I lowered my gaze to the ground behind the tree, my heart pounding so loudly it felt like it would burst out of my chest.
That was when I saw them.
Minho was locked in a brutal fight with someone, their movements fast and violent, shadows crashing against shadows. Leaves scattered across the ground, branches snapping under the force of their struggle. For a second my mind refused to understand what my eyes were seeing.
Then I looked closer.
Raven.
My breath caught in my throat.
Without thinking, I grabbed the nearest clothes, threw them on with shaking hands, and rushed out of my room. I didn't even lock the door. I barely felt my feet as I ran down the stairs, my heart screaming only one thing.
No. No. No.
By the time I reached the ground floor and burst outside, the scene before me froze my blood.
Raven had Minho pinned.
His grip was tight around Minho's neck, his face twisted with something dark and unrecognizable. His lips were parted,
"Minho!" I screamed.
Minho turned his head, his eyes locking onto mine. Fear flashed across his face, raw and desperate.
"Jina!" he cried out. "He wants to kill me! Save me!"
My body trembled violently.
Oh no… what should I do?
My mind spun wildly. I stood there, frozen between them, unable to move, unable to breathe.
Raven lifted his head slightly, his neck bleeding deeply, blood trailing down his skin. It looked like he had been injured badly too, but even in that state, his strength was terrifying.
"Jina," Minho begged again, his voice breaking. "Please, do anything you can. You have the power. This is the only chance."
Raven tried to speak, struggling to turn his head toward me, but Minho suddenly struck him hard in the mouth. Blood splattered instantly.
"Jina, please!" Minho cried. "He's about to bite me!"
My chest burned.
I couldn't think. I couldn't reason. All I could feel was panic, fear, and the overwhelming urge to save Minho.
Without realizing it, I shut my eyes tightly.
All my thoughts narrowed into one single purpose.
Save Minho.
I felt it then.
That familiar heat inside me.
It started as a spark, deep within my chest, then spread like wildfire through my veins. My hands tingled, my body vibrated, and the air around me felt heavy, charged with something dangerous and alive.
"Jina!"
A voice called from behind me.
It sounded like Yoon.
"Jina, please don't do it!" she shouted. "Jina!"
But her voice felt distant, muffled, as though coming from underwater.
"Raven, defend yourself!" Yoon screamed desperately. "Don't allow her to do it!"
I didn't listen.
"Jina, pl—"
Raven's voice followed, weak and strained, but I didn't listen to that either.
The fire inside me roared louder, drowning out everything else.
I opened my eyes.
And raised my hands.
The moment I struck, power exploded from me. A blazing force surged forward, fierce and uncontrollable, crashing straight into Raven. Flames burst outward from my hands, wild and scorching, engulfing him in an instant.
Raven was thrown back violently.
He slammed into the ground with a heavy thud, smoke rising from his body. Deep burns covered him, his strength finally giving way as he lay there, wounded and helpless.
For a moment, everything went silent.
Then—
"Raven!"
Yoon rushed forward and dropped to her knees beside him, tears streaming down her face as she cradled his head.
"Jina!" Yoon cried, her voice shaking. "They wanted this! They wanted you to do this to him!"
I stood there, breathing heavily, my hands still trembling, the fire slowly fading from my body.
"Because you are the only one who can get to Raven," Yoon continued desperately. "They know you. They know you are the only one who could kill him. They want him out of the way so they can hurt you… so they can kill you!"
Her words washed over me, but they didn't sink in.
I didn't pay attention.
All I could see was Minho.
I rushed to him immediately, my heart pounding painfully as I checked him over. He was shaken, bruised, but alive.
Behind me, Raven looked at me.
Tears rolled down his eyes.
Yoon screamed through sobs, "Let's go, Raven! Let's go!"
But Raven didn't move.
"Why didn't you defend yourself?" Yoon cried, shaking him. "You could have stopped her! You could have defended yourself easily!"
Her voice cracked with anger and pain.
"You still chose not to hurt her… even now. You tried to protect her, knowing she was hurting you! Why?"
Raven's body suddenly went limp.
He slumped completely, unconscious.
I gasped softly, but before I could turn back to him, Minho took my hands firmly and gently turned my face away.
"Don't look," he said softly.
I felt weak. Empty. Confused.
"Thank you, Jina," Minho said quietly, pulling me closer. "You saved my life."
He guided me toward the stairs, leading me back upstairs as if shielding me from everything behind us—the pain, the blood, the truth I wasn't ready to face.
As we walked away, my heart felt unbearably heavy, though I couldn't explain why.
Somewhere deep inside me, a voice whispered that something was terribly wrong.
But it was already too late.