I Guard The Book That Slays Gods

Noelle's speech to the crew came from a place of fear and desperation. Though both Alora and June were present, she orchestrated her words perfectly through her anger, concealing any hint of when and where their battle with the FIRMO was most likely to take place.

Her words fell on good ears with the others; even Freya knew better than to question her commands at that moment. When she finished, they exited the room, leaving Raiden and Ash behind.

Ash remained seated beside Raiden, her blue eyes fixed on the floor. Raiden was still confused, uncertain how to approach their situation. He hadn't seen her this wounded before—not even when she nearly got killed by June.

He thought for a moment, then reached over and gently patted her head. "I'm sorry, Ash. I would have at least attempted to fight."

She raised her head and gazed in Raiden's direction. "No, Papa." Her gaze dropped to the floor again. "You did the right thing."

Raiden's eyes narrowed slightly, confusion washing over him. "Then why are you this sad?"

Ash said nothing, fidgeting with her fingers as her eyes stared into space. Clearly, she was hiding something.

"Come on, Ash," Raiden said, placing his hand under her chin and guiding her gaze toward him. "You can tell me."

Her blue eyes flickered, and she whispered, "It wasn't what I remembered… it was what he said."

Raiden raised an eyebrow, waiting.

"He was a dragon. A powerful one. And when I fought him, I felt like he was my enemy." She clenched her fist. "Not because of who he was… but because of what he was."

Obviously, the FIRMO was their enemy, but from Ash's words, it was obvious her issue was with the abilities her opponent possessed. As a fellow dragon, her grudge was toward the dragon, not the person in particular.

Raiden remembered seeing the white-haired foe possess a transformation similar to his, but something wasn't right. He hadn't seen any dragons around.

Raiden frowned. "A dragon… in human form?"

Ash raised her head and stared into Raiden's eyes for a moment. She was clearly searching for the right words to avoid Raiden's question, but Raiden knew better.

His expression dropped instantly. "Don't lie to me, Ash. You know I can always tell when you're lying."

Ash hesitated, then nodded faintly. "He said… they were fully bonded. Their rotate is done."

Raiden swallowed. He remembered what Leo had told him about "rotate," a process by which dragons passed on their will and essence to someone they trusted, though he never truly understood much about it.

"What does that mean? Mana Rebinding?"

Before Raiden could ask more, Leo entered with a book in hand. "Primordial dragons bind differently. Stronger. They can sense each other, even from great distances. That's what Ash felt."

Raiden's chest tightened as he looked at Ash. "So… what does this mean for us?"

He held a book as he approached from the corridor and took his seat.

"I didn't know that," Ash said, her eyes following Leo's movements.

"When you left in the evening, I couldn't help but try to understand how Ash could sense a threat from such a distance." He said this and rested the book on his thighs.

"That's when I learned that primordial dragons can sense each other even from great distances… just like what Ash did."

Raiden glanced at Ash as he finally began to believe that she was somehow more connected to the primordial dragons than he had imagined.

Leo shrugged his shoulders. "If whoever you guys met was a dragon and had such an enormous presence—

"Stop!" Ash interrupted, eyes squeezed shut. "I'll say it."

Raiden turned to her, his thoughts growing more perplexed. He didn't know exactly what to make of the situation.

"I don't remember anything about a primordial dragon, but I am certain of some things." She said this and looked into Raiden's eyes, who only wanted the situation to make more sense.

"You and I, Papa… we're sharing the same strength."

She glanced at herself. "And though I contain most of the strength, you also have a portion of it."

Raiden's eyes widened. "You mean… we're both the Moon Dragon?"

She gave him a firm nod. "My entire existence is as the moon dragon, and I bonded with you, Papa."

She glanced down at her small frame. "I appear this way because you see me as a child—as your daughter. Had you viewed me as anything else, I could have taken any form."

Raiden was taken aback. He could have sworn he'd never truly liked her calling him "Papa"—so why would he view her as his daughter? But there were more pressing matters to address.

"How exactly does that explain our situation, Ash?"

"I wanted to explain why I use a higher percentage." Ash took a deep breath. "Right now, there are two moon dragons: you and I."

"But there can be only one moon dragon."

Her words hit Raiden harder than he expected. He wasn't naive; he could tell where her explanation was heading, but he needed confirmation.

"So that's what you meant by 'fully bonded?'"

Ash gave him a gentle nod. "Yes, and for that to happen, the dragon had to trust their bond enough to surrender everything to them. That's rotate."

The moment she spoke, Raiden let out a hollow chuckle—not from humor, but from disbelief. The sound cracked in his throat, as if he were trying to laugh away the truth he couldn't bear to face.

But that wasn't his real concern because he wasn't going to let it happen. Ash wasn't going to die under any circumstances.

After a brief moment, he paused and turned back to Ash. Her eyes were fixed on the floor, and the uneasiness in them told him everything he needed to know.

This was why Ash had been scared of losing him. The constant fear within their hearts made Ash feel as if she would drift away from Raiden. Everything was clear to him now.

Ash's lips trembled as she tried to continue, but her voice broke. Her hands curled into fists against her knees, knuckles whitening as her small frame shivered. "Papa… if there can only be one Moon Dragon… then what am I? What happens to me?"

Raiden reached out instantly, pulling her close. "Don't you dare say that. You aren't dying, Ash. Not now, not ever." His voice cracked with a fury he hadn't felt in years.

"Even if I have to train a decade for it, I'll kill that bastard without losing you."

Ash stared at him for a little while before breaking into a loving smile. Raiden could tell she didn't believe what he said and was only happy because he cared.

"She isn't a primordial dragon after all," Leo said, finally rising to his feet after remaining silent since Ash had shut him down. "I will look for any information that could help you, bookkeeper."

Raiden turned to him and gave him a firm nod.

The moment Leo left, Raiden gave Ash a big grin. He was going to kill the white-haired guy regardless, not just for hurting Ash but also for having the same eyes as his brother, Jobe. And he didn't care if he had to hold back his strength.

"If we work together, we can do this, Ash… trust me."

Ash's smile widened as she stared at Raiden, but his faded after a moment of thought.

[ALERT]

[FAMILIAR TRUST +10%]

"How exactly did you make the sword you held yesterday?" He paused for a moment as he began to recall more such events. "Come to think of it, you've created shadowy chains as well."

"How?"

Ash's expression returned to normal. "When you're within the darkness, as a moon dragon, you can conjure anything… you just have to imagine it."

"Really?" Raiden asked as he rested his chin on his hand.

"Yes, Papa."

Raiden smiled. "You have to teach me anything you know about being the moon dragon, okay?"

Ash responded with a gentle nod.