I have my final exam in a few hours and once that's done, I don't have to worry about school ever again. BEST FEELING EVER.

Tomorrow I'll be flying to America for music studies, then New Zealand for an international competition. Not stressed at all, please kill me.

I'm gonna rely on Ducky to post these chapters weekly as I'll be away for a month.

As this is our 5th chapter, and the halfway point through the story (in terms of chapters), we'd like to thank some people for their favs and reviews!

Thank you for the favs, 7ScarletLies, Amaterasu31 and KyzarClyde. Really appreciate it!

For the reviews:

TheRunAwayPanda: Thanks? It definitely is, but hopefully not all the way through.

Katana: Thank you!

7ScarletLies: Hahaha thank you, we'll make sure to update weekly ;) At least Asura is cute af aye

Enjoy the chapter! :)

Chapter 5

"State your name!" the leader of the group yelled. He had mousy brown hair in a close-cropped style and large eyes full of determination which the hardened facial expressions of their other assailants mirrored.

"I'm Rena and this is Raven," she gestured at the man next to her, "And nice uniform, I didn't know bright red turtlenecks were in fashion!"

The leader blushed and straightened up, self-consciously glancing at his attire - a scarlet military shirt with one gold button at the very high collar, a metal shoulder-pad on the right, and loose white trousers with a decorative red-trimmed black stripe down each leg. There were a number of buckles and leather straps fastened around his torso, which Rena assumed were twin sword harnesses, as well as a black cloth armband wrapped around his left bicep.

"This!" he adjusted his collar, "Is the uniform of the prestigious Ruben Patrol Team. We are the highest-ranked military infantry of Ruben and our task is to investigate, defend, and protect!" He recited those words as if he had been practising them all his life.

Rena smiled amusedly and held out her hand. "Nice to meet you then, Ruben Patrol Team Captain. It's been a while since someone set foot in this area of the forest."

"How would you know?"
"I'm an elf and I've been living here for the past week, of course I would know."
The leader lowered his sword and shook her hand. "Lowe is the name."

As the rest of the soldiers sheathed their weapons, a low growling could be heard from the man beside Rena. Alarmed, they reached for them again but hesitated when Rena shook her head furiously.

Raven emerged from the room, dragged across the cold, tiled floor by two bulky machines. The place where his arm had been severed throbbed with intense pain and his mind felt like it was burning; from what, he didn't know, and that terrified him.

There were strange whirring and beeping sounds echoing all around what seemed to be an operating room. The tip of a metal rod jabbed at his side experimentally as if he were a mere carcass. Raven tilted his head up to identify the perpetrator but his vision swam and he toppled over, crashing into the floor.

More poked into him, mocking his powerlessness, sending sharp jolts of pain every time they made contact with his bare torso. Each of his muscles started to tense as they seemed to gloat at him, every smug whirring of machinery prodding at his temper like a hot iron.

The whites of his knuckles trembled against his skin as his pulsing veins twisted and ran cold with thick anger. The very air around Raven's trembling body pushed to feverish temperatures, beads of both fear and hatred gathering on his brow.

And then it happened.

With a yell, every muscle contracted, his temper exploded, his bones cracked with fury, every tiny vessel within him seeming to burst with blazing energy.

"Oh no. No, no, no. Not now, Raven!" Rena called out, taking several steps away from the possessed man.

Lowe followed suite, but drew his sword "Soldiers, get our your-"

"No!" Rena yelled, almost scaring herself with the amount of command and desperation in her voice. And perhaps, was there also, fear? Fear for Raven's safety? "I'll take care of this."

She cautiously approached him, taking a look at his wild eyes and immediately remembering those huge, black bears that would saunter through the forest. They were generally quite docile, but at the beginning of her lifetime she had made the mistake of threatening one's personal space and the sight of its sharp claws was enough to remind her that the sound of sticks crushing under them could easily be the sound of her bones. As it caught sight of her, its eyes grew steely and dark, jaws widening as if ready to rip her throat out before she could scream. Raven's eyes were even darker, seemingly possessed with something that she could feel was even more dangerous than that bear. His mechanical arm glowed with heat as he prepared to blast her and the soldiers who still stood at attention despite their obviously quaking knees. Rena bravely rose to face him, aware of the anger radiating from his body and golden eyes so clouded with rage they could barely see.

For the few silent seconds that followed, she could see the real Raven behind his stare, one petrified and wretchedly trying to cling onto any shattered fragments of his own mind that remained.

