Chapter 37

Reclamation

I hope everyone is staying safe and well. This chapter is long. I didn't want to cut up one scene into several smaller chapters, like the webtoon did. It would go on foreeeeeverrrr. Cold April, the end of this chapter is for you and there will be more for you in the next one. BTW, the lovely Neisha went through my chapter, but I went through afterward and made some edits, so don't blame her if I screwed it up. :)

Shuffling the reports in his arms, Gejutel nearly walked right into Frankenstein.

"Old man, did you forget about our spar?" Frankenstein asked.

Oh, right. Frankenstein must be referring to his ridiculous trick. Of course, he'd forgotten about it! The smirk and hard glint in Frankenstein's eyes told Gejutel that he wouldn't easily get out of it. Arrogant child!

"Ah, Frankenstein. I won't be able to join you today. Perhaps we can reschedule?" Gejutel asked and wondered how long he would need to bargain before he could get back to work.

"Well, I'd been looking forward to sparring with you again because I recently sparred with Ragar and you two have completely different fighting styles."

Time to redirect this nonsense before Frankenstein becomes less polite.

"Did the Lord help you out with your research?" Gejutel asked, pleased when Frankenstein's eyes widened.

"No, what are you talking about?"

"He's been taking his own blood samples for you to test. Are you saying you didn't get any?"

Oh, how sweet! Frankenstein actually looks like he's sweating.

"Blood?"

"Hm, so you didn't get any samples?"

"Uh...no?"

Gejutel almost felt sorry for Frankenstein. Almost. For once, he had the upper hand and he was certainly going to draw it out as long as possible.

"Well, maybe you didn't ask and that's why the Lord didn't give any to you. Didn't he at least mention it?"

Frankenstein looked thoughtful, annoyed, and then Gejutel's fun was interrupted by Lagus Tradio, followed by Urokai Agvain, Zarga Siriana, and Roctis Kravei. They exchanged the proper courtesies until their focus zeroed in on Frankenstein, who didn't appear pleased at all. Gejutel wasn't surprised. Frankenstein had mentioned how Urokai, Zarga, and Roctis regularly barged in on Sir Raizel only to complain about the dangers of allowing a 'corrupt' human to stay in the manor, which seriously, was more like a fortress.

Rumors get around when you work for the Lord. The prevailing rumor concerning Sir Raizel was that he kept an evil and corrupt man who'd committed unspeakable atrocities in the human world. That implied that Sir Cadis Etrama Di Raizel was untrustworthy and had strayed from the noble path.

These four never had anything good to say about Frankenstein. Then again, they didn't really know him either. That was no excuse to stain Sir Raizel's reputation. Gejutel had to wonder what was wrong with that crowd. But! It wasn't any of his business and he didn't have the authority to investigate!

Unfortunately, Lagus brought up the wrong topic while he'd been contemplating the motives of this crowd.

"I've heard that you and Ragar spar with Frankenstein," Lagus said to Gejutel

"Ahem, yes. We were supposed to spar today, but I simply don't have the time."

"I'll spar with you," Urokai offered Frankenstein. "It will be good to get more experience against different nobles, right? Unless you're too scared that I won't go as easy on you as Ragar or Gejutel."

"I might be human, but you can just be yourself. I'll be fine," Frankenstein replied with a wicked grin.

Gejutel got a sinking feeling in his stomach and could have slapped himself. He knew that look, the challenge Frankenstein was giving Urokai. Both of their words were underhanded insults, implying weakness. Frankenstein and Urokai had a habit of spouting acid. Someone was going to die and Gejutel fervently hoped it wouldn't be him. What bad timing Urokai had!

"I will see you later then. These reports can't wait," Gejutel grumbled, but first, some help for Frankenstein. "Urokai's weapon is similar to my own."

"I guess it won't be a waste of my time then," Frankenstein replied.

'That did not sound menacing, at all. They're already taunting each other and they haven't even left the palace yet!'

Elegance required an even pace back to the Lord's chambers and that took time. Time—something Gejutel rarely considered—slowed to an interminable crawl as he strode through the magnificent halls. He didn't even bother knocking before opening the chamber door.

"Gejutel! I hadn't expected to see you so soon!" the Lord greeted cheerily, until he noticed the papers still in his subject's arms. "What has happened?"

