A City That Remembers
The figure watched them from the rain gutter above the alley, unseen and unbothered by the wet stone. The city moved beneath him like a living machine: gears of people, steam of mana-lamps, the pulse of shifting power.
And there—
Raygen and Asa.
Two anomalies whose fates refused to settle.
He followed.
---
Morning After the Fight
Raygen woke to slow, dragging pain. Every part of him protested moving, yet he sat up anyway. Asa lay sprawled across the mattress, one leg dangling off the edge, the blanket kicked to the floor. Her breathing was steady; she had watched over him for half the night before finally passing out.
The nameless man stood in the corner.
Not physically — he simply was, a presence where the air bent slightly, where colors sharpened then dulled again. He studied Raygen with curiosity bordering on fascination.
Raygen rubbed his temples. "You're still here…"
"Mm." The voice wasn't heard so much as impressed into the space around him. "You interest me."
Raygen flopped back against the wall. "That's not comforting."
"You misunderstand." A soft crackle of electricity. "I do not stay where I am not needed."
Raygen blinked. "I didn't ask for your help."
A whisper of amusement. "You didn't need to."
Asa stirred, mumbling something about stabbing nobles before falling silent again.
The presence faded as she shifted, like a wild animal choosing to remain unseen.
Raygen let out a breath.
He knew the man—the entity—wasn't leaving anytime soon. The void encounter had confirmed that. Whatever this being was, it had stakes in his future.
But he could deal with that later.
Today, he needed to stand. To move. To pretend he wasn't held together by pure stubbornness and a bit of system-assisted recovery.
He pushed to his feet and immediately regretted it.
Pain knifed down his ribs.
He winced, hand bracing the wall.
"Idiot," Asa's voice came from the mattress without her opening her eyes. "Lie back down."
"I'm fine."
"You're about as fine as a drunk wyvern."
Raygen took another step toward the door.
Asa sat up, hair wild, eyes narrowing. "If you pass out, I'm not carrying you."
"Didn't ask you to."
"That's not the point."
She rose, glaring at him until he stopped pretending he wasn't dying and sank onto the chair.
Her expression softened.
"Raygen. You can't take on a pack of hired D-ranks this soon after clearing a Sovereign dungeon. Your bones aren't even done knitting."
He didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
She sighed, rubbing her face. "Fine. Breakfast. Then we go check your guild evaluation."
Raygen froze.
Asa smirked. "Yes. You're officially a provisional B-rank now. Try not to choke on that idea."
---
Guild Hall – Midday
The guild was buzzing far more than usual.
Word of Raygen's alley fight had spread faster than spilled ale in a tavern. "C-rank kid humiliates noble lackeys." "Shadow Blade returns." "Blank-eyed monster boy survives Sovereign cleanse." Nobles were furious. Adventurers were… divided.
Some admired him.
Some wanted him gone.
Some felt threatened.
Raygen hated the attention. Asa fed off it.
She swaggered through the hall like she owned the place. Raygen followed, silent, hoping no one would notice—
"THAT'S HIM!"
—so much for that.
A group of D-rank hopefuls gathered around, whispering, staring.
"Did you really break a man's arm without a weapon?"
"Is it true you fought eight people while bleeding out?"
Raygen shook his head. "No."
They stared.
"Seven," he added, reluctantly. "Not eight."
That only made it worse.
Asa snorted. "Congratulations. You're a celebrity."
A guild officer waved them over. "Raygen. Asa. Meeting room three."
They entered to find three senior guild examiners… and someone unexpected.
A woman in noble attire. Cool eyes. Perfect posture. She looked like someone who made decisions that ruined lives without blinking.
"Lady Celania Raft," the officer introduced. "Representative of House Raft's outer branch."
Raygen stiffened.
Asa's hand dropped near her dagger.
Celania gave a polite smile. "Relax. I am not here for blood."
Her gaze swept Raygen. Not hostile. Not warm. Evaluating.
"Word travels fast," she said. "My cousin Lyle appears to have… embarrassed himself."
Raygen said nothing.
Asa said plenty. "Your cousin is a festering pile of—"
Raygen elbowed her.
Celania chuckled softly. "His reputation precedes him. I am not offended."
She placed a document on the table.
"A declaration from House Raft: we will not pursue retribution. Lyle had no authority to order violence, and those hired thugs were acting under false pretenses."
Raygen blinked.
Asa's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why the sudden goodwill? House Raft never does anything unless there's profit."
"Correct," Celania said. "Which brings me to my point."
