Frederick led Lucid out of the citadel where they had kept him and into the heart of the kingdom. The air was clean and bright, a sharp contrast to the stale silence of the cell. As they walked, Frederick explained the situation in clear, simple terms. Lucid listened, but his attention was elsewhere. The city of Vex was different from Tyriana. It was grand, yes, with its blue banners and soaring architecture, but it felt more... uniform. He saw fewer demi-humans, fewer of the strange and varied folk he'd grown used to instead they seemed like normal ordinary... humans. The people here looked at him with open curiosity, their eyes lingering on his tattered travel clothes and the faint, mist-like haze that still clung to his face.
Frederick stopped at a street vendor and bought a crepe, handing it to Lucid. "Eat. You look like you haven't seen food in a week."
Lucid took it. The sweet smell was foreign, almost painfully nostalgic from a distant time and place. He took a small bite. It was fine.
As they walked on, Frederick brought up the noble stamp. "House of Valerius," he said, pulling the stamp and Lucid's other confiscated belongings from a small bag. He handed them back. "A minor house, but a recognized one nonetheless, they are one of the pillars of Vex."
He continued "Were it not for them... a handful of our territory would have ended in Materna's ruling." He quickly masked his brief of fragile face with information.
"Anyways... It gives you rights in the upper district. Since you're technically a guest of that house, you have full right to stay in one of their residential properties."
He glanced at Lucid. "Karmen's doing, I assume." He looked away as if he remembered something, a distant past perhaps. "I see he is alive and well." A slight smile tugged at his edges.
Lucid just nodded, slipping the stamp into his pocket. The thought of a noble district, a soft bed, it meant nothing.
Alice, however, was thrilled. "A noble district! Lucid, do you understand? This is a significant opportunity! We must—"
Lucid tuned her out. He was indifferent. He just wanted to stop moving.
Frederick noticed. He always noticed. "Is... something bothering you?" he said, his tone conversational but his eyes sharp. "Do you blame yourself for what happened?"
The question was so direct it cut through the fog in Lucid's mind. He didn't look at Frederick. He just stared ahead at the clean, cobbled street. "Yes," he said. The word was flat and final.
"Even if it may not have been your doing?" Frederick pressed.
That made Lucid stop. He turned his head slightly toward the knight. "How are you so sure about that?"
Frederick met his gaze, a faint, knowing smile on his lips. "Careful now. Are you implying that you *did* do it?"
A beat of silence. The memory of purple blood on his hands flashed behind Lucid's eyes. "No," he said, looking away again.
Frederick chuckled softly, as if Lucid had passed some unspoken test, and continued walking.
They turned a corner onto a busier avenue lined with shops. One was a jeweler, its window gleaming with gold and gems. Suddenly, the front window exploded outward in a shower of glass. A figure cloaked in dark robes burst through, a heavy bag clutched to its chest, and sprinted down the street.
Instinct took over. Before Lucid could think, his hand shot out. From his palm, links of pure white light burst forth, his chain of heart, glowing with a soft, steady luminescence. It wasn't the purple of Neptune's power; it was white, bright the one he had always used.
But the chain had barely formed when a blur of motion shot past him. It was Frederick. He moved with a speed that seemed impossible, a speed that had nothing to do with the glow of fate essence. He was simply *fast*. He appeared directly in front of the fleeing robber, causing the man to stumble back in shock.
The thief recovered quickly, panic in his eyes. He flung out his own hand, and a chaotic, sputtering blue light—raw, unrefined fate essence—gathered in his palm. He swung a wild, empowered punch.
Frederick didn't flinch. He stepped inside the swing, his movements swift and precise. He grabbed the thief's wrist with one hand, twisted it up and away, and used his other hand to clamp down on the man's shoulder. The beam of blue light fired harmlessly into the sky. With a smooth, almost gentle motion, Frederick swept the thief's legs out from under him with his foot and pinned him to the ground, a knee in his back. The whole thing was over in three seconds.
He had used no glowing powers. No flashy techniques, he hadn't even unsheathed his sword. It was just pure, refined skill and physical mastery.
Alice, watching from within Lucid, was stunned into silence. "He... he used no essence. None at all."
Lucid let the white chain in his hand dissolve into fading motes. He watched as guards hurried over to take custody of the dazed thief. A crowd had gathered, and a young boy pointed, shouting, "That's Sir Frederick! The strongest unawakened knight in the kingdom!"
People began to cheer, clapping Frederick on the back. He accepted it with a modest wave, his eyes already finding Lucid in the crowd. His gaze dropped to Lucid's hand, where the last traces of the white chain were fading. A genuine, approving smile spread across his face.
Lucid looked away, feeling a hot flush of something like shame. Him, using his his borrowed power from Alice and Neptune to try and be a hero? What a hypocrite. He, who had torn a goddess apart with his hands. The thought was sickening.
