Chapter 4 - Blaike

Stumbling on the road, Raven gritted his teeth, hiding his pained expression beneath his dark cloak.

A thick stench of blood encircled his injured body, which made him grateful that he didn't have a huge stature that would make him stand out amongst the crowd even more. 

Approaching the northern entrance, he quietly sneaked into the line that led into Charmire. Due to the terrifying dangers lurking beyond the safe zones, travelling between zones was as rare as a rainbow sighting. Hence, the entrance queue was pleasantly short.

When Raven reached the front of the line, a snarky voice called out to him, "Oi, you again? What did you do this time?"

Raven looked up at the guard who taunted him. Immediately, he lowered his head and did not utter a single thing. Almost everyone knew it was foolish to mess with the guards. They might be as trash as they come, but as long as they wore the Order badge, they were invincible.

Nevertheless, that did not mean there weren't other ways to deal with them.

"Normally, the procedure is to detain you for a series of questions but… you know the drill," the guard harrumphed and stretched his hands as if to suggest something.

Raven expected this already. He reached into his pockets and produced something.

While dismissive and arrogant, the guards were easy to bribe. All he had to do was put some sun coins in their hands and they looked the other way regarding his sketchy appearance.

A few minutes later, he found his apartment and stumbled into it… literally. As soon as he stepped into the small single-bedroom apartment, his body gave way and he collapsed on the floor. His eyes slowly faltered and the last thing he saw was a silhouette of a familiar figure.

"Rae?!"

The person examined Raven's condition, instantly realizing Raven was still alive, albeit in a difficult condition.

"Shit, he's badly wounded. Wonder what stupid shit he tried doing today. Most likely, it didn't end well… as usual. Oh god, this brat is gonna be the death of me."

…..

In a void of absolute nothingness, Raven jolted awake to an unsettling cacophony. A sudden pang assaulted his head as his mind groggily stirred.

'Where am I?'

"53###&*"

As if to respond to him, the sinister whispers intensified. In this dark void, Raven lost his visual perception so naturally, almost as if the sense of sight never existed. However, he felt the whispers latching onto his skin, crawling over him in a matter of seconds.

'Ah–what the hell is this? Where am I?'

"##$%^76%%%"

The sinister whispers evolved into an eerie melody as they intensified on Raven's skin. All of a sudden, a bone-chilling sensation washed over him. Raven quickly understood what it felt like to be submerged in ice. The stronger the sensation became, the more he felt like he was buried deeper in the iceberg.

Everything happened so quickly that he was at a loss for ideas. He couldn't make sense of anything. The feeling of powerlessness took over, blending seamlessly with the other unearthly cold.

'I'm going to die!'

'No!'

'I can't. I still have a long way to go!'

He shivered involuntarily, but the cold sensation only strengthened until his thoughts faded, and his mind slumbered.

'Is this the e-end?'

Suddenly, a crack splintered across the void, unleashing a thunderous tremor that shook the stability of the nothingness. Raven was pulled into the crack and disappeared.

…

Raven's mind stirred once more. His eyes opened, and he quickly caught sight of his apartment.

"So, this is your son? The fabled brat," a feminine voice sounded out.

"Argh—yes. Adopted son. Don't give me that look," a familiar voice replied.

Raven quickly realized he was back on his bed. 'Kase must have taken care of me after I collapsed.'

His body was wrapped with bandages, so he knew this must be the case.

'Hmph, the old man is awfully kind today.'

Kase was his adopted father. He was the one who found him when he had mysteriously awoken in the forest three years ago. Since then, they had lived together and gradually grew to like each other. 

The mysterious voice squealed, "Wow. What a handsome pie! Old man, you said he was the ugliest beast you have ever laid eyes on."

'Who is this lady?' Raven couldn't move because of the state of his body, so he pretended to still be asleep.

"Hmph, wait till you see how annoying he is. Anyway, now that you have seen him, what do you think?"

"Yeah, he is showing signs. I would need to study him to give a verdict, but this does look promising for him. Remind me, what happened to him?"

"Stupid brat. If I had to guess, he tried to ambush Light Dorin. But that doesn't matter. Is he okay?"

"Relax, nothing is wrong with him. He just needs to heal and he will be back to no good. You could have called anyone else, but you called me. There's something you aren't telling me, old man."

Kase hesitated for a moment and softly said, "Raven is getting desperate. He wants to see the world. I think you can relate to that."

"Ahh, the regional examination… brings me memories. But you still don't need me for that, though. You taught him, right?"

"Just the basics. To pass the examination how he wants it, he needs a systemic education. Only you among us can provide that."

"Hmmm… the regional examination… towards the end of the year, huh. That could work. But, old man, you do understand the implications of your request, right?"

"Believe me, it's what he wants. And it's better this way."

"Hahaha, you really like him. Alright, anything for the cutie. Right, lil bro?" the lady smiled, directing the intent of her words at Raven.

Raven turned around in surprise. How did she figure out he was awake?

"You didn't think you could fool us, right?" the lady teased and lunged at him.

Raven straightened his body, expecting an attack, but all the lady did was grab his body and give him an unpleasant hug.

"Finally, I get to meet you, brother! The old man's been hiding you for so long. Most likely, jealous of your looks. You have no idea how long I have waited for this day."

'Brother…?' Raven frowned. None of his blood-related siblings were alive in this current period. So…

He looked at the lady and then at Kase, who hid behind her. 'They don't look the same!'

It was almost the comparison of beauty and the beast. The lady had obsidian eyes that meshed well with her braided auburn hair. An intricate tattoo extended from her neck, but its form couldn't be discerned. 

On the other hand, Kase was a brown-haired old man with abundant grey hair. He always overly draped himself in thick clothes that never showed any of his wrinkled skin.

The lady smiled mysteriously, as if she could read him. "Hmmm… well, half-siblings anyway. I certainly don't have the old man's looks"

"Tch, you wish you had my aesthetic!" grumbled Kase.

"Kek. Ignore the old man. He has streaks of delusion. By the way, I am Blaike," Blaike said and hugged him.

"You and I are going to have a fun time together, Raven."