"Frankenstein and Urokai have gone off to spar and I believe Ragar and I should be there as witnesses in case something untoward happens. You know how young and rebellious they both are. May I have your leave to do so?" Gejutel requested from the noble sitting behind the gargantuan desk.

The Lord's eyebrows rose. "Oh ho ho! Today should be interesting indeed! Sure, sure!" the Lord conceded, flapping his hand. "Leave those papers here."

The Lord closed his eyes for a moment. "Ragar is near the east wall. Hurry up!"

Gejutel set the papers down on the Lord's desk and hurried out. Now he had a perfectly reasonable excuse to walk quickly. He found Ragar had moved closer to the front gates and briefly explained as they took off at a run, hoping to catch up with Frankenstein before anything regrettable happened. The fact he would get there after turning down the spar with Frankenstein might raise the human's ire, but Gejutel had one of those soul-bending premonitions he couldn't ignore. He might not like Frankenstein all that much, but if that man died, Sir Raizel would be terribly upset, and lonely, which would in turn upset the Lord.

Gejutel would be first on the front line of the backwash. He nearly shuddered at the thought.

'If they kill me here, Dark Spear will eat them. Their lord should be powerful enough to contain it. Out here on this island, I won't need to worry about my lover gobbling up all of humanity, either.'

Four nobles Frankenstein considered his enemies surrounded him as they walked at a casual pace to the sparring grounds he'd chosen. He remained hyper aware of their positions, expecting an attack at any moment. This wasn't something he wanted to do without allies on his side, but to refuse? He would have been seen as a coward, which he most definitely wasn't. Not that he'd have declined in any case. He looked forward to beating the snot out of that nosy little punk. Urokai had bothered his Master too many times for Frankenstein to throw away the opportunity for some payback.

Still, Frankenstein was surprised they hadn't tried to assassinate him on the way to his chosen ground. It's something he would expect from Agvain. Perhaps the presence of the others kept him in check. Roctis often appeared to babysit Urokai. That almost made him laugh. Laughing before they had even started fighting might be a bad decision.

He chose a spot several yards away from the center of the field and turned to face Urokai, then glanced around to see the others had split off and perched themselves on a cliff overlooking the field.

'Ah, I thought Gejutel had better things to do than spar. Yet, here he is. My chances of survival have just improved. But, I'll still need to have a talk with him later, showing up after skipping out on me.'

"Why are you just standing there? Are you afraid?" Urokai asked.

Frankenstein kept his silence, his first step in gauging the enemy. He shouldn't change his tactics just because he already knew that Urokai had a short temper. More information could be gleaned by waiting.

"Come on! I'll go easy on you! You are just a human, after all."

'Hmph. He really does believe that I'm weak. He might have more power than I do, but that doesn't mean he knows how to use it.'

There was chitchat taking place on the cliff above. Frankenstein could only hear bits and pieces and it sounded like Urokai's cohorts were spouting bullshit about atrocities he'd never committed. Studying his enemy was more important than listening to their tripe, but he did note that Ragar had joined. His chances for survival had risen even more. Excellent!

"What are you doing? Do you think this is some kind of game? Just start already!"

"What is there to talk about?" Frankenstein finally answered. "Just attack like you normally would."

Yes, he was insinuating that Urokai didn't play fair and that clan leaders weren't any stronger than a human. How else would someone with so little self-control attack another? Stab them in the back. Launch a sneak attack.

Frankenstein was most vulnerable while waiting for his weapon to materialize. He'd wait and irritate Urokai for now. His own strategies weren't that different, except that an opponent could actually prepare against him if he rushed things. At least he used a frontal assault at the beginning. He only cheated when an enemy used that method first.

"I shouldn't have to put up with you! I have more power, so you should start first! Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair!"

'Is he just placating Gejutel and Ragar? He obviously wants to fight. Heh, it won't take much more to push him over the edge.'

"This isn't how you fight, all this talking. Just be yourself," Frankenstein added a slight shrug to drive home the point that he had nothing to fear from Urokai. And, it made Urokai self-conscious in front of everyone that knew this wasn't how he would fight another noble. Urokai had just been indirectly accused of lying in front of, not only his friends, but Gejutel and Ragar.

"Stop standing around delaying the spar. Fight with everything you've got." Stab, stab.

