Their voices echoed from above, but the view below was obscured by a thin mist and the fading twilight.
There was no answer, only the sound of water falling ceaselessly.
"Hana… I can't see a thing!" Kyle said, breathing heavily.
"Raven…!" Hana's voice grew faint, but she kept staring down, as if refusing to believe it.
Down below, a shadowy figure moved faintly behind the mist.
Then—
a hand rose.
Waving gently.
Hana's eyes widened. "That's—!"
"He… he's alive!" Kyle exclaimed.
Relief immediately washed over their faces, though it hadn't fully erased their anxiety.
"We have to go down," Karin said quickly.
"Find a way! Now!" Lisa added.
Without waiting any longer, the five of them immediately scattered along the cliff's edge, searching for a possible path down. Slippery ground, steep rocks, and tree roots were their only footholds.
Night was slowly falling.
And they had no time to hesitate.
Below the waterfall, a thin mist still shrouded the area around the stream.
Raven stood atop the bear's carcass, his clothes soaked through, yet his expression remained impassive. As if what had just happened meant nothing to him.
Before him, the soldiers of the Eunha Family had formed a tight formation. Swords drawn, their gazes sharp and vigilant.
Raven leaped down from the bear's carcass. His feet touched the wet ground lightly.
"Halt!"
One of the soldiers stepped forward, his voice firm.
"Who are you? State your origin and purpose! Explain what you're doing here!"
Raven didn't answer immediately. He simply looked at them one by one, observing them calmly, before finally speaking.
"I see no reason to answer any of that."
He gave a slight nod toward the bear carcass behind him.
"I just happened to fall here with that animal. Nothing more."
The soldier snorted derisively.
"By chance? Don't give me that nonsense."
His gaze sharpened.
"Do you think we're blind? Your movements just now clearly showed that you signaled toward the top of that waterfall."
Several swords were raised slightly higher.
"Your gang must be up there. You're trying to surround us… and target our young lady, aren't you?"
Raven fell silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
"Stubborn."
His gaze lifted again, cold.
"I don't know who you are. And I don't care."
The atmosphere suddenly grew silent.
The words were simple, but they carried a clear weight.
"If you persist," he continued, his voice low yet warning,
"this won't end well."
"...What did you say?" one of the soldiers stepped forward, his tone rising.
But his step halted midway.
None of them actually attacked.
There was something about Raven's calm yet imposing demeanor that made them hold back.
But before the situation could escalate further, the sound of hurried footsteps was heard again from the stone path beside the cliff.
One by one, figures emerged from the descending darkness. Kyle was the first to appear, followed by Lisa, Hana, Karin, and Kevin. They were panting, their bodies dirty and wet, but relief was clearly visible when they finally reached the bottom.
Raven turned her head slightly, just to make sure they had actually made it.
"Hey, Raven! Are you okay?!" Kyle shouted.
But—
the reaction they received was not an answer.
In an instant, the soldiers of the Eunha Family moved. Their swords were raised higher, their formation shifted, now encompassing the five newcomers.
The atmosphere tensed instantly.
"Whoa, hey! Calm down! What's going on?!" Kyle blurted out, but his tone sounded panicked.
"What the hell…" Karin muttered, her face turning pale.
"Damn… what now," Kevin sighed in frustration.
Lisa's gaze froze on the row of raised swords. Her face paled, her breath caught, as if the air had suddenly vanished from her lungs.
Before she could say a word, her memory was dragged back into the dark cave—the panicked screams, the piercing smell of blood, and the shadows of bodies collapsing one by one under the slashes of weapons.
Her body reacted faster than her mind.
Lisa jerked backward. Her legs gave way, and in an instant she fell, her knees hitting the ground.
Her hands rose, trembling, then wrapped around herself, her fingers clutching her clothes tightly, as if that were the only way to keep herself from shattering.
Kyle, seeing this, tensed immediately. He quickly turned around, standing fully in front of Lisa, shielding her without thinking.
"Lisa…?" his voice dropped, filled with concern.
"I-I… I…" Lisa's breath came in gasps. Cold sweat drenched her forehead, her body shaking violently.
"I don't want to… I want to go home… I'm scared, Kyle… please…"
Kyle bent down slightly to be at her eye level, though he remained in a protective stance in front of her.
"Hey… calm down," he said softly, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Lisa… listen to me."
But Lisa only grew more panicked. She raised her hands to cover her ears, curling up and trembling as if trying to block out all the sounds around her.
Seeing this, Kyle fell silent for a moment.
A brief flash crossed his mind—the first time he'd witnessed death right before his eyes. The same fear, the same despair. But he also remembered one thing… he couldn't let Lisa drown like that.
Not now.
Not in front of him.
"Lisa… Lisa, listen to me," he said again, this time more firmly yet still gently.
He took both of Lisa's hands, pulling them slowly away from her ears, then clasped them tightly.
"Look at me."
Kyle leaned down slightly, making sure their eyes met.
"I'm here. No one's going to touch you."
"Just focus on me… not on anything else."
Lisa's breathing was still ragged, her chest rising and falling erratically. But her eyes began to move hesitantly, tremblingly—until they finally, slowly, found focus on Kyle's face.
Kyle took a slow breath, matching his rhythm to hers.
"Follow my breath… slowly," he said, almost in a whisper.
He didn't rush and kept adjusting the rhythm slowly so Lisa could follow and calm down again.
