"Your death is what will come first if you even touch my family."

Ravi couldn't ignore how a pair of white wings suddenly emerged from behind the man's back, spreading wide and filling the narrow alley, causing Ravi to feel a suffocating sensation once again. Moreover, a strong and sharp scent began to assail his senses, making Ravi's legs feel weak, and causing him to slump to the ground, unable to resist. One of the man's sharp-toed shoes pressed against Ravi's shoulder to keep him in place.

The man's voice began to creep back into the air. "Ending you now would be so easy, but where's the fun in that?"

Ravi couldn't even open his mouth now as the pressure on him grew stronger. He couldn't move his body at the moment. Who is this person, really?

"Adrian. Don't you want to know my name?" The man named Adrian said with a sarcastic tone, the pressure on Ravi's shoulder not decreasing at all. "Didn't your pet inform you about me?"

Ravi's eyes narrowed as he jerked his head to see Adrian standing proudly with his wings outstretched in front of him. He suddenly had the strength to rise to his feet, angrily pushing the foot on his shoulder. "Shut your filthy mouth. I'm sick of hearing all this nonsense."

Adrian crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking at Ravi with a disdainful expression. "Whom are you defending now? Don't you want to find out?"

Ravi clenched his fists tightly on either side of his body. The more this man spoke, the more disgusted and eager Ravi became to leave this place.

Adrian's white wings were still outstretched, and the scent emanating from his body was so strong that Ravi couldn't even describe how the musky aroma and other mixtures almost subconsciously overwhelmed him. There must be some kind of magic affecting him right now.

This man was dangerous. Ravi knew that. Compared to his first encounter with Raymond, who was far from a threat, this man had control over him from the moment Ravi first saw Adrian speaking with Daniel.

Rather than fighting him, Ravi felt that he just needed to avoid him. Ravi cared about Raymond's past and why Daniel and Raymond were connected to this man without informing him. It all seemed interconnected, and thinking about it made Ravi's stomach churn.

"What's your true purpose?" Ravi asked, unable to bear the multitude of questions swirling in his head.

There was a snort, and Adrian's mouth formed a hard line, his eyes gleaming as he stared at Ravi. "Revenge."

"Revenge?"

"The person you let into your house is the same one who has exterminated all the inhabitants of my castle."

***

Ravi didn't really care about how he could get back into his house; he felt disoriented with Adrian's words spinning in his head.

"Ravi?"

He felt that Ravi was now hesitant to trust anyone, but what Adrian said shouldn't affect Ravi like this. It shouldn't. Adrian might be lying and only speaking to provoke him.

"Ravi?"

Ravi turned to Raymond, who stood stiffly beside him, and he noticed how the man's eyes slowly widened over time without him understanding.

"Ravi, what happened to your neck?"

Ravi didn't respond, but when Raymond's hand reached out to touch his neck, Ravi quickly stepped back, saying softly, "Don't touch me."

Raymond became even stiffer with what he had done, and his hand was quickly pulled back to his side. Ravi turned to face Raymond entirely, seeing that the man immediately lowered his gaze, hiding his expression. Ravi should be cautious with the man standing in front of him, but he wasn't. He didn't find any danger when he was close to Raymond, so maybe Ravi shouldn't believe what Adrian said.

"Ravi? Can I heal him?"

Ravi raised an eyebrow at hearing that question, but eventually, he nodded. Ravi's eyes widened when Raymond suddenly touched his neck with the tip of his finger, and in an instant, his skin felt like it was doused with ice, and the pain there slowly disappeared.

"What did you do?" Ravi asked softly, still not believing what had just happened to him.

"To make Ravi better. Someone choked Ravi, and I wasn't there to protect Ravi," Raymond said with his head still down. Ravi's hand rose to push Raymond's touch away from his skin, which felt more and more stinging over time.

Ravi without much thought quickly asked sharply, "Who are you, really?"

Raymond only dared to lift his face again to face Ravi. There was a big question mark on his face, making Ravi suddenly impatient to find out. He had always hoped that Raymond would be honest with him, and maybe he could be a little calmer. However, that was just what Ravi hoped for. Raymond didn't even say anything from what Ravi had just asked. "Don't I need to know? I shouldn't just trust you like this."

"Ravi doesn't trust me?" Raymond suddenly asked back, and it immediately left Ravi silent. He let the question hang.

Raymond's pleading look made Ravi step back, and he shouldn't have accepted a creature like Raymond. Ravi should listen to what Daniel told him; he couldn't be selfish and let his family be in danger like this.

"Ravi afraid of me?" Raymond asked again, and Ravi immediately tensed upon hearing it. The words that Adrian had spoken to Ravi earlier about Raymond's past kept circling in his mind.

Ravi remained silent, his brow furrowing. He wanted to go into his room, but something seemed to hold him back from leaving Raymond behind. His lips felt tightly sealed, making it hard for him to say anything to Raymond right away.

"What's wrong, Ravi?" Raymond approached, but Ravi's body involuntarily moved backward, and his expression contorted into something he didn't intend. "Something is restraining you?"

Ravi wanted to speak, but in the end, he couldn't say anything. He slowly retreated until his back hit the door to his room. Ravi shook his head when his mouth unexpectedly uttered, "Don't come near me, you bastard."

"Ravi!" He didn't turn toward Daniel, who had suddenly approached. Instead, he continued to glare at Raymond. The harder Ravi fought against himself not to do this, the more challenging it became. Why couldn't he control himself?

"This is not Ravi." Raymond's low voice awakened something within Ravi, especially with the increasing intensity of the man's aroma that enveloped him.

"Shut your filthy mouth, you lowlife. A killer."

Ravi never meant to say those words.