Chapter 18 - Little Monster

Immediately, a vine extended out to him, caressing his skin passionately. It was expressing passionate emotions towards him.

"It likes you already? This is too…" Mavre sighed at the grove's act.

When she was young and had first ventured here, the ancestral grove was cold towards her. However, it acted kind towards Raven. If that wasn't impartial, she wondered what was.

"Hmph! Don't treat it carelessly. The ancestral grove is the home of our heritage. It houses knowledge passed down from our ancestors. Every generation is tasked with adding to that knowledge. Our dream is to reach the heights of a cosmic library, one day. One day, we will get there."

Furrowing his brows, Raven finally understood what his task was. A library that had more knowledge than he could count in his lifetime. How did Mavre expect him to update it?

Before Raven could complain, Mavre added, "Every era would surely have something to be discovered. Every world as well. This is your path, Raven. Deep down, you know what you want. A velkoryan's pursuit of knowledge can sometimes be more powerful than the divine. "

Mavre frowned as she added more, "Sadly, I won't be here to watch you grow. Delaying my final death will only cause me problems in my next life. I will be finally departing, Raven. You are in safe hands now. But before I leave, there are a few things you should know…"

Mavre and the ancestral grove presented a book to him from one of the infinite book caverns. According to Mavre, the dominant language of the Velkoryans was the Adamic language, which was a magic system of words and symbols that existed at the inception of life. Mavre hinted that it could help him tremendously along his magical journey.

Moreover, most of the books here were written in Adamic anyways. Hence, to overcome the language barrier, Mavre gave him a language book that translated Adamic and English.

After that, she gave him a warning.

Raven quickly learnt that the moment he entered the astral plane, he had been using his mind to speak. It was a technique called thoughtspeak, which eliminated all language barriers. Mavre advised that he practised this technique well so his mind wouldn't be easily read by other inhabitants in future… whatever that meant.

Finally, Mavre gifted him a blank grimoire that instantly bound itself to his soul. It would accompany his magical journey and had many functions. Raven was excited to use it as a bestiary.

After hours, the brief orientation ended. Raven looked at Mavre with a complicated expression. The lady stood proudly as she gradually released herself to death.

"That's all, Raven," Mavre caressed his head and smiled. "By the way, your physique is flawed. There is a hidden danger that could cause you to die in the coming months. You have to fix it before the deadline."

"I will do that." Raven already knew about the hidden effect of his improved body.

Mavre nodded. "Raven Kar Blackthorne. Do you accept your role as the Keeper of the Ancestral Grove?" 

"I do."

"My mission has ended, and yours has just started. I wish you great luck, Raven. Remember, Eternal we are, Children of the Damned."

Mavre's form began to dissipate into specks of light. After she disappeared, Raven suddenly felt alone. He gazed at the grove and awkwardly said, "It's just me and you now, huh?"

The vines waved at him, expressing their sadness at the departure of Mavre.

"I won't let her down."

Raven began to assume his role as the keeper. The Adamic book mysteriously flew into his mind. This way all he had to do was think, and the book would appear in his mind. 

Raven arranged a schedule with the grove and requested to leave after a few more hours. He would be back to deal with the creatures that disturbed the sanctity of the ancestral grove. That was his first task as the Keeper!

...

"Let's not jump to conclusions, old man. There are better ways to explain this."

"Better ways? Don't delude yourself. Really, I didn't expect years of peace to dull your–"

Kase winced and he hurriedly paused his words. Guilt surged in his heart immediately. His words were too harsh this time.

"I…I'm sorry. I let my anger get the better of me." Kase poured his heart out as he apologized. Amongst the others, only he knew the toll that life took on Blaike. Staying calm was never his best suit. He couldn't cope with the grim feeling that strung him when thinking of Raven's whereabouts. 

"I get it. I'm also worried about Raven. But we have to think positively. Let's hope for the best." Blaike softly smiled.

