There was a second chapter, but I deleted it because I really disliked it. I wrote if from a different emotional place than the first and it really showed. I ended up modifying the third chapter to flow directly from the first because I didn't want to rewrite the second.

Chapter 2

Rael leapt from rooftop to rooftop; the blond haired noble had come to South Korea after spending some time in the human world improving his self-control. He would never again let himself be humiliated by that trio of human-made toys; in fact, that was one of the reasons he was here. Seoul was where that trio of filth would be; it was where they lived, and it would also soon be their grave. The second reason he was here, was that he'd heard that Seira had returned to here from Lukedonia; once he eliminated those disgusting freaks, he'd make another attempt to win her over. Eventually she'd fall for his charm.

He paused then as he sensed a familiar energy. That was Seira's aura! And it was rather agitated as well. He'd get to meet her sooner than he'd expected. He changed course and leapt onto a tall skyscraper (unbeknownst to him, Seira had leapt onto the same one when she brought Shinwoo home after he got food poisoning). Once he stood on top of the roof, Rael closed his eyes and tried to pinpoint Seira's exact location.

Ah, it was coming from that two story building down there. He jumped off the roof, landing softly on the walkway of Frankenstein's house a few seconds later. The energy source was coming specifically from a spot to the left, on the second floor, near the end of the house.

He thought about just knocking, but he remembered that Seira had been staying at the house of the blond man who'd defeated him so easily and had even overpowered his brother, Rajak, the Kertia Clan Leader. Not to mention the fact that the Noblesse was also supposedly staying there.

This must be that house, he decided. It wouldn't be prudent to just knock as he wasn't on very good terms with the blond man and he certainly didn't want to arouse the ire of the Noblesse. Instead, he'd just take a peek at Seira right then, and then wait for her to leave here. That way he could talk to her without about worrying about those two's reactions.

Moving as silently as only a member of the Kertia clan could and suppressing his aura, Rael leapt onto the sill of the window of the second floor room from which he sensed Seira's aura. He peered through, making sure to keep his head down and then froze, his entire body tensing up and his eyes widening in stunned disbelief.

Seira, his Seira, was in that room alright, and she was completely naked. That alone would have been a shocking sight for Rael, but the fact was, she wasn't alone. A kid he recognized as being from that school she attended was with her. And they were . . . and they were . . . having sex.

He watched, unable to turn away, as Seira started to ride Shinwoo; he saw the look of bliss on Shinwoo's face, and he watched Shinwoo's move in and out of Seira. Most of all, he saw the expression of ecstasy on Seira's face as she continued to make love and the look of adoration she wore when she looked at Shinwoo.

She was having sex—his fists clenched tight enough that his nails made bloody gouges in his palm—with a human? His thoughts were full of outrage.

Just then, his attention was captured by a new event, Shinwoo's face had tensed up and his head had fallen back. Seira had stopped moving as well and she was now shuddering at intervals. He realized what was happening. She had let a human . . .?

He was about to burst in and demand to know just what she thought she was doin when she said something to Shinwoo; he knew how to read lips. The words she spoke and the look on her face when she said them, completely floored him. 'I love you as well, Shinwoo.'

At that moment, a whirlwind of emotions ran through him, the already familiar disbelief and outrage was first, but that quickly shifted to just rage and that shifted to hate. All the affection, lust, longing, and love he bore for Seira, transformed into pure and absolute loathing.

She had rejected his proposal, wouldn't even give him the time of day, but she was fine having sex with a human boy? She was fine loving a human boy? She valued a human more highly then him?

He buried his head in his hands; his nails dug into the sides of his face. He was so angry that he was having trouble thinking. She'd not only rebuffed his advances, and spurned him, but now she'd humiliated him. She found an inelegant, trash-like human more attractive than him.

This human should have been dirt on her shoes, yet she deigned to notice him, while ignoring Rael. He couldn't believe it. After everything he'd done for her? All that he went through for the sake of the love that he bore her? This was how she repaid him? He would never forgive that fucking bitch for this insult!

It was then and there that he made his decision. He would not take his foul transgression and insult lying down. He would make her pay for this atrocious, traitorous act. Her and that human lover of hers. He'd make them both writhe in agony before he let them die and he'd make sure that Seira saw that human die before he made her join him in forced Eternal Sleep.

For a second, he was ready to take advantage of her current vulnerability and try to kill them, right then and there, but then he thought better of it. The blond guy and worse, the Noblesse, could be there at this moment. He'd be a fool to try anything right now. He'd bide his time and wait for those two to be alone, then he;d strike.

He pushed off the windowsill and launched himself through the air, landing back onto the roof of the skyscraper from which he'd jumped. He stared up at the sky as he made plans. Truth be told, he wasn't sure, even with Seira's vulnerability then, that he could've defeated her. She was a Clan Leader with a complete soul weapon; she was out his league in terms of combat ability and power.

He ground his teeth in frustration. He needed to find a way to erase the difference between the two of them, between a clan leader and non clan leader, between a complete and incomplete soul weapon. He realized that there was only one way to make that happen and he experienced a moment of severe hesitation. Could he really turn his back on Lukedonia and his clan, could he really abandon his pride as a Noble?"

He'd almost decided to abandon all his plans of vengeance, so strong were these reservations assailing him, when the memory of his proposal to Seira swam into his mind.

Rael landed lightly in the back of the Loyard mansion. He reason he was here stood with her back to him, looking at beds of roses. She turned as he straightened and pulled back his cowl.

"Hello, Rael-nim."

"Hello, Seira." Rael smiled. "How are you doing today?"

Seira expression didn't change. "I am well."

Rael had long since learned to push through this wall of silence. Seira just wasn't one to display her emotions openly.

"What have you been up to?"

"I've been training."

"Oh, is that so. Perhaps we can train together sometime."

"Perhaps we can." Seira's eyes were dispassionate and her tone was devoid of emotion.

Rael realized that these pleasantries were never going to go anywhere. He decided to just bite the blade. "May I ask you something important? It's something I've been considering for a while."

"If you wish. I am not busy."

Rael felt an uncharacteristic surge of nervousness. He ignored it and spoke again, even though his mouth was slightly dry. "Well I have been thinking. You're the last member of the Loyard clan and so it is important that you find a partner so that the Loyard clan doesn't end with you, would you not agree?"

Seira nodded after a moment.

Rael swallowed before continuing. "We've known each other for half a decade now and I like to think we know each other quite well. Certainly, I do feel very close to you and care for you deeply."

Seira's expressionless face didn't change and Rael nearly faltered in the face of her total lack of acknowledgement; it took a few seconds for him to shrug off his disquiet and continue.

"I believe that you do as well even if you don't always show it. I also think that uniting our two clans"— Seira's eyes momentarily widened ever so slightly at this—"will strengthen the Loyard Clan and bring it back from the edge. My question is thus"—Rael knelt on one knee and stared up into Seira's crimson eyes—"Seira J. Loyard, will you marry me?"

Rael tugged nervously at his collar with his left hand as he waited anxiously for her response. It came almost immediately.

"No." Seira's expression did not change.

The shock of this curt rejection jolted Rael to his feet. "but why? What is your reason for rejecting me!"

Seira was unfazed by his outburst. "It's because you are not my type." Rael stared at her dumbfounded; shocked by her answer. "Rael-nim, I'm sor—"

Rael's eyes flashed and the ground started to shake. "You . . . you . . . can't reject me. I won't accept it."

