Mizuki was lying in bed, the hat pulled low, but it couldn't block out the silence. The outpost was too quiet. The only sound was the drip of a faucet and the memory of Noll's voice, dissecting her.
The lavender candles she’d lit guttered, their scent—once calming—now just thick and useless. Sleep wasn't coming. The silence was louder than a scream.
She stood up, her muscles coiled, vibrating with an unspent, anxious energy. She had to move. She had to get out, to run until the noise in her head was just the pounding of her own blood.
She left the room, passing the infirmary, where Noll was still sleeping. She looked at him. Just wake up… and I am going to rip out your secrets. Especially the one about your Nexus-Blade.
She walked out of the outpost and started to run.
One… two… three. She counted, circling around the outpost, her mind replaying this entire day.
Eleven… twelve… thirteen. She continued.
At every moment Noll appeared in her memory, she involuntarily let out small arcs of lightning. Her voice rasped, sparking at the edges.
Twenty-eight… twenty-nine… thirty!
She stopped to take a break, sweat dripping from her face, breathing heavily.
Noll stood in the yard, watching the stars. Impossible—he was asleep in the infirmary. Still, he turned, grinning…
“You are a disgrace to your family, and to everything you stand for. You will never get it, never get your own Nexus-Blade,” his voice rippled across the yard. The words seemed to hang in the cold.
“Shut up!” Mizuki’s eyes filled with rage. Electricity formed around her as she lunged at him with a scream.
Noll didn’t dodge, a pinkish disk appeared in front of him, blocking her strike. Mizuki continued hammering, yet each strike was blocked. Noll’s smirk remained unchallenged.
She jumped into the air, clasping her hands together for a crushing hammer blow. He disappeared right before the impact, and she hit the ground, leaving a small crater behind. She looked around, unable to find him, so she screamed with anger.
“Come out, coward!” Birds scattered at her scream.
Mizuki ran toward the infirmary, and sure enough, Noll was still lying there, no sign of moving.
She dropped to her knees, breathing heavily, and clutching herself. A ragged, too-loud laugh tore out of her.
Am I going crazy? she thought. Her hat slipped a fraction; her scalp prickled. She yanked it back down, tightened the band.
There is nothing above my head. Big hat is just my favorite piece of clothing. Words were like a mantra.
Just for a second, she thought about what would happen if that hat falls off. All she saw was flame-engulfed Yumaki castle, with several dead Clan Yumaki soldiers and their animals.
Her brother and father hung over the walls of the main tower.
And last… her own body being pierced by the holy light, with the priests of the Clan Francis chanting prayers.
“Mizuki!” X’s voice brought her back. She looked at him, her body feeling small and frail. The room felt colder.
***
X put down a cup on the table in front of her and sat across, sipping from his own cup. The steam and aroma of hot chocolate filled the room.
Mizuki looked at it for a long moment, then looked at X. He just raised his eyebrows.
“Well, tell me what's on your mind.” X put down his cup.
Mizuki let out a dry laugh, but her hands moved to the cup.
Mizuki took a sip. The warmth of the drink filled her, calming her down enough.
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She looked at X. He had a small book near him. The cover illustrated three individuals in front of a blue light. It was named “Rune Delta”.
She remembered the book. It was the one Genichiro was reading her when she was little. An old fiction about heroes and justice. She remembered the confusion she had when she saw the author’s made-up name—Tobi Hound—yet he illustrated himself as a fox.
Probably couldn’t choose.
“Didn’t know you liked things like this…” she looked into his eyes. “Isn’t this story for kids?”
“Oh, it is so much more than that.” X crossed his arms. “Maybe you should actually read it once.”
“Yeah, right.” Mizuki chuckled. “On another note…” She looked at him. “You knew Noll for a long time, right?”
X raised his eyebrows. “Is this about his left arm?” He sighed. “Yeah, I know nothing about it. In fact, he had it since before we even met.”
Mizuki instantly stood up. “That thing is a Nexus-Blade! Do you know what that means?”
X sipped from his cup. “No idea.”
Mizuki sighed, sitting down. “That tracks… let me explain it to you then.”
X raised his hands. “I am all ears.”
“Nexus-Blades are made specifically for the best of the best. Only those the Council approves can get one; as far as I know, only a few Named are ever chosen.” X nodded. “The question is: how did Noll, a Krinden heretic no less, get one?”
X shrugged. “Knowing Noll, he probably made it himself.”
Mizuki jumped up again. “That’s even more outrageous!” she squeezed her hands in anger. “Even if I ask, he will surely find a way to dodge the question.” She sat down, head in her hands. “So, I will ask you a question, and you better say everything you know. Why would a captain like you help and protect a Krinden heretic like Noll?”
