__________
[Name: Raven Hesse]
[Rank: Adept (Mid)]
[Affinity: Lightning]
[Innate Ability: Not available]
[Skills: Lightning Strike (Remodeled)—Early (10%):
-Allows the user to coat his/her hand in lightning, alternatively, the user can also strike from distance.]
___________
A few days had passed since Raven had his first fight against a beast.
Nothing had changed though.
He still went on patrols, encountering monsters every two days, trained with the dummy, and got beaten by Nyx during their sparring session.
Though, he was beginning to get worried.
'It feels like I'm missing out on the academy.'
Raven couldn't help but think.
He sat down on a chair in the lounge, waiting for Reo.
'But since Reo is here, maybe that means that it hasn't?'
He had no idea.
'I'll have to ask him when he shows up.'
At that moment, Reo walked down the stairs.
"Speak of the devil."
Raven muttered under his breath.
"Here."
Reo said, handing Raven a tie.
A tie to go along with the suit he currently had on.
Suits had never been for him—that was what he learned as he glanced at the price tag for one a long time ago. But now, wearing one, he had to admit that it made him look better.
He dropped the small axe that he was carrying and wore the tie, tugging it up to his neck.
The tie felt like a noose, Raven pulled it off and stuffed it in his pockets.
"Thanks."
Reo walked off.
He picked up the axe and followed after him.
'Doesn't seem like he's in a good mood.'
Well, Raven would have to manage that.
"Reo, when are you going back to the academy?"
Raven questioned after catching up to him.
This time they weren't taking the rooftops, they were taking the bustling streets of the city to head to their destination.
"Why are you asking?"
Reo questioned back.
"I'm supposed to be taking the entrance exams."
Raven explained.
Reo kept silent for a moment, it was as if he was weighing his options.
After a while, Reo finally spoke.
"The target is in section E, we'll be taking the south entry."
The older boy didn't say anything after that.
'He's dodging the question.'
That meant something was wrong there. Something that Reo wouldn't say.
"Did you hear, we'll be taking the south entry."
"I heard."
The trip to Section E was uneventful—people didn't even bother glancing his way despite the axe he carried.
Raven didn't even know where that was because he had never gone to this side of the city.
Of course, it still mostly looked the same as the other parts of the city.
The sound of police sirens in the area caught his attention, unsurprisingly this was where he and Reo where heading.
"Good afternoon, officers."
Reo greeted.
"Oh, Reo, you're the one dealing with this thing?"
The officers were delighted to see him.
"Yes."
"Come by for a drink later, it's on me."
"I will."
The older boy said, ducking under the yellow tape.
Raven followed after him.
"The officers are good people."
Reo explained.
"I didn't ask for an explanation."
Came the reply.
The house that was surrounded by the police seemed relatively normal. Contrary to Raven's expectations there was no trail of blood in the house, no dead bodies sprawled around or even anything out of the ordinary.
Reo took a quick glance of the place.
"It's upstairs."
He said, then suddenly asked.
"Do you remember what our orders are?"
"To kill it."
Not subdue, not tame.
The beast had killed two of the three people that had been assigned to Section E....
"And do you remember what its supposed to look like?"
He asked again.
"The two people it killed."
The beast had killed two people and taken over their bodies.
Though what most of what Nyx told them sounded like gibberish to him since he barely knew what she was saying, he did know what the beast was.
It was a Wraith.
A creature that could take over the bodies of its victims. There were rare occasions were Wraiths didn't need to kill the person to take over them, though it was rare.
"And do you remember what she said?"
"She said a lot of things."
Raven replied.
Reo's expression didn't change in the slightest.
"About me to you?"
He clarified.
"She said I should obey your instructions."
Raven scowled.
"Yes. Use your lightning strike on it."
Both of them went upstairs.
"Open it."
Reo ordered.
Inside the room was the scene that Raven had expected to see from the start.
The room was disorganized—the bed was flung over, pieces of paper were lying everywhere, the ceiling fan looking broken and abused, laid by the corner, and blood had been smeared onto every corner of the room.
There was only one person in the room—a woman who was busy eating the remains of another person.
Her head arched unnaturally at their direction the moment they walked in.
"Kill her."
Reo ordered calmly.
"YOU!" The woman—or rather, the beast screeched. "LEAVE MY PARADISE ALONE!!!"
Her body snapped forward in a jerking motion that didn't belong to any living creature. The audible sound of her limbs breaking sounded as she launched herself across the room.
Blood dripped from her mouth as she lunged at the person closest to her: Raven.
Steel bit into flesh with a wet crack, cleaving the beast's head straight off its shoulders.
The room fell silent as its body lifelessly fell to the ground.
"I told you to use your skill."
Reo's voice cut through the stillness.
It wasn't loud, but every syllable seemed to carry weight.
"It wasn't already moving at me, I—"
"You're fast enough to dodge."
Reo interrupted.
Raven exhaled sharply through his nose.
"I knew that if I dodged, it would either go for you or chase after me."
Raven tried to explain himself.
"And I would have held it off enough for you to charge up your skill."
"I.... I didn't think you were strong enough."
"...."
Reo didn't have a response to that.
He walked towards the door.
"I will admit that I lost that fight, but you only won with underhanded methods, don't forget that."
Reo said, walking out of the room.
Raven let out a sigh, leaning against the bloodstained wall as he stared at the dead beast.
"I shouldn't have wasted my essence before coming."