Chapter 58 – Night Watch with Raven

  The Call

  The dormitory was dim, lit only by moonlight spilling through narrow windows. The steady rhythm of Fluffy’s snores filled the room, her ears twitching even in sleep.

  Seven sat awake, elbows on his knees, staring at the faint glow of the number on his neck reflected in his water cup. That soft shimmer always mocked him—an answer without a question.

  A soft tap-tap on the doorframe made him glance up.

  Raven stood there, tall and silent, her cloak draped over her shoulders and her bow slung across her back.

  “Evening, Seven,” she said quietly, careful not to wake Fluffy. “Your patrol starts in ten minutes. I figured I’d collect you myself.”

  Seven rose, fastening his gear one-handed. His training sword hung awkwardly at his hip. “Thanks. Shoulder’s still a bit stiff from the surgery, but it’ll hold.”

  Raven’s eyes flicked briefly to the empty socket at his right side, then back to his face. She gave no pity, no softness. “Keep it that way. Report anything unusual immediately.” She stepped aside. “Come on. The streets won’t patrol themselves.”

  Quiet Streets

  Novastra at night was a different city. Lanterns burned steady along the canals, their reflections dancing on black water. The faint crunch of Raven’s boots on cobblestone was measured, disciplined—like everything she did.

  Seven glanced at her, smirking faintly. “So this is the thrilling life of a War Rabbit? Walking in circles while everyone else sleeps?”

  “Don’t get too comfortable,” Raven replied dryly. “Nights like this turn violent quickly. Most recruits crave excitement. Me? I prefer when nothing happens.”

  Seven’s hand brushed the hilt of his training sword. Months of drills had made the grip feel familiar, though never natural—not like the rifle he still longed for.

  He exhaled slowly. “Quiet’s not so bad… I’ve seen worse first watches.”

  Raven raised an eyebrow but didn’t press.

  Seven continued, almost absently. “When I first woke up—with fragile memories—I was on watch duty. My friends and I faced… something. I still don’t know what it was, but we fought it off. Together.”

  He trailed off. Raven caught the shadow in his tone but let it sit. Seven was here. His friends weren’t.

  As they neared the guild’s perimeter wall, Raven slowed. Her violet-gray eyes sharpened, cutting through the silence.

  “Seven… I’ve been watching you,” she said quietly. “Your progress is real. But something doesn’t add up.”

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  She stopped, turning to face him fully. “That glowing mark on your neck. Your missing memories. The way you fight like a soldier but falter like a novice at sigils. What aren’t you telling us?”

  Seven met her gaze, unflinching.

  “I’m not lying about my memory,” he said. “The mark—I don’t know what it is. I woke up in a shelter with others like me. They had numbers, too. Families, fragments… we didn’t remember much. The only thing I recall clearly is a battlefield. After that… nothing.”

  Raven listened, her ears tilting forward slightly. Among the Guild’s leaders, the possibility of more like him would not be taken lightly. But she didn’t speak it aloud. Not yet.

  Instead, her tone pressed harder. “Then tell me this—what drives you? Survival? Revenge? Most recruits know their reason. You act like someone carrying orders only you can hear.”

  The Creed

  Seven hesitated. His gaze drifted past the wall to the stars above the barrier, cold and distant. Finally, he stopped walking.

  "Initially, it was all about survival—the sheer will to live," he said, gently touching his empty shoulder. "But when Saya took my arm, I felt a wave of vulnerability. Yet, I held on to some powerful words that continue to resonate with me, even if I can only recall fragments."

  His voice grew steadier as he recited, half-whisper, half-prayer:

  “I will always place the mission first.

  I will never accept defeat.

  I will never quit.

  I will never leave a fallen comrade.”

  The words lingered heavily in the night air, steeped in history, and yet distinctly infused with a sense of discipline that felt alive in the very atmosphere of Novastra.

  Raven’s expression softened just a bit, a flicker of consideration crossing her face. She crossed her arms, her gaze penetrating as if searching for the very essence of truth within him.