X looked down. “Because he saved me,” X said with a straight face. Mizuki rolled her eyes. "When Otherworldly Beasts attacked and wiped out that town," he said. He pointed toward the Broken Town. “I was here, buying time to make sure everyone got out safely.” He looked at her. “When I was alone, when I was sure I was going to die, Noll came. He saved me, and in exchange, he just wanted shelter.” He took a sip. “I was indebted to him, so I gave him what he wanted and kept watch to make sure he didn’t do anything that would hurt Altavia.” Mizuki stopped him.
“Let me guess, he didn’t do anything, right? Or rather, you never saw him do anything.” She nodded to herself.
“Give me an example.” X’s voice echoed through the room. “If Noll’s a spy, show me proof—like Krinden somehow sending perfect counters tailor-made for our top fighters.”
Mizuki began to applaud, a slow, mocking clap that stung in the small space. “Wow, using something impossible… Very good move, captain.” Her motion suddenly froze, her hands hanging in the air. The echo of the last clap died, leaving a heavy, sudden silence.
X’s frustration faltered. "Mizuki?"
Her voice dropped, all the fire from their argument gone, replaced by a chilling realization. "He would need to be a Named to even get the information about it."
"Exactly," X said, seizing the point, a note of relief in his voice. "So it's impossi—"
"Oh my Goddess…" Mizuki turned on him, her eyes wide with a new, cold terror that made X recoil. "In the cave. His speech."
X was completely lost. "What are you talking about?"
Mizuki’s voice was a ragged whisper. “He knew about my brother… He knew about the 'soulmate spirit' technique. He knew why it was dangerous to put it in a Nexus-Blade. X, even I didn't know the full theory on that."
Her head snapped up, her gaze locking with his, sharp and terrified. "X, that is not heretic knowledge. That is deep, deep Yumaki Clan lore. That is information only a 'Named' could possibly have."
X was floored. He had no answer for that. He just… stared at her, his own certainty rattled for the first time. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"See?" Mizuki's voice was low, almost pitying. "You know I'm right."
That was what did it. The pity. X's defensiveness flared, and he fell back on the only thing he had left, shouting to make it true. "I don't know how he knew that, but it doesn't matter! Noll is a good person, trying to create a better world!"
“Better for whom?” Mizuki stood up, hitting the table with her hands. Hot chocolate spilled on the floor. “Himself? For Krinden? Open your eyes. You’re shielding him out of debt and denial. That isn’t loyalty—it’s delusion.”
“But he saved us! If it wasn’t for him, we would be dead!” X shouted, before stopping and calming himself down. “You are also indebted to him.” His voice was quiet, which raged Mizuki even more.
“Indebted? That's a death sentence! Do you have any idea what happens when Clan Francis finds a 'heretic'? They don't just kill him—they burn everyone he's ever known. You're not protecting him, you fool. You're just dying with him! And you're dragging me down, too!"
“Then why don’t you turn us both in?” X shrugged, shaking his head. “I am sure you can get a nice reward for finding a heretic and a corrupt captain.”
Mizuki clenched her teeth. “If I do that, it will put a target on my father!” She shouted. “He is the reason Council approved this place as my final test. If the place he selected houses a heretic, it will put him in danger!”
The silence that followed her scream was hollow. Both stood there, without uttering a single word.
Mizuki, finishing her rant, left the kitchen.
X stood rigid, listening to Mizuki’s bootsteps fade down the hall, followed by the soft, sharp click of her bedroom door shutting.
He looked down at the spilled hot chocolate. A brown puddle was already soaking into the floorboards. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding—it came out ragged. He grabbed a nearby towel, not because he wanted to, but because it was something to do.
He was on his knees, scrubbing at the sticky mess, when he heard it.
A scrape.
Not from Mizuki's room. From the other direction.
X froze.
The click of Mizuki's door was loud in the quiet. She had heard it too.
He stood up, dropping the towel. He met Mizuki in the hallway. They didn't look at each other. They just… stood there. Two soldiers, fresh from a brawl, now staring at the infirmary door.
Another sound. A low groan.
X, as the captain, took the lead. He put his hand on the door and pushed it open.
The infirmary was dark, lit only by the glowing outpost lights from the window.
Noll was sitting up.
He wasn't looking at them. He was staring intently at his own left arm, flexing the fingers of the metal hand, one by one.
"You're not protecting him... You're just dying with him!"
The Case Against Noll:
Is Noll actually a former Altavian Named? Or worse... a spy who stole that knowledge?
The Case For X: X is loyal. Noll saved his life. X believes in redemption and second chances.
Who won the argument?
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Team Logic (Mizuki): X is being delusional and risking everyone's lives for a stranger.
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Team Loyalty (X): Mizuki is being paranoid and ungrateful to the guy who just saved her life.
Let me know whose side you are on in the comments!
Next Chapter: Noll is awake. And he has some explaining to do.
If you're enjoying the mystery: Don't forget to Follow!