When faced with an entirely unexpected situation, people often freeze.
Like a person caught off guard by a speeding truck in an alley, unable to move out of the way.
This phenonon, commonly called “freezing,” was exactly what happened to when I learned Greg was in danger.
It was sothing I hadn’t even considered during the entire month he’d been away from the city.
“You said you’d be back soon! What’s this supposed to an?”
Clenching my fists tightly, I replayed my last mory of Greg in my mind.
He had assured with a confident smile that everything would be fine and that he’d be back in no ti.
As the initial shock ebbed away, a deluge of emotions surged in its place: worry, anger, frustration, impatience, irritation, and unease.
I couldn’t just sit still anymore.
Unable to suppress the turmoil in my chest, I bolted toward the door.
“Wait. Where do you think you’re going?”
“…!”
Or at least I tried to.
Raven grabbed my shoulder firmly, stopping in my tracks.
What are you doing? Don’t get in my way!
Pain shot through my shoulder, and a pang of betrayal welled up as I glared at him.
But Raven’s expression remained icy, devoid of emotion, as he stared back.
“Do you even know where Greg is? Running out blindly won’t solve anything.”
“….”
“So don’t waste your energy flailing around. Stay put and wait. If you act recklessly, you’ll only get in the way. Trust .”
His tone was as cold and sharp as his gaze, stripped of his usual teasing deanor.
His calmness brought back to reality.
My heart was pounding so hard it hurt, and my breathing was ragged, like I’d sprinted a mile.
Plans? I had none. If Raven hadn’t stopped , I’d probably have been flying through the city, aimlessly using telekinesis.
And that would’ve accomplished nothing. Just foolishness driven by emotion.
Realizing this, I gritted my teeth and forced my legs to stop moving.
Noticing the change, Raven slowly let go of my shoulder.
He must have decided I wouldn’t rush out recklessly anymore.
But just because my reason returned didn’t an my emotions had settled.
The knot of frustration and anxiety in my stomach still twisted painfully.
“Calm down,” Raven said. “I know Greg’s important to you. He’s important to us too. We won’t ignore this, and there’s still a way to help him.”
“…?”
How could one vague ssage be enough to find him?
I shot Raven a skeptical look, prompting him to hold out his terminal.
“Look at Greg’s ssage carefully. It wasn’t sent through a regular network using a traceable number. Instead, it was sent over an internet service. Convenient, but it leaves an IP address.”
“…!”
“Normally, service providers protect that data. But we happen to know soone who’s a wizard at cracking things like this.”
Without hesitation, Raven began composing a ssage on his terminal.
Most likely to David, who was probably relaxing on this lazy Sunday.
Nice. Push him to work. I approve.
Ignoring the dull ache in my shoulder, I nodded in agreent. Raven glanced at as he typed.
“By the way, how’s your shoulder?”
“…?”
“Sorry. I didn’t an to hurt you.”
What’s he apologizing for? This is my fault.
Seeing Raven, who monts ago had looked ready to kill, now apologizing with a sheepish rub of his neck, I shook my head firmly.
He didn’t need to feel bad. If anything, I owed him thanks for stopping from making a terrible mistake.
To show my gratitude, I headbutted his stomach lightly.
Cats use headbutts to show affection, right? Surely the ssage got across.
“Kuh, haha… fine, I get it. You’re not the type to sulk over small things. Alright, go get changed. As soon as David replies, we’re leaving.”
“…?”
“Why? Isn’t it obvious? You want to help Greg, don’t you?”
“…!”
Of course I do!
With a firm nod at Raven’s rare dazzling smile, I dashed off to my room without hesitation.
I threw off my clothes and slipped into my usual maid uniform, ensuring it was perfectly pressed and free of wrinkles.
Then, I perched myself primly on the office sofa, waiting.
The longest path to your goal is often the shortest.
Bottling up my impatience, I stayed still, letting the seconds tick by.
[ “Mama… are you okay?” ]
The Tesseract’s voice, unusually soft, broke through my thoughts.
But I felt okay.
Raven told to trust him. And I would.
He was the protagonist, after all.
Though… if Greg were truly hurt or worse…
Would I still be able to stay calm?
The rhythmic ticking of the office clock was the only sound in the quiet room.
Soon, Raven erged, dressed in his usual work attire—a drab, serious suit.
“Good news. David tracked the IP address. We know where Greg is.”
