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A thousand years ago or you today

Chapter 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Frankenstein was half-way between feeling bored out of his mind and too exhausted to think about anything. He supposed it wasn’t impossible to be feeling both things at once. There were no windows in the patient’s bay, presumably because it was underground like his lab. Instead, the lighting seemed to be on some kind of timer to mimic daylight, slowly fading into a gentle orange hue before eventually shutting off, like it was mocking him by telling him to go to bed. The room was kept from total darkness by sparse blue illumination along the cabinets and counters, as well as the various lights from the medical equipment, signalling this and that. 

He tried to occupy his mind by thinking about his work, the next type of modification he would try, but he couldn’t focus well enough to accomplish anything. The numbers seemed to slip in and out of his mind, jumping and blurring together in an unintelligible mess no matter how hard he tried. After a long while, Frankenstein eventually fell into an uneasy slumber.

He was back home, in the streets of Constantinople, and something was terribly wrong. Profuse smoke filled the air, causing him to cough and his eyes to water as he squinted to see. There was the unmistakable glow of fire in the distance, the heat assaulting his face and body. The townspeople were in a panic, running this way and that, but all away from the source of the commotion that Frankenstein walked towards. 

There it was, the demon that haunted the city, with unmistakable red eyes and ashen skin. Its fangs gleamed in a gruesome smile as it stumbled forward towards its human prey. Although the humans called them vampires, Nobles, Frankenstein knew they were just mutants. The Nobles caused the outbreak of mutants that was plaguing the city, but the beings themselves were rarely seen. 

Feeling his blood boil, he summoned Dark Spear to the surface to deal with this problem. Almost immediately, though, he felt that something wasn’t right. Dark Spear was powerful, so much more than usual. When did it get so strong? The pain, usually a dull manageable ache, became jolts of electricity flooding his body in quick succession. He gasped for breath as the Dark Power quickly overtook him, engulfing his arms and chest before he could stop it. He could hear their voices, so many more than before, whispering, screaming, taunting, wailing. 

He fought hard, trying to regain control, but he was pulled in over and over again by those terribly ghostly hands. The pain was blinding, making him dizzy and sick to his stomach. No! He knew he was just dreaming, but Dark Spear was a real and present danger in his sleep. It could very well kill him if he didn’t get control…!

“...kenstein…”

Among the dreadful cacophony was a different voice, distinctly clear and, well, sane. But he could hardly hear it over the souls of the dead. Was someone calling his name? 

“Frankenstein.”

Everything hurt and he could feel himself growing weaker. Maybe it was the end for him. In the end, he couldn’t protect the people that mattered to him. Not his son, not his city, and certainly not his people. Not someone else that he couldn’t quite remember, someone so close to his heart…

“Open your eyes.”

With a gasp, Frankenstein sat bolt upright, his eyes fluttering open. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath, feeling the Dark Spear dissipate, freeing him from its grasp. He couldn’t understand the sight before him. There was that dark-haired Noble again, his hand outstretched, his eyes glowing red in the dark room. Again. The Noble had used his power to save him again…

Frankenstein clenched his fists, feeling his nails dig into his skin. He couldn’t understand. One of the beings that terrorized his dreams had saved him from them. Frankenstein was in no shape to use his power after that close call — he couldn’t defend himself now even if he had to. But he might not even have made it if it weren't for him. It was impossible to reconcile what he knew and what was happening.

Slowly, the Noble lowered his hand. For the first time, Frankenstein noticed a look of uncertainty on his face. The Noble hadn’t said a single word since he had seen him, nor smiled or frowned. He didn’t even leave. He just stood there, looking at Frankenstein. It unnerved him, causing his head to throb in pain. 

“You didn’t answer me last time, and I don’t think you’ll answer me this time. But why?”

Indeed, the Noble didn’t say a thing. Frankenstein was starting to wonder if he was even able to speak. But maybe it had been his voice that called out to him in his dream? 

Frankenstein was still so shaken. If the young humans were anything to go by, it was more likely than not that this Noble was another kind and caring being. But he couldn’t help but feel rage and despair every time he looked into those deep red eyes, knowing the destruction the Noble’s people set upon his city. The Noble probably didn’t deserve his cruelty, but Frankenstein really couldn’t bear it.

