Clerivan has been introduced to the Arkwrights at a young age, given that his father is acquainted with the former duke, he could say that the family of ravens is the most mysterious group of people he's ever met. And he looked up to them just like how normal citizens and knights from different parts of the empire did. They are strong, intelligent, and didn't go around flaunting their wealth and power to everyone. A family that stays in the shadows.

They are neither kind-hearted heroes nor are they malevolent villains, they do their job and serve the empire to the best of their abilities. They do not side with nobles and only support the Imperial Family if it means for the best. Because the ravens do not settle for less. They do not express their desire and do not do things that they deemed unnecessary. Clerivan admired them for their qualities that most aristocrats don't have.

But the only lady was the only exception.

Lady Avy was predictable and shallow and oddly different. She doesn't respect people nor did she do anything to deserve their respect. Like a crow trying hard to pretend to be a different bird, despising her skin and locking herself up just because. Clerivan thought of her like an open book that is written with deep words hence he couldn't understand, but then again, he could never bring himself to hate the girl. Some may call it a childish reason to blindly follow someone, but the knight stood by his words and would lend his help if she wants him to.

But after getting closer and stepping inside the lady's little bubble, he learned so much of her personality that she dared not show the people who were unworthy. She was hard-headed, yes. Hot-tempered with so little patience than any other. She hates people, likes being alone. She speaks her mind, boldly as she wants. But she was not the gloomy girl that everyone thought she was.

Clerivan concluded that she was the most open of them all, but the most difficult to truly understand. She was an open book written in a language he has no knowledge of. And as much as he couldn't fathom what was going on inside her mind, he decided to just accept.

How come the lady never fails to surprise him every time?

"I wouldn't want to spill blood too, but if you insist."

The unknown man simpered confidently not in any way fazed about the blade that might slit his throat if he moved. He was as tall as him, with long messy black hair and eyes the color of obsidian, devoid of any light and emotion. Clerivan didn't like the way he stared, it was empty yet taunting, pushing him to take the initiative and start the fight. He is always calm and collected, but as much as he is composed, he is also driven by pride. He would've accepted his challenge if not for the lady stepping in to stop the both of them.

"Put the blade away, Revie. I know him."

He withdrew the sword but eyed the stranger cautiously as Avy handed him the bag of fruits nonchalantly as if she was accustomed to his presence. The man radiated danger no matter where he looked and his mysterious background didn't help a single bit.

"I'd also appreciate it if you treated him... nicely. This man is the reason why I came back alive."

Clerivan's brows furrowed in confusion. "I beg your pardon?" he asked, shifting his attention from the man onto his master before going back to the other who pulled an apple from the bag and took a bite.

"You heard the lady." he laughed a little "I saved her life."

He swore that for a second, he saw red replacing the black hue in the man's eyes but it faded immediately as if it was never there. That man was indeed not a force to be reckoned with.

