Chapter 22: The Same

As Zephyr and Leira joined Raven, they quietly exited the house, wanting to avoid drawing attention from the neighbors.

However, Raven's keen senses detected something peculiar as soon as they stepped outside. He caught a glimpse of someone looking out a window in the distance, but when he turned his gaze towards it, the figure hid behind the curtains.

Raven changed his course and headed towards the house where he saw the lights still on.

Zephyr, filled with curiosity, followed closely behind him. When they reached the house, Raven lightly knocked on the door, but there was no response. He stepped aside, gesturing for Zephyr to handle the situation.

Zephyr's shadow separated from him and slipped through the crack under the door, unlocking it from the inside. As the door swung open, Raven entered the house, finding it similar in structure to his own but devoid of the lingering scent of blood that usually covered his home.

With calm and measured steps, Raven walked down the long corridor until he reached a closed door. From the other side, he could hear a voice urgently speaking, demanding someone to pick up.

"Pick up! Pick up!" The person on the other side of the door kept saying.

Raven pushed the door open and entered the room. There, he found a man with his back turned, engrossed in a phone call, seemingly waiting for the other person to answer.

Startled by the sound of the door opening, the man turned around and was met with the sight of three strangers standing before him. The youngest among them appeared to be just sixteen, yet he felt the scariest as he stood calmly, looking at him with an amused smile on his lips.

"Who are you? What are you doing in my house?" The man exclaimed, trying to show a strong front. "Get out of my house, or I'll call the Knights!"

Raven glanced at the phone in the man's hands. He didn't say anything, but his silence had a meaning of its own.

Zephyr appeared next to the man, snatching the phone from him. He tossed the phone to Raven.

"What are you doing?! Return it to me!" the man called out, but before he could continue, a shadow closed his mouth.

Catching the phone, Raven glanced at the number. Being a citizen of Camelot, he was easily able to recognise this number. He handed the phone to Leira. The call was finally connected. However, it was Leira on the call now.

"Ah, yes. I wanted to register a complaint. I've lost my cat. Can you send a Knight to find it?" she asked, pretending to be completely serious.

The person on the other side scolded her for wasting their time before cutting the call.

As the call was cut, Leira crushed the phone, tossing the broken pieces away.

"It was the Knights," she told Raven, who didn't appear surprised, as if he already knew it.

Meanwhile, the man, still silenced and fearful, struggled fruitlessly to free himself from the shadow's grip.

For a moment, there was only silence. The air felt heavy. Even Zephyr didn't try to speak anything, simply looking at Raven.

After a period of silence, Raven gestured for Zephyr and Leira to step out of the room for a moment.

Zephyr and Leira didn't question him. They simply stepped out of the room, closing the door behind them. The shadow still remained behind, keeping the man restricted as Zephyr knew that Raven was actually no stronger than a mortal without breaking a seal.

Once the door was closed, only Raven and the man remained behind. The man couldn't speak as his mouth was closed, yet his eyes were pleading to be freed.

Raven walked toward the window. Through the curtain, he was able to get a clear view of his house. For quite some time, he remained near the window, just observing the house.

The shadow removed its hand from the man's mouth, following Raven's gesture.

As soon as the man's mouth was freed, he first took a deep breath before speaking, "We have no enmity. I just found it suspicious that people were coming out of that abandoned house. If you let me go, I won't inform anyone! I promise I'll act as if none of this happened! I'll completely forget everything that happened tonight."

He didn't try to yell as it was useless. Even if a neighbor could hear his yell, before they came for help, he could easily be killed. The only option he had was to convince the boy who appeared to be the leader of the group.

Raven turned around, his lips carrying a hint of a smile. But behind that smile, a trace of sadness was visible, as if he was trying to hide it behind his smile.

Raven stepped closer to the man, who remained confused as to what the boy was doing. He stopped merely a meter away from the man, dropping to his knees.

Seeing Raven on his knees before him, the man was even more shocked. Why was such a powerful person on his knees before him? However, the moment Raven raised his head, the man froze.

Looking at this scene, he couldn't help but remember another familiar scene. Just a few months ago, something similar had happened when a young boy was sitting just like this in front of him, pleading.

"You... You are..." The man's face went pale as he tried speaking. But the shadow once again closed his mouth.

The man's pupils trembled. He had thought that this boy had come here because they didn't want anyone to know about them living in the house. But now he realized that it was just an excuse.

The truth was something else! The boy was here for another reason! Even if he hadn't seen them, the outcome would've been the same!

The man struggled even more fiercely, but before the shadow, he was weak. In this moment, he felt their fear that was like nothing before.