“Please leave me,” Frankenstein managed hoarsely.

To his shock, the Noble soundlessly acquiesced, turning and leaving the patient’s room without any more hesitation. Just like that, Frankenstein was alone again in the dark, exhausted, shaken, but still alive. He lay back down, knowing it would be impossible (and dangerous) to return to sleep, resigning himself to his fate of insomnia until dawn. 

As the hours dragged on, the room lights eventually turned into an irritatingly gentle orange glow to mimic the dawn before settling into plain white daylight. Frankenstein found himself thinking about that Noble. Somehow, Frankenstein was not only living with him, but had become his servant. Frankenstein had seemed so happy in all of those portraits, and those young humans were supposedly his children. What kind of life was he living, after all? If only he could find out more about who that Noble was. He supposed the only thing he could do was ask.

The sound of the doors opening drew his attention, and he sat up quickly as the three young humans entered the room. “Hey Boss, how are you doing?”

“Same as usual.”

Tao nodded. “Well, I need to tell you—”

“I need you to tell me—”

They both stopped short, but ended up speaking over each other again.

“...about Sir Raizel,” finished Tao.

“...about that Noble,” said Frankenstein at the same time.

M-21’s lips twitched in a smile. “Looks like we all have the same idea.”

Frankenstein made a motion to get up, but Takio gestured for him to stay seated, instead grabbing chairs for the three of them so they could have a proper discussion. For a moment they were all silent, having come face-to-face with the topic that, in fact, all four of them had been avoiding since the injury.

“I guess I should start,” said M-21 finally. “I’ve known you and ‘him’ the longest, after all. But I have to tell you that even I don’t know that much about you guys. You’re both very… private people.”

Frankenstein made a short sound that was almost a laugh. “Of course.”

“The very first time we met, we were enemies. I was a Union test subject, just garbage for them to send on low-level missions. Somehow we got mixed up with your Ma… with Sir Raizel’s coffin and some trouble that was going on near the school. My… partner and I ‘fought’ you guys briefly, but you guys just warned us with your power and let us go. When the Union finally decided to get rid of us, you both saved me. You took me into your home.”

“I see…”

“I don’t know how you guys met. I don’t know how long you’ve known each other, but it’s probably been thousands of years. I do know that… you would trust each other with your life. You were against it, at first. Bringing me home. But you trusted ‘his’ decision, and ‘he’ trusted yours. You gave me a job at the school, showed me how to take care of my health. I had just lost my partner and I was struggling. But we all became… family.”

Frankenstein exhaled. “It’s hard for me to believe it. I suppose you don’t know why I call him ‘Master.’ Don’t look so surprised, I found out. I saw a portrait of him in my room labeled that.”

The scar on M-21’s lip wavered as he smiled wryly. “I guess it’s impossible to hide it from you. You are so faithful to your Master we say it’s your catchphrase. I honestly don’t hear a lot of sentences from you that don’t include the word ‘Master.’”

A shudder passed through Frankenstein’s body. “Ugh, don’t say that.”

Takio frowned, speaking up. “Frankenstein… can I ask why you hate the Nobles so much?”

Why?” Frankenstein clenched his fists at his side, his jaw tensing. Closing his eyes, he worked hard to control himself before his power got out of hand again. He saw two of the young humans were already quite nervous. Takio’s hand drifted reflexively towards his weapon, and Tao’s watchful eyes didn’t leave him for a moment. But to M-21’s credit, he was steadfast. If the young man was nervous, he gave no indication of it.

“Why,” he repeated. “It’s because of what they did to my city. My home was overrun by the mutants. I know the Nobles caused them. We were just humans… we didn’t stand a chance against them. We lost so many. I couldn’t just sit by. That’s why I started human modification. I was planning to travel to Lukedonia eventually, to find out what was happening and take down the Nobles to stop the plague. The Nobles are beings of death and destruction. It’s my ultimate goal to protect my people, and if that means confronting every last one of those demons, then I will do it.”

