Seeing that his presence was no longer required, Tomi left. He bowed to his master and Raven as he closed the door behind him.

“Lucas,” said Raven.

“Yes?” asked Lucas.

“I think it’s safe for you to put me down now.”

Lucas blushed upon realizing he was still holding Raven in his arms. He quickly and carefully put her down. “I am sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Raven said slightly blushing.

“You must be hungry. How about we get you something to eat?”

“Is it okay for me to eat the food here?”

“Do not worry, the food is completely neutral. It will not hurt you.”

“Phew!” Raven sighed. “I thought it was gonna be a Hades and Persephone bit.”

“You have read the tale?”

“Read it? I love it!”

Lucas and Raven talked about the Greek myth as they walked to the dining hall. Tomi watched from afar, still suspicious as to what happened to Raven. But for now, he kept it to himself. He was overjoyed to see his master smile.

When they reached the dining hall, two big doors blocked them from entering. Lucas opened the doors for Raven. Let’s just say, she understood the meaning of the phrase, ‘dining hall’. The table was so long, it was like the whole kingdom was meant to eat here. “Wow, this dining room is beautiful,” she said astonished.

A chandelier dangled above the table. The crystals looked like ice tears. “Shall we?” Lucas said pulling out a chair gesturing Raven to sit.

She sat down then Lucas pulled in the chair. He proceeded to the seat next to her and sat in it. “If I may ask, are you allergic to anything? Food wise and is there anything, in particular, you wish to eat?” Lucas asked with caution.

“I don’t have any food allergies and surprise me.”

“You heard her make whatever you like,” Lucas commanded.

“Understood, master,” said a deep voice. Raven turned and saw a man with a chef’s hat and uniform standing next to her.

“When did you get here?” asked Raven

“Forgive me for startling you, Miss Raven,” the chef replied.

“It’s okay, but could you stop with the Miss? I’d prefer if you call me Raven.”

“I’m afraid I cannot fulfill that request, for I have too much respect for the guests master brings here.”

“I understand. Sorry to hold you up.”

“That’s quite alright. I will return with your meal as soon as it is finished,” the chef said before walking away.

Raven turned her attention to Lucas, who had been sitting quietly the whole time. “Speaking of returning, when can I go back home?”

Lucas folded his hands as his elbows rested on the table. “Forgive me, Raven, but I do not have the answer to your question.”

“What?”

“Do you remember when you grabbed my arm?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I sensed a presence. An evil one at that and when I saw how my powers reacted, I knew it was a setup.”

“What makes you think it was a setup?” she questioned.

“Because the way the hole reacted was not normal. You see, I can pass between my world and the human world by walking through the shadows of anything that has one. But for an actual shadow to cross from my world onto yours, it would have to pass through the sky of my world. So, that black lightning hand that tried to pull you in was actually a shadow trying to escape by switching you for itself,” he explained.

“Let me get this straight, you think that a shadow is trying to escape from here and it was trying to use me as a substitute, so it could breakout?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“But I thought shadows could only crossover between the two worlds at night?”

“They can, but there are evil shadows that are too dangerous to let out of this realm. Humans think of shadows as their dark side, but truthfully, they actually reflect the owner’s heart. So, if you are good, then your shadow is good. But if you are evil, then your shadow will reflect that darkness in your heart.”

“Wow, I never thought of it that way.”

Lucas heard the fear in Raven’s voice and placed a hand on her clenching fist in hopes of comforting her. “Do not worry, you are safe. I will protect you. I will not let anything, or anyone hurt you. I will always be there for you. I give you my word.”

“Lucas.”

Lucas’s eyes were focused solely on Raven. Being caught in the moment, Raven looked into his eyes as well. His eyes once filled with sorrow; now sparked a small speck of light. Her closed fist relaxing under Lucas’s warm hand.

“Raven,” Lucas spoke.

“Yes?” she asked.

“I-I need to tell you that…I think I—"

“DINNER IS SERVED!” the chef announced bursting through the door. He looked at Raven and his master, noticing that their faces were hidden. Miss Raven’s head was lowered, and his master’s was turned to the side. The clueless chef had no idea he had just prevented his master’s confession.