"That's..."

He was going to say, 'are you messing with me?' But Raihle's expression didn't show anything but absolute solemnity.

His eyes fell down, and he clenched his fists.

"Are You're saying that because I'm a Sorcerer? Because the best thing I can do is killing people?"

"No." Raihle spoke without hesitation, "I'm saying that because he hurt you beyond repair."

 Raven shaking stopped, he raised his head back up slowly, and he saw them.

The eyes that look so strange, so different than he had ever seen someone look at him.

He couldn't understand the meaning behind it.

He hadn't a clue but why? Why does he look like he understands every bit of his pain?

'It's ridiculous.'

He didn't even know him or had seen him before this day.

"He's going to die either way; it doesn't matter if you don't want to do it." Raihle assured him.

The priest burst laughing all of a sudden.

"HAHA, I can't! Your highness, you sound as if you talking to an actual child! Hahah, it must be really your first time seeing a Sorcerer."

At At this point, Raihle wished Raven would let him do the job. He couldn't wait for this crazy man to die.

"I want to do it."

He heard Raven's cold voice.

He nodded. "Okay, do whatever you want."

Hugo quickly shouted, "Raihle!"

"Don't interfere." he stopped him and made way for Raven to walk towards the priest.

The priest smiled warmly "See? This is your natural now, Raven; this is how I created you."

The blue in Raven’s eyes was pale, deep, and dark. He didn't look at the pile of bodies on the ground, nor the tools that used to cut his skin open and reeked of his blood.

He focused on nothing but the old man with the grin.

'I I want to kill you.'

'I I want you to hurt.'

"Do It's Raven; don't fight it." The priest encouraged him.

There is no reason to fight it, Ever since the Corrupted magic awakened in his body, everything seemed numbed—every emotion, every wound.

He was aware enough to realize that he was no longer the boy who was snatched from the slums, and not the same child who shouted and wet the ground with both his tears and blood.

He didn't feel the urge to shout anymore, even in pain. His tears froze and didn't fall.

Now He is a monster who can kill with one touch.

He raised his blooded hand to the priest.

Just a touch, that's all he needed to do it.

"Hey, Raihle! Are you seriously going to let him do that?"

"Your highness, if he didn't kill the others, then I think it's a mistake to let him kill now..."

Hugo and Loka shouted but Raihle didn't glimpse at them.

"That kid bared enough pain that you won't even handle for a day, so keep your mouth shut. shut."

His sharp voice put them to silence.

Raihle observed closely.

Raven was about to touch the priest, while the old man was giggling and smiling as if he going to receive a reward.

'Is Is he crazy enough to be this happy with death?'

*Ding-Dong*

The ground quivered and the celling rained them with dust.

There were under the bell tower directly and its ringing shook the whole place. 

Raihle stumbled but quickly regained his balance but then saw the priest fall on the ground with a complete black coal-like skin.

Black sticky liquid bled from his mouth and eyes, his smiling teeth turned dark and disgusting.

'But he didn't do it?!'

He lost focus for a moment but he clearly saw that Raven’s hand didn't reach him before the bell rings.

Raven expression confirmed the same; he was looking down his hands with a shocked eyes, not realizing what had just happened.

The priest's body shook like he was having a seizure, and coal-black liquid continued to pour out of his mouth, ears and eyes.

Then a black mass emerged from his throat and curled out before his body stops shaking.

"...What the hell?"

"Is this...a worm?"

The fat black worm fell from the priest's mouth and curled its way slowly towards Raihle and the two behind him.

"Ewe!" Hugo grasped Raihle's shoulder tightly.

"What is that?!"

Thankfully, it wasn't only Raihle who hadn't an idea what it was.

The black slimy worm suddenly stopped and raised its head in front of Raihle.

'Is looking at me? No, does it even have eyes?'

From what Raihle saw was a black, shiny, moving slime; he couldn't see any other feature.

After a moment of staring, or at least that was what he thought, the worm put its head back on the ground, prepared to jump...

'No, wait!'

Raihle's shoes quickly crashed into it before it finished its move.

"HA!" Hugo gasped, "Are you crazy?!"

"What?" Raihle's heart felt like it was sinking. "I couldn't let Jut jump at me."

He moved his shoe, the worm turned into a black spot in the ground.

"That doesn't mean you should step on it! What if it's an evil spirit? It will come to haunt you at night." 

Raihle responded in a sigh, "Don't worry, I will lead it to your room if it does."

Hugo gasped again "You dare!"

"*Ahem! *”

Loka cleared his throat.

"What What are you planning to do right now, your highness?" He said, glimpsing at the little boy.

'Isn't it clear?'

He eyed Raven.

"Do You want to come with me?"

"What?"

Raven doubted his ears.

Raihle lowered his eyes towards the children's bodies.

"This place won't stay the same way it was, that's for sure, and you don't have a place, do you?"

Raven took a step back.

"I'm Not an idiot; do you think I don't know what they do to sorcerers?"

Raihle expression reminded us of the same.

"I never said you are an idiot; I know very well that you are a smart kid."

Raven I didn't expect him to say something like this; he was ready to argue more but the words vanished and left him wordless.

"I won't insist if you already have a place to go."

Raven avoided his eyes and didn't say anything, like the crazy priest had said, before he was picked up and tortured, he was dying on the street.

His eyes reflected the light of the lanterns. "I don't have a reason to trust you."

As Raihle said he wasn't an idiot, and even if he didn't seem like he had ulterior motives, he was still a suspicious man. Moreover, Raven was still a Sorcerer, a creature who should be hanged and burned.

He gazed at Raihle with a look that didn't suit a child, but it quickly turned into a confused face when Raihle spoke.

"Hot soup."

"Huh?"

"Sweet grilled potatoes, high-class meat, and all sorts of sweets."

"Huh?" Raven was even more puzzled when Raihle continued to speak nonsense.

"That's what I’m offering you," Raihle explained briefly, "including a warm room and a nice bed. You’re also injured badly; you might get infected or become sick if you don’t get treatment."

Raven was at a loss for words; he could see the dumbfounded faces of the other two who stood behind Raihle, so he wasn’t the only one who didn’t get it.

Raihle crossed his arms and added indifferently.

"You can leave whenever you want after you are done."

Raven quickly switched his surprised face and hardened his voice.

"W..what if you are lying?"

"Then you can kill me," he didn't spare a breathe before answering. He tilted his head "Aren't you powerful enough to do that?"

'You didn't even see me do a thing; how can you be so confident of my strength?' Raven felt he was about to laugh.

He was sure that Raihle knew that the priest's death had nothing to do with him. and for some reason he doesn't believe he killed any of this temple people. 

But above all that, he hadn't the slightest mockery in his voice or in his eyes didn't show a look of underestimation.

He was talking to him like a powerful and capable man and not a weak child covered in bruises.

"Okay." Raven agreed sharply "As you said, if you trick me in anyway, I will kill you in the most horrible way you can imagine."

"That's fine with me."

Hugo tugged Raihle's shirt from the back, "It shouldn't be fine with you! it's dangerous for other people in the palace."

"He will be my responsibility, and I'm pretty sure the emperor said the palace belong to me, so it's my decision to bring anyone I want."

"I I really hate this tongue of yours; can't you be more polite?" Hugo sighed and shook his head.

"No." Raihle coldly answered and walked past him.