I Guard The Book That Slays Gods

Raiden stared up at the sky with a grim expression. Despite the heavy burden on his shoulders, the looming specter of complete collapse, he knew better than to rush his thoughts.

The confusion surrounding how absolute domains operated fascinated him. A darkening smile formed on his lips from the thought alone. But now, he had no option but to view it as a mirror reflecting the two worlds.

"It's been two days… let it rest."

Raiden slowly lowered his head to the left. Approaching him were Noelle, with her aether cigarette resting between her lips and smoke coiling around her, and Ash, who seemed a bit moody.

"I think experience would speak best." Noelle added as they drew closer.

Raiden found Ash's expression a bit out of the ordinary, but what captured his attention most was Noelle—how exactly she had managed to cheat death.

"Would you mind telling me?" Raiden blurted, his gaze turning to the forest before them.

Noelle and Ash moved to stand beside him, turning to face the forest as well.

"You are talking about my tattoo, aren't you?" Noelle asked, reaching for her neck.

"Look, there." she gestured toward the forest.

Raiden narrowed his eyes in the same direction. Under a white two-leaf clover, a figure was fidgeting within the bushes.

"What's that?"

"That's MK, picking up some leaves."

Raiden turned to Noelle with a confused expression, wondering what that had to do with her tattoo. But before he could speak, something about MK struck him as odd. MK could easily reach fresh leaves from the tree's branches, yet he crouched down to pick things up instead.

"What's he doing?" His tone matched his confusion.

Noelle's deep violet eyes remained fixed on the tree. "That's the aether tree."

Raiden raised his eyebrows in confusion before glancing at the aether Noelle was smoking. He had never thought of aether as coming from a tree; though something about it had always seemed strange, its origin as a tree had never crossed his mind.

Noelle gestured toward her neck again. "The tattoo is made of aether."

Raiden's expression darkened abruptly. "But that explains nothing."

She removed the aether and tossed it aside, her expression unreadable. "Aether isn't talked about much in your kingdom… that's sad."

She rolled her eyes toward Raiden. "I think this island is closer to my kingdom, Aurelia, than we thought."

Raiden let out a sigh. Noelle's evasiveness was getting on his nerves. After saving her life, he expected something more direct.

"Before magic… before mana and crests, there was aether." She pulled another aether cigarette from her pocket and placed it between her lips.

She turned to Raiden and flashed him a rehearsed smile. "Let's say the oldest magic trick in the book saved me."

Raiden stared at her for a moment, reached into his pocket, and pulled out one of the aether cigarettes Noelle had given him. He studied it intently, his expression softening by the passing seconds.

He knew there was a time when magic didn't exist, but never truly thought about how magic came to be in the first place. If aether really was the oldest magic, then could it do things mana crests couldn't? Could it make him strong enough to defeat Deathsight? And most importantly, could he use it to go back to his world and avenge his brother?

After a brief moment in thought, he turned to Noelle. "Can it do anything?"

Noelle was silent for a moment, her gaze dropping to the floor, seemingly lost in thought. "To be honest, I can't tell."

She turned toward Raiden, the wind stirring her short dark hair. "…since it gave birth to mana and magic, it's only fair to believe it could."

She turned away with a shrug. "I mean, it helps my people and me use our abilities in a unique way."

Raiden smirked as he finally understood why Noelle could heal herself and why she could use her ability without activating her domain.

But before any of them could break the silence between them, Ash spoke up:

"We need to leave, Papa," she said, urgency rumbling in her voice as she turned to the ocean behind them.

Raiden and Noelle simultaneously turned to her in confusion. "Why?"

Ash's blue eyes flickered, her pointed ears shaking as she gestured toward the ocean. Suddenly, Raiden felt the sharp fear radiating from her heart, and his eyes widened in terror as he turned to face the water.

"Something is coming, Papa." Ash's head snapped in Raiden's direction. "It is fast… very fast, and powerful."

Raiden couldn't see anything on the sea, but he had witnessed how far Ash's danger senses could reach… he knew better than to doubt her.

"Well, then we leave."

"What could it be?" Noelle asked, grabbing Ash's hand as they began to quicken their pace alongside Raiden.

"I don't know," Raiden muttered, "but I don't think it's Deathsight either; he made it clear he's not interested in me."

The moment Raiden spoke, he paused, his eyes widening in terror as his heartbeat quickened. "Could it?… the huntress?"

Noelle and Ash also stopped. "The mysterious girl who wants you dead?"

Raiden didn't respond as he broke into a run alongside the others. He had initially wanted to fight the huntress, but after learning she might be trying to kill him for attempting to return to his world, he couldn't afford to face her. Worse, she was said to be an unbreakable force—not something he wanted to confront.

As soon as he reached the others, he yelled: "Aeris, call the leviathan… hurry."

His urgent words carried through the air, bringing everyone else to their feet despite knowing nothing about the situation.

"Where are we going next, though?" Aeris asked with reluctance, irritating Raiden as his body began to fidget. He had no clear idea what was making him so agitated, but he knew he couldn't afford to be caught.

"That was uncalled for," Chrono said, stretching. "Well, let's go to Hour Island then."

Seeing the anger in Raiden's eyes at her slow response, Aeris hurried her steps as soon as Chrono mentioned the name. She crouched at the water's edge and began calling the leviathan.

Despite the urgency, however, Raiden knew it was best to speak with his comrades before heading to Hour Island. They had already lost Freya, leading to some already wanting his head for it.

As the leviathan approached through the water, its massive form causing the ocean's surface to churn, Raiden took the opportunity to speak.

He cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "I would hate to lose any of you the way we lost Freya."

His eyes fell to the ground as his tone grew quieter. 'So I'll say it again: I need you all, but that doesn't mean I should lose you.'

He lifted his head toward them. "…If you leave, I'd be completely fine."

The leviathan surfaced behind him with its massive bulk, and he turned to face it. "You can choose not to go with us."

As soon as he finished speaking, the leviathan's voice echoed through their minds. "You are fleeing from the huntress, aren't you?"

It opened its enormous mouth, the lower jaw dropping down to the beach and sinking into the sand as its tongue unfurled. "We have a contract, but don't dare put me in danger."

Raiden hardly heard what it spoke as the instant its tongue touched the sand, he began sprinting toward its mouth.

"She is here, Papa." Ash said as she and Noelle joined Raiden.

"Hurry!" The leviathan's booming voice resonated through their minds, prompting them to scramble inside.

When the last person did, Raiden's heart sank in relief. He knew he was the only person the Huntress was after, and if memories served him right, she couldn't harm anyone else apart from him.

So, watching the leviathan gently close its mouth made the creature's gut feel like a sanctuary to him.