"Let's be civil here, shall we?"

~~~

Avy didn't intend to hide Ares forever but she couldn't reveal their secret that easily either. Therefore, she wanted him to act like an acquaintance that wouldn't be suspected if had followed her around, that's why she instructed him to come to Emerald's diner beforehand and introduce himself as a friend of hers for their plan to commence.

But the damn snake had to provoke Revie to the point that the knight wouldn't leave her alone with him even for a second.

"My Lady, You're back!"

The unsettling atmosphere came to a stop when Emerald's voice was heard, they all turned their attention to the door of the kitchen where the woman came out holding a tray of food. It was weird of course, after all, there was not a single soul present inside the diner except Ares and them, the newcomers.

But the moment that Ares disappeared from her side, and almost teleported next to the brunette and respectfully bowed his head before receiving the tray and running to the farthest table and minding his own business, it was pretty obvious that he requested them. Emerald chuckled in response before walking her way toward Avy and his brother.

"Sir Ares came early today, saying that the lady is coming so I decided to close the diner temporarily."

Avy threw her servant a dirty look before turning back to the woman standing in front of her. "Pardon his behavior," she said which Emerald replied by shaking her head.

"It is really fine, My Lady. Sir Ares helped in calming down the child."

With this, Avy's unbothered demeanor changed slightly, her calm facade slipping for a second. "Where is he? Is he fine?"

She has been restless the days that she stayed in the mansion while knowing Kill is still in a bad shape and their weakened bond that made it difficult to sense if his mana level came back to how it used to be didn't help a single bit to her peace of mind.

"He was refusing to eat anything I offer ever since he woke up, and I-"

Emerald looked troubled as if she was having a hard time choosing what words to say, "I have no idea how to put it into words, Mi'lady. I think it would be better if you see for yourself."

Avy could feel the side-eye that her knight was giving her but she paid him no mind and followed the older woman towards the back door of the diner where she remembered them entering the night of the incident. The unsettling feeling didn't fade as they walked, the same thing could be said about the frown on her face.

The three of them stopped in front of the door of a room and Emerald didn't bother to take the honor of opening it for the lady, instead, she just shot her a knowing look before turning to her brother who seemed like he was planning on going inside with Avy.

"I would not recommend a stranger going inside, Clerivan. Stay behind and let the lady go on her own."

Clerivan didn't look convinced as Avy saw him reaching to draw his sword, "I cannot leave Miss Avy alone with a stranger," he retorted back with all seriousness. Avy couldn't blame his reaction, after all, he would be held responsible if something happened to her, especially when he was tasked to be with her all the time. But she also cannot risk Kill's state that didn't sound as good according to Emerald's words.

She knew that by 'stranger', he meant not someone unknown to her, but someone who he doesn't know enough to be trusted.

"I'll be fine, Revie. I'll fill you in with the details later, so just sit back for now," she reassured her knight who still looked skeptical but stepped in retreat although hesitantly, but she was sure that one sound that indicates displeasure from her, he would not think twice before entering the said room.

And so Avy twisted the knob opening the door, the scent of rust quickly filling up her nose the moment the air coming from inside greeted her. It was not a pleasant smell, but she got used to it, due to obvious reasons. Her eyes quickly directed to the bed, searching for a certain small boy that she left unconscious nights before, but all she found was a basin of red liquid, along with the same stained cloth on top of a small table next to the bed which was a mess, same crimson ink all over. Her brow knitted in confusion, where was he?

She stepped further inside and roamed her eyes around, it looked like some animal wreaked havoc that most of the furniture was moved a little from where they were supposed to be, and of course, droplets of blood were visible wherever she looked.

When a silhouette of a curled body caught her attention.

A small figure hugged itself as if protecting its own from the world, Avy didn't know if it was just her mind playing tricks with her or was the small body somewhat bigger than she thought it was when she last saw it? Hence, she moved closer to confirm her suspicion.

Her feet hit the floor creating a little noise that alerted the little creature, prompting it to jolt in surprise before shielding itself from whatever the person who entered do. It made Avy frown deeper.

"Kill," she called, her voice came out not that soft and motherly, instead it was tough and was demanding immediate attention, it was all she could muster after seeing the boy's state, but it was enough for him to drop his guard and look at the source of the sound.

"...mama..."

Golden eyes that were crystalized with tears greeted her own when the child tilted his head up. It was evident that he was crying for a long time, she just didn't hear any sound coming from him, or did he even make any? Avy knelt to inspect the boy's body, there were still wounds everywhere, red blossoming on the white bandages probably done by Emerald.

Children do grow up fast.

If she took it in a literal meaning.

Because the child before her was not the five-year-old boy she left, he looked like he could pass the age of eight.

But that was not her main concern at the moment, therefore she asked, "Why are you not on your bed?" she reached out to him, attempting to carry him back to bed but Kill scooted back, denying her touch.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry." the child's eyes teared up once again, his golden hues looked tired and they were red.

"Let's get you back to bed first then tell me what you had to apologize for. Hm?"

It took a couple of seconds of contemplation before Kill nodded in response, allowing Avy to carry him back to his bed. Just as she expected, she had a hard time doing so, but didn't show it and gently put the child down on the mattress swallowing the groan that was aching to escape. Her bones and muscles were something to be ashamed of, her strength could be compared to a twelve-year-old girl or maybe younger, but given the fact that Kill didn't weigh as much, she was able to accomplish the task without dropping him which would be so embarrassing and dangerous.