Enraged about being rejected, he'd gone on a rampage then, tearing across Lukedonia in a fury until his brother finally subdued him hours later. Rajak had brought him before the Lord for judgment and she'd sentenced him to ten years of confinement. It had been his most bitter memory up until now, superseding the one of his father informing him that Rajak and not him would be the leader of the Kertia clan after he went to his eternal sleep. With a single sentence Seira had shattered his dreams and spurned his feelings. And now with a single sentence, she'd inflicted a supreme humiliation upon him: accepting a human's affections while continuing to reject his own.

He ground his teeth together as all his qualms about this course of action he was considering began to melt away. Seira had blithely dismissed his feelings for her then. But what she'd done now was unforgivable and could not be left to stand. He had no pride left to throw away; she'd taken it from him and only by killing her could he get it back. With his hatred for her now at a boil he made his decision: no matter the cost, he would do whatever it took to make her pay.

He began to make his way out of Seoul. Having spent some time in the human world, he'd become more aware of the organization that was secretly directing it. And he knew the person he needed to contact to get his desires fulfilled.

Only the feeble light of the few stars not covered by clouds, and the silver light of the crescent moon lighted the dark South Korean countryside. Rael crouched in the shadows of a small clearing, listening to the thwack of a helicopters blades as the aircraft drew closer. When it was directly above him, the wash from its rotors causing his cloak to billow slightly around him, it stopped moving and hovered there. He heard the sound of a door sliding open and then seconds later there was a thud as the person landed on the opposite side of clearing.

His hair was gray, the same color as his neatly trimmed beard. Piercing blue eyes stared out of narrow lenses. A red x, a upraised scar from some previous incident adorned his left temple. He wore a brown jacket, with a red tie and a blue collared shirt. His appearance matched the description that Rael had obtained. Although he didn't look in his direction, Rael knew that the man knew exactly where he was, despite his concealment.

He stood out and walked into the center of the clearing, keeping his face hidden behind his cowl.

"You must be Dr. Crombell."

"Yes. And you are?"

"Rael Kertia."

Crombell grinned slightly. "Ah, how interesting. And just what does a pureblood of the Kertia clan want with me, that he would call me here?"

Rael told him.

"And what would I gain from doing this for you?"

"An ally."

"Oh, you'd be willing to work against Lukedonia, against your own clan?"

Rael didn't hesitate; the weeks he'd spent second guessing his decision after contacting the Union were in the past. He had no reservations about this. "Yes."

"Well then, why don't you come we me?"

Shinwoo and Seira walked through a park near the center of Seoul, hand in hand. Despite it being a city of ten million, there were precious few people sharing the gorgeous day, due to South Korea's insanely intense work ethic. They were strolling past a pond filled with orange catfish when Shinwoo stopped and turned to look directly at Seira.

"You've made these last couple weeks some of the best in my life," Shinwoo said softly.

Seira blushed; her words were a whisper when they came out, "Same here." She pushed those two ever-stubborn locks of hair that came down over her face, behind her eyes, as she met his soft and affectionate gaze.

Shinwoo cleared his throat awkwardly. "I wanted to show my thanks for how wonderful you've made these last few days . . . so I got you something."

"You did?"

"Yeah . . . I spent quite a while figuring out what I wanted to get you, and then . . . I found this." Shinwoo pulled out a small package covered with blue wrapping paper and tied with a small red bow, out of his satchel and handed it to Seira.

She gently took it from his hands and elegantly untied the knot. She pulled the wrapping paper off without ripping it even once. Now she held in her hands a narrow wooden box, covered in blue velvet. Tapped to the top was a small note. It read: 'Seira, you are my shooting star, everything I've wished for, is everything you are.'

Seira's face broke into a wide smile and she gently pulled the note off the top of the box without tearing it. Flipping open the box, she inhaled sharply. A pendant lay on top the velvet inside. The chain was made of tiny, interlocking, gold rings while the pendant itself was made of a thin, rectangular block of dark grey steel, about nine cm in length and three cm in width. Set in the bottom half of the steel block was a blood red, many-faceted garnet, polished and glinting in the sunlight.

As she looked up at Shinwoo in suprise, he blushed, scratching the back of his head, in slight embarrassment. "I thought it matched your eyes perfectly. That was what made it catch my eye." He stared at her anxiously. "Do you like it?"

"I love it. I love it so much," she replied breathlessly.

Shinwoo blushed again. "I'm glad. May I put it on you?"

"Sure."

Shinwoo took the pendant out of the box and stepped behind Seira, who still held the note in one hand and the box in the other. He laid the chain around her neck and then did the clasp, locking it securely into place on her neck. The pendant hung down right to the level of her breasts and the garnet and gold chain, meticulously shined by Shinwoo, gleamed brilliantly, framed on both sides by Seira's white hair.

Seira placed the note carefully in the box, closed it, and then set it gently down on the ground. Then she straightened and turned around, smiling as her red gaze met Shinwoo's blue eyes. She kissed him, deeply and fully, but it wasn't a sensual kiss, rather it was one of pure love and affection: the kiss of a lifetime, the kiss of soul mates. After she broke the kiss and pulled back, she ruffled Shinwoo's red hair affectionately, making it even more of a mess than it usually was.

"You really don't know how wonderful you are." Seira said. "I've never been so in love and felt so comfortable with someone. When I'm around you, I have no worries and I'm just happy. Thank you, Shinwoo; you're the best."

Shinwoo flushed even redder and was too abashed to reply; these words were overwhelming, especially coming from such an amazing and demur person as Seira. "Oh, come off it," he said, when he was finally able to speak, "I'm sure you've met guys much better than me."

"No, Shinwoo, never," Seira replied, still smiling. They stared at each other for a few more seconds; then a familiar voice broke the moment.

"Oh my, it seems we're interrupted something," Frankenstein said, his voice cheery as he walked towards the couple up the path from the opposite direction in which the two of them had come. Raizel walked beside him; while not nearly as facially expressive as his servant, he too had a slight smile on his face, the equivalent of beaming for him. Frankenstein caught sight of the pendant. "That's a lovely necklace, Seira."

Seira flushed slightly. "Shinwoo gave it to me."

"He did? Shinwoo, that's quite an impressive gift; for once, you've demonstrated stylish and very elegant taste."

"Ah, it was nothing."

"No, no, this is really something. It must have cost quite a bit."

"I just used some of the money my dad sent me. It really isn't a big deal."

"Oh, you're ever so modest," Frankenstein chuckled, continuing to tease Shinwoo "You know you can boast a bit, when you do something this nice." Shinwoo flushed even more and didn't reply.

From about half a kilometer away, Rael, concealed in the foliage of a tree, cursed with frustration. He had been tailing Shinwoo and Seira for the past two weeks, but to his increasing disappointment and rage, he could never get them alone. Wherever the two of them went, the Noblesse had either accompanied them or coincidentally been nearby, preventing Rael from trying anything. He'd just watched in hatred and disgust as Shinwoo had given his gift to Seira. The kiss she'd given him had been the trigger which had made him decide to attack at that moment. However, just before he'd been about to launch his surprise assault on the couple, he'd sensed the approach of not only the Noblesse, but his blond servant as well, forcing him to stop.