"You bastard!" Urokai shouted.

Yep, that did it. Urokai was immediately on him. Frankenstein didn't feel at all sorry for what he was about to do to Urokai. Urokai was underestimating him more than Ragar and Gejutel ever had. Such disrespect had to be answered. Frankenstein allowed the glancing blows of Urokai's deliberately slow attacks. Even those were poorly aimed and it was hard to take them without appearing excessively weak.

"So boring," Frankenstein thought. The miniscule amount of blood drawn hadn't even set off Dark Spear's howling. This was almost embarrassing, so he drew power, and fought back, upping the stakes.

'He must think I'm as weak as a butterfly. No, I did not just think of a peacock. Those things are mean. I actually have time to think? What is wrong with you, Urokai?'

Frankenstein snuck in a punch to Urokai's side, knocking a bit of wind out of him.

"Oh! Not so weak, after all!" Urokai exclaimed.

Words were exchanged as the speed and power of strikes increased incrementally. Frankenstein was just beginning to have fun when Urokai pulled out more power than he expected. He barely had time to counter. A storm of dust and rocks forced them to leap away from each other and pause.

Nice. Frankenstein had a wide gash across his chest. This is what Dark Spear enjoyed. Blood. It scraped at the inside of his skull. Screams built in volume. Its pleasure at drinking Frankenstein's blood filled his mind and body, pushing him to want to take on more damage, to fight, and to kill.

Yes, Dark Spear was all about murder and mayhem. It would have to wait, though. Frankenstein wasn't stupid. Urokai hadn't even begun using the amount of power available to him.

"Now I see why you're so arrogant. You have all this power and you don't even have your weapon out."

'You don't know the half of it.' Dark Spear snickered at the ignorant noble and pushed at Frankenstein to engage.

"This won't defeat a clan leader. You could probably win against nobles with less power. But, I hear you have a weapon not unlike a clan leader's soul weapon. I'd like to see it."

"So, you've heard the rumors then," Frankenstein replied, satisfied that if Urokai had heard about Dark Spear, he was in with the Union bastards. Anyone who had seen it since he'd stolen it was either dead or had their memory wiped. Finally, a clan leader at the top of the chain of mutants.

'Give him to us!' Dark Spear screeched. 'Vengeance is ours!'

"Take it out and fight me with everything you've got," Urokai hissed.

To think, this pathetic clan leader had defiled his Master's home, pretended to be a friend, and spread lies about him. Well, Frankenstein didn't really care about that last one. It made some humans afraid to mess with him. However, using his Master for whatever purposes they had? Unforgivable.

Frankenstein didn't want Urokai to be too cautious. He wanted to blindside the rat. Time to trip him up even more and he wouldn't even need to lie.

"Would you mind if we just fought without our weapons? Mine is quite difficult to control."

"You couldn't possibly fight me without it," Urokai replied, his voice dropping to a low menace.

"True, but I have my pride as a human. I can't take out my weapon unless you take out yours."

Urokai laughed at him. Laughed! Frankenstein couldn't bother to be annoyed because Uroaki had taken the bait. Now the asshole would be careless alongside underestimating him.

"Oh! This is too good, Frankenstein! I suppose you have the right to see my soul weapon. Come to me, Dragus!"

'Good. Now I'll know what I'm getting into when I go after this noble who has betrayed my Master's trust.'

If nothing else, Frankenstein could say Dragus was sleek. A shiny black pole tipped in a gold-coloured metal that attached a blade. The blade looked like a failed claw because the curvature was too shallow. It had a trailing point that was more centered than closer to the pole where it should have been. Just how was it supposed to work properly, unless the form of it in motion changed. Yes, that had to be it. Still, the blade was pretty, black lined with silver edges.

"Hah, now I understand why Gejutel said your weapon was similar to his. It is long, but is it as powerful?"

"Take your weapon out and see! Your turn," Urokai said and chuckled.

Frankenstein knew the slurs he would hear once he pulled out Dark Spear. He'd have to put up with Dark Spaer fighting to eat Urokai through all the insults.

"Fine. Heed my call, Dark Spear!" Not like he actually had to call the damn thing, but nobles and their pomposity must be equally met.

Dark Spear sure liked to make a splashy entrance, forming violet clouds and coming down out of like lightning. He gave everyone a chance to admire its polluted hatred, swinging it around for show.

