The palace traitor was yet to be found, and Raiden trusted no one within those walls, hardly anyone beyond them. What he did trust was that King Hannes would take action after receiving his ssage. And if his prediction held true, they had yet to face the kingdom’s most devastating attacks.
With the ssage to the royal palace sent, he and Ash, who continued resting silently on his shoulder, began their exit from the training room.
But the mont they stepped outside, Freya closed in on them. "Can I speak to you for a mont?"
Raiden turned to her, startled, but gestured for her to speak. "I want you to know that I’ve given reasonable thought to what you said, and I’ve decided to give it a shot. I’ll work with everyone else to bring back Free."
Raiden smiled—not only would this lift Freya out of her depression, but he was relieved he wouldn’t have to endure her sorrowful expression daily. Still, his expression changed the instant Freya’s did, her eyes darting downward to the floor.
"You’ve already explained my amnesia, which I understand perfectly." Her eyes shifted downward. "But regarding Free... I can’t just let his death go without feeling grief."
She lifted her gaze and locked eyes with Raiden. "I can feel it inside—he was so important to . You know? It’s sothing I don’t need anyone to tell to rember. It’s already there."
Raiden raised an eyebrow, his gaze remaining fixed on her. He understood completely. As Jack, transforming into Raiden, there were aspects of Raiden’s life that he found impossible to release—his family’s reputation and, above all, his duty as the bookkeeper. These weren’t mories he had to recover; they felt embedded in Raiden’s soul itself.
"Free feels like the only thing that matters to right now." Freya paused for a mont. "So I will help. We’re going to bring back my familiar."
Raiden smiled broadly at her. Since Leo couldn’t understand anything in Noorian, Freya’s best bet would be speaking with the shadow of Noor himself, Levi. But before that, there was sothing he needed her to do.
"That’s great, Freya." He gave her shoulder a gentle tap. "But I’d feel better if you waited to recover fully before putting in much effort."
Freya gave a positive nod, and they both started walking away. Raiden needed to go outside and assess what could be done about the smoky mist their battle with Seth had left behind. Sothing about Freya, however, troubled him.
Given everything Levi had told him about Freya’s past, this calm and gentle behavior didn’t match what he’d expected from her. But he dismissed the thought after a few monts, his attention turning to Ash, who still perched on his shoulder, staring down at the floor.
The mont he stepped outside the house, the dense air made him cough as he waved his hands to dispel it from around his face.
"Is there anything you want to tell , Ash? You must have so idea of what you really are." Raiden spoke hoarsely through his irritated throat, still coughing.
But Ash remained silent. She only raised her head slightly, shooting him a sharp glance from his shoulder before settling back into her resting position.
Raiden hesitated slightly. After all, since advancing two ranks from when he’d first summoned her, she should have gained so awareness of what she was. Still, he decided not to press the matter, his attention shifting to the problem of clearing the dense air.
He remained there, hand pressed over his nose, his gaze sweeping the area desperately. With air this dense, they risked dying from suffocation if he didn’t find an answer soon.
Just then, a voice interrupted his thoughts from behind—Levi.
"I wasn’t expecting you to be so brutally honest." He spoke with a smirk as Raiden turned around.
"What did you expect to say?"
He stepped closer. "Well, I didn’t have anything particular in mind, honestly. I just knew you would find the right words."
Raiden gave him another look. The expression on Levi’s face didn’t match his casual words—sothing Raiden found unsettling. It seed as if what had transpired served Levi’s interests in ways Raiden hadn’t yet grasped.
"You know that what you said might be taken as an insult to the leaders, right?"
Raiden scoffed. "Not really." He turned to face Levi directly, hands settling on his hips. "Their pride will be hurt, and this isn’t sothing they’ll overlook easily."
"Our chances of surviving are better now, but not until we win a particular war, one that doesn’t depend on strength."
Levi’s smirk stretched wider. "It’s remarkable how psychologically sharp you’ve beco. Would you share your history with your humble servant?"
Raiden remained silent, turning his attention back to the dense smoke behind him.
"I an, none of your people really understand who you are. Not even Leo... they all say you’ve transford completely in recent months."
"..."
Raiden turned his gaze to Ash. "Can you do sothing about this, Ash?"
[Yes, Papa.] Ash responded and sprang to the floor.
Raiden’s expression imdiately darkened as Ash increased in size before his eyes. She crouched on her front legs, opened her mouth, and her eyes went completely black as her wings settled against her back. Then she began absorbing the dense air around them.
Raiden wondered why she hadn’t suggested helping sooner, choosing instead to wait for his request. Had she sohow believed he could manage it alone, despite knowing his limitations?
Within monts, Ash had absorbed all the dense air around them, returned to her original size, and looked at Raiden with a satisfied smile. She bounded toward him, and he scooped her up, placing her back on his shoulder.
At first glance, most of the grass had been reduced to ash, while the surviving patches had turned brown, leaving countless potholes across the forrly pristine landscape. The Marked Barrier continued to surround them, but what it couldn’t take away was the sky’s enduring beauty.
Raiden looked up at the beautiful sky and allowed himself a smile, releasing his worries about Ash’s enigmatic nature and Levi’s calculating deanor. He turned to face Levi.
"There’s still daylight left, and everyone capable of training should get started." He said, walking past Levi toward the house.
"So you won’t be sharing anything about your past then."
"..."
"Oh, and I’m entrusting Freya to you. Teach her Persian."
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