He had to get the two of them alone. He would never be able to deal with the two of them if those two kept appearing or accompanying them. He ground his teeth in frustration. If only there was some way he could get both Seira and that human to leave the city. They'd be completely vulnerable with those other two too far away to even sense the conflict, must less interfere. The problem was, he couldnt't control what they did . . . his thoughts trailed away as he realized what he'd been missing. There was a way to control what they did, or at least what the human did. And where he went, she'd followed, if he asked her to, Rael smiled evilly. Tomorrow would be the day when he had his revenge. Tomorrow would be the day that they would pay.

So murderous was the aura he gave off for a moment, that Raizel started imperceptibly as he sensed an incredibly strong killing intent coming from in the distance to the left of him. His eyes tracked over. Abruptly, he felt the intent disappear.

Rael had realized his mistake and immediately suppressed his aura as he saw Rai's eyes turn towards his direction. This was the Noblesse he was dealing with. He'd have to be careful. He was unlike any other noble and he was able to battle and press The Lord; he could destroy him at will, if Rael run afoul of him. He slipped away as stealthy as he possibly could.

Shinwoo woke up the next morning as he had for the past three weeks, in Seira's arms. The adorable couple they made had so charmed Frankenstein that he wasn't even irritated by having to host a messy person like Shinwoo in his house (this may have been in part been because he made Regis, Tao, Takeo, and M-21, do any cleaning that was required). As Shinwoo opened his eyes and looked out the window he saw the briefest of flashes of red. An idea suddenly came to him: he would take Seira out into the South Korean countryside for a walk today.

As he thought about it, the idea gained more and more of a hold on his thoughts, until he was overcome with a burning desire to go through with this plan, right now, school day be damned. He woke Seira with a touch on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and stared at him with affection, which became tinged with confusion and worry when she sensed his agitation.

"Shinwoo?" she asked, almost hesitantly.

"Get dressed, gorgeous," Shinwoo replied. "We're going on a trip today." As he said these words, he'd already risen from his bed and was now throwing on a set of the school uniform, which he'd brought over from his apartment.

"We are?" Seira asked, surprised. As Shinwoo pulled his shirt on "Is there not school today?"

"Yes, there is, but we're going to skip it. Well, we're going to skip most of it," he amended. "We're going to go, so we don't raise suspicion, and then we're going to sneak out."

Seira had gotten out of bed by this time and she was disconcerted to notice that, unlike every other time she'd gotten out of bed after sleeping with him the night before, he didn't take the chance to admire her nude form. His eyes seemed almost disinterested as he looked at her; she would have swore there was even a hint of impatience in his eyes.

That was strange and what he was saying was also strange. Perhaps he wasn't feeling well. She pushed the thought away. He was probably just tired. As for his idea, well, she'd wait until they got to Ye Ran High. If at that time he still wished to do it, she'd make a decision then.

After she'd dressed, they headed downstairs, surprising Frankenstein, who hadn't expected that they'd be down for at least another thirty minutes; they usually cuddled in bed for a while after they'd awoken, before they actually came down.

He too felt there was something off about Shinwoo the moment he saw him, but he couldn't put his fingers on it. Eventually, he decided that it was probably the fact that he'd never seen Shinwoo looking so awake the morning of a school day. Perhaps he'd gotten a decent amount of sleep for once in his life.

Breakfast was a normally quiet affair. Shinwoo's addition hadn't changed anything, because he was usually very tired in the mornings, and therefore quiet. The only real source of words was Tao, but a glare from Frankenstein usually shut him up, before he annoyed the other two enhanced humans, who were not morning people. It was the same today, because, despite Shinwoo's apparent energy, he was very subdued, focusing on his breakfast.

Eventually, once the dishes were washed and put away, it became time to head to school. As Seira, Regis, Shinwoo, and Rai headed towards the door (Frankenstein had already left, because, being the chairman, he liked to get to the school before anyone else) the doorbell rang, announcing the arrival of Ikhan, Yuna, and Sui.

The three of them greeted the nobles and Shinwoo; they too were disconcerted by Shinwoo's strange behavior. He didn't respond back; his eyes seeming interested in a point behind the three of them and across the street.

He took Seira by the hand, almost shoving aside his three friends, and started striding quickly towards the school. The rest of them, excluding Raizel who walked at the same sedate pace he always did, hurriedly following in his wake. As they made their way to Ye Ran, Seira kept glancing at Shinwoo, trying to figure out just what was the matter with him. She'd never seen him act in a manner even remotely resembling this one.

Shinwoo stunned Pedro by being early, which was a first for when he was in charge of watching the gate. Pedro stared at Shinwoo with wide eyes as Shinwoo walked through the gate and past him, holding Seira's hand. Shinwoo didn't even blink as the murderous stares of a hundred jealous boys landed upon him. Up until that day, Seira and Shinwoo had always been careful never to display even a hint that they were a couple to the rest of the school body, knowing it could only cause Shinwoo problems with the rest of the straight male students, all of whom, without exception, had massive crushes on Seira.

He walked on, seemingly oblivious, while the rest of the Nobles and his friends followed behind him. Raizel was last by a good amount of time, and actually late, but Pedro had been given specific instructions from Director Lee that Raizel was to be treated with absolute difference regardless of what he did, so he didn't get in any trouble.

The bell rang for the first class and all the students headed into the building; all of them except two, that is. Instead of following the rest of his schoolmates inside, Shinwoo pulled Seira off to the side of the building. Whereupon he dropped into a crouch and she followed suit

"What—" Seira began.

Shinwoo cut her off. "Don't you remember? We're going on trip."

"Oh . . ." Seira paused for a moment as she thought about it. She was very curious about just what it was that Shinwoo was so determined to go to. And though missing school wasn't desirable, it wasn't the end of the world either. She was a Noble and a very young one at that, so, unlike Raizel, she had no problems learning what was taught in class despite having known only the basics of math and not even that for science before she'd started attending Ye Ran High. She could afford to miss a day of school without a worry. Shinwoo . . . slept through most of his classes anyway and was primarily relying on his athletic talents . . . so it didn't really make a difference whether or not he actually went to class. With this being the case, she decided that missing one day couldn't hurt.

"Yeah, I remember. So we're going?" Seira replied.

"Of course." Shinwoo's tone was almost brusque.

Seeing that Pedro had gone inside and that neither of the Trio nor the other members of the Ye Ran High special security force were around, Shinwoo stood up, grabbed Seira by the hand and then quickly crossed the school courtyard, leaving by the gate through which they'd entered .

"Where are we going exactly?" Seira asked as they hung a left outside the gate and started strolling towards downtown Seoul.

"It's a surprise; you'll see when you get there," Shinwoo's eyes seemed to grow more intense by the moment as though this idea of his was worming its way deeper and deeper into his thoughts.

"Okay." Seira sounded slightly uncertain.

After about twenty minutes, Shinwoo led them into Yongsan station. A vast building with mostly glass walls, filled with salarymen headed out to different cities along the rail line.

"We're going out of Seoul," he said, in response to Seira's questioning look.

Shinwoo impatiently waited on the ticket line. When it was his turn he glared at the ticketing agent.

"What do you need?" she asked cheerfully, smiling.

"Two tickets. Korean Train Express, southern line, to Mokpo." His reply was curt and irritated, as if he felt that even these few seconds of required questions were a colossal waste of time.

