Frankenstein stood atop the tallest skyscraper in the city, relishing the cold wind whipping around him. And since he couldn't get a cold shower at the moment, this was the next best thing.

He couldn't stop replaying that conversation in his head... It had been brief, but had certainly made a lot of things clear to him.

As he'd fled from the house, soaring up into the dim morning light, he'd sensed Raizel reaching out to him.

Frankenstein… are you upset with me?

He'd been so shocked, he'd almost turned around and gone home. Raizel thought he could ever be angry with him? Even if he wasn't exactly pleased that his secrets had been exposed, he could never be angry with his Master. It wasn't Raizel's fault that he had these thoughts…

"Of course not, Master," he said out loud, mainly out of habit. Master would know what he was thinking regardless. "I… I just needed some air."

But... it's because of me, isn't it? I said things that upset you.

"I... Master, I just want to clear my head. I could never be upset with you."

He felt a rush of uncertainty and worry from his Master. What was going on...?

I'm sorry. I only wanted to tell you how I felt… It seemed like the right time… And I didn't mean to see your dream…

It occurred to Frankenstein that Raizel was rambling. His Master never rambled! He was always so composed… But what on Earth was he saying? Raizel... wanted to tell him how he felt?

Raizel had feelings for him?

No, that couldn't be. Perhaps his Master was just confused. Raizel had possibly mistaken the fondness he had for his servant for romantic feelings, or maybe...

Master's voice in his head suddenly cut him off.

I am not confused about my feelings.

Frankenstein flinched slightly. Master didn't appreciate being condescended to.

"Apologies, I didn't mean to imply..."

But Raizel had already disappeared from his mind.

Frankenstein's shoulders slumped. That hadn't gone well...

Doing his best to keep himself from getting too distressed and waking the spirits in his head, Frankenstein had taken off into the sky. He made a beeline for the tallest building in the city, perching himself on the tower's edge.

The wind tore through his clothes, chilling him to the bone. He wondered when his heart had grown so cold... and if he'd always been so blind.

Now that he had his space to think, Raizel developing romantic feelings for him would actually explain quite a lot of his unusual behavior lately. It would certainly explain why Raizel had been in his bedroom in the middle of the night... It would also explain why Master had been spending so much time in his mind and watching him so attentively.

So when Raizel had seen his dream, he must have thought that was a good opportunity to open up... but when his Master had innocently asked him about it, what had he done?

Frankenstein groaned and buried his face in his hands.

He had immediately shot his Master down, like a self-centered ass... He hadn't even really given Raizel a chance to say what he wanted to say. No, he'd been too focused on making sure his Master remembered that he was a monster.

Whether Raizel really had feelings for him or not, he could have handled the situation with a little more grace and dignity. He still didn't think that he was worthy of being his Master's lover, but that didn't mean that he didn't care. He cared quite a bit, enough that he was going to make sure that Raizel had a lover who made him happy.

Besides... even though love wasn't an emotion the evil souls in his head could use against him, lust was a little... risky. Anger, hatred, fury, fear, hunger, greed... those were surefire ways to get himself consumed. And lust was teetering right on the edge of that abyss. And there was no way he could be his Master's lover and not lust after him.

Still... Frankenstein loved his Master more than anything. He always had. He was going to make sure that Raizel was happy and safe, no matter what.

And speaking of keeping his Master safe...

Frankenstein looked up from his perch on top of the skyscraper. They were flying high above his head, but he sensed them anyway... werewolves.

The evil spirits immediately stirred in his mind. They sensed a possible enemy... someone their host might not be opposed to recklessly devouring.

Finally...

Grinning to himself, Frankenstein launched himself into the air. Within seconds, he'd intercepted them. Both werewolves came to a halt to stare at him.

One was thin and strangely feminine, with a single red eye and long blue hair. The other was big and bulky, with stubby pointed teeth. It didn't really matter what they looked like, though.

Frankenstein knew better than anyone that it's what's on the inside that counts. And he could tell from just a glance that these two werewolves had something very odd going on inside them. Something very... familiar.

"What the hell are you supposed to be?" the thin one hissed.

Frankenstein sighed. He really wasn't in the mood for this same old game...

Exactly what he was happened to be a bit of a mixed bag, anyway. The short version was that he was the first modified human in existence. The long version was that he'd taken speed and longevity from nobles, strength and regenerative abilities from werewolves... and the power to manipulate his dark aura was his own personal invention. Then there was the tiny little detail of being possessed by legions of evil souls...

The combination made him a mixed breed mutant. A freak of nature. A monstrosity.

These idiots didn't need to know any of that, of course.

"I'm not really supposed to introduce myself..."

"Maybe you're one of those cowardly humans who were tailing us yesterday? Finally found your balls, huh?" the thin one hissed, his red eye flashing.