"May I introduce everyone to my crazy lover!" Frankenstein announced.

A double-ended spear with wide, jagged, and sharp tipped blades. It was such a dark shade of purple that it appeared the embodiment of deepest night. It slithered and seethed with a life of its own. It was Frankenstein's living nightmare, constantly trying to seize control over his body, jealous of his Master, and delighting in showing him what it would do if it ever broke free of its confinement. Crazy lover, indeed.

As he'd predicted, questions, insults, and accusations bombarded the field. Frankenstein felt responsible enough for the weapon's creation, considering it was made using his stolen theories. He didn't need more bullshit on top of that.

"If that thing is a soul weapon, why does it feel so foul?" Urokai asked. He wasn't just flapping his lips. They were drawn up and back in the universal sign of true disgust.

Dark Spear didn't care what was said about it. It hadn't eaten in awhile. Hatred and rage so dark it could tear reality apart crawled toward potential food. The cloying ichor of cruelly trapped human souls crept over Frankenstein's hand, up his arm, and nearly to his elbow before he managed to contain it.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Urokai pressed. "What immoral things did you do to make something so revolting?"

'He's all bluster and accusations. If he knew of its existence, he knows what they did.'

"You are delaying again, Urokai, asking me about things that you have no right to ask."

"What!? Why, you arrogant human! You think you have a soul weapon!? Let's see if it acts like one!" Urokai shouted.

Urokai gave no warning before sweeping Dragus in a wide arcing circle. Red noble power flew out in front of the blade.

The circle of power split into two serpentine twists of red rope, followed by two thinner black ropes tipped in claws. Four snaking ropes headed straight for Frankenstein. The black followed between the red. With the black further back than the red, Frankenstein had to time this just right.

Decapitating the snakes and sending their power scattering across the field was a difficult task. He had to spin his body and Dark Spear simultaneously to take them all out. Frankenstein's skills were up to the test and he took them out, though it wasn't easy. He simply made it look that way.

Frankenstein jumped away only to see Urokai coming down overhead. Dragus spat out a stream of dark power. It was too soon for Frankenstein to show what he had, so he only used as much power as necessary to stay alive, throwing his weapon above his head and grasping the center handle with both hands to hold off Urokai's power as well as the solid weapon itself.

The ground beneath and around Frankenstein shrieked and splintered, then crumbled as he held off Dragus, forcing Urokai to flip away. Urokai charged at Frankenstein again. Their weapons clacked and clinked with multiple strikes cast and blocked.

Urokai was getting more and more excited, pushing Frankenstein around the battlefield. Frankenstein seemed to tire quicker than Urokai and appeared to be barely keeping up. Of course, he wouldn't pull out everything he had. Not yet. Urokai was still too focused. He had to catch him off guard.

When Urokai suddenly grinned, Frankenstein knew he was going to have to play this precisely. Urokai would expect to lay him out flat, but he wasn't going down on this attack. Maybe give the noble half-way down. Just as he expected. Urokai slammed his weapon down from overhead, sledgehammer style. How inelegant.

Frankenstein snapped Dark Spear up over his head, catching the downward swing of Urokai's blade again. He allowed it to slam him down to one knee. Anymore and he'd be angry with himself for such a pathetic display.

When the dust cleared, Urokai was still smiling, but not out of cheer. He thought he'd caught himself a prize.

"You're stronger than I thought, but that doesn't change how disgusting you are for what you had to do to make that weapon."

This again? Honestly, Urokai really needed to shut the hell up.

"Is that really any of your business? How long have you been so concerned about humans? Is that really what you're angry about? My past? Or is it something else?"

"What?!"

"Maybe you ranting about my weapon is all a ruse for what's really bothering you."

Bulls eye. Urokai stiffened, threw his head back and screamed.

"SHUT UP AND JUST DIE!"

'Now!'

Three gigantic red and black snakes, jaws wide open, flew at Frankenstein. He was too busy timing his mad dash beneath and between them to hear whatever it was that Urokai was screaming. Once he was barely close enough, he drew his arm back then snapped it forward, sending Dark Spear flying as fast and hard as he possibly could.

