The peaceful aftermath of the training session didn't last.
It couldn't.
Because peace, in Raven's life, was as stable as a one-legged duck on a trampoline.
The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting a warm golden hue over the Vaise compound. Birds chirped. The trees swayed in a gentle breeze. Clara leaned on Raven's shoulder, her presence calm and reassuring.
Siris stood a few paces away, still humming what might've been a lullaby or a blood pact incantation—hard to tell with her.
Alex was arguing with the squirrel on his head.
Everything was… oddly normal.
Until—
"I!!!! AM!!!! ALIVE!!!!"
The sky cracked open. Not literally, but it sounded like it.
From the far-off mountain trail, a boom echoed. Birds shot up in panic. Mana rippled through the air like a drunk concert wave.
Raven froze.
He knew who it was.
"…No," he whispered. "No no no no no no no."
Clara blinked. "What the—?"
"I AM THE FIRE!! I AM THE PAIN!! I AM THE REDEMPTION ARC!!"