So, they knew about his kids following them? Not good.

"Nah... He must be one of those snooty nobles," the larger one sneered.

"Let's suppose I am, then... But what are werewolves doing here?" Frankenstein said, doing his best to ignore the hissing in his mind. "What are you looking for?"

Both werewolves gave each other smug looks.

"We get information, then we kill him," the thin one said.

"Right," the bulky one replied with an evil grin. "No noble stands a chance against us now that we've been upgraded."

"Ah... that's what it is," Frankenstein muttered to himself. "Upgraded with Union technology, I'll bet. My, how times have changed..."

"You know about Union technology?" the thin one snapped.

"Yes," Frankenstein said exasperatedly. "But let's get on with your interrogation if you're so eager to try your hand at killing me. But I should warn you, it won't go in your favor. We should probably just save time and have you answer my questions instead."

The werewolves moved in closer, both of them radiating pure menace. Frankenstein quirked an eyebrow at them. Was it really so hard for people to take him seriously?

"You sure talk a big game, blondie... There's another werewolf around here," the large one growled. "You probably know where he is."

Frankenstein frowned. Werewolves were looking for another werewolf?

"That's interesting," he pondered out loud. "Who could it be, I wonder?"

"A traitor," the thin one said. "Disappeared centuries ago, but now he's back..."

"I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone like that..." Frankenstein replied easily, his fingers twitching. They couldn't be talking about Master's old friend... could they?

"Well, if you haven't seen him, then I guess we don't need to keep you or those stupid, nosy humans alive anymore..."

At those words, Frankenstein instantly lost all interest in listening to these morons talk. It was clear now that these werewolves were not like the ones Frankenstein had known a thousand years ago... These creatures were vicious and greedy, with no respect for the lives of others.

Besides... threatening him was one thing. Threatening his kids was another matter entirely. He couldn't allow these people to come in contact with his family.

He'd eat them alive first.

"That's funny... I was about to say the same thing about you."

Massive spikes of dark energy formed around him. His opponents eyes widened as they realized their mistake just a moment too late... Seconds later, both of them were impaled with multiple spears of dark energy, suspended in the air like over-sized pincushions.

"Wh-what... How...?"

Frankenstein grinned, a trickle of black blood seeping out of the corner of his mouth.

He was just... so hungry...

What was the harm in devouring just one of them? Master hated it when he consumed people, but... sometimes the darkness in him had to be appeased, just a little... And he'd never want his hunger to be directed at the ones he loved.

"I'm sorry, I should have mentioned this before, but... you never had a chance to begin with," he laughed, more toxic blood dribbling down his chin. "And I've already had a bad morning, so... don't take this personally."

Both werewolves struggled against his dark power, but that only made things worse. His dark energy began eating into their flesh, chewing away at their body modifications. That only proved that these werewolves had stolen from him, just like everyone else at the Union.

"Who... are you...?" the larger one gasped.

"We don't really need to do names, do we?" Frankenstein said, his dark weapon materializing in his fist. "It just so happens that I hate anyone who would threaten my family. And unfortunately... that includes you."

He drifted closer, baring his bloody teeth.

"So... who wants to die first?"


Rai arrived at school with Seira and Regis, heading straight for his seat by the window. He knew both young nobles had noticed how despondent he'd been acting during their walk to school, but neither of them were brave enough to ask him about it.

He'd even sensed Frankenstein using his powers without permission again... His companion must have been truly upset. Rai would normally be a little annoyed about that, but he knew he was partially to blame for Frankenstein's unruly behavior.

He sat down at his desk, folding his hands in his lap. He bowed his head, reaching out with his mind to ensure that Frankenstein wasn't in any danger... which he wasn't. Regis and Seira glanced at each other.

"Would you like some pocky, Sir?" Seira asked.

Rai nodded, mostly to make them feel better. Both young nobles left to go to the snack bar. A few other students started trickling into the room, but Rai barely noticed. There was only one thing on his mind this morning.

To be fair, he'd never been in love before. He wasn't entirely sure how to process these emotions. If Frankenstein absolutely refused to accept his feelings for him... then what was he supposed to do with that?

But... why couldn't Frankenstein accept his feelings? He had to know that his Master didn't see him as a monster... And why was Frankenstein so determined to deny his own feelings, too? Love wasn't something the dark spear could use against him... So why did he fear it so much?

On top of that, Frankenstein seemed to have convinced himself that his Master couldn't possibly have feelings for him, either. Frankenstein had even gone so far as to suggest that he was just confused about how he felt...

Rai didn't appreciate that one bit. He knew he was still very ignorant about how much of the modern world worked. But if there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he was not imagining these feelings he had for his companion.

How could he possibly imagine having feelings for the most important person in his life?

"Hey, Rai!"