Alice noticed the dark shift in his mood. "Lucid... you have been down lately. More than usual. Your mind is a closed door. What is it? Tell me. I am here for you." Her voice was soft, pleading in his mind.
But Lucid shut her out, building a wall of silence. He couldn't tell her. He could never tell her.
Frederick approached, his expression turning more serious as he read Lucid's demeanor. The cheerful crowd around them felt miles away.
"Let's get to that residence," Frederick said, his voice quieter now.
*The property of house of Valerius*
It was a small building manor pretty decently sized. They went inside the place was empty dark cobwebs boxes and covered furniture
They walked into the dusty, silent manor. The air was still and thick with the smell of old wood. Sheets covered the shapes of furniture, and cobwebs hung like gauzy curtains in the corners. A single spider skittered across the floor.
Alice, within, made a small sound of distaste. *"Ugh. It's… musty."*
Lucid, without thinking, muttered aloud, "Quiet."
Frederick glanced back at him from where he was drawing back a heavy curtain, letting in a shaft of mote-filled golden hour-sunlight. "Hmm?"
Lucid quickly covered, keeping his mist-covered face neutral. "I mean, it's… quiet here." He managed a faint, unconvincing smile.
Frederick watched him for a second longer, then nodded, turning to wipe dust from a windowsill. "It's a start," he said, his voice echoing slightly in the empty space. He brushed his hands off and faced Lucid, his playful demeanor from the street gone, replaced by a calm, focused intensity. "Now. Tell me what *really* happened. From the beginning. And leave nothing out this time."
Lucid repeated the same story. The turbulence, finding out that Ayame have gone missing, finding the body, taking control of the train, the struggle on the rails he mended back together, the narwhale, the fall. He kept his voice flat, his eyes on a distant patch of floor.
Frederick listened without interruption. When Lucid finished, the knight didn't speak about facts. Instead, he asked a different question. "What did you *feel*?"
Lucid's head came up. He met Frederick's gaze, his own eyes guarded and cold. "Nothing," he stated. It was the easiest lie, and the closest to the truth he was willing to go.
Frederick held his stare, assessing, probing the walls Lucid had built. After a long moment, he sighed, a soft, almost disappointed sound. "Alright then," he conceded. "I shall pry no further. It's just…" He leaned against a covered table, crossing his arms. "A Monolith. No human who has ever faced one directly has come out alive. Countless Awakened and Enlightened have ventured to seize their power. None have returned. If they do, they come back battered and die days later, their fate essence influenced by what we call the Withering." He paused, his blue eyes serious. "The Monolith of Sorrow, the Narwhale… she is considered one of the most dangerous. It is said she went mad long ago and drowned an entire continent in her grief. It's a miracle you and ninety passengers are still breathing. But," he pushed off the table, his tone shifting, "that's not our primary concern. Our concern is the perpetrators who used that rift. And finding them." He offered a small, determined smile.
The mention of the drowned continent sent a fresh lance of guilt through Lucid's gut. He looked away, focusing on a sunlight cutting through the thick curtains.
Frederick then steered the conversation toward lighter, probing topics, interests, origins. Lucid said he was from Tyriana, omitting Earth entirely, and gave a bare-bones account of being set on his path by Karmen, saying just enough to be plausible without inviting more questions.
It became clear they had little in common. Frederick spoke of strategy, history and the way of the sword; Lucid gave one-word answers. Alice managed a sly, internal comment. "Geez, you are a fun one, aren't you, Lucid?"
Finally, Lucid turned the tables, eyeing Frederick's simple shirt and trousers. "Are you actually a knight?" he asked. "You don't seem to wear a uniform."
Frederick smiled, a genuine, easy expression. "Well... im off duty and I am not a graduate. Not yet. I am a proto-knight. A senior cadet, you could say. Upon my final graduation, I'll have my ceremony and officially take my vows as a full Knight." He said it without pride, simply as a fact.
Lucid couldn't help but be silently impressed. Someone so young, so clearly skilled, holding such a position of trust. And... unawakened on top of it all.
Frederick saw the flicker in his eyes and seized the moment. "Say," he began, his tone casual but his gaze intent. "I know we are in the middle of an investigation, but… as a senior of the academy, would you allow me to extend you an invitation? To the Academy of Vex. To train. Properly."
Lucid blinked. "Huh?" The offer was so abrupt, so far from anything he'd considered, it left him momentarily speechless.
"Nah," he finally said, shaking his head. "Thanks, but no."
Frederick just grinned, as if he'd expected the refusal. "Think about it. The offer stands." He pushed away from the wall. "For now, let's get this place somewhat livable. You can stay here while we work. Consider it your base of operations, partner."