The blade pressed deeper against the skin. Discipline was necessary to not let blood spurt out in a single burst of violence. It was a perfect blade, of Lautrasian Design, straight-edged. Perfect for stabbing through armour. Kazuki's initials were inscribed by himself on the Tsuba.

Noah dared not move.

"Wise move," Kazuki whispered calmly into Noah's ear.

Noah shivered, his body locking into place. Kazuki shifted his gaze from Noah to Archius, yawning and shrugging on the opposite end of the shelf aisle. "What are you looking at me for? You should be asking Noah."

Kazuki turned his ire back to Noah. "What were you doing?"

It was a simple question. To make sure he wasn't in the mood for lies, Kazuki inched the blade ever so closer, lifting it up. It should remind him of what was at stake here. He says anything Kazuki doesn't like, he dies. He starts tweaking out nonsense, and he dies. He lies, he dies.

He speaks the truth. He dies.

"I..." Noah trailed off, clearly scared of being sliced to pieces.

Archius paced himself forward, readjusting his waistcoat, before placing his hands back into his pocket. "He's not gonna say much if he thinks you'll kill him, rough him up, sure, but you better not fucking kill him."

"You... traitor..." Noah bit off, staring at Archius. Kazuki pulled his blade down, mimicking the movement of slicing his neck open. Noah made a few noises, fear encompassing all of them Kazuki stomped on Noah's leg, forcing him down to the floor, before dragging him across the floor.

He threw Noah against the wall, and the impact arose dust. He groaned in pain, slowly turning his head back at them.

"Don't try and call people," Archius said, walking up beside Kazuki. "I can't guarantee your safety if that happens."

Kazuki shot back, "He can't guarantee your safety even if you don't."

Noah shook his head. "Archius... you..."

"What?" Archius mused. "You thought I was your friend, right? Right? Oh, you sweet fucking idiot. For someone born into a high-class family, you don't know a thing about being manipulated, do you? Well, you probably have a lot of experience, right?"

"Eliza... I thought she trusted you," he said.

Kazuki sheathed his Black blade. Looking down at Noah, Kazuki thought that he wouldn't even need it. He was weak enough that he'd just strangle him to death.

Archius said, "She does! She does, but she's just another person being directed in the right direction. Now, you have been directed in the wrong direction... Sadly, the storm isn't carrying you back to bright blue waters, it's straight to the… locker, as ancient Terrans said."

What the fuck was Archius talking about? Kazuki gave Archius a glance of confusion. At which he merely did a small shrug with his shoulders.

"You wrote your death sentence the moment you placed yourself against me," Kazuki said. "Now, speak. Archius wouldn't call me here for nothing. Right?"

He gave Archius a side glance, one filled with pent-up malice. He nodded, smirking and putting up a facade to show Kazuki how he wasn't scared.

"Of course! Of course... Noah's been a little naughty, you see! Everything is going just to plan, in his mind, and then I had to just cut in. You see… He's just—"

Kazuki cut in, "—Get on with it."

Kazuki had no time to deal with such lengthy explanations. He needed the short one.

Archius continued, "Noah was negotiating with Obadiah... He dragged Eliza to him, right into his open arms! The cherry on top is that it seems Obadiah used something to get Lady Antiar to protect him… Triarch Coin, most likely."

A triarch coin. It would explain why Lady Antiar is there. Even for someone like her, she couldn't refuse that. If she refused the coin, her head would be forfeit… This complicates everything.

"Oh," Kazuki stated. He turned back to Noah. He was doing his best to try and crawl away, only to be kicked in the guts by Kazuki. "So, anything else to add?"

"You... murderer!" Noah shouted, he was heaving for air, groaning in pain and agony. "I... I'm gonna die here... aren't I? If… If I'm going to die… Might as well die screaming at you!"

"No clue, are you?" Kazuki asked. Best to give them a false sense of hope, Kazuki thought… actually: no. "If you're going to kill yourself, at least die properly."

That last part caught Archius' curiosity – but Kazuki saw the interest died on arrival.

Archius leaned against the shelves, placing one hand over the other. "Noah, play nice with us, if you don't then..." He took a device out from his pocket, it was wrapped nicely with aseptic tape, in a tube. Kazuki gave Archius a small glare, as Noah's eyes widened. His breathing turned into quick puffs of stress. "Oh, you know this?"

He smiled, looking at Noah.

"Mind-snares... You... You wouldn't!" Noah shook his head violently. "You bastard! I thought I could trust you!"

"Well, you can, sadly my friend's been having me keep a tab on you... And you just blundered both yourself and Eliza into a trap, sadly: I can't really defend you here, you are a clown, dude."

Kazuki allowed Archius' questioning to persist.