"That will be 60,000 Won (about $59)."

He almost ripped the tickets out of the agent's hands after he paid her. Now Seira was really looking at Shinwoo in askance. She'd never seen him display such rudeness before. At the moment, he was like a different person

It was like he was being controlled by someone else, she thought as they boarded the train and found two seats near the door. Shinwoo didn't even acknowledge the polite greetings of the two people who sat down in the seats next to him. His eyes were fixed on a point beyond the window of the train, something that only he knew.

The train ride was smooth and uneventful. Shinwoo, the complete opposite of his normally chatty self, never spoke and Seira wasn't really one to start conversations, so they passed the hour ride in silence. Seira watched the cities and the hilled countryside roll by as they headed into the southwestern part of South Korea. As they were approaching a stop called 'Pyeongtaek', Shinwoo turned to Seira.

"This is our stop," he said.

Seira was puzzled as they pulled into the station. There didn't seem to be anything here, it was just a bunch of forested lowlands, formed from the erosion of mountains. She couldn't figure out why they were here. They'd gone quite far from Seoul if all Shinwoo wanted was a walk in the countryside as there were completely rural areas within ten kilometers of the city.

Nothing was adding up. Why were they there? Why was this so important to him that he decided to skip school? And why if it was so important, hadn't they come here during the weekend that had just past. Seira was beginning to feel really uneasy. This wasn't just strange. Shinwoo's behavior, this seeming random destination . . . something was wrong.

The doors slid open and Shinwoo stood up taking Seira's hand tightly in his own. They were one of the few that got off at the stop. Shinwoo never even looked back as they stepped off the train, onto the concrete of the train platform, he just continued walking forward, heading down the road that brought people to the train station. His grip was tight enough that Seira could see the veins standing out on the back of his hand.

"Where are we headed?" Seira asked.

Shinwoo glanced at her and she shivered when she saw his eyes; they were full of blazing impatience and determination and, at the same time, vacant and dead. He smiled and his grin was ghastly.

"Don't you worry, gorgeous. We'll be there shortly. You won't be disappointed, I promise."

Seira's mind was filled with alarm. Enough was enough, since Shinwoo didn't appear likely to her what was wrong of his own free will, she was going to use mind control to make him tell her.

She met his eyes again and concentrated; her eyes flashed red. A thrill of shock then ran through her as her mind control was blocked by a presence was already in Shinwoo's mind. There was somebody was already using mind control on Shinwoo.

Whoever was manipulating Shinwoo's mind must have sensed Seira's attempted intrusion because Shinwoo suddenly let go of her hand and scythed her feet out from under her knocking her to the dirt. He then dashed into the woods on the left side of the road, accelerating to a all-out sprint in seconds. Startled by this and the previous revelation, Seira just lay there for a moment, watching Shinwoo disappear into the trees. Then she got to her feet and went after him. Her superhuman speed allowed her to overtake him just as Shinwoo ran though a break in the trees, dashing into a large clearing. She caught him near the center, seizing his shoulder with her right hand; not intending to let go until she'd gotten broken the hold that someone else had on his mind.

Suddenly, Shinwoo looked at her. There was complete bewilderment in his eyes.

"Seira, where are we and how did we get here?"

"You don't remember?"

"The last thing I remember is walking up and seeing a red light outside the window," Shinwoo replied, "and then suddenly I'm here, feeling tired and out of breath."

It was definitely mind-control, its most definite attribute was the complete lack of memory about ones actions while one was being controlled. Shinwoo's comments about a red light made her feel even more unsettled than before. Red light combined with mind control made her think of nobles. Could it have been a rogue noble who'd done it? But why? Why would he make Shinwoo bring her all the way out to a rural part of South Korea. The answer came to her a moment later: because they wanted to separate her from Frankenstein and Rai-nim. But that just raised another question: why would a rogue noble know about those two when she and the other clan leaders of her only had learned just a short while ago, when Genjutel had informed them.

She felt her heart began to race as she realized that there were rogue nobles who would know about the Noblesse and Frankenstein: the other clan leaders of the previous generation. Could one of the traitors . . .. Further speculation was cut off abruptly as she sensed a very powerful and malevolent energy spring into being behind her. The aura was both familiar enough that she realized she'd sensed it before and different enough that she couldn't know who exactly it was. At almost the same time, a voice that was far more familiar spoke from the same direction; the voice was sweet, but the words possessed a hidden edge that sent shivers up Seira's spine.

"I see that you're beginning to figure it out. You always were a smart one."

"Rael-nim!?" Seira exclaimed wiping around in shock and disbelief as she her eyes lit upon the blond Noble, stepping out from the cover of the trees. This was the last thing she'd expected.

"Hello, Seira," Rael replied calmly. "Do you like the place I picked?"

"What's the meaning of this?" Seira demanded. "Why did you make Shinwoo take me out here?"

"I needed to get the two of you out here alone." Rael's voice was honey-sweet as he confirmed her earlier suspicions "So I implanted an idea in this human's head to take you here today. I didn't completely control his mind because then he'd be unable to interact with people and you'd get suspicious too soon. Instead, I just made the thought of coming here so compelling that he couldn't do anything, but take you here as quickly as possible."

"Anything you wish to say could've been said to me in Seoul. Furthermore, what sort of justification for your actions is that?" Seira demanded. Shinwoo just looked on in bewilderment, unable to really understand the conversation that was going on. "You know that it's a crime to use your powers on a human without good reason!"

"I did have good reason."

"What is it?"

Rael's voice turned into a snarl and his eyes flashed dangerously. "You're here, because I saw you a month ago!"

"What do you mean by 'I saw you a month ago'?" Seira asked.

"I saw two together disgracing yourself!"

"Wait, you spied on us?" Seira felt a surge of outrage as she realized that only possible source of Rael's anger, given that he was talking about her and Shinwoo, was that he had watched her and Shinwoo have sex.

"You're angry at me?" Rael voice was dangerous. "What right do you have to be angry? You're the one who betrayed me; disgracing yourself by having sex with a human and spitting on the love I'd offered you!"

"What I do with my private life is none of your affair—" Seira began, trying to calm the situation down as her rigid self-control reasserted itself.

"It's not, is it!? Of course it is! I proposed to you and you turned me down; that very much makes who you choose a concern of mine, The fact that you'd rather sleep with a human, and such an inelegant human at that, rather than allow me to so much as touch you, is a crime beyond the pale!"

"With all due respect, Rael-nim," Seira, normally placid as a mountain lake, was struggling to keep her anger from bubbling to the surface, "you don't have any control over me. I will do what I wish."

Rael strangely, calmed at that moment, and smiled. "I know you will, but let's see if you are so keen to sleep with your lover has a hole in him." Seira's eyes widened as Rael's form flicked flicked and then disappeared; Rael reappeared behind her and struck out towards Shinwoo, aiming to put his hand Shinwoo's abdomen.

His blow was knocked away as Seira appeared between him and Shinwoo. Her almost simultaneous counterattack with her foot caught an unprepared Rael in his sternum, flinging him across the clearing. An instant before Rael's flying body hit into large oak tree, he recovered, pushing off the tree with both his feet and then vanished again. Reappearing a little distance from Seira and Shinwoo.

"Rael, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Seira demanded. "Attacking an innocent and defenseless human? You're completely violating the very ethos of what it means to be a Noble!"

