It'd been like any other afternoon. He'd finished his daily training and decided to lay down, to sleep off the effects of Overheat. It's not something he would normally do, but… Rena had suggested it. Something about the fact he, "never gets enough sleep." Little had he expected the house would be silent when he woke up.
The silence alone was enough to make him uneasy. This place was never quiet. Not even at night. Getting up from his bed, he quickly made his way out of his room. Were his footsteps always so heavy…? A shiver ran down the mercenary's spine as he approached the staircase. Something was wrong, he could feel it.
The first thing to confirm those feelings were right was the splatter of blood across the wall, and Elsword slumped against the wall underneath it.
Raven could hardly find words as he hurried down to him, shaking the teenager's shoulder in an attempt to wake him up. The large gash in the boy's stomach was an indicator that he was far too late. Why the hell hadn't this woken him up?!
Stepping back to the opposite wall to take in his shock, he easily spotted the next couple corpses. Elesis, Lu, Ciel, and Ara. They all had been given the same treatment as Elsword. Murdered and tossed to the side like some broken toy. Where had he seen this pattern before…?
Following the lateral trail of corpses, he came across the most chilling murder thus far. There, pinned to the wall by the sword that was stabbed through his chest, was the white-haired time traveler he knew all too well. They'd managed to kill Add. Raven could hardly control his breathing at this point, as he slowly continued on his way.
Eve, Chung, Aisha… Rena. No… No, it couldn't be.
The sight in front of him brought all too painful memories back to the front of his mind. It was exactly the same. The wounds, the pose… Even the facial expression, for El's sake! It was clear to him who was behind this massacre now.
Finding himself on his knees next to Rena's body, he lowered his head. Just after he'd rebuilt what he had lost… that traitorhad ruined it all again. He should have hunted him down and killed him while they were in Velder. If he had done that, this wouldn't have happened..
He didn't look up even as footsteps approached him.
"Don't take it too personally, Raven." Alex said to him. "I'm only following orders, after all. Kill the fugitive and anyone who tries to help him…"
With that said, the nobleman raised the bloodsplattered blade over his head, and brought it down…
Raven woke with a start, sitting up in his bed and gasping for air. He stared with wide eyes until he heard a crash downstairs, followed by Aisha shouting at Elsword for whatever he had done this time. He heaved a sigh of relief. Just a dream. A horrible, stomach-turning nightmare. He throws the blanket off his legs and gets out of bed slowly, grabbing the black leather-bound notebook off his side table. Might as well write it down with the others.