"He..." Noah pointed at Kazuki, frantically. "He's a murderer, your friend!"

"Woah..." Archius shook his head around, before giving Kazuki a good, clean look. "Umm, yeah? Amazing analysis, Noah, any other revelations you'd like to provide?"

Wait... No. Was Noah going to just drop it here, and now?! Kazuki shot into the conversation, "Noah. Our Contract. Remember the consequences of breaking it?"

Noah pushed himself against the wall. "You're a Contract-Breaker, how do I know you won't kill me either way!?"

"Watch. Your. Tone." Kazuki stared down at Noah, his blue hair and pale face trickling with sweat. "Speak sense. You dragged Eliza to Obadiah. Why?"

"The same reason you did," Noah said. "You were going to kill her…"

Kazuki remained still. So Noah was helping in Eliza's investigation? He shot a look at Archius.

Archius shrugged.

"Hmm." Eliza… Eliza is involved… Kazuki had to do something about that. But what? Eliza has rejected him in all accounts. He cannot help her… If not for her, then for the Contract?

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Yes. The Contract. It was all that mattered… Victoria's Contract, a blood oath.

"Continue, Noah."

"I helped her where you could not... I got her an audience with Obadiah... I was just going to head back until you two... criminals attacked me!" Noah stopped trying to move, simply laying still against the wall. "Lady Antiar's there too, she's far from harm's reach, from your tendrils and talons!"

"Far from harm?" Archius asked. "Last I checked, we weren't the ones throwing drones all about. However, you threw Eliza headfirst through the Gates of the Eclipse, for all we know."

Noah snapped, "Huh? Me? I... I would never harm Eliza... Unlike you." He turned towards Kazuki, grimacing. "I'm loyal! I remember Victoria! You mock her! You're going to kill them all!"

The irony was not lost on Kazuki.

Both sought Eliza's safety.

However, both failed.

Kazuki spat onto the floor. "I bled for Eliza."

"The only reason she's been shot at is because of you!" He raised his voice at Kazuki. "You don't think my parents have been keeping track of things! You're one article away from death!"

Oh. Wow. Another article? Amazing!

Perhaps that was true. Perhaps she'd be safe. In most cases, probably. But that slither of death is something Kazuki cannot account for, and Eliza has her own dreams…

Dreams that conflict with many people: justice.

As per the Contract, Kazuki must protect her.

"And yet, the moment I left the stage, you threw Eliza into an early grave and ran."

Noah said nothing back. Archius glanced between the two, licking his lips and sighing. He coughed as if waiting for a response. Noah stared at Kazuki, intently... He slowly broke into a chuckle.

Kazuki remained silent.

"I... you..." He continued into a bout of laughter, increasing in its volatility; Noah had to hold his sides together. "I guess that makes us equals, then?!"

Archius shot a look at Kazuki.

Kazuki shook his head. They are not the same in that regard. They will never be the same. He took a step forward, placing a hand on the hilt of his blade.

Maybe he'll cut his tongue out from his neck... that's what the Kanrasa cartels do, after all.

"We are not the same. Pawn. I am a reluctant player in politics. It must be done, though the Eclipse tears itself asunder."

"Murderer..." Noah pointed at Kazuki again, this time with a bright, laugh-filled grin. "You started this story! You started this! Say it! SAY IT!"

He did not give Noah the satisfaction of a response.

In doing so, Kazuki might have given Noah exactly what he wanted. "You killed her... I saw you kill her! Me and Frederick both did; hands bloodied with Victoria's blood... Why do you deny it?!"

Kazuki postured himself to immediately behead Noah. In turn, his voice rose into a demanding scream.

"Say it! How hard is it to admit to it?! Just say you KILLED HER!"

With those words alone, Noah had broken the arrangement. It was a thin veil protecting Noah's family and the Celeste-Delmara's from the wrath of Kazuki's grandfather.

Frederick and Noah both know.

It was a shame, though. Noah had just signed a one-way ticket to the Eclipse.

Kazuki unsheathed his blade, placing it directly to Noah's chin, and lifting his face up. So many eyes… Kazuki remembers their eyes… All of them, glimmering. Noah's was the same.

Some glimmered with hope. Pain. Regret. Anguish. Hate.

"You know... Noah," Archius interjected. "As much as you think I've been manipulating you... You don't realise that Obadiah's been turning you into his greatest pawn. I think it's easy to see it now, after all... You've been distracting both me and Kazuki."

Golden eyes turned to Archius.

"Noah's been keeping you and me busy, right? Obadiah... he's under a lot of stress, especially now. Who knows what he'd do?"

"I'm..." Noah shook his head in disbelief. "I'm no pawn!"