"I'm sorry Seira, but you seem to have misunderstood something. I didn't call you here just to talk. I called you here to kill you both." The earlier sweetness had vanished from Rael's voice; there was nothing but hate there now.

Seira's eyes widened slightly in shock, before her face hardened.

"Very well, if that is your choice then I have no choice but to fight you." She directed her voice to Shinwoo now, never taking her eyes from Rael. "Shinwoo, you need to get out of here. Run as far from here as you can; you have no place in this battle and no chance of surviving if you stay."

"But, just what is going on?" he began, his voice full of disbelief. "How can you—".

Seira cut him off; her voice full of urgency, she added a mental nudge as well. "Do as I say! Get out of here now!"

Compelled by her words as well as her mental shove, Shinwoo turned and started to run back towards the woods, in the direction of the train station.

"As if I would let you!"

Rael prepared to attack Shinwoo only for Seira to disappear. As his eyes widened she reappeared next to him. As Rael turned in settlement, Seira grabbed him by the arm and flung him as hard as she could in the opposite direction of Shinwoo. As he flew through the air, Seira appeared above him and slammed her elbow onto the top of his head, knocking him into the ground, which he cratered. He struggled to his feet as Seira summoned her soul weapon, the Death Scythe.

She slashed it horizontally, sending a wave of power that picked up Rael and flung him backwards like a rag doll, as well as cutting a large swathe of forest in half; a large boulder eventually halted his out of control backwards tumble through the air.

Seira headed towards Rael, intending to put as much distance between their fight and Shinwoo as possible.

Shinwoo stood at the edge of the woods; his concern for Seira had allowed him to shake off the small mind control she'd placed upon him. His indecision kept him locked in that spot, unable to decide whether or not to listen to Seira and flee the area as quickly as possible, or to head towards the direction Seira had gone, so he could see what was happening. Unable to choose a course of action, he just stood there in disbelif. It had to be a dream. No one could do what those two people were doing, it was like something out of a Manwha. Yet it felt all too real.

Regis, and Raizel set in the Frankenstein's office, sipping tea. There was an empty chair and an unused teacup between Raizel and Regis. Frankenstein stared at it in puzzlement. "It's really not like Seira, to miss tea-time, especially without notifying me ahead of time," Frankenstein remarked aloud. "Do you know where she is. Regis?"

"I do not. I haven't seen her since we arrived at the school together. She's been absent from her classes. Our connection also feels very faint."

"Really?" Frankenstein was surprised. "She's also not one to cut class . . ." his words were broken off as the phone on his desk rang. He immediately walked over and picked it up, before it had a chance to even ring a second time. He listened for a few seconds, asked a few questions, went 'huh', and then hung up the phone. As he walked back over he said, "Apparently, Shinwoo has also missed all his classes, despite having come in today."

"Shinwoo was acting odd this morning," Regis remarked. "Maybe he was sick and Seira took him home."

"That's an interesting thought, but I haven't received any notice from her, him, or any of teachers that he was going home because he was sick."

Regis tried again. "Knowing Han Shinwoo, maybe he just decided to cut class, and Seira came with him so she'd be able to ensure that he didn't get in too much trouble. He's probably back at the house with her, right now."

"You could be right." Frankenstein cleared his throat. "In any event, we can't have students just cutting school, regardless of who they are, so I'll have to go find them and bring them back" He started suddenly as Raizel rose.

"Frankenstein."

"Yes, Master?"

"I will come with you." Something about Shinwoo's strange behavior had been nagging at Rai for the entire morning, but he hadn't been able to quite put his finger on it.

"Yes, Master. I will just notify the staff that I'm leaving the school for a few hours and that they should put into place the alternative hierarchy, specifically intended for my absences."

Ten minutes later, Frankenstein and his master stood inside the completely empty house. Neither Shinwoo nor Seira was there and the traces of their auras showed that they hadn't been back since they'd left in the morning.

"Frankenstein?"

"Yes, Master?"

"This worries me. Locate them without delay."

"As you command."

Frankenstein took out his phone and texted Regis, telling him to come back to the house. His connection with Seira would be the fastest way she could be tracked down.

Seira stopped a few meters from Rael. She stood waiting for him to regain his feet.

Rael did so staring at her with some incredulity. "You're one ruthless bitch, you know that? You, a Noble Clan Leader, are using a soul weapon against a non-Clan Leader."

"Rael-nim, this is the only way I could face you; the experience and power difference between us is too great otherwise."

"It matters not, I'll carve that beautiful body of yours up regardless". Grandia appeared in his hands. He slashed the air in front of him with both daggers, sending a cross shaped wave of power at her.

She leaped over it, scythe held high above her head. As Rael's attack leveled the woods directly behind her, cutting them up into so much matchwood, she sliced down with her Soul Weapon. Rael made an overhead block with his own. Seira turned her right hand over as she pulled her scythe back and then thrust forward, slamming the butt of it into Rael's chest. He grunted in pain as he was knocked backwards by the the force of the blow. She flipped her hands again and slashed upwards with the scythe, laying Rael open from his left hip to his right shoulder.

His form flicked and faded away reflecting the mere speed image that it actually was. Seira sensed a presence behind her, as she'd expected; Rael was sometimes very predictable when he fought. She turned and kicked out and up with her left leg at the same time; her foot caught Rael, who'd been about to stab her, in the face and threw him back across the ground a good distance.

He got to his feet after a moment, wiping away the blood trickling from his mouth. He sighed. "It's as I thought. Even with Grandia, I have no chance against you when you're using the Death Scythe."

"If you know that, then we should cease this meaningless fighting and talk this out." Seira hoped that he was at last seeing reason and his desire to fight was dimming.

Rael, disconcertingly, began to laugh softly instead. "Do you think me so stupid that I didn't plan for this?" His eyes turned hard and his face darkened. "You've always been like this. Always looking down at me; thinking yourself above me. Never once taking the love I bore for you—the love that I showed you—seriously." He straightened and smirked. "You're right that if I fight as a Noble, I can't match you if you fight as a clan leader, but who said I was going to fight you as a Noble?"

Seira looked at him questioningly.

"It used to be that humans were powerless creatures, unable to defend themselves and reliant on Nobles to protect them. And yet now humans have developed technology that allowed those three pieces of trash"—Seira's mouth tightened at that—"to wound me, a pure blood Noble of the Kertia clan. Now, if it could do that much for such weak and pathetic creatures as humans, what do you think it could do for a pure blooded Noble?"

Seira's eyes' widened. "Rael, you didn't . . .".

"Three weeks ago I contacted a high ranking member of the Union. In exchange for a future partnership with him, he agreed to fulfill my request. And I must say, it is everything I'd hoped for and more. Sure, I had to throw away my pride as a Noble in exchange for this power, but well—after you crushed and trampled upon it—it wasn't like there was much left anyway."

A vibrant and evil aura began to build around Rael; rather than the light red of normal nobles, this aura was darker than blood. The ground started to shake and the surviving trees around them swayed in an invisible breeze Rael's muscles expanded and his skin shifted from near white to dark gray. A shock wave emanated out from where he stood, shattering branches, throwing up dirt, and whipping Seira's hair back. She stepped back a pace and brought her soul weapon up into a defensive position, staring at him wide-eyed.

