Raven knew how the plot was supposed to progress.
Yes, many things had changed, and many people had changed, but the core mbers of the group didn’t change... much.
Yes, they didn’t change much.
Now, in the plot, Raven’s group mbers were supposed to grow independently, and in ti, they would’ve grown to be quite strong.
In the plot, Alex was supposed to awaken the Lava elent when he reached the eighth plate.
Jake would’ve awakened the shadow elent.
Rufus, different from the norm of Ros Vaise, was supposed to awaken the blood elent.
In the story, Rufus had never joined Raven’s group, but Raven still knew about his progress because later on, Rufus beca one of the famous villain sidekicks.
Jessy was also similar. The only difference was that she remained a strong side character who died without anyone getting to know her well enough.
Her power, however, was well-known because of its uniqueness. She had awakened the tal elent, and later, she could turn her whole body into tal.
Then, finally, there was Clara, one of the most dangerous characters to deal with, as her power was to make people hallucinate using sound and wind.
All of them would beco powerhouses on their own, but the problem was that the plot was progressing very fast, and they needed more strength right now.
Raven didn’t have ti to wait for them to reach the eighth plate and awaken their elent, so he decided to get them sothing that would help them in their path while also making them stronger.
There was this saying about the higher elent that one awakens.
It was said that it depended on how a person lived and their nature. Most of the ti, it was true.
Rufus from the plot was the perfect example of that.
Rufus was depicted as a bloody character in the plot. He was shown to love blood and gore, so the elent he awakened turned out to be blood.
However, in so cases, people awakened elents that suited their path.
Clara was the best example of that.
The technique she used was related to illusions, so the elent she awakened was sound, which could help her more on that path.
Raven’s goal in providing all of them with those items was to let them awaken path-suited elents.
There were few anomalies in this, as Rufus’s path had completely changed.
That guy was supposed to start with the fire elent and awaken blood, but he didn’t. Instead, he chose to start with water, and his future was uncertain.
Things were uncertain with the anomalies, but Raven didn’t care much, as he knew they would all do good.
After all, they were the main cast.
Right now, he was focused more on helping Clara and Jessy absorb their gifts.
Looking at both of them sitting on the floor cross-legged with a fruit and a silver shard, respectively.
They were both looking at him with eyes that said, ’What do we do with these?’
"Alright, Clara. Eat it," Raven said, staring at the weird-looking, pulsing fruit like it wasn’t trying to vibrate out of her hand.
"I wanted to ask it for a while, but," Clara squinted at it, "is... is this a fruit or a living tumor?"
Even when it was in her pocket, it had been pulsing and vibrating, giving her weird sensations.
"Just eat it," Raven replied.
She nodded obediently—because of course she would when he said it—and then hesitantly looked at the fruit. The second she tried to grip it harder, it let out a soft squish.
"...This feels illegal to hold," she muttered, narrowing her eyes. "Like, morally."
"Just take a small bite," Raven instructed, half-turning to check on Jessy. "That would be enough to activate—"
CRUNCH.
He paused as he heard that sound.
Then, he turned back.
Clara was devouring the thing like she hadn’t eaten in days, her cheeks puffed out, eyes wide like she’d just found heaven inside a moldy mango.
"...Yeah, you can finish it if you like it," Raven muttered, a bit stunned.
Clara looked up mid-chew. "It’s sweet! Like... suspiciously sweet. What do I do now?"
Raven opened his mouth. "Just wait a bi—"
Before he could finish his words, Clara froze.
Eyes widened. Her lips trembled.
She twitched, her body arching before collapsing backward like a string-cut puppet.
Before anyone could even understand what was happening, she was on the ground, her lips parted, trying to scream, but no voice ca out.
"CLARA!" Selena shot forward, panic flashing across her face as she dropped beside her best friend.
Raven reached her even faster, falling to his knees as he caught Clara’s spasming hand.
"Lia! Heal her, NOW!"
But just as Lia raised her hands, a smooth voice cut through the chaos like a cosmic nightclub bouncer stepping in.
"Ay, ay, ay. Chill, man."
Everyone froze.
Raven blinked. "Omni?"
His sword companion, who had now turned into a tattoo on his hand, gave off a faint shimr, his voice echoing with its usual laid-back, gangster drawl.
"Yeah, that’s . Don’t touch her, bro. Not even with those healing jazz hands. Let it ride."
"She’s suffering," Raven hissed.
"She’s taming god-bait power, my guy," Omni replied. "Pain’s part of the ride. You can’t interfere. This ain’t a flu shot—this is reality stabbing her soul to check if she’s got the grit."
Clara couldn’t hear anything or speak. If she could, then she would’ve told them that it wasn’t a stab in her soul, but her insides were trembling.
She felt like everything inside her body was trembling violently.
Raven clenched his fists, knuckles white. But he stayed still.
"...Fine."
"Good choice, boss man," Omni said. "Now turn around. The other one needs help. Shortie with the silver shard."
Raven turned. Jessy.
She was holding her own silver shard hesitantly, watching Clara convulse with horror-struck eyes.
"Jessy," Raven said, stepping over. "Don’t worry. Just... push your mana into the shard. That’s all."
"But Clara—"
"Do it," he said gently but firmly.
His eyes kept glancing at Clara, but his focus remained on Jessy.
Jessy hesitated, then closed her eyes and pushed her mana into the shard.
Her body jerked—but not like Clara’s.
She suddenly relaxed, cheeks flushing, a peaceful sigh escaping her lips.
"Oooh... that’s warm," she whispered. "Like a cinnamon bath in sunlight..."
Raven blinked. "Huh. Maybe Clara’s just unlucky—"
He couldn’t complete his words as everyone saw a change.
Jessy’s eyes flew open.