Frankenstein wasn't sure what he was expecting, except that he really wanted to take off Urokai's head and say, "Oops. My bad." Anyone with any battle experience would move to another location after sending out a strike like Urokai's. However, he'd made Urokai mad enough that his opponent was distracted from anything resembling battle strategy.

The blast from his strike shook the field and blinded him for a few moments. After a two count, Dark Spear returned to his hand. That was something to be thankful for. Feeding Urokai to his lover might have gotten him into substantially more trouble with the lord than an accidental death.

'Rain?' Frankenstein peered up, then down when direct plops of water chilled his overheated skin. He sighed. His shirt hung in tatters, what was left of it anyway.

When he looked out over the field, the rain had washed the debris from the air. Urokai stood with a hand over his left eye and blood trailed down his cheek.

'Can't you do anything right, Urokai? Well, this does have its advantages.'

Frankenstein wrapped one arm around his ribs, rested the other elbow on it and tapped his teeth while grinning.

"Too bad. I thought my crazy lover liked you enough to pierce deeper. I wonder what went wrong?"

Heh, rubbing salt into wounds was a pastime that Frankenstein thoroughly enjoyed.

Gejutel wasn't certain if Frankenstein was telling the truth about his motives or if he was just taunting Urokai.

"Urokai lost his eye? How? Frankenstein is just a human!" Zarga exclaimed.

"That's why he made himself look weaker than normal," Gejutel mumbled to Ragar. To the others, he continued to speak. "Frankenstein was saving his strength the entire time just to make that one strike. He led Urokai to believe he was too weak to do anything truly harmful. That's why Urokai underestimated him."

"If Frankenstein's strike had been perfect, Urokai would have lost more than an eye," Ragar added.

"How could he save his power while fighting a clan leader? If he was fooling around and saving his power, he should have been too weak to survive!" Tradio was obviously astonished at Frankenstein's show of power. That gave Gejutel an odd sense of pride in Frankenstein. Weird.

"Frankenstein wasn't playing around or relaxing. He was studying his opponent and looking for weaknesses so he could decide the best strategy for an attack. He was using his mind to survive no matter what Urokai did," Ragar answered. "This is why we hold him in high regard."

"He still could have died," Tradio rebuffed.

"And that's why even the Lord accepts him." Even if Gejutel understood the Lord's regard, the Lord's keen interest creeped him out.

Ragar turned to Urokai and called down from the cliff. "You should stop now, Urokai. "

"Who do you think you are, trying to give me orders!" Urokai shouted.

"This was a spar, not a fight to the death," Ragar continued.

"So! Look what he did to my eye!?"

Gejutel could tell that Urokai's mental state would bring about someone's death and he couldn't say which would die. This spar couldn't continue.

"You want to kill Frankenstein because you underestimated him. It's your own fault. You should stop now. You too, Frankenstein," Gejutel said.

"Fine," Urokai replied.

Gejutel breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived.

"Hey Frankenstein, did you drop this? I just found it lying on the ground," Urokai asked and lifted his weapon. From the tip of its blade dangled a pale blue ribbon. A sapphire pendant sparkled in a silver casing. Urokai grinned at his startled opponent.

'Tesamu.'

Memories of a curious blond boy who wished to learn flooded Frankenstein's vision. There was no question that the child had been sent as a spy by the Union, most likely under duress. Perhaps his family had been threatened or something just as treacherous.

Frankenstein taught Tesamu things that would placate the Union, yet kept anything of true value out of their hands. He'd done what he could to see to the child's safety. But, he couldn't save the boy. The Union's claws were already in him.

When the child showed up to his lab with a new necklace, supposedly from his mother, Frankenstein knew it was a tracking beacon. They wouldn't be far away. He'd burned his journals and notes and given the child one last piece of information; the location of journals Tesamu could use to save himself, but that would also interfere with the Union's experiments should they choose to use them.

If the necklace Urokai had perched on his weapon's blade was the same tracker, Tesamu was well and truly dead. Frankenstein tried to hold back his emotions so that he could verify what he believed. Dark Spear, on the other hand, didn't want to wait.

"KILL THEM! Kill them all! Give them to me!" Dark Spear screamed.

'Patience.'

"Urokai, where did you get that necklace?"

"I told you, I found it on the ground! Did you lose it?"

"Why do you have it, Urokai?"

"What's wrong with you? I told you already. I found it! Doesn't it belong to you?"