But before she could move, something flew past her, barely missing her head. The yells of the soldiers could barely be heard above the sizzling sound of a fireball rocketing through the air as it blew a nearby tree to smithereens. Without turning, Rena could feel the intensity of the explosion and smell the singed of the tips of her hair. It was dangerously close. But from the way Raven angled his arm, the next blast would not just land close - it would strike its target. Instinctively she crouched as the next burst of flame flashed above her, the soldiers kicking clouds of dust behind them as they scrambled to escape. Raven's neck swivelled towards them as they desperately clambered away, his claw ripping through the ground they had been standing on only seconds ago. Rena rose for a second, only to slam back into the ground again as another sonic boom tore through the air. She could even feel the tremors rumbling through the forest floor as she ducked. He was clearly overcome with a ruthless rage and fury, to which there was no remorse. There was only strike after strike, resulting in a fiery ring around the pair as the soldiers fled their ground. Rena could barely balance on her feet, let alone launch a counterattack. Although she was skilled in combat he would not hesitate to kill her, and that left the elf completely at his mercy.

Which meant she had to try it again.

She crawled towards the centre of the inferno, holding her arm up protectively in front of her face as the air grew redder and hotter. By now, even the winds themselves seemed to form an inescapable tornado. Rena prepared herself for a fleeting window of time where she could reach the eye of the storm and the second it appeared, she sprung forward, landing so close to him that her eyes were level with his sharp fangs. Through the roars of the blaze and the screams of the crumbling forest surrounding them, Rena uttered those three words that could reach through the wall that divided Raven from the monstrosity threatening to overcome his humanity.

"I love you."

All movement ceased at once.

Rena let out a sigh of relief before her knees buckled from exhaustion. She could feel the rapid ebbing of the dark force that had overtaken him and watched as the remaining slivers of fire died into glowing embers that idly floated across the charred forest clearing. Earlier, when they were foraging here, this very piece of land was bursting with colour and life but now it was a lifeless crater in which nature itself seemed to be defeated, a ghostly echo.

Raven stared at her, shock written all over his facial features. He dropped to the ground and knelt beside her, gripping her shoulders tightly. Rena winced as she felt the scalding heat from his left arm.

"Seris...my Seris, I'm so sorry", he sobbed, digging his face into her collar and clinging onto her as if she would disappear any second.

She could see the soldiers returning one by one while staring at them in confusion but that wasn't on the forefront of her mind. Raven was falling to pieces right in front of her, the mind that so persistently held onto his tenuous string of sanity broken.

There was no sound or movement other than his incomprehensible murmurs and the careful footprints of the others around him, all completely at a loss to what was happening. Their swords were still raised, untrusting of the man still on his knees. The soldiers observed the pair carefully as Rena reached a hand around his shoulder and patted his back lightly. How could she be so unafraid of a monster that had almost killed them all only moments before?

Lowe cleared his throat and his distinctive orotund voice pierced the awkward quietness that had settled over the clearing . "We'll let the couple have their moment."

Raven snapped out of his reverie and glared at the captain while a wide-eyed Rena shook her head vigorously. "Oh no no no it's not like that we haven't known each other for very long."

"Well I'm more worried about something else", Lowe's voice turned more authoritative at once, "You'll need to explain why this man wanted to kill everybody a moment ago. I believe the Nasod arm has something to do with it: an artificial limb of that nature is illegal. I'm going to have to report this to the authorities of Velder once we get there."

The elf stood up and slung her bow back behind her shoulder. "So as I began before this fiasco, I'm Rena and this guy is Raven. We haven't known each other for very long but I've been sent on an errand by my elven elders to figure out why the power of the El is fading so I'm travelling from town to town and doing some investigation," she glanced at the man who was beginning to stand up with some difficulty, "Raven got abducted by Nasods and they attached the arm. He was very lucky to have survived that, and even luckier that I came across him in the forest. So close to death, from the mistreatment, from the torture..." At this point she looked expectantly at Lowe, waiting for a reply. The captain observed Raven, and now that he was standing, it was clear to see that his eyes had already returned to its normal amber colour. Without breaking eye contact, he nodded once. Every soldier was hesitant, eyeing their commander skeptically. He gestured downwards, seemingly confident in his decision, and one by one they reluctantly lowered their weapons. Still, they stood guarded, surrounding the pair.

"Well then, Rena, are you confident that we will be safe if we are to continue our travels with this man?"

"From what I have observed, yes."