“…!”
“He’s in Belmond, a coastal city about half a day’s drive from Nighthaven.”
Outside the city? Of course.
But half a day by car? That wasn’t fast enough.
I frowned deeply, the weight of the distance pressing down on .
It wasn’t another country, thankfully, but the ti required was a problem.
Raven noticed my concern and continued, “Driving would take until early morning, which isn’t ideal. So we’re not driving.”
“…?”
“What else would we do?” I silently asked, glancing at him curiously.
He answered with a smirk.
“Rember Lurika? She’s flying overseas today, so we’ll hitch a ride on her private jet. That’ll cut travel ti to about two hours.”
“…!”
From half a day to two hours? Amazing!
With a private jet, there’d be no hassle with tickets or passports.
Still, would she agree to this so easily?
I tilted my head, skeptical. Raven coughed awkwardly before explaining further.
“She did ask for sothing in return: she wants you and Alice to star in another music video. Seems the last one did well.”
“….”
“Well, anyway, let’s go. We need to be at the airport by six, so no ti to waste.”
I had no choice but to follow Raven as he briskly left the office, explaining the plan as we walked.
We’d reach the city quickly, locate Greg, and figure out what was going on.
However, since Belmond wasn’t as accepting of other races as Nighthaven, Alice and David couldn’t join us.
But Alice looks human enough. Wouldn’t it be fine?
I mimicked drawing a sword and gestured toward Raven, questioning Alice’s exclusion.
Raven shook his head. “If she went, she’d have to wear a magic-restraining collar, and that’d attract attention.”
Oh, right. That makes sense.
I nodded in understanding, reassured by his calm logic.
Thankfully, the city’s efficient transportation system got us to the airport with ti to spare before our 6 PM departure.
“Hey, we’re here,” Raven announced.
“Oh, the scumbag who only calls when he needs sothing. And… Yuria! Rember , sweetheart?”
“…!”
“This feels a bit… cold,” Raven muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as Lurika gave him a dismissive glance.
anwhile, I found myself instinctively raising a hand to wave at Lurika, her friendly deanor putting at ease.
She reminded of Alice—playful and approachable—but without the tendency to pull people into sudden hugs or sniff their heads. In terms of personal boundaries, I found her much easier to deal with.
Watching interact with Lurika, Raven simply shrugged and addressed her with a nod of gratitude.
“Thanks for letting us hitch a ride on your private jet. It’s a huge help, really.”
“Hmph. Don’t thank . I only agreed because of Alice and Yuria. Tell them to thank . What would I ever see in soone as dreary as you?”
“Yeah, yeah, sorry for being dreary,” Raven said with a dry laugh.
Lurika rolled her eyes and motioned toward the jet with her thumb. “Alright, hop on.”
Inside, the jet was surprisingly crowded with staff and crew.
Lurika explained that she was headed overseas for a shoot, and the jet was often used to transport entire teams.
Given the logistics of such productions, chartering a jet seed more convenient for her than booking individual flights.
“Oh, Yuria! Raven!”
“Huh? Wait, aren’t you…?”
“…!”
“It’s , Aisha. Haha, do I look weird with makeup on?”
Among the passengers, we ran into Aisha—a familiar and friendly face.
As a fellow talent from Lurika’s agency, she was also heading overseas to gain more exposure through the shoot.
Knowing so of her struggles, I silently wished her well with her work.
The jet took off smoothly, and to my relief, no one questioned my identity.
Being on an airplane for the first ti should have been exhilarating, a mont to savor.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about Greg.
Didn’t they say this was for an overseas shoot? How are we supposed to get off midway?
As I mulled over this puzzle, the answer soon beca painfully clear.
“Alright, I’m heading off. Good luck with your shoot!” Lurika called out.
“C’mon, Yuria, let’s go,” Raven said casually.
“….”
Whiiisssh!
Standing at the open hatch of the jet, I realized too late what Raven had planned.
Strapped into a parachute, I barely had ti to process the situation before being pulled along.
What is this, so kind of battle royale?!
.bg-container-10448ed3ed0{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Before I could even scream, we leaped into the rushing wind.
Who in their right mind jumps out of a moving plane with a parachute?
That thought echoed in my mind as I plumted through the sky alongside Raven.
Urgency or not, this was beyond reckless.
Raven, I realized once again, was anything but normal.
Reviews
All reviews (0)