Urokai's wicked grin told Frankenstein everything, but he was trying his best not to judge too quickly. Urokai tossed the necklace to him. There was a tiny indent, a scratch, on the left side of the jewel's encasing. It definitely belonged to Tesamu. No question. The boy had managed to damage it in that exact same spot while working with him.

"Tesamu, they killed you even after all you'd done for them," Frankenstein snarled. His will to fight against the corruption he carried inside his body dwindled to a trickle.

Dark Spear crawled over Frankenstein's body and he didn't care. Tesamu had only been a child. Frankenstein and his weapon would destroy as many nobles as possible. Master wouldn't be in danger because he wouldn't leave his home. But Urokai, Urokai was going to die. Urokai and his people killed a little boy for no good reason.

"They killed the child! Give them all to me!"

An innocent child had paid the price for greed. The blood of innocent families, men, women, children born and unborn soaked the earth for the Union's greed for power. If he couldn't stop them, he would end as many as possible.

'Yes,' Frankenstein responded without conscious awareness that he wanted to raze the earth, killing everything and everyone.

Frankenstein and Dark Spear merged into a beast of pure vengeance. Freed from it's bonds, the creature roared its intent to annihilate anything in its path. The convergence of their powers blasted a crater many yards wide and several feet deep.

Shouting drew Dark Spear's attention. Something lived. Ah, the noisy red one. Another roar and the red one sent a blast of power its way. The inky creature countered with its own power, revelling over the death to come.

Inside of Dark Spear, Frankenstein awakened to nothing but shadows. The air was dank and putrid. Hands reached for him, tore at his clothes and hair.

'What happened?"

"You wanted to join us in our revenge. We will take the red one, kill him for what he has done to the innocent. We will take them all! Add your soul to ours and no one will stop us!"

"No! You can't tell friend from foe. You will kill the innocent. Tesamu is dead and YOU can't bring him back. You can't bring back MY FAMILY or MY VILLAGE!" Frankenstein shouted.

If Frankenstein had had control of his body, he would probably be weeping by now. Dark Spear loved showing him all the people he hadn't saved. Old hurts don't disappear, they linger and poison the present. They stay buried until a minor event takes place that yanks them to the surface, and it always happens at the most inconvenient of times.

That's what this crisis amounted to, revenge for past hurts, something that wouldn't help anyone. If this was what Urokai had wanted, he'd won. Sometimes, there is no such thing as justice.

"You gave us your body. Give us your soul! You owe us for what you've done!"

"Not yet! You will get us destroyed, then where will your vengeance be?"

Damn it, after everything, he was still vulnerable to Dark Spear's corruption. Perhaps living with Sir Raizel had made him weak. He would give that some serious consideration after he managed to release himself from all of these souls. One moment of weakness could cost more than he was currently willing to pay.

The voices of Dark Spear screamed and the grip on Frankenstein's mind loosened. Amidst a cacophony of shouts, Frankenstein could feel power gather and sweep away. Souls writhed around him, pressing and jostling as another surge amassed.

Raizel stared at the selection before him. Frankenstein had labored for hours and left a veritable feast on the table. He wouldn't apologize for taking his time eating them. However, Frankenstein was simultaneously extraordinary and vexing.

'How am I supposed to enjoy Frankenstein's foods with all the noise he's making?'

Raizel had barely eaten half of the foods, mostly the sweetest, before the noise had started. Now the detonations were out of control. Never had it been this bad.

It wasn't until a spectacular explosion brought the Lord's aura streaking across the sky that Raizel decided he should go to Frankenstein's rescue. Why had Frankenstein chosen a place so far away? Now he might not get to finish his dinner.

"Ow, that hurt!" the Lord said, shaking his hand. "He must have been using all of his power!"

That was close. Raizel had nearly flown into the Lord. At least he'd kept Urokai's strike from hitting Frankenstein.

'So this is why you made so much noise. What did Urokai do to you?'

According to Gejutel and Ragar, Frankenstein knew his limits and always stopped the fight before Dark Spear could become a problem. It was one of the reasons Raizel knew he could trust Frankenstein.

Something in his chest stirred. It almost hurt.

"Why are both of you here?" asked Roctis.

"Do you think I didn't hear all this noise?" the Lord answered. "It was so loud that even Raizel came out of his house! Get it? Urokai, it looks like your eye has been injured."

