2 Raven

"Being alone in despair is agonizing. But being lonely in happiness is just plain agony."

--

"Ahh, Severus. See what you got yourself into."

This man was none other than the great general of the Rivera kingdom. No one, including himself, had ever imagined getting assassinated by his best friend, Crown Prince Maverick.

Severus crouched beside the trunk and found another scroll. He picked it up, but his expression changed instantly.

[The creepiest of the creepy,

The weakest of weak,

The weirdest of weird,

The lamest of the lame,

I summon the worrisome,

Noworry Raven]

"What the hell!? What's with this weird summon?"

A black shadow engulfed the moon instantly as darkness swamped.

["AHHH, it has been so many years since I have been summoned."]

["Who is the gutsy one that dared to wake up this godly bird? Show yourself, punk."] A deadly voice thundered above Severus.

Severus got a minor shock, but soon his expression turned calm. He nonchalantly looked up towards the sky and saw a big black raven. It was a humongous shiny blackbird. It was a majestic bird, but the shocking thing was that the bird could speak the human language.

"Are you the great raven, Noworry?" Severus asked in doubt.

["Are you blind? Can't you see me? Still asking such dumb questions. Pathetic mortals,"] the Raven said in disdain.

Severus calmly met the bird's gaze, "I am not blind, but your large size cast a shadow on me, so all I could see was darkness."

The bird became furious at the rebuke, but it still shrank itself to a smaller size.

["Oh no, I can't believe the first thing I need to do when coming into this mortal world is to shrink my size,"] the lil bird grumbled.

["So, tell me, punk, why did you wake me up from my rest?"]

"Well, I didn't mean to wake you up. It was all a mistake."

["MISTAKE?! YOU IDIOT! I dare you to repeat the words!"] The lil bird threatened.

"I apologize. My curiosity awakened you."

["Tell me, what the hell happened here?"] the bird asked in annoyance. Severus honestly explained his ordeal to him.

["So, you are resurrected?"]

"Yes."

Noworry frowned, his expressions showing astonishment and fear at the same time.

"So, great bird, tell me about yourself," Severus asked, breaking Noworry's trance.

A proud look appeared on Raven's face, ["Well, I belong to Hades, the lord of the Underworld. He has three of the deadliest species as his pets, and I am one of them."]

Severus was dumbfounded and couldn't help but ask, "So why were you sleeping for centuries?"

["Well, I sinned, so I was punished by Hades to sleep for centuries."] A forlorn expression appeared on Noworry's face.

"oh."

["Oh no, why the pitiful expression, Severus?"]

"Ahh...nothing, nothing. So, am I now your master since I awakened you?" Severus asked with an amused smile.

The Raven gave him a sly look, ["Have you become a slave to those two brothers?"]

Severus was left momentarily speechless. Indeed, he had not become a slave to those two brothers.

"So, would you consider going back to Hades?" Severus inquired.

Noworry's expression turned somber as he replied, ["It matters little whether I'm willing or not; if Hades doesn't want me, I can never return to him."]

["Well, the Great Noworry, you understood me wrong. Since you do not have any place to go, why not help me reach the pinnacle of the human world by resolving all the mortal mysteries?" Severus offered once more.

Noworry contemplated. It was true that he did not have any goals. Instead of lazing around alone in this world, it would be better to have a companion.

[Since you are reincarnated, I do not consider you as a mere mortal, so I accept your proposal. But you better remember that you are just one level up from a mere mortal."]

"Ahh... I will make sure to change your opinions about me," Severus said confidently.

Noworry looked at him as though he were an idiot, but his eyes conveyed a different message, ["What a smug child."] Noworry flaunted his flashy wings, and a blue orb came floating towards Severus.

["Accept it. Touch the orb and absorb it. If you dare to betray me, then I will eliminate you in an instant."]

"Don't worry, I am pure like the first drop of an elixir," Severus reassured as he absorbed the orb.

He lightly touched the orb with his hand and then clasped the orb between his hands, positioning them in a praying pose to concentrate.

An hour passed, and Severus slowly opened his eyes, the remnants of the blue light flickering.

["Aye, aye... you are very slow. It took you an hour to absorb an orb. I doubt you now."] Noworry said disapprovingly.

"Well, it's also my first time encountering and experiencing all these otherworldly things," Severus replied calmly.

"It's getting late; let's go to town and find an inn for the night."

["Do you think I need an inn to pass the night?"] Noworry looked at him oddly.

"Oh, I forgot you are a bird, after all. So, where will you go? How will I contact you?"

["Whenever you want to contact me, simply say my name, and I will know that you are calling me. As for your other question, do not think I am compelled to disclose everything to you."] Noworry regarded him with a stern gaze.

"Neh, just go fly and have fun," Severus said sarcastically.

Noworry spread his majestic wings and flew away elegantly, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake.

"Cough, cough... cough. Severus had a fit of coughing.

"Damn, what an utterly arrogant bird," Severus cursed.

With long strides, Severus left the wilderness and headed toward the town.

Soon, he spotted a less crowded inn and rented a room for the night.

He needed to sort out his chaotic life.

In just a few hours, his life had taken a 180-degree turn, leaving him completely flabbergasted. There were several questions in his mind that he needed answers for.

"Why, Maverick, why? Why did you betray me? Not only me, but you also betrayed Melanie. Why, Maverick?"

Severus chuckled, "Who in the entire kingdom didn't know about him? Everyone loathed him. So, why did you kill me, Maverick?"

Severus took several deep breaths to calm himself down. From any perspective, he couldn't find the answers he sought. The brotherhood they had sworn was anything but real.

A bitter smile appeared on Severus' face. He calmly closed his eyes and soon felt sleepy from all the exhaustion.