For someone such as Rael to undergo physical modification and furthermore, request it from humans was . . . shocking. How much did he hate her that he would throw away every principal and view he'd previously held dear in this quest for power great enough to defeat her?

"Seira J. Loyard,"—Rael's knees bent slightly—"you hurt and humiliated me. Now feel the retribution."

He shot forward. His increased speed catching her by surprise, Seira disparately left back and twisted to the left to avoid Rael's first thrust with Grandia, deflecting a slash from the other dagger with the shaft of her soul weapon. Rael pulled back his right hand in an attempt to land a pommel strike to the back of her head, but Seira dodged by leaping into the air above him.

Rael's momentum carried him forward into a tree; he pushed off it and upwards; moving to join Seira in the air. The Death scythe swept downwards, aiming for the top his head, Grandia rising up to meet it. A massive explosion resulted as their two weapons met, leveling anything still standing in the vicinity of their clash.

Rael recovered first and send a slash of power at Seira, who was still falling backwards. She recovered before it reached her and countered it with a swing of her own soul weapon. Counterattacking, she covered the distance between them fast enough that Rael didn't have a chance to evade and had to once again block her scythe slash with Grandia. Circling around, he tried to cut her vulnerable side, but, in one smooth and fluid motion, she deflected his blades with the snath of her scythe and brought it across in a horizontal cut, drawing the blade right through Rael's neck.

Even as the illusion she'd beheaded began to melt away, she was moving to block the inevitable attack against her back. Unlike previously, his enhanced speed was too much and she was only partially successful. She grimaced in pain as Grandia sheared through the muscle and tissue in her left side, bouncing off her rib cage. The next instant, her foot caught Rael in the chest, knocking him away from her. She dropped to the ground, landing heavily on the edge of the crater from their earlier clash. Her torn clothes fluttered in the wind as blood slowly dripped from the wound on her side. She took a moment to inspect it: it was deep, but it hadn't hit anything vital.

Rael recovered and smiled as he looked down upon her; that was just a mere taste of the pain he was going to inflict on her, but it was a nice start nevertheless. The middle ribs on his left side, hurt sorely, but she'd definitely come off the worse in that exchange.

"Seira," he called out down to her. "I hope you know I'm not going to kill you. Or at least not right now."

Seira looked up at him, her face expressionless; it wasn't exactly a good choice for Rael to give her a chance to recover by monologuing, instead of pressing his attack. But if his desire for to humiliate and hurt her, led him to do so, she wasn't going to complain.

"Once I've beaten you, I'm going to find that human boy you like so much."

She paled and her heart rate quickened. Rael, you bastard.

"Before I kill you, you're going to watch me kill the person who found so much more appealing them me." His grin widened. "How much do you think it will take?"

"How long what?" She said through gritted teeth, right hand tightly gripping her Soul Weapon.

"How much do you think it will take for him to regret dating you, after I tell him that the only reason he is in that situation is because of you? How about after I break every bone in his legs and shatter his hands?

"Rael."

"How long after I begin flaying him with Grandia, before he'screams that he wishes he never met you? Five—".

"Enough."

Seira face normally placid face was twisted with anger. A line of black power encircled her as she began start to spin her scythe with increasing rapidity.

The smile on Rael's face dissapeared as he realized she met to end him with this move. Seira leaped up towards him, her form vanishing as it was shrouded by the specter of a massive grim reaper. Red eye gleamed out of a long and jagged skull, meeting Rael's eyes, who flinched.

In that split second, the reaper swung its scythe down towards Rael. With earsplitting roar, a line of black power split the sky in two. Rael recovered and at the last moment before her attack struck him, managed to impose Grandia between him and the attack. There was a blinding flash of light as the toe of the reaper's scythe intersected his crossed blades and a huge column of dirt and dust flew up into the air.

It took a few minutes for the air to be clear enough of debris for visibility to be possible again. Seira stood near the center of dust, panting from exhaustion. The snath of her scythe was stuck in the ground and she leaned against it, gripping with her right had, while her left hand pressed against her injured side, which had stopped bleeding while Rael had been talking. She knew Rael was still alive, because of his aura, but she wasn't unable to tell how badly her attack had hurt him. When the dust finally cleared, she realized the answer: not nearly enough.

Unfortunately for her, while Rael's face and arms were bruised and cut and his clothes had torn even more, he'd suffered no greater injuries from her attack. She had failed to end it with that blow and now she was exhausted. He hung in the air a moment, Grandia raised in front of him and then he laughed once again.

"That was a nice try, Seira!" he cackled. "You nearly had me there. Luckily for me, your attack is slow enough that I had a chance to guard myself. That would've cut me in half if I hadn't blocked." He grinned. "Let me show you an attack that doesn't give one time to do much of anything."

Rael body relaxed and Grandia dropped to his sides. Black shadows suddenly flowed out of him, molding themselves into their desired form. Moments later and twenty Raels hung in the air, where previously there had been but one. Seira's face paled, but she straightened, bringing her soul weapon back up into a defensive position with tired, aching arms.

They attacked as one group, coming at Seira from every direction. She managed to get in a slash of her scythe caused ten of the clones to fade away, but the rest got through. Blood sputtered into the air and spattered the ground as skin and clothes tore all over her body.

Then, she got a glimpse of motion off to her left, as from behind two of the figures, a new one shot forward, which Seira instinctively knew was the real Rael. In her tired state she couldn't move fast enough to defend herself. The other clones vanished as Grandia inflicted a deep slash upon Seira's abdomen. Seira gasped as fiery agony swept away all other thoughts and seized her brain in its tormenting clutches.

Shinwoo had witnessed the explosion caused by Rael's and Seira's clash and just moments ago, he'd seen something that resembled a grim reaper form and then slash down, separating the sky with a line of black light, followed by a blinding flash. Then things had gone very quiet. All he could see over there now was a column of dust gently drifting towards the ground. Shinwoo desperately wanted to know if Seira was all right, but his body didn't want to head over to check, arguing with his brain that that would be a suicidal choice.

Suddenly, his eyes picked up movement as a humanoid shape flew by him and slammed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust and dirt. Shinwoo's eyes widened in shock when he realized that it was Seira. He paled as he took in just how bad of a shape she was in. Her normally immaculate school uniform was now a bunch of rags, the front of her shirt had been completely shredded revealing her breasts and a porously bleeding wound on her abdomen; blood covered her chest and face. Despite this, she somehow unsteadily got to her feet, leaning on the large black and gold scythe she carried in her left hand. Shinwoo felt a surge of horror as he saw that her right arm was dangling uselessly at her side; as though the tendons or muscles in the arm had been damaged and now she couldn't lift it. Seira's eyes reflected a mutual horror as she caught sight of him. She had hoped he'd run when she'd told him to earlier. The time it might have took for Rael to find him, would've given a chance for others who might have detected the fight to show up.

"Seira . . ." Shinwoo began, but stopped when a black shadow like shape flowed through the air and landed about five meters away. Rael's piercing scarlet eyes caught Shinwoo's gaze and he smiled.

"Ah, you're still here. I'd thought you'd be smart and run and I was annoyed by the prospect of having to hunt you down. I thank you for saving me all that work with your stupidity. And you must be stupid because why otherwise would you stay? You can't do anything here except watch the death of your precious Seira."