Raizel couldn't have cared less what they were talking about. Frankenstein needed help, and he needed to make a decision. There were different ways he could help, but which one would be proper?

Frankenstein did not like the idea of a noble entering his mind, which would be the best option. Fully awakening him to increase his power might also be seen as a trespass. There was one other option that Raizel refused to consider. Execution. No, Frankenstein might be powerful for a human, but nobles were still stronger in a myriad of ways.

Dark Spear roared.

"Ooh, Raizel, it looks like Frankenstein has mutated into something more powerful. Not even the Central Order Knights could handle him at this level. But fighting a clan leader? Oh ho! Who do you think would win?"

Raizel gave the Lord a disapproving glance. In that instant, power shot from Dark Spear directly toward the two. All of the clan leaders rushed forward and headed off the blast.

"Humans never cease to amaze me!" the Lord commented with a huge grin.

Now Raizel's chest actually hurt. 'Is this because of Frankenstein? Or is it something else?'

Urokai charged toward the purple creature. "How dare you attack the Lord, you cocky bastard!"

"No, Urokai, stand down," the Lord interrupted.

Urokai stopped in his tracks, nearly falling. Even though his eyes were wide, he didn't question the Lord.

Roctis made apologies while Lagus offered to take care of the problem, permanently.

"We can handle it," Lagus commented.

"Then why haven't you done it already?" the Lord asked, noticing that Gejutel and Ragar stood apart from the other three. "If you didn't want me here, you should have stepped in at the beginning!"

The Lord's mouth stretched, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Besides, I'm already here, so I have to do something or this would be a wasted trip!"

'Has Frankenstein become so strong that I would be forced to execute him should the Lord command it? My duty is to those weaker than nobles.'

The pain in his chest grew. From past experience, Raizel knew he could adjust. So, he decided to simply ignore it. Frankenstein was much more important right now.

"Hm, Frankenstein appears to be possessed by his power. What to do, what to do..." the Lord contemplated.

"He should be destroyed immediately," Roctis stated and was seconded by Zarga.

Hearing Roctis condemn Frankenstein was a shock. 'What has happened to you, Roctis?'

"Yes, Frankenstein would be a threat to the humans. He should be killed," Tradio agreed.

'Does Zarga, as well? Truly, they have changed."

Where sadness threatened, duty took over and Raizel became the Noblesse. He stared at his companion. There was the obvious hatred and murderous intent of Frankenstein's weapon, but Raizel knew Frankenstein. The only thing that could drive out this human's virtue, his strength of will, was pain of the heart.

He, the Noblesse, would protect Frankenstein's heart from anyone seeking to hurt him. And that included Dark Spear.

'Once Frankenstein is free, I will find out who caused this.'

"Gejutel, you haven't agreed with them that Frankenstein should be killed. Well, I guess you aren't impartial since you trained with him."

The Lord let out an exaggerated sigh and turned to the three clan leaders.

"Zarga, Roctis, Lagus, stop Frankenstein for a minute."

That brought out a barrage of protests.

"I just need it quiet while I decide what to do!" the Lord huffed and frowned.

The three stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Well? Hurry up!" As the three ran off, the Lord muttered. "You'd think I wasn't the Lord!"

Even with three clan leaders attempting to keep the creature contained behind a barrier, Dark Spear's attacks rocked the walls.

"Huh, the barrier looks like it's about to break," the Lord said, then called out to his men. "You guys can use your soul weapons if you need to!"

"We're fine! We don't need it!"

"Really? You couldn't tell by looking."

"Frankenstein is such a strong human! Clan leaders won't even be able to stop him."

Raizel wasn't certain who the Lord was speaking to, but he needed to keep his attention on Frankenstein. Considerable focus and energy were required for what he was about to do. The Lord was wrong. An experienced clan leader could overwhelm Frankenstein. Urokai was simply young and inexperienced with battle.

"That's because you ordered them to simply contain him, not kill him. Killing him would be much easier," Gejutel pointed out.

"If all you've got is a hammer…" the Lord said and glanced sideways at Gejutel. "I haven't decided what to do with him yet. They're just giving me time!"

'What does a hammer have to do with anything?' Raizel wondered.

The Lord sighed and looked at Raizel.

