Zephyr's heart sank as he read the journal, his mind reeling with the revelations it contained. It was especially harsh since it reminded him of his own past.
Raven had saved him from his painful past. But in this life, he suffered the same, or even worse. And it was when he didn't even know the reason behind it.
The words painted a heartbreaking picture of neglect and sorrow surrounding Raven's early life. In this life, he had been born into a prestigious family, yet he had been treated as an outcast, hidden away from the world.
He was sure that the curse of Gaia had a hand in it. Even the Gods were responsible. Even after the suffering of various lifetimes, the curse hadn't weakened. Instead, it only became stronger.
"Gaia..." Zephyr muttered, feeling like punching a wall.
The journal entries spoke of the Lady's indifference towards Raven, her refusal to even acknowledge him as her own son.
"They say every mother's love is unconditional... What a great lie."
By now, he was certain that the house belonged to the maid. And maybe the person in the portrait was also her. But then the blood... He wanted to know what happened after that point.
Zephyr continued turning the pages, trying to find answers. However, his expressions shifted as a frown formed on his face. The journal entries abruptly stopped. All the other pages were completely empty.
It seemed as though there was a missing piece to the puzzle, leaving him with more questions than answers. Zephyr put the journal back, and started checking every other book in the place, trying to see if there was another part of the journal. Why did the entries stop after this point?
He knew that Raven wasn't going to answer him. That's the kind of person he was. So these journals were his only hope for an answer.
Unfortunately, even as he searched every book in the room, he couldn't find anything. This was the first and the last diary and even it was left incomplete.
It was clear that the maid, who had written the journal, had developed a deep affection for Raven and had tried her best to provide him with the love and care that a child deserved. But what happened after that was a complete mystery for him.
.....
Zephyr left the room and continued his exploration, opening more doors and uncovering more hidden rooms. However none of the remaining rooms had anything of significance. Most rooms were completely empty as well.
As he reached the end of the hallway on the first floor, Zephyr found himself standing before the last door.
With a deep breath, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open, stepping into a room filled with darkness.
The room was shrouded in an eerie silence, broken only by the sound of his own footsteps. Zephyr's eyes searched through the darkness. And then, a faint glimmer caught his attention.
In the far corner of the room, a small ray of moonlight pierced through a crack in the curtains, illuminating a figure standing by the window. It was Raven, his silhouette outlined against the night sky.
Raven held the bloody earring in his trembling hand as his frail body stood silently, still in the wet clothes.
Zephyr approached him cautiously, sensing the weight of the unspoken pain that Raven carried.
"You should change clothes. You're still under the curse. You might get sick," Zephyr called out softly.
Raven turned towards Zephyr, his eyes calm, showing not even the slightest trace of emotions. However, his face was completely pale, as if it didn't have even the slightest trace of blood in his body.
Looking at Raven, Zephyr could feel that he was hiding the pain within. And it wasn't just physical pain.
The last time he removed the earring and let the curse take over, he had completely passed out from pain. But this time, he was still somehow standing, albeit barely.
"You should rest. Get better and then we will think about what to do next."
Raven didn't react. He simply nodded and turned his attention back to the moon in the distant sky, his fist around the earring tightening.
Zephyr didn't say anything else. Believing this to be a room where Raven lived in the past, he glanced at the wardrobe in the corner, wondering if it had any clothes that could fit him.
He wanted to open the wardrobe so he could bring some clothes and place them on the bed for Raven to change into.
After thinking about it, he dropped the idea and decided to give Raven the privacy. He silently retreated from the room, carefully closing the door behind him.
Raven glanced back as the door closed, his thoughts impossible to grasp.
****
It rained the entire night, the sky only clearing in the morning with the sunrise.
The street that was desolate throughout the night was now slowly coming back to life. People started emerging from their homes. However, one house still remained silent. No one even dared to look in the direction of that particular house for some reason.
Zephyr hadn't slept for even a single moment, keeping an eye on the street, worried that they might be found. Fortunately, throughout the night, no one came here.
It was said that the most dangerous place was often the safest place. He was sure that no one would've thought that after escaping, Raven was going to return to the same place from where he was caught.
With the arrival of morning, Zephyr decided to check up on Raven again. He stood up and turned around, only to be shocked to find a person behind him.
He only calmed down after realising that it was none other than Raven. Although his face wasn't as pale as before, he didn't appear healthy either.
Raven reached out his hand which carried a piece of paper.
Zephyr reached out his hand to take the paper. However, the moment his fingers touched Raven, he felt as if his fingers had touched molten lava. He couldn't even believe that Raven was still walking in this condition.
Zephyr took the paper and looked at what was written on the piece of paper, receiving an even bigger shock. "This…"