Somehow, Frankenstein felt the tension in his own shoulders lessen after having said his piece. It was almost a relief to lay everything out in the open. Frankenstein watched as the three of them hesitated, thinking about what to say.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Tao eventually. “I mean, I know that doesn’t mean anything coming from me or any of us. But I’m still sorry.”

“You’re right, I don’t need apologies,” said Frankenstein. “I need for my people to be safe.”

“I get it…” said Tao. “But you know, Sir Raizel isn’t like that. He wants to protect humans too…”

Frankenstein scoffed. “Why would one of them want to protect us? And if he did, why didn’t do anything to stop it? They were terrorizing our city for years. It wasn’t just us, either, it was happening to settlements all over the country.”

“I… don’t know,” said Tao, a troubled expression on his face. “I can look into it…”

“Save your breath, I don’t care.” It was getting harder for him to stay calm. “I don’t want anything to do with a demon like that.”

“How can you say that?” exclaimed Takio finally, who had been quiet for a while. “When he’s giving up his life for us!”

That finally stopped Frankenstein short. “...his life?”

“You don’t know? Of course you don’t know,” said Takio. His impassioned voice was quite out of place for what Frankenstein had seen of the young man. “Every time sir Raizel uses his power, he loses a bit of his life force. He’s been using his power to protect humans, to protect us, to protect you too! He’s dying because of it.”

Frankenstein couldn’t forget how, twice now, the Noble had used his powers to save him. Last night, as the Noble turned to leave, Frankenstein caught a glimpse of blood on his lips. He thought he’d imagined it. But now he knew— he was really sick. He’d given up part of his life for a barely-human being like him. 

Of course. The young humans who treated him kindly, who even now, were trying to help him remember his identity. Tao, who was afraid of him, hadn’t hesitated to take care of his wound and show him the house and school. Takio, equally nervous, still spoke calmly with him and even helped to prepare food from his homeland. And Frankenstein knew M-21 had a fear of doctors, he could pick up on that much. But he didn’t say or show a thing about it, still talking with him in the hopes he would remember something. Even the young Noble Seira whom he had yet to even meet had apparently cooked the food for him. Why should that Noble be any different? 

He had been wrong to treat them harshly. Although perhaps he could be forgiven for doubting them given his history, he could see that their hearts went beyond human or Noble. He had witnessed the evidence first-hand.

“Ugh…” Frankenstein pressed a hand to his head, trying to ease the pain that suddenly flared. Something felt terribly familiar. Ignoring the young humans’ concerned protests, he stood up suddenly.

“I need to see him,” said Frankenstein. “I won’t hurt him, I give you my word. I need to… I need to see him.”

After the three young men exchanged glances, Tao nodded. “We’ll take you. He’s in the study.”

He was glad that they agreed, at least. After exiting the patient’s room, a short walk led them to another unassuming set of white double doors on the main floor. 

“He’s hardly ever in here,” explained Tao. “Only when he’s… well…”

“Only when he’s upset,” said M-21 plainly. “He’s been there since this morning.”

Because of me, Frankenstein could infer. “Were we… close?”

Again, the three of them look around at each other. Frankenstein didn’t understand what was so hard about the question. But then again, since he was supposedly his Master, maybe that complicated things.

 “You… uh, you could say that,” said Tao in the end. It wasn’t really much of an answer, but he supposed that was all he was going to get. 

“We’ll be out here if you need us,” said M-21. 

With a deep breath, Frankenstein pushed open the door. The room looked painfully familiar. It was fairly empty, minimally furnished with a single chair and a wooden dresser. A plush rug covered some of the wooden floor. The mainstay was a large, glass window adorned with soft white curtains that blew gently in the breeze. And standing there, gazing fixedly out the window, was Raizel.

He didn’t turn to face him straight away, and Frankenstein found himself continuing to look at his back. His dark hair fluttered gently with the curtains, grazing the back of his neck. Instead of the usual school uniform, the plain white shirt he was wearing showed his broad shoulders and slim waist, with simple black trousers clinging to his hips. Frankenstein’s head throbbed in pain with each beat of his heart. He felt ill. He had witnessed this very sight before, he was absolutely certain of it. In fact, he suddenly felt that he had spent quite a long time in this very spot. 10 years… the phrase drifted through his mind.