There was a firm sincerity to her tone, enough to confirm to Lowe that he had made the correct judgement for now. At last, he turned away from the pair to command his soldiers directly. "The pair will follow us back to base. Given that we have important business to see to, we shall welcome them but must continue with our work. Head back to camp." Raven looked to Rena, unsure of whether to move along and in return she gave a nod of encouragement. After all, he looked like he needed a change her forest lifestyle of foraging and vegetarianism.

While some soldiers marched forward obediently and others trudged grudgingly through the forest, most looked at the pair often as if waiting to confirm their suspicions. Rena did her best to avoid their glances, instead characteristically chattering away to Raven and Lowe about the forest and the sights they came upon rather than mention the fact that her companion was mentally unstable and capable of killing them all.

"I hope," Lowe began, interrupting her monologue, "that you two do not mind our simple base. You see, we would usually stay in the barracks belonging to the Velder Militia or at least an inn, if not for…"

"For?" Rena prompted.

He cleared his throat. "As you would already know, most of Velder was destroyed in a series of attacks. The base we built is a temporary encampment because the majority of the buildings in that city have been razed to the ground, meaning that there is no accommodation for us. Ours is sufficient, not ideal, but enough to sustain these troops."

"Should be fine!" she replied in her bubbly manner, "Thanks Lowe."

Raven was overcome with a wave of nausea and struggled to swallow the growing lump in his throat. The thought of the destruction he had caused engulfed his mind, strangling any sense of rationality out of him and forcing him to relive the pain of his loss and guilt. Each step became heavier, more laborious, and the tiredness that had been creeping upon Raven since he had attacked the others was showing itself. It latched onto him and dragged him down like a pair of unwanted shackles.

Soon enough, the sight of leafy forest floors and verdure were replaced by bristly shrubs and bare patches littered with only stunted trees and dry grass. The plants and animals they saw in abundance previously became scarcer along with the constant twittering of birds. As they walked along, the ground became firmer as the forest began to fade away behind the group. Even the very light that illuminated their faces became stronger and harsher, no longer filtered through the protective canopy above them.

"What brought you to the forest, Lowe?" Rena asked, interrupting the brief silence that had settled over them, "Your camp isn't really in it."

"You're right, it's situated on the outskirts of the forest and close enough to Velder so we can travel there quickly, but far enough so that we won't be surprised with an attack. However, it's standard for us to scout our surroundings in order to familiarise ourselves with the environment and negate the possibility of unexpected risks", he replied matter-of-factly.

The elf nodded and smiled her usual bright smile. "I didn't know a village as small as Ruben could produce such disciplined troops. Impressive!"

"Well there's not many of us, you know, so we have to make up for numbers with skill and dedication. That's why we're still here today", Lowe scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Why are you here? Velder is quite a journey away from Ruben."

"Apparently a demon of some sort went on a rampage in Velder and turned it into a pile of rubble. The military authorities have called for each surrounding municipality to supply some troops in defense because they, well mainly one noble named Alex, believe that it'll be back to finish off what it started."

At this point Rena noticed that Raven was being unusually quiet, even for himself, and now she was beginning to realise why.

...All of a sudden her voice turned frighteningly serious. "Say...what does your team's diet consist of? How much expertise do they have in foraging? There is a lot in this area to be learnt, although I assume your soldiers must know plenty from their daily pursuits." She shot a look with slightly narrowed eyes towards the commander, eagerly anticipating his answer.
"All our troops must have basic training in hunting, it is one of our staple activities, essential for keeping us well…"
"Well?! WELL?! You slaughter helpless animals for what you think is the sake of wellness?"
Taken aback by the otherwise cheerful Rena's sudden outburst, Lowe was momentarily stunned; "With an army as active as ours, it's really more economical and practical to…"
"And morally incorrect!"
Raven smirked. Given Rena was speaking to a group of soldiers armed with swords, surely the killing of animals for sustenance was not the most 'morally incorrect', as she put it, thing the army had been ordered to do. Still, she was adamant, and continued to preach the benefits of her vegetarian diet to all that were or weren't listening.

The soldiers gave a relieved cheer as the familiar sight of cloth tents came into view, eager to rest and also escape that elf's irksome rant. As they were often reminded, any return to base unharmed was deserving of a small celebration.

Lowe threw his arms wide. "Welcome to the Ruben Patrol Team's temporary base!"

A confession? Already? Oh don't you worry, this isn't a cringe fest; Rena definitely had some ulterior motive behind that. ;)

Guess you'll have to see next chapter!

Please please leave a review, even if it's a negative one. We'd just really appreciate any kind of feedback.

Honestly would even settle for an eggplant emoji right now.