As for why she didn't want him dead, Val had no idea. He wasn't even sure why he felt certain that Raven wouldn't harm him. Something inside him seemed to pull toward her, an uncontrollable force he couldn't name.
He had no idea just how far Raven would go for him… and perhaps, if he did, who knew what he would think?
She was someone he had never met before.
But Val wasn't stupid. If it were that simple—taking the hand of a mysterious stranger while a group of other strangers, equally unknown, hunted him all in the same night—he would have hesitated.
He was lightheaded, sure.
Weakened from blood loss, definitely.
But he wasn't a Fool.
Still… perhaps it was precisely because he wasn't thinking straight that he reached out and took her hand.
Or maybe I really am stupid, he admitted to himself.
Yet, he also didn't want to die. Resigning to his apparent fate didn't mean he welcomed death or finality—not yet. If there was still a chance to live, a chance to escape, he would grasp it with both hands.
And a possible chance stood right before him. Val had seen what those hunting him were capable of—that was why he had resigned himself so quickly. So the idea that Raven, someone he also judged to be not entirely 'human,' could help him survive—or at least escape—was a thread of hope he clung to. Perhaps she possessed abilities similar to his attackers, making survival plausible. That slim possibility was enough for him to make his choice.
Even if that chance existed, what would come afterward? Val decided there was only one thing to do first: live through this long, brutal night. Everything else could wait.
The world was cruel, harsh, and merciless. His life had been far from easy, yet like many living beings, Val possessed a deep, instinctive attachment to life—perhaps even stronger than most. He wanted to live. To survive. And if nothing else, to continue living for his brother.
Raven's violet eyes flashed, twinkling with a small, almost imperceptible smile as Val took her hand. A quiet sigh of relief escaped her lips, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Val allowed himself a spark of cautious hope.
Meanwhile, Val began considering other matters.
He was badly wounded and could barely stand on his own two feet, let alone run.
His current state was nothing short of a burden to anyone who had thoughts of surviving with him. How was Raven going to cope with this?
As he contemplated his possible death once again, he was suddenly lifted to his feet. It was seamless. Gentle. Yet the force behind it was so powerful that he couldn't resist even if he had tried.
Val's half-open, cold deep blue eyes widened as the petite figure of Raven, her white hair glinting in the moonlight, raised him effortlessly. She used a single arm, moving as though lifting a piece of paper.
With practiced ease, she tossed his arm over her slender shoulders, hidden beneath her cloak, for support.
It all happened so quickly. So gently. So effortlessly. Val couldn't react in time, even if he had wanted to. He was suddenly being held up, as though he weighed nothing at all.
Val could barely support his own weight. Most of it—or perhaps all—leaned against Raven. Yet she held him upright without a single crease in her expression.
She kept his arm slung over her shoulders while her left arm wrapped around his torso—gentle, yet firm.
Val still hadn't recovered from the shock.
He could feel how small Raven's shoulders were, how petite and lithe her body was, pressed so close against him. Meanwhile, he easily weighed over seventy-five kilograms and stood at six-foot-three.
Suddenly, Raven lowered her body, shifting her center of gravity into a crouched, lounging position.
"...Hold tight."
"Huh—?!"
The next instant, she launched into the air with a force that was almost inhuman—physically impossible by any normal measure.
A thunderous boom resounded beneath them. The ground shattered, fracturing into a web of jagged cracks from the sheer power of her leap.
Raven soared out of the alley, moving with breathtaking speed. She landed lithely at the edge of the nearest rooftop, her motion smooth, controlled, almost predatory.
Above them, the midnight sky stretched wide and cloudless. The full moon hovered eerily in place, casting its pale, unyielding light over the city.
Val felt as if something inside him might jerk free, or that his eyes would pop from their sockets, forced as they were to open so wide.
It had all happened so fast, yet he could still recall the wind whipping sharply past his face as Raven leapt several meters into the air, moving with a speed and grace that seemed impossibly normal.
His body tensed from shock. Instinctively, he wrapped his arm more tightly around her.
Their bodies pressed closer than ever. Val could feel just how small, petite, and soft Raven was, even beneath the weight of her cloak. But he couldn't properly register—or appreciate—the moment, trapped as he was in the grip of his own disbelief.
Raven's expression faltered. A faint dash of bashful pink appeared on her cheeks as she realized how tightly he had pulled her toward him. She could hear the frantic thrum of his heartbeat beneath his broad chest.
Her mind seemed to heat up. Her footing on the edge of the rooftop wavered, faltering shakily as her thoughts churned.
She hadn't fully regained her balance when Val latched onto her even tighter upon landing. Now she teetered on the edge, dangerously close to slipping off.
"Ah…"
Raven pushed the intrusive thoughts from her mind, forcing herself to regain balance.
She lunged forward again, preparing for another takeoff. Instantly.
This wasn't the time, nor the place, she scolded herself silently.
Unfortunately for Val, she didn't hesitate. With no warning, she launched into another leap—this one even more powerful than the last.
Val could do nothing but cling to her tighter, his heart hammering, threatening to burst from his chest.
The night stretched on, dark and full of terrors.
.
.
.
.