Just then, Raizel turned towards him. He tilted his head slightly, as if to invite Frankenstein to speak.

“I’m sorry,” said Frankenstein, the apology tumbling from his lips.

Raizel shook his head, as if to say, no need. It made Frankenstein oddly upset. Frankenstein had attacked him in presumably his own house, caused him to become ill from the use of his power, caused him enough emotional distress that he had uncharacteristically remained in this room away from the rest of his family, and he was saying that Frankenstein didn’t need to apologize? Frankenstein felt offended on the Noble’s behalf. 

He took a deep breath and laid his hand over his heart. “If my destiny is to call you Master, then… I accept it of my own free will. Tell me what I have to do.”

His heart was racing. He wasn’t sure what this would entail, but he was willing to do it. Raizel’s pure heart was one worth serving, and his family was one worth preserving. But he was stopped short by… a smile. Raizel’s smile. The sight was so unusual and strikingly beautiful that Frankenstein’s mouth nearly fell open.

“At least it didn’t take ten years this time,” said Raizel. “Please, don’t put your blood in my tea again. A vow will do.”

“Wh…?” The dizziness and pain intensified. Ten years. My blood in his tea. A vow. Something felt very, very familiar. The whiteness at the edge of his vision quickly overtook him and he was lost.

 

“Hey!”

There was a loud thump as his body crumpled to the floor, and instantly the doors burst open as the trio rushed in. Everyone’s weapons were quickly put away as they saw Raizel unhurt, but relief didn’t last as they saw Frankenstein’s body on the floor.

“Oh God, Frankenstein!” exclaimed Takio.

“Not again,” bemoaned Tao. “Please, God, I can’t handle a teenage Boss.”

M-21 had to suppress a smile at the thought of a child Frankenstein running around. He and Takio knelt by his side, checking his pulse and breathing. “He’s fine, just unconscious again.”

Just then, Frankenstein stirred. He slowly sat up, his eyes fluttering open as he took the trio beside him and Raizel still standing before him. “Master?”

“Oh thank God,” exhaled Tao and Takio.

M-21 patted Frankenstein’s shoulder. “Never been happier to hear you say that.”

His eyes widened as everything seemed to come back to him. “Oh, Master, I deserve to die! What I said to you, what I did to you… please forgive your insolent servant…”

“Nothing to forgive,” said Raizel, the remnant of that smile still on his lips. His gentle voice echoed in Frankenstein’s mind. I love you.

Oh, Master… Frankenstein’s eyes softened. I love you too.

Notes:

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to listen to the author blather on some more, here are some notes:

-I tried my best, but please forgive the historical inaccuracies, the most glaring of all being that the system of AD/BC did not come into use until at least a hundred years after Fran's time. The ancient Romans and Byzantines did have a calendar, but the years were counted by the Consul at the time and not numbers. So more likely, when asked about the year, Fran would have said something like, "The year of Caecina Basilius," and then trio would have had to have an aside and figure out what year it was, and I thought that would take away too much from the story, so I'll chalk it up to some magic translation powers.

-Why 480? The timeline in Noblesse is never specified exactly and the time period is pretty ambiguous (suits and candles and all.) My reason is just that it would be too sad if he only got to spend 10 or 100 years with Rai before waiting 820 years… so in this version, he spent about 700 (and 10) years with Rai, and 820 years waiting, assuming the story takes place in 2010. (The year the story takes place is a whole separate issue…) Conveniently, this puts the time right at the fall of the Western Roman Empire, a period of turmoil that makes sense with Fran’s story (even if he’s been living in the Eastern Empire for a while).

-The Pandidacterium was the University of Constantinople established in 425 AD. They taught Greek, Latin, philosophy and rhetoric. Frankenstein would have probably been an educated, upper-class man in the city. Later in the Byzantine empire, Greek would become more common than Latin, but since he grew up in the Western Empire and it was still quite early in the Byzantine period, I thought Latin would make more sense for his native language.

-And I could go on… I am sorry for subjecting you all to this but on the off chance someone finds this interesting I might have some more!? So please leave a kudos and comment if you enjoyed! Thank you!