"Lord, let me kill him! You shouldn't be bothered by that scum!" Urokai all but shouted.

"Urokai, back off."

"If you're saying that because of my eye, this is nothing! I can face him!"

"No, you lost your self-control."

Raizel glanced at Urokai. This couldn't be that simple. Something was wrong with Urokai, with all of them, except Gejutel and Ragar.

"Tha-That's not true!"

"You were wounded because you underestimated a human. Isn't that why you're so angry now?"

'If the Lord is right, he is as wise as Ragar believes.'

The pain in Raizel's chest receded somewhat.

"N-No."

"You were the one who refused to believe that a human had become powerful enough to touch you. Frankenstein isn't responsible for what happened to you, you are."

Urokai didn't respond this time.

"Cadis Etrama Di Raizel," the Lord addressed Raizel. "Frankenstein is incapable of controlling his power. Do you have any idea what we should do?"

Yes, he did. The Noblesse stepped away, heading toward the barrier.

"Lagus, Zarga, Roctis," Raizel addressed the clan leaders. "You may go and leave this to me."

The clan leaders backed away, leaving Raizel facing Dark Spear. Dark Spear, a creation made from the pain of souls given over to vengeance due to the untimely death of their bodies and the inability to pass on to their next adventure. Frankenstein lived with their needs and desires at the cost of his own. That was his strength. He knew how to daily decide to stand firm against his own wants and needs, and against Dark Spear. He decided how much he was willing to pay and never paid more or less.

Raizel's chest felt hollowed out, the pain returning.

Frankenstein was a victim of someone else's machinations. A moment of weakness brought on by something unknown to Raizel had allowed Dark Spear to steal his body. That 'someone' was going to pay the price for Frankenstein.

A blast of power Dark Spear sent at Raizel woke him from his thoughts. He put up a token resistance and allowed the power to wash over him, to feel what they felt and follow it back to his human. Dark Spear was quick to strike again, doubling the force.

This time Raizel received a couple of scratches and allowed them to bleed. Using his own blood, he created a blood field. The others wouldn't be able to see through his dome. Raizel wanted some privacy, as well as more strength to hold the weapon at bay. Dark Spear decided to attack up close. This was what Raizel needed to accomplish his goal. He brought out more power, calling upon his blood wings.

Inside the barrier, Raizel put pressure on Frankenstein's body. Taking hold of the spear's edge when it came down from overhead, Raizel held the weapon and Frankenstein in place. Now, he only needed some of Frankenstein's blood to use as a conduit to Frankenstein's mind.

Staring into those white eyes of Not-Frankenstein, Raizel used his power to reach beyond Dark Spear's layer of power and on to Frankenstein's cheek. He swept the human blood across his bottom lip. In seconds that felt like days, Raizel searched through the cacophony of wailing souls, past memories of a little blond boy wearing a necklace, beyond a necklace hanging from the tip of Urokai's soul weapon, and there, finally, Frankenstein battled with the darkness.

Overwhelming pain born of deep anguish flowed into Raizel. Guilt flowed behind the pain, then rage. Finally, desperation. His companion fought the souls for his freedom.

"Frankenstein, wake up."

This wasn't a request. It was an order. Raizel didn't like the idea of influencing Frankenstein's will without a contract, but this qualified as an emergency. Hopefully, Frankenstein would forgive him.

When Frankenstein's eyes finally found him, they widened. He climbed over the arms toward Raizel and reached out. Their fingers touched and an explosion of power threw Raizel out of Frankenstein's mind. Turquoise eyes stared back at him before Dark Spear fell away and Frankenstein dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Glaring white light blinded Raizel and the pain in his chest pushed outward and disappeared along with the light.

"Ow! What was all that screaming!?"

Raizel stared at the image before him. Once the hands came away from the face, what he saw was almost a perfect copy of himself, a bit taller with wavy black hair.

"Azrael." Raizel frowned at the apparition.

The other Raizel grinned. "Hello, little brother. It has been a long time."

"You are standing on my butler."

Author Notes: Thank you for reading and for the lovely reviews you've written! I hope the changes in POV's didn't give you whip lash. Let me know if that's something I should avoid in the future. It's a result of wanting to get the entirety of this pivotal event into one chapter. Hopefully, it won't happen again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Noblesse and don't make any money off of this story.