They kept going for another two hours, the caravan creaking along the dirt road under the afternoon sun. Eventually, the sight of rooftops peeking through the trees signaled their arrival. The village came into full view, and a collective sigh of relief passed through the merchants and guards.
"We made it!" Merchant Olren exclaimed, his voice filled with joy.
"Finally! I thought we'd never get here," one guard added with a wide grin.
"All thanks to that adventurer," a merchant whispered, casting a glance at Raven.
The guards and merchants voiced their happiness and shared their opinions, grateful to have reached their destination safely. Raven, however, said nothing. His expression remained cold and impassive as he stepped through the town entrance. He walked silently alongside the wagons until they reached their final destination—the village's trade square.
Without warning, Raven vanished in a blur of motion.
"Huh? Where—" Merchant Olren stammered, looking around in confusion.
Before anyone could react, Raven reappeared right in front of Olren, causing the merchant leader to flinch and stumble back.
"W-what?! How did you—" Olren stuttered, clutching his chest in shock.
Raven tilted his head slightly, his crimson eyes cold and unfeeling.
"I've done my job. Give me something to prove its completion," Raven said flatly.
Olren blinked rapidly, then quickly recovered, nodding in understanding. "R-right! Of course! Here." He rummaged through his bag and pulled out an official Proof of Completion, sealed with the village emblem. "Take this… It's official proof you can give to the guild."
Raven took the document without another word, nodded once, and turned to leave.
"W-wait…" Olren began, but before he could finish, Raven whispered calmly:
"Combo Skill: Mana Manipulation + Sonic Step."
The next instant, Raven disappeared with a sudden sonic boom. The force of his departure sent gusts of wind whipping through the village square, knocking over crates and startling villagers. The merchants and guards stared in stunned silence, mouths agape.
"H-he's gone…" a merchant said weakly.
"What in the world…" another stammered, shaking his head.
"That guy… is something else," one of the guards whispered in awe.
Two hours later, back at the Adventurers Guild, the receptionist was busy working through stacks of paperwork. She paused briefly to chat with a group of adventurers at the counter, laughing and sharing light conversation.
As she returned to sorting the documents, her thoughts wandered.
Raven.
Her cheeks flushed faintly as she remembered him. "That Raven… he's so…" she mumbled under her breath, a small smile creeping onto her face. "Mysterious… but strong. What kind of person is he really?"
Suddenly, a strange shift rippled through the air. The guild fell quiet as everyone instinctively froze, sensing the change. Papers rustled, mugs trembled, and a faint hum echoed in the distance.
BOOM!
A deafening sonic boom rocked the guild, shattering the stillness. Wind gusted violently, pushing adventurers and tables back as the doors slammed open. The receptionist gasped, shielding her face as papers flew everywhere. When the air finally settled, everyone slowly looked up.
Standing in the center of the guild hall, completely unfazed, was Raven.
"Raven?!" several adventurers yelled in unison, their faces pale with shock.
The receptionist's jaw dropped as her eyes widened in disbelief. "R-Raven?! What are you doing here?!" she stammered, trying to compose herself.
Raven ignored the shocked stares and murmurs filling the hall. His cold crimson gaze fixed on the receptionist as he strode toward the counter, unbothered by the attention.
"Mission complete," Raven said simply, placing the Proof of Completion onto the counter in front of her.
The receptionist blinked, stunned, before hesitantly reaching out to grab the document. She looked at him, then back at the proof, still processing the situation. "Y-you already completed it?"
Raven gave a small nod, his expression unreadable.
The receptionist glanced down at the proof and quickly scanned its details. "The merchant caravan… safely arrived at Hillspire Village…" She looked back up at Raven, visibly impressed.
"That was incredibly fast," she said, her voice softening. "The reward for this mission is…" She turned back to her papers and calculated quickly. "Two hundred gold coins for completion."
Raven nodded again. "I'll take it."
She handed him a pouch of gold coins, her hands trembling slightly as she looked up at him. Around the guild, whispers filled the air.
"He completed it that quickly?"
"That's impossible… isn't it?"
"Who is this guy?"
Raven didn't react to the voices. He turned and walked toward the exit, his cold aura following him. The receptionist watched him go, her heart still pounding as a faint blush colored her cheeks.
"Raven…" she whispered softly to herself. "What are you?"
Raven walked out of the guild as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of red and purple. The bustling noise of the city began to settle into a soft hum as night approached. He glanced toward the direction of the inn where his rented room awaited him, but his feet hesitated.
Instead, he dissolved into a flock of ravens, his body breaking into shadows and feathers. A few moments later, he reappeared deep within the woods outside the city, perched silently on a sturdy tree branch. The trees swayed softly in the evening breeze, and the last glimmers of the sunset cast a faint golden glow over the treetops. Raven sat down, resting his back against the bark, and looked out toward the horizon.
The view was beautiful. The world felt calm.
But for Raven, that calm brought little comfort.
He stared at the fading sunset, a shadow crossing his crimson eyes. Guilt crept up his chest like a thorny vine. He had survived—but his parents hadn't. The memory of that moment haunted him, resurfacing with painful clarity. The twisted metal, the screams, the deafening silence that followed. He remembered looking at their lifeless faces, unable to do anything.
A single tear slid down his cheek.
Raven clenched his fist and placed it over his chest, the spot where his cancer once lived. The emptiness still ached, but for entirely different reasons.
"I survived…" he whispered softly to himself. "I grew stronger… but it's not enough. I need to be stronger… so I don't need anyone else."
His voice was hollow, void of emotion. The more he thought about it, the more resolute he became. If he was strong enough, no one could hurt him. No one would need to die for him, like his parents did.
"I don't care about my life," he muttered, his crimson eyes darkening. "But I can't be weak again."
He looked back up at the sky as the stars began to appear, shimmering faintly through the growing darkness. For a moment, they reminded him of nights long past—of his mother's voice singing softly to lull him to sleep. The memory was bittersweet, and before he realized it, he began to sing the very same lullaby. His voice was low, almost fragile, as the familiar lyrics passed his lips.
Hush now, my little one, Dream beneath the silver moon. The world may seem so cold and dark, But I will hold you soon.
As he sang, Raven's hand touched the bracelet on his wrist—the one his mother had given him. The silver surface glinted faintly in the starlight as he clung to it like an anchor. The song brought no solace, but he kept singing, as if trying to hold on to a fleeting piece of his past.
"Raven?"
His voice faltered, the final note of the lullaby unfinished. His head snapped toward the voice, his crimson eyes narrowing in suspicion.
At the base of the tree, a group of figures emerged from the shadows. It was Liana and the rest of the Iron Talons, their faces illuminated by the faint moonlight. Liana stepped forward, her emerald eyes wide in recognition.
"I knew it was you," Liana said softly, a mixture of relief and wonder in her voice. "And… you were singing?"
Raven's eyes narrowed further, his cold mask snapping back into place. Without answering, his form dissolved into black feathers and shadows once more.
"Wait, Raven!" Liana called, reaching out toward him, but he was already gone, the wind carrying away the last traces of his presence.
The rest of the Iron Talons stared at the empty spot where Raven had been moments before. Their murmurs filled the silence.
"Did you hear that? He was singing."
"I didn't know he could do something like that…"
"It sounded… sad. Who is he really?"
Liana looked up at the empty branches of the tree where Raven had sat moments earlier. Her expression was thoughtful, tinged with a faint sadness.
"He's so strong… but so alone," she whispered softly, almost to herself. "Raven… what are you really hiding?"
Let it be continued...