Fear

Fear rules those who submit to it, stripping them of everything, yet those who rule fear are the ones who possess it all. 

With all his experience and deep understanding of fear, he should have been the one to master it—one of the few who do, if not the very best. But here he was, lying in bed, bandages wrapped tight around his ribcage, holding him together, just barely.

Fear, his greatest tool and his most formidable foe.

"I need to get rid of this damn disease once and for all," he muttered, shifting on the bed.

But the pain wasn't letting up. Not even close.

At that moment, Leo and Ash walked into the room, carrying potions in their hands.

"It's been four days, and Aeris still isn't back. What's going on?" Leo asked as he stepped closer to the bed.

Raiden shrugged. It was a question that had been gnawing at him too these past few days, but there was nothing he could do, and he wasn't about to waste energy stressing over it.

However, just as Raiden reached for the potion, the door creaked open. It was Levi, a smirk tugging at his lips as he casually flipped a dagger between his fingers.

Raiden narrowed his eyes, watching him saunter in. Then, without sparing him another glance, he drank the potion. That smirk alone was enough; something interesting was coming.

"Where have you been?" Leo asked, his voice edged with concern.

But Levi didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Leo and said, "Give us a moment."

Leo, clearly perplexed, turned to Raiden, but Raiden just gave him a small nod, silently telling him to go along with it.

Raiden tried to sit upright, but the pain in his ribs alone was enough to pin him down.

Levi, catching the unmistakable agony in his expression, spoke up.

"What happened to you?"

Raiden stayed still, watching him in silence. It wasn't out of arrogance or some calculated move, he just didn't see the point in answering.

"You look dead…" Levi sneered, leaning casually against the canopy.

"Where's Aeris?" Raiden leaned slightly toward Levi, gritting his teeth as he adjusted his leg. "I want her to heal me…"

But before Levi could respond, Aeris walked in, a sore expression on her face as she nervously played with her fingers.

Raiden let out a silent scoff; her face said it all. She had little to say.

"Can you heal me, Aeris?" he asked, gesturing to his ribs. "The pain is unbearable…"

She hesitated, frozen for a moment. But something in the softness of his words seemed to break through the fog.

"Sure…" she murmured, quickly moving to his side.

The moment her hands touched him, Raiden spoke.

"Care to tell me what happened?" he asked, feeling the pain in his ribs begin to ease.

"Oh, right," she said, glancing at Raiden.

"The elders didn't eat the meal. The servants did, and they were the ones who got poisoned."

Raiden shot her a skeptical look, doubt written clearly across his face.

Aeris met his gaze without flinching.

"Trust me," she said quietly. "I did it. I put the poison in the meal."

Raiden smirked and gave her a small nod, not because he believed her, but just enough to keep her talking.

"I only managed to get near the Dawnbreakers' home once, and even then, I didn't hear anything," she said.

She finally pulled her hands away as the healing ended, and for the first time, Raiden let out a smile of relief. The pain had faded to almost nothing.

"However, I did get the chance to speak with a friend who finances one of the Dawnbreakers," Aeris continued.

Raiden rose to his feet. Her words reached him, distant and muffled; he heard them, just wasn't paying them much attention.

All he focused on was the calm, the quiet satisfaction of finally standing after three days.

"The Dawnbreakers want the book too."

Raiden finally turned to her, concern flickering across his face. Then he let out a slow sigh.

"They want to steal it, and since it'll be their family tasked with retrieving it for the kingdom, they'll use that opportunity to claim the duty of Bookkeeper for themselves."

Raiden smirked, rubbing his forehead.

The moment he heard that his plan to build a hideout had not only been anticipated,but already executed, he knew he was in deep trouble. And he'd been right.

A soft, almost amused laugh slipped from his lips.

"So this house is literally an execution ground, for me, the entire Night bloodline."

His laughter deepened, but it faded just as quickly. He began pacing, moving from the wall to the canopy, back and forth.

He had to get rid of his fear; he knew that much. If he didn't, it would be his undoing.

But even that thought terrified him. A shiver ran through his body as his hands absently brushed through his dark hair.

After a few moments, Raiden stopped pacing and took a deep breath. A faint smile touched his lips as he turned to Aeris.

"Why are you only showing up now?"

She hesitated, the words catching in her throat.

"Uh…" she paused, eyes darting away.

"Uhm… I had to take care of my family for a while."

He gave her a firm nod, the weight of everything settling in. It was time to bring everyone together.

"Can you get me, Ash and Leo?… We need to talk."

Aeris seemed surprised that Raiden didn't press the matter, but a quick smile followed.

"Okay, I'll get them," she said, then turned and walked out of the room.

"She wasn't lying," Levi said as he settled onto the bed, "but that wasn't the whole truth either."

Raiden barely spared him a glance. His eyes stayed fixed on the door, mind spiraling around the one thing that gripped him most: fear.

Should he just become so strong that no one could stand above him?

It was the only idea that made sense to him… yet he knew it didn't make sense at all.

"We'll talk about that later," he muttered.

"Okay…" Levi said, settling more comfortably on the bed as he watched Raiden stand motionless, eyes locked on a single spot, completely lost in thought.

"You do know you could easily form an army, right?"

His words fell on deaf ears, not because Raiden didn't hear him, but because forming an army, only to be the weakest among them, was the last thing he'd ever do.

At that moment, the others walked in. Ash rushed straight to him, and the instant Raiden saw her, his eyes widened.

"How could I forget…" he murmured, a big smile spreading across his face. "All you ever asked me was to get stronger."

He scooped Ash into his arms.

[Yes, Papa,] she said softly, nudging against him.

Raiden's expression darkened the moment he glanced at the others.

"This mansion is a trap…"

Leo's face shifted instantly, his gaze darting quickly between the others. But each of them looked unbothered.

"I don't know if King Hannes is involved," Raiden said, his voice steady but laced with concern, "but I believe we were brought here for one reason: to be killed."

He locked eyes with Leo.

"It's no secret anymore. The masses already know where we are."

Raiden gently patted Ash's back, the motion a quiet release of his growing anxiety.

"It's safe to assume each one of you is a target…" he said, his gaze steady.

Confusion deepened in Leo's eyes, but before he could speak, Raiden continued.

"Don't worry. Once you're under me, I'll protect you with my life, if it comes to that."

His voice was calm, unwavering. He meant every word.

"However, you all have a part to play too…" he paused, his voice firm.

"We're at war, and the victory won't just be ours, but the kingdom's. That's why we all need to get stronger."

His eyes narrowed as they swept across their faces.

"Not just in strength, but in every weapon we've got."

Leo's expression finally lightened, filled with renewed motivation as he gave a firm nod.

Aeris kept her eyes on the floor, silent, while Levi lay on the bed, absentmindedly flipping a dagger between his fingers.

Raiden smirked.

"Leo, I want you to retrieve the mana realm for Rank 8 to 7."

Leo nodded again, just as firmly.

He turned his head toward Levi.

"Levi, I want you to duel with them, again and again, until they can finally defeat you."

The fear in his voice, just from giving the command, was unmistakable.

Aeris finally lifted her gaze to Raiden.

"I want to get you more information… from home," she said quietly.

Raiden stared at her for a moment. He could tell Aeris wanted a way out. But he needed to know why.

"We'll discuss yours later," he said, his voice calm but firm. "For now, just be here to heal and train."

Aeris's eyes dropped to the floor again, shifting nervously.

Raiden kept his gaze on her, then let out a smirk.