A few seconds passed, and though the trembling hadn't completely subsided, Lisa's grip began to change no longer just holding on, but as if starting to seek a hold.
Kyle felt it.
And he didn't let go.
"I told you, didn't I…" his voice softened, barely audible amid the roar of the water. "I won't let anything happen to you."
Amid the suffocating pressure, those words were the only thing keeping Lisa from being completely dragged back into the dark shadows that haunted her.
Not far away, Hana could only remain silent. The same feeling Lisa was experiencing slowly crept into her a trauma that hadn't fully faded since the incident in the cave—resurfacing gradually.
Without realizing it, Raven was already standing in front of her.
His movement was brief, yet sufficient to position his body as a barrier, as if becoming a shield separating Hana from the soldiers before them.
Hana flinched slightly.
Her hand moved before her mind could, gripping Raven's sleeve tightly. There was an indescribable anxiety—not just because of the threat before her eyes, but because of the feeling that if left unchecked, Raven would do the same thing again as he had in the cave.
Killing without hesitation….
The image of Raven's blood-stained hands flashed so clearly. Strangely, it was precisely that which made Hana's chest feel even tighter—more so than the fear stemming from her own trauma.
Her grip tightened unconsciously, as if trying to hold back something she didn't even fully understand herself.
And Raven noticed it.
His gaze, which had briefly hardened, slowly softened. The murderous intent that had flashed behind his silence seemed to be pulled back, held in check by that small touch.
Meanwhile, after seeing Lisa's condition begin to ease slightly, Kyle stood up straight. His gaze shifted to Kevin.
"Kevin," he said softly but firmly, "I'm leaving the others to you. Take them away."
Kevin immediately turned to him sharply. "What?"
"Raven and I will hold them off here," Kyle continued without hesitation. "You guys find a way out."
"Don't start this again," Kevin snapped back, his voice rising.
"This isn't the time to play the hero."
"Hey, seriously," Karin interjected, her face still tense.
"We're not leaving anyone behind. So don't even think that way, Kyle."
"I know," Kyle replied briefly, then took a breath.
"But look at our situation right now."
His jaw tightened.
"Lisa and Hana aren't in any condition to do anything. Plus, we're in a really bad spot… so at least I'll help Raven hold them off here. You guys find a way out and get out of here."
Kevin immediately clicked his tongue in frustration. "What way out? It's so easy for you to say. Do you think we can just run away like that?"
He tilted his chin toward the soldiers who had formed a tight cordon.
"Look around us. They've sealed off every direction. We're also exhausted, so that won't work. We'll be captured before we even get far from here."
"So it's pointless," Karin added softly, her tone sounding frustrated.
"Your plan won't work, Kyle."
Kyle clenched his fists, clearly unwilling to accept it.
"So we're just going to sit here?" he replied quietly.
"Wait for them to decide our fate?"
"It's not like that," Kevin replied quickly, his voice holding back emotion.
"But we can't just move around recklessly either. One wrong move, and it's all over."
"But we can't just act on a whim. One wrong move, and it's all over."
"Staying here won't change anything either," Karin retorted, this time more firmly. She glanced at Kyle briefly before looking straight ahead again. "I think Kyle has a point… at least we should try something instead of just giving up."
Kevin let out a harsh sigh, then shook his head. "You two…"
His gaze shifted from Kyle to Karin.
"You're both so stubborn."
Their conversation was cut short when one of the soldiers in the front row stepped forward. His gaze was sharp, full of pressure.
"What were you just talking about?" his voice was heavy and firm.
"How dare you speak so carelessly in the presence of a lady from the Eunha Family."
Several swords were raised slightly higher.
"Who are you, exactly?" he continued, this time louder.
"Identify yourselves immediately!"
The atmosphere grew tense again.
"Is this… Murim language?" Kevin whispered softly, his eyebrows furrowed.
"What about us?" Karin muttered, her voice dropping. "Ms. Adriana isn't here to translate…"
They exchanged glances.
The five of them looked at each other, completely baffled by the language the guards were speaking.
Kyle glanced to the side, his gaze landing on Raven. "Bro… got any ideas?" he asked quickly.
Raven took a short breath, then stepped forward a step. His demeanor remained calm, as if the tension around him didn't truly affect him.
As he spoke, his voice was low yet clear, and this time, he used the same language as the soldiers.
"We're just travelers. So, no need for all these questions."
The soldiers reacted immediately. One of them frowned sharply. "How dare you. If asked, then answer properly. Were you never taught manners?"
Raven didn't respond right away. He just stared for a moment, then let out a faint sigh.
"Manners?" he repeated flatly.
"Then why are you pointing your swords at the person who just saved your owner?
"..."
The soldier fell silent.
Some of them exchanged glances, hesitating for a moment.
Raven continued, his tone remaining calm yet carrying a clear sense of pressure.
"Before judging others, you should look at yourselves first."
Meanwhile, behind Raven, his friends watched with the same look of surprise.
"Hey… did you just talk to them?" Kevin whispered, his eyes widening.
"Raven, since when have you been able to…?" Kyle added, his voice soft but full of wonder.
"Raven…" Hana murmured softly. Her gaze was fixed on Raven's broad back, which still looked damp.
Lisa and Karin just looked at each other, not knowing what to say.
In the midst of a situation that should have been frightening, something else emerged—a sense of confusion… and growing questions about what Raven was hiding.