Archius mumbled something and started to walk away. "He's not taking the news very well, welp... I have a few of my answers. I'll get the rest from you, Kaz, deal with him how you want, I really don't care, I'm guessing that Contract allows you to kill him? Not really legal, but I guess there's two law codexes in the galaxy."

One for the operators. One for the cogs.

Kazuki nodded, leaving only himself and Noah in the room.

At the blade point, Noah simply whimpered slowly. "Send me to Victoria... Slit my throat. The same way you did to her."

"You seem to be under a misconception, Noah. The two of you have always been under that one misconception," Kazuki said.

He turned back towards Archius. He was in the hall, outside, walking away. It seems he made sure that he wasn't being suspicious. Kazuki knows better, though.

Kazuki turned towards the shelves Archius stood by. He scanned it, seeing a small device attached to the underside of one of the shelves... Too obvious... Ugh… Kazuki punched the device offline.

All it will take is one movement, and Noah dies. So... why can't he do it? Kazuki's hand didn't want to thrust forward. He broke a contract, he broke their deal.

Blood must answer blood. Words alone cannot satiate the weight of a Contract. Action must be taken.

The words splintered across Kazuki's mind, as he weighed the eyes of someone else watching. He turned his head, expecting Archius, only to find… nothing.

For a singular moment in time, Kazuki thought he had seen something… A pale smile of bloodied eyes.

Noah spat back, "What is there to misunderstand? I saw you with my own eyes... you slit her throat. You betrayed her! You betrayed me! We were your friends!"

The thought passed through Kazuki's mind as his blade hand started to shake. Kazuki gripped it with his other hand. No pills. Not now.

Strength in perception. He must assume the role of Executioner.

He endured the shaky pain, steeling his hand to be silent in his presence. After a few seconds, it stopped.

"Hah... your hand... you know it to be true, Kazu!" Noah shouted. He choked out another laugh. Kazuki's blade hand kept still, idle. He forced it still. "Contract-Breaker… Contract-Breaker… Murderer."

"What of you, then?" asked Kazuki. "My back was broken from trying to save her. The moment I saw you, I cried... knowing that we possibly could have saved her together. I didn't even get a word out before the first hit."

Noah's lips slowly formed a smile, proud of his actions it seems. Then, it fell… The realisation of such rammed into Noah's mind, it seemed. Kazuki has enough justification to kill Noah. Still, his hand wouldn't move.

"And look at you now... to have fallen so low," Noah murmured.

Kazuki snapped back, "Your family were the ones that slandered me, they were the first to title me Contract-Breaker when I killed Matt Oria-Tessie. You and your family knew he was scum. Did it anyways. Eliza was there… Put the pieces together, Noah… Archius might be wrong. You're not that stupid."

Noah's eyes closed. He accepts his fate. Oh well... It's been a very long decade, but Kazuki can finally have some modicum of revenge. "The Skyliner... Your rebellion... The P-1 Incident... You're at the centre of some of the most gruesome events in the past decade, Kazuki. Billions await for you to choke on blood. How will you answer them when you finally meet them?"

What exactly should Kazuki say? No... What should the Contract-Breaker say? Don't forget who you are, Kazuki repeated to himself. He was the Contract-Breaker. Noah preached the name to him so much it came true.

He was the Contract-Breaker, a follower of the Contract. Unbound and chained. Kazuki Izumi Geminorum-Ryzaku ceased.

"Smiling," the Contract Breaker snarled. "Can you say the same?"

Kazuki shoved the blade forward slightly. Noah whimpered loudly, his body shimmying upwards to get away from the edge of the blade. Tears started to fall from his face...

"You placed Eliza's life at risk. You broke our agreement of silence. You are both friend-killers and Contract-Breaker. I wish to send you to hell myself," Kazuki calmly muttered to Noah. "But you're already in one. Crawl back to your parents."

"You'll kill her…" Noah trailed off. "You don't deserve her… she's too kind for the likes of you… You think you're protecting her… you fool!"

"That is not for you to decide," Kazuki snorted. "She is not yours to protect."

Turning away from the pathetic, snot-filled Noah, Kazuki walked away. He sheathed his blade loudly. Kazuki shall allow Noah to live, the fool. Let him cry and holler. Let the hounds circle Kazuki.

Let the war hawks seek his head.

All before had died.

Let the floodgates of corpses roll on forward.

Let him speak whatever he wants. He'll make them all true... Yet those words lingered in Kazuki's perfect memory. Kazuki didn't deserve Eliza?

Of course, he didn't. He did this not for Eliza. This was all for Victoria. Victoria, that Contract and all. It was all Kazuki had left, not Eliza, but that oath.

Eliza was his to protect. By oath. Nothing more. Nothing less.

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