An hour ago, Kase and Blaike arrived at the apartment. To their surprise, the state of the apartment was in disarray. They instantly rushed to Raven's room only to discover the young boy had vanished. 

Children often go missing in this part of the world, but not like this. There was something strange going on here. The only exit, the apartment's door, was locked from the inside, meaning Raven had arrived home safely. So, how did he leave? The windows remained shut, and, even if they were open, only an idiot would attempt to jump outside since the apartment was on the tenth floor.

'Hmm…what am I missing?' Blaike inspected everywhere, going from room to room in her search. 

She suspected Raven's abduction was supernatural so she cast a few magical detection spells. The results weren't fruitful. Her face tightened as her mind searched for all possibilities. In all her years of experience, cases like this were as rare as phoenix feathers if not even downright impossible.

'No. There is always an explanation for the supernatural. I need to look for signs.'

Blaike found her way into Raven's room. After minutes, she glanced at the mirror that caught her reflection.

'Could it be…?'

The room rattled suddenly, and a black blur emerged from the mirror and fell underneath the blanket. Blaike's eyes widened and she silently grabbed a small chair while retreating. Kase locked eyes with her and they instantly synced their minds together. They knew what to do!

The monster beneath the blanket squirmed like a snake and sizzling sounds emitted from its concealed body. Its form seemed to morph every second till it started bearing humanoid features. The sizzles loudened and an unrecognizable scent blossomed in the air. 

"Old man, go check what it is," whispered Blaike.

"Why do I have to go?"

"I'm your daughter. Good fathers don't put their young ones in danger. Don't worry, I'm right behind you."

"That sounds right…beh! You think you can fool me. Aren't you very powerful? Why don't you go first?"

Blaike rolled her eyes. The old man was truly shameless. "Alright, let me go. Ahh, It is a shame I have to tell the others about Miss Bright and her nightly adventures. Ahh, good Mrs. Bright…old but still young at heart. Although I love her food, I would never think about eating her. Ahh, I guess the aesthetic of some old people is just different"

"What are you talking about?" Kase looked like someone had just caught his tail.

"Ahh, nothing. Just nothing."

Kase stared at her cautiously, "How did you find out?"

His relationship with Mrs. Bright was one of utmost secrecy. He made sure to keep his old flame away from the others. Heck, even Raven didn't know about his secret lover. The last old flame he got was scared away by Balike and the others. There was no way he was going to let them ruin this relationship!

Blaike ignored him "Are you going or not?"

"I'm going!" Kase gritted his teeth and silently approached the monster beneath the blanket. He looked back and hissed, "You better keep your promise."

"Wait!" Blaike's voice called out from behind.

"What?" Feeling irritated, Kase turned to her and froze. She gave him the small chair in her hand, suggesting he use it as a weapon.

Kase calmed his heart and approached the monster. There was no way he was afraid. Many men across the globe were terrified of his mere image. How could someone as domineering as him fear a little unknown?

"Three…Two…One…"

"Die, monster!" Shouting, Kase raised the chair and began beating the monster mercilessly. His mind focused purely on attack as he relentlessly brutalized the monster and the air broke, releasing sharp sounds that cracked the walls.

"Old man…" Blaike called out to Kase.

"Don't worry. I got it." Kase thought Blaike was worried about the monster escaping so he increased the intensity of his attack. 

"Old man…"

"Believe in me. I can take care of it!" Kase proudly smiled as he continued his relentless attack. He imagined Blaike was surprised by his charming bearing and finally gained respect for him.

Soon, the nearby bed broke into splinters and the monster grunted. The blanket slipped away just as Kase was about to strike the monster once more, revealing the true identity of the monster. 

Kase was frozen as he saw the figure beneath the blanket. The chair left his hand and fell to the ground. He tried speaking but nothing came out of his mouth.

The familiar boy looked at him with vengeful eyes and numerous bumps across his body. If looks could kill, Kase would have died countless times.

"Raven…" Kase didn't know what to say.

"You fucking—" Before Raven could finish his words, he blanked out.