There was a long silence as Avy waited for Kill to speak again, she wasn't accustomed to starting conversations much more to comforting people, especially children who are complicated and more emotional. When she felt like the child wasn't giving any hints of speaking up, she took it as a sign that she had to be the one to make him open up.

"I really do not know so much about you, no?" she started, letting herself be comfortably seated on the mattress.

"Would you mind telling me what's up?" she looked at the kid, tone getting more like an understanding guardian than how it was earlier. "I'd like to hear how you seemingly grew three years older during the time I was away."

Kill flinched by this, but nodded his head nonetheless perhaps thinking he won't be able to hide things from his 'mother'.

"Ma... he told me to take the medicine every time I finish eating, and tell people I'm three years younger than I actually am." Avy could trace the slight hesitance in the boy's statements, but it didn't sound like a lie. She kept quiet, giving him the assurance that he could continue.

"He said it was for my safety. But-" Kill's voice hitched as if he tried restraining himself from letting out his sound of cries.

"...but- but it made everything hurt. So I faked taking the medicine for a long time, and- and... I grew and someone saw." he wiped the tears that flowed down his cheeks uncontrollably in an attempt to look less pitiful. Avy wasn't so sure whether she should come close and caress his back, give him something he could use to dry off his tears, or just stay away in case she might make him feel uncomfortable.

"Ma said he's just going somewhere to settle things, but he never came back again."

Avy couldn't help but look unamused, did that person who stood as Kill's guardian leave because of an acceptable reason? There were so many questions that dwelled inside her mind at that time, including; What kind of circumstances did the child grew up in? Did he even have a decent family? Why would he need to suppress his growth just to stay safe? She wanted to ask, but she felt like it would be too much of an intrusion to force the child to spill things that she wanted to know to satisfy her own curiosity. Maybe he'll just say it when he feels like he wants to open up.

"Kill, how old are you?" she asked, going back to the basics might help her understand better than asking heavier questions.

"I just turned eight two months ago," he responded before his head hung low, "I'm sorry for lying."

"Not a big deal. You had your reason," she told him. Kill looked up to her, seeing as her features softened and her way of speaking was not as crude as before. Avy wasn't someone who gets attached to things easily, but the little beast child looked like he needed a lot of guidance and protection which she could barely provide due to her position, she must admit that she has it bad for adorable looking creatures as long as they don't go around annoying her.

"Say..." she continued to speak, "What's your name?"

Kill tilted his head, baffled, "Kill??" he said, tone raising at the end indicating that he was confused by the question that was thrown at him.

"No. Your REAL name," Avy replied emphasizing a certain word because she refused to believe that any sane guardian would name their child that kind of name considering that the child came from a land that has the same language as what she grew up speaking, she thought it might mean the same thing. Kill is a bad choice for a name and any sane person wouldn't even try to call their children that unless they are in the emo stage of life, the emo phase in other words.

"...Killer," Kill answered, akin to a whisper as if he was ashamed of what escaped his lips.

It was enough to leave Avy at loss for words because that was fucking worse than naming a kid 'Kill' for fuck's sake!

"Who the f-...! What kind of stupid assholes would name their child like that?" she almost cussed in front of a kid, right. She toned down her voice and calmed herself lest she scared Kill that he would stop talking again.

"It was our culture to not change the name of the child once they are named by their guardians. They said it would be a curse," the golden-eyed boy explained, cradling himself as he hugged his knees close to his chest.

"I don't know, I wouldn't feel blessed if I was named like that." Avy scoffed

"But I did kill the person who gave birth to me when I was born," Kill muttered, but enough for the lady to hear. It was a common occurrence for the father, or whatever family member to hate the newborn infant once the mother died during childbirth, it didn't sit right with Avy.

"If you didn't ask to be born, who do they think they are to channel their hate on you? No one cares if they lost someone, fu- curse them. You are never responsible for somebody's pain if you did nothing to inflict it." she knew it was too insensitive to say, but she wasn't sorry. It wasn't enough reason to hate a child who they spawned into the world out of its own volition. They should be ashamed, not only as parents but also as humans, disgusting.

It didn't take long for Avy to notice the melancholic hinted on the boy's face who tried to look unbothered by their topic, hence she decided to stop right there and just let him breathe, after all, he was still injured and currently recovering.

"I heard you haven't eaten anything?" she started again.

"...sorry."

Avy sighed, the kid must've gotten accustomed into doubting people he meets, it was understandable for he was just a child and the fear of being hurt by strangers wouldn't fade as easily just because he has her now.

"It's fine. Don't be scared, they wouldn't do anything bad to you. I promise."

She slowly, although reluctantly moved closer to the boy, wrapping around her arms on his small body to offer comfort which the child didn't refuse. He sought warmth caged by his new mother's gentle arms as she washed away the remaining fear he had.





~~~

not gonna proof read this coz I'm sleepy. sorry for the late update, I had a break last last week, well the only break I could afford. A mental breakdown lmaoo. But, hey, it was a little worse this time so I lost all my braincells dedicated for this but I did write two stories instead. I will be updating soon since we're entering a new arc!! I guess??

Next Update: Avy and company leaves for the Summit!! She's gonna stay where??