Unseen

His steps fell silently as though the floor beneath his heels was comprised of nothing but air—if only she knew how she could make him walk on clouds—but even as the tiles transformed into the flat boards of the balcony, she didn't look up to see how he beheld her. She didn't hear his approach, and she wouldn't notice him until the moment he chose to reveal himself. The pride of his clan rested in his invisibility, but even if it rebelled against his very name, he wanted her—only her—to see him coming.

Her back faced him with her head angled downward, causing her hair to slide from her shoulders and dangle freely in the air until it collided with her forearms and nearly concealed the box in her hands. She stared down at the black lid, her fingers poised over the surface, absorbing every detail. Her fingertips curled over the edge, gently prying the lid from the container with a slow, steady motion as though savoring the moment. He moved in closer, allowing wisps of his presence to travel before him, and spied over her shoulder at the content inside. A single mask rested upon a crushed red velvet liner, and only then did her eyes glance up to him, a smile on her lips. A smile that did not belong to him.

If she only knew how he had strived to make her smile like this by any means. He had betrayed himself, even helping to rescue the human children, but although it had given him the recognition of his brother, he hadn't received even a glimpse of her notice. Now she stood engrossed by the simple disguise. Someone had succeeded where he had failed, and he narrowed his eyes jealously at the object. Who dared to rival him by giving her the mask? What must it mean to her to make her smile?

She turned from him again as she lifted the the mask from box and held it lightly over her eyes. The corners of the mask peeked out from between the silver strands of her hair and even without his asking, she answered, "I wear this as a member of the Raizel Knights."

"Raizel Knights?" Rael echoed, astonished that the Noblesse had taken on knights. No one served directly under him except Frankenstein, and now, after disappearing for so long and being weakened, he surrounded himself with those worthy of his trust. An elite group of loyal followers. With even Seira, a clan leader, among them, it could be nothing less, and though it may cost him everything, Rael knew that he must become a part of the Raizel Knights. Without a word, without a sound, he slipped into the house and crossed his hand across his chest with the deepest respect. "May I make a request?"

Rai's teacup drifted away from his lips, and he watched the young noble, granting his attention as his only reply.

"I have seen the mask given to Seira, and I also request to become one of your knights." Rael lifted his head, meeting the man's eyes with determination. "What must I do to earn a mask?"

The teacup returned to the saucer with undeniable grace, freeing his hands as black fabric formed between his fingers and transformed into the simple shape. Rai held out the mask and, as soon as it left his grasp, wordlessly returned to his tea.

Rael stared admirably at the softly curved mask for a moment before remembering his manners. With a deep bow, he thanked the Noblesse, grateful to be so easily acknowledged, and a proud smile played around his lips as he hurried down the corridor. The noblesse had chosen him as his knight!

On his way, he turned the mask in his hands again. The image of Seira holding her mask over her eyes flashed through his mind, and suddenly, he couldn't wait to try it on. He pressed the mask against his face, tracing the edges with his fingers. It fit perfectly. The soft fabric almost caressed his skin, and as if through magic, the mask stayed in place without any aid.

"Where did you get that from?" A tone full of accusation came from Regis.

Rael halted to a stand still, instinctively reaching to remove the mask but stopping himself before the task was complete. He had nothing to hide, and he would not be ashamed of his newly acquired position. He lifted his chin and kept the his voice free from a scoff for once. "Raizel-nim has appointed me as one of his knights."

The surprise was prominent in Regis' face. "You became his knight?" He asked, and if that question wasn't intolerable enough, he repeated it a second time. "You? Do you even know who the other members of RK-5 are?"

"RK… 5?"

Regis raised his eyebrow haughtily, the personification of a poorly veiled sneer. "RK-5 is made of Seira and myself. Frankenstein is member No. 0."

"So he was the first knight?" Rael should have expected it. Frankenstein had been Rai's servant for longer than he himself had lived.

"Next is Tao," Regis held up his fingers, counting each enhanced human in turn, "Takeo and M-21."

"Rai allowed those man-made toys to join his knights?" Against better judgement, Rael hoped to hear that he had misunderstood Regis' words. How could someone like those enhanced humans be worthy enough? "What positions do they hold?"

"Tao is No. 1. He created RK. Takeo is No. 2. I'm No. 3, followed by M-21 then Seira." Regis only grinned. "And you're No. 6, the lowest member."

"The lowest member?" Rael gritted his teeth. Regis made fun of him; he had to. The unnaturally chirpy mod-human should be the one who had the idea to form Raizel's knights? "If you expect me to serve under—"

"Serving under the noblesse is an honor. Surely you won't relinquish it because you doubt his decision regarding the other members."

Rael snapped his mouth shut, infuriated but defeated. "I said no such thing."

Uhm... yeah... we kind of forgot about this a few months ago and never posted it. So as we are now dusting off our Joint-Doc (thanks to Ravynna Forest for getting us to write again), we found this little "gem."
We're currently working on the "World Greatest Dad" Series.