The next afternoon, after finishing her training with Elyra and checking on Rinn and Lira, Raven finally had a quiet moment behind the orphanage.
The children were napping.
The yard was empty.
Perfect.
She unwrapped the sword again.
The runes pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat syncing with hers.
"…What else can you do?" Raven murmured.
She let a small thread of her energy seep into the blade — cautiously this time.
The sword answered.
Black sigils flared along the metal, and a faint ring of smoky energy formed around her feet.
Raven froze.
The air felt… heavier.
Thicker.
Instinctively, she stepped forward.
The ground beneath her responded.
A shadowy ripple burst out like a shockwave, silent but powerful.
It spread in a circle — and everything it touched had its light dimmed for a heartbeat, like the world was exhaling.
Raven's eyes widened.
This wasn't simple destructive energy.
This was… suppression.
Extinguishing.
A counter-force.
The sword quieted again, satisfied.
Raven let out a slow breath.
"A weapon that drains… and cancels magic?" She whispered.
"And it reacts only to me."
Morivaine's voice curled in her mind.
"Your powers and the blade share the same hunger.
It is natural they resonate."
Raven tightened her grip.
Natural.
That frightened her more than she wanted to admit.
Raven was re-wrapping the sword when footsteps approached the yard.
She looked up.
Ayla.
She stood at the entrance, leaning slightly against the gate, breathing a bit fast — like she had run the whole way.
"Raven!" she called. "Thank the gods you're here."
Raven blinked. "…Ayla?"
Ayla walked closer, brushing hair from her face.
"I checked at your master house and she said you weren't home yet. Then someone , the kids told me you still at the orphanage, so I came here."
Raven frowned. "Why?"
Ayla hesitated.
"To check on you."
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"You touched that sword," Ayla said, her voice trembling. "And I've seen what it did to others. So I… I just needed to make sure you're okay."
Raven looked away, unsure how to respond.
Ayla took a breath.
She stepped closer, eyes searching Raven's face — worried, relieved.
"You really are fine…" she whispered.
"It's unbelievable."
"It's nothing," Raven said quickly.
"It's not nothing," Ayla insisted.
"You're the only one who's ever held that sword without collapsing."
Raven didn't answer.
She didn't want to discuss the connection — the hunger — that linked her to the blade.
Ayla sighed softly.
"Well… if anything ever feels off, or you need the forge for maintenance, come see me. Anytime."
Raven hesitated before nodding.
Ayla smiled — a warm, genuine smile , I'm busy now but let's meet again later or l will come to visit you again here — then she waved and left.
As she walked away, children peeked around the corner, whispering:
"Raven has visitors now?"
"She's popular!"
"Is that her friend?"
Raven pressed a hand to her face.
Great.
Just what she needed.
⸻
(Lyria's POV)
Lyria sat at her desk with parchment in front of her — blank parchment.
She pressed her quill against her cheek, thinking. Hard.
"I need a reason," she whispered.
"A good one. A natural one."
She could ask Raven about the sword?
No. Too direct.
Too obvious.
She could ask her to train together?
Hmm… maybe.
But she needed something gentler, something that let her spend time with Raven without scaring her away.
Her eyes drifted to her calendar.
Tomorrow:
— Meet with the Council
— Training
— Visit the orphanage for weekly inspection
She froze.
The orphanage.
A smile pulled at her lips.
"That's perfect."
She could go "for inspection."
She could "check on the children."
She could "observe the repairs."
All perfectly valid — and perfectly convenient.
And Raven would be there.
Lyria twirled her quill, feeling excitement bubble uncomfortably warm beneath her ribs.
But then she frowned.
What if Raven left early?
What if she was training with Elyra instead?
What if she avoided her because of yesterday?
Lyria leaned back, sighing dramatically.
"Why is this so complicated…"
Kara entered the room without knocking, as usual.
She smirked immediately.
"You're thinking about Raven again."
Lyria flushed. "No I'm not!"
Cara laughed. "Then why are you smiling at a blank paper like it's a love letter?"
"It's not— kara!" Lyria threw a pillow at her.
Kara dodged easily.
"Relax. I'm just saying — if you want to see her, just see her."
Lyria looked away, cheeks warm.
"It's not that simple…"
"Sure it is."
Kara leaned on the doorframe.
"You're the crown princess. Make up an excuse."
Lyria muttered, "I already did…"
Kara grinned.
"Knew it."
Lyria groaned into her hands.
Later that night
Lyria lay in bed, staring at the canopy above her.
She'd been trying to sleep for hours.
She turned onto her side.
Then her back.
Then her side again.
Nothing helped.
Her mind kept returning to one person.
Raven.
The way she held the sword.
The way she stepped in front of Kara without hesitation.
The way she said "maybe another time."
Lyria pressed her hand to her chest.
"Why do I feel like this…?"
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Raven's expression — calm, unreadable, always distant.
Too distant.
Lyria wasn't used to that.
People were usually open around her.
Warm.
Eager to talk.
But Raven stayed behind walls so high Lyria couldn't even see the top.
She wanted to understand her.
To know what made her smile.
What made her angry.
What made her afraid.
She wanted to know her past.
Her secrets.
Her heart.
Lyria exhaled softly.
"I wonder what she's doing right now…"
Probably training.
Probably thinking about leaving without saying anything.
Probably not thinking about Lyria at all.
That last thought hurt more than she expected.
She closed her eyes, whispering into the darkness.
"…Raven… don't disappear."
But the only answer was the quiet night.