Then they froze.
Then ca the twitching.
She didn’t scream either—just groaned, body twisting, tears leaking from the corner of her eyes like soone had betrayed her with dessert.
"...Okay, that’s fair," Raven sighed.
Omni buzzed. "You gonna interfere again, champ?"
Raven walked past him. "Nah."
"Then where you goin’, Roo?"
He sat down between the two twitching girls with a deadpan expression. "If I’m gonna watch them suffer, I might as well be useful."
He gently lifted their heads—one on each thigh. Clara’s head went left, Jessy’s right.
Then he just sat there like a cosmic lap pillow.
"Guess I’m furniture now," he muttered.
Rufus raised a brow. "That’s... kind of noble?"
"It’s emotional support," Raven muttered. "Also an attempt to stop them from bashing their skulls on rocks, which would be very counterproductive."
Selena was still trembling, her hands clutched together as she knelt near Clara. "You sure this is... safe?"
"Nope," Raven replied. "But sotis, the only way forward is through the pain."
Jessy twitched violently, growling with the last of her sanity left. "Why did you jinx it, Raven?!"
After those words, Jessy’s eyes went blank, only occasional groans leaving her lips.
"...My bad," Raven muttered.
Clara, who had cald down a bit, probably unconscious, whimpered sothing that sounded like, "This fruit is a lie..."
Raven looked down at both girls, guilt poking at his insides like tiny daggers.
They trusted him. Clara followed him without question. Jessy had gone along just because he asked.
Now both were writhing on the ground with godlike power boiling their insides.
He gritted his teeth.
They didn’t deserve this. Not this kind of agony. But he couldn’t shield them from everything.
Not if they were going to walk the path beside him.
Power had a price.
Right now... they were paying it.
"I’m sorry," he whispered, one hand resting gently on each of their heads. "But it’ll be worth it. I promise."
Jessy muttered sothing unintelligible. Clara, on the other hand, twitched.
"...Also, sorry for how much this probably sucks."
A long silence.
Then Omni spoke again, his tone oddly soft. "You’re a good man, Raven. They’ll make it. Power like that don’t co easy. But they’re strong."
"I know," Raven whispered.
So, he sat there, an unwilling throne for two warriors being forged in pain, while his team stood around awkwardly, unsure whether to help or start praying.
.......................
Ten minutes later.
The group remained silent, the only sounds being the soft breathing of the unconscious girls and the occasional crackle of mana still lingering in the air.
Raven didn’t move.
His legs were starting to go numb, but he didn’t dare shift—not when the weight of trust quite literally rested on him.
Then, slowly... a twitch.
Clara’s eyelids fluttered.
She blinked, pupils unfocused at first—until they settled on the figure above her.
Raven.
His expression was tired but calm, his red eyes watching her with quiet worry.
"...Hey," he said softly.
Clara stared at him for a long mont. Then—despite everything—she smiled.
"...It’s good that you’re the first thing I see after hell," she murmured.
Her head turned, lips curving into a mischievous grin.
Then, without warning—
Chomp.
"OW—!" Raven twitched as Clara bit his lap, not hard enough to hurt, but with enough force to make a point.
"Revenge," Clara whispered smugly, eyes gleaming even in exhaustion. "That was for the fruit. Felt like I swallowed a baby dragon, and it tried to hatch in my guts."
Raven let out a soft chuckle. "Fair."
Omni buzzed from the tattoo on his hand. "Ay, wild lady’s back! That’s one down. Bonus points for style, though—biting the boss? Savage."
Clara snorted weakly but didn’t argue.
Then ca the next stir.
Jessy’s eyes twitched open, her breath coming out in a slow exhale.
She didn’t move imdiately—just lay there, her cheek still resting on Raven’s lap.
Her flushed face softened as she felt the warmth beneath her, the comfort radiating from the hand gently brushing her hair.
"Mmm..." She sighed, muttering weakly. "This... isn’t bad."
Her gaze lifted.
Only to et his.
Raven was smiling down at her, faint but warm. Sothing about that expression made the heat from the shard feel insignificant.
Jessy stared.
Longer than she should’ve.
Giving way to a dangerous thought that whispered into her soul like a devil in silk slippers.
’He’s unarguably the most handso guy I’ve ever t.’
Her heart did sothing unholy.
’...Maybe I could join his har—’
NOPE.
She jolted upright like soone had just set fire to her conscience, cheeks blazing red.
"I-I’m fine!" She blurted. "Just, uh—felt hot! Very hot!"
Raven raised an eyebrow at the sudden launch. "...You sure you’re okay?"
"Totally! Absolutely!" She stamred, not eting anyone’s eyes. "Hot weather! Warm... mana! Stuff!"
The group exchanged glances.
Eyebrows were raised.
One, single, incomplete thought flickered through all their minds like a collective brain glitch.
’Is she...?’
Omni cracked up, his voice gleeful, but this ti, only Raven could hear it. "Yo, did she just ntally apply for the harem? Ain’t no paper trail but I felt that vibe, man!"
"Omni," Raven muttered.
"What? I’m just sayin’. Girl looked like she just got kissed by a fever dream."
Raven didn’t know what to say.
It probably wasn’t just him and Omni who felt that. The way Clara, Selena, and Siris were looking at him, he was sure that they sensed it, just like he did.
Looking at Clara’s raised eyebrows, Raven lifted his hand. "Not my fault."
"Who was the one who put the head of a defenseless girl on his lap again?" Selena whispered from the side, making Raven pause.
"...I guess it was my fault," he admitted, turning to look at Jessy, who had started talking to Jake, Rufus, and Alex to take her mind away from the dangerous thought she had a second ago.
’We’ll see how it goes,’ Raven muttered to himself, not completely against the idea.
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