"Rael-nim," Seira cut in, "Please leave him alone. Your grudge is with me, he's not to blame for anything."

"You seriously think you're in a position to give me orders!?" Rael glided over at blinding speed and slammed his foot into Seira's stomach, making sure to aim for her wound. She collapsed to the ground and he moved to kick her in the head.

"Leave her alone!" Shinwoo yelled, unable to watch her get hurt. He didn't know what, if anything, he could do there, but he wasn't going to stand by and watch him kill her.

Rael turned to look at Shinwoo, who was in a fighting position: legs in a bow stance and arms in a guard position, and an incredulous look spread across his face. "Are you really challenging me?" He shook his head in dismay and contempt. "You really don't value your life, do you?" He vanished and almost instantaneously appeared in front of Shinwoo. "What the fuck can you do!?" he yelled in sudden fury.

He backhanded Shinwoo across the face, who grunted in pain as he was knocked backwards a couple of meters and to the ground.

Rael walked forward and stomped on Shinwoo's fingers, which broke with a series of short, high pitched, cracks. He ground Shinwoo's left hand into the dirt, making a mess of it; Shinwoo closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, trying not to give Rael the satisfaction of making him scream. He kicked Shinwoo in the face, breaking his nose and causing blood to spurt from both nostrils.

"See what a piece of trash you are? Stay there and know your place!" Rael started to walk back towards Seira, who'd struggled to her feet yet again, when he heard a noise from behind him and turned around again.

Shinwoo was back on his feet, eyes tearing up, blood streaming from his nose, and both his hands balled into fists; spurts of bone protruded from the fingers of his left hand. A determined and defiant expression on his face.

"I won't let you touch her!" He declared through clenched teeth. "I won't let anyone touch the one I love, unless it's over my cold and still corpse!"

Rael stared at him for a second, his face blank. Then a potent mixture of loathing and fury sparked in his eyes. His voice was quiet, but it possessed such menace that each word he said made Seira and Shinwoo shiver. "You won't let anyone touch the one that you love unless it's over your cold and still corpse? Well that's really touching." His face suddenly twisted into a hysterical expression. "THE ONE THAT YOU LOVE!"

Rael had lost all sense of composure and self-control. He sliced downwards with Kartas, opening up a deep wound from shoulder to waist on Shinwoo's left side. He collapsed onto his back, his breathing ragged and his eyes hazy as he struggled to stay conscious.

"Rael-nim, stop!" Seira cried, her eyes filled with fear about the fate of Shinwoo.

Rael turned his head to look at Seira. "You never displayed any emotion when you talked about me; and yet this human has broken your composure?" An unintelligible expression crossed his face. "You know what, I was going to torture you for a while longer. But I suddenly can't bear the sight of either of you!" His features twisted with anger. "DISAPPEAR!"

He slashed horizontally and sent a wave of power at Shinwoo and at Seira, neither of whom were in any position to dodge. There was a loud roar as the attacks hit their targets and a wall of dust and excess power billowed backwards, shredding the forest behind them.

Rael frowned as he realized that, although faint, both Shinwoo and Seira's aura were still around. That didn't make any sense. Seira maybe; she was a Clan Leader after all, but not an ordinary human child. He'd put a large enough amount of power into that attack that there should be nothing left. His eyes widened as he became aware of two new auras, whose rapidly approaching presence he hadn't noticed due to his rage giving him tunnel vision, right as the dust and smoke of his attack cleared. Now he knew the reason while the two had survived his attack.

When he saw who the two auras belong to, a chill ran up his spine.

Standing in front of Seira, his face livid and his arms covered in a malevolent dark energy was Frankenstein. Standing in front of Shinwoo, his face expressionless, but for the eyes, which displayed a cold fury, stood Cadis Etrama Di Raizel. Off to one side, but of little consequence in this situation, was Regis.

This was much worse than Frankenstein had expected. They'd tracked them down by using Regis's connection with Seira. But although, as time passed, he begun to suspect foul play, he had not prepared for something of this magnitude. That Rael would not only undergo physical modification, but also attempt to kill Seira and Shinwoo? What could've prompted . . . a bolt of insight struck him then and he understood: rael had found out about the two's relationship. And so he'd done all this out of jealously and anger at being spurned in favor of a human.

Frankenstein sighed and he felt a pang of both sadness and regret. Sorry, Ragar. It looks like before the day is done, one of your sons will join you in eternal sleep.

Rael felt a surge of disappointment; it seemed like he was not going to be able have his revenge. This was only momentary thought and it disappeared when he reexamined the two prone figures; as befitting assassins, Kertia Clan members were experts in anatomy and the energies of the body. Maybe his revenge wasn't impossible after all, he thought, grinning internally.

Then he blanched as Raizel took a step forward. The air seemed to still as the Noblesse walked towards Rael, who instinctively took a step back. When he spoke, his voice was colder than any temperature found in existence.

"Rael Kertia, what is the meaning of this?"

Terror kept Rael from replying.

"I will ask again. What is the meaning of this?" Raizel's eyes flashed dangerously.

The outburst that had been stuck in Rael's throat, finally found a way to freedom. "It's not your concern! This is none of your business!" Rael yelled.

"You have harmed people under my protection and used your powers to injure a human; it is my concern," Raizel replied calmly, his voice displaying no inflection whatsoever. "You are an offender that must be eliminated."

Rael's anger shifted towards The Noblesse now. "Coming from as great a traitor as you, that's really something." He spat out in disgust.

"Traitor?" Raizel asked calmly. Frankenstein's face tightened with rage at the disrespect in Rael's words.

"Yes, traitor!" Rael replied. "I was told what you are! You're the Noblesse whose job it is to watch over the Nobles. Yet here you are prioritizing a filthy human over a pure blood noble! You disgust me! The Lord was right the first time; you've betrayed us all!"

Raizel just stared at Rael calmly. And at that moment, Rael made a resolution. It would most likely be the last thing he ever did, but he was going to try and wipe this loathsome traitor—who puts humans over his own kind—from this world. Rael's aura flared as he summoned all the power he possessed. A visible, vermilion glow surrounded him and he brought Grandia up to an attacking position.

"Master," Frankenstein said. "Let me handle him, you should not strain yourself for no—"

"This is something I must do as the Noblesse." Raizel cut his servant off.

"But—"

"Protect the children from our battle." Raizel's tone was one that booked no argument.

"As you command." Frankenstein's voice was heavy. He erected a dark matter shield around himself, Regis, and the semi-conscious couple.

Raizel faced Rael again and raised a hand. His mere gaze made Rael's body stiffen and tremble slightly. The Noblesse's eyes flashed and the ground started to shake. As his aura began to suffocate the atmosphere, millions of blood droplets swirled into being from nothing, filling the air from the ground up.

He was setting up a blood field! Recognizing the danger that he was in, Rael leapt backwards out of the range of the field. His action was just in time: a second later, the dome of blood finished forming and then collapsed in on itself at the point where he'd previously been standing.

Rael counteracted unleashing a power slash of blue energy with Grandia. Rai's hand moved and the blood that he'd summoned reformed, transforming into a twister of crimson, which spiraled through the air. It collided with Rael's attack and broke it apart, then continued on through, aimed right towards a startled Rael. Again in the nick of time, Rael was able to dodge the attack; his speed was the only thing keeping him alive. The tornado of blood smashed into the earth, utterly annihilating two tons of rock and dirt.