  “Those aren’t the words of a liar,” she said softly, a hint of admiration breaking through her tough exterior. “Or a coward.” Her tone sharpened slightly, a reminder wrapped in a challenge. “But remember, convictions only hold weight as long as the person behind them honors that creed... to betray that is to betray me.”

  As they continued their rounds, the silence that settled between them transformed; no longer adversarial, it held an undercurrent of mutual respect.

  Raven spoke again, her voice low and thoughtful. “You know, I may have misjudged you earlier. It’s not often I see a human stand their ground like you did just now.”

  A small smirk tugged at Seven’s lips. “I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”

  Raven’s lips curved just slightly, the faintest of smiles appearing. “Just don’t make me wish I hadn’t.”

  The lanterns burned brightly over the canal waters as they maintained their watch. Yet, outside the protective walls of Novastra, in the biting cold of the dark, unseen eyes were keenly observing every move.

  Interlude – Eyes Beyond the Gate

  The eastern gate of Novastra rose mightily, a fortress of steel and stone that touched the sky like a mountain. Eight stories high, etched with ancient runes, it served as both a shield and a warning. To the guards keeping watch from their positions along the battlements, it was merely a wall to patrol— lanterns flickering, spears sparkling, their eyes dulled by the monotony of routine.

  Little did they notice the shapes concealed within the snow.

  Beyond this sturdy barrier, two figures crouched quietly, cloaked in frost and shadow. The glimmer of golden irises flashed briefly in the moonlight—there stood Valerie. Next to her, Kinata’s silver gaze fixated on the grand gate, its veins of mana pulsing gently, as if resonating with life.

  This was their very first encounter with a human city.

  “…So this is Novastra,” Valerie murmured, a sense of awe coloring her tone. “Built to serve as prey? Bold move.”

  Kinata tilted her head, her ears perking up in curiosity. Her breath formed wisps in the cold air. “Not mere prey. They’re desperate beings fortified by walls. Yet… there’s something palpable here.”

  Her eyes narrowed, focusing on the cluster of stone structures closest to the gate. The headquarters of the War Rabbit Guild loomed tall, its protective wards glowing faintly like tendrils of fire against the dark backdrop.

  “The rabbits are there,” Kinata whispered, her excitement barely contained. “Their mana radiates brilliantly. Not just one, but dozens. Sharp. Disciplined. Akin to what we possess.”

  Valerie briefly closed her eyes, savoring the energy swirling around them. “I can discern two in particular. Strong and unique.”

  She cast her gaze toward the street that lay just beyond the gate's shadow.

  And then—they witnessed it.

  Two figures patrolling within the barrier: one tall, her mana steady and focused like a bowstring pulled taut. Raven. The other… a human, shorter and scarred, yet the mana enveloping him—

  “Do you feel that?” Valerie’s voice dropped to a whisper, almost reverent.

  Kinata’s claws flexed against the frost, her intrigue piquing. “It’s otherworldly. It… glows.”

  They both fell silent, captivated by the sight of the duo moving along the lamplit street. The human's aura danced restlessly, flickering like a flame, yet beneath that uncertainty lay an undeniable brilliance—like starlight spilling through a crack in glass.

  The human vanished through the doors of the guild, the glow disappearing as it was swallowed by the protective walls.

  Valerie lingered a moment longer, her tail flicking thoughtfully. “This is extraordinary. A human with such mana shouldn’t exist.”

  With a slight smile, Kinata’s gaze remained riveted on the city. “…Perhaps the rabbits are concealing more than just themselves.”

  For a moment, silence enveloped them, only the hum of the barrier bridging the divide between hunter and hunted.

  Finally, Kinata turned, her ears catching the northern winds. “That’s enough. We’ve gathered what we came for. If that glow is genuine, the truth will reveal itself in due time.”

  Valerie took one last glance at the city, her golden eyes narrowing in determination. Then, the two shadows melted seamlessly back into the snow, unseen and unheard, leaving only a whisper of their presence behind.

  The gates of Novastra stood resolute and silent once more.