The moon filtered thinly through the cracked glass of Mira's modest chamber, casting a pallid lattice on the cold stone floor. She sat cross legged on a woven rug, back pressed against the wall, eyes fixed on a flickering candle flame that seemed to tremble with her thoughts. Raven,The name lingered like a cold draft.
"Unfit for the Legion," she whispered, voice barely a breath. "He could barely survive the fight." Her fingers curled, knuckles whitening as if trying to squeeze the doubt out of her mind.
A flash of memory her brother, twelve, eyes wide with terror, torn apart by a demon's jaws while she stood frozen, clutching a broken sword. The guilt had hardened into a stone in her chest.
"Why does Salem see something in that boy?" she muttered, the words tasting of ash. "A weakling a burden." The thought of Raven's bruised arm, the way his eyes flickered with a fire she could not name, twisted her gut.
She remembered the night her home burned, the screams of her family, the promise she made to herself never again. The Legion had taken her in, but every loss since then felt like a betrayal of that promise.
"Because of a liability… I won't let anyone else die because of him," she hissed, slamming her fist onto the rug. The candle sputtered, darkness swallowing the room for a heartbeat before the flame steadied again, as if mocking her resolve.
Sunlight filtered through the massive, gnarled branches of the ancient ash that stood in the courtyard like a sentinel. Its leaves rustled softly, scattering gold dust over the stone path. Raven sat with his back against the bark, the weight of his bruises a dull throb.
Footsteps approached. Natasha, hair a cascade of golden light, Sky blue eyes bright despite the fatigue on her face, smiled gently." May I sit?" she asked. Raven nodded, shifting slightly.
"Raven," she said, voice soft, "do you have siblings?"
A pause. He shook his head. "No."
Natasha's smile faded, replaced by a shadow. "I… I lost my entire family to the demon rage. I had no choice but to stay in the Legion." She swallowed, eyes glistening.
Raven's throat tightened. "What… what's your ability?"
She reached down, picking up a jagged shard of mirror that glittered like ice. Before he could react, she pressed the edge to her palm. A gasp escaped her, pain flashing across her face, a sharp, white light erupting from the wound.
"Ah—!" Natasha's cry cut through the courtyard, birds scattering. The cut seared, blood blooming crimson, then an ethereal glow spread, mending flesh in seconds. The pain vanished, leaving a faint, warm hum.
Raven stared, breath caught. "You… you heal?"
Natasha laughed weakly, eyes still tinged with tears. "Hyper Restoration. It hurts like hell, but it works."
She turned the shard toward him, eyes searching. "What's yours?"
Raven inhaled, the memory of yesterday's class flashing lightning cracking above the academy, the dark blue haired boy with icy eyes, Rayne Stonington, taller, a smirk that matched Victor's. Rayne was Victor's friend years back. They had both been bullied at childhood. He was even more traumatized than Victor, but when Victor stood up to save him one day, Rayne became a sworn Ally to him. Even defending Victor with his life.
The sky darkened and lightning flashed. " Expecting bad weather?" Natasha giggled. Before he could answer, a low rumble shook the ground. The ash leaves trembled, a fissure of black light splitting the courtyard. The Abyssal Gate yawned open, spewing a swarm of snarling demons.
Students screamed, scattering like startled sparrows. Professors shouted orders, but the demons were few, their screeches echoing off the stone.
Raven leapt to his feet, sword flashing. Natasha nocked an arrow, its shaft etched with frost runes. She released; the arrow sang, a trail of ice crystals freezing a demon mid leap, shattering it into shards.
"Raven, get out of my way idiot!" Victor's voice, laced with disdain, rang out. He thrust his hand forward, his palm slamming into a demon's glowing core. A surge of violet energy burst, snapping his arm back, a scream tearing from his throat. His body vibrated, his physique chiseled. His veins charred from the intense energy flow. He could feel his breathing rate shallow. He gagged from the result. His eyes widened in surprise as he turned to the professors. The core it upgrades?" Victor gasped, eyes wide. Raven's mind raced. Demon Cores → Energy → Upgrade. The realization hit like a thunderclap. He needed to get more demon core if he wanted yo really understand his ability. But the courtyard was empty, rid of any demons and the gates closed. If he wanted demon cores, the graveyard was his only hope.
Moonlight barely penetrated the thick fog that clung to the *Demon Graveyard*, a desolate field of shattered bones and putrid, sulfuric air. Raven moved silently, each step stirring the fetid mud, the stench of decay heavy enough to choke.
He reached a mound of cracked stone where a demon core pulsed faintly, a sickly blue heart. He placed his hand on it, hoping to absorb its power. Nothing. His own energy cells rejected it, treating the core as foreign waste.
A rustle. Shadows emerged—cloaked assassins, blades glinting.
"Stealing cores?" a rasping voice hissed.
Raven slipped behind a broken column, heart pounding. Fear twisted his gut; the memory of his parents' death surged, the scent of his mother's pie turned rancid.
"Who are you?" he whispered to himself, clutching the rune scar on his chest. The same rune was etched on the assassin's forearm—*the sigil of the Abyssal Gate.*
Clarity crashed over him. _The gates… opened by someone. An assassin guild._
The assassins lunged. Raven fought, sword a blur, but a blade sliced his side. Pain flared, blood staining his shirt. One assassin grabbed his arm, a cold fire spreading.
Suddenly, a guttural roar erupted from within Raven. A torrent of violet energy burst from his rune, leaping toward the assassin's hand. The man's eyes widened, his body igniting, soul energy spiraling into Raven.
The remaining assassins fled, terror etched on their faces.
Raven fell to his knees, breath ragged, the newfound power thrumbing through his veins. He stared at his glowing hand, realization dawning, the assassin melted at his grim grip. His body shriveling and he became frail. He shook terribly with age and vanished into ashes. The others trembled, escaping in fear. Raven was left in diaspora, he winced at the sudden power increase, fear washing over as he saw the ashes of the dead assassin. The dead ashes beguiled the beast in him, he jerked backwards in fear. I did not do that. He wanted to scream out, but the tiny voice filled him with sadistic pleasure. Oh yes, you did.