dulled. His six wings began to drip.

He had hurt Frankenstein, hadn't he?

"One day, even the sun will run out of light. As the Noblesse, you have the same fate," he said. "I've only made fate turn faster."

He and Tesamu.

Raizel shook his head, blood spiderwebbing down his chin.

"You should die now, Cadis Etrama di Raizel," Tesamu said to him with Dark Spear in his voice. "Just die."

Funny. He thought there may even had been a touch of pity in Tesamu's tight, hoarse voice.

He fought so hard to stay upright. He couldn't let it end like this. He couldn't afford to fall.

Raizel moved, one last tilt up to see Tesamu's face, already blurring.

He fell.

.

.

.

.

.

All there was, was confusion.

It seemed so small, so inconsequential from the distance they were at. A blight in the sky no bigger than candle smoke billowing. A short moment afterwards, the wind leapt up into their faces, blowing back the dust and tree branches and long grass.

And then came the rain.

Drops of red showered over the children. They all stilled in sick, morbid reckoning. It was unearthly. Red warped around the falling figure, unfurling and evaporating behind him in streaks of dimming light and power, peeling back to reveal one wingless noble. His wings had vaporised, pair by pair, littering scale-like droplets and fragments over the night sky. The remains of a nebulae storm, swirling and stirring into a shower. The most sudden and warning-less monsoon swept over the lands, touching everything. It stopped just as clean cut, just as simply.

A call ripped over the silence then, making the backs of their necks shiver. But they didn't turn to see what it was, couldn't take their eyes off the descending man as their Raizel kept falling, head-first, finally disappearing from where they could see him.

The children all dropped what they were doing in that split second instance, Tao crawling over the parts of Tesamu's weapons and helped by Takeo over to the path as M-21, Seira and Regis hurried forward to the lake. Muzaka's mouth was wide open, a sort of defeat in his eyes like he'd been slapped in the face as he watched on, waiting for something when nothing more happened. Lunark averted her eyes, knowing what it all meant. She watched as the children scrambled away, leaving their enemy and ally behind.

It all happened too quickly. In the confusion, no one bothered to think of who had called out, striking them out of all their stupor. No one saw another man dive off the neighbouring cliffside, free falling into the lake after the Noblesse.

Notes.

Here's a long one for the wait. Thank you so much for your reviews, they're what keeps me going with this fic. 'Mighty Long Fall' is an One OK Rock song that I love. I want to make it the theme of this chapter hahaha. Tesamu could never win Raizel in a fight but Raizel cannot fight for a second longer than he is physically capable. And he pulled every trick he had. He exhausted himself and Tesamu was counting on it.

Dubu Jorim - Tesamu being Extra is Right.

Mihaelnia - You said,"...I feel pity towards Tesamu. Perhaps for everything that's happened. Perhaps for his struggle. Perhaps for his relationship with his Professor. It is ruined, one can say that. But there's no denying of how much he valued their history together." And I'm glad the fic made you feel that, it's something I can be very proud of. :)

XxDarkBeautyxX - Frankenstein is never above tripping and falling on his face. Noblesse will always be noblesse, thus we make everyone look ugly hahaha.

Ready Reviewer 1- Spoilers - Frankenstein appears next chapter ;D

Elims - Rai with not one, not two, but three sets of wings! I'm sure he's lighting up half the world but Franken is closer than you think.

general zargon - Thank you! No, Raizel never gets to see if Franken is actually in Dark Spear but it's a long shot for him. He doesn't know...

UrFicIsAwesome - You said, "I absolutely cannot wait until the look on their faces when they see Frankenstein~ **" and I will do my best not to disappoint.

Laryna6 - I think Rai did love the golden child for making Franken happy. He loved him because Franken loved him. But the real him right now is so far removed from that... He's never really hated anyone before but this is it. Hate and love and everything in between. It's strange. You liked the 'Face full of axe' banter?! I'm glad.

I wrote this long-winded fight scene specifically to spite the sort of...terrible directionless fights where all the household are there but they just...do nothing. Just watch. Like, whaa? No, they are all doing something because they are RK and they have a plan that they talked out before jumping in. "I love all the ways you make Rai's power feel cosmic and grand here, contrasted with Rai himself, who is Doing His Best but just wants to hear/see Franken again..." YES, THANKS.

Guest - Update? I got ur back.