Rai tilted his head. It looked like his friends had finally arrived at school, too. Shinwu was rushing toward him, a huge grin on his face. Ikhan, Yuna, and Sui were all trailing in his wake.

"Rai, do you know what's happening this weekend?"

Rai shook his head.

"The spring formal is coming up!"

The girls giggled.

"I don't think he knows what that is," Sui pointed out.

"It's a dance, Rai," Yuna said over another fit of giggles. "There's a dinner and music and everyone gets dressed up and takes a date…"

Ah… now he understood. The former Lord had often tried to get him to come to social events like that at his palace. Rai had escorted Lascrea on occasion at the Lord's insistence. Those weren't exactly fond memories… He and Lascrea hadn't exactly gotten along well a thousand years ago.

"It's kind of late, but you live with the Chairman, so he could probably get you in," Shinwu said, leaning up against his desk. "You should ask him!"

"Is there anyone you want to ask to the dance, Rai?" Ikhan questioned him. "We were thinking we could all go together as a group, since we don't have an even number of guys and girls…"

"If you want to come, that is," Sui added swiftly. "If you're not interested, you don't have to."

Rai looked at his friends' expectant faces. If this formal event was with his new friends, he could expect it to be much more bearable. Anyway, this was all part of the normal life Frankenstein had envisioned for him. Rai planned to enjoy this gift to the fullest.

"Of course, I shall attend."

"Great!" Shinwu said happily. "So, is there someone you want to ask to go with you? I'm sure all the girls at school would jump at the chance to go on a date with you!"

"Jealous much, Shinwu?" Ikhan snickered.

"How can I not be jealous? Just look at his face!" Shinwu said, pretending to pout.

"Well, yeah, but that's not his fault..."

At that moment, Seira and Regis entered the classroom, returning from the snack bar.

"Regis! Seira!" Sui said, rushing over to them. "You guys should ask the Chairman about coming to the spring formal, too!"

"The what?" Regis asked.

"It's a dance, like a party," Yuna explained. "Rai just said he'd come, and you guys live together, so you should come, too! I'm sure the Chairman could get you guys in..."

Rai tuned out their conversation at that point, mostly because he'd just spotted something that was making his heart skip in his chest. Looking out the window, he could see Frankenstein walking in the front gate. He'd recognize that confident strut and flowing blond hair anywhere.

Rai squirmed slightly in his seat. If there was anyone he wanted to escort him to this formal event, it would be the person striding toward him at this very moment. But… he knew he couldn't do that. His school friends would think he was odd, and he didn't want to lose their friendship.

This new world really was confusing at times. He didn't understand why ordinary humans thought he shouldn't be with Frankenstein just because Frankenstein was the leader of the school. And he couldn't ask his school friends about it without seeming strange again... and Frankenstein seemed to have his mind set on pushing him away.

He sighed to himself, the sound getting lost in a soft breeze rushing past his face. But, almost as if he could sense that sad little sigh, Frankenstein paused and turned his gaze upward toward his Master. Their eyes met. Crimson stared back into sapphire blue.

He felt Frankenstein hesitantly reach out to touch his mind.

Master... I apologize for what I said earlier. Please, forgive your foolish servant.

Almost instantly, Rai felt his body begin to relax. He hadn't even realized he'd been so tense...

There is nothing to forgive, Frankenstein.

As soon as he'd answered, Rai felt an intense relief emanating from his companion's mind. Frankenstein had been truly worried that he'd offended his Master by suggesting that he didn't know his own emotions.

In response, Rai sent a wave of warm, calming emotions back into his companion. He immediately sensed Frankenstein's pleasure as a result. He knew how much Frankenstein enjoyed the feeling of being whole, of being one with his Master. This was his way of showing that he was not upset or angry... that no matter what happened, they would always be connected.

Frankenstein seemed reluctant for the moment to end, but he was also standing awkwardly in the middle of the school yard. Students were beginning to stare.

I will see you this afternoon for tea, Master.

Rai nodded, and Frankenstein smiled at him in return before heading into the building.


My Comments: I'm sorry that I won't be able to include too many of the other Noblesse characters in this story. I may have mentioned the ADHD? It's hard enough for me to keep track of the seven people in Frankenstein's house. This is also why Karius disappeared lol. He went home, okay?! Also, I had to edit this a lot after my drunk ass wrote it. I apologize if stuff starts making less sense, or I forget things I wrote earlier.

I am messing around with the timeline of events in this story, just so you know! Our protagonists don't know that Muzaka is back yet. I guess I am sort of rewriting my own version of one of the later seasons. I am way too lazy to rewrite more than one season haha. And it really bugged me how Frankenstein had such a hard time against those modified werewolves in the manwha... They should have been super vulnerable to Frankenstein's ability to block regeneration, plus his power is super effective against his own research. Those werewolves should have had no chance against him!