Before Rael even had a chance to launch a second counterattack, Raizel summoned yet more blood. His hand moved and now four blood tornados spiraled towards Rael from all directions; evading this attack would not be possible.

Rael cursed, futilely raising Grandia to guard himself, while knowing it wouldn't do any good. Then the attack faltered and collapsed as Raizel's eyes widened and blood trickled from his mouth, a pang of agony ringing through his chest. He'd used too much of his life force and over strained himself.

"Master!" Frankenstein yelled.

Now was his chance! Rael gathered all his remaining energy and launched his ultimate attack; Rael's physical modification making up for not having a complete soul weapon and allowing him to achieve the move that Rajak couldn't. His aura flared to its highest as he thrust Kartas forward, towards Raizel. A massive viper, resembling the crest of the Kertia clan, of solid crimson, its mouth agape and fangs poised to bite, raced towards a distracted Rai. Frankenstein's eyes widened in horror.

Suddenly, he heard a creshk. His eyes were drawn to Raizel's left hand. The ring that Frankenstein had given Raizel to aid the Previous Lord's earring seal in preventing his power from leaking out, was glowing with a ruby light. In an instant, fissures developed and then it shattered. There was a brilliant white flash and a column of energy shot towards the sky.

As Rael watched in disbelief, Rai straightened and raised his hand just as the blood viper was about to strike him. Raizel's eyes flashed once again and the snake dissipated, fading away as if it had never been.

Rael stood there for a moment in shock, having no idea what to do now that his strongest attack had failed so completely. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement, and his heart sank. Raizel had, in an instant, called a massive amount of blood into being and had used it to set up a blood field so vast that it encompassed the entire clearing and made the previous one look like the work of an inexperienced child. There was so much blood that the entire area within the clearing was submerged ankle deep in it.

Rael tried to escape like before, but he wasn't anywhere near fast enough. Before he was even halfway out of its radius, the dome finished forming, trapping him. He looked at the Noblesse, his eyes defiant despite the situation.

Blood ran from Raizel's nose and trickled from his mouth due to the strain this amount of power was putting on his body. He stepped forward, his eyes cold and his voice solemn

"Rael Kertia, you have abused your power, using it to harm humanity. With the authority granted to me as the Noblesse, I sentence you to Forced Eternal Sleep."

Rael's eyes widened in horror, as the blood field collapsed inward with a roar, the walls rushing towards Rael. It engulfed him, surrounding him in an oscillating vortex of blood that stretched towards the sky.

As Rael was swept up in the attack, he let out one last scream as his form was obscured from view: a piercing cry of defiance, rage, hatred, lust, and longing, which echoed across the land and set Frankenstein's hair on end.

"SEEEEIIIRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAA—"

SHAAAA! The pillar of blood flared with blinding white light and Rael's cry was abruptly cut off.

Droplets of blood rained down in a gentle shower, as the column of blood vanished. It left behind a perfectly circular crater in its place. Of Rael, there was not even a trace left; the attack had utterly obliterated him. Raizel stared for a moment and then doubled over again, coughing violently.

"MASTER!" Frankenstein cried out; he dismissed his shield and rushed forwards towards Raizel, full of anxiety and worry. "Are you—".

"I'm fine," Raizel replied, still sounding elegant, despite a voice ragged with pain, "There is no cause for immediate concern. You need to worry about the children; Shinwoo's aura in particular is very weak."

Frankenstein looked back and his face whitened. He vanished in one instant and reappeared beside Shinwoo during the next. As he knelt to feel Shinwoo's pulse, Shinwoo groaned weakly and blood trickled from his lips. That slash of Rael's had inflicted a lot of damage to his body and he'd lost a large amount of blood because of it as well. As Frankenstein's eyes filled with concern and his mind raced about what he should do, he sensed movement behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, expecting to see his master at his back. Instead, Seira, having summoning strength from reserves that shouldn't even exist upon hearing Shinwoo groan, stood there.

"Move aside." Her voice was exhausted, but there was also a chord of steely determination.

"Seira, you shouldn't . . ." Frankenstein began; in response, Seira shoved him away, breaking off his sentence and then dropped to her knees in front of Shinwoo.

"Shinwoo, can you hear me?" Seira asked, her voice close to breaking and tears running down her face.

"Yes . . ." was the weak reply that Shinwoo gave after a long moment.

"You've been badly injured, but you can be saved. You just need to do one thing." Seira had to feel little better than Shinwoo, but through sheer willpower she kept her voice strong.

". . . what?" his voice was even fainter this time.

"You need to make a contract with me," she replied urgently, trying to keep him conscious. If his eyes closed, she knew they'd never open again. "It will bind together our souls and allow you to heal by allowing you to take on a semblance of my power."

"A contract . . . how . . . do . . . ?" his voice trailed off.

"You need to offer me some of your blood," Seira was frantic now, if Shinwoo could just hold on a few more seconds.

"Some of my . . . blood?"

"Yes."

"Okay." With the last of his strength, Shinwoo held his left thumb against his wound, coating it with blood and then brought it up towards Seira. She leaned down and sucked the blood off his finger and then Shinwoo's head and arm sagged back against the ground. His aura was almost gone.

For a moment, nothing happened and then the air stilled and Seira's eyes flashed and began to glow with incredible vibrancy. Shinwoo's eyes were almost involuntarily drawn up towards her gaze.

Her voice was different, deep and commanding. "You have entered into a bond of blood and soul. Do you accept?"

". . . Yes." Shinwoo's eyes closed as his answer died away.

There was a flash of red as an thin aura encircled Shinwoo for a second. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished, leaving behind a completely healed Shinwoo. Seira sagged to the ground in exhaustion as Shinwoo opened his eyes. He felt exhilarated; the power that now ran through his body was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He leapt to his feet and felt the urge to shout in joy. He glanced around and realized that he could see something new now. A malevolent and hateful glow surrounded Frankenstein, and it sent chills up his spine. When he looked at Rai, the glow around him was neutral, but immense.

These must be auras. What would Seira's look like? It was probably as beautiful as she was. He glanced down eagerly and then felt like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head.

Seira's skin was a ghastly color, even paler than it normally was. Her breathing was barely perceptible and her eyes were half closed, but worse of all was her aura; it was tiny, with ragged edges and fading every second. Seira's body had been employing all her energy to keep her alive, and she'd managed to achieve an equilibrium that would eventually allow her to recover completely. The amount of power she'd expended to create the contract, had dangerously upset that equilibrium.

She looked up into his terrified eyes. "Shinwoo, can you do something for me?" her voice was soft and weak.

"Anything." he said immediately.

"Kiss me."

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"Please, I want to feel your lips on mine one final time."

"Don't say things like that!" he uttered, his voice anguished.

"Please . . . kiss me."

He obeyed, placing her head on top of his lap and then bending down to place his mouth against her silken lips; they were achingly soft Seira smiled up him after he pulled away.

"Thank you . . ." she said. "I love you."

"I love you too." Tears staining his face as they fell freely, it was difficult to get the words out. "Seira—".

She met his eyes again, scarlet connecting with tearing, crystal blue. "Don't worry, you'll talk to me soon." Her voice grew fainter with every word she spoke as exhaustion smothered it. "I just need a little bit of rest, right . . . now." Seira's eyes closed.