She leaned forward.
"We would like to sponsor your rise, Raygen. You show promise. Raw potential. And House Raft recognizes potential."
Raygen stared.
Asa burst into laughter. "You expect us to believe that?"
Celania remained unfazed. "Believe what you wish. I am simply offering opportunity."
Raygen's voice was quiet. "No."
Celania tilted her head. "No?"
"No."
"May I ask why?"
Raygen looked at her steadily. "Because I'm not selling my future before I know what it is."
A long silence.
Then Celania smiled faintly.
"Wise answer. I expected nothing less."
She rose, smoothing her gloves. "House Raft will remember this rejection. Whether that is good or bad… depends on you."
She exited gracefully.
Asa muttered, "I don't trust that woman."
Raygen didn't either.
But something else was wrong.
Because he felt watched.
Not by Celania. Not by the guild.
Something colder.
Older.
Above the rafters, unseen to all, the nameless man stood.
His expression unreadable.
"Interesting," he murmured.
---
The Real Lyle Raft
Far from the public halls, in a private carriage rattling toward the Raft estate on the city's upper hill, a man sat with his arms crossed.
He shared blood with the Lyle Raygen humiliated.
But he wasn't the same.
He wasn't loud.
Or stupid.
Or careless.
He was the real Lyle Raft.
The one the city rarely saw because he rarely needed to show himself.
A blade hidden in velvet.
A problem the noble family kept for handling dirtier, quieter matters.
He stared at a report in his hand.
RAYGEN – orphan, C-rank turned provisional B-rank.
Cleared Zone 17-C alone.
Defeated a Bone Sovereign.
Injured but dangerous.
Associated with Asa the Shadow Blade (B-rank).
Unusual growth rate.
Unknown background.
Unknown sponsor.
Lyle tapped the page thoughtfully.
The faintest smile curved his lips.
"So that's the boy."
His voice was smooth, educated, unnervingly calm.
He leaned back as the carriage rolled to a stop at a private manor gate.
"Let the fools think the other Lyle is the true one," he murmured. "Their mistake will be my leverage."
He folded the report neatly.
"Raygen… I will watch you."
The carriage door opened. He stepped out.
"And if you disappoint me… I will break you."
---
Evening – Rooftop of the Bakery
Raygen climbed to the roof for fresh air, ribs aching with each move. Asa sat beside him, passing him a warm roll straight from the bakery chimney vent.
"Eat," she said.
Raygen obeyed.
They watched the city lights flicker like distant fireflies.
Asa nudged him. "You were stupid today."
"I know."
"Like. Spectacularly stupid."
He nodded.
She stared at him harder. "Do you even value your life?"
Raygen didn't answer at first.
Then—
"…Yes."
Asa raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound convinced."
Raygen sighed. "Four years without you wasn't great."
Asa swallowed hard, looking away. "Yeah, well… I'm here now."
Raygen watched the lights.
"So what now?"
"Now?" Asa smirked. "You train. You heal. And you stop picking fights with nobles."
"I didn't pick the fight."
"You breathed in their direction. That counts."
A pause.
"Raygen… be honest. Something's different about you. Something big."
Raygen froze.
He didn't lie.
"…I know."
"Are you going to tell me?"
He looked at her.
He wanted to. He trusted her more than anyone alive.
But the void man's warning still echoed in his memory.
Not yet.
Not everyone can bear truth.
Even those you love.
"…Not yet," Raygen whispered.
Asa swallowed, nodded once. "Fine. I'll wait."
Above them, unseen, the nameless man watched the exchange with quiet approval.
Patience was a rare trait in humans.
These two had it.
Maybe that was why the threads of their fates were still blank.
Blank was… beautiful.
And terrifying.
---
Night – The City Shifts
Raygen went to bed early, exhaustion dragging him down.
Asa sat by the window, sharpening her daggers in lazy strokes, moonlight catching on the steel.
The city outside murmured.
Whispers in taverns.
Rumors in the guild.
Speculation in noble manors.
The boy who shouldn't have survived kept surviving.
Power was shifting.
The nameless man stood just beyond the window's edge, lightning under his skin glowing faintly.
He watched Raygen sleep.
He watched Asa keep vigil.
He listened to the city exhale.
And in that breath… something stirred.
A ripple in the fabric of the world.
A prelude.
A change.
The air hummed around him.
He smiled slightly.
Not yet.
Not yet.
But soon.
They would see